Sunday, April 14, 2013

[Prologue] Chapter 7 - Never Happened

Noemi didn't wake everyone at the butt crack of dawn as Quincy predicted, but she did wake them up before noon, which is as good as dawn given the lack of sleep and splitting headache that Ari is now experiencing.  When Quincy finally joins her in the living room, it's obvious he's feeling the same.

"You two look like shit." Jarrod plops down on the couch next to Ari. "Busy night?"

"Busy drinking." Quincy grimaces.

"Worst.idea.ever." Ari mutters. "I'm never drinking again."

"Taxi's here." Noemi shrugs on her jacket and grabs the apartment keys. She frowns when Ari and Quincy trudge slowly from their seats to join her by the elevator. They both give a sheepish smile in apology. "Just promise me that you won't throw up in front of Weston."

Ari and Quincy nod placatingly.

"Not good enough." Noemi says, placing her hand over her heart and waiting for them to follow suit.  Ari narrows her eyes at Jarrod when he snickers at the scene. "Now repeat after me. I, say your name, will not release the contents of my stomach in front of Weston."

Ari and Quincy repeat her words with matching grimaces. "Good." Noemi smiles. "Now we can go."

They all meet at Weston's bar, The Warehouse.  Only the stage and general bar area are open for business, but from the short tour Weston provides, Ari is excited to christen the place.

Weston leads them to his upstairs office and leans back against his desk with a serious expression as Noemi introduces everyone.  Ari doesn't like the way he practically stares into your soul while he supposedly "commits your name to memory," but he seems nice enough and doesn't linger long with idle conversation. Thank the Maker. "So... when would you like to start?"

"Tonight?" Noemi offers.

"Itching to get out there, eh? Tonight is perfect." Weston clasps his hands together in satisfaction. "Be back at 7.  We'll work out payment once we see how your first night goes."

Their first night goes well enough that Weston officially hires them as a bar exclusive. He can't afford to pay them every night, so they only play twice a week. The pay is enough that they are finally living somewhat comfortably.

Jarrod showing off, as usual.

At least they're building a small fan base.

It is one night - two weeks into their stay - that Quincy accepts a date from a woman who frequents their shows.

And it is this night that Ari discovers she has feelings for Quincy when he accepts.  He seemed so happy, that she didn't want to spoil it.  And now here she is, spending the night alone again, wondering how Quincy's first date is going and hoping that it turns into a disaster.

Ever since she had reluctantly admitted her feelings for Quincy to Noemi and Jarrod, they had been constant companions.  Noemi played the "nurturing and reassuring" role, while Jarrod fixed himself as the "I'm going to convince you that feelings are ridiculous" person, not that she needed much convincing otherwise.

Both were obviously worried in their own ways and Ari appreciated that they cared enough to be concerned, but she also hated it.  Really hated it.

Especially when they stared at her, full of pity, like Jarrod is now.

"How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine." Ari stirs her drink absentmindedly trying not to appear as downtrodden as she feels.

"You are fine." Jarrod quips, eyebrows waggling suggestively. "But you're also a liar."

Ari chugs her drink and wipes the excess from her mouth with her sleeve. "I'm fine." She repeats more firmly this time.

"All right, all right." He puts his hands up defensively, his sly smile telling her that he's about to try to persuade her into doing something stupid.  "I just don't see the point of stewing here all alone."

"The point is to get thoroughly sloshed, enjoy a few cigarettes, and pretend that I'm still not one of those pathetic girls that pines after some guy."

"Good plan. Almost flawless. It's missing one key ingredient though."

Ari narrows her eyes. "If you say meaningless sex.."

"Meaningless sex." He answers at the same time. Ari rolls her eyes. "Anytime I'm feeling down, I find someone to feel up. If you know what I mean."

"Ew. And no." Ari makes a move to leave the bench, and this conversation.

"Okay. Okay. No sex." Jarrod laughs. "But at least get out there.  Get a few numbers. Flirt. It may be just the thing you need right now."

Ari sits back down with a pout. "Why are you so hellbent on this?"

"I don't like watching my friends suffer."

"Or you just really want someone to hit the bars with you."

"That too." Jarrod smiles. "Come on. Please. It'll be fun. I promise."

It may be the drinks she's consumed, but Jarrod's idea is sounding better by the minute. And he seems genuine in wanting to help. "Hmph." She sighs. "Fine."

The guys that Ari attempts to flirt with aren't her type, as Jarrod tactfully points out, but she isn't looking to do anything more than score a few free drinks and keep her mind off Quincy.

One of her goals is successful. She's sure her liver is thanking her right now.

Jarrod and Ari return to the apartment to find it unsurprisingly empty.  Noemi isn't expected to return until the next day, having spent some of her money on a trip back home to visit her husband, and Quincy isn't home yet - meaning his date has apparently gone successfully.  Maybe he's spending the night at her place.  That last thought alone makes Ari's stomach churn.

"Why did you really take me out tonight?" Ari asks in a feeble attempt to distract her own thoughts. "You could have picked up any of those girls tonight and brought them home.  Don't think I didn't see you turn away that redhead at the last bar."

"I was your wing-man tonight and since you weren't in the mind to bring anyone home, then neither was I.  Besides, she wasn't my type."

"Yeah right." Ari smirks. "She's practically every girl I've ever seen you hit on incarnate."

Jarrod shrugs as he joins her on the couch. "In truth, Noemi was worried about you and wanted me to keep an eye on you while she's out of town."

"Sounds like her.  So this was just a favor then?" Ari thought that she and Jarrod were friends, but if he was only hanging out with her because someone asked him too...

"No." He interrupts. "Well yes.  But I wanted to do it.  You're, uh, someone I like to be around."

Ari is painfully aware how close they are now; how they've both been inching slowly until they are touching.

"I am?" She asks quietly.  She likes the way his hand feels on her back as he slowly traces circles with his thumb, and the way he smiles with surprise when she leans in to his touch.  She shouldn't be doing this, they shouldn't be doing this.


Ari doesn't back away when Jarrod kisses her.

She doesn't protest when they both move to his bedroom.

And she definitely doesn't stop him when things get more heated.

It's only afterward that they both realize their mistake.

"Uh..." Jarrod mutters, not even sparing a glance at the side of the bed that Ari is occupying, "... we fucked up, didn't we?"

Ari nods mutely, bunching the sheets around her tightly. "I'm going to go to my room now." She gets up to dress quickly. "This never happened, Jarrod. Not a peep to anyone."

"What never happened?" Jarrod leans back on his pillow with a light laugh when Ari frowns. "It's already forgotten."  Ari doesn't respond.  All Jarrod hears is the door of his room click shut.

Ari slips quietly into the hallway.  The apartment is empty besides her and Jarrod, but she still feels like she's been caught doing something dirty.  Her feet pad silently across the floor until she reaches her own room.

This is the moment that she most regrets not having a damn door. She needs some privacy, some time to think, but instead she settles for changing into her pajamas and going to sleep.

Sleep is always better than thinking about a mistake.

Always.

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Uh-oh spaghettios.

I had an editing mishap this go around and decided not to fix it.  And by "not fixing it," I mean I was far too lazy to re-edit everything - so overly contrasted pictures it is! : /

Quincy, Jarrod, Noemi, and her yet-to-be-revealed husband Gunther are all available at the RL Sims Blog.

12 comments:

  1. Wow. Let's hope Jerrod keeps his promise to keep that quiet. Not that I really think he'd blab or anything, but still.

    And here's hoping that Quincy's date turns out to be cray cray so that Ari can tell him how she really feels soon.

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    1. *attempts not to spoil anything* All I can say is that Jarrod definitely knows how to keep a secret, but that doesn't mean that what happened will always remain a secret.

      Hmmm... that still sounds spoilery. I TRIED!

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  2. Aaahhh!!!
    You slept with wrong guy, Ari! WRONG GUY!!!!!
    AAAAGGGGHHHHH! *arms flailing wildly*
    I really can't wait to see how this whole thing falls out, I can't see it just quietly going away.

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    1. Lol. Ari=colossal mistake maker. Seriously, this girl unwittingly knows how to put herself in compromising situations.

      It's a problem we're working on. Sort of. ;)

      Delete
  3. Oh dear, I can't see this ending well (especially if Ari winds up pregnant as a result...)

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  4. My, oh my. This sort of situation never ends well, and someone is going to get hurt. More likely...everyone is going to get hurt. Sigh.

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    1. HURT ALL THE SIMS!

      On a serious note: I'm not planning on this working out perfectly for all of them, but I will say that I'm also not planning on the polar opposite either. There is *some* happiness thrown in the mix... but only a little. Lol.

      Delete
  5. Uh-oh :|
    Too much alcohol+unrequited love+some guy being sweet=bad desicions.

    I have a feeling she's pregnant, and that Quincy secretly likes her back, but now thinks she likes Jarrod, and so she'll be all alone.
    Sorry, I totally ruined your story for everyone.... ;)

    You better post the next chapter a bit sooner than 3 months, please! :)

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    1. Haha. I will neither confirm nor deny your prediction. >:)

      Delete
  6. Pfft. Ari, you're single. Jarrod's...well, not officially dating anyone. You may have feelings for Quincy but you shouldn't feel bad about you did because you're a free agent! It might not be something you wish to repeat but don't go acting all guilty soul now. And Jarrod, yeah, I feel like he might have more feelings for her than she (or even he) would suspect.

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  7. I agree with what Heaven said. They were both single, and just had a little fun. It might have been a mistake, but that doesn't mean they have to feel guilty about it. I'm curious to find out of Quincy has feelings for Ari too. I suspect he does, but I could be wrong.

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