It seems like yesterday.
III.
"So, how'd you two run in to each other?" We were all sitting on the couch; I was next to her, our arms were nearly touching, when Mike asked. "My daughter saw your picture on Times Square. She recognized Billie Joe." Mike's eyes widened. "You married?" She shook her head and a bit of her hair touched my face. It was just as soft as I thought. Her scent possessed me for a moment. "Happily divorced, actually." Tre looked at me and smiled. She didn't notice, thank god. I rolled my eyes at Tre and looked away. "So, I heard you guys are working on an album. Can't wait to see how much ass it kicks." All three of us grinned. We all put our hopes in the record. And we've worked on it harder than all the ones before combined. "Billie, maybe you should show Ann some recordings or something," Tre said to me, winking. I rolled my eyes again. Did they really think I was just going to throw myself in the game? "Sure, if you wanna hear 'em, Annie." She smiled. My head spinned just a little every time she did. Damn, I really need to stop thinking about…
"I don't wanna cheat. It hasn't been released yet." "But we're giving you permission to cheat. So it's not technically cheating," Mike quickly assured. "Guys, it's okay. Maybe another day. If you're not planning to run away for a decade anytime soon," I said, looking at her. She shook her head. "I'm in New York for a month or so. Then I'm heading back to Chicago." "Chicago, huh? Did California get too small for you?" She half-smiled. "California's still my home at heart. Who knows, maybe I'll get back some day." A thought crossed my mind. "Hey, 'ya wanna come see us play? We've got a show in some club tomorrow night." She looked right in my eyes, smiling brightly. That awoke so many memories. Why the hell was I feeling like a little kid in a candy store right now? "I'd love to. I wanna see if you can still kick ass on stage like you used to." Tre giggled. Mike stood up and we all looked at him. "Billie, can I talk to you for a sec?" I was confused, but I nodded and stood up too. "Sure." We walked to the kitchen. I could hear Tre and Annie talking and laughing.
"Billie Joe, what's going on?" I stared at the smile on his face. "What're you talking about?" He laughed quietly. "In there. You and Annie." I looked away. "What about her? She's an old friend. I haven't seen her in fourteen fucking years, god fucking damnit. And you and Tre've been giving me these little looks and winks since she stepped through the door. Jesus fucking Christ, Mike," I rushed to explain. The smile still didn't leave his face. "I haven't seen you look at anyone like that since Adie." I glared at him. "Fuck off," I muttered and walked back to the living room. When Tre saw the look on my face his eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Woah. Someone's pissed," he commented in an irritating voice. "Shut the fuck up, Tre," I snapped. She got up quickly. "I should go." Oh, fuck. "You don't have to," I tried to stop her. "It's okay. I'll see you guys tomorrow night," she smiled at the idiots sitting on the couch, then at me. I grabbed a piece of paper and a pen and started scribbling in my impossible handwriting. "Here's the address of the place we're playing at," I said, giving her the paper. She took the pen from my hand, grabbed another piece of paper and wrote something down. Then she handed it to me. "And here's my address and phone number, in case something comes up." The guys cracked in laughter. I glared their way. Dumbasses. "I'll get you a cab," I said to her and we took the elevator down in silence. Once we got outside, I got her a cab and she opened the door to sit in. "So, see 'ya tomorrow?" I asked before she got in. "Sure," she answered, again with a smile on her face. The next thing I know, she hugged me. And I hugged her back. I felt light-headed. When she pulled away, I still needed a few seconds to remember my name. "See 'ya." And then she sat in the cab and drove away.
Wow. Oh, but fuck wow. Old friends do that. They're supposed to do that.
Right?