Chapter Two
Elly
I was trying hard not to obsess over the fact that I’d gotten fired from an internship. It was a paid internship, so it was a lot like a real job, but I’d gotten myself fired. I couldn’t believe it. I’d been blatantly defiant of their rules and I deserved to get fired, but it was so unlike me. On top of that, I was worried about money. I kept telling myself that I had plenty of money left in the bank to get me through until I could find another job. I doubted that I’d be able to get another internship in LA…but a job is a job. There were plenty of things I could do. I learned how to do a lot when I was working on the show. I was an expert at putting people in line. I hadn’t cried, but thinking about it nearly put me over the edge. Shit! I needed to get out of the bedroom and do something. I wasn’t going to cry, or wallow in self-pity. I knew what I was doing and I knew what the consequences would be if I did it. I had to find a way to live with them.
I went out into the living room and found Susie sitting on the couch watching television. One look at my face and she clicked it off and patted the sofa next to her.
“Sit, spill. What’s going on?”
I sat and smiled at her. “I screwed up,” I told her.
“That’s hard to imagine,” she said with a grin. “You’re perfect.”
I laughed, “A perfect idiot. I lost my internship.”
“Oh my goodness! Why? Tristan?”
“Yeah, because they found out about Tristan and me seeing each other.”
“Shit,” she said.
“Yeah, my sentiments exactly.”
“So who told them?”
“I guess I did. Did you see the show the other night?”
“No, I have it on DVR. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet. Why?”
I hung my head. “He needed a duet partner….”
Susie slapped the arm of the couch. “Oh shit! You didn’t? You sang with him on live television?”
“Afraid so,” I admitted. “And when the song ended, he kissed me.”
“You got it bad girl!”
“Shut up, I do not. He just didn’t have anyone else and he was doing rehab and trying and I felt bad…”
“Yeah, okay,” she laughed a little and then she said, “You knew what would happen; you were just willing to give it up for him. I’m sorry though, about the job…internship. If you need any help…”
“I’ll be fine,” I told her. “It’s really not a big deal.” I needed to keep repeating that until I finally believed it. “I’m worried about Tristan, though.”
She smiled again and said, “More worried about the boyfriend than you are yourself…yeah, you got it bad.”
“He’s not my boyfriend.”
Before Susie could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. She was still looking like she had plenty to say, so I was grateful.
“I’ll get it,” I told her.
I got up and pulled open the door. I was shocked to see Tristan there…holding a duffel bag.
“Hey, why aren’t you at rehab? More importantly, why are you standing on my doorstep with a suitcase? Oh shit! Did you get kicked off the show?”
He laughed and said, “Um, wouldn’t you like to invite me in first. Then, I will answer your questions.”
“Oh yeah, sorry. Come in.”
I stepped back and he stepped in. Nodding at Susie he said, “Hi, I’m Tristan.”
She grinned and said, “Yeah, I figured,” she gave me the raised eyebrow look and I knew I’d hear it later. “I’m Susie.”
“Let’s go in my room,” I told him. “Susie was trying to watch her program.”
We started out of the room and Susie called over her shoulder, “No loud fucking. If I hear you, I’m coming in there.”
“Shut the hell up,” I told her. Tristan busted up laughing. “You shut up, too,” I told him. “There’s not going to be any of that going on.” He continued to grin as he followed me into my room.
When we got their he said, “I’ve been dying to get out of rehab so I can fuck you on this bed.”
“Tristan, focus. Why aren’t you in rehab? Did you get thrown out?”
“Oh ye of little faith,” he said. “No, I didn’t get kicked out. I got discharged into the outpatient program. He didn’t say it out loud, but I’m sure the doctor thinks of me as one of his finest students.”
“Oh, well that’s great. Congratulations. What about the show? Did you get kicked off?”
He looked at me strangely and said, “No, why?”
“Because I did,” I told him. “They let me go and Clint said he would be talking to you…”
He shrugged and said, “They haven’t called. Shit, Elly, I’m sorry.”
I kept a neutral expression as I said, “It’s no big deal, I’ll get another job.”
“Mother fuckers!” he said. At least it was nice to know he cared…a little.
“Okay, next question, what’s the giant duffel bag about?”
“Oh, that,” he said with another devilish grin.
“Yeah, that.”
“My doctor wouldn’t discharge me unless I had someone to stay with that could be a part of my outpatient treatment; you know go to groups and appointments and generally keep me out of trouble.”
“Sounds like a huge job.”
Still grinning he said, “Yeah, I thought you’d be the perfect candidate.”
“You want to stay here?”
“Please?” he said.
Shit! This is not a good idea.
“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” I told him.
“I don’t have anyone else, Elly.”
I didn’t know he had me. Every time he needs something, suddenly I’m all he has. I thought we were friends…kind of…with benefits. More benefits than friends, actually. I thought that was all that we both wanted. Then suddenly we’re roommates too, and I was part of his recovery program? Maybe somewhere along the way we became more and I missed it. It wasn’t my intention when it started for it to go beyond that. Most especially because I firmly believed that was all Tristan wanted too.