Status: hopefully posting regularly.
Nothing Like This
Three
The knocking echoing through my apartment wakes me up, and I rub my tired eyes before pulling on a pair of sweats and heading for the door.
“Dude, what are you doing? It’s seven in the morning,” I mumble, letting Joe in.
“I was hoping to catch a few hours of shuteye before we head into the studio. I’ve been up all night, and your apartment was closest.” I nod and close the door behind Joe. I grab some blankets from the closet. “What happened to your back?”
“What?”
“There are scratches on your back.” I turn in the mirror next to the closet and find quite a few red lines down my left shoulder. I just chuckle to myself and shake my head. Joe glances around the apartment, that I now realize still has articles of clothing lying on the floor. “No fucking way, man,” he gasps. He leans back a little and peers through the open French doors into my bedroom.
Beth’s still probably sleeping on her stomach, her bare back warmed underneath the sun peeking through the shades.
“Did you seriously?”
I yawn and nod. “Yeah.” I head back towards my room. “We’ll head over around noon.”
Joe laughs and nods, unfolding a blanket and collapsing onto the couch. He’s so lucky we only undressed on the couch.
I shut the doors behind me and crawl back into bed behind Beth. She rolls over and rests her head on my chest. “Who’s here?” Her voice is groggy and small.
“Joe.”
“Awesome.” She cuddles closer and shuts her eyes tightly. “What time is it?”
“Seven.” She groans. “Why?”
“I have rehearsals at nine.”
“At least Les Mis isn’t a musical that requires much dancing.”
“No, even worse, it has fighting. I’d rather learn a dance than choreograph a battle. I’m getting shot today.”
I let out a soft laugh. “But you will live ‘Ponine, dear God above. If I could heal your wounds with words of love.”
I feel her chest move with a laugh. “Just hold me now, and let it be. And let me go back to sleep, asshole.”
One more soft laugh from both of us, and we’re passed out until her alarm goes off an hour later.
“So, how long’s this whole thing been going on with you two?” Joe questions.
“We’ve been dating for a while. You know that.”
“That’s not what I meant. Stop avoiding the topic.”
I sigh and take my coffee off of the counter at Starbucks after the barista sets it down. “A while.”
“No shit. You two hide it well.” I shrug like it’s not a big deal.
“I’m not trying to hide it. It’s just not a big deal to me.” Joe laughs. “Okay, I mean it’s a big deal in the sense that it’s her, but we wanted a normal relationship. One that kind of went at its own pace.”
“Dude, I get it,” he cuts me off. “Have you told anyone?” I shake my head.
“Usually when I tell people about my relationships, it’s in a magazine the next day.”
“True. Then you’ll be doing couples interviews all the time…” Joe rolls his eyes. “Honest question, though.” We get into the car, and I pull out of the Starbucks parking lot. “Are you two living together?”
“I guess kind of. She’s just using my place until rehearsals are done and they start travelling. Why make her pay for her own apartment when I live right there? I’d offer even if we weren’t dating.”
The traffic today isn’t that bad. So, we get to the studio a little earlier than we thought. Coincidentally, we get out earlier than we planned. Beth still isn’t back. So, I make dinner for the both of us. She gets home so late that I’m already asleep. I taped a note to the fridge that there’s dinner for her. I don’t hear the microwave waking me up, like I usually do when she gets in late. I only feel the bed collapsing down next to me, stirring me from my sleep. “You’re home really late,” I mumble.
She sighs and pulls the covers up to her chin. “And I have to be back at six in the morning.” I roll onto my other side and wrap an arm around her waist. Her fingers lace through mine. “What time is it?”
“Almost one in the morning,” I recall from when I glanced at the clock when she got into bed.
“Fuck,” she groans. “I hate Broadway.”
“Dude, what are you doing? It’s seven in the morning,” I mumble, letting Joe in.
“I was hoping to catch a few hours of shuteye before we head into the studio. I’ve been up all night, and your apartment was closest.” I nod and close the door behind Joe. I grab some blankets from the closet. “What happened to your back?”
“What?”
“There are scratches on your back.” I turn in the mirror next to the closet and find quite a few red lines down my left shoulder. I just chuckle to myself and shake my head. Joe glances around the apartment, that I now realize still has articles of clothing lying on the floor. “No fucking way, man,” he gasps. He leans back a little and peers through the open French doors into my bedroom.
Beth’s still probably sleeping on her stomach, her bare back warmed underneath the sun peeking through the shades.
“Did you seriously?”
I yawn and nod. “Yeah.” I head back towards my room. “We’ll head over around noon.”
Joe laughs and nods, unfolding a blanket and collapsing onto the couch. He’s so lucky we only undressed on the couch.
I shut the doors behind me and crawl back into bed behind Beth. She rolls over and rests her head on my chest. “Who’s here?” Her voice is groggy and small.
“Joe.”
“Awesome.” She cuddles closer and shuts her eyes tightly. “What time is it?”
“Seven.” She groans. “Why?”
“I have rehearsals at nine.”
“At least Les Mis isn’t a musical that requires much dancing.”
“No, even worse, it has fighting. I’d rather learn a dance than choreograph a battle. I’m getting shot today.”
I let out a soft laugh. “But you will live ‘Ponine, dear God above. If I could heal your wounds with words of love.”
I feel her chest move with a laugh. “Just hold me now, and let it be. And let me go back to sleep, asshole.”
One more soft laugh from both of us, and we’re passed out until her alarm goes off an hour later.
“So, how long’s this whole thing been going on with you two?” Joe questions.
“We’ve been dating for a while. You know that.”
“That’s not what I meant. Stop avoiding the topic.”
I sigh and take my coffee off of the counter at Starbucks after the barista sets it down. “A while.”
“No shit. You two hide it well.” I shrug like it’s not a big deal.
“I’m not trying to hide it. It’s just not a big deal to me.” Joe laughs. “Okay, I mean it’s a big deal in the sense that it’s her, but we wanted a normal relationship. One that kind of went at its own pace.”
“Dude, I get it,” he cuts me off. “Have you told anyone?” I shake my head.
“Usually when I tell people about my relationships, it’s in a magazine the next day.”
“True. Then you’ll be doing couples interviews all the time…” Joe rolls his eyes. “Honest question, though.” We get into the car, and I pull out of the Starbucks parking lot. “Are you two living together?”
“I guess kind of. She’s just using my place until rehearsals are done and they start travelling. Why make her pay for her own apartment when I live right there? I’d offer even if we weren’t dating.”
The traffic today isn’t that bad. So, we get to the studio a little earlier than we thought. Coincidentally, we get out earlier than we planned. Beth still isn’t back. So, I make dinner for the both of us. She gets home so late that I’m already asleep. I taped a note to the fridge that there’s dinner for her. I don’t hear the microwave waking me up, like I usually do when she gets in late. I only feel the bed collapsing down next to me, stirring me from my sleep. “You’re home really late,” I mumble.
She sighs and pulls the covers up to her chin. “And I have to be back at six in the morning.” I roll onto my other side and wrap an arm around her waist. Her fingers lace through mine. “What time is it?”
“Almost one in the morning,” I recall from when I glanced at the clock when she got into bed.
“Fuck,” she groans. “I hate Broadway.”