Misery Loves Company

Track 39: Sound & Color

Misery Loves Company

By: theinkslingerr

Track 39: Sound & Color

"W-what're you doing here?" I stammered instead of accepting the cup of coffee.

Rocco chuckled, but the glimmer of hurt in his eyes made me wish I could take it back. "I'm Jae's ride on his quest for redemption."

So Jae had come to apologize.

"Did you or Ji-Hyun put him up to this? Or is he actually sorry?" I crossed my arms to ward off the chill in the air, and tried not to shiver in my bomber jacket.

Rocco came forward, pressing one of the coffees into my hands before ushering me farther into the parking lot. "Get in the car and I'll tell you."

His black Range Rover was parked nearby. Totally conspicuous now that I knew who it belonged to. He opened the passenger's side and let me in, then climbed into the driver's seat. He blasted the heat, and within seconds the car grew warm and toasty.

"Rocco, is he sorry?" I asked again.

He cradled his cup in both hands, choosing to stare out of the windshield thoughtfully. "He's sorry. But he needs a little help. On Tuesday, when we were leaving for Enid's, he asked me if I could get Sienna's number from you. He didn't say anything about apologizing, but I know Jae. He wouldn't have asked if that wasn't his plan. But then Ackerman called and told us the shoot was cancelled so...it didn't feel right asking you for her number when it seemed like something else was going on."

Something else had been going on, but knowing I'd delayed Sienna's apology didn't make me feel good.

I took a sip of coffee, so Rocco wouldn't see the guilt on my face and almost spit it out. It was about as old and bitter as a divorcée with ten cats. But I took a second sip— anything to avoid eye contact.

"You seemed into the idea of talking to Paula, so when the shoot got cancelled and I didn't hear from you..."

He got worried. And I iced him out like a colossal jerk.

"Anyway," Rocco mumbled. "I told Jae to suck it up and just get Sienna's number from Ji-Hyun, but she wouldn't give it to him. She told him he should apologize in person, so here we are."

"How'd you know I'd be with her?" I asked.

He put his coffee in one of the cup holders, and finally looked at me. "I didn't. Came along for moral support. I was thinking about stopping by your place after, but Jae shot me a text when you walked into the shop with Sienna."

"Oh..." The Bro Code in action.

An awkward silence enveloped the car as I fiddled with the lid on the styrofoam cup.

"I dig the hair," Rocco offered, one corner of his mouth lifting.

"Thanks." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, OK? I didn't mean to get..."

"Distant?" he supplied.

"Yeah. The truth is something did happen on Tuesday, but I can't— don't look at me like that. I can't tell you. It's not my thing to tell."

He studied me for a moment, then let out an irritated sigh. "What's she up to now?"

"Who?"

"You know who, Miz."

Man, he was good. It was tempting to just blurt out everything. "Look, it's not a big deal." Only it was. "Just a power play. And when Enid gets what she wants, it'll be over."