Come One, Come All to This Tragic Affair

I’d been walking on air for the past day and a half.
Jaden wants to take it slow and that’s okay.
But she’s still with me and that makes me happier than I’ve ever been.
The guys have definitely noticed how bouncy I’m acting.
“Frank, get the hell out of here.” Ray finally said, putting down his guitar.
“Why?” I’d been sitting quietly for the past hour, a new thing for me.
“Because you’re grinning like an idiot and it’s annoying. Go find your girl.” Gee rolled his eyes and I took off.
It was four o’clock so I knew Jaden would be at work. I dialed her cell phone number and hoped she wasn’t busy.
“Hey.” Jaden answered on the second ring.
“I was wondering if you wanted to go see a movie with me and have dinner.” I crossed my fingers and held my breath. I haven’t been this nervous since high school.
“Sure. What time should I be ready by?” I grinned, even though she couldn’t see me.
“Is seven okay for you?”
“Yup. See you then. Bye.” We hung up and I did a little victory dance into my apartment.
By six-thirty I was sitting in my apartment twiddling my thumbs.
I finally broke down and was about to knock on her door when it opened.
I swear my jaw hit the floor when she came out of her apartment. She was wearing a purple dress with a jeans jacket over it and a pair of black high tops.
But what interested me the most was that she was wearing her wedding ring around her neck on a chain.
So big-mouth that I am, I blurted, “You’re not wearing your ring.”
“I’ll explain on the way.” She locked her apartment and slipped her hand into mine.
We were all the way to the movie theater by the time she started to explain.
“If we go out, people are gonna see me wearing a ring and you not. I don’t want you to end up with that kind of publicity, having an affair with a married woman.”
“Jaden, if you want to wear your ring, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“It just makes me feel better. And it’s closer to my heart.” My own heart sank when she said that.
Every time she brings up Danny it does that.
I know he was her husband and that she’s still grieving, but it stills bothers me.
“What do you want to see?” She asked, looking up at the movie times.
We ended up going to see Bruce Almighty and it was nice to hear Jaden laugh.
I wanted to pull her close to me but I’d promised to take it slow, which meant for her to make the first move.
About halfway through the movie, she lifted the arm rest that was between us and settled against me. I put my arm around her shoulders and we stayed like that for the rest of the movie.
It was a little after ten when we got out of the movie and colder than I expected. Jaden put one arm around my waist and I put mine around her shoulder.
Since we were pressed so close together I could feel her shivering.
“Are you cold?” I asked.
“Yeah. Damn Charlie, making me wear a dress.” She muttered. I stopped and shrugged off my leather jacket, draping it over her shoulders.
“I always seem to end up with your jacket.” She put her arms through the sleeves. “Although you shouldn’t have to freeze for me.”
“It’s fine. What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn’t give up my jacket for you?” I was freezing to death but I wasn’t gonna tell her that. “Plus it gives me an excuse to get close to you.”
“So there is an ulterior motive.” She shook her head at me in mock disapproval.
“You caught me.” I shrugged and I saw her smile as she looked down. “Hey, you’re smiling.”
“People do that.” She laughed.
“And a laugh! I feel honored.” I pulled her closer against me so I wouldn’t freeze so much.
We ended up going to this hole in the wall Italian place down the street from our apartment building.
It’s nice that Jaden actually eats like a human, not like a bird like some girls I’ve gone out with. She ordered chicken Parmesan and a glass of wine. I got spaghetti and meatballs.
I studied Jaden while we ate. She made a soft moan of pleasure every time she took a bite and it was starting to bother my lower regions.
Bad Frank. I admonished myself. Of course that just made me picture Jaden with a whip which made me more uncomfortable.
“Quit playing with your balls.” Jaden said after a long moment of comfortable silence. I just blinked at her. She nodded towards my plate. “You’ve been spinning that meatball around for the past ten minutes. Eat it already.”
“You want me to put balls in my mouth?” I asked innocently. She just laughed and took a sip of her wine.
“Do you know how long it’s been since I made a sex joke?”
“How long?”
“Since before Danny got sick.” My stomach twisted.
Again with Danny.
Her right hand automatically went to the finger where her ring used to be. It was a habit of hers I’d noticed. She always spun the ring around her finger when she was thinking about him.
She opened her mouth to say something but before she could, we were bombarded by a gang of girls who’d been eating across the restaurant from us.
“OMG. You’re Frank Iero!” A blonde girl squealed.
“Yep.” I pasted a smile on my face. We were lucky to have such awesome fans.
I just wish they hadn’t come over now.
I can tell Jaden’s uncomfortable with all the people around us. She shrank back into her chair and tried to disappear.
“Can you take a picture of us?” The girl asked Jaden. I almost expected her not to do it, but she took the camera and snapped the picture.
And took the next four as all the girls wanted a picture with me.
“So, Frank, if you’re ever…lonely, just call me.” One of them said flirtatiously, slipping a phone number into my hand. I was just about to hand it back when Jaden wrapped one arm around my waist.
“Sorry, he’s with me. And I don’t think he’s gonna be lonely.” Jaden’s tone was pleasant but the expression on her face told the girl not to fuck with her.
The only thing I could think to do was to turn my head to press my lips against Jaden’s temple.
“Aww. They’re so cute.” Another girl sighed. We both smiled at her. They eventually left us alone and we paid the check.
“Sorry about that.” Jaden said when we were on our way back to our building.
“For what?”
“For going all possessive on you.”
“It’s not a problem. I really wish they hadn’t come over though.”
“So now do you get why I’m not wearing my ring?”
“Yeah.” We were outside our apartments now.
“I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” Jaden unlocked her door and she was about to go in when she turned around.
I could almost see what she was going to do before she did it.
She rested her hands on my chest and pressed her lips to mine.
It was a simple goodnight kiss.
But to me, this was progress.