Note: I don't own RENT or Billy Wilder movies. You really should see some of his old movies if you get the chance. Oh and prepare yourself. (eats tiramisu …and I hope you don't mind I shared some with my roomy she loves that stuff).
"Oh Collins!" Maureen mimicked Angel's scream of pleasure. She laughed shaking her head as she walked with Mark, "I swear those two…they need a romantic novel or something. Angel in one of those huge gowns that are low cut. And Collins with really tight pants on."
Mark cleared his throat at the mention of Collins wearing tight pants, "I just feel bad…we weren't supposed to…interrupt them."
Maureen patted his shoulder, "Believe me, Markie, frustrated sex is probably the best. Next to make up sex."
"I wouldn't know." Mark said with a deep sigh.
"Wait!" Maureen stopped walking taking Mark's shoulders in her hands, "You're still a virgin! I thought for sure you and Lori would have…" She made a rude gesture.
Mark rolled his eyes walking past her, "No we didn't. We did plenty of making out though…I guess it doesn't matter anymore."
Maureen pulled her pocket book higher on her shoulder, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…disco dance on your problems with Lori. It just happens sometimes. There isn't anything you can do."
"But you fought for Joanne." Mark pointed out staring at the pavement below him, "Maybe I should fight for Lori."
"Oh yeah…" Maureen said quietly, "I did, didn't I?" She licked her lips and stared out ahead of her, "Speaking of that…I don't really think it's going to work between Joanne and me."
"What do you mean?" Mark asked with a frown, "The two of you are…great together."
Maureen titled her head, "C'mon, Mark did you really expect us to survive the distance? When we were about five minutes away from each other we couldn't make it work. How in the hell are we going to make it work when she's at Princeton?"
Mark kept quiet but said to himself, She said no to Harvard so she could be closer to you. Do you realize what you could have with her? I guess not.
"I mean…I do care about her." Maureen said, "A lot. I really do…but I'm trying to be realistic. We're in two different worlds now. She gives me a call and tells me all about her law classes….and I don't even know the difference between sustained and overruled. She'll be a big lawyer and I'll be what? Her housewife? I don't think so."
Mark watched her and whispered, "Maureen, I really doubt anyone could turn you into a housewife."
"Really?" Maureen asked smiling.
"Really." Mark nodded, putting his hands in his pockets and looking back down at the ground. Maureen tipped his chin up with her finger.
"You really should hold your head up higher." Maureen said quietly, "You got some nice eyes behind those glasses of yours."
Mark glanced over at her, "Okay…" He said quietly. As they continued to walk he tried to keep his head up. "So…how many hours until one am?"
"Quite a few." Maureen laughed, "But don't worry. I'm gonna keep you busy."
"Why does that worry me?" Mark asked raising his eyebrow.
Maureen poked him, "After you class and my audition. I got something planned."
"I'm still worried." Mark said.
"Oh you big baby." Maureen laughed poking him again, "You'll see. It's nothing crazy, don't worry. It's something thoughtful." She pushed him towards the Brown buildings, "Now go to class and I'll meet you here in a few hours." Maureen said pointing to him as she skipped away.
Mark watched her carefully, "I'm still worried."
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Roger and Mimi sat across from each other in a diner. Neither of them spoke. Mimi moved her fork around in her pasta. Roger stared down into his coffee. This was how they hung out with each other now. Ever since the incident in the blue room, Mimi didn't know what to say. Roger didn't know either. What could he say? Beg her to stop…she had barely started but…still. He did notice that Mimi was disappearing from the loft more often. Sometimes she would say that she was out to get milk. She'd come back empty handed and jittery.
Mimi glanced up at Roger and sighed deeply, "Roger, I don't wanna loose you."
"Who said anything about loosing me?" Roger asked turning his cup to the side.
Mimi gulped and shook her head, "No one. But…I know you don't really approve. And I don't want to fight over it or…anything. It's no big deal you know that, right? I'm not like Collins' mom or anything. You guys are still the most important things in my life. Not this…shit."
"I know." Roger whispered. He had seen Collins' mother and he could tell the difference. That didn't mean that things would stay the way they were.
Mimi nodded taking that as a small victory, "You aren't going to tell them are you?'
Roger glanced up at her, "Maureen already knows?"
"Yeah." Mimi said quietly, "She's keeping it on the down low though. I don't think….I don't think Angel and Collins would understand. They'd think I was addicted or something. You know…cause they gotta be the parents of all of us."
"Uh huh." Roger said taking a sip of his coffee, "Don't worry Meems…I won't say anything…unless…if you get out of control."
"I won't!" Mimi said quickly leaning over the table, "I won't, I promise. I won't." She smiled deeply. "Thank you so much, Roger."
"MIMI!" A voice called out from behind them. Mimi looked up and waved to Cameron.
"Hey there, love birds." Cameron took a seat next to Roger without a word, "How are we today?"
Mimi grinned, "Great. But better now that I've seen you."
Roger tried not to glare at the boy sitting next to him. "You didn't ask if you could join us." He commented with no emotion.
Mimi frowned, "Roger…"
"By the way you can't." Roger explained staring into his coffee.
Cameron frowned and stood up nodding, "Yeah I get it. Jealous boyfriend type…well I got something to tell you, cowboy. I'm gay."
"You said at the club that you brought girls in." Roger said with a grumble.
"Yeah well…I like to vary the playing field." Cameron explained weakly.
That seemed to make Roger's attitude even worse. He took a sugar packet and tossed the contents into his coffee throwing the empty paper in Cameron's lap.
Cameron held up his hands, "Fine…I'll get out of your hair." He stood up and kissed Mimi on both cheeks. Then he walked away, breaking out into a skip by the time he hit the door.
"May I ask, what the hell was that about? I thought you were cool with all of this?" Mimi said scowling at Roger.
"I don't like him." Roger said simply sipping on his coffee.
Mimi reached out and pushed the mug away from his lips, "You don't get to tell me who I can and who I can't be friends with." She hissed at him. There was a difference between concern and control and it seemed to Mimi that Roger was walking the fine line.
"Fine. Just be friends with him." Roger said with a shrug.
She watched him for a moment trying to read between the lines, "Wait…you don't? Roger I am not attracted to Cameron. If that is what you are thinking…" Mimi said blinking in disbelief.
Roger didn't look her in the eye, "You hang out with him an awful lot."
Mimi sighed, "We shoot up together. That's the end of it."
"You're right about that." Roger mumbled.
"What?" Mimi snapped.
Roger shrugged again taking another sugar packet and adding it to his coffee, "You're not going to see him again. I don't like him." He took a sip of the coffee and winced, realizing he went a little overboard with the sugar.
"No shit you don't like him!" Mimi exclaimed. The patrons of the diner turned to look at the dancer. Mimi didn't seem to mind, although she lowered her voice and said, "I get high with him Roger. Do you really want me do that on my own? Do you know anyone who would be willing to be my smack buddy?"
Roger looked up at her. He didn't want her to shoot up alone. If anything would ever happen…no one would be there to help her. He knew what he should say. 'Then get off the drugs too!' Roger hated drugs…but he hated one thing more…not feeling close enough to Mimi. As long as she took drugs it would be a part of her he didn't know…she would live a life without him. Do you know anyone who would be willing to be my smack buddy?
"How bout me?" He asked quietly.
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Maureen sat cross-legged on the back of a stone turtle. She was popping her gum as Brown students went by just getting out of classes. One thing she noticed about Brown students. Half of them weren't that bad looking.
"Zoom in on Maureen Johnson who is currently trying to escape the city by use of a tortoise." Mark orated coming around to film her. Maureen, in typical Maureen fashion, struck a pose.
"Hey there film boy. You ready to join me on an evening of fun and jubilance?"
Mark chuckled to himself resting his camera at his side, "Don't fun and jubilant kinda mean the same thing?"
"Not sure, frankly." She giggled poking his side, "So how'd class go?"
"Crappy. Which seems to be a pattern with my classes." Mark shrugged, "How was your audition?"
"Well…I was fabulous, of course. But I know this one girl's gonna get the part. She had some major cleavage going on." Maureen explained rolling her eyes. The drama queen was starting to think that this whole acting thing was going to be harder than she thought.
"More than you?" Mark asked with a smirk.
Maureen punched him in the arm. "Bastard. Now I won't share my fantastic evening with you!" She stomped off dramatically.
"Hey!" Mark ran after her, "Ok ok I take it back."
Maureen kissed the filmmaker on the cheek, "Good cause we're here." She pointed to a sign on a building. It read, 'Billy Wilder Film Festival'.
"No way!" Mark called out his jaw dropping, "I…I…I want to be Billy Wilder….how did you know?"
Maureen grinned, authentically happy to see his reaction, "You mentioned that you liked The Apartment so I…"
"They're playing The Apartment!"
"Mark…" Maureen patted his shoulder, "Pookie, don't wet yourself."
He ignored her comment too excited to focus, "What else are they showing?"
"Some Like it Hot and my own personal favorite, Sunset Boulevard." Maureen said grabbing his hand and pulling him towards the ticket booth.
"The greats." Mark said taking a deep breath, "I can't wait to see them on the big screen…just like Wilder intended."
Maureen hugged his arm, "Yup."
"We should have invited the gang together. I don't think they've ever seen any of his stuff." Mark said wondering why Maureen hadn't invited the others. They tended to do things all together, unless the couples wanted some privacy. Not that Mark really minded being alone with his friend.
Maureen snorted, "Think about it. Roger would fall asleep, Mimi would get bored, and Collins and Angel would be too busy making out. Anyway, let's review the plot of Some Like it Hot, shall we? Two men dress up in drag to avoid the Mafia….oh yes and one of them gets a marriage proposal from a dirty old millionaire man…You know they'd read into it." Maureen chuckled imagining Angel and Collins sniggering to each other as Jerry danced with maracas after Osgood's proposal.
"Oh yeah…They wouldn't have shut up." Mark sighed understanding.
"And what are you trying to say, mister? We should have gotten other people?" Maureen asked a hand on her hip, "Am I not good enough for you?"
Mark smiled gently, "You know that isn't true."
A smile spread across Maureen's face as well, "I know."
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It was 3 AM when Roger came into the loft promptly tripping over a slipper on the ground. He barely caught himself and walked on as if it never happened. Without one thought he collapsed onto the sofa. Mimi closed the door behind her and dropped her purse onto the floor.
"You coming?" Roger mumbled watching her through her drooping eyelids.
Mimi leaned her body against the wall and giggled covering her face with her hand, "Maybe. Gotta get rid of this first." She murmured pulling out a syringe.
"Why?" Roger asked although he really didn't seem so interested in the answer.
Mimi giggled and shook her head, "I don't keep my needles in the open for Mommy and Daddy to find…speaking of…" She smiled hearing the sounds of a creaking bed, "They're still at it. Figures." Glancing over at Roger she saw he was asleep. Mimi sighed deeply, maybe he'd get used to it. She stumbled into the bathroom and placed the syringe on the sink so she could investigate her neck. Just like she thought quite a few hickeys were left over from their earlier fun. Apparently smack made Roger quite antsy. For a moment Mimi thought about covering them, but then she smirked. People would know she was loved…why bother? Turning away from the mirror, the back of her hand pushed the syringe into the garbage can. And Mimi didn't give it a second thought.
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"So…." Mark whispered grasping the sheets with his hands, "How was…how was I?" He asked glancing over.
Maureen cupped his face gently, "You were great. Who knew a sex tiger lived under your skin…?" She kissed his hairline gently.
"Yeah." Mark smiled holding back a chuckle, "Who knew?"
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They say the devil's water it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet in every once in a…little while
Post: Next Chapter: Angel makes two discoveries.
