Goodbye Harry?
Hello Harry
She smiled.
“Hey,” she said giving a little wave of her hand to everyone in the room.
“Hey, how ya doin?” Mike greeted her from across the room, with his arm wrapped around the waist of his girlfriend, who also smiled, before returning to his discussion with a friend – who had winked in welcome.
Billie Joe was captivated. She was a picture of beauty. With her black hair that fell just past her shoulders and her sparkly brown eyes, it wasn’t difficult to see why Tre had fallen for her. He blinked.
“Hi,” he grinned a little too widely, jumping up from the sofa. Was he being obvious? Oh God he was wasn’t he? It’s only Tre’s new girlfriend for fucks sake, he told himself. Stop being an idiot. “Come in. It’s freezing outside.” He turned to Tre. “Where’s your manners?”
Tre, who had ran off to find the nearest bottle of beer and was currently trying to down it all in one, shrugged.
Billie Joe rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah. I forgot he didn’t have any.” He turned back and looked in to those beautiful eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“That’s probably because I never threw it.” He blinked. She smiled sweetly, laughing. Billie’s heart skipped a beat.
He laughed. Jesus Christ! He thought. You’re 32 not fucking 13 and pull yourself together - think of Adrienne.
“It’s Harry. Short for Harper,” She told him as Tre handed her a drink before going to greet the others. “And yes, my parents were weird.” He smiled.
“Well I’m Billie.” He pointed over his shoulders. “You met the others yesterday, right?”
She nodded. He smiled. Again. Oh God. Quick - think of something clever to say, he told himself.
“So, have you and Tre been going out long?” Stupid brain.
She looked a little confused. “Not long. Well, we’ve been friends for a few months – when I met him back in California. And it just went from there really. Did he not say?”
Billie was saved the embarrassing task of trying to explain himself, when Tre grabbed Harry’s wrist and pulled her over to the others.
Billie exhaled deeply. “I’m just going outside!” he told them. With the amount of laughter and noise it wasn’t a surprise that none of them heard him – only Harry smiled in reply. He smiled back.
Outside he lighted up. What the hell was wrong with him? Of course he knew Tre had been seeing a girl for a while; he’d never met her but he’d known. He’d been pleased for his friend but apart from that – nothing; no feelings of jealousy or lust or anything. And now that he’d met her… it just felt like a wave of feelings had hit him. But he didn’t want it to. Tre was one of his best friends. And what about Adrienne? He loved his wife. It was a shame her parents had asked her and the kids to stay with them for a while, otherwise he knew that with her he wouldn’t have been feeling like this. Or would he?
“Hey Armstrong!”
He turned around to see the smiling face of Tre at the doorway, bottle in hand and already slightly drunk.
“I want you inside, right now, drinking beer. And lots of it.”
Billie smiled and stubbed out his second cigarette. “No problem.” Except there was one.
“Hey,” she said giving a little wave of her hand to everyone in the room.
“Hey, how ya doin?” Mike greeted her from across the room, with his arm wrapped around the waist of his girlfriend, who also smiled, before returning to his discussion with a friend – who had winked in welcome.
Billie Joe was captivated. She was a picture of beauty. With her black hair that fell just past her shoulders and her sparkly brown eyes, it wasn’t difficult to see why Tre had fallen for her. He blinked.
“Hi,” he grinned a little too widely, jumping up from the sofa. Was he being obvious? Oh God he was wasn’t he? It’s only Tre’s new girlfriend for fucks sake, he told himself. Stop being an idiot. “Come in. It’s freezing outside.” He turned to Tre. “Where’s your manners?”
Tre, who had ran off to find the nearest bottle of beer and was currently trying to down it all in one, shrugged.
Billie Joe rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah. I forgot he didn’t have any.” He turned back and looked in to those beautiful eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.”
“That’s probably because I never threw it.” He blinked. She smiled sweetly, laughing. Billie’s heart skipped a beat.
He laughed. Jesus Christ! He thought. You’re 32 not fucking 13 and pull yourself together - think of Adrienne.
“It’s Harry. Short for Harper,” She told him as Tre handed her a drink before going to greet the others. “And yes, my parents were weird.” He smiled.
“Well I’m Billie.” He pointed over his shoulders. “You met the others yesterday, right?”
She nodded. He smiled. Again. Oh God. Quick - think of something clever to say, he told himself.
“So, have you and Tre been going out long?” Stupid brain.
She looked a little confused. “Not long. Well, we’ve been friends for a few months – when I met him back in California. And it just went from there really. Did he not say?”
Billie was saved the embarrassing task of trying to explain himself, when Tre grabbed Harry’s wrist and pulled her over to the others.
Billie exhaled deeply. “I’m just going outside!” he told them. With the amount of laughter and noise it wasn’t a surprise that none of them heard him – only Harry smiled in reply. He smiled back.
Outside he lighted up. What the hell was wrong with him? Of course he knew Tre had been seeing a girl for a while; he’d never met her but he’d known. He’d been pleased for his friend but apart from that – nothing; no feelings of jealousy or lust or anything. And now that he’d met her… it just felt like a wave of feelings had hit him. But he didn’t want it to. Tre was one of his best friends. And what about Adrienne? He loved his wife. It was a shame her parents had asked her and the kids to stay with them for a while, otherwise he knew that with her he wouldn’t have been feeling like this. Or would he?
“Hey Armstrong!”
He turned around to see the smiling face of Tre at the doorway, bottle in hand and already slightly drunk.
“I want you inside, right now, drinking beer. And lots of it.”
Billie smiled and stubbed out his second cigarette. “No problem.” Except there was one.