Chapter#2

That night I was lying on my chaise sofa, watching out my window as the New York streets hummed with life. It was only 6:00 PM, and things were just getting started.

"Hey."

I turned, forcing a smile onto my face as I stared at Greg's deep green eyes.

"Hey Baby." He sat a plate of spaghetti in front of me and then a glass of red wine. Then preceded to place his own plate in front of him before pulling me into a hug.

"How was work today?"

Internally I groaned at the way he said work, like it was beneath him, and truth be told in his opinion it was. He wasn't shy about saying it, in fact we had many arguments about it. He was a hot shot lawyer, up for partner any day now, but I didn't care what he thought. I loved my job. My boys.

"Fine." I said, taking a large ball of spaghetti into my mouth and stretching my grey eyes wide.

"Honey, why do you have to eat like that?" He said beneath a moan, which caused his glass to fog.

"What?" I said, wiping my mouth with the napkin he had given me. "You don't like the way I eat?"

"You know it's not proper."

Oh yes, I can only imagine what his old stuffy mother would say, not to mention his father. They didn't approve of our relationship. In their eyes, I wasn't classy enough to be with their precious boy.

I took in another large mouthful, laughing when bits of it trailed off to my chin.

"Enough." He said throwing his fork onto the plate and rising.

I swallowed it and put my head down.

"I'm sorry." I almost didn't recognize the small voice that came out of me. "It's just you seemed stressed and I.."

"You what?" I looked up and was frightened by the eyes that were now lite on fire.

"I.." I couldn't find my words, my breath. I was suffocating in his eyes.

"You know what Fayth? I am going to go to my office and eat."

He huffed, rolling his eyes he grabbed his plate and marched upstairs.

"Those boys are a bad influence on you." He said, just before finishing the journey upstairs.

I jumped when the door slammed. My throat tightened and I almost choked on a noodle that hadn't quite found its way. I knew deep down that it wasn't the job that made him angry. It was my boys. He was jealous of them. After all I had known them for nearly twenty years, whereas Greg and I had only been together for six.

My stomach was filled, not by food but by regret. I sighed, taking my plate I wrapped it up and made my way upstairs. I never wanted to be the girl that chased a man, but at my age options weren't something I was graced with. Not anymore.

I sighed and stood in front of the door for a moment, dressed in my pink shorts and tank top. I knocked on the door and waited.

"Come in." His stiff voice called from the other side of the door.

I walked in to the room, suddenly feeling very cheap in front of his expensive couches and furnishings.

"What is it?" He said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

He regarded me for a moment, swallowing me with his toxic stare.

"It's just you seem stressed and I wanted to make you happy."

He ttsked and pressed his fingers onto his nostrils before looking at me again.

"You want to make me happy?" His sarcastic tone shrilled against my eardrums, like he thought it was funny that I was capable of even making him happy.

"Yes." I said with a small tone and shrinking under his judgement.

"Really?" He said, putting his hands on his hips.

I nodded, meeting his eyes for a moment before staring back down at the rug. Fiddling my pink bunny slippers against it.

"OK." I turned up when I felt his shadow press down on me.

"Quit the show."

"What?" I suddenly felt myself growing taller with a silent authority. "But I love that show, and I can't just leave the boys."

He laughed, twisting around with his back facing me. "This is it Fayth. It's me or the show."

He turned back to me, a warning pressing against his flared cheeks. "You finish out the season, then you quit or we are done."

He whoosed past me and reached for the door. "We are done talking about this Fayth. These are the options. Think about it."

I darted past him and made my way back out into the hall. The door slammed behind me and I ran with fresh tears sprouting from my grey eyes.

The next day we were filming at a place called Crepe and Juice. I had walked by the place before, but never actually stopped in.

I couldn't help but smile when Murr looked at me, but I could feel the emptiness behind it. I just couldn't force it to my eyes.

"Hey Fayth, what's wrong?" Murr said, wrapping me in a side hug.

Even though the cameras weren't running yet, and the other boys hadn't gotten here I couldn't break. So, I sucked it back and tugged at my smile, bending it to my will.

I knew he would just tell the others. I couldn't have that. Not yet. Not until I decided what to do.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

He rose his perfectly primped eyebrow and pulled me in closer.

"Fayth, how long have you and I been friends?"

I laughed, regarding the memories that washed up over me.

"Since you had hair." I joked, rubbing his now bald head.

"Very funny." He snorted, but then his features hardened.

"No, but seriously, Fayth if something is wrong you can tell me."

I stared at him for a moment. I could see the determination sprouting in his eyes. I knew he wouldn't give up, just like he didn't when our show got rejected multiple times. He was the kind of person that dug until he got what he wanted, and I knew he wasn't going to give up on me either.

Before I knew it, the words were leaving me, but they were muffled chocked out by the tears that spilled from my chest.

After I finished I sunk into his open frame.

"Please." I said finishing with a sniffle. "Don't tell the guys."

He sighed and closed his eyes before pulling me into a deeper hug.

"It's ok. I won't say anything to the boys."

"Say what?"

I ripped away from Murr and stared directly into Joe Gatto's face. He was wearing his purple shirt today, which only accented the deep blue pools in his eyes.

"Nothing." I said, clearing at my throat. "We were just talking about my period."

His face wrinkled and he shook his head. "Eww."

I laughed, with half delight that he hadn't overheard what was said, and half humor staring at his stupid glazed over eyes.

"Hey, we got any Tampax?" Joe announced in his famous tone to the crew. "Fayth's on the rag."

This earned laughter from them, which I followed as I watched him walk away.

He grabbed a cup of coffee and chugged it while it still steamed.

Murr placed his hand on my shoulder, forcing my eyes back to him.

"Sweety, you should leave him."

I scoffed and shook my head. "I can't."

"This show would be nothing without you." He wrapped his arms around me again. "You could come stay with me for a while."

Murr was always kind, and I knew that he was that kind of friend. The one that would do anything for you, and I mean anything. Even give up his apartment, his private space for someone who needed it.

I wanted to accept his offer, but there was something in me that wouldn't allow it. My pride. I wasn't going to be the kind of person that was a burden on their friends.

"Murr, thanks, but I can't."

He pushed his arms in front of his chest and pouted like a little school girl. It fueled me to continue.

"I don't want to do anything to mess up your relationship with Claire."

I could see the argument growing in his eyes, about how him and Claire had only been dating a few weeks and how it wasn't serious so there was nothing to mess up, but it disappeared, no doubt seeing the fight that trailed from my eyes.

"But my offer stands." He said, putting his hand on my knee. "If you need it."

"Thank you." I said pulling him back into another hug.

We separated, just as the other boys arrived.

It was filming time, so I had to put all my feelings aside and get on with my day.

The four of us huddled in the back room while Q took his turn.

"OK Q, you ready?" Sal said into the mic.

Q nodded.

"OK, let's do this." I said, nodding over to the camera man to start shooting.

We watched on the monitors in the backroom as Q stood behind the counter wearing an apron and nametag.

He removed his hat to push back the brown mane that had covered his eyes.

"OK, when the first customer comes in I want you to turn on the blender without anything in it." Murr said.

Q grabbed a cup and beat it against the counter. Then looked around to make sure no one had come in before he spoke.

"I don't know a thing about making smoothies. I don't know how you expect me to do this." He said with clenched teeth.

"Well you better find out bud, because here's your first customer." Joe said laughing.

A man walked in belly first and approached the counter rubbing at his beard.

"Um, yea." He said. "Can I get a.."

But he was cut off by the loud shredding of the blender.

Q turned it off and turned back to the guy.

"I'm sorry man." He ushered out his arms to him, inviting him to speak. "What can I get you?"

The man eyed him carefully and stared at the empty glass pitcher.

"Um. Yea." He started again. "Can I get a.."

"Do it again Q." I urged.

He sighed and turned his back to the man once again and turned on the blender.

"Don't turn it off." Sal said. "Keep it running empty."

Q shook his head and then turned back to the guy, who by now had annoyance sprayed onto his face. "Dude, what are you doing? There's nothing in there."

Q held his hand up to his ear, and made his voice reach over the blender. "I'm sorry, what?"

The guy threw his hands up in the air and walked out.

Q turned it off and sank his head beneath his palms, but then he looked up when the light bouncing off the door shifted, followed by the next customer.

The woman approached the counter, smiling happily at Q.

"Good morning." She said with a jolt. "Can I please have a strawberry banana smoothie?"

Q nodded and turned his back. "Hey Q." Murr said into the mic. "Don't make that one. Do a prune smoothie instead."

Q snorted, but did as he was told.

He really didn't know what he was doing. He just threw random ingredients in until it resembled something mildly consumable.

When he brought the smoothie to the counter the lady stopped and peered at it beneath squinted lids.

"That's strawberry banana?" She said, pointing to the purple drink.

"Say no." I said, taking the mic from Murr. "It's a smoothie I invented."

Q scoffed and shook his head. "No, this is a smoothie I invented."

"You invented?" She said.

"Yea." Q said shrugging his shoulders.

"Tell her it's free." I said.

"It's free though." Q said holding out his hands in a surrendering gesture.

The woman looked at it, then looked back at Q. "What kind is it?"

"Say prune." Joe said. He muffled out a laugh before continuing. "Tell her it's sure to be a blast."

I was conscious of Sal next to me, falling to the floor in a fit of laughter.

"There's no way he's going to say that." I said staring over at Joe's anxious expression.

"Prune." Q snorted and pressed his fist up to his face before speaking again.

"And it's sure to be a blast." I turned back not bothering to close my mouth as it hung ajar.

I'll be damned. I thought. He really said it.

"Have a good day." Q said with a wave, just as the woman disappeared through the door.

Q sagged onto the counter for support. His cheeks flared red with embarrassment.

With that Q took a win.