Ignite These Somber Flames

Audrey had out done herself. In the two, very short hours she had before the party, she transformed the backyard into a movie set. I felt bad for Liam; he spent all day cleaning the house. However, Audrey decided at the last moment possible to move the engagement party into the backyard. She put everyone to work. Gerard and Mikey were in charge of the Christmas lights that hung above and with paper lanterns that hung sporadically throughout the patio covering. Ray took care of arranging the food and their labels on the wooden tabletops. Liam was bringing dishes out, placing them wherever Ray told him. Frank went back and forth, grabbing chairs from inside the house and placing them under the lights. He'd carry out blankets too, opening them and placing them on top of the dewy, summer grass. I had volunteered myself to photograph the event.

Audrey originally opened her mouth to oppose, however, she huffed, "Fine, but stay out of my way." She turned her attention away from me. "Gerard! A little more spaced out! Mikey, stop switching Ray's labels! Ray! Make sure there are plenty of dishes out for the vegans as well. Frank! Oh my god, Frank! Frank, stop that. Liam! Stop encouraging him," Audrey howled at everyone.

My lens found its way over to Frank and Liam. They had been towering the red plastic cups as high as they could get them. The pair had childish grins on their faces, even though Audrey was clearly discontented with their prank. I pushed down on the shutter, hearing the little clicking sounds the camera made. The sound of the shutter was perhaps one of the most soothing sounds I knew. I found serenity when I stood behind the lens. The sound warmed my heart up, making this all reunion/engagement party seem okay.

Things felt oddly normal, like I hadn't left the boys at all, but there was still that distance. They felt a million miles away still. I couldn't allow myself to close that gap; they were only in San Diego for a week.

Everyone started to arrive after five. Audrey and Liam were quite the popular couple. Friends and family began to show up, hugging and congratulating them. Many people asked about the wedding date. January 16th-just over five months away. A few people would gawk or stare at the boys but no one made too big deal of their presence, except Liam.

"Are you mad?" He followed me into the kitchen. I had been grabbing more Coca Cola out of the refrigerator, using it to top off my rum. My eyes narrowed at him over the fridge door. "I really meant to tell you but I didn't know when was a good time. Marlowe?"

I rolled my eyes. "Liam, it's not a big deal," I lied to him. I pushed the door close with my hip. Setting my cup down on the counter, I started to pour. "I'm not ignorant. I know you keep in touch with them." I struggled to make my way out of the kitchen; Liam's next words stopped me.

"I asked Frank to be my best man," he stated abruptly. I avoided making eye contact with him. Instead, I stared at the swirling liquid in my cup. I would need to come back for a second one.

"I figured," I lied again. Finally, I looked up at Liam with a giant grin on my face. I took a sip of my concoction before I said, "I bet he was really honored." I glided past Liam, disappearing into the backyard before Liam could get another word out.

Timing was everything because the moment I stepped outside, an arm linked itself with mine. "I've been looking everywhere for you," a girl giggled in my ear. She had jet-black hair and cool, navy blue tips. Her sapphire eyes caught the look of discomfort on my face. "Whoa, what crawled into your drink?" Rima scowled.

Another mouthful of rum slid down my throat, warming my chest on its way into my gut. "Nothing," I mumbled. I scanned the backyard.

"Who are you looking for?" Rima asked, confused. "Come on, let's grab some food." She pulled me over towards the table that held all the food. Everyone seemed to be a fan of everything. Hardly anything was left. Only the crumbs of the tortilla chips remained. The spicy salsa disappeared all together and the mild was half empty. The guacamole dish looked it had been licked clean, the jalapeno juice was all that remained, and the hummus had very little left.

I didn't notice, but Gerard popped up at my side, standing opposite of Rima. "Hey," he smiled at us. "Hope you weren't hungry." Gerard had startled Rima. She spun around, the hummus container in her hands and chips stuffed in her cheeks. She started to gawk at him. Gerard couldn't help it; he laughed at Rima. "I'm sorry," he apologized right afterward. "Hi, I'm-"

"Gerard Way?" she gasped at him. She stuck her hand out and took his, shaking it aggressively. "I'm Rima. I teach at Sunset Middle School with Liam." Her cheeks started to turn red.

Gerard simply chuckled. "Pleasure meeting you. Here, let me help you with a drink," he gestured towards the table that held all the liquor. Rima followed him.

I leaned against a column, sipping away at my drink. It would need to be filled again but I didn't mind waiting until Gerard and Rima were finished. They seemed to be pretty smitten. It looked like Rima started to chill out next to him. I couldn't help but smile at the two.

"Well?" I looked over; Audrey bounced over to me. Confusion settled over my face. "Oh, don't give me that," she rolled her eyes. "What's going on with you and Frank?"

We hadn't exchanged words all night. Every so often, our gaze would get tangled up but one of us always untwisted it immediately. Frank sat with Liam on the patio, smoking cigarettes together and catching up. His eyes would light up at the jokes Liam would tell him. He'd puff his cheeks out every so often before he would say something.

"We haven't spoken," I replied honestly as I shrugged my shoulders.

"And?" Audrey stared at me intently.

"And…I don't think we have anything to talk about," I added. "Look, Audrey. I'll smile, I'll say 'hello, Frank', I'll tolerate him for the week. But that's it." Audrey gave a look of disbelief but she dropped the subject.

The sun had been set for a while now, and the Christmas lights did not reach the bench I sat on. I was on my fourth rum and coke. Almost all the guests had left, except for a few people. A couple of Audrey's clients from the salon sat in front of me and to the left. They were laughing with Audrey about a difficult client she faced a few weeks ago. Near them sat Gerard, Rima, Mikey, and Ray. Liam stood by the screen door, leaning against one of the columns and talking with a couple of his friends. An all too familiar voice caught my attention.

"Hi," he stated. It was enough for me to glimpse up at him. He helped himself and sat down next to me. I've always been a lightweight. All I could clearly see were his shiny, hazel eyes bearing into my mine. A blank expression glazed over his face.

"We need to stop doing that," I mumbled, looking away from him as my cheeks became flustered. "It's creepy."

He laughed. "I didn't mean to startle you earlier," he spoke softly, yet firmly. "Liam mentioned he was living with you but I thought you knew I was going to be here. Had I known-"

"It's okay, Frank," I cut him off. "I was just unprepared. It's fine."

Silence. The air around us started to tighten. The distant light casted soft shadows across Frank's face. His lip and nose piercings glistened. The scar under his chin was ever so slightly visible. My heart began to race as I traced my eyes over his features. Frank took a big gulf, leaning in a bit closure.

"It's good to see you again," his breath felt warm against my cheeks. I could smell the alcohol on his breath. His hair hung loosely in front of his eyes; yet, he was close enough for me to count the few specks of green in them.

I leaned back to some extent. I didn't know what to say. My stomach began to tighten in knots. My head started to spin, Frank went out of focus for a moment. "Yeah," I mumbled half-heartedly as I stood up. I did my best to stabilize myself. "Excuse me," I said. I avoided making any more eye contact with him.



Everyone went to bed. Audrey and Liam set Gerard and Mikey in the guest bedroom between their room and the bathroom. Ray and Frank were going to sleep on the air mattress but Frank opted to sleep on the couch since Ray was a taller guy and Frank was the shortest after all. All the lights were off in the house, even the Christmas lights that hung above Frank. He took one last drag of his cigarette before standing up. He went back inside the house, stumbling a bit as he did so. He knew he was going to have a hangover tomorrow but it was worth it. It took a few drinks inside of him to calm his nerves. He knew he was going to see her again, at least he had hoped. Frank only wanted answers. He didn't want anything more than the answer to one question: why?

Frank entered through the kitchen, startled when he saw a shadow moving around in the dark. "Frank, you scared me," Marlowe hissed at him. Her hair sat in waves on her shoulders; her hair had been up all day. She was in nothing but an oversize Metallica t-shirt. Frank was pretty sure the shirt was his. He couldn't help but smile. It hugged her curves nicely, after all, Marlowe was not that much smaller than him.

"Sorry," he mumbled. Frank meant to move past Marlowe but as he got a few feet away from her, he stopped in front of her. "Why?" He asked.

"I'm not going to explain myself," she stated.

Frank impulsively grabbed her face without warning and kissed her. Marlowe kissed him back. "I don't care," Frank realized as his lips return to hers. His hand slid up the back of her neck until his fingers were entangled in her hair.

Marlowe instinctively bit down on his lower lip ring, her tongue sliding over his lip ring. It was new. Something she hadn't experienced with him. She grinned; she quite liked it. Frank pushed her against the wall, lifting her by the waist. Marlowe's legs snaked around him effortlessly.

He placed his hands just under her butt. Frank was never the stronger, but he was always able to support her. He started to walk into the living room. He headed towards the couch. "Nuh-huh," she giggled. "My room." Frank smirked at her as their eyes drunkenly found each other.

Frank managed to carry Marlowe up the stairs, his adrenaline taking full effect. He stopped just at the top of the stairs. "I don't know which door is yours," he whispered quietly.

Marlowe turned her head to the side. "That one," she gestured towards the last door on his left. He carried her all the way into her room, and Marlowe pushed the door closed behind them.