New York, New York - Mike Faist

THIRTY-NINE

*jocelyn* November 30

"Mikey," I bursted into the apartment, "My mother wants to know if you're wearing a tail—"

I cut myself off due to the sight of my living room. My jaw dropped, my eyes grew wide, my heart stopped. I saw Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss? I sped-walked to the bedroom and basically slammed the door behind me. I found Trixie on the bed so, obviously, I picked her up and we sat in the bathtub together. No water, just us.

A few moments later I heard the bedroom door open and close again.

"Joss?"

"In here." I called

Mike walked in and leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. I stood up and pulled him fully into the bathroom. I shut the door and leaned on it facing Mike.

"Mike."

"Yeah?" He picked up Trix

"Why is Ben Platt and Laura Dreyfuss sitting in our living room?" I asked with a slight turn of the head

"Shit! That's right! I forgot to tell you." He laughed

"Forgot to tell me, what?"

"They're in the show I'm in." He said nonchalantly

"What! And you just forgot to mention that!"

"Yeah, guess I did sorry. But what was it about a tail?"

"Oh! Mom wants to know if you're wearing one, like a coat tail, 'cause she found a coat with one in the attic." Mike pushed passed me and opened the door

"No. I don't think I will. Thanks, though." He left the bathroom and pulled me with him

"Wait, where are we going?"

"We have guests. And we're going out to dinner."

"Now?"

"Now."

. . .

We went a restaurant with Laura and Ben. I got along with the both of them pretty quickly. The restaurant was a cozy, little, Italian place just down the street.

"So, what color are you thinking for your bridesmaid dresses?" Laura asked me

"Maybe yellow." I turned to Mike

His face turned into a disgusted look. I laughed and shook my head.

"Fine. No yellow. Maybe, pink or a light blue?" His face went back to normal

A few minutes later, our food came. We had a pleasant conversation while we ate. Once the bill arrived however, the vibe changed. I reached for the bill but Ben had beat me to it.

"Ben, let me pay." Mike insisted

"No. You need to save for the wedding."

"How much is on that bill?"

"Thirty five..." Ben trailed off

"Exactly," Mike snatched it out of his hands and got his card out

He handed the bill to the waiter and held a smug smile on his face. He fist-bumped me under the table. We got back to talking and eventually, his card came back.

We left the restaurant but didn't immediately go back to our apartment. We dropped of Ben and Laura at their places first. They weren't too far out of our way so it only took an extra 10 or 15 minutes. On the way back, I was practically clinging to Mike trying to escape from the cold.

"Cold."

"Freezing. Oh! I have my fitting tomorrow, so I won't be home until around 7:00."

"Again?" He whined

"If I want a dress, then yes."

"Fine. Fine." He pulled me closer as we approached the apartment building

It was a comfortable silence until we entered the apartment. Mike took a shower first, and while he was in there I was in kitchen. I decided this would the perfect time to make brownies. So that what's I did. Mike left our room with only some red plaid pajama pants and a towel vigorously swiping his damp hair. My cheeks flushed and I turned back to the bowl before me.

"What're you doing?"

"I made brownies. Can you get them out of the oven when they're done?" I didn't wait for an answer as I went to the bedroom

I hopped in the shower briefly with just enough time to wash my hair and get back out. I dried my hair but didn't have enough energy to straighten it. I walked back out into the kitchen and saw Mike struggling to take it out of the oven. I caught his attention with my laugh and he gave me a pleading look. I playfully rolled my eyes and took the oven mitts from him. I pulled out the pan with ease and set it on the counter.

"How?" He breathed out

"Practice." I took off the oven mitts and sat up on top of the counter

Mike walked between my legs and wrapped his arms around my waist. I pressed a small kiss to his cheek.

"When do you open?"

"December 15."

"I'll be there."

"Don't you have a show?"

"Yes. At 2:00. It's our one show day!"

"If you insist."

We had moved to our bed and listened to music while talking to each other and everything. Wedding plans, guest list, show stuff, friend stuff, family stuff, and everything in between. Eventually, Mike had fallen asleep on my chest, so I followed. The soft music playing the background created a perfect cozy environment.