~*~ Chapter 8 ~*~
NEW YORK CITY, NY – MTV STUDIOS – JAN. 24TH, 2002 – Thursday
It was Thursday already. After the night at the Italian restaurant, Kirstin went home and Ashley went to the hotel. The other O-Town members got to New York at midnight that night. On Wednesday, O-Town spent the whole day at the studio. Kirstin and Ashley hadn’t met during that day and it was Thursday already as Kirstin was finishing her work hours and going home. Then her cell phone rang.
“Hey, G.” Kirstin answered it after checking out the caller ID.
“Hey. Listen, got an idea.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” Kirstin asked as she hit the elevator botton.
“What about, you and me, going out tonight? Inferno?”
“Hm… don’t know.” Kirstin wasn’t really up to it.
“Oh, come on! Thursday night! Your favorite night.”
“It was my favorite night.” Kirstin got out of the elevator and headed to the parking lot.
“Oh, come on! I know you’re with Ashley. And I’m with Mark. So nothing will happen. I just wanna have some fun tonight. I’m bored! Please? Pretty please?” Grace was begging her.
“G, are you really up to it? Because I’m so tired.” Kirstin started her car and drove off the parking lot.
“Oh, come on. Stop! You sound like a mother!”
“Yeah, whatever.”
“Please? It’s gonna be fun.”
“Ok, alright. If that will shut your mouth, fine! Let’s go out, then!”
“Great. You pick me up what time?”
“Hm. Let me see… 10:30, alright?”
“Ok. Then let me go dress up. Call me when you leave your loft.”
“Alright. Bye.”
Kirstin couldn’t believe Grace had convinced her to go out. She was kinda sad. Since the incredible night she had had with Ashley on Tuesday, they hadn’t even spoken to each other. Then her cell phone rang again.
“What, G?”
“It’s not G. It’s me, baby.”
“Oh, hey, Ash!” Kirstin’s face light up.
“How are you, honey?”
“I’m doing fine. What about you?” Kirstin answered, looking at her ring.
“Good. Sorry I haven’t called you these days. It’s just that I’ve been really busy. We went to the studio yesterday so early and came back so late. I was beat, so I just laid in bed and fell asleep automatically. Really sorry.”
“Don’t worry. I understand.” Kirstin did not understand, though. He couldn’t have called her? Only to say that he was fine, that he missed her and he loved her? She couldn’t understand. It would have taken only 1 minute “Where are you now?”
“I’m still at the studio. Just got a break. What about you?”
“I’m going home.”
“Yeah? Any plans for tonight? Is Grace coming over?”
“Actually, we’re going out.”
“You are? Like, out out?” Ashley didn’t know if he liked that idea of her going out only with Grace.
“Yes, out out. Inferno out.”
“Inferno? Really? Tonight?”
“Yes. What’s the problem?” Ashley sounded weird.
“Nothing, I just… you know what? Nothing. You go and have fun, alright?”
“Don’t worry. That’s what I plan to do.”
“Good.”
“Ash… ahm… when are we gonna see each other again? I mean… this is ridiculous. We are in the same town and we haven’t seen each other in a while.”
“I know baby, I’m so sorry, but things are hectic around here. I’ll try my best to come by tomorrow, alright?”
“Really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Ok.” then a third voice was heard in the back.
“Listen, baby, I gotta go now. But I’ll call you, alright?”
“Ok. Bye.” Kirstin hung up and frowned. ‘Was that a female voice?’ she wondered.
NEW YORK CITY, NY – INFERNO – JAN. 24TH, 2002 – Thursday
“You know what? I wasn’t so sure about coming here tonight, but I think I’ve changed my mind.” Kirstin practically yelled to Grace as them both were on the dance floor.
“See? I told you we were gonna have fun.” Grace spoke on the same volume “Oh, look. That blond guy right there in the corner is totally checking you out.” Kirstin saw a guy half-dancing giving her a sexy look from the bar. He looked familiar.
“I know him.”
“You know him?” Grace was surprised.
“Yeah. We’ve hooked up once. Here.”
“Oh, ok. One of the ‘Thursday Guys’ then.”
“Yeah.” Kirstin frowned. ‘Thursday Guys’. It seemed so long ago since she had had one of those.
“What?” Grace asked looking at her friend’s frown.
“Never mind.” Kirstin shook that off and continue dancing.
A while later, the girls went to get a table.
“Hi. How can I help you?” a waiter came over to the girls table.
“Oh, hi. I’ll have a beer, please.” Grace informed.
“What about you?” he turned to Kirstin that was staring at him. The waiter was a thin, tall guy, blond with blue eyes, in his twenties. The waiter frowned at her staring.
“K?” Grace asked “K?”
“Yes!” Kirstin turned to her friend.
“Your order!”
“Oh, yes. A tequila shot, please.” Kirstin order without looking at the guy.
“What was that all about?” Grace asked her friend as the waiter headed to the bar.
“What?” Kirstin knew what Grace was talking about, but wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about it. So she played dumb. Noticing it hadn’t worked, she continued “Sorry. I don’t know what’s happening to me tonight. It’s just… This place brings back too many memories. Looking at it now, I am completely different now from when we used to come here every single Thursday.”
“Yeah, you sure are.”
“But it wasn’t that long ago! How come I’m so different?”
“You found love. Twice, I guess. That’s something I’ve always wanted you to find. Some one to go steady, you know? You fooled around too many times, it wasn’t really good for you.”
“I don’t know. I really liked it, you know? I liked not being worried about things couples usually do.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s just that… it’s probably just my head, but I was talking to Ashley before getting home tonight and before he hung up, I heard a female voice call out his name.”
“But that doesn’t mean anything!”
“I know, but… I don’t know. I’m probably just being paranoid here.”
“Yes, you are.”
“But could you blame me? I was so perfectly happy with Tom and look how that turned out to be.” Kirstin’s eyes filled up with tears. But she didn’t let them fall. She controlled herself.
“K, listen. Ashley loves you too much to do anything like that.”
“But we also thought Tom loved me too much to do something like that.” Kirstin snapped. Grace didn’t know what to say.
“K, Ash is different. He’s been through so much more to be with you. He’s loved you since highschool, for crying out loud. I don’t think he’d ruin this. Ever. And especially not now when he just gave you that relationship ring.”
“Yeah…” Kirstin looked down and rolled her ring “I guess you’re right.
“Good. Now, where are our drinks? Service used to be better when we were regulars.” Grace said, looking for the waiter. Kirstin just sat there, a million thoughts running through her head.
* Thanx Stacie and Taryn for reviewing and correcting the grammar errors *
~*~ Chapter 7 ~*~
~*~ Chapter 9 ~*~
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