Masterpiece Theater

Matt and I took the twins on a double date. After two weeks of talking, Michelle finally decided that it was time to go out and see if we could salvage something. Matt backed me up by offering to double.

I wasn’t sure if this was what I wanted to do, but I needed to do something. I couldn’t sit around and wait for Laurel to call. If she hadn’t called by now, I doubted she would. It seemed pretty fruitless to wait. Besides, it wasn't like I was actively avoiding getting back together with Michelle. We had only been apart for a few months. Everyone expected a reunion.

I just couldn’t keep my mind off of Laurel.

“B'Js?” She questioned when Matt pulled into the parking lot. “Baby, isn’t BJ's a little...casual?”

“What’s wrong with casual?” I asked as I got out. I opened her door and held out my hand for her.

“Nothing. I just thought…” she trailed off, not bothering to hide her disappointment.

I chose BJ's Beerhouse for a reason. It was casual and busy and I didn’t have to think too much about what Michelle was thinking about me taking her on a date. The place said enough. When we were done, we would go back to Matt's, where she'd been staying since she'd moved out, I would kiss her goodnight, and then leave. I didn’t want to jump back into anything when I wasn’t sure it was what I wanted or if I was ready. It wasn't fair to her.

We were seated quickly, the hostess flashing a too big smile. Michelle slid in, I sat beside her. Matt sat across from her, putting Val opposite me.

“Your server will be with you in a moment. Here are your menus. Can I get you anything else?” She was smiling at me, clearly infatuated. Underneath her collar, I could see the tips of a bat wing poking out. She was probably a fan.

“No, thank you.” I told her abruptly, grabbing the menus and passing them out. Michelle had a jealous streak and I didn't need an already tense night made worse. I opened the menu, but I wasn’t really hungry. In the midst of the crowd and bustle, I was acutely aware of how bad of an idea this was.

“Hi, welcome to BJ's. I’m Laurel. I’ll be your server tonight. What can I get started for you?” The waitress greeted upon approaching us. She hadn't even fully seen us yet.

At her name, I looked up from the menu, suddenly nervous, and wishing I was very much alone and sitting at the bar. “Laurel?” I stammered, sitting up straighter. I flicked my eyes to Matt, whose mouth was hanging open.

He was just as surprised as I was, and it was his first real look at her.

“Brian...hey.” She mumbled, looking down at her little notepad, her hair falling in her face. She brushed it away and I glimpsed a fading hickey on her neck below her ear, in a very different spot than where I had left one.

“Excuse me,” Michelle interrupted. Laurel snapped her head in her direction. “Yeah, hi. Can I get a margarita and an order of stuffed mushrooms?”

“Sure. How about you?” She directed the question to Matt and Val. I couldn't help but stare stupidly, and with the way she kept shuffling her feet, she was wanting to get away from my line of attention.

“Brian?” Michelle nudged me with her shoulder. They were all looking at me, waiting for me to order.

“Uh, just a beer, please.” I stammered.

“Comin’ right up.” She scribbled the order down and walked away, clearly irritated.

I sighed and sat back, waiting for the onslaught from Michelle. Matt gave his head the slightest shake, silently telling me not to engage in some kind of argument with her.

"How do you know the waitress?" Michelle asked, turning towards me in the booth.

"I don't. Not really. I knocked over her beer a few weeks ago at the bar. I paid for her cab home and her cleaning bill." Not a total lie. Matt conveniently avoided jumping to my rescue, scanning the dessert menu instead.

"That all?"

"Michelle…"

"What? I can't think it's weird that you just happen to know our waitress?"

"Mich," Val interrupted for me. "It's just a coincidence. Right?"

Matt and I shared another look. Val stared him down and he wavered under her gaze. "Right, yeah. No biggie."

"You ready to order or you need a few more minutes?" Laurel asked as she came back over. She didn't look at Michelle and she tried to avoid looking at me as she set our appetizer down and passed out drinks.

"We need a little more time, I think." Michelle said for everybody. Laurel gave a tense smile and walked away, rounding the booth behind me and walking on the other side of the wooden half wall to the POS station, where I could see her clearly.

A guy came through the kitchen door and stopped when he saw her. He leaned in close to her and said something that made her smile.

Fuck.

Somehow, she managed to find time for some guy that she worked with but not for me. Maybe she found out who I really was and didn’t want anything to do with me because I lied to her. Maybe all those incessant phone calls that night were from him. Maybe she realized she was making a mistake with me because she already had someone and that was why she ran off.

God, I was gonna drive myself crazy if I kept going. I needed to talk to her.

While everyone else drank and ate, I excused myself to the men's room, well out of the eyesight of our booth. I was able to pass by Laurel as she filled glasses with soda.

"Can I see you tonight?" I whispered. She didn't look at me.

"I don't think your girlfriend would appreciate that."

"She's not my girlfriend. Not really. She was. She moved out before...we're just…" I sighed, frustrated, and started again.

"Please, Laurel. I wanna see you. I want…"

"What, Brian?" She huffed and stared at me, anger in her eyes.

"I wanna talk. I want to work something out. Please? Just come over after your shift. We can have coffee and we can-"

"Talk?" She finished for me.

"Yeah."

She didn't answer. With a shake of her head, she loaded her tray and moved around me, getting back to work. I hurried to the bathroom and washed my hands before returning to the table.

Michelle clicked her tongue, letting me know she wasn’t pleased.

I said nothing and didn't touch the appetizer. There was conversation at the table, Matt trying to steer the attention away from me and our waitress, but I didn't hear any of it. Anytime Laurel came into my peripheral, I couldn't help but watch her and the guy who seemed to be something to her.

Each time he passed by her, he brushed against her or rubbed his hand down her arm or whispered something in her ear.

By the time she made it back to our table to get our order, I'd completely shredded my napkin.

“You ready?” A tense smile was back on her face. She held her order pad and pen loosely, looking at Matt first, going around the table, saving me for last.

"And you?"

"Uh, just gimme a mushroom Swiss burger and some fries, please."

"Comin' up. I'll be back with some refills."

Again, she disappeared. Again, I watched some guy who wasn't me shamelessly flirt with her.

Michelle bristled with irritation and jealousy. I wasn’t doing a very good job of not knowing Laurel and she was silently calling me on it. She grabbed my hand to try and keep it still but I pulled it away.

I couldn’t do this. I didn’t really care to lie to Michelle, or fight with her. With a brief and pathetic apology, I got out of the booth and hurried out of the restaurant. Matt had driven, so I had to catch a cab.

At home, I packed a fat bowl and poured a tall drink and camped out on my couch with a fresh pack of cigarettes, content in my misery.

I wasn’t sure what time it was when someone pounded on my door. I'd finished my whiskey, smoked through at least half a pack of cigarettes, and started on a second bowl. In my inebriated state, it took me longer than it should have to peel myself off the couch and answer it.

Laurel plowed into me, her lips on mine before I could process. I slammed the door shut and wrapped my arms around her, stumbling back a little.

When I moved to step up the stairs, she pulled away. “I didn’t come here for this.” She half-whispered. I nodded and shut her up with another kiss, pulling her over to my couch instead. We stumbled and fell onto it and I pulled her into my lap, never taking my lips off her for more than a couple seconds.