Echo on the shore

Fell In Love With A Girl

Saturday, October 6th, 2:47 am

I was drawing a freehand perspective of the park area of the project I had been working on for months for my thesis, old school, just like I liked it, like we liked it.

My legs were spread on the couch in front of the living room window, wrapped around the soft blue blanket I shared with Jack and our nordic duvet. I never came back to my old apartment, It had been six months since I left it because I couldn't afford the rent, I could by now, my finances were balanced again, but I was very comfortable living with Jack, even if he had been absent for two months because of the huge Elephant tour. During those days he called me every Sunday, told me about the shows, asked if I was eating well, if I was feeling fine, I also spoke with Meg often. They came back a week ago, and now that the tour was over, the parties were on. They where always at hotel rooms or houses of people of the indie scene, like Paul Bank's apartment in Brooklyn, which I visited every time I was invited, for Jack, for myself (as I worked for Interpol) or for both; by then we were kind of a known couple, but we avoided paparazzi to avoid bullying towards me, or at least that's what Jack said, that he could bear it, but he didn't want to expose me to the comments of pseudo journalists.

That night he went to (another) party at Julian Casablanca's place, I was invited too, as Jack's partner, but also because of the work I did with The Strokes for the artwork of Room on Fire that same year after they asked their manager for whomever that made Elephant. I'd already gone to several get togethers at Julian's place after that, he was bonding a lot with Jack too, but that night I was particularly exhausted, more than usual, so I told Jack to go by himself, say hi to Julian for me and have fun.

I wasn't expecting Jack to come back at any specific hour, just to be safe. And I can't say I trusted he would not cheat on me with someone of the scene during one of those parties, but it didn't bother me much to think about it either to be honest, I guess our relationship, even thought it was getting long, was not THAT deep, I kind of tought, "If he cheats on me, I can cheat on him with whoever I want, because I know everybody too". Kind of cruel to think that, but we were young.

I was tired, but not sleepy, either way, Jack had his key, so if I fell asleep he'd be fine. I left my heavy eyelids surrender for a while; I don't know how long I was asleep, but when I heard a clumsy knock on the door I looked at my watch and it marked 3:17 am. I was still figuring out if I was dreaming when there was another knock, and a muffled voice that sang "echooo... echooo... echooo". It was Jack, probably too drunk to remember he had taken his key. I went to the door and indeed, he was totally wasted. He rarely drank like that, and he was a funny drunk, so I wasn't a bit mad.

"MY BEAUTIFUL NYMPH OF THE FOREST" He screamed when I opened the door as he extended his arms around me

I laughed loudly, "Jack!! lower your voice, the neighbours" I whispered

"Oh, neighbours, right, right" he said dragging his voice and stumbling inside the apartment.

I closed the door and lead him to the bedroom as I laughed, he could barely walk or say anything. I tried to place him softly on the (still) baseless mattress but his weight pulled me and I fell over him on the bed, we laughed and stayed like that for a moment, then I sat up beside him as he rolled to face the ceiling.

"No, no, baby, on your side, in case you throw up" I said as I rolled him back to his side. He had his eyes closed and his mouth slightly open.

He was falling asleep on that floaty drunken kind of way, in that moment I wished I'd gone to the party so I'd be that drunk too and I could sleep like a rock.