Demolition Lovers

Mikey Way redid his skinny black tie for the sixth time. Every time he fixed it, it was perfectly fine, but he was more doing for the sake of having something to do with his hands than anything else. A wedding shouldn’t ever make somebody this nervous, he figured. Especially when it isn’t even yours.

The wedding was for Mikey’s good friend and fellow musician Shaun Cooper, bass player for Taking Back Sunday, at his home in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Normally, Mikey would be stoked that his buddy was celebrating such a special day, but one thought had taken hold of his mind and he couldn’t let it go: Romy Lazzara would probably be there.

More then probably- her brother Adam, lead singer of TBS, was the best man. Today was going to be the first time he saw her since they split up- a memory Mikey relived miserably everyday. He sighed, and fixed his tie once more.

Two gentle knocks tapped the door before Mikey’s brother Gerard popped his head into the room. “Ready, bro? It’s an hour drive so we better leave now.”

“What? Oh, yeah... Coming...”

Eyes darting around the room a bit, and hands still fidgety with nerves, Mikey flattened his hair one more time in the mirror before turning to follow Gerard, who was looking at him with understanding.

“It’ll be alright,” he said reassuringly, clapping his brother on the back. “Maybe you won’t even see her.” But even he knew that this was impossible. Mikey and Romy were drawn together like magnets. Some way, they’d be forced to lock eyes once again.

The ride was awkward at best. Panic! At the Disco played softly from the speakers as Gerard drove and Mikey stared at the rapidly passing parkway. Every now and again, Gerard would try to say something light and positive to lighten the mood, but each time he failed miserably. Mikey would nod absentmindedly or grunt a noncommittal response before returning to his brooding, and his brother would sigh and focus again on the road.

It seemed like much less then an hour [or maybe much more?] when Gerard’s car joined the mass of others surrounding Shaun’s house. Mikey couldn’t remember feeling this nervous since the first time My Chemical Romance ever performed- when he was in high school. Nothing else could compare to the heart-hammering, stomach-twisting, anxiety that bolted throughout his body right now. He positively jumped when Gerard shut the driver side door.

“C’mon, man. Can’t put it off forever,” said Gerard.

The driveway and perfectly trimmed front yard was full of happy people, laughing and excitedly talking about the approaching ceremony while holding a variety of colorful drinks. As soon as Mikey stepped foot on the lawn, a short, plump boy in a catering uniform offered him a glass of red wine, which he promptly accepted as an excuse to, once again, keep his hands occupied. It felt smooth and bitter against his lips.

Gerard was off instantly to talk with some guys he recognized from the studio, leaving Mikey to his own devices. He kept his eyes carefully on his drink to avoid making eye contact with anyone he knew. Particularly Romy.

This made walking difficult, however, as he wasn’t paying particular attention to where he was going. He bumped into a couple people, mumbling quick apologies as he passed. Soon, a familiar voice made him jerk his head up.

“Mikey!” Happily said the voice of Adam Lazzara as he took Mikey in for a bro-hug. “Long time no see, man!”

“Hey, Adam,” Mikey responded as casually as he could. He almost didn’t recognize his friend. When they had toured together two summers ago, anyone would have been hard-pressed to find a freshly showered Adam- let alone one clean shaven and wearing a tuxedo. “I’ve been meaning to tell you congrats on the baby boy!”

Adam smiled with all the pride of a new dad, “thanks, man. Misha and I are beyond excited. But enough about me, dude! How’ve you been?”

Mikey shrugged, “oh, you know,” he faked, “same old, same old, I guess...”

Adam nodded knowingly. Mikey knew he could see right through his act. Pointedly, Adam nudged his head and looked to his left. Sitting at a pristinely white table all on her own was Romy.

Her jet black hair was longer then Mikey remembered, and fell around her shoulders in loose curls. The navy blue make-up around her violet eyes was heavy and sparkled in the autumn sun. Instead of making her look drab and easy to miss, the soft looking grey dress, with some modest ruffles and layers, she wore made her look strikingly like a graceful swan.

“She hasn’t been herself lately,” Adam said. “Not since you, really.” And Mikey knew exactly what he was talking about. Her usual diamond-like sparkle seemed blanched, as if shielded by a thin layer of dust.

At this moment, Adam recognized one of the other guests and left to greet them, giving Mikey his cue to act.

He could run, he supposed, and try to avoid her for the rest of the day, but this seemed both unlikely and undesirable. That magnetic pull took force, and carried Mikey’s feet forward to the moment he both dreaded and secretly hoped for.

“May I sit?” He asked nervously. Romy nodded, not quite looking up to his face, but focusing instead on his chest area. He was inwardly glad he had bothered to fix his tie. Mikey leaned awkwardly back and forth in his chair while Romy rested her small, round chin on her palms and stared at the ground. Not knowing what to do, he bit down at the edge of his glass and sipped his wine weakly.

“So are we going to bullshit about the weather and music and whatnot, or are we going to skip over all that?” Romy said pointedly, but not meanly. She had a way of being blunt without appearing rude in the slightest. Mikey sighed and set his glass on the table, he had missed the sound of her voice.

“I’d prefer to skip the BS, if you don’t mind,” Mikey answered, leaning a little closer and hushing his voice. “What happened between us, Romy? One second we were inseparable, and the next...”

“We crashed,” she finished his thought in a whisper. She pressed her red lips tightly together. “I don’t know what happened, Mikey. I’ve stayed up many nights trying to figure it out, but I just don’t know.”

They let the sound of party chatter and birds fill the space between them for some time. Mikey couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Romy. She was so beautifully captivating, as breath-taking and chillingly amazing as a full, fiery night sky with stars stretching on for forevers.

“Save a dance for me at the reception?” She asked somewhat airily.

Mikey, taken slightly off guard, answered, “anything.”

“And Mikey?” Romy finally looked him in the eyes with the mysterious intensity of the harvest moon. They reflected back every bit of Mikey he had lost for all this time. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too. More than anything. I promise, this time we won’t be demolition lovers.”