Misery Loves Company

Track 35: Changes

Misery Loves Company

By: theinkslingerr

Track 35: Changes

My Sunday afternoon with Rocco was perfect.

We hung out, made out, and pigged out.

He also let me play a couple of the guitars in his music room. Guitars I'd only heard of or seen online because their price tags were more than what some people made in a year. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this warm or relaxed.

I was a fat cat lolling in the sun, personified.

Until Rocco got the call.

In the middle of teaching me the rest of "Icarus," Rocco pulled his vibrating phone out of his pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" He moved it away from his ear and glanced at the screen before joking, "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

If we'd been at an actual wedding, the person on the other end would've ruined it, because they immediately started babbling. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it sounded like a woman. All the color drained from Rocco's face as he hit the button to end the call over and over again. Then he stared at the phone like it was morphing into a venomous snake right before his very eyes.

"Was that your stalker's bi-weekly check-in or something?" I asked slowly.

He mumbled, "I wish" under his breath.

This wasn't the first time Rocco had received a weird anonymous call. He'd gotten one the night he'd driven me home and made pizza rolls, and reacted the same way. It was troubling then, and it was troubling now. But just like last time, if he knew who the caller was, he certainly wasn't telling me.

"It's nothing," he said a little louder.

"Doesn't seem like nothing..."

His phone started vibrating again, causing both of us to jump. "It's Ackerman," Rocco announced, relieved.

I glanced at the screen to see that he was telling the truth. He still let the call go to voicemail though.

"What if he's calling to wish you a good morning?" My tone was dryer than a sandwich without mayo.

"He doesn't want me to have one— trust me. He's been blowing up my phone for the entirety of it."

I hadn't noticed. "Why?"

"He doesn't like the fact that I covered 'Try A Little Tenderness.' I didn't tell him— for obvious reasons, and surprises make him break out in hives. He's calling to ream me out and force an explanation out of me."

Last night, we'd been in our own little world, but imagining how angry Ackerman would get if he found out why Rocco strayed from the setlist made me want to break out in hives too.

Rocco must have noticed, because he moved closer and twined his fingers through mine before lifting my hand and brushing a kiss against the palm. "You're over-thinking, aren't you?"

"No, just the normal amount," I said with a smile I didn't feel.

Around three Rocco texted Jae about us stopping by his place. I had to get the rest of my stuff before Rocco could drive me home. I kept insisting I could just ride back to Pennsylvania with Ji-Hyun, but he wanted to take me himself. And once Rocco got something in his head— there was no stopping him.