Hi! Next chapter is up, and I think I like where it took the story line. More to come!
"Collins?" Roger heard the front door shut, so he cautiously crawled out of bed, careful not to wake Mimi. "Man, are you okay?" Roger asked, even though the answer was obvious. Collins was leaning against the front door, and he looked mad. "Collins?" Roger asked again, walking towards the anarchist.
"No! I cheated on her! I CHEATED! I CHEATED ON MY ANGEL!" Collins rammed his fist into the wall, leaving a nice dent. "My Angel," Collins voice softened, tears spilling from his eyes. "Angel…"
Roger ran to his friend, wrapping his arms around the taller man. "It's okay, shhh… it's okay. Come sit with me… come on buddy." Roger led Collins to the couch, sitting down next to him.
"I cheated on her."
"No. You didn't cheat on her Collins, you didn-"
"I DID!" Collins yelled. "WE SAID WE'D NEVER CHEAT ON EACH OTHER! I LOVE HER! HOW COULD I?!" Collins screamed at himself. Then he broke down, crying softly into his hands.
Roger placed his hands on Collins' shoulders, comforting him. "You didn't cheat on Angel, Collins. She's dead. She left you, she-"
"She didn't leave me," Collins protested with a sob. "She didn't want to. It's not like April, Roger. April left you. It's okay for you to be with someone else. Angel wasn't supposed to leave me, she didn't want to. We were soulmates, Davis."
Roger was hurt, Collins' words about April stung. But he decided to not pick a fight, because Collins was emotionally weak. "What happened?" he asked gently.
Collins looked up at the rocker, "It started out fine. We talked, laughed, food was great. But when he started getting more flirtatious, and tried to hold my hand, I got this sinking feeling in my stomach. And I started seeing signs. Like, some kid just happened to walk in wearing a red jacket and blue jeans. There was a pickle tub lying in the corner holding dishes. I even saw a drag queen, Roger. I felt like she was trying to tell me something. And then I realized what I was feeling in my stomach wasn't indigestion, it was guilt. And the last straw was when I saw that our waitress's nails were painted light blue. I just, left. And I couldn't control it, I cried on the subway."
Collins vented for hours on and on about how he felt, and eventually his loud sobs woke Mimi up. She just came and joined them on the couch, and was talking to Collins about how to make him not feel guilty.
Finally, Collins came to a conclusion, "I need to move back."
Roger and Mimi looked stunned. But, Collins was so happy in Santa Fe, wasn't he?
Collins continued, "I need to be with her. I need to visit her, to just talk to her. And even though the memories hurt, I miss not walking by her drumming corner, or seeing the alleyway where we first met. They're what keep me close to her."
Mimi understood. She missed her Tuesday afternoon chats with Angel, when she'd go to her grave and just talk. Mimi would tell her all the latest gossip, and vent about the annoying girls at work.
"I'm going back," Collins said. "New York is my home, however much I'd like to deny it, I can't.