A/N: I got fired from my job, so I have a lot more free time on my hands. Maybe this trend of updating more frequently than once every eight months will continue as a result. This chapter was fueled by tears, coffee, and too much gin. If nothing else, this chapter is longer than the past few have been. Enjoy. Talk to me about it if you'd like. I've got nothing but time to kill.
Swallowing the bile that had risen in his throat, Sirius quickly paid, his heart pounding frantically in his chest as he stood at the pick up queue, waiting for their drinks. Sapped of his courage to face Remus, he called out to the barista, "I'll have those to go, actually."
The brunette nodded, shooting him a thinly veiled look of disgust. Sirius turned his back to the barista station, attempting to quietly get Evelyn's attention. We need to get out of here, now.
"Sirius," the brunette's voice rang out loudly, drawing the attention of several patrons. Angrily, Sirius grabbed the two to-go cups off the counter, nostrils flared in rage. "Thanks for that," he spat, sarcastically.
"Fuck you," she retorted, turning on her heel to prepare another order.
Sirius inhaled slowly, turning to face the sitting area of the coffee shop. Surely enough, Remus was watching him, an unreadable expression on his face. Gripping the drinks harder, to quell the shaking of his hands, he strode toward Evelyn, shoving her espresso into her hands. "Let's get out of here," he told her, through gritted teeth, eyes still watching Remus, watching him.
Evelyn followed his gaze, understanding. "Let's get out of here, love," her voice rang out, rising to her feet and grabbing her handbag. "This place is disgusting."
Sirius nodded, taking care to wrap his arm familiarly around Evelyn's waist. The pair made their way toward the door, when suddenly, Evelyn came to a halt. Sirius turned to question, only to have Evelyn grip him by the arm, lowly commanding, "kiss me. Now."
Sirius obeyed, pulling Evelyn toward him, kissing her slowly and deliberately. As the two separated, Sirius whispered, "why'd you do that?"
"Look."
With practiced casualness, Sirius turned to look over his shoulder, finding Remus, red-faced, staring at him. Sirius smirked, satisfied with himself. Good.
"Rem."
Remus stared ahead, lips pressed firmly together. What the fuck was that?
"Rem, are you okay?"
Remus nodded, blinking back furious tears. Had Sirius really just done that? Made a scene in the coffee shop he worked at, after months of falling off the face of the Earth, only to shove his new blonde girlfriend in his face?
Remus sighed heavily, pulled from his own thoughts as Jack clasped his hands tightly with his own. "Just breathe, Rem. You're okay."
Remus did as he was told, breathing slowly through his nose and exhaling through his mouth. Once calm enough, he took a sip of his coffee, considering what to say. "So he lives," he muttered, his words colder than he'd expected.
Jack nodded, offering Remus a comforting smile. "He's a born and bred Londoner, Rem. You were bound to run into him sooner or later."
"He came here purposely. Just to rub that blonde on his arm in my face."
Jack sighed, patting Remus' hand lightly. "Are you really surprised, Remus? From what you've told me, this is typical behavior of him."
"He doesn't even look like himself. Christ. I haven't seen him in a suit since… Fuck, I don't even remember. Since he stopped speaking with his parents, at the very least," Remus continued, frowning.
"Perhaps he had a court hearing?" Jack suggested, laughing.
Remus cracked a smile, shaking his head. "Thanks."
"It's what I'm here for, isn't it?" Jack retorted, smiling fondly.
"Why can't he just bugger off, Jack? He falls off the face of Earth for months, total radio silence, and now he's showing up at my job with his new piece of ass?"
"Rem," Jack started, taking Remus' hand in his own, sighing, "you know that Sirius isn't going to change. He's going to do what he does, and no one can change that. The only thing you can control is how you respond to his actions. You're not his property. You broke up, you don't owe him anything. Rise above and let him behave how he will. If you show that he's getting under your skin, it'll only encourage him."
"You're right," Remus agreed, hanging his head down.
"Hey now," Jack said softly, tilting Remus' chin up and pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "Remus John Lupin, you are an incredible lad. I know it's hard, seeing your ex with someone else. But it will get easier. Besides, it's his loss," he continued, punctuating his statement with another kiss.
"It's his loss," Remus repeated, nodding. It's his loss.
"I can't believe him," Sirius fumed, pacing the bedroom back and forth.
"Are you still brooding over this?" Evelyn questioned, turning her head to face him.
"How could I not be? We break up and he falls right into that ginger wanker's arms? The fuck is that shite?"
Evelyn rolled her eyes, resuming with applying her eyeliner. "If you're still this upset, why are we going to this stupid party?" she asked.
"Because Marlene invited me. These people were my friends first. If Remus was so unaffected by our breakup then why the fuck shouldn't I go? If he doesn't like it, he can leave," Sirius retorted, lighting a cigarette.
"Aren't you going to get changed?" Evelyn asked, ignoring Sirius' continued rant.
"No, why?"
"Your shirt is torn," Evelyn observed, shrugging.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "I keep forgetting you're one of those posh girls. This is how I dress, Evie."
"Don't expect me to match your look with some torn fishnets and a bad tattoo," Evelyn retorted.
"Just don't dress like you're going to a gala and you should be fine," Sirius replied, completely missing her sarcasm.
"It's really quite quaint that you and your friends still have parties," Evelyn noted. "When I was your age, it was strictly the club scene for social events."
"I'm going to have a drink. Want one?" Sirius asked, ignoring her pointed jab.
"Are you really going to pregame a house party?" she asked dryly.
Sirius turned to leave the room. "I'll have a gin and tonic. Hold the tonic," Evelyn called out to his retreating figure.
Two hours later, the pair arrived at Marlene's home, Sirius hovering on the fine line between tipsy and drunk. He gripped Evelyn's hand tightly, decidedly still anxious about facing so many of his old friends in one sitting. "Sirius!" a familiar voice rang out.
Marlene made her way to the foyer, throwing herself at Sirius and pulling him into an embrace. "You came!" she said excitedly, eyes sparkling.
"I figured we could at the very least make an appearance," Sirius replied coolly, shrugging.
"It's not really a party unless Siri is here," Marlene said knowingly, directing her comment at Evelyn.
"You don't say," Evelyn replied, a single eyebrow raised in feigned interest.
"Come on," Marlene insisted, grabbing Sirius by the arm, "we're doing shots in the kitchen."
Evelyn rolled her eyes but remained silent, following the two through the house. "Bloody children," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.
Evelyn observed, mildly amused, as Sirius pounded back shot after shot. Between rounds, Sirius had decided to break out his xanax, crushing a handful of pills onto the kitchen counter. She'd declined to partake, instead continuing to nurse the gin and tonic the blonde girl, Marlene, had prepared her. Pleased that Sirius appeared to be enjoying himself, she retreated to the living room, where she'd spotted a wet-bar. Quickly and efficiently, she poured herself a tumbler of gin, turning her attention to the rest of the room, where various party-goers were sprawled out on any available surface, making out or drinking. Across the room, she spotted Remus and his redhead boyfriend, drinking beer and laughing with another couple. Curious, she slowly made her way toward them, careful to appear casual.
As she passed by the group, she was startled by Sirius' drunkenly yelling out, "Oi, Evelyn."
Freezing, she turned toward him, watching, dismayed, as he stumbled toward her. Christ, he's pissed. How'd he manage to get so drunk, I've only been gone a half hour. "Having a good time, love?" she asked, pecking him politely on the lips.
"You wanna do some blow?" he slurred, leaning forward to kiss her again.
"I suppose," she replied.
Sirius remained silent, his attention drifting from Evelyn to something else. "Sirius?" she asked.
Silence.
Evelyn followed Sirius' gaze; he and Remus were once again staring each other down. In fact, Evelyn observed, it appeared that both couples were watching Sirius.
"Nice to see you again, Rem," Sirius said at last, grabbing Evelyn by the arm and dragging her toward the foursome.
"Sirius," Remus replied tersely, leaning closer into Jack's embrace. "You remember Jack, don't you?" he asked, tilting his head to kiss Jack on the lips.
Evelyn tensed, alarmed by how tightly Sirius was gripping her arm.
"You've got a lot of nerve, showing your face around here," the red-headed girl of the other couple, Lily, Evelyn suspected, said loudly, shooting Sirius a filthy look.
"I was invited… I was friends with Marley long before you ever were, Lils," Sirius retorted, letting go of Evelyn to cross his arms against his chest, as if to challenge her.
Lily turned to her black-haired companion, James, Evelyn figured, looking at him expectantly. "Well?" she hissed.
James shook his head, apparently torn on how to react. He stared down at his feet, hands gripping his knees.
"Enjoying my sloppy seconds, Jackie-boy?" Sirius taunted, turning his attention back to Remus and his boyfriend.
"Fuck you, Sirius," Remus growled, rising to his feet
.
"Rem, don't," Jack said soothingly, placing a reassuring hand on Remus' arm. "Sit down."
"Rem," Sirius said, his tone gentler now. "Can I talk to you? Please?"
"Are you bloody mental?" Lily screeched, rising to her feet. "He doesn't owe you shit, Black. After what you did, you don't deserve to even be in his presence, you pathetic piece of shit," she continued, jabbing her finger accusingly at his chest.
"Stay out of it, Evans," Sirius muttered, waving his hand dismissively at her.
"Why don't you take your escort and get your sorry arse out of here. No one wants you here, Sirius. Marlene only invited you because everyone knows you're an easy shag. That is all you ever have been and ever will be good for."
"Rem, please?" Sirius begged, tears beginning to form in his eyes. "You can't just… can't just completely cut me out. We've been mates for years. You could have at least told me you'd started seeing someone else. You owe me that much."
"I don't owe you anything, Sirius. If I recall correctly, you broke up with me," Remus replied, his tone icy.
"In fact," he continued, "I believe your exact words were 'you're a filthy whore and I hate you. I'm fucking done.' Why the fuck would I even want to talk to you, after what you did?"
"Rem, please-"
"Go away, Sirius. I moved on. I don't want to talk to you. Just… leave me alone. Take your girlfriend and go away," he interrupted, lips quivering.
He's about to burst into tears. "Sirius, come on, "Evelyn said lowly, placing a comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder. "It's getting late. We should be getting home."
"Rem-"
"Leave him the fuck alone, Black. Jesus fucking Christ, are you that dense?" Lily shrieked.
"Come on," Evelyn said soothingly, leading a dejected-looking Sirius toward the door. "We'll stop for a drink at the pub. Okay?"
Sirius nodded, staring glumly down at his feet as they strode towards the door.
"Lovely to meet you all," Evelyn called out over her shoulder, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Some fucking friends you lot are."
Sirius followed Evelyn's lead through the house, his head spinning. After leaving Marlene's the pair had stopped at the pub, where Evelyn had allowed him to knock back several whiskey doubles. Probably shouldn't have mixed xanax with whiskey. Oh well.
"Let's have another drink," he quipped, stumbling into the parlor and throwing himself on the couch.
Evelyn laughed, standing before him. "I think we've had quite enough to drink, love. Why don't we go upstairs?"
"But I'm not tired," he protested, shaking his head.
"I didn't say anything about sleeping, Sirius," Evelyn retorted coyly, shooting him a suggestive look. "I thought perhaps we could…" she trailed off, offering him a hand.
Sirius glanced up at her, his stomach roiling. Don't you remember why you got pissed to begin with? Remus was there. You saw him and fucked it up like you always do. With practiced ease, he pulled himself up, offering the blonde a ready smile. "Of course."
Unsteadily, Sirius followed Evelyn upstairs, seating himself at the foot of the bed as Evelyn began to undress. He watched carefully, painstakingly struggling to will the thoughts of earlier in the evening from his mind.
You can do this. She's a good-looking bird. She wants you. Forget Remus and get it done, fuck the pain away.
Gathering his bearings, Sirius took a deep breath, eyeing Evelyn up and down. "Thanks for coming with me. I know you weren't too keen about going to a kid's party," he said softly, his eyes pooling with moisture. Why do I feel like crying? So he was there and flaunted his boyfriend and I humiliated myself. Again. So bloody what?
"Of course. It's not like I had anything better to do," Evelyn shrugged, standing before her dresser as she removed her jewelry.
Sirius observed her, appreciating the faint curve of her hip, her shape emphasized by her Diane Von Furstenberg silk-jersey dress. "Let me help you… with the zipper," Sirius offered, stumbling as he got to his feet.
"Careful," Evelyn warned, grabbing hold of him and helping him keep his balance.
"I didn't even have that much to drink," he slurred, leaning into her, catching a whiff of her heady scent.
Evelyn sighed, shaking her head. Sirius' nose wrinkled as her pale blonde hair tickled his nose. "I didn't!" he persisted, throwing an arm around her waist.
"Didn't keep much of it down, I'll accede that… you only feel less drunk because you puked in the bushes for fifteen minutes on our way back to the house."
Sirius shrugged, changing the subject by kissing her.
Clumsily, he unzipped her dress, struggling to keep his balance as he did so. The straps of her dress fell loosely down Evelyn's shoulders as she carefully shrugged the garment off, letting it fall in a pile on the floor. Sirius gripped Evelyn by the back of the head, roughly tangling his fingers into her hair. Evelyn deepened their kiss, moaning softly into his mouth. "Want you," she mumbled, guiding him towards the bed.
Sirius followed obediently, breaking the kiss only to strip himself of his shirt and jeans. He watched, entranced, as Evelyn removed her panties, lying down on the bed. "Well?" she asked, her voice husky.
Not needing to be told twice, Sirius followed suit, climbing on top of her, resuming their kissing. With one hand tangled in her hair, he used the other to grab her hip, forcefully guiding himself into her. "Fuck," he muttered, squeezing his eyes shut as waves of bliss coursed through his body.
Evelyn moaned contently, canting her hips upward to match his thrusts. "So good," she cooed, her breath hot on his ear.
Sirius maintained a fast-paced rhythm for some time, but found himself less interested as the initial rush wore off. What am I even doing? I don't want this. He halfheartedly continued thrusting, lowering his head to avoid looking at her. Several moments passed before Sirius was even aware that he'd begun to cry, salty tears trailing his cheeks, dripping down and dampening Evelyn's hair, who still lay below him.
Still, dutifully, Sirius attempted to finish what he'd started, allowing his mind to drift back to earlier in the evening. Tears continued to flow, accompanied by Sirius' shallow sobs, which he made no effort to choke back.
He stopped mid-thrust, startled, when it dawned on him that he was not the only one crying. "Evie?" he asked, resting on his forearms, alleviating his weight from off of her. He observed her for a moment, taking note of her red-rimmed eyes, tears steadily flowing down her pale cheeks.
She shook her head, gasping for breath. "I-I…" she trailed off, covering her face in her hands as she continued to sob.
Shakily, Sirius got up, lying beside her on the bed. The pair lay in silence for some time, save for the occasional sob or gasp for breath. "I can't do this, anymore," Evelyn said finally, breaking the silence.
Sirius nodded, turning to face her. "I miss Remus."
"I know," she told him, reaching over to stroke his arm lightly. "I know, love."
"Why were you crying, E?"
Evelyn's lips quivered, as she burst into a fresh set of tears.
"I'm sorry I started to… It's not that you're not wonderful and gorgeous and-"
"It has nothing to do with you," Evelyn snapped, her blue eyes shiny with anger.
Sirius frowned, puzzled by her abrupt mood change. Brows knitted in thought, he observed the blonde, considering. "You aren't still in love with Bella, are you?"
Evelyn pressed her lips together firmly, tears continuing to trickle down her cheeks. "But.. but you said that… you said that you two broke up ages ago. That the kiss in her kitchen meant nothing," Sirius accused, realization dawning on him.
Evelyn sniffled, wiping her eyes with her arm. "I lied."
Sirius sighed, wrapping an arm around her. "What are we going to do?" he asked, face hot and sticky from his tears.
Evelyn laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "Fuck if I know… we make quite the pair, don't we? Pathetic wretches."
"I hate my life."
Evelyn sighed, shaking her head. "Yeah, me too."
