42 - The Best Friend's Gambit

Why did I agree to this? Marty wondered to himself, the architect seated alone at the bar of the Comet Club at one o'clock in the afternoon. The fact that the establishment was actually open this early in the day was a surprise in itself, but not nearly as much a surprise as to why Marty had come here in the first place. Where the hell is she?

No sooner than a second after finishing that thought, the woman in question entered from the street, her rich brown hair wet from the spring rain that had recently struck Chicago. Despite the near monsoon conditions that had hit the Windy City as of late, it was a welcome change from the unusually harsh winter the citizens had endured. He'd take rain over snow any time.

"Wow, you actually showed up," the woman greeted. "Color me surprised."

"Hello, Lexie," he returned, trying to keep the annoyance from his voice.

"You been waiting long?" Lexie questioned, her tone pleasant.

Marty shook his head. "No, not really."

"That's good. I'd really hate to take up too much of your time," she smiled at him, the girl's cheerful, friendly attitude starting to unnerve Marty. It was quite the drastic difference from the pure, unadulterated rage that Lexie had displayed the last time he'd seen her. "You're probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here, huh?"

"The thought had crossed my mind," he admitted.

The former manager of the Ragged Dolls looked away. "So how's Rory doing?"

"Don't go there, Lex," he warned.

"Look, I only ask because I feel bad for how I tore into her the last time I saw her," Lexie sighed, signalling the bartender over. He must have been new since Marty didn't recognize him. Then again it had been nearly four months since Marty had been inside the Comet Club, the most recent time being his engagement party to Andy on New Year's Eve. Funny how much things could change in such a short matter of time.

The bartender arrived a moment later, his expression inquisitive. "Yes?"

"I'll have scotch, neat," ordered Lexie.

"Coming right up," he nodded, then turned to Marty. "Need another iced tea, sir?"

Marty politely waved off. "I'm fine, thanks."

"So, you didn't answer my question," she stated when they were once again alone, swirling the liquor in her glass around before taking a small sip.

"Rory's fine," he answer in a curt tone.

"That's good to hear," Lexie nodded. "I'd apologize to her in person, but the truth is, I don't trust myself enough not to lose my temper again. I'm still pretty pissed at her for what happened."

"I may have not been completely in my right mind at the time, but I was still a willing participant," an irritated Marty said in defense of his absent girlfriend. "I'm just as much to blame for what happened as Rory. So I'd appreciate it if you'd stop trying to pile all the blame solely on her."

"From the way you're defending her honor, I guess it's safe to say that you two are a couple now," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I wonder how she feels about being the rebound?"

"Alright, I'm out," Marty groused, about to leave in order to avoid another ugly confrontation.

"No, wait, I'm sorry," Lexie apologized, hand grasping his sleeve to prevent him from walking out the door. "That was out of line."

"Yes, it was," he almost sneered, not bothering to hide his displeasure. "You asked me to meet. I didn't have to come, you know."

"I know," the former band manager sighed, clearly frustrated. "I'm just...I don't know." His former fiance's oldest friend let out another frustrated sigh, releasing her hold on his sleeve in the process. "Nothing makes sense to me anymore." She paused to take a sip from her glass. "I know it's stupid to live vicariously through other people, but that's what I did with you and Andy. As long as I knew you guys were together, I was happy. And now it looks like I'm the one most broken up about things not working out." Lexie drained the scotch. "It's like my parents' divorce all over again."

"I don't mean to sound unsympathetic, Lex, but that still doesn't answer my earlier question," he stated. "Why did you want to meet?"

"Because unlike my parents' divorce, I have the power to fix things this time," Lexie proclaimed, removing something from her coat pocket. After getting a better look at it, Marty saw that it was the band manager's business card. "You can reach Andy at the number I've written on the back."

A hesitant Marty flicked it over, his eyes widening in shock at the number. "She's at Marianne's?"

"It's the one place she knew you'd never look for her," she confirmed with a nod. Lexie slid off her stool, readying to leave.

"Where are you going?" Marty asked, more than a little thrown by this developement.

"California. Got offered a job at a label," answered Lexie, zipping her jacket up before laying a hand on his shoulder. "It's time I started living my own life, but not before I helped my friends get their own back on track." She smiled at him with affection. "Go get our girl back, Harrison. Bring her home."

A still reeling Marty watched the former band manager saunter out of the Comet Club, then glanced down at the business card in his hand. The architect shook his head after another moment, not knowing how he should proceed.

"Damn it, Lexie," he swore.

Reviews would be awesome. Thanks!