Better Man

What with going to LA to film the music video for their second single and rehearsing for going on tour with The Killers, The Sinners kept so busy that Caroline and Tre barely saw that much of each other until the month of March began. It seemed like they simply shared passing glances and brief kisses here and there. Although, when they did spend time together, it was a little awkward.

Caroline could sense that Tre was upset about something involving her, and she was starting to feel guilty about every little thing she did; namely sleeping with Mike. And Tre could sense that Caroline was hesitant to approach him about anything, as if she were afraid he would snap at her.

Feeling guilty for possibly making her feel afraid to even talk to him, the blue-eyed drummer made the first move.

On early March morning, Tre decided a sort of peace offering would do the trick, so he woke up a little early, crept downstairs and made eggs, pancakes and bacon. After all were prepared, he poured a glass of milk, went outside and picked a tulip from the garden and laid it on the tray with the food and milk.

Carefully, Tre walked upstairs with the tray in hand and quietly stepped into his bedroom.

He sighed, looking at Caroline's sleeping form, tangled in the sheets; her right arm dangling over the edge of the bed and her left cheek smushed into her pillow while her hair covered her face.

It was a difficult task to not fall in love with how beautiful she looked as she slept. It was when she was awake that things were confusing nowadays, hence the reason for Tre's peace offering.

"Caroline," he spoke softly, inching closer to the bed. "Caroline, hon, wake up."

"Mmm," she groaned.

"Caroline. Wake up. I made breakfast."

"Mmmbacon," she muttered as one word. Slowly, she lifted her head and turned to look at Tre with drowsy eyes. "Uhh...what time is it?"

"Nine-thirty."

"Ugh, Tre. I went to bed at 3."

"Sorry."

Sitting up, regardless, Caroline pushed her pillow up behind her back as Tre moved to placed the tray in her lap.

"What's this for?" she asked with a curious smile.

"Truce."

Her eyes lifted to meet his as he sat on the edge of the bed. He picked the tulip up in his hand, smelled it, then placed it under her nose.

"It smells pretty," she remarked, grabbing a piece of bacon. Tilting her head as she took the initial bite, her smile widened. "Thank you," she added.

"You're welcome." He watched her eat, the two of them making small talk in between bites and sips of milk, until the plate was virtually spotless. "That's one of the great things about you, Care," he smirked. "You like your food."

"It's a great thing?" she questioned. Scrunching her nose, she shook her head. "Judging by my thighs and ass, I'd say it was more like my downfall."

"I like your thighs and ass."

They locked eyes and a wave of happiness washed over Caroline. Lifting the tray up with both of her hands, she set it down on the floor beside her and then sat up straight as she inched closer to where he was sitting. Tre's eyes followed her every movement as she delicately climbed up into his lap, snaked her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his.

"Mmm," he moaned against her mouth. "You have bacon breath."

"Your fault," she replied. "You made the food, I ate it. I am not responsible for my appetite."

He pulled his head back as he gripped her hips with his hands, narrowing his eyes. "Then what are you responsible for, pray tell?"

"Making your toes curl and your eyes roll back into your head."

Quirking an eyebrow, Tre leaned back, allowing himself to fall back onto the mattress so that she fell on top of him. "Is that so?" he inquired.

"Mmhmm," she nodded, sitting up and working her hands down between their bodies.

She subtly pushed his plaid, pajama pants down off his hips just enough as she meticulously pulled his gradually hardening manhood out. His eyes continued to watch her, always enthralled with every sensual move she made. As she was only wearing a pair of bikini-style panties and an oversized T-shirt she was able to expertly join their bodies in one swift movement, causing Tre to tip his head back and groan.

He gripped her hips a little harder, his thumbs massaging the skin of her inner thighs as he thrust up into her as she ground down into him. As he closed his eyes, he heard a girlish gasp as he clearly did something right that caused her to coo affectionately.

"That's my girl," he panted, as she road him slowly and languidly. "That's my...that's my...unnhh..."

"Mmm...mmii...Tre," she panted in return, biting her lip and closing her eyes tightly as she focused on the orgasm starting to build in her.

Tre came first, shuddering on the mattress beneath her, shaking her focus for a moment, but not giving up on letting herself reach her peak.

But then it didn't happen.

The moment just died away.

Instead of letting Tre know that, she cooked up another lie, and faked her orgasm, collapsing on top of him and turning her face as she rested on his chest, feeling his heartbeat slow down and his hands snake around to her lower back.

"I missed you," he muttered.

She stared ahead of her, her left hand reaching up to hold onto his right arm. "I didn't go anywhere," she replied.

Tre sighed. "You're not completely here right now, are you?"

Caroline didn't respond. She just laid there.

* * *

A few days later, Tre was sitting in Billie Joe's living room, after an interviewer from Rolling Stone magazine conducted an interview at the guitarist's house, with the three members of the band present. They were interviewed together, and separately at the house, and after all was said and done, Mike left but Tre stayed behind.

Billie Joe decided he was going to pick his sons up from school instead of letting the bus drop them off, so the drummer was left alone with Adrienne for the time being.

As he sat at the kitchen table, nursing a cold cup of coffee he'd barely touched all day, Adrienne walked into the kitchen with a look of surprise on her face.

"Oh. I didn't know you were still here," she commented. "I thought you left when Mike did earlier."

"Uh, no," Tre replied. "Billie and I were down here shooting the breeze after the interview. Mike said he had to leave and whatever...and, um, Billie said for me to tell you he went to pick up Joey and Jakob from school. He'll be back soon."

"Oh, okay," she nodded. "So...Tre. Who died?"

"Huh?"

"Well, lately you've been walking around like someone ran over your favorite childhood pet. Is something wrong?"

"No. I dunno. I guess. Maybe."

"Which one is it?"

"Yes."

"Wanna tell me?" Adrienne wondered.

"No...but, I guess I might as well, 'cause you're chummy with her."

"With who?"

"Caroline," he answered. "Has she...have you...do you think she's hiding something?"

"Like what? A drug habit?" Adrienne smirked with her question but then let it fade when the drummer didn't share her humor. "I think she's going through something complicated right now."

"So, she's told you stuff?"

"In her own way, yes." Billie Joe's wife sank down into the chair beside Tre and took a subtle breath. "Tre, I think it's been a little obvious to everyone lately that the two of you have hit a snag in your relationship, but that happens to the best of us. I mean, look at Billie and me. We've been married nearly thirteen years and do you know how many times we were tempted to throw in the towel and call it quits?" She narrowed brown eyes expectantly at the younger man, a bit of an impish grin on her lips. "You and Caroline have only been together a little over a year. Dating. This is not marriage. This is more like a trial period to see if the two of you are meant to be. And if you truly love each other, then everything will work out for the best, if you work at it."

Tre sat back and nodded. "True."

"Easy relationships don't just fall into your lap."

"Again. True." His face became a little darker though as his train of thought switched gears. "Have you ever suspected Billie Joe of cheating on you?"

"Of course I have," she answered without missing a beat.

"Have you ever confronted him about it?"

"Yes." Then, she narrowed her eyes.

"What'd he say?"

"That he'd thought about it several times in the past, when temptation was staring him in the face, but that he never has."

"D'you believe him?" Tre inquired.

"Yes."

"How?"

"Because I love him, and I know him like I know myself. Plus, I can tell when he's lying. He looks to the left a little. But when he tells the truth, he looks me in the eye." After a pause, she cocked her head. "Tre? Do you think Caroline might be cheating on you?"

"Maybe. I mean, I hope it's just paranoia, but a lot of the signs point to 'CHEATING.'"

"How so?"

"She's always gone, and not just because she's doing things with her band. Not just physically. Mentally. I can feel it. And sometimes she smells faintly like cologne that isn't mine. She says she doesn't know what I'm talking about, but I smell it. And I know that scent like I know the back of my hand. And it's that scent that pisses me off when I try putting two and two together."

"What scent? Who's cologne? It's not Billie's, is it?"

"No, but close."

Adrienne's face fell, seemingly on the same page as Tre. "Mike?"

Tre nodded. "Yeah. And I don't want to believe it, but it makes sense, which sucks. And hurts. And it makes me furious. 'Cause if it's true, I mean...Mike's like a brother to me. Why the hell would he fuck my girlfriend?"

"Tre, don't jump to conclusions. Caroline and Mike are friends. Everyone knows that. Don't assume Caroline's cheating on you with him. If it's his scent on her you're picking up, it's most likely because they're just hanging out like friends do."

"Yeah. Friends with benefits."

"Tre..."

The drummer looked at his watch. Billie Joe would be home in a minute with his sons, and the Armstrongs would want to settle down for the rest of the day; taking part in quality family time.

"I'm gonna go," he announced, pushing his chair back and standing up. "Thanks for the talk. And, uh...the coffee."

Adrienne just watched the blue-eyed man excuse himself from the kitchen and let himself out of the house without another word and, judging by tension in the air, she thought it best to not say anything else. Tre just needed to sort through his thoughts.

* * *

Caroline sat on Mike's kitchen table, with him standing before her, between her jean-clad legs. His hands cupped her face as he kissed her, running his tongue along her upper lip, making her smile a tad. But she wasn't as into the kiss as he was, which set off a red flag in his head.

Pulling back, he dropped his hands to her legs and tilted his head a little giving her a questioning gaze.

"Is everything okay?" he wondered. "You seem a little---"

"---Not here?" she finished.

"Well, uh...yeah."

"Yeah. I've been getting that a lot lately," she replied, dipping her head down a tad. Sighing, she looked back up into the two pools of blue that were his eyes. "I'm sorry, Mike. But, I've been thinking that maybe we should lay low for a little while."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I just think it's best if we not see so much of each other for a while. I mean, Tre has noticed some things lately and...and I just think we should spend a little time apart."

"Apart?" he repeated, furrowing his brow. "Care, I barely see you as it is," he commented.

"I know, but---"

"And next week you'll be leaving to go on tour for, like, a little over two months," he added. "I won't see you at all then."

Caroline dipped her head again, feeling Mike's fear of losing her at all as it oozed from his every pour.

"But I'll wait for you," he remarked, catching her off guard.

"You'll what?"

"I waited a year to admit that I loved you," he spoke. "I think I can wait a bit longer."

Caroline flashed him an appreciative and loving smile as she lifted her hands to the collar of his shirt and pulled him closer to her. She pressed her lips to his and gave him a hearty kiss that practically made his toes tingle.

"I take it you liked my response."

She grinned, impishly. "Something like that. But...right now I need to get going," she spoke, pushing his back enough so that she could slide off the table. "I have some errands to do and I promised Tre we would go to dinner with his parents tonight."

"Ah...sounds like...a chore," Mike laughed. "Just kidding. Actually, his parents are probably the best parents we've ever known. His dad used to tour with us sometimes when we first started out." Then his face fell a little. "I wish I could take you to dinner with my parents sometime," he commented. "Or with yours."

Caroline grimaced. "Tre hasn't even met mine yet, so don't feel too bad," she remarked, walking toward the front door, with Mike following after her.

Opening the door for her, the bassist smiled down at her and the leaned forward. One hand was gripping the doorknob and the other snaked around to the small of her back and lowered to give her ass a gentle squeeze. She tilted her head up to meet him halfway as they kissed for several moments.

Finally, they pulled apart from each other and Caroline bit her bottom lip, giving him a shy smile.

"Bye," she muttered, demurely.

"Bye," he repeated. "Love you."

Caroline walked off toward her car and hopped in, giving him one last glance as she started the engine and pulled out of the driveway and drove off down the street.

All the while, neither Caroline or Mike knew Tre was sitting in his car, which was parked across the street.