"What the hell is that?" Roger asked looking up for his guitar as he sat on the couch with a pen in his hand and his notebook on the coffee table.
"Sounds like Journey." Mark answered sitting at the metal counter drinking a cup of tea.
"I know it's Journey Mark. Where the fuck is it coming from?" he asked putting his guitar down on the couch and getting up.
"It sounds like it's coming from downstairs." Mark said getting up from his seat and joining Roger at the window.
"Yeah well, I have an audition on friday and I really need to get this song written." he said climbing onto the window seat and opening the windows.
"Where are you going?" Mark asked as Roger stepped out onto the fire escape.
"Down to tell whoever is blasting that damn song to turn it down." he said as he began decending down the stairs. As he reached the apartment next to Mimi's, he noticed the window open a little bit and the music was blaring. When he peaked in he saw a girl dancing. She was wearing a long sleeved black body suit and pink tights. Her golden blond hair was pulled back into a tight braid and she was beautiful. He stood there watching her for a little while until she caught a glimpse of Roger watching her.
"Excuse me. What the hell do you think you're doing?" she asked opening the window wider.
"I'm sorry, it's just... I'm trying to write a song and I can't concentrate with your music blasting." Roger yelled being taken off guard.
"A songwriter, I should have known. Well, I'm sorry for breaking your concentration, but I have a very important audition tomorrow and I really need to get this ruitine down." she yelled beginning to close the window.
"Yeah well, you're not the only one who lives here. You dancers think you're the only one's who exist." he yelled back stopping her from closing the window.
"You come down and peep into my window and you're yelling at me? You are a piece of work." she yelled back, her blue eyes were trained on him.
"I was not peeping through your window. Don't flatter yourself." he said defensively as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.
"Well when you stand outside someone's window watching them, it's called peeping." she yelled looking up at him.
"Well how about you lower your damn music and I won't have to come down and you won't think I'm peeping in your window?" he said staring down at her.
"Fine by me." she said before slamming the window shut. Roger was speechless. He turned and went back upstairs.
"What happened?" Mark asked looking up at him as he re entered the loft.
"She's a damn dancer. I should have guessed. They prance around like they're God's gift to the world." he ranted going back to the couch.
"A lot of people would say the same about frontmen." Mark laughed looking over at him.
"Yeah well, I have an audition on friday and I really need to get this song done. How the hell am I supposed to do that when she's blasting frigging Journey? Who the hell blasts Journey anyway?" he asked picking his guitar up and putting it on his lap.
"Apparently the girl downstairs." Roger said before directing his attention back to his guitar and notebook.
"Hello boys." Mimi called out as she entered the loft.
"Great, more distractions." Roger said setting his guitar next to the couch.
"What's your problem?" she asked going into the kitchen.
"Don't mind him. He's really not a fan of the dancers today." Mark laughed as he got up to greet her.
"Aww, what happened? I thought you liked us dancers?" she asked looking down at him.
"The girl downstairs was blasting her music and he couldn't concentrate on writing his song. I'm assuming she told him off." he smiled leaning down to kiss her.
"You know, just because she's your girlfriend, it doesn't mean you have to tell her everything." Roger said getting up to get a beer from the refrigerator.
"We're sorry Roger. OK, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help. Being a dancer and all." she said going over to the metal counter to talk to him.
"Nothing. I'm trying to write a song for this audition I have on friday and all of a sudden I hear Journey blasting from downstairs, so I go down and the girl who lives next to you is dancing. She thinks just because she's a dancer, that the world revolves around her." he ranted as he drank his beer.
"Is she cute?" Mimi asked looking up at him.
"What the hell does that matter?" he asked setting his beer bottle on the counter.
"She must be. I've never seen you get so worked up over anything like this before. Except when we were dating and I was still using." she said smiling over at Mark.
"I'm not attracted to the girl downstairs. She's arrogant and thinks she's the only one who matters." he told her picking up his beer and going towards his room.
"If you say so Roger." Mimi smiled looking over at him as Mark came up behind her.
"You're an evil woman." he smiled wrapping his arms around her waist.
"What did I do?" she asked slyly.
"You're gonna try to set him up with the girl downstairs, aren't you?" he asked smiling at down at her as she turned to look at him.
"Maybe." she smiled leaning up to kiss him before beginning to leave the loft.
"Where are you going?" he asked looking over at her.
"Getting to know my new neighbor." she smiled before leaving the loft.
"Evil." Mark smiled looking over at her. He knew Roger hadn't dated anyone since he and Mimi broke up. When they found her that Christmas eve, she was close to death. Roger and the others nursed her back to health and through withdrawal. When she and Roger broke up, it was mutual. They decided they were better off as friends, and then she and Mark spent some time together and realized they had feelings for each other, so they started dating. Roger was happy for them. He wanted his friends to be happy. As Mimi knocked on the door next to hers, she could hear the music through the door. Journey's Seperate Ways was playing. As the door opened, she saw a beautiful blond woman standing before her. No wonder Roger was getting so worked up.
"Hi, I'm Mimi Marquez. I live next door to you." Mimi smiled looking over at her.
"I'm sorry if my music was too loud. I lowered it after the jerk upstairs came down, but I still need to have it a little loud." she said wiping the sweat off of her neck and chest.
"No, it's not bothering me. I'm a dancer too, so I know what it's like to need the music loud. Um, I was thinking, how about later you come with me and my boyfriend to the Life Cafe. My friends are really cool and I'm sure, being new here you don't know many people." she smiled as the woman smiled at her.
"I'd like that. Um, my name is Keira by the way. Keira Jenkins " she smiled extending her hand out to her.
"That's a beautiful name. So how about you meet us around 6. It'll be fun." Mimi smiled shaking her hand.
"OK, I'll see you around 6. Thanks Mimi. It's really nice to meet you." Keira smiled looking over at her.
"It's really nice to meet you too Keira. I'll see you later." she smiled before going back up to the loft.
"What are you so happy about?" Mark asked as Mimi came bouncing back into the loft.
"I just invited the girl downstairs out to the Life Cafe tonight." she said as Roger came out of his room.
"You did what? You're not setting me up Mimi." he yelled looking over at her.
"No, I'm not. I just thought it would be nice to have another dancer in the group." she said looking over at him.
"Whatever, Mimi. But I can't hang out tonight. I have to finish this song. At least with her at the Life I know I won't have any distractions." he said sitting at the window seat looking out the window.
"Roger, come on. You gotta eat, right? Just come for some dinner, OK? Don't be such a baby." she said looking up at him.
"Maybe I'll just go get something to bring home. But I'm not hanging out. And you're not setting me up with her." he said gettting up off of the window seat.
"Fine. Have it your way." she smiled looking up at him as he sat on the couch.
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"Roger, are you sure you don't want to come to the Life with us?" Mimi asked putting her pocket book on her shoulder.
"I'm positive. I just need to get this song finished." he said looking up from his guitar.
"Do you want us to bring you something back?" she asked looking down at him.
"No, I'm fine. I'll take a break when I get hungry." he told her picking up his pen again to jot down some lyrics.
"Just make sure you eat. And take your AZT." Mark said looking over at him.
"I will. Just don't be too loud when you come home." he said looking up at him.
"Have fun here all by yourself." Mimi smiled leaving the loft holding Mark's hand.
"Whatever." he sulked looking down at his guitar.
