John Francis

As Carrie walked down the hallway toward the exit, Richie was returning from getting some ice and saw her. She did not see him. He stopped moving from utter astonishment and then strode to Jon’s door. He knocked and Jon opened the door.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” Jon asked his friend, attempting to get his emotions and anger under control.

“Tell me I didn’t just see Carrie leave your room.” Richie spat out, anger coloring his voice.

Surprised at this, Jon shook his head. “Yeah, she was just here. I told her again it was over and had her leave. She just showed up. She’s been calling, but I haven’t returned any of her calls. The damn desk let her in to wait for me and when I got out of the shower she was just here.”

Jon didn’t feel the need to explain what Carrie had done while she was here. He had stopped her and already felt bad that his body had reacted without his will being involved.

“Where’s Amanda?”

Jon’s shoulders rose in a questioning motion. “I haven’t called her yet. We got back early and I figured she was still out looking around.”

“Do you know how fucking lucky you are she didn’t come back and see Carrie here?” Richie asked, voice still a little pissed.

“You have no idea how glad I am about that, bro’, no fucking idea.” Jon told his friend, knowing there was a bit more about Carrie’s visit than he had let Richie know.

Richie was calming down now as relief coursed through him that Jon was not falling back into old patterns and habits. He didn’t want Amanda hurt by something innocent that was not Jon’s fault.

“Better let her know you’re back.” He told Jon.

“Yeah, I will. Just want to chill for a few minutes. Didn’t expect Carrie to be here.”

Jon’s voice carried a hint of something that only Richie would have heard, but no explanations as to what that was were forthcoming. Richie nodded and returned to his room, still thinking about what Jon was not saying. He went back inside his room, but couldn’t just sit as he was too keyed up to relax. He grabbed his jacket and exited the hotel.

~~~

Amanda left the hotel in a bit of a daze. She had so wanted to believe that Jon was willing to change, but what she saw had her questioning everything. She had no idea what she was going to do and couldn’t make her mind form coherent sentences yet, let alone coherent thoughts. What she wanted was to stop loving him so much, maybe then her heart wouldn’t feel like it was breaking right now. She wasn’t that kind of person though and she knew that the love she felt could not be turned off like a switch.

There was a park just a little ways from the hotel and Amanda found herself sitting on one of the benches, simply listening to a bit of quiet in the busy city, trying to get herself together for when she would have to see Jon again.

Richie was walking along the street, hands in his pockets, deep in thought, when he caught a flash of sunlight hitting something in a park on the street. The flash drew his attention from his thoughts and he squinted in the sun, realizing that what he was seeing was light on a silvered statue. As he looked over in that direction he saw a woman who reminded him of Amanda. Almost without thought, he moved a bit towards the woman and realized it was Amanda. Entering the park he moved in her direction and called out.

“Hey darlin’!” She turned slowly towards him at the sound of his voice and when he saw her face his steps faltered. He continued slowly forward and reaching the bench asked if he could sit down.

“Hey Rich, sound check over, hmmm?” Her voice tried for normalcy and failed.

“Yeah, got done a little earlier than expected today.” His attempts at normal conversation also seemed to fail as his well-honed radar perked up at her voice.

“Good, you’ll all get to rest up then before the show.” She kept her eyes turned away from him, even as she attempted conversation.

He took the plunge. “Jon call you yet?”

A deep breath, then, “No, he’s busy.”

Oh fuck! She knows! Richie thought, but wondered why she was so upset if Jon had done what he said he had.

“You saw Carrie.” Richie said flatly.

“Yep, I saw Carrie.” Her voice was sarcastic and harsh, deeply surprising Richie.

“He told her to leave, you do know that, right?” Richie tried, his long-standing friendship with Jon urging him to aid them both.

She turned to him then and gave him a look so full of pain he felt it in his own heart.

“Was that before or after she finished the blow job?”

For a moment what she said left him so speechless he could only stare at her, feeling his own mouth drop open.

“What?” He managed to get out.

“It doesn’t matter, Rich. He is who he is. I either have to accept that or…”

She left the sentence hanging and he just continued to stare at her. He was astonished at what she had said, at what she was saying. He couldn’t make himself believe that Jon had done something to jeopardize what he had with her, but he also didn’t believe she was lying or making something up.

He needed more information as what he was hearing from the two of them were different stories.

“I don’t understand.” He said quietly to her.

“You don’t have to. I do understand…now.” Her voice remained deadly calm and even more chilling for that tone.

Before he could come up with a response, she pulled her cell phone out and dialed. He heard her talking.

“Hey, Jon. No, still out, this city is so great. Uh huh, that’s good you finished early. Yeah, I know we have to leave at six, but I’m gonna keep looking around for a bit. That okay with you? Good, okay, see you later then. Bye.” She hung up and looked at Richie.

“See?” She asked him as she returned the cell to her purse. “No problems.” She stood up then. “Great city here, lots of surprises. See ya.” She moved off then, not looking back.

Richie sat on the bench for a few more minutes, trying to understand what the hell was happening and then moved off at a fast pace for Jon’s room.

~~~

Jon sat staring at his cell for a few moments after hanging up with Amanda. Something didn’t sound right in her voice and she got off the phone so quickly. He guessed she could just be busy, but his gut told him there was more to it. A loud pounding soon brought his thoughts back to the present. Opening the door, he saw Richie standing there again.

“Yeah?” He asked, not sure why Richie was back and pounding on his door.

Richie moved into the room and closed the door. Jon looked at him, wondering what the hell was going on.

“Rich, I already told you I sent Carrie away, that I told her it was completely over.”

With wide eyes, Richie looked at him. “I think you’ve got bigger problems than that.”

Confusion showed in Jon’s eyes as he waited for Richie to explain.

“I left the hotel for a walk and found Amanda in a park right down the street.” He hesitated and Jon nodded at him to continue.

“Apparently she was here in the room, Jon. She said Carrie gave you a blow job.”

Jon’s head throbbed with a sudden onset of pain at what Richie was saying to him.

“Jesus fucking Christ! Tell me you aren’t serious?!”

Harshness in his tone, Richie responded. “No, you tell me she was wrong.”

Jon told him then, everything that had happened, and demanded to know what Amanda had said.

Feeling for both Amanda and Jon, Richie ended his story with, “She said you are who you are and she understands now.”

Jon closed his eyes and then let loose with every swear word he had ever learned in every language he had ever heard.

Muttering to himself, Richie heard, “okay, okay, I can explain this, I can fix this, I can…”

“Jon!” Richie shouted a little to make himself heard.

His head snapped up as he was deep in his own thoughts. “What?”

“I don’t mean to rain on your parade, man, but what the fuck is a good enough explanation for your dick in another woman’s mouth?”

Jon blinked at Richie’s words, hearing them spoken out loud stunning him more than a little.

“I…uh…but…so fast…but…” Jon’s voice was a broken stammer as he tried over and over to hear himself explaining this to Amanda.

“Listen, man, I understand and I believe you, but…shit, bad fucking timing,” was all Richie managed to get out.