Goodbye Harry?
Over Before It Began
He walked to the front door, his mind blank. He felt a hand on his wrist, which gently pulled him round to face her. He reluctantly looked up to see, surprisingly, no look of shock but a faint smile.
Before he knew what was happening, she kissed him.
“Whoa,” he said breathless as they pulled apart. “Are you telling me that-?”
She put a finger to his lips, smiling, and pulled him upstairs by the wrist.
He was stunned. What the hell was going on? He was certain she’d be shocked, maybe angry or even confused but he had definitely NOT expected this. Had she liked him all along or what? His mind told him to shut up, to stop analysing, and enjoy it. So that’s exactly what he did.
***
He’d left her sleeping. He’d spent an hour just staring at her flawless face, as she slept soundly. He looked at the clock on his dashboard as he drove back. 7:04am. Maybe he’d be able to sneak in with out them realising it. So far he’d managed to keep his mind off Tre, Adrienne and even Mike; he knew that sooner or later the guilt would hit him like a slap in the face but he wasn’t ready for it quite yet.
He slowly put the key in the door and listened to the silence before quietly running upstairs to make himself look “normal”. He smiled as he reminded himself of a teenager who’d been out all night and had come home trying not to be caught by his parents.
A couple of hours later he headed downstairs to find Mike on the sofa with a mug of coffee, reading the paper.
Act normal, Armstrong, his brain reminded him.
“Since when did you read the paper?” Billie asked going in to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.
Mike followed him in. “Since when did you stay out all night, without telling us?” he asked from behind.
Billie closed his eyes. “What?” He opened them again before turning to Mike, keeping his face was blank. “I got a call while I was at Harry’s. Some friend heard I was in town and invited me over for a party.” He hoped the story didn’t sound too rehearsed.
Mike raised his eyebrows. “Oh really?”
“Yeah,” Billie said walking past him back in to the living room. “Not a problem is it?”
“No,” Mike replied from the doorway. “If that’s what happened.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Billie hated having to do this, especially to Mike.
“Nothing,” Mike replied, untroubled by Billie’s tone of voice and still looking sceptical.
“Good.” Billie drank his coffee in silence.
A few minutes later, Tre came down the stairs rubbing his eyes and yawning. He caught sight of Billie.
“Where were you last night?” He asked, tiredly, going in to the kitchen and returning with a chocolate bar – typical Tre breakfast.
“Party,” Billie told him, fully aware of the knot of guilt in his stomach as he said it.
“What?” Tre gasped, mouth full of chocolate. “Without us? How could you Billie?” He added, dramatically putting the back of his hand to his forehead as if he was hurt.
Billie rolled his eyes, smiling.
“I’m going for a shower,” Mike told them, heading upstairs.
“Did you go and see her then?” Tre asked turning to Billie. Billie pretended to be interested in the paper Mike had laid out on the table in front of him.
“Er, yeah.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And how was she?” Tre asked sitting next to Billie.
“Er,” Billie began, searching for something to say. “She, um… she was….alright.”
“Still fucked off with me?”
Billie got up. “I dunno, Tre. I think she’s just, y’know….a little upset right now.”
He heard Tre sigh as he headed in to the kitchen.
“I’m gonna go see her.” Tre shouted to him from the living room.
Billie froze. She wouldn’t say anything would she? She probably wouldn’t but even though, he’d have rather spoken to her first, get their “story straight”.
He went back in the room to find Tre had already gone upstairs.
He sighed as he sat down on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. This is a little too fucked up right now, he thought.
Twenty minutes later Tre came down the stairs. “I’d better get some flowers or something like that on the way,” he told Billie picking up his keys from the table.
“Back later.” And he was out the front door.
***
Billie looked at the clock. It had been two hours or so since Tre had left and he still hadn’t returned. He’s probably just taken her out or something, he reassured himself, mindlessly plucking at the strings on his acoustic.
He was alone. Mike had told him he’d be out all night, and not to expect him until tomorrow afternoon. He wanted to see Harry again but he knew that probably wasn’t going to happen for a while.
Suddenly, he heard a key scrape in the lock and the sound of two people laughing as they entered. He jumped up, throwing down his acoustic on the sofa next to him and ran in to the kitchen trying to compose himself. I’m such an idiot, he thought to himself.
He walked back in to the room to see Tre laughing, his arm around Harry’s waist who was smiling affectionately at Tre.
“Hey,” he managed, putting his hands in his pockets to make it seem like he was doing something.
“Hey, Billie,” She smiled passively before returning to look at Tre. Billie just stood there. He had expected something, anything, just a little sign, an acknowledgement of their last meeting but he got nothing. What the hell?
“Oh that reminds me,” Tre suddenly said. “I got to go pick something up.” He kissed Harry before moving towards the door. “Be back soon.” He winked and left.
Here goes, Billie thought.
She smiled, “You alright?” Totally normal.
“Yeah, I am thanks,” he smiled back but she went and sat on the sofa. Silence.
She sighed gently strumming the strings on the acoustic next to her.
She made small talk for a few minutes. Billie hadn’t expected this. It was as if nothing had happened. He cleared his throat. She looked up.
“How are you after yesterday?” He asked, suggestively.
“Ok,” She told him. “Me and Tre are alright now.”
Billie raised his eyebrows. “And last night?”
“What about it?”
Billie laughed, incredulously. “What do you mean, “What about it?”” He said. “We fucking slept together, remember?!”
She furrowed her brow. “So what?”
“What the fuck, Harry?!” He said, almost shouting.
She got up quickly, standing in front of him, her face a mixture of shock and confusion. “Relax, Billie! It wasn’t anything-”
“Wasn’t anything!?” He interrupted angrily. “I had just told you how I felt, god damn it, and it was nothing?!”
“No,” She replied. “I wasn’t thinking straight after the argument with Tre. It just kinda happene-”
“So I was just something to fuck to make you feel better was I?” Billie asked furiously.
“I didn’t say that,” the temper was rising in her voice.
“You don’t fucking have to,” He said throwing his hands in to the air. “I know what it was now, Harry.”
“For fuck’s sake Billie, grow up,” She told him angrily. “We’re not fucking teenagers. It just happened so get over it!”
He stared at her angrily as she did the same.
“You used me,” he told her with quiet fury. “Like you said, I have a wife-”
“Then why tell me you want me?!”
“Because I thought you felt the same fucking way!”
“And now that I don’t, you remember you have a wife? Nice style of thinking Billie Joe!”
He turned away angrily. Was she right? Hell no, he thought. “You still fucking led me on,” he said turned back angrily. “Nothing had to happen but you-“
“Don’t try and act like you’re innocent in all this Billie,” She cut in. “It takes two y’know and you were one of them.”
He opened his mouth to reply, when he heard a key in the door and the lock turn.
They both froze and turned to the doorway, when Tre came in with a happy smile on his face.
“Ta-da!” He shouted and moved out of the way of the entrance.
Billie jaw dropped. Harry let out a small gasp.
“Surprise,” smiled Adrienne.
Before he knew what was happening, she kissed him.
“Whoa,” he said breathless as they pulled apart. “Are you telling me that-?”
She put a finger to his lips, smiling, and pulled him upstairs by the wrist.
He was stunned. What the hell was going on? He was certain she’d be shocked, maybe angry or even confused but he had definitely NOT expected this. Had she liked him all along or what? His mind told him to shut up, to stop analysing, and enjoy it. So that’s exactly what he did.
***
He’d left her sleeping. He’d spent an hour just staring at her flawless face, as she slept soundly. He looked at the clock on his dashboard as he drove back. 7:04am. Maybe he’d be able to sneak in with out them realising it. So far he’d managed to keep his mind off Tre, Adrienne and even Mike; he knew that sooner or later the guilt would hit him like a slap in the face but he wasn’t ready for it quite yet.
He slowly put the key in the door and listened to the silence before quietly running upstairs to make himself look “normal”. He smiled as he reminded himself of a teenager who’d been out all night and had come home trying not to be caught by his parents.
A couple of hours later he headed downstairs to find Mike on the sofa with a mug of coffee, reading the paper.
Act normal, Armstrong, his brain reminded him.
“Since when did you read the paper?” Billie asked going in to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.
Mike followed him in. “Since when did you stay out all night, without telling us?” he asked from behind.
Billie closed his eyes. “What?” He opened them again before turning to Mike, keeping his face was blank. “I got a call while I was at Harry’s. Some friend heard I was in town and invited me over for a party.” He hoped the story didn’t sound too rehearsed.
Mike raised his eyebrows. “Oh really?”
“Yeah,” Billie said walking past him back in to the living room. “Not a problem is it?”
“No,” Mike replied from the doorway. “If that’s what happened.”
“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?” Billie hated having to do this, especially to Mike.
“Nothing,” Mike replied, untroubled by Billie’s tone of voice and still looking sceptical.
“Good.” Billie drank his coffee in silence.
A few minutes later, Tre came down the stairs rubbing his eyes and yawning. He caught sight of Billie.
“Where were you last night?” He asked, tiredly, going in to the kitchen and returning with a chocolate bar – typical Tre breakfast.
“Party,” Billie told him, fully aware of the knot of guilt in his stomach as he said it.
“What?” Tre gasped, mouth full of chocolate. “Without us? How could you Billie?” He added, dramatically putting the back of his hand to his forehead as if he was hurt.
Billie rolled his eyes, smiling.
“I’m going for a shower,” Mike told them, heading upstairs.
“Did you go and see her then?” Tre asked turning to Billie. Billie pretended to be interested in the paper Mike had laid out on the table in front of him.
“Er, yeah.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“And how was she?” Tre asked sitting next to Billie.
“Er,” Billie began, searching for something to say. “She, um… she was….alright.”
“Still fucked off with me?”
Billie got up. “I dunno, Tre. I think she’s just, y’know….a little upset right now.”
He heard Tre sigh as he headed in to the kitchen.
“I’m gonna go see her.” Tre shouted to him from the living room.
Billie froze. She wouldn’t say anything would she? She probably wouldn’t but even though, he’d have rather spoken to her first, get their “story straight”.
He went back in the room to find Tre had already gone upstairs.
He sighed as he sat down on the couch, running his fingers through his hair. This is a little too fucked up right now, he thought.
Twenty minutes later Tre came down the stairs. “I’d better get some flowers or something like that on the way,” he told Billie picking up his keys from the table.
“Back later.” And he was out the front door.
***
Billie looked at the clock. It had been two hours or so since Tre had left and he still hadn’t returned. He’s probably just taken her out or something, he reassured himself, mindlessly plucking at the strings on his acoustic.
He was alone. Mike had told him he’d be out all night, and not to expect him until tomorrow afternoon. He wanted to see Harry again but he knew that probably wasn’t going to happen for a while.
Suddenly, he heard a key scrape in the lock and the sound of two people laughing as they entered. He jumped up, throwing down his acoustic on the sofa next to him and ran in to the kitchen trying to compose himself. I’m such an idiot, he thought to himself.
He walked back in to the room to see Tre laughing, his arm around Harry’s waist who was smiling affectionately at Tre.
“Hey,” he managed, putting his hands in his pockets to make it seem like he was doing something.
“Hey, Billie,” She smiled passively before returning to look at Tre. Billie just stood there. He had expected something, anything, just a little sign, an acknowledgement of their last meeting but he got nothing. What the hell?
“Oh that reminds me,” Tre suddenly said. “I got to go pick something up.” He kissed Harry before moving towards the door. “Be back soon.” He winked and left.
Here goes, Billie thought.
She smiled, “You alright?” Totally normal.
“Yeah, I am thanks,” he smiled back but she went and sat on the sofa. Silence.
She sighed gently strumming the strings on the acoustic next to her.
She made small talk for a few minutes. Billie hadn’t expected this. It was as if nothing had happened. He cleared his throat. She looked up.
“How are you after yesterday?” He asked, suggestively.
“Ok,” She told him. “Me and Tre are alright now.”
Billie raised his eyebrows. “And last night?”
“What about it?”
Billie laughed, incredulously. “What do you mean, “What about it?”” He said. “We fucking slept together, remember?!”
She furrowed her brow. “So what?”
“What the fuck, Harry?!” He said, almost shouting.
She got up quickly, standing in front of him, her face a mixture of shock and confusion. “Relax, Billie! It wasn’t anything-”
“Wasn’t anything!?” He interrupted angrily. “I had just told you how I felt, god damn it, and it was nothing?!”
“No,” She replied. “I wasn’t thinking straight after the argument with Tre. It just kinda happene-”
“So I was just something to fuck to make you feel better was I?” Billie asked furiously.
“I didn’t say that,” the temper was rising in her voice.
“You don’t fucking have to,” He said throwing his hands in to the air. “I know what it was now, Harry.”
“For fuck’s sake Billie, grow up,” She told him angrily. “We’re not fucking teenagers. It just happened so get over it!”
He stared at her angrily as she did the same.
“You used me,” he told her with quiet fury. “Like you said, I have a wife-”
“Then why tell me you want me?!”
“Because I thought you felt the same fucking way!”
“And now that I don’t, you remember you have a wife? Nice style of thinking Billie Joe!”
He turned away angrily. Was she right? Hell no, he thought. “You still fucking led me on,” he said turned back angrily. “Nothing had to happen but you-“
“Don’t try and act like you’re innocent in all this Billie,” She cut in. “It takes two y’know and you were one of them.”
He opened his mouth to reply, when he heard a key in the door and the lock turn.
They both froze and turned to the doorway, when Tre came in with a happy smile on his face.
“Ta-da!” He shouted and moved out of the way of the entrance.
Billie jaw dropped. Harry let out a small gasp.
“Surprise,” smiled Adrienne.