Maybe We'll Pretend Right Now

Jessica moved in with me after Warped Tour. We both agreed that it would be best since I was away so much.

I'll admit that I had been more distant from Jessica since the night that Vic told me he loved me. I was extremely confused with everything, including my own feelings. I couldn't help but feel like being with Jessica was wrong.

I thought that the change had gone unnoticed. But one night, about 3 weeks after warped tour, I realized that I was wrong.

"Jaime, baby," Jessica said, rubbing against me while I stood and washed dishes. I'd made a special dinner for us that night, and seeing as it involved wine, Jessica was a little tipsy.

"Yes, dear?" I turned around and kissed her. I didn't have much to drink that night so I wasn't exactly 'in the mood.'

"I love you," she sighed, resting her head on my shoulder.

I smiled and leaned my head against hers. "I love you too."

She snaked her arms around my waist, swaying side to side.

"Why don't you get to bed," I suggested, trying to get her to settle down, "I'll be there in an hour or two."

Jessica let go of my waist and stepped back.

"But babe, I'm not tired," she pouted.

I picked up another plate and started to wash it. "Then watch TV or something," I said.

Jessica frowned and crossed her arms.

"What do you want from me?" asked, turning to face her.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I want my boyfriend back!"

"I'm right here, Jess," I said, "go to bed, you're drunk."

Jessica knocked the plate out of my hand, letting it smash against the floor.

"I am not drunk! I'm just sick of how you've been acting since Warped Tour!"

I sighed and kneeled down to clean up the broken plate.

"What has gotten into you?" she continued, "I moved in more than a week ago and we haven't had sex one time!"

I scowled and shook my head. "So this is about sex?"

"No, it's not just about sex. It's about how you've been acting. Like you don't even want me around anymore! If you don't like me anymore than just fucking break up with me already!"

"I don't want you around anymore? Are you serious? I just moved you into my house! Are you fucking blind?"

Jessica just stood there, with her arms crossed, looking down at me as I gathered shards of broken glass from the floor.

"Do you have any consideration for my feelings?" I continued when she didn't say anything else. "Did you ever stop to think that maybe I'm stressed out? You never ask me how I'm feeling, you never check on me to make sure I'm okay. It's all about you, isn't it?"

My voice cracked and I turned to hide my face from Jessica. As I was standing up to throw away the broken pieces of glass, I heard her scoff and stomp away to the bedroom. When the door slammed, I shattered just as quickly as the plate had.

My mind raced and I didn't know what exactly had just happened. Jessica had gone from being sweet and loving to suddenly tearing me apart. I hoped that she would forget about the whole thing once she had sobered up.

Not knowing how to react, I decided to go for a drive. I didn't know exactly where I was headed but I just needed some time to clear my head. I grabbed my keys from the key hook and headed out the door.

~

After driving around for a while, I found myself pulling into a familiar driveway. I turned the car off, locked it, and walked up to the front step of the small white townhouse.

I rang the doorbell and after a few minutes the door opened.

"Jaime?" Mike said, standing in the doorway wearing nothing but a towel around his waist.

"Yeah," I said, "is Vic here?"

"He's in the shower," Mike said. He held the door open to let me inside. "I was just getting ready for bed, but you can hang around here until he gets out. Is everything okay?"

I closed the door behind me and walked through the foyer and into the living room. "Yeah, everything's fine," I assured Mike.

"Alright, well I'll be upstairs," he said before turning around and retracing his steps back to the foyer.

I sat down on the large couch and turned on the TV. I felt comfortable in their house, which they shared with two other guys. I was thankful that their roommates were out of town, though.

"What're you doing here?" Vic appeared behind me, rubbing my shoulders.

I smiled and leaned my head back. "I was just driving around and I kind of had nowhere to go," I sighed.

Vic looked confused as he walked around the couch to sit next to me.

"Something wrong with your house?" he asked.

I shook my head and looked down. "Jessica and I got in a fight."

"What about?"

"Stupid stuff, really. She said that I've been acting weird since Warped. She thinks I don't want her around anymore."

I continued staring down at my hands, fumbling with my fingers.

"Well... do you?" Vic asked.

"Do I what?" I looked up at him, confused

"Want her around?"

I thought for a second, still confused about what he was saying.

"Well yeah, of course I do! I moved her in with me, you know?"

Vic nodded and turned his attention toward the TV.

We sat for a couple of minutes, watching the newswoman talk about a recent earthquake. Vic seemed tired and I was about to tell him to go to bed when a sudden thought crossed my mind.

"Hey Vic," I broke the silence.

"Yeah?"

He suddenly turned his attention toward me.

"Were you being serious that day?"

"What day?"

"That day backstage, when we got into an argument and you said that... stuff, about how you felt about me?"

I pulled my legs up onto the couch and shifted my position nervously.

"Of course I was serious," Vic said without hesitation. "Why?"

I shrugged my shoulders and looked down at the floor. "Just making sure," I mumbled.