This chapter is most definitely T for language.
Sleep – Backhouse Mike
Baby, when you threw the cup
You knew I wouldn't pick it up
And maybe there's another life
That took you away…
Life is like a photograph;
You tear it up then send it back.
Please no more pictures today.
"Where do you want to go to eat?" Drake asked, jamming the keys into the ignition and starting the car.
"Oh, my opinion suddenly matters?" Mindy replied, darkness clouding her brown eyes.
"What are you talking about?" Drake quizzed, letting his hands fall from the wheel and putting the car back in park.
"Just drive. I don't give a fuck where we go."
"Home at this rate."
"Whatever."
Drake started out of the tiny parking space near the club in confusion. He wasn't quite sure where the evening went wrong; all was fine before his show, and all was seemingly fine after his show. He'd played a gig – his best of the year, he was pretty sure, but Mindy usually told him her opinion, so he had no back up on this one – and when he was finished, he hung out with her and the guys. She'd ask to leave to go get food as the bar didn't really serve meals, and after a bit, Drake agreed and now here they were. She was angry, he was confused.
"What's wrong?" Drake asked. He felt like he should've known, but he didn't. He hadn't a clue what went awry.
"How do you not know what's wrong?" Mindy fumed, darting her eyes at him before rolling them far back into her head.
The night from her perspective was far different than Drake's recollection. All was fine before the show – that they agreed with – and during the show – it was definitely Drake's best of the year since it was the first time she'd heard him play live with his entire band, but she wasn't about to tell him that – things were still fine, but it was after the show when everything went wrong. Mindy never asked to be the center of attention. That wasn't like her. She did, however, expect her presence to at least be acknowledged at one time or another.
They'd been together for awhile now. Not a long time, but they'd known each other long enough to know the ins and outs of each other's personalities. Mindy had never been with Drake when he'd had a show with his full band, so this was the first experience for her going to one of his non-solo shows and him taking her to one. He didn't know how to act with her around; it wasn't something he'd done in awhile. She was friends with all the guys in his band, but Drake was so used to this being a "just the boys" event. It wasn't that Mindy was intruding – it was that it was new to him, just like it was to her. Ignoring her hadn't been intentional; it had happened and he hadn't even realized it. Everything had seemed normal to him.
"I just…I don't," he said, taking his eyes off the road to look at her for a second. "What's wrong?"
"You ignored me all night, Drake! You stepped off that stage, and I couldn't even get one second of your attention."
"Oh, god, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry, it's just that…"
"How are you sorry for something you didn't even know you did until I told you?" Mindy raged, throwing her hands in the air in confusion.
"Well, babe, I didn't…"
"Don't 'babe' me, Drake! Is this what my life is going to be like now? Is this what dating you is going to entail? You doing shows and me falling into the shadows so you can go off and pretend I don't exist? What's next? Having sex with a bunch of other girls while you continue to ignore me?"
"Where the fuck did this come from? Do you really think that I'm going to do any of that shit? Fuck." Drake had been biting his tongue, trying not to say anything he'd regret, but the argument had suddenly turned serious.
"I don't know, Drake! I wouldn't put it past you! This is what your job is! You're a musician, and if that's how you're going to treat me after shows, I don't know if I want any part of that!"
"Do you realize how long it's been since I've brought a girlfriend to one of my shows?" He flashed her an angry look and watched how small she suddenly became. It made him feel a little better seeing how sad she looked, even if only for a second, but the thoughts even felt vicious to him. "It's been a long time, Mindy. For a few years, it's been a boys' club thing, and then you were there tonight, and I didn't know what the fuck to do, so I'm sorry that I hurt you, but god, it's new for me having you there just like it is for you being there."
"But is this what it's gonna be? Are you EVER going to figure it out? Because if this is all I have to look forward to…"
"What the fuck do you want me to say to make it better? It happened, and I can't change it! I told you that you didn't even have to come tonight! That was your choice," he added, pointing his finger in her direction as he stabbed the air.
"I was there because I wanted to support you! That's what you do in a relationship! You support each other! I wasn't about to stay home, and besides, if I didn't go, you would've spun it on me and made it sound like I was a horrible person for not going!"
"What? I wouldn't have done that!"
"Oh, bullshit. You pout like a two year old," Mindy answered, running her hand through her hair. "And pull over. You can't argue and drive or you're gonna crash the car."
"Why, yes, your majesty," Drake told her sarcastically, driving into a parking lot that was luckily right nearby. "Happy now? I'm so glad you told me I should stop because now it's certain that I can't get away from you."
"You know that's not why I did it! Is it my fault that I actually care about your safety and don't want you to get us in car crash just because you decided to be an idiot tonight?"
"How the fuck am I an idiot? Just because I didn't realize I was ignoring you? Mindy, seriously, it's not all about you! It's been a boys club up until now! I'm sorry it was weird for you."
"Whatever, Drake, whatever." She crossed her arms and let out a long sigh, avoiding eye contact with Drake.
"I don't know what the fuck you want me to do!"
"I want you to promise me that it's not going to happen again and that you'll at least make an effort to acknowledge that I exist after the next show!"
"I can't! I can't do that because I get caught up in the moment, and then I can't control what happens! I can make a conscious effort, but I can't promise that because then you'll spin it all on me."
"Like I would do that."
"It's exactly what you're doing now! You say I pout like a two year old? Oh, Jesus, like you're a little fucking angel. You never let me hear the end of it!" His voice became high pitched as he started to mock her, "'Oh, Drake, once, on February 8th, you gave me a funny look when I tried on my new dress, and oh, you're a big asshole.'"
"I'm not like that!" she replied defensively. "I'm not like that at all, you jackass."
"Oh, right, it was probably February 10th and you called me a jackass then, too, instead of an asshole."
"You're being so ridiculous right now that I can't even stand it."
"You can't stand me? I'm sitting here in a fucking parking lot about ten minutes away from your house because you said you needed me to pull over so we could argue after you started a pointless fight for something that could've been over fifteen fucking minutes ago! I'm the one you can't stand? It's your fault!"
"Shut the fuck up and just kiss me!" Mindy yelled, throwing her purse on the ground and unbuckling her seatbelt as she leaned into Drake who was doing the same.
Drake grabbed her face violently as they started kissing with intense passion. His shirt was falling off his shoulder by the time Mindy was crawling over the armrest and into the backseat, pulling Drake by his shirt with her. "You are so fucking hot when you're angry," he complimented between kisses as he started to unhook her bra.
"So are you," Mindy agreed, starting to unzip his jeans and falling into him until they were skin to skin.
They slid down into the backseat so they were barely visible – the tinted windows had never been so helpful – and continued at it until they were stripped down with Mindy lying on Drake's chest. They both breathed heavily as Drake stroked her back lightly. "Sorry," he whispered into her hair once he caught his breath.
"It's fine," she answered into his chest, and Drake felt her warm breath on his neck slowly returning to normal. "I'm sorry, too."
He kissed her forehead gently as they lied in the backseat just letting time pass them by. They'd never had a serious argument until that one, and in a way, it had been very scary. In the future, there'd be a lot more arguments about a lot more serious things, and that was a daunting realization. Drake and Mindy had gotten through that one, though, and that was a start.
"What time is it?" Mindy asked with a yawn, still cuddled up to Drake and not making an effort to move.
"After one," he replied with a yawn, giving his watch a quick glance. "I guess we should get home."
"I guess," she said, reluctantly lifting up her head and beginning to look around for her bra. "Hey, can you at least promise me one thing?"
Drake caught her gaze and raised an eyebrow, his deep chocolate eyes full of wonder.
"That whenever we fight, this is always how we'll make up?"
He laughed, pulling Mindy into his arms again and kissing her softly on the cheek. "That I can definitely promise."
