Chapter 6

"Hey, man," Mark greeted Benny as he approached the table that he and Maureen were seated in the Life Cafe. A long booth ran across the back wall with tables situated in front of them and chairs at the tables.

"Hey guys," Benny took off his coat and dropped it onto the back of his chair. "Happy almost birthday, Mo."

Maureen smiled back at him.

"What's up?" Mark asked.

"Not a lot. Work, y'know. How long have you been here?"

"Not long, like, a couple minutes," Maureen piped up. She didn't like to be left out of a conversation.

"When are Collins and Noah getting here?" Benny plopped down on his chair.

Mark glanced down at his watch. It was 9:30. "He said after they get off work. Collins' last class was at 5, I think, and Noah leaves the library around 9, so very soon, I would guess." He snaked his arm around Maureen's waist. He had become very protective of her ever since the incident with Roger.

"Cool."

A young man wearing a white apron made his way to the table. "Hey guys."

"Hey Eddie," the group answered.

"How you guys doing?" he asked, taking a pad of paper and a pen out of one of the pockets of his apron.

"Pretty good," Mark replied for the group.

"Good to hear! You guys ready to order?"

Benny looked around at the other two. "Just drinks for now?" he asked. They nodded in agreement. They ordered their drinks, all alcoholic except for Mark, who decided somebody needed to be the sober one, lest Benny resort to crawling home from the Life like the last time they all got drunk. Eddie wrote down their orders and left the three to their own devices. He returned almost immediately with their drinks and when he found out it was Maureen's birthday, brought her out a big glass of beer 'on the house.'

As the three took sips of their drinks, Benny looked over at Maureen. "Bet you can't chug that whole thing."

She raised an eyebrow at him. Did he know who he was talking to? "Bet you I can."

Mark laughed and rolled his eyes.

Benny smiled mischievously. "What are we betting on?"

Maureen thought for a moment. "If I win, I get anything of yours that I want."

"And if I win?"

"Then you get whatever you want of mine," she replied quickly.

"Okay. On three?"

Maureen nodded.

"One. . .two. . .three!"

Maureen threw her head back as she drank as fast as she could. Benny was trying to make her laugh and spit her drink out, while Mark cheered her on.

As she was chugging, Collins entered the restaurant with Noah. Collins shook his head and pointed to the loud group making a racket.

"Those are my friends."

Noah laughed while brushing his dark brown curls out of his eyes. "Looks like a. . .colourful group of people."

"Yup, that's them."

Mark noticed Collins and the shorter man approaching them and waved. The two men set down at the table, watching Maureen still drinking. As she finished, she slammed the glass on the table.

"HAH!"

"Hey birthday girl, give Tommy some sugar!" Collins laughed, leaning over the table to kiss Maureen who giggled.

Benny wrinkled his nose and peered into the glass.

"It's not empty."

Maureen looked up, shocked, and immediately a frown replaced her smile.

"Yes it is."

"No it isn't."

"Yes, it is!"

"Professor?" Mark intercepted the glass as it was about to be grabbed by both Benny and Maureen and handed it to Collins. He laughed, pushing his long dreadlocks over his shoulder.

"Sorry, Mo."

Maureen made a small noise of shock, and tore the glass out of his hand, passing it to Noah.

Noah laughed, "Uh, I'm gonna say there's nothing left because she looks like she might kill me if I say otherwise. . ."

"See! This man is smart!" Maureen leaned across the table and kissed him on the cheek.

Mark pulled her back down to her seat by the belt loop on her red leather pants and reminded the group of their bet.

"So, Benny, what do you want from Maureen?"

"Ah, lemme think about it a while," he said, taking another sip of his drink. He passed the menus around the table.

"Guys, this is Noah. Noah, these are. . .the guys! Benny, Maureen, and Mark." Collins introduced everybody as they said their hellos. They scanned the menu, and since most of them already knew what they wanted, Collins and Benny gave Maureen their birthday presents for her (a box of cupcakes from the bakery by NYU from Collins and 'the joy of basking in the smile that is Benny's. ')

When Eddie realized more people had joined the first three, he headed over to their table and took his notepad back out.

"Hey Collins. Date?" Eddie asked.

Collins laughed and nodded. "Noah."

"Hey, I'm Eddie. Can I get you two drinks?"

"Actually, I think we're ready to order," Collins said, looking back up from the menu.

"Roger sick?" Eddie asked, noticing a member of the usual crowd was absent.

An awkward silence fell over the group and eyes shifted from person to person. Mark leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms.

"Nope, just out, I guess." Benny finally replied, shrugging.

Eddie realized he struck a wrong chord and quickly took down everybody's orders. He disappeared into the kitchen and the group of five returned to their previous shenanigans.

"Who's Roger?" Noah asked.

"Roommate," Collins replied quickly.

"So, Noah, tell me about yourself." Maureen leaned in, slurring her words slightly.

"Well, I'm 26, and I work at the library at NYU, as I'm sure Collins has already told you," he laughed nervously. "Actually, I used to produce independent films, but you know, my interests changed, so now I'm doing this until I figure out my next career move."

"Produced independent films, eh?" Mark asked. Soon, the conversation broke apart into groups. Mark and Noah talked about Mark's filming and films that Noah had produced, and Maureen and Benny continued playing drinking games as Collins observed, laughing.

Eddie brought their food to the table and distributed it. Everybody immediately dug in.

"So what do all of you do?" Noah asked, waiting for his chilli to cool down.

Benny started describing his job at the law firm, and how he was thinking of going to work for the group's landlord, Mr. Grey, but Maureen couldn't be less interested. Her eyes drifted around the restaurant. She was really impressed with herself for creating such a rift between Mark and Roger. She never liked Roger. He was always suspicious of her, even since the first day she and Mark started to date. The first day she had moved into the loft he told her that he hated her guts and hoped she got hit by a car. She didn't even know why, she hadn't said anything to him all day. He always treated her like she was a ditzy pervert. Sure, that's how she acted sometimes, but appearances are deceiving. She picked up some of her nachos and grimaced, dropping them back down on the plate. She wasn't very hungry. Her eyes continued to drift from table to table then to the door. Uh-oh.

"Oh my God. . ." Maureen whispered.

"What is it?" Mark asked. Benny was talking Noah's ear off.

"Uhh. . ." Her eyes were glued to the hostess' podium. "I dropped my earring." Maureen ducked below the table quickly.

Mark lifted the tablecloth, watching her search for the apparent earring. "Your ears aren't pierced—"

The men all looked towards the empty seat that was Maureen's.

"Mo?" Collins asked. "You okay?"

"Yeah," she answered quietly from her seat underneath the table.

Benny rolled his eyes. "Classic Maureen."

"Huh?" Noah asked.

"She's so weird. Seriously. Just wants attention." He lifted a heaping forkful of his pasta in the air.

Noah laughed to himself and looked under the table. "You alright under there?"

Maureen looked up to him, a look of horror on her face. She nodded.

"You sure? Did you find your earring?"

Maureen shook her head slowly, pretending to search the ground again. "It was really little."

He shrugged, turning his attention back to his now cool chilli.

"Come on, Mo. You don't even have pierced ears! What are you doing?" Mark pulled her back up to the booth by her arm.

"Sorry, um, I forgot!" she laughed, downing her second drink quickly.

"Okay then."

"Are you gonna eat those or not?" Benny asked, stealing a nacho from her plate.

The four men returned to their banter and food, while Maureen, who polished off her second drink and ordered another, remained quiet. She could have sworn that was the woman she was with yesterday.

------------------

Back at the loft, Roger sat on the island, quietly strumming his guitar. He and April woke up early that morning on her couch. April had refused to tell Roger why she was crying, but did profess that 'it was all her fault.' When he questioned her about 'it' and suggested pregnancy, she just replied, 'God, no.'

They spent the whole day in her bed, Roger just holding her. When he needed to use the bathroom, he noticed the full bathtub and the razor. 'Were you gonna take a bath?' he asked. April shuddered and curled into a ball under the covers.

April asked Roger to stay with her that night. She told him that she didn't want to be alone. He said he would, but he just wanted to grab some stuff from the loft, first. She went with him. She didn't trust herself to be alone anymore.

They walked to the loft, April clinging to Roger's arm. She hadn't said very much the whole day, but Roger hadn't noticed. She was a pretty quiet person to begin with. They reached the loft at about 8:00 at night.

'Where's Maureen and everyone?' April asked quietly.

'Out for her birthday. They wanted us to come, too, but y'know. . .' Roger didn't tell her about what happened after she ran out of the loft the night before. He figured she had enough on her mind as it was.

Roger grabbed some clothes from his bedroom, his guitar, and took Mark and Maureen's box of condoms, just to piss them off. He was set to go when he found April asleep in his bed. He didn't want to wake her, so left her there while he played his guitar in the living room.

Roger had replayed his whole situation with Mark over in his head. Why didn't he believe him? He would never do anything like that to him. Sure, he thought Maureen was drop dead gorgeous, but he wouldn't hit on her. She was Mark's girlfriend. Mark was his best friend. Was.

At about 9 o'clock, Roger had contemplated writing a song entitled 'Maureen You're A Stupid Bitch And I Hope You Burn In Hell,' but decided against it at 9:15 when he couldn't figure out a decent enough rhyme for the lyric 'If I'm ever behind you on a flight of stairs, I don't know what I'd do.'

He had lost all track of time, rehearsing songs from the Well Hungarians and singing along quietly so as not wake April. He heard voices coming from outside the loft, including very loud female and male voices yelling. Maureen and Benny. Shit. They were back.

Before he could jump down from the island and shut himself up in the bedroom with April, the door swung open and he heard Maureen yelling.

"I'm NOT going to give you my underwear, Benny!"

"But the deal was anything! And that's a anything!"

The two were obviously very drunk, tripping over each other as they stumbled into the loft. Mark followed them in. None of them had even noticed Roger yet. 'If I move quiet enough, they would never—"

"Roger!" Benny exclaimed, opening his arms and coming towards Roger.

"Roger, my man. Underwear is anything, right?" He smacked Roger on the back and sat next to him on a stool.

Mark glared at Roger and Maureen was on the floor trying to pull her boots off with both her hands.

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." Roger answered, looking down at his Fender.

"SEE! HE agrees!"

"Yeah, he would." Mark commented, bending down to help Maureen out of her shoes.

"Now that's the problem with the world today!" Benny started in on Roger. "Nobody thinks underwear matters anymore, but come on! If everybody just realized. . ." Roger shushed Benny, but he continued, at least talking quieter.

Mark helped a thoroughly sloshed, and very giggly, Maureen into their bedroom. He sat her down on the bed, where she stretched out and yawned. Mark searched through the dresser at the foot of their bed to find something more comfortable than the leather pants that she was currently wearing for her to wear to sleep. He passed her a pair of his pyjama pants, not being able to find anything else, and sat up on the bed giving her a concerned look.

"Marky. . ." she murmured seductively, crawling across the bed to him.

"Baby, you need to get to sleep."

"So do you." Maureen gently pulled Mark down onto his back and kissed him. Mark pulled away. After seeing Roger back at the loft, he really wasn't in the mood.

"Not now, Maureen."

Maureen was taken aback by this. Mark never turned her down. Only when he was engrossed in his film making, and even then she could usually persuade him otherwise.

"Fine," she replied coldly, hiccuping loudly, thus setting off a new set of giggles. She crawled under the covers, the pyjamas falling off the bed, forgotten. "Lay down with me?"

Mark sighed and smiled. "Sure." He lay down under the blankets next to Maureen.

Maureen shut her eyes and rested her head on Mark's chest as he rubbed her cold arms. "You should have worn something warmer."

"Mmhmm," she giggled.

"Sorry Roger's back."

"Tha's 'k."

Mark couldn't tell if her words were slurred or she was falling asleep. Maybe both. He tried to warm her up for a little while longer until he heard Benny's voice drop off and his door slam shut. He sat up carefully, so as not to wake the now sleeping Maureen, and quietly left the room. Roger was still playing his guitar, but now on one of the stools next to the island. He looked up when he heard the floor creak.

Mark silently walked into the kitchen and reached into the fridge for a bottle of beer. If he couldn't get drunk the Life, the least he could do is get drunk here.

"Hey," Roger said, still looking down at the strings.

Mark brushed past him and picked up the camera he had left on the coffee table earlier. He had gotten some really great footage of Maureen in the park. He wanted to make a video for her for their one year anniversary. She'd like that.

"Mark?"

Mark continued to ignore the annoying voice that now sounded closer. He concentrated on the small viewfinder on the camera. Maureen. Maureen walking on the ledge of the fountain.

Mark noticed Roger was standing right beside him, looking down at him. Mark looked up.

'Wow, he's tall.' Wait.

Mark stood up and was now face to face with Roger. They were both practically the same height. 6'2. They always had been.

"What?" Mark asked sharply.

"I didn't do it."

"Right." Mark grabbed his camera, and quickly began walking back to his room. Roger followed him and grabbed his arm.

"Why don't you believe me?"

"Maureen wouldn't just –make something like that up. She's not like that." He shook Roger's grip off and looked at Roger. He walked over to the kitchen and sat down at the island. He wanted to hear this excuse.

Roger stared at him. "Well, go on," Mark instigated.

"Quiet down, April's in the other room."

"Nothing stops you when I'm in the other room."

"Mark, stop it. I didn't even do anyth—"

"Right, yeah, and there was no heroine on the floor after you left." Mark snapped. He usually had a lot of patience with Roger, but now it was wearing thin.

Roger looked shocked. He shrugged. "Sorry, Mark. I'm sorry."

"Okay."

"I am."

"You said you were going to stop."

"I know."

"You lied."

"Yeah. . ."

"Like last time you said you were going to quit."

"Sorry—"

"No you're not! If you were sorry you wouldn't start again!" Mark jumped off the stool and walked over to the door.

"It's not easy, Mar—"

"Fine. You know what? Fine! I don't care what the hell you do!" Mark yelled. He slipped on his shoes quickly and left the loft.

Fuck. Roger put his shoes and followed Mark out of the loft.

"What? What do you want me to do, Mark?" Roger yelled, coming down the stairs after Mark.

"I want you to leave me alone," he answered simply.

"I didn't do it. I swear."

Mark turned around in front of the door that led outside. "I can't believe you about the drugs – how can I believe you about that?"

"I would never – you're my friend, I wouldn't. I don't even like Maureen. Remember, I think she's a bitch?"

Mark studied Roger for a long moment then let go of the door handle he was tightly gripping. He walked past Roger, playfully punching him in the arm as he made his way back up the stairs.

"So we're okay?"

"I guess." Mark didn't want to stay mad at Roger. He wasn't sure if he believed him about what he did or didn't do to Maureen, and he sure didn't believe that he was going to try to stop with drugs. He just figured life would be easier if they were all friends again. He hated confrontation.