The Demons We Found

2.8 January 13, 2007- January 20, 2007

I sat on my couch, curled up into a ball. This conversation had been going on for what felt like hours, and I didn't know how to help. Jaime was still nagging at me: "Why can't you just tell me?"

"Because it's not worth it." I repeated for the millionth time.

He was standing in my kitchen, his hands holding him up onto my counter. The way his eyes narrowed and his arms and chest flexed with each breath would normally have been enough to send me jumping towards his bones, but now they just made me uneasy. He looked so strong and he was so distraught with me. "It's not worth this fight, whatever it is."

"Then drop the fight." I told him.

Three sharp knocks came onto the door, "Mariella, open up!"

Jaime looked at me, clearly confused. "Is that Mike?"

"It sounds like it." I would have stood up, but Jaime was half way to the door.

"Hey Mari- Look I brought this new DVD of- oh, Jaime." Mike looked confused.

"Please. Come in." Jaime stepped aside.

Mike stepped in and came into the carpeted area where I was sitting. "I brought a DVD in case you were doing homework or something."

"You were coming by to hang out?" Jaime asked him, clearly both skeptical and upset.

Mike spoke quietly, obviously looking to backtrack. "Yeah. Mariella and I had talked about spending more time together. If I'm interrupting something though, I can leave."

"No, Mike, you're fine. What DVD did you bring?" I asked, holding out my hand.

"It's just this animated zombie thing. It's in French, so I thought it would maybe distract you less." He offered. Mike has been around to my apartment a few times now. His movie obsession is understandable, but I keep getting distracted by whatever he has on my screen. It was nice of him to remember that.

I grinned as he sat down on the couch beside me, "French zombie flicks? Where do you find this stuff?"

"This one's from a yard sale, over in Clairemont." He grinned, quite proud of himself and his find. Maybe I shouldn't have gotten so instantly-buddy with Mike, because it was apparently irritating my boyfriend.

"Mike, you are interrupting." Jaime outright said.

"Jaime." I scolded him.

"No, he should know. Or is it something that I should know? Every time I want to talk to either of you, you're texting the other. Your work schedules have been parallel for the past week and a half and at the New Years Eve Party, the two of you were on the back porch smoking the whole time. Ella, I've never seen you smoke before and all the sudden you're matching Mike one-for-one."

"I can go." Mike said, setting his movie down on the coffee table.

"No. Stay." I said firmly. "Jaime, you want to know what the big secret it? It's not mine to tell. It's Mike's. It has fucking nothing to do with you, but if you want to make everything about you then we can do that."

"Mari..." Mike whispered to me.

Jaime looked like he was seething. "Well, Mike? Out with it?"

"You don't have to say anything if you don't want to." I told him.

Mike just sighed, "You've fucking cornered me now. I've been trying to stop drinking. I was going through detox a few weeks ago, and whenever I feel the need to drink, I come here because there is no alcohol and there's someone who understands what I'm talking about."