Mark
Anne came in the door in a hurry, sending flurries of snow across the kitchen as she took her coat off. "It's so damn cold out now!" She wrapped her arms around my waist, sticking her cold hands up my sweater.
"Jesus!" I squirmed out of her reach and continued reading the paper.
"You're such an easy target, you know that?" Anne laughed, kissing my neck.
"Do you want to go shopping for Christmas presents?" I asked, setting the paper down on the kitchen table.
"Mark, we're Jewish." Anne looked up from her stack of work papers. "We celebrate Hanukkah, remember?"
"Yeah, but saying 'Do you want to go Hanukkah present shopping' just doesn't have the same ring to it." I laughed. "So do you want to? Everyone's meeting at the Life at six."
Anne shrugged. "I haven't really given the holidays much thought…"
"Two weeks until Christmas." I reminded her.
"I've been busy. And broke. Give me a break!" She sighed.
"We can just look, you don't have to buy something."
"And we don't have to go shopping. Whatever happened to making dinner for your significant other, baking cookies, and sending nice cards? At least that's cheap!" Anne exclaimed. She couldn't hide her smile. "Get your damn coat, let's go."
Soon enough, we were trudging through the snowy sidewalks, looking forward to the welcoming warmth of the Life Café.
"Do you want me to get the coffee?" Anne asked, pressing a couple of dollars into my gloved hand before I could answer.
"Is this so I'll have more money to buy you a present?" I laughed, shoving it into my pocket.
"Honestly, I didn't give that a second thought until you mentioned it. I got your present eons ago." Anne replied, lacing her fingers with my own. She sighed, sending a white cloud into the air in front of us.
"And you're not going to drop any hints? You're just going to make me hang for fourteen days?"
She gave me an impish grin. "Of course not. That's the best part of telling you that. For all you know, I still haven't bought it and I'm doing this only so the anticipation will get to you."
"You're such a bitch. Remind me why I'm with you again?" I squeezed her hand.
She feigned anger but couldn't hide the smile on her face. She opened her mouth as if she was going to say something and her expression softened, becoming serious. Just as quickly, she closed it and the smile returned. "Because my imperfections cancel out your own."
"And because you give answers like that. I love how you articulate like that off the top of your head." I kissed her ear as we made our way into the Life.
"Finally!" Collins exclaimed.
"We were beginning to think you blew us off to do something else!" Mimi said, pushing a chair out beside her.
"I believe the general consensus of 'something else' was screwing, actually." Roger commented, taking a sip from his mug. "But I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt."
"Sure you did." I shook my head. Roger would never change. "Are we going to sit around discussing my sex life or actually do something productive?"
Before any of them could answer, there was a loud squeal from behind us. "Markie!"
Mimi wrapped her arms around me in a bone-crushing hug. "How are you? I haven't seen you in forever!"
I wiggled out of her grasp and shrugged. "I'm alright… Uh, how's Joanne?"
"I'm fine." Joanne said from behind her, arms crossed.
"I take it you're Anne?" Maureen asked, not bothering to take the obvious edge out of her voice. "I'm Maureen, Mark's ex-girlfriend."
"It's nice to meet you, Maureen. I've heard a lot of nice things about you from Mark." Anne extended her hand and smiled. "So you're a performance artist?"
I love this woman.
Maureen, for one of the first times in her life, looked genuinely taken aback. "Yeah, I dabble in it here and there." She gave Anne the one over. "What do you do again?"
"I'm an accountant."
"Oh, yeah." Maureen answered nonchalantly, stifling a yawn.
Anne's smile faltered and her face reddened.
"Alright!" Collins clapped and stood up. "Weren't we going to brave the masses and buy Christmas presents?"
In a mess of coats and tip money, the group somehow made it outside into the snow.
"Do we have a plan or are we just winging it?" Mimi asked, linking her arm in Roger's.
"You can't exactly map out a shopping trip. It just happens." Collins remarked.
"Says the gay man." Snapped Maureen.
"And you're one to talk?" Joanne shot back.
Anne stifled a laugh into my shoulder. "Are they always like this?"
"Sometimes worse, sometimes better." I replied. "You'll get used to it fast."
"Are you talking about me behind my back, Mark?" Maureen asks, stopping and blocking the sidewalk in front of us. "I can't believe you!"
"Maureen, not now. For Christ's sake…" Roger muttered. "I wish I still fucking smoked."
Mimi took his arm and led him to a nearby bench. "You know how long these things can last..."
"Mark, how can you do something like this to me?" Maureen shrieked, causing passing pedestrians to stare.
I felt a blush rising in my cheeks. "You know I wasn't saying anything bad."
"What do you take me for, an idiot? Of course you were saying something bad because if you weren't you would've said it to everyone. Right? Right everyone!"
Fighting with Maureen, I've learned, is like fighting with a belligerent child who refuses to go to bed. All attempts at resolution will be futile and you're going to end up exasperated and frustrated. You might as well save yourself the headache and just walk away before her voice goes up multiple decibels.
"Sorry." I shrugged, pulling Anne around her.
"We're not finished discussing this, Mark!" She called after me.
"Why do you have to do this?" I heard Joanne ask quietly. "Can't we go out for a nice time with friends without you throwing a temper tantrum?"
"I am not throwing a tantrum!" Maureen scowled, clenching her fists. "I'm simply calling Mark on his childish behavior."
"Again, you're one to talk." Collins interrupted.
Anne collapsed on the couch, dropping her bags on the floor at her feet. "Is Maureen always that exhausting?"
"Try going on a date with it."
She gave me a blank stare.
"No, I'm serious. Try." I nodded and took a seat next to her.
Anne shook her head. "She's fucking insane, Mark. How did you put up with that?"
"I don't even know. Looking back, everything in my life was just so hectic and screwed up that I needed someone to keep me grounded. God knows Roger wasn't capable of it. And Maureen was constant, so I got attached. You see, during Roger's withdrawal…"
Anne turned away and looked at her hands.
"You don't like hearing about that part of my life, do you?" I asked.
"It's not that I don't want to hear about your history or anything, but I just met your ex-girlfriend who's a psycho lesbian. There's only so much you can lay on a person in twelve hours." Anne said quietly. "I'm going to go shower, try to wash some of today down the drain, you know?"
I nodded and squeezed her thigh. "I know."
I knew that meeting Maureen was going to be tense and awkward, but she just had such a negative attitude about the whole thing! It was almost as if she was trying to scare Anne off. Maureen's the type who wants to have her cake and eat it too. She doesn't want to be in a romantic relationship with me, but I'm supposed to be at her every beck and call. Which I suppose she thought meant being single for the rest of my life.
Anne's hands on my shoulders interrupted me from my reverie. "Your shoulders are really tense."
"I'm just stressed out and exhausted, emotionally and physically." I said.
Maureen tends to do that to the people she's around. Hence why we try to keep long periods of time spent together few and far between.
She nudged me with her arm. "Scoot down to the floor." As her hands worked out the kinks in my muscles, I felt the day's frustrations falling down between us. Sure, I hadn't wanted her introduction to Maureen to have been that rocky, but she handled it with poise and grace, which I never knew was possible.
Anne's nails gently scratched from the back of my head down my sides. "How's that?"
"You're making me tired." I dropped my head back into her lap.
"Can I stay over tonight?"
"Anne, do you remember what happened the last time I agreed to you staying over?"
"But Roger and Mimi are going to be out late tonight. The gigs last until at least one or two…" She pleaded.
I shook my head. "Let's just go lie down with for a while but I'm not going to make any promises. We both have work."
"You're going to begrudge me a night on your lumpy mattress, especially after that massage?" Anne cracked a smile and helped me off the floor, laughing when my back gave two loud cracks. "I won't keep you up late, I promise."
"What is this, high school?" I laughed, pulling her onto said lumpy mattress. "Keep me up as late as you want."
Her lips found mine after a few moments as she curled up beside me. "I knew you'd see it my way."
Ducks from flying objects, including but not limited to keyboards, textbooks, and RENT movie soundtrack cases
I know, I know. I deserve to be flogged for not updating. My work hours have been heavy and making money for college and stuff I need took top priority. Yes, I have a job and contribute to society. I guess that means I have a life. Go figure!
So Maureen is obnoxious as ever and is totally going to try sabotage tactics in the next couple chapter. What a bitch. I always pegged her as the jealous type. She only wants Mark so he'll do her shit work, in case you didn't get that.
Up next: Roger and Anne spend a little "quality time" together on Christmas Day. A trip back to Scarsdale for Mark and Anne, which wouldn't be complete without a little meddling on Mrs. Cohen's part.
Remember- reviews brighten my school days ) I'll leave it at that.
lost my rent: I didn't mean to sound harsh or mean. I was just pointing out that Jew doesn't necessarily equal a porkless diet. I hope you weren't offended. Thanks for still reading.
Harper's Pixie: I'm really anxious to share Anne's problem, but I can't rush things. Each chapter gets me one step closer to it, so just bear with me. I know you're going to LOVE what happens. Big shocker.
L.M. Ward: I'm sorry for not updating! You can be first in line for giving me a swift kick in the shins. Mark would totally over-analyze sex, I'm glad someone agrees with me!
H2OAngel: I'm trying to make Roger the comedic relief. He still has to be a cynical asshole, but he genuinely cares for Mark's well-being. I secretly think my Roger wants Mark to be happy with Anne so he can move out and have the apartment to himself with Mimi.
Dave the L's gal: I'm glad you liked it )
IDontOwnEmotion: I can't please everybody, but thanks for reading and complimenting. There won't be a lot of chapters like nine because, frankly, they're awkward to write.
The next chapter will be up in less than 72 hours, I PROMISE!
-Ella