"What time is it?" Mark asked Maureen.
"Look at the clock," she replied, yawning.
Glancing at the Patti Smith clock, he read '7:00.'
"Mo, where'd you get that thing, anyway?"
"Antique Store. Soho. Half price. Shut up, I'm trying to sleep."
"Whatever," Mark mumbled. "I left my camera in the car, I'm gonna go grab it and bring it up here. I don't want anyone stealing it."
Maureen rolled her eyes. "Right. G'night."
Mark raced downstairs, and quickly opened the door of his car. He'd been so stressed out when he'd first arrived that he'd forgotten to grab his beloved camera. He closed the door and locked it, and was about to close the door when he heard his name.
"Mark?"
"Roger?" Mark said, turning around.
Roger was still wearing his red-checked pajama pants, and sweater. His guitar strap hung on his shoulder.
"Hey," Roger said softly, scuffing the ground with his boot.
"Hi," Mark replied, awkwardly.
"I read the diary."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I never knew how hard everything had been for April. I hadn't realized that I hadn't been there for her." He sighed, and looked to Mark, waiting for him to finally say something.
"What makes you think I left it there?" Mark asked, stupidly.
"Come on, Mark, I wasn't born yesterday. Besides, who else would have kept it?"
Mark said nothing, just adjusted his glasses and rotated the camera around in his hands.
"I'm sorry about what happened before."
"So am I."
"What you and April did was wrong- but I was wrong to have neglected her like that."
Mark nodded, understandingly.
"So, are we okay?" Roger asked.
"As friends, you mean?"
"Well, yeah," Roger stammered. "You don't have to move- as soon as I got up this morning and saw your stuff gone, I regretted it."
That made him smile. "Alright. I'll bring my stuff back in tonight."
"So, we're level now?" Roger asked, slowly.
"Yeah, we're cool now." Mark lifted his head. "I'm sorry, Rodge."
Roger nodded. "Me too." He reached out a hand to pat Mark on the back, comfortingly.
"So, is Mimi up there?"
"Yes. She's with Maureen and Joanne. Collins is up there too."
"Okay, good," he sighed. He'd been afraid that'd she'd run off again. And he remembered what had almost happened the last time she did.
"She's pretty upset," Mark admitted. "I'm not sure if she'll talk to you."
"Well, I'm going to try," Roger said, stubbornly. "One of us has got to break the ice sooner or later, right?"
Mark nodded silently, and followed Roger back up the stairs to Maureen and Joanne's place.
***
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Maureen chortled, as Roger and Mark entered the apartment together. "I'm guessing you two made up?" Maureen asked, noting that were standing beside each other, and yet not attacking one another.
"Yup," said Mark. He grinned stupidly, and Roger gave Maureen a sheepish grin.
"Well, good luck with her," Maureen said, jerking her head, "She's in the bathroom."
"Okay." Roger headed over to the bathroom door.
"I said she's in the BATHROOM, Roger!" Maureen shouted after him.
"I'll knock!" he shot back.
***
Mimi sat in the tub, her knees pulled in towards her chest. She stared blankly ay the white and black cow-print shower curtain. She heard a tap on the door.
"I'll be out soon," she called.
The door open, and shut again.
"Jeez, Mark, you just can't wait to see me naked, can you?" Mimi said sarcastically, through the shower curtain.
"It's me," Roger's voice said.
"Oh." Mimi was silent.
"Can I talk to you?"
"We're talking, aren't we?" Mimi said, coldly.
"Well, I'd be more comfortable talking to someone when I could actually see them, Meems."
"I wouldn't."
Roger flinched. That one hurt.
"Meems, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of what I said before. I was mad at Mark, and I took my anger out on the wrong person. I didn't mean it- please, Mimi."
Mimi said nothing. Roger heard the sound of the water swishing around slowly in the tub.
"I almost lost you once, Mimi. I don't want that to happen again."
Mimi could hear the pain in his voice, and she felt a slight stab of guilt.
"Please, Mimi. Couldn't we start over?" Roger's voice got smaller. "I don't want to lose you."
She didn't answer.
She heard him let out a long, exasperated sigh, and then she heard his footsteps as he silently got up and left. A moment later, she heard the front door open and shut.
Mimi blinked, trying to recollect what'd just happened. She stood up, slipped on a bathrobe that Maureen had left her, and went into the living room. Maureen and Joanne were sitting on the couch together, talking in low tones. Collins was slipping on his coat, preparing to leave.
"Where is he?" she asked Maureen.
"You just missed the two of them," she pointed towards the door. "Sorry about that. I told him you were in the tub," she said, shaking her head.
"It's not that," Mimi said, amused.
She turned to Collins. "You think you could give me a ride?" she asked, sheepishly.
***
Roger lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His guitar was sprawled across his chest, and he strummed a few random notes, his mouth moving silently along with the words.
"Is that our song?"
Roger sat up, startled.
Mimi stood in the doorway, her small frame highlighted by the glint of the moon peering through the shades. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun. She hadn't bothered to dry it. She an old pair of pajama bottoms, and a shirt that Maureen had lent her, with an M monogrammed on it. M for Maureen, Roger though, M for Mimi.
"Hey," he said, softly.
Mimi crawled beside him on the bed. Slowly, Roger moved his arm so it was wrapped around her body, protectively.
"I really am sorry," he said, resting his head lightly on her shoulder.
"I know." Her voice was muffled by pillows, as she buried her face into it. "I love you, Roger."
He removed the pillow, and leaned down and kissed her gently. She kissed him back.
"Jeez, Mimi, your hair's soaking the pillows, it's freezing."
"I know a way to get warmer," she said, with that mischievous look of hers.
***
Down the hall, Mark lay in bed, clasping April's diary in his right hand. He stared at the cover for a while, but he didn't read it. He already knew her story. He rose from his bed, walked over to the closet, and pushed it back behind a tower of shoeboxes, gently.
"Another day, April," Mark said, sighing. He could hear Roger and Mimi's low voices in the other room. God knew what they were up to now. He sighed contently, and closed his eyes.
THE END!
"Look at the clock," she replied, yawning.
Glancing at the Patti Smith clock, he read '7:00.'
"Mo, where'd you get that thing, anyway?"
"Antique Store. Soho. Half price. Shut up, I'm trying to sleep."
"Whatever," Mark mumbled. "I left my camera in the car, I'm gonna go grab it and bring it up here. I don't want anyone stealing it."
Maureen rolled her eyes. "Right. G'night."
Mark raced downstairs, and quickly opened the door of his car. He'd been so stressed out when he'd first arrived that he'd forgotten to grab his beloved camera. He closed the door and locked it, and was about to close the door when he heard his name.
"Mark?"
"Roger?" Mark said, turning around.
Roger was still wearing his red-checked pajama pants, and sweater. His guitar strap hung on his shoulder.
"Hey," Roger said softly, scuffing the ground with his boot.
"Hi," Mark replied, awkwardly.
"I read the diary."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. I never knew how hard everything had been for April. I hadn't realized that I hadn't been there for her." He sighed, and looked to Mark, waiting for him to finally say something.
"What makes you think I left it there?" Mark asked, stupidly.
"Come on, Mark, I wasn't born yesterday. Besides, who else would have kept it?"
Mark said nothing, just adjusted his glasses and rotated the camera around in his hands.
"I'm sorry about what happened before."
"So am I."
"What you and April did was wrong- but I was wrong to have neglected her like that."
Mark nodded, understandingly.
"So, are we okay?" Roger asked.
"As friends, you mean?"
"Well, yeah," Roger stammered. "You don't have to move- as soon as I got up this morning and saw your stuff gone, I regretted it."
That made him smile. "Alright. I'll bring my stuff back in tonight."
"So, we're level now?" Roger asked, slowly.
"Yeah, we're cool now." Mark lifted his head. "I'm sorry, Rodge."
Roger nodded. "Me too." He reached out a hand to pat Mark on the back, comfortingly.
"So, is Mimi up there?"
"Yes. She's with Maureen and Joanne. Collins is up there too."
"Okay, good," he sighed. He'd been afraid that'd she'd run off again. And he remembered what had almost happened the last time she did.
"She's pretty upset," Mark admitted. "I'm not sure if she'll talk to you."
"Well, I'm going to try," Roger said, stubbornly. "One of us has got to break the ice sooner or later, right?"
Mark nodded silently, and followed Roger back up the stairs to Maureen and Joanne's place.
***
"Well, look what the cat dragged in," Maureen chortled, as Roger and Mark entered the apartment together. "I'm guessing you two made up?" Maureen asked, noting that were standing beside each other, and yet not attacking one another.
"Yup," said Mark. He grinned stupidly, and Roger gave Maureen a sheepish grin.
"Well, good luck with her," Maureen said, jerking her head, "She's in the bathroom."
"Okay." Roger headed over to the bathroom door.
"I said she's in the BATHROOM, Roger!" Maureen shouted after him.
"I'll knock!" he shot back.
***
Mimi sat in the tub, her knees pulled in towards her chest. She stared blankly ay the white and black cow-print shower curtain. She heard a tap on the door.
"I'll be out soon," she called.
The door open, and shut again.
"Jeez, Mark, you just can't wait to see me naked, can you?" Mimi said sarcastically, through the shower curtain.
"It's me," Roger's voice said.
"Oh." Mimi was silent.
"Can I talk to you?"
"We're talking, aren't we?" Mimi said, coldly.
"Well, I'd be more comfortable talking to someone when I could actually see them, Meems."
"I wouldn't."
Roger flinched. That one hurt.
"Meems, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean any of what I said before. I was mad at Mark, and I took my anger out on the wrong person. I didn't mean it- please, Mimi."
Mimi said nothing. Roger heard the sound of the water swishing around slowly in the tub.
"I almost lost you once, Mimi. I don't want that to happen again."
Mimi could hear the pain in his voice, and she felt a slight stab of guilt.
"Please, Mimi. Couldn't we start over?" Roger's voice got smaller. "I don't want to lose you."
She didn't answer.
She heard him let out a long, exasperated sigh, and then she heard his footsteps as he silently got up and left. A moment later, she heard the front door open and shut.
Mimi blinked, trying to recollect what'd just happened. She stood up, slipped on a bathrobe that Maureen had left her, and went into the living room. Maureen and Joanne were sitting on the couch together, talking in low tones. Collins was slipping on his coat, preparing to leave.
"Where is he?" she asked Maureen.
"You just missed the two of them," she pointed towards the door. "Sorry about that. I told him you were in the tub," she said, shaking her head.
"It's not that," Mimi said, amused.
She turned to Collins. "You think you could give me a ride?" she asked, sheepishly.
***
Roger lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. His guitar was sprawled across his chest, and he strummed a few random notes, his mouth moving silently along with the words.
"Is that our song?"
Roger sat up, startled.
Mimi stood in the doorway, her small frame highlighted by the glint of the moon peering through the shades. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun. She hadn't bothered to dry it. She an old pair of pajama bottoms, and a shirt that Maureen had lent her, with an M monogrammed on it. M for Maureen, Roger though, M for Mimi.
"Hey," he said, softly.
Mimi crawled beside him on the bed. Slowly, Roger moved his arm so it was wrapped around her body, protectively.
"I really am sorry," he said, resting his head lightly on her shoulder.
"I know." Her voice was muffled by pillows, as she buried her face into it. "I love you, Roger."
He removed the pillow, and leaned down and kissed her gently. She kissed him back.
"Jeez, Mimi, your hair's soaking the pillows, it's freezing."
"I know a way to get warmer," she said, with that mischievous look of hers.
***
Down the hall, Mark lay in bed, clasping April's diary in his right hand. He stared at the cover for a while, but he didn't read it. He already knew her story. He rose from his bed, walked over to the closet, and pushed it back behind a tower of shoeboxes, gently.
"Another day, April," Mark said, sighing. He could hear Roger and Mimi's low voices in the other room. God knew what they were up to now. He sighed contently, and closed his eyes.
THE END!