Something More | Randy

chapter thirteen | cold

"I think Jack just tried to kiss me." Mikey blurted out, causing Rye and I to stare at him in shock.

"What, just now?" I asked incredulously.

"Yeah, it was when we were outside just now. He's been acting a bit funny lately and all but-"

"Okay, back up," I told him, moving in closer so Mikey didn't have to yell this story out to the entire room. I was all too aware of Brooklyn somewhere in the building still, and had no idea where Jack was. I didn't want anyone overhearing and necessarily getting hurt. Rye moved in closer too, to listen, although he wouldn't look at me. "You need to start from the beginning," I told Mikey, "are you sure it wasn't just a joke.?"

"Look, I've kissed all you lot before, we all have," Mikey reminded us as my face involuntarily turned a shade of red, taking all my willpower not to shoot a look at Rye, "this wasn't messing around, believe me."

"Can be hard to tell the difference sometimes," Rye hissed unexpectedly. I looked at him in shock as Mikey frowned at him, confused. Was that a dig at me for taking his kiss too seriously? I opened my mouth as if to say something, anything, to defend myself, but Rye was already back to cold shouldering me, and Mikey's story cut me off before I could analyse his comment further.

"I suppose..." Mikey conceded to Rye, "But this has been going on for a while. I just don't think I really clocked it until now, but it all makes sense."

"What's been going on for a while?" I pressed, although from my chats with Brooklyn I sort of already knew the answer.

"So lately Jack and I have been spending a bit of time together- which is fine," he hurried, "but I sort of noticed him getting a bit 'friendlier' lately. Just a bit touchy-feely like. Like when he's drunk, or making out with me in the truth or dare thing. I just took it all as kind of a laugh 'cause you know what this band's like. Take 'Randy' for example, we do joke around with this stuff." 

I couldn't stop myself from looking at Rye this time, as my blush deepened. To my small satisfaction, his cheeks were also darkened. If Randy was a joke, it had gone much too far by now. Perhaps Rye was realising that finally. 

Mikey continued on. "So anyway, we were walking back from Tesco's and he randomly turned around and hugged me. Started talking about how happy he was to have me as a friend and said he'd been feeling a bit weird lately. I was like, 'of course, mate' and patted him on the back-" Mikey demonstrated with a strange air-hug- "because the hug had gone on a bit long. Then he pulled away and looked me in the eyes and just went for it." Mikey finished his story with an exhale, eyes wide as he searched mine and Rye's faces for our reactions. Rye's face was unreadable to me, and I imagined mine was a similar image as I tried to take in what had been said.

"What did you do?" I asked quietly.

"Well, I pulled away, was about to ask him what just happened but before I could say anything to him he ran off." Now my face burned even stronger as I definitely felt Rye's accusing stare on me. It appeared Jack and I had shared a fight or flight instinct in these types of scenarios. 

"How did you feel?" Rye asked Mikey, surprising me again with his peculiar line of response. 

Mikey spluttered. "I don't know... worried about Jack? Confused? How would you feel if-" he cut off abruptly at that point. I didn't think he'd connected many dots after he picked me up from the party but his awkward expression told me he might have guessed more than I realised. An uncomfortable silence fell over the three of us. 

***

When there was nothing further to discuss, we dived back into rehearsal and Jack finally showed up again about an hour later than a reasonable dinner break would allow, surprisingly with Brooklyn in tow. I'd already decided to let him off the hook for missing rehearsal, no matter how long it took him to get back, knowing all too well the struggle of facing a bandmate after a kiss that should never have happened.