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SIMON
After my soul-searching and a much-needed night of rest, well actually night and morning, seeing how it’s three in the afternoon, I send the fellas a message asking them to meet me at one of our favorite eateries. Burger Bob’s, the first place we shared a meal at, literally. We split two combos between the four of us after scraping up twenty dollars. We hadn’t been signed yet and the showcases we would get paid for provided enough for rent, an old beat-up truck, and studio time. I showered at Mark’s and Ubered home to change into fresh clothes. I walk into my room and on the bed is a bag. I didn’t order anything, so this is a bit odd. I peek inside and pull out the items, realizing these are things I left at Myka’s place.
I sit on my bed and place the articles close to my nose and inhale deeply. The T-shirt still has her scent, even though it’s been laundered. I hold it close to me and visualize the last time she wore it. We had made breakfast together and had a pancake batter fight that ended up in the most erotic lovemaking session I’ve ever had, including the night on the piano. We were removing batter for days. I even called a cleaning service and paid to have her home cleaned from top to bottom while she was at my place. It felt good to have someone to treat well and love. I tried to call her again this morning when I woke up for hydration, and I still got her voicemail. It’s clear she has me blocked. According to her usual schedule, she has her meeting with her boss today to give an update on her clients. I wonder how it will go considering I’ve been a major pain in everyone’s bum lately.
I put the items away and finish dressing, throwing on a pair of ripped jeans, Converse sneakers, and a T-shirt before heading out to the garage and hopping into my BMW so I can start my own personal apology tour.
* * *
I sit at the booth in the back, the same one we sat our first time here, and wait for the others to join. You can still see our carved initials and first attempt at a band name, British Gods. It still doesn’t sound right. I asked the guys to meet me at four-thirty, so we can get ahead of the dinner rush. It’s now four-forty-five and no one has yet shown. I don’t blame them, really. I wouldn’t want to meet with the mate who’s a fucking idiot and clearly thought of only himself during his tantrum over a short two-minute video.
The bell chimes on the door and I am relieved to see my brother and Mikey come around the corner. I stand to greet them.
“Bastian, Mikey. So glad you are here.” I hug my brother and fist-bump Mikey.
The door chimes again and Andy is the last one to join our quartet. He looks at me and rolls his eyes before sitting down.
“Okay mate. Why did you summon us here?” He asks sarcastically.
I take in a deep breath and slowly release, gathering my thoughts so I don’t put my foot in my mouth. “Gents, I asked you all to gather so that I can offer my apology for my behaviour lately. It’s no secret that Myka Johnson and I were an item and when things ended, I sort of reverted back to my former ways.”
“‘Sort of’? Simon, you did a whole eight ball of coke two weeks ago, not to mention being tardy for rehearsal, sound check, and the local morning show. Oh, don’t forget about the busted-up bar.”
“Thank you, Andy, for the recap. But you’re right. I jumped right back into the ways of the wicked and I owe each of you my heartfelt apology. I don’t know why I did it. Maybe part of me was hoping if I acted the way I was before she came into our lives, her memory would disappear. But instead, it made it stronger. I can’t shake her. I wake in the morning and go to bed at night with Myka on my mind.” I bow my head for a moment. Admitting my feelings out loud in front of them makes me feel like I’m at an AA meeting. When I glance back up at them, they have sympathetic looks on their faces.
“So, what is the real reason, beside you, y’all broke up?” Mikey asks.
“I may have overreacted to her recording me at the piano. I was playing Mum and Dad’s favourite song and even shared the story with her. You know how special that is to us.”
“True, but Myka loves you, or at least she did. She just believes in you and wants us to be successful. Come on, think about it. She is a public relations manager. Her only duty was to clean up our image a bit and make us more desirable to the public. But she took on the A&R rep tasks, taking a load off Lenny, and a few of the booking manager duties as well. Why? Because she wanted to prove she knows what she is doing. You hit her with a tough challenge when she came on our team. And her drive and determination are what makes her stand out plus she has some good connections. And all her hard work netted us a gold single ahead of release. The other three artists she has don’t get the attention she gives us, according to Amber.” My brother Sebastian rehashes his point from last night as well as adding a few new facts.
“Yeah, Brianna charges about two grand to custom-style any one person and she does it for free because of her friend.”
“And how would you know this, Andy?” I ask, knowing the answer.
“Yeah, man. Are you sleeping with our stylist?” Mikey chimes in.
We all laugh while Andy turns red. He may not have openly said anything, and neither has Brianna for that matter, but we’ve known their hook-up from the release party was more than a one-night stand. It was quite obvious the attraction between these two has been brewing since our first fitting.
“Seriously Simon, whenever you need to talk about anything, know we are here for you. Talk it out before you flip. You should hope the meeting with the execs goes well today. Lenny heard about the bar from Myka’s boss.”
“Well, I ordered a few cases of Dom and had them sent over there to help smooth things over, along with a copy of the check I sent to the bar for damages and replacement of the liquor.”
“Aw, look at my little brother. Trying to act responsible and mature.” Sebastian gives me a noogie and holds me so tight, I can’t break his grip.
“Just know next time, we won’t be there to save your arse, mate.”
“I understand guys. I am truly sorry.”
The table falls silent for a long five minutes until Mikey speaks.
“Did you sleep with that woman in the picture?”
Addressing the elephant in the room has begun.
“No. I paid her to stage that photo. And before anyone else asks, I haven’t slept with anyone else either. I can’t bring myself to do anything like that until I speak to her.”
“Why haven’t you called her?” Andy asks.
