Whatsername, chapter 2
"Wow.. So Adie. How've you been?"
I sighed. There was no point in faking it anymore.
"Not great, Bill, I'm not going to lie."
"Oh?" He pretended he didn't know what I meant. I knew he did.
"And after listening to that song.. It doesn't sound like you're doing too hot either."
There was a pause.
"No.. I don't suppose I am."
Oh... Hadn't expected that. Now what?
"Billie...." I asked him, finally. "Why did you write that song? After all these years... "
I heard him exhale deeply.
"Because I was tired of pretending I was OK without you. And I didn't know how else to find you."
"Well, you found me."
"Yeah.. Yeah I did. Hey, Adie?"
"Yeah?"
I heard him hesitate.
"Please come home... "
I sighed, letting a tear escape and trail down my face.
"I'm on the next flight."
*~*~*~*~*
I wheeled my luggage up the ramp and squinted as I stepped into the brightness of the airport. Shading my eyes I combed the terminal, looking for those emerald eyes among the sea of mediocrity. Then I heard him.
"Adie?" I whirled my head in the other direction and saw him getting up from his seat. I smiled, and he began to jog toward me, and suddenly he had grabbed me in a huge embrace, and twirled me around. He put me down again and I smiled up at him.
"Well, hello to you too." I laughed. He looked at me, and I could tell he was trying to say something, but it was like he had to do something else first. I gave him a quizzical look and suddenly he was kissing me in the middle of the airport, after ten years of no word whatsoever. And I couldn't have been happier to have gotten on that plane. He broke away and grabbed my luggage in one hand, holding out his free arm to me, which I slipped mine through, and we walked out to his car.
We were driving home in the car he had always told me he would get, when he was famous. This made me laugh a bit. I rolled down the window and let the breeze blow my hair around my face. This was amazing. Billie broke the silence.
"So... Do you have a boyfriend or anything?"
I laughed.
"You mean someone I walk around with, pretending its you? Yeah, I do. He bores me to tears."
Billie smiled.
"How about you, Mr. Rock Star?"
"I didn't even get far enough to pretend. I just... I don't know, it was you or nothing."
I turned my head out the window do hide the look of glee that had spread across my face. When we got home he came over and opened the door for me, then grabbed my luggage and we crunched up his driveway towards the front door.
"Wow, this is a far cry from where I last left you.." I noted, indicating his house.
"Hey, I'm housing two other full grown men here, cut me some slack." I laughed. It was true, Tré and Mike had always practically lived at Billie's house. He opened the door for me and I stepped inside, smiling as I recognized his smell, the mixture of cologne and the fading scent of his previous house. Billie threw his keys on a table by the door and took my luggage upstairs to the guest bedroom, while I sort of clinged to my purse and surveyed the front hallway. Moments later Tré emerged from the kitchen, draining the last drops of a beer back into his mouth. He didn't notice me at first, but suddenly he stopped short, dropping the beer on the floor. I winced as the bottle crashed to the ground, but it stayed in tact, padded by the carpeting. However, Tré's eye were fixed on me. He rubbed them a bit, and blinked.
"Adie?"
"That's me," I smiled. "Hi, Tré."
He came over and pulled me into one of his infamous bear hugs, then released me, still keeping a tight grip on each of my arms as he took a good look at me.
"Haven't aged a day," he finally deduced. I laughed.
"Nor you," I told him. "Though you sure look different. Ditched the green hair, I see." I nodded towards his messy faux-hawk. He smiled.
"Yeah, it was scaring my kids."
I felt my jaw drop. Tré? Kids? That was like... A child with kids...
"Kids? Y-you have offspring?"
He laughed. "Yeah, two. Ramona and Frankito."
"Frankito? See I didn't think you would fall into the trap of horrible celebrity baby names."
He looked mockingly offended.
"Hey, Frankito is an excellent name."
I laughed, and spotted Billie over his shoulder, leaning against the banister with his arms folded, watching us talk. He saw me notice him and continued his descent down the stair case. Tré followed me gaze and put his hands on his hips, staring at Billie.
"Well, look what you brought. Though, you know I told you I wanted a happy meal?"
I laughed. We all made our way into the kitchen, and Billie and Tré stopped to grab some chips, while I continued into the living room. And there was good old Mike, lounging on the sofa watching something on MTV. Billie and Tré came in behind me. Mike finally looked over and saw me standing there. He turned to Billie.
"Holy shit- the song worked!"
I sighed. There was no point in faking it anymore.
"Not great, Bill, I'm not going to lie."
"Oh?" He pretended he didn't know what I meant. I knew he did.
"And after listening to that song.. It doesn't sound like you're doing too hot either."
There was a pause.
"No.. I don't suppose I am."
Oh... Hadn't expected that. Now what?
"Billie...." I asked him, finally. "Why did you write that song? After all these years... "
I heard him exhale deeply.
"Because I was tired of pretending I was OK without you. And I didn't know how else to find you."
"Well, you found me."
"Yeah.. Yeah I did. Hey, Adie?"
"Yeah?"
I heard him hesitate.
"Please come home... "
I sighed, letting a tear escape and trail down my face.
"I'm on the next flight."
*~*~*~*~*
I wheeled my luggage up the ramp and squinted as I stepped into the brightness of the airport. Shading my eyes I combed the terminal, looking for those emerald eyes among the sea of mediocrity. Then I heard him.
"Adie?" I whirled my head in the other direction and saw him getting up from his seat. I smiled, and he began to jog toward me, and suddenly he had grabbed me in a huge embrace, and twirled me around. He put me down again and I smiled up at him.
"Well, hello to you too." I laughed. He looked at me, and I could tell he was trying to say something, but it was like he had to do something else first. I gave him a quizzical look and suddenly he was kissing me in the middle of the airport, after ten years of no word whatsoever. And I couldn't have been happier to have gotten on that plane. He broke away and grabbed my luggage in one hand, holding out his free arm to me, which I slipped mine through, and we walked out to his car.
We were driving home in the car he had always told me he would get, when he was famous. This made me laugh a bit. I rolled down the window and let the breeze blow my hair around my face. This was amazing. Billie broke the silence.
"So... Do you have a boyfriend or anything?"
I laughed.
"You mean someone I walk around with, pretending its you? Yeah, I do. He bores me to tears."
Billie smiled.
"How about you, Mr. Rock Star?"
"I didn't even get far enough to pretend. I just... I don't know, it was you or nothing."
I turned my head out the window do hide the look of glee that had spread across my face. When we got home he came over and opened the door for me, then grabbed my luggage and we crunched up his driveway towards the front door.
"Wow, this is a far cry from where I last left you.." I noted, indicating his house.
"Hey, I'm housing two other full grown men here, cut me some slack." I laughed. It was true, Tré and Mike had always practically lived at Billie's house. He opened the door for me and I stepped inside, smiling as I recognized his smell, the mixture of cologne and the fading scent of his previous house. Billie threw his keys on a table by the door and took my luggage upstairs to the guest bedroom, while I sort of clinged to my purse and surveyed the front hallway. Moments later Tré emerged from the kitchen, draining the last drops of a beer back into his mouth. He didn't notice me at first, but suddenly he stopped short, dropping the beer on the floor. I winced as the bottle crashed to the ground, but it stayed in tact, padded by the carpeting. However, Tré's eye were fixed on me. He rubbed them a bit, and blinked.
"Adie?"
"That's me," I smiled. "Hi, Tré."
He came over and pulled me into one of his infamous bear hugs, then released me, still keeping a tight grip on each of my arms as he took a good look at me.
"Haven't aged a day," he finally deduced. I laughed.
"Nor you," I told him. "Though you sure look different. Ditched the green hair, I see." I nodded towards his messy faux-hawk. He smiled.
"Yeah, it was scaring my kids."
I felt my jaw drop. Tré? Kids? That was like... A child with kids...
"Kids? Y-you have offspring?"
He laughed. "Yeah, two. Ramona and Frankito."
"Frankito? See I didn't think you would fall into the trap of horrible celebrity baby names."
He looked mockingly offended.
"Hey, Frankito is an excellent name."
I laughed, and spotted Billie over his shoulder, leaning against the banister with his arms folded, watching us talk. He saw me notice him and continued his descent down the stair case. Tré followed me gaze and put his hands on his hips, staring at Billie.
"Well, look what you brought. Though, you know I told you I wanted a happy meal?"
I laughed. We all made our way into the kitchen, and Billie and Tré stopped to grab some chips, while I continued into the living room. And there was good old Mike, lounging on the sofa watching something on MTV. Billie and Tré came in behind me. Mike finally looked over and saw me standing there. He turned to Billie.
"Holy shit- the song worked!"
