I slipped into my PJ short set. I left it behind because it was a little too juvenile, with its sleeping bears all over it, for my new boyfriend. I wanted to be hot for him, not cute. It was my most comfortable set, though. I brushed my hair back into a loose ponytail and slipped into my Mickey Mouse socks. I was basically ready; I just needed to make sure I had everything. �Ok, chocolate fudge brownie ice cream? Check! Spoon? Check! Comfy PJs? Check! Good movie on TV?� I said as I flipped through the channels. When I heard the voice over guy say, �Stephen Baldwin, Benecio Del Toro and Kevin Spacey in The Usual Suspects. . . . next!� I stopped.
�Good movie? Check! Now where�s my cell phone?�
I got comfortable on the bed with my ice cream and cell phone handy. I was going to call Joshua on the first commercial break. Ten minutes into the movie and my phone rang. I looked at the screen and saw that it was Nick. I reached for my phone then stopped. I didn�t want to talk to him, I was still angry with him. I didn�t answer the phone, I turned it off instead.
I waited until the fourth commercial break to turn my phone back on and call Joshua. I couldn�t help it, it�s an engrossing movie. When I turned my phone back on I saw that I had five messages and all of them were from Nick. Two were text messages and the other three were voicemail. I�d take care of those later. I dialed Joshua�s number.
�Hey Lex, what are you doing calling me this time of night? Isn�t it like 9 o�clock there? Shouldn�t you be on some red carpet somewhere or in a club dancing till dawn with the Backstreet Boy?�
�You would think that but not tonight. I�m stuck in my hotel room watching The Usual Suspects.�
�The Usual Suspects? Are you in your pajamas and eating ice cream?�
�Maybe,� I replied with a mouthful of ice cream.
�What happened? Did you and him break up, already?�
�No. We had a fight.�
�Oh, what is it with you and those movies when your relationships go belly up?�
�I don�t know what you�re talking about, anyway my relationship didn�t go �belly up�. Nick and I didn�t break up, we just had a fight.�
�You know what I�m talking about. Remember when you broke up with Chris? You watched Good Fellas. You broke up with Martin and watched The Godfather. You dragged me to see Gangs of New York when you and Will broke up.�
�As I remember it, I didn�t have to do much dragging considering Leonardo Di Caprio was in it looking all buffed and dangerous.�
�He did look hot even if he was kind of dirty looking. Anyway. . . when you broke up with your �greatest love of all� Jamal, you watched Scarface. . . . three times. So what happened with Nicky to push you to the shoot �em up movie and ice cream? In fact what have you been up to? I haven�t talked to you in a while, girlie. You probably been laid up under that man of yours. I know by now, you�ve hit it. Just tell me how many times and how good it was, you know I gotta have the details.�
�Ok, ok calm down. I�ll tell you everything.� I started to tell Joshua about my time in LA when my call waiting beeped. I ignored it and told him to do the same.
�Oh so we�re avoiding phone calls now. It must have been some fight,� Joshua said.
�We�ll get to that later,� I replied and continued what I was saying. I told him about Nick and my first night together. We spent about twenty minutes on that because Joshua likes details. I told him about the barbecue, our nights out and our nights in. I told him about my run in with Jessica�s friend Kim at XES.
�I sort of know about that but I thought it was just a rumor so I ignored it. The story I heard was that you and her were in the parking lot fighting. I mean hitting each other, rolling around in the dirt and everything. Your story sounds a little more realistic though. When I read that I was like ok. . . I know my girl, would not be rolling around in the dirt after she got all dolled up to go out.�
�How did you hear about it?�
�I�ve been keeping up with the Boys on a few message boards and every now and then a girlfriend or a wife gets mentioned.�
�Really? What do they think about me?� I asked. I had to know. It was a little weird that people who didn�t know me were actually talking about me and what I was doing. It was even weirder because I used to be one of those people.
�For the most part the jury is still out but I haven�t heard anyone that�s met you call you an evil bitch or anything. There�s always the girl that doesn�t like you because you exist in Nick�s life but that�s about it. No websites dedicated to you and him and none denouncing you, yet.�
�Oh ok. Cool. You�ve really been getting into this stuff haven�t you?�
�Yeah gotta make sure no one�s bad mouthin� my girl.�
�Please don�t get into an argument with any teeny boppers on my behalf. You haven�t told anyone that you�re my friend, have you?�
�No and I doubt they�d believe me, anyway. But no I haven�t told anyone and I�m not going to nor, will I be arguing with any teenies over IM on your behalf. I do have a life, sweets.�
�Ok, just making sure.�
�So, what did you and the boy fight about?�
�I met his mother today and she apparently hates me. According to her I�m going to do nothing but harm to her precious son.�
�She said this to you?�
�Yeah among other things.�
�It�s kind of early for you to be meeting the parents, isn�t it?�
�More like the family. I met two of his sisters, his brother and his mother; I don�t think he intended it that way. He was just as shocked as I was when they all showed up.�
�Oh ok, so why are you mad at him or why did ya�ll fight?�
�When I told him what happened he either, didn�t believe me, didn�t want to or didn�t care. I�m not sure. At one point I think he thought I provoked her or I said something. I didn�t say anything until she went off and started threatening me. She actually said if I did anything to Nick that she would be the one I would have to worry about. I told Nick and he seemed annoyed. He went back into the kitchen to talk to her but I was ready to go. I didn�t want to wait for him, I went outside. When he came outside he said he talked to her and that she wouldn�t talk to me the way she did. I know what that meant; she was going to ignore me instead. He persisted though; he wanted me to go back inside and try to talk it out. But I was done. I wanted to leave. He refused to leave so, I called a cab and came back here, to the hotel.�
�Hhhhmmm. . . . you might want to look at this from his point of view to understand why he acted the way he did.�
�Are you taking his side?�
�No! Just hear me out, sweetness. If someone told you that your mother. . . . I mean my mother just totally insulted them for no apparent reason, would you believe them?�
�Probably not right away. That�s different though, I know Maddy would never do anything like that. Nick knows his mother is crazy.�
�Be that as it may, I�m sure even he doesn�t expect half the stuff his mother does. You should-� Joshua started but was interrupted by someone banging on my door.
�Joshua, hold on a minute someone�s at the door.�
�Ok. . . I�m holding,� he said.
I walked cautiously to the door as the banging persisted I kept my phone with me.
�Be careful, Lexie. I can hear that noise through the phone. It could be a crazy person, banging on the door like that.�
�I�ll just look through the peephole,� I assured him. As soon as I reached the door the banging stopped.
�Alexis! If you�re in there, would you open up?� called the person from the other side of the door.
�You were right. It is a crazy person but, I know this crazy person,� I said as I opened the door.
�Have you been here all this time?! Don�t you know how to answer your phone?!� he yelled brushing past me and storming into the room.
�Yes and yes. Well hello to you too. Would you like to come in?� I replied. Then, �Joshua, it�s Nick. Let me call you back.�
�Alright girl, keep me posted,� he said then hung up. I set my phone down and faced Nick.
�Why didn�t you come back to my place? And I thought you checked out of here. And why didn�t you answer your cell when I called you and texted you. . . all those times?�
�I didn�t go back to your place because I didn�t feel like fighting with you or talking to you. As you can see I didn�t check out and I didn�t answer my phone because like I said, I didn�t feel like fighting with you or talking to you.�
�Get your stuff we�re leaving and you�re checking out. . . . tonight!�
�Leaving? Wait a minute, who do you think you�re talking to? You don�t dictate to me and I�m not going anywhere! I�m going to stay here, eat my ice cream and watch what�s left of my movie!�
�Fine you want to do that then, I�m going to stay here too and when the movie is over we�re leaving. . . together!�
�You can stay here all you want, I don�t care! When this movie is over though, you might be leaving but, I�m not going anywhere!�
�Alexis. . . I am not in the mood for this,� he said pacing away from me.
�What makes you think I am? The whole reason I came here was because I didn�t feel like having this argument.�
�We wouldn�t be having this conversation if you had just come back to my house.�
�No, you�re right we�d be arguing about your mother instead at your house.�
�We�re having a conversation,� he said tersely.
�It�s an argument,� I told him.
�It�s a conversation!�
�Argument! Conversations are when people are talking to each other calmly, politely, and quietly! We are not doing any of that right, now! Either way. . . I don�t want to converse or argue with you at all, right now! Why don�t you just leave?�
�I�m not leaving without you.�
�So now my absence from your side bothers you? It didn�t bother you before when I had to catch a cab from your mother�s house. In fact, why don�t you go back there, you seemed to be having such a lovely time when I left you.�
He took a step toward me. I could tell he was very angry, more than that he was mad. He was red in the face and he kept clenching and unclenching his right hand.
�Do you know how I felt when I got home and saw that you weren�t there? Then I come down here and I find you all comfy and cozy in your cute little bear pajamas, watching movies, talking on the phone and eating fucking ice cream!� he yelled taking my shoulders into his hands. He shook me once.
�What did you think you would find? Me laying across the bed and weeping because you wouldn�t listen to me? I�m not Jessica or any of your other stupid, grasping, clingy, vicious ex-girlfriends!� I exclaimed throwing his mother�s words back in his face.
�I thought something had happened to you! I thought the cab driver had kidnapped you! I thought you were hurt and couldn�t get to your phone when you didn�t answer! I was so worried about you, don�t you dare stand there and be a smart ass, now!�
We both stopped. I didn�t know what to say. He was worried about me, I thought. I felt like someone had thrown cold water on me. One minute I was angry and screaming at him and the next I almost wanted to kiss him. I didn�t ignore his phone calls to make him worry. I was just angry.
�I�m. . . I�m sorry Nick. I didn�t mean to make you worry. I was angry with you because of the way you just brushed what I told you aside like it was nothing,� I said. He let his hands slide from my shoulders to my arms and pulled me a little closer.
�I know that, now. I should have listened to you. I�m sorry, I didn�t. When you left I went back inside to talk to her. She started in on you immediately. She started saying you weren�t right for me and how I deserved better. When she said, �I know a girl that would be perfect for you.� I stopped her. I told her that right now, the only girl that�s �perfect� for me was you. She tried to argue but I got up and left.�
�She�s not going to come after me, is she? She did threaten me.�
�Naw, I don�t think so. She threatened you? You didn�t tell me that. What did she say?�
�Oh just that if I ever double crossed you that whatever you might do to me would be the least of my problems because she would take care of me.�
�Don�t worry about her. She�s just talking. All of my past girlfriends are all alive and accounted for,� he said. Then, �She�ll be mad for a little while. . . like a week or two and then she�ll find it in her heart to forgive me. Maybe after a month or so she�ll be over you dating me. Give her about six months and she�ll probably actually be able to carry on a friendly conversation with you. It all depends on how long Aaron and Angel can stay out of trouble. By then we�ll probably be in Florida and then on to the tour, anyway.�
I listened to what he was saying and thought, Wow, would I even last that long? Would his mother be a constant contention between us?
�Nick, I just want you to know that I have no intention of coming between you and your mother. That�s a bond I know I can�t and shouldn�t even try to break. I just don�t want there to be this constant. . . . �thing� about your mother between us. I don�t know-� I started gearing up to launch into a long monologue before he stopped me.
�Hey, hey don�t worry about my mother. You let me worry about her. You got Leslie, Angel and Aaron all on your side. If anyone can get their way with my mother I know they can. She�ll come around.�
�Well at least I know they like me,� I said.
�I know Aaron likes you, he said that you were smokin�. That�s his new word, now,� he said with a little laugh.
�Well. . . I guess I know who I can turn to if I ever get tired of you,� I replied playfully.
�I�m not going to let that happen,� he said pulling me closer.
�It will if you keep lying to me,� I said.
�Maybe you should stop eavesdropping on other people�s conversations.�
�Maybe you�re right. Wanna call it a truce?�
�Good thinking. Now, can we get back to making up?� he asked hopefully.
�Want some ice cream?�
�Not exactly what I had in mind for making up but I�ll have some. I never did get that dessert.�
�Who�s fault is that? Cop a squat.�
�That a trick question?� he asked sitting at the foot of my bed.
�No, let�s say it�s rhetorical and you don�t have to answer,� I said retrieving my pint of ice cream from the bedside table. �Scoot back. All the way back till you get to the headboard.�
�Someone�s in a bossy mood,� he said as he slid back on the bed. I frowned at his shoes on the bedspread.
�Take off your shoes,� I told him as I slipped out of my socks. He kicked off his shoes and pulled off his socks. I handed him the ice cream and spoon so I could crawl onto the bed next to him. Once I was settled he handed it back to me.
�So. . . our first fight as a couple. That was interesting,� I said after a spoonful of ice cream.
�Yeah, good thing I worked with you first. I knew what to expect,� he replied. Then, �Can I have some?�
�Sure, open up.� He obliged by opening his mouth as wide as he could. I spooned a heaping portion into his mouth. He closed his mouth and shot me a goofy grin. �Uuumm can I have the spoon back?� After licking the spoon completely clean he handed it back to me.
�Here ya go.�
�What did you mean, you �knew what to expect�?� I asked eating another spoonful.
�I knew you would be uncompromising, stubborn and loud.�
�Oh really? Well I knew you would be thick and pigheaded�
�Ah, ah, aaahh we�re supposed to be making up. Besides, I like you loud. You�re not loud just when you�re angry,� he said shooting me a pointed look. I fed him another spoonful.
�Since we�re supposed to be making up, I�m going to ignore that comment,� I said eating a spoonful. �Ok you feed me, now.�
He stretched and took the spoon from me saying, �I can�t believe the months almost over. We�ll be starting rehearsals in Florida soon.�
�Yeah it�s been pretty nice. When do rehearsals start, again?� I asked after he fed me a spoonful.
�In about two weeks,� he said swallowing his own spoonful.
�Two weeks? Am I going with you?�
�You probably should. We�re flying straight out of Florida to Canada.�
�Ok. We should go to New York first.�
�New York?�
�Yeah, you know before we head to Florida and then the rest of the world, we�d have to stop in New York. Maddy and Joshua would kill me if I left the country without seeing them first. Not to mention my grandparents, I haven�t seen or talked to them since before the tour. Oh and I want you to meet Maddy and Joshua, they�ll love you. Plus I got to wash some clothes, do some shopping and then repacking. Can we go, please?� I said.
�When do you want to go?� he asked.
�I don�t know. . . soon,� I said.
�We can go tomorrow if you don�t mind leaving some of your stuff here.�
�No, I do mind. I need my stuff.�
�Ok, I�ll take care of it then.�
�What do you mean; you�ll take care of it?�
�Just what I said, I�ll take care of it.�
�Who are you, Tony Soprano? What are you going to do?�
�Don�t worry your pretty little head about it.�
�You know once you cure me of my tendency to eavesdrop, I�m going to cure you of your tendency to pay for everything.�
