Chapter 3
Mark leaned back against the side of the bed. Alison was leaning against him and he was feeding her a marshmallow. "Well, that was interesting. How did we end up down here?"
"I don't know, but it's a good thing your mattress is only on the floor. Otherwise, that could have really hurt!" She laughed as he fed her another marshmallow. "Why do you have marshmallows in your room anyway?"
"I don't know, Mimi wanted s'mores the other day. These were left over. I was eating them earlier." He shrugged.
"Oh, s'mores sound good."
"Sorry. We only had one chocolate bar. Besides, it's not quite the same as when you made them when you're little. Especially, when Roger's got a marshmallow stuck on a fork and is toasting it over a candle."
"That must have been interesting." She laughed.
"Best we could do at the time." He smiled back at her. "Of course come winter when we light the illegal wood burning stove, I guess we could toast them for real."
"You guys really shouldn't be doing that. You could burn the whole place down."
"Spoken like a true landlord!" He laughed at her. "It's either that or freeze."
"Are you serious? I mean Benny told me you were doing that, but I thought he was kidding around. Do you really have no heat?"
"Very little. I hate to break it to you, but you own a dump."
"I see. We'll have to do something about that. I'm really sorry Mark. I didn't know it was that bad."
"It's okay. We've survived this long." He played with her hair.
"You know this place really could be great."
"You're kidding right?"
"No. Really. I always thought that. It has a lot of potential. It just needs to be fixed up. I loved it the first time I saw it."
"Really?" He looked at her skeptically. "I never would have guessed that." A small laugh escaped his lips.
"Yep. I bet you didn't know I wanted to go to art school either."
"Really? What happened?"
"My father. He felt I needed to go to school for business. You know, so I could get a 'real' job. Not just screw around playing with paints." She looked down at her lap. "That's what he wanted, so that's what I did. I guess I felt like I didn't have much of a choice. That's why I always envied you guys so much."
"Us?" Mark laughed out loud at that. Was she crazy? She envied us? No money, no jobs, no heat us?
"Yes. You did what you wanted to do. What you believed in. What you loved. Not what someone told you to do."
"Wow, I never knew that."
"Benny never wanted you guys to know that. When I met him, I was just getting started working with my Dad's firm. I stupidly believed I could do that during the week and live the life I wanted on the weekends. Then I met Benny. He was so much like my dad. So driven. He knew what he wanted and what it was going to take to get it. He fell in love with 'corporate' me. And it got harder and harder to break away from that."
"I'm sorry." He said softly, kissing the top of her head as he intertwined their fingers.
"It's okay. It was my own fault. I wasn't strong enough to stand up to either of them. I am now. It's my life now and I'm going to do what I want."
"Good. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know." She gave him a soft laugh.
"You'll figure it out." He kissed her on the head again. "And I'll help you however I can."
"Thank you." She smiled up at him. "Hey do we have any of that ice cream left?"
"I think so."
"Good!" She reached over and pulled one of Mark's shirts on before standing up and pulling on his pajama pants that had been lying on the floor as well.
"Bring me a spoon too." He called to her as she walked out towards the kitchen.
Alison opened the freezer and found the Ben & Jerry's Chunky Money ice cream. She grabbed two spoons from the sink and was about to walk out of the kitchen when the door to Roger's room opened and out walked Mimi.
"Oh God!" Mimi exclaimed, bring her hand up to her mouth out of fright before starting to giggle. "Sorry! You just scared me. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the kitchen." She giggled again.
Alison just stood there. She knew she must have a deer in the headlights look on her face. She didn't know what to do. What to say. She wasn't prepared to see her. She knew it was a bad idea to stay here. She knew it, and now look, here she was, face to face with Mimi Marquez.
"So you're Mark's mystery girl. Wow. I'm Mimi." She laughed a soft drunken laugh. "We wondered if we were ever going to meet you. Marky's kept you pretty well hidden. But you know, you look kinda familiar."
"Meems?" Roger called to her from his room.
"Roger! Come here! Look, this is Mark's mystery girl!" She called to him.
Alison still hadn't said anything. She could hear Roger getting up and heading towards them.
"So it's really good to finally meet you. Are you sure we never met before? You ever danced?"
"Wow. Finally." Roger grinned as he walked into the kitchen. He was finally getting to find out about Mark's girlfriend. "Hey." He smiled at her when he suddenly realized who he was smiling at. "Holly shit!" He almost yelled.
"Oh God!" Mark said as he rushed out of his room towards the kitchen in his boxers.
Alison realized she was still holding the ice cream. Her hands began to shake from the situation. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run from the room but she couldn't move.
Roger's eyes went from Alison to Mark before landing on the oblivious and somewhat drunk Mimi who was still babbling on listing off places she might have recognized Alison from. "Yeah, um come on Meems, let's go to bed." He started to lead her out of the kitchen.
"But, oh okay. Nice to meet you. But it's gonna make me crazy trying to figure out where I know you from." Mimi said as Roger dragged her into his room.
And then they were alone. Just Mark and Alison. He looked at her and thought she was going to cry. "I'm sorry." He told her, taking the ice cream from her. "I didn't thing they were coming back tonight."
"I, I have to go."
"You don't have to."
"Yes I do. I'm sorry. I have to go." She walked into the bedroom and found her clothes and started to get dressed.
"Alison. You don't have to go."
"I do. I'm sorry Mark. I have to go. I, I can't stay here. Not right now."
"Why? So Roger and Mimi know. So what?"
"I just can't stay here. I'm sorry. I'll call you." She kissed him on the cheek and almost raced out of the loft.
"Great! Just fucking great!" Mark flung himself down on his bed. Eventually he fell asleep.
**********
Mark was surprised when he woke up how late he had slept. He put on his glasses and walked out into the living room. Roger was sitting on the couch playing his guitar, obviously waiting for him to get up.
"Hey."
"Hey." Mark was not in the mood to have this conversation.
"So.."
"So what?" Mark snapped at him as he sat down on the couch.
"God, bite my head off why don't you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm just in a crappy mood."
"So are we going to talk about this or ignore it?" Roger asked him.
Mark just looked at him for a second. "What's there to talk about? I'm sleeping with Alison Coffin."
"I know! Man when Collins said Benny thought she was seeing some pale ass white boy, I just never expected the pale ass white boy to be you!"
"Yeah well." Mark laid his head back onto the back of the couch. "Surprise."
"So she went home?"
"Dah Roge, yeah, she went home. And what the hell were you doing here last night? You said you wouldn't be back till like six this morning."
"Hey don't yell at me. Mimi got a little drunk a little early, and the band was lame, so we came home." He shrugged. "So you're actually sleeping with Alison? Wow."
"Well I was sleeping with Alison. Whether I still am or not is yet to be determined." Mark grumbled.
"Oh." Roger played with the edge of the couch for a minute. "You think she's gonna break up with you?"
"I don't know." Mark sighed. "She was really freaked out when she left."
"Sorry. It just sort of surprised me you know? The last person I expected was her."
"I don't want to talk about it." They sat there like that for a few minutes when they heard the bedroom door open and Mimi came.
"Morning baby." Roger called to her.
"Ugh. How could you let me drink that stuff? You're supposed to love me." She gave him a hard time while pouring herself coffee. "Hey Marky. Where's your girlfriend? I swear I know her from somewhere."
Mark rolled his eyes as she continued.
"She had to have danced at one point. I mean I swear she's so familiar, and I'm almost sure it's got something to do with the club."
Roger got up and walked into the kitchen as Mimi was going on about the Cat Scratch Club. Mark heard him whispering to Mimi as he got up and grabbed the phone taking it to his room.
"HIS WIFE!" Mimi yelled as Roger tried to shush her.
Mark just slammed the door behind him as he walked into his room, flopping on his bed and dialing Alison's number.
*************
Mark leaned back against the side of the bed. Alison was leaning against him and he was feeding her a marshmallow. "Well, that was interesting. How did we end up down here?"
"I don't know, but it's a good thing your mattress is only on the floor. Otherwise, that could have really hurt!" She laughed as he fed her another marshmallow. "Why do you have marshmallows in your room anyway?"
"I don't know, Mimi wanted s'mores the other day. These were left over. I was eating them earlier." He shrugged.
"Oh, s'mores sound good."
"Sorry. We only had one chocolate bar. Besides, it's not quite the same as when you made them when you're little. Especially, when Roger's got a marshmallow stuck on a fork and is toasting it over a candle."
"That must have been interesting." She laughed.
"Best we could do at the time." He smiled back at her. "Of course come winter when we light the illegal wood burning stove, I guess we could toast them for real."
"You guys really shouldn't be doing that. You could burn the whole place down."
"Spoken like a true landlord!" He laughed at her. "It's either that or freeze."
"Are you serious? I mean Benny told me you were doing that, but I thought he was kidding around. Do you really have no heat?"
"Very little. I hate to break it to you, but you own a dump."
"I see. We'll have to do something about that. I'm really sorry Mark. I didn't know it was that bad."
"It's okay. We've survived this long." He played with her hair.
"You know this place really could be great."
"You're kidding right?"
"No. Really. I always thought that. It has a lot of potential. It just needs to be fixed up. I loved it the first time I saw it."
"Really?" He looked at her skeptically. "I never would have guessed that." A small laugh escaped his lips.
"Yep. I bet you didn't know I wanted to go to art school either."
"Really? What happened?"
"My father. He felt I needed to go to school for business. You know, so I could get a 'real' job. Not just screw around playing with paints." She looked down at her lap. "That's what he wanted, so that's what I did. I guess I felt like I didn't have much of a choice. That's why I always envied you guys so much."
"Us?" Mark laughed out loud at that. Was she crazy? She envied us? No money, no jobs, no heat us?
"Yes. You did what you wanted to do. What you believed in. What you loved. Not what someone told you to do."
"Wow, I never knew that."
"Benny never wanted you guys to know that. When I met him, I was just getting started working with my Dad's firm. I stupidly believed I could do that during the week and live the life I wanted on the weekends. Then I met Benny. He was so much like my dad. So driven. He knew what he wanted and what it was going to take to get it. He fell in love with 'corporate' me. And it got harder and harder to break away from that."
"I'm sorry." He said softly, kissing the top of her head as he intertwined their fingers.
"It's okay. It was my own fault. I wasn't strong enough to stand up to either of them. I am now. It's my life now and I'm going to do what I want."
"Good. What do you want to do?"
"I don't know." She gave him a soft laugh.
"You'll figure it out." He kissed her on the head again. "And I'll help you however I can."
"Thank you." She smiled up at him. "Hey do we have any of that ice cream left?"
"I think so."
"Good!" She reached over and pulled one of Mark's shirts on before standing up and pulling on his pajama pants that had been lying on the floor as well.
"Bring me a spoon too." He called to her as she walked out towards the kitchen.
Alison opened the freezer and found the Ben & Jerry's Chunky Money ice cream. She grabbed two spoons from the sink and was about to walk out of the kitchen when the door to Roger's room opened and out walked Mimi.
"Oh God!" Mimi exclaimed, bring her hand up to her mouth out of fright before starting to giggle. "Sorry! You just scared me. I wasn't expecting anyone to be in the kitchen." She giggled again.
Alison just stood there. She knew she must have a deer in the headlights look on her face. She didn't know what to do. What to say. She wasn't prepared to see her. She knew it was a bad idea to stay here. She knew it, and now look, here she was, face to face with Mimi Marquez.
"So you're Mark's mystery girl. Wow. I'm Mimi." She laughed a soft drunken laugh. "We wondered if we were ever going to meet you. Marky's kept you pretty well hidden. But you know, you look kinda familiar."
"Meems?" Roger called to her from his room.
"Roger! Come here! Look, this is Mark's mystery girl!" She called to him.
Alison still hadn't said anything. She could hear Roger getting up and heading towards them.
"So it's really good to finally meet you. Are you sure we never met before? You ever danced?"
"Wow. Finally." Roger grinned as he walked into the kitchen. He was finally getting to find out about Mark's girlfriend. "Hey." He smiled at her when he suddenly realized who he was smiling at. "Holly shit!" He almost yelled.
"Oh God!" Mark said as he rushed out of his room towards the kitchen in his boxers.
Alison realized she was still holding the ice cream. Her hands began to shake from the situation. She didn't know what to do. She wanted to run from the room but she couldn't move.
Roger's eyes went from Alison to Mark before landing on the oblivious and somewhat drunk Mimi who was still babbling on listing off places she might have recognized Alison from. "Yeah, um come on Meems, let's go to bed." He started to lead her out of the kitchen.
"But, oh okay. Nice to meet you. But it's gonna make me crazy trying to figure out where I know you from." Mimi said as Roger dragged her into his room.
And then they were alone. Just Mark and Alison. He looked at her and thought she was going to cry. "I'm sorry." He told her, taking the ice cream from her. "I didn't thing they were coming back tonight."
"I, I have to go."
"You don't have to."
"Yes I do. I'm sorry. I have to go." She walked into the bedroom and found her clothes and started to get dressed.
"Alison. You don't have to go."
"I do. I'm sorry Mark. I have to go. I, I can't stay here. Not right now."
"Why? So Roger and Mimi know. So what?"
"I just can't stay here. I'm sorry. I'll call you." She kissed him on the cheek and almost raced out of the loft.
"Great! Just fucking great!" Mark flung himself down on his bed. Eventually he fell asleep.
**********
Mark was surprised when he woke up how late he had slept. He put on his glasses and walked out into the living room. Roger was sitting on the couch playing his guitar, obviously waiting for him to get up.
"Hey."
"Hey." Mark was not in the mood to have this conversation.
"So.."
"So what?" Mark snapped at him as he sat down on the couch.
"God, bite my head off why don't you?"
"I'm sorry. I'm just in a crappy mood."
"So are we going to talk about this or ignore it?" Roger asked him.
Mark just looked at him for a second. "What's there to talk about? I'm sleeping with Alison Coffin."
"I know! Man when Collins said Benny thought she was seeing some pale ass white boy, I just never expected the pale ass white boy to be you!"
"Yeah well." Mark laid his head back onto the back of the couch. "Surprise."
"So she went home?"
"Dah Roge, yeah, she went home. And what the hell were you doing here last night? You said you wouldn't be back till like six this morning."
"Hey don't yell at me. Mimi got a little drunk a little early, and the band was lame, so we came home." He shrugged. "So you're actually sleeping with Alison? Wow."
"Well I was sleeping with Alison. Whether I still am or not is yet to be determined." Mark grumbled.
"Oh." Roger played with the edge of the couch for a minute. "You think she's gonna break up with you?"
"I don't know." Mark sighed. "She was really freaked out when she left."
"Sorry. It just sort of surprised me you know? The last person I expected was her."
"I don't want to talk about it." They sat there like that for a few minutes when they heard the bedroom door open and Mimi came.
"Morning baby." Roger called to her.
"Ugh. How could you let me drink that stuff? You're supposed to love me." She gave him a hard time while pouring herself coffee. "Hey Marky. Where's your girlfriend? I swear I know her from somewhere."
Mark rolled his eyes as she continued.
"She had to have danced at one point. I mean I swear she's so familiar, and I'm almost sure it's got something to do with the club."
Roger got up and walked into the kitchen as Mimi was going on about the Cat Scratch Club. Mark heard him whispering to Mimi as he got up and grabbed the phone taking it to his room.
"HIS WIFE!" Mimi yelled as Roger tried to shush her.
Mark just slammed the door behind him as he walked into his room, flopping on his bed and dialing Alison's number.
*************
