December Rain (9 page)

She notes a Rolling Stones song playing now and drifts her focus back towards Monica who’s tossing another drink down with fervor. Ri’s stuck in a familiar place. Robin shakes her head in surrender and gives a warm smile that makes leaving Jack’s side a little easier. She walks over and sandwiches herself between Robin and Tristan.

“This is not what I really had in mind you know?” Robin says.

“I know. It’s fine. I know she’s upset.”

“So what’s Jack’s excuse?”

“She’s upset.” She shakes her head. “He doesn’t really need an excuse… you know that.”

“I thought he stopped?”

“He did. It’s been seven hundred and sixty-three days sober.” Ri watches him, still staring at the glass. Robin’s mouth drops. “We have a little dry erase board at home.” Tears start to shimmer in her eyes. “He’s always so proud to swipe that number and rewrite a new one. Every day.” She swallows hard and motions to the bartender.

“You want another Crown and Coke?” he asks.

“No, a ginger-ale, please.”

Tristan cuts in, “Can I get another water with lemon please?”

“Sure, why not?” The bartender stays focused on Ri, making her connection to Jack. There’s a look of sympathy in his eyes as he slides the drink. “You good?” he asks Robin.

She stirs her martini. “So far.” With a familiar nudge from Ri a smile breaks between them and Ri’s head drops to Robin’s shoulder. “Why can’t they play in churches?”

“Rock ’n roll revivals?” Ri laughs hard. “Can you imagine him at a holy roller jam?” Their laughing is excessive for an image that isn’t truly funny, but it feels better than crying. “Oh God!” Ri holds her side now leaning on Tristan’s shoulder.

“Oh man, we shouldn’t be laughing… oh.” Robin settles a bit. “We should be taking his glass away.”

“He’s been in a hundred bars since he stopped and hasn’t flinched for a drink.” Rianne says still winded. “He came here looking for it tonight. I could kinda tell.” She shrugs. “He’s the one who has to cry over it tomorrow. You know interfering only escalates it to a dare.” The defeat in her sigh settles between them.

“Well, I think we should still suggest they learn to play a few hymns,” Tristan adds with residual giggle.

The lightened mood only lingers for a moment until Monica slides closer to Jack. The ladies can’t hear her, but they can see a whole lot of inappropriate intention in her face.

“Thought you quit?” Monica asks Jack.

“Don’t,” he warns.

“Easy. Jeez.” She finishes sucking down the last drop in her glass and taps it on the bar.

“Think ye’d slow up a bit though?” he says with his thick Irish accent.

“Look who needs to mind his fuckin’ business now.”

His fingers flare in retreat as he lifts the glass slowly to his mouth. His first sip looks painful, but before the glass can settle back into the napkin ring a second one slips much smoother. The bartender brings another whiskey to Monica and gives a look to Robin signaling it’ll be her last.

“God, I used to love coming here.” Monica says before sucking on her cherry a little too seductively. “With you.”

Jack flinches when he notices and takes another welcomed sip. Meanwhile Ri and Robin zero in on the flirting gesture and watch the temperature change.

“I loved it too.” He tips his eyes to hers and his breathing gets noticeably heavier.

“It felt like you only played for me… and everyone watched us. Just lovers who couldn’t contain ourselves. I woulda gotten naked up there for you.”

His cheeks flush beneath his beard as his eyes shy into his glass. “That’s probably what it looked like too.” He laughs and downs the last of his drink. Quickly he flashes a glance to the bartender for a refill.

Ri starts to chew on her lip and fidgets on the stool.

“How’s the studio going?” Robin asks as distraction.

Rianne makes her usual polite eye contact and welcomes the distraction. “It’s going great! I’ve kept the same clientele we had before the buyout and was able to hire this wonderful new teacher, Brian, to take some of my classes. He’s really talented.” She can’t help but sneak one glance. “Gives me more time to actually be home.”

“That’s so great! You deserve huge success with it. I have no doubts it will succeed.” Robin keeps trying to lift the mood away from the dirty Monica mud. “And, how about your week?” She nudges Tristan across Ri’s back.

“Oh yeah. How did the doctor go?” Ri asks noticing Tristan has upgraded to a Shirley Temple.

“Wait,” Robin’s head swishes between them, “Is that why you’re not drinking?”

Tristan smiles and gives a sheepish look. “Yeah.”

Robin jumps up and flings her arms around Tristan who laughs. “We didn’t want to tell anyone too early. And tonight definitely didn’t seem appropriate.” Her meek grin is full of genuine concern for the elephant in the room.

“I’m so happy for you sweetie!” Robin lets go, relieved that there’s genuine happiness for the first time all evening.

“Really? You’ve never liked kids.”

“That’s not true. I love kids. I can’t wait to teach yours all the things I know you won’t.”

“Nice. You will never be alone with them.”

Rianne reaches for Tristan’s hand. “I can’t wait to get you into our prenatal class. You’re going to love it! I’ve never had a woman that didn’t rave about how much better their bodies felt.”

“I’m so bad at yoga without adding a huge bulge…”

“Nonsense. You gotta stop that. You’re just inconsistent. We’ll change that.” She’s in full nurture mode until Monica slides back over, too drunk now to care about their conversation

“So did Hoi cheat on you at some point or something?” Monica blurts out.

“What?” Tristan has a look of horror at her timing. “Of course not!”

“Why of course not? What? Is that sooo… crazy?” Monica stiffens up. “What? Only my husband would do that?”

Tristan hones a patient voice. “No. That’s not what I meant. I-”

“Then what the fuck happened to you? Do that many women chase after Hoi? Is the University just crawling with Hoi lovers?”

“What is wrong with you? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Monica fiddles with an ice cube as a mischievous smile surfaces. “Oh please. You’ve got him on the shortest leash I’ve ever seen.” Tristan shakes her head in awe of the drunken spite. “He might as well have a shock collar with a five foot radius.” The echo of her wicked laughter rolls out of her glass. “I mean, I get it. He’s actually a lot sexier than I thought he was at first, but I can’t help thinking there’s more to it. Spill it.”

“Alright, you’ve done enough damage tonight don’t ya think?” Jack says joining the group.

“Damage? You can’t blame me cause you chucked your wagon.”

He slides her drink away and reaches for her coat amused. “Let’s get ya back to your hotel.” He starts to put the coat around her shoulders. “Wanna close out?” He asks Rianne, trying to sound in control, ignoring her glare of disgust.

“You want a couple with trust?” Monica says to Tristan shrugging off the coat. “Ri has trust in Jack. Don’t ya Ri?” She doesn’t flinch at the obvious anger beaming her way. “You must of to
marry
him. After all the years of knowing…” She drifts towards Jack who’s retreating with a stumble back down the bar. Her eyebrow rises in mock mischief, and he laughs playfully shaking his head. Monica glances back briefly at Tristan. “Especially with me.”

As Monica bolts to Jack, Robin jumps up, but she’s too far away to stop the inevitable demise of her best friend. By the time she weaves the short distance through a group drinking behind them it’s too late. Monica’s lips are on Jack’s. Although the kiss is short, it doesn’t lack intensity.

“See.” Monica looks back at Tristan then Ri. “She knows that was nothing to worry about. She trusts Jack. You should try it.”

And like nothing happened Monica settles back onto the barstool next to Tristan and sips the melted water in her glass.

“Okay. We’re out.” Robin slams a fifty on the bar and tries to pull Monica off the stool.

“No! You wanted us to all be open with each other and honest… this is open. This is it. Deal with it doctor.”

“No, this is you being a drunken asshole,” Robin snaps.

“Fuck you. I wanna see the band. I’m not leaving until they play.” She turns to Jack. “Baby, get up there and play my song.”

Jack backs away with an uncomfortable smirk and heads for a door in the far corner. The guys from his band must have filtered in earlier, but hung near the back. Ri sees them and moves towards the stage, staying clear of Monica. Robin stays close though, waiting for the next bomb.

Tristan tries to mask a few tears on her barstool just as Antonio creeps behind.

“Wha’d I miss beautiful?” Before he can catch a breath he sees her tears. “Oh God! Sweetie. What happened? Is she a mean mess?” Tristan just nods trying to hold back more tears. “Oh girl, you can’t let her get to you right now. It’s pain talking… and probably a lot of liquor. Nothing she says has anything to really do with you. You hear me?” He squeezes her tight with a kiss to her temple. “She and Alex tried to make things work for more than half their lives.”

Robin is so relieved when she sees him.
Thank God my back up is here.
She joins them at the bar for a support group hug.

“You okay?” she asks Tristan.

“Yeah. She’s just,” she sighs, “a little right. That’s why it hurts more.”

“This is most definitely not the time to analyze right or wrong, right Doc? You just gotta try to put it out of your mind.” Antonio’s tone tries to hit empowerment level.

Robin whispers into Antonio’s ear. “I’ve never seen her like this. It’s scary. She could really hurt herself tonight.”

“Or… everyone else.” He mumbles towards the stage where Jack and his band fiddle with their instruments amongst the building crowd. Jack has a bottle of whiskey in his hand as he grabs the mic. “Why is he drinking? Did she do that?” Antonio looks horrified at Robin then back to the stage.

“How’s everyone feelin? Yer looking goooood.” He smiles, lingering on Monica. She rips a whistle that rattles above the now impressive crowd like a battle cry.

“We gotta stop her,” Antonio says.

Robin closes her eyes. “That’s a lot of people to get through. It’s actually impressive. If I try to drag her out she’ll make a huge scene and I’ll get a fat lip.”

“Look at her. It’s like she’s rewound a whole decade,” he says. Monica’s fist pumps in the air as Jack strums his first cords, spilling the bottle still in hand.

Ri watches from the side of the stage as an old familiar song starts. Jack never looks for his wife. He never lifts his eyes towards anyone in the bar other than Monica. She mouths the words to a tune he hasn’t played since she left, and Ri’s stomach turn to lyrics clearly not about her.

“I shouldn’t have planned this!” Robin shouts to Antonio over the music. Before he can comfort her she weaves towards Ri through a crowd loving the drunken Doors vibe on stage. Once she’s next to her beautiful friend, Robin isn’t even sure how to relieve a situation she feels responsible for. “I’m really sorry. I feel awful.”

It doesn’t work. Ri’s eyes are glued on her former best friend swooning at her husband. The solo lingers on as Jack’s playing starts to drift, and Ri shakes her head. “She brings out the worst in him. Usually the best in everyone else, but the worst in him.”

“She’s going to regret all of this… it’s not coming from her heart. It’s just pain.”

“I know. But some of that pain lingers here. Some of it’s theirs.” Rianne’s eyes spill over as the song ends with Jack’s words, “
Because of you
.”

He angles the mic stand away to squat down, just as Monica pushes herself up on locked elbows to meets his lips. This kiss isn’t a quick and spiteful one, it’s passionate and familiar to their friends. The embarrassment is too much. Rianne heads for the exit where Tristan waits with her jacket, ready to leave without turning back.

Robin is pushing her way back towards Antonio when she sees Quinn walk in. She’d forgotten the whole reason she planned this stupid night, and now the surprise is on her. She isn’t sure if he’s seen the display, but it’s clear he knows the goal.

Quinn cuts through the crowd with determination, his eyes never leaving Monica as she whistles and screams drunken lyrics above the crowd. Antonio’s eyes widen at the sight of his shaved head dodging straight for the target. Robin throws a relieved glance to Antonio, who’s realizing this is no coincidence.

“When did you call him?” he asks. She reaches for the last drop of martini still sitting on the bar.

“A few days ago. I had to pretend to be an art buyer to find his ass. In my mind this all went very different,” she says.

Antonio laughs. “No shit.”

Jack is struggling to get through a song when he notices the vaguely familiar man approaching fast. Quinn scoops Monica around the waist and throws her over his shoulder like a child. Jack loses his place, stumbles the lyrics, and then stops playing altogether as a lost love screams above the crowd. The rest of the band continues the rhythm hoping the drunken idiot will jump back in. It’s in this moment he finally thinks to look for Rianne. The only familiar face he sees is Antonio’s, shooting a shameful scowl his way as he follows the group out the door.