Disclaimer: I don't own RENT, or Adam Pascal...yet. XD

July 1987

It had been another wild night at Catscratch. My eyes still hurt from the flashing lights. I puffed on my cigarette and waited for April to show up at our local bar. She was coming with her new boyfriend, who I heard was a total babe.

Suddenly the door to the bar opened and I heard April's familiar, raspy laugh. I saw my best friend's trademark red hair. "Mimi!" April screamed and she ran toward me and hugged me. While we embraced I got a good look at that Greek God standing next to her. Ah, so THIS must be her boyfriend, I thought.

"Este es tu novio? Mi, mi, bonita elección, niña!" I playfully punched April's arm. She rolled her eyes.

"Oh, shut up," April said sternly, despite the fact that she was grinning from ear to ear. "Roger, this is my best friend Mimi. Meems, this is Roger, my boyfriend."

Roger and I shook hands. I can see why April was so into him - he was drop-dead gorgeous. Tall and muscular, with light blonde hair, he pretty much towered over short little April. I tried to ignore the tingling sensation that went up my arm when we shook hands.

April squealed. "Oh, this'll be so exciting! Excuse me for a sec, I gotta use the ladies' room. You two get to know each other!" She ran down to the restrooms.

I looked at Roger. Roger looked at me.

"So..."

"So...."

"April tells me you sing." Finally, I had found something to talk about.

Roger shrugged. God, that had to be the cutest shrug in the history of shrugs. "Yeah, I guess I do. Just a solo act, performing at various bars, nothing big. I can only do cover songs. I haven't been able to find the inspiration to write one. Nothing comes to me."

I smiled at him. "Maybe April can inspire you. Or, y'know, one of your crazy ex-girlfriends. They're always VERY inspirational." We laughed.

Roger grinned at me. "Hey, you're pretty funny," he said, punching my arm. I flushed. Ugh, why was I so attracted to him? Granted he was gorgeous, but he was APRIL'S BOYFRIEND. I couldn't help but grin back at him.

A series of beeps interrupted me from my trance. "Shit," I said, rummaging through my purse to find my timer. "AZT break." I pulled the pills out of my purse.

Roger raised his eyebrows. "You?" He gestured to the bottle of meds in my hands.

I swallowed a pill. "Me. You?"

He opened his mouth to say something. Right at that moment, April came waltzing back to our table. Roger put his arm around her. "Hola, Mimi-chica," she said, still grinning. "What'd I miss?"

I faked a smile. "Oh, nothing. We were just getting to know each other." I shot a nervous glance at Roger.

"He's quite a catch, isn't he?" April held onto Roger's hand as though her life depended on it.

"Oh, yeah, he's great." I looked at my watch.

"Hey, drinks on me." April gestured to the bartender. "Hey, you there!"

I grabbed my purse. "Another time, ok? I gotta get going." I kissed April's cheek and shook hands with Roger.

As I lay in bed that night my thoughts kept coming back to Roger. C'mon Mimi, just let him go, I scolded myself. I reached over to my bedside table until my hand found what I was looking for. I lifted the needle to shoot up, then slowly put it down, thinking better of it.