Better Man

At last, The Sinners had found a band to go on tour with as the opening act.

The Killers.

The more established group had just released their second major album around the same time as Caroline's band and they seemed more than happy to have The Sinners play a half hour set before each of their shows. And if that wasn't exciting enough for the fledgling foursome, they were in talks about lining up some concert dates in Europe, Australia and Japan!

As of March 13th, The Sinners would be touring with The Killers all over the US and Canada. For eighty days! Until the last week of May! And along with their own concert dates in Europe, Australia and Japan, there was also the possibility of them getting a slot on Warped Tour. Everything was moving so fast for them and they couldn't be more excited.

They knew that right before they were to leave on tour with The Killers, they'd have to fly to LA in order to film the video for their second single, both which would be released in late February.

But, their careers weren't the only things in their lives that were clouding up their time.

Their personal lives were becoming all the more colorful with every passing day.

As it turns out, Nick had proposed to his girlfriend, Christina, on New Years and the two of them were planning on a June wedding. It was surreal that one of the foursome would actually be married. And if that weren't enough, Nef had recently pulled his bandmates aside to admit something he'd been struggling with for a long time and was never able to admit until now.

All those times in the earlier point in recording, when he'd be out partying and then sleeping in late, when he sometimes wasn't coming home after a night of all that, it was because he was doing something that he wasn't sure they would be able to understand.

Nef was gay.

He'd been sleeping with men, and being that Nef was a black man, he referred to it as being 'on the downlow.' He clarified that he wasn't a flamboyant gay like the Queer Eye For The Straight Guy men, but he was still very gay. He claimed he'd felt that since he was a young teen, but hadn't actually acted on it until they moved to San Francisco, possibly the gayest city in the country, if not the world. He'd said he finally found a place he could feel at home with himself and start anew.

As surprised as the remaining Sinners were, it actually did make sense. Nef never dated and he was never seen flirting with women. Despite the initial shock, they were nonetheless supportive of their friend, and showed it by poking fun at him out of love.

It was just how they were.

Instead of saying, "Hey buddy" to one another, sometimes they'd say, "Hey asshole."

It was just the way they were.

And, of course, that wasn't the end of their colorful lives.

* * *

Caroline laid in Mike's bed, bare ass naked aside from the bedsheet draped over her backside. She had her head turned so that she could watch as Mike pulled his boxers back on while he sat on the edge of the bed, his back to her. Biting her lip, she sat up and knelt on the mattress that had a disheveled fitted sheet from all the movement that had occurred in bed.

Pressing her bare chest against his back, Caroline wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her chin on his left shoulder. She slowly pressed her lips to the skin of his neck and he smiled, leaning his head onto hers.

"You should get going soon," he spoke softly.

"Are you kicking me out?" Caroline wondered, smirking a little.

Mike brought his arms up off his lap to cover her hands, holding her closer to him. "Far from it. But I know you have places to go, people to see; i.e., Tre's house, and Tre himself," Mike replied. "Where does he think you are today?"

"Here."

"Here?" he repeated. "How did you explain that without telling him you and I were bumping uglies?"

Caroline laughed. "Well, when you put it that way..."

"I'm serious, Care. What'd you tell him?"

"I told him you called to ask my opinion on how you should decorate the extra bedroom because you really appreciated my help with Estelle's room. He didn't second guess me either."

"Great," Mike muttered. "Now the next time I see him and he asks me about the extra room, I have to tell him I'm decorating it?"

"No," she shook her head. "Just tell him you were considering it, and since I'd helped you before, you wanted some suggestions."

"And the reason you stayed for three hours?"

"You were so appreciative you offered me some coffee and we chatted like friends do."

Mike turned his head to look at her more easily. "You have this all planned out, don't you?" he smirked.

"Well, it wasn't that hard to think up."

"It's better than anything I could think of."

Caroline frowned a little as she looked down and pulled her hands away from his around his waist. "Are you feeling guilty?"

"Of course I feel guilty," he admitted. "But it doesn't overshadow how I feel about you." Mike twisted his body enough to study her expression and body language. "Are you feeling guilty?"

"Well, yeah. I mean...I still love Tre but I can't help loving you...I mean..."

Mike's eyes widened and he smiled. "You love me?"

Dipping her head, she began to smirk a little impishly. "Guilty as charged," she muttered.

Grinning, Mike all but pounced on Caroline, pushing her down to the bed and snaking his arms around her body. Laying on top of her, he looked her in the eyes and shook his head. "You are amazing," he whispered, as if there was someone else nearby who would hear them speaking.

"Why?"

"Because I said so. Because you just are." He smiled and kissed her neck then lowered his lips to the valley between her breasts. "I may be agnostic but I do believe that whatever god or higher being created the universe definitely broke the mold when he or she made you."

Caroline grinned lazily, lifting her hands to run her fingers through his hair. "That was so cheesy." Then she added, "But I like it."

Lifting his head, Mike climbed back up her body so that his face was an inch above hers. He touched the tip of his nose to the tip of hers, then brushed it softly down to her cheek, reveling in having her with him.

Finally placing a kiss on her lips, he brushed some of her hair out of her face and kissed her once more. "I love you," he whispered into her mouth.

Caroline smiled. "I love you too."

* * *

The month of January continued on at a rather hectic pace, but no one seemed to be complaining. The Sinners were doing their thing, and at the same time, Green Day was busy again. They were working on more new material; a lot of what they'd worked on in the previous year they more or less shelved, not sure it was right for them as a band, but considering a new side band idea.

And Mike and Caroline also continued to steal moments away to be together.

But, Caroline was still feeling incredibly guilty for doing this to Tre. She hated lying to him, but when she was with Mike, her cares melted away. It was only afterward that everything came rushing back and she found it quite difficult to allow herself to just feel at ease.

Something in the pit of her chest tugged at her, weighing her down. She felt like nothing was going the way it should be, despite loving two men, in different ways. Her heart was heavy and she wasn't sure if she could carry on this way, despite how Tre made her laugh and how Mike made her smile. Despite how she had been with Tre for a year and how Mike made her feel like a woman.

She needed a sign to help her make up her mind.

If only it could be that simple.

* * *

Tre leaned in the archway to his kitchen, watching as Caroline stood at the counter with her back to him as she cut up some lettuce and tomatoes for the salad she was making.

She had no idea he was standing there, and part of it was amusing for the drummer. He watched as she hummed some song to herself and danced a little. How she used the knife as a microphone.

Eventually it was too much for him.

He had to laugh, which announced his presence in the room.

Jumping at the sound and turning to face him, Caroline set the knife down and then smiled a little. "Shit, you scared me."

"Sorry," he apologized, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I didn't know you were home," she commented shyly. "I thought you and the guys were going to be gone until five meeting with that guy at the Sequoyah Country Club about that charity golf tournament you're hosting..."

"Got done early," he replied. "And let me tell you, Billie was not a happy camper about Mike calling to cancel at the last minute about joining us for the meeting because he had a 'sore throat.' My guess is he just didn't feel like going." Tre shrugged and kissed Caroline's forehead. "What'd you do today?"

"I, uh...I went window shopping. And I was here most of the time, just watching some TV."

"Sounds fun."

"Oh, it was."

Tre smiled and leaned forward nuzzled her cheek, but then pulled back abruptly. "Are you wearing a new perfume?"

"Huh--why?"

"You just have this, I dunno...different scent. Kinda sweet and musky. It's familiar. It's not one of my colognes, is it?"

Caroline shrugged her shoulders and bit her lip. "I dunno. I don't smell anything."

"Hmm."

"I was just gonna go have this salad and then take a shower but afterward if you wanna do anything, I'm all yours," she rambled a bit.

Tre narrowed his eyes, thought about what she said and then nodded. "Alright. How about I take you out to dinner and a movie?" he suggested.

"Uh, sure. That'd be great."

"Okay. I'm gonna go call Ramona for a while, so you go do what you gotta do and we'll head out when you're done."

"Okay."

As Tre began to walk out of the room, Caroline followed his movement with her eyes until he was out of her sight. Sinking back into the counter, she lifted her shirt a little to smell it and then mentally smacked herself.

She smelled faintly of Mike's cologne. It was unmistakable.

She knew she should've showered as soon as she'd gotten home from Mike's house. But she didn't think Tre would be home two hours earlier. She thought she'd have time.

* * *

Upstairs in his room, Tre pulled out his cellphone and began to push the buttons to dial his daughter's cell number as he moved over to his dresser and lifted up his cologne bottles.

He smelled them one by one, but none reminded him of the scent he made out on Caroline. He even went over to her perfume collection. And still, nothing.

As Ramona's voicemail came on, Tre left a quick message, and then closed his phone.

Sitting down on his bed, he focused on nothing in particular, and couldn't help but think of the Garbage song 'Why Do You Love Me?' And how one of the lyrics went: 'I think you're sleeping with a friend of mine / I have no proof but I think that I'm right.'

A part of him wanted to shake the feeling off, but a part of him felt so angry.

Was he jumping to conclusions? Or was he being duped by the man who had been a brother to him and by the woman he'd been dating for a year?

Either way, he would find out.