Get Rhythm

[FLORA]

"Ready?"

I slipped on my shoes and nodded. I locked the door behind Fiona and I and followed her out to her car. A week had passed since we got back from New York. We were all back in the swing of things and I was as busy as ever with work and side projects that I was interested in.

I had not, however, been busy enough to notice the absence of John in my life or the fact that he was absent because he was plain old ignoring me.

"Any word-"

"Do you have to ask me every day if I've heard from John?"

"It's just strange! And he won't talk to any of us about it... I want to know what's going on," Fiona whined.

I rolled my eyes, annoyed. "Well I would too. He's just ignoring me. I don't know what's going on and quite frankly I sort of don't care. This is the second time he's done this disappearance act. I don't know just who he thinks he is to treat me this way."

Fiona smiled and squeezed my knee. "I don't know. I could say-"

"Don't say anything! I mean it, Fi. If John wants nothing to do with me then that is just fine. I don't appreciate his hot and cold attitude so... whatever." The truth of it was that I didn't want to talk to John because he actually really hurt my feelings. Kisses and blow jobs aside, we're really close. I don't understand why he gets into these funks of just wanting nothing to do with me...

The rest of the drive was silent. I said goodbye to Fiona when we pulled up to the shop and got out. I quickly started doing paperwork. When I got through all of that I sent the others on break. I wasn't actually supposed to be in today, but I wanted to take the opportunity to catch up on some things. I spent several hours sorting through paperwork and tieing up loose ends and then went behind the counter for awhile.

"Long time no see."

I smiled. "Hi Karl. I've been out of town actually, don't take it personally."

"That's alright, one of the employee's told me you were away. Could I get a dozen of those delicious red velvet cupcakes, please?" Nodding I grabbed a box and began putting everything together.

"What's the occasion?"

"Little sister's birthday."

"Uh, don't you think you should get two or three dozen?" When Karl looked at me blankly I knew I had to explain it to him. "I mean, how many people are going to be there?"

He laughed, "I think you're right now that you say that. She's thirteen, all her friends are coming and it's the first boy/girl party. I'm so not looking forward to it."

I chuckled, "It's a rough age."

"My sister is gorgeous, I just know I'm going to jail today for knocking some thirteen year old's teeth out. Jesus. I need to buy a present too!"

"What are you going to get her? And should I make this a variety since there are going to be so many different people?"

Karl nodded. "No clue. I have no idea what thirteen year old girls like. She's always been a tomboy but she's starting to get more feminine."

I shrugged. "I could help out. I just came in today to see how things were running."

"Would you really? You are a fucking saint, Florence!" For some reason the way Karl called me Florence didn't aggravate me like it usually did. Once he paid for the cupcakes I let everyone know that I was leaving. We got in Karl's car since I had road with Fiona on her way to work.

"Should we go to the mall?"

"We should go to your place first and put these in a cool place or else they're gonna suck later."

"I'm really glad that you're saving me from ruining the, and I'm quoting here, 'most important birthday of my sister's life!"

I laughed with Karl. "I know how important that birthday is."

"Would you want to go to the party with me? I mean, I know it's kind of lame since it's going to be us and a bunch of thirteen year olds, but I'm chaperoning since I'm a little cooler than my parents."

Thinking back to our last date made me want to say no immediately... But I guess I should give him a second chance... He could have been nervous or something and it's not like I've heard from John since we've been back from New York.

An entire week had gone by with not a word from him. I had called him a few times and sent a few texts, but not many. I'm not going to beg him to talk to me. I thought of the kisses that I missed from him and realized that I shouldn't just be sitting around because of John.

"I would enjoy that," I agreed finally.

"Cool, it's going to be over at ten and a buddy is throwing a party tonight, you're welcome to come if you want to," Karl threw out.

"That sounds great," I agreed. "I'll need to get clothes though and since we're going to be at the mall anyway...."

Karl laughed loudly and took my hand firmly in his. It was different than John in that John would be nervous and unsure but confident at the same time. Karl had more of a raw dominance to him, and at the moment it was certainly making my stomach a little jumpy.

"Whatever you want."

Karl drove to his apartment. Unlike when John and I were in the car together, Karl and I talked constantly. He kept me laughing and I couldn't help but find his self-deprecating humor to be... cute.

He ran in his apartment long enough to store the cupcakes and then we took off towards the mall. After several stores Karl and I decided the best gift for his sister would be a few gift cards to her favorite stores and a nice necklace. I learned that his sister's name was Emma and the two were incredibly close despite being at such different places in life.

"You are amazing, thank you so much." After shutting his trunk Karl turned towards me and pulled me into a hug. I smiled and looked up into his eyes, though my breath caught when I did because of how close we had managed to get.

Now he was a little hesitant. His eyes showed me how unsure he was, but in a flash that disappeared and his lips crashed down onto mine.

His dominant side came out again, and I lost myself completely in the kiss. It was different and exciting to be kissed so forcefully. Karl's hands were gripping my hips so hard that it was on the verge of being considered pain.

I stood on my tip toes and threw my arms around his neck, grinding against his body ever so slightly. It was enough to get the soft moan I wanted out of Karl though.

"Mm, we should go find whatever you wanted to wear. We can... We can pick this up later."

I grinned and followed Karl back into the mall. Any thoughts of John were far away from me now.

&&&

"I'm nervous," I sighed, looking over at Karl when he cut the engine. I pressed further into the seat, hoping maybe it would eat me up.

"What?! Florence don't be. This is my little sister and her thirteen year old friends!"

"I meant to meet your parents," I explained, rolling my eyes. I got out of the car and followed Karl up the pathway to his childhood home. He took my hand when we walked inside and it didn't take us long to find his parents who were in the kitchen.

"Hey hun! You must be Florence, Karl told us you would be coming." The blond woman stuck her hand out. She was warm and inviting. She made me feel comfortable and I took her hand and said it was nice to meet her. The same routine followed with his Dad.

"Don't let any of those boys get handsy with her," Karl's father warned.

"I'm not going to," he said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, I'm her older brother! They may only be thirteen but I will take someone down."

"Don't embarrass your sister. Let's go, George. Have a nice time, and again it was so nice meeting you sweetie!" When Karl's parents left we went outside to where the party was in full swing. Some kids were in the pool, others were doing crazy dances.

"Do you remember your first boy girl party?" I laughed.

"Oh God, do I!" Karl laughed, pulling me against his chest. "I was so awkward. There was this girl, Susie Mayfield... I wanted to kiss her so bad and we were playing spin the bottle, well we were going to kiss each other but right when we were level with each other I burped and that was definitely it for any chances I had with Susie Mayfield."

I couldn't help but laugh. I tried not to, but it was something straight out of a teen movie.

"Gee thanks, Flor. I appreciate your amusement from my misery!"

I chuckled and smiled at him. "Well, you could've gotten that kiss and then it would be Susie Mayfield hanging out with you instead of me."

Karl took a second to contemplate this and smiled down at me. He leaned close to me and put his mouth next to my ear.

"Now I'm really glad I missed out on that kiss with Susie Mayfield."

Karl wrapped his arms around me and we were moving closer when someone ran into us, literally. Karl gripped me tighter so I wouldn't fall as he regained his balance and kept us both standing.

"Karl, who is this girl?!"

"I'm Florence," I chuckled, shaking his sister's hand. When Karl said she was gorgeous he wasn't kidding. She was stunning and she controlled the room she was in.

"She's my friend, she owns that cupcake shop that I got all this stuff from."

"Oh, that's awesome! I love your sweets!"

"Thanks a lot. Happy birthday by the way."

"Thanks! Well it's nice to meet you," she smiled sweetly. "I'm Emma. I hope you have a nice time, if you'll excuse me I want Jake to dance with me." As quick as she came Emma was bouncing away.

"Hey! He better keep his hands above the waist, as a matter of fact not on you at all!" Karl shouted after Emma. "She's a fireball man. She never stops going," Karl said shaking his head. He put his arm around my shoulder and led me to a bench in the backyard of his parents home. We sat down and I moved closer to Karl, resting my head against his chest as we listened to the music and watched the teens in front of us.

I moved up and pressed my lips against his, quickly pulling away and hoping no one would see.

"What was that for?"

Blushing slightly, I smiled and shrugged. "I really wanted that kiss after I didn't get it."

&&&

[JOHN]

"John you seem off," Nick sighed, putting another cold beer in my hand. "Here's another drink."

I chuckled. "Thanks. I mean, hell Nick, I am off! My life is falling apart. I put too much of myself into a girl and not enough into the band and now we're all going in so many different directions that we pretty much aren't even a band right now."

"You guys are officially broken up?"

I shook my head, lighting a cigarette and walking outside with Nick to get away from the noise of the party. "No one has come out and said it right out, but I think it's crossed all of our minds."

"Of course it has! You guys are hardly talking! You all need to put your egos aside and have a serious discussion about where The Maine is going, one way or the other."

"You wouldn't make it sound so easy if it was your band."

"Dude. I get it, but you especially are taking this way too hard. By that, I mean that you're trying to shoulder all the blame and it isn't all your fault nor is it anyone's fault but the label. I think you guys can do it on your own, you just need to have a serious talk and not get heated."

I sighed and took a long sip of my beer. I know Nick's right and the guys would agree too, I'm sure. It's just awkward now because this isn't a position any of us ever thought we would be in.

"Whoa, looks like Flora and Karl have gotten a lot closer." Nick pulled me from my thoughts. I followed his gaze inside. Flora stood next to Karl looking stunning. She was waring a plain black dress wedged heels that gave her a little height. Her hair looked amazing, her face was flawless...

Karl's arm was resting on her hip and pulled her closer into his body. He shocked me though when he pulled her closer to him and kissed her. At first I was frozen in shock. I could hear Nick saying something beside me, but I couldn't understand him or do anything other than watch Flora and Karl kiss.

She didn't pull away until he did and the smile on her face was enough for me. I threw my cigarette and stomped it furiously. I chugged the rest of my beer and headed inside, Nick right behind me. At some point he put a hand on my shoulder.

The kitchen grew silent as I entered it. Karl began talking though because he clearly didn't pick up on the tension in the room now that I was in it. I just looked at Flora who stared straight back at me. I couldn't read her like I normally could and it bothered me.

I opened my mouth a couple of times but never got anything out.

"I think we have some things to talk about John... What do you think about getting everyone together?" Jared asked all of a sudden. I think he did it partially because I was making a fool of myself and partially because we really all needed to have a talk about our future together.

"Nice seeing you Karl," I said briskly. Jared, Nick, and I walked out of the kitchen and went to find the rest of the guys that were in various places of the house at various levels of drunkenness. It didn't take too long for Jared and I to round everyone up, though we didn't speak as we did so. The anger at the guys disappeared as I drank and we talked, shifting instead to Florence.

I don't know why I let myself get so wrapped up in her. I don't know why I allowed myself to put her before the band and take up so much of my time and I don't know how the hell she could kiss some other guy after kissing me.

"Dude, let's do this. We can seriously do this guys, let's make the record ourselves. This album needs to go out, it's too fucking good not to," Kennedy said, putting in his hand. After talking for an hour we were all close to drunk. We got a lot resolved though and a lot of much needed apologies were taken care of.

"I'm in."

One by one we all put our hands in and it was decided that we would stick this out and put out our album. It felt good, and brought a wave of serenity to me that I realized I had been missing in my life.

"So dude, I have to ask... What's going on with Flora and Karl?"

"I don't know. She's a fucking slor."

"A slor?"

"I heard it on television the other day... Some girl called some other girl a nasty slor, and that is what Florence is. A nasty fucking slor."

"John, I love you, but if you call my sister a nasty fucking slor again I will knock your teeth out." Fiona sat down beside Pat, lighting a cigarette.

I flicked a piece of grass off of my hand and shrugged. "She's the one that's being shitty."

"Because it wasn't at all shitty of you to fucking ignore her since we've been home! Don't you dare pull that shit O'Callaghan!"

"It's been a week! We don't have to talk everyday! We're friends," I replied bitterly. "I'm not the one that's fucking all over some other person! Man, I don't know what I thought was so fascinating about her, only that's a lie because I could name a million things right now that make me want to just slug Karl and steal Florence away..."

"Why do you even think you deserve Flora? Give me a good reason, John, really! It's not like this is the first time that you just dropped out of Flora's world with no notice or explanation! Who do you think you are to do that to her? I'm glad she is over there with Karl because he may seem like a tool but he at least treats her right! You do not deserve my sister John O'Callaghan!" Fiona stood up so quickly and walked away. She knocked over some of our beers as she left.

It kind of dawned on me then that Fiona was absolutely right...

&&&

[FLORA]

Two more weeks went by and I still heard nothing from John, though I had regular contact with the rest of the guys. I made up my mind not to try and talk to John because of how ugly he was acting.

Karl, however, had been giving me a million reasons to talk to him. Karl and I went on several dates, spending a lot of time together since I had more free time with John out of my life.

It was weird at first, but now things feel like they're going exactly how they should be. Business boomed, especially late night as college students got back into town. Apparently I'm not the only one that likes cupcakes and beer together.

"Wanna head to my place?" Karl asked, nudging my side. I nodded, getting off the couch. I was closing shop for the night and Karl had come by when he got off work. Karl drove and when we got to his place it was obvious that he had planned on getting me back here anyway.

A dozen roses were laying on his coffee table, along with two glasses and a bottle of wine. I looked over with raised eyebrows and Karl shrugged.

"It's possible that I've been planning this all day."

I laughed and kissed him, sitting down on the couch while he opened and poured our wine. He turned on the television and put it on the classic movie network. He was beginning to like the same old movies that I did.

We cuddled up on the couch and I was surprised at how comfortable I felt in Karl's arms. This wasn't where I was expecting to be going, but I couldn't deny that it was a nice surprise. Karl was like John's opposite. He had a typical nine to five, he had a great condo, he knew what he wanted, he didn't treat me like I would always be around like John did which was probably the part that was weighing heaviest on me.

It still bothered me that John was ignoring me, but I managed to find solace several nights in Karl's bed.

"Florence, I've been wondering something for awhile now." Karl stated, pulling me so I would face him when the movie went to commercial.

"Oh? Well what have you been wondering about Karl?"

"If you would be my girlfriend?"