Busy lives are what we live now, and things get complicated. He was a rockstar, she was a photographer. She traveled and wrote about her adventures, chronicling them in photographs. He was touring the world playing stages in every town and interviews in between. At first things were easy, she was on tour with the band and they could see each other, then she'd leave and tour with other bands and see him in between. Free days were spent skyping or on impromptu plane rides to see one another. Now he was on another long tour and she was doing photography for an English punk band doing a euro tour. Things for complicated, he was touring and she was busy across the world photographing another band. Tour ended for him and she was still off exploring London with a group of twenty something punk guys.
Finally, finally she was coming home. It was a long flight from London to Baltimore and she'd decided to surprise him with her early return. She dropped her suitcase and duffel bag onto the front porch, unlocking the front door quietly. Her grip tightened in the keys in her hand as she stood there paralyzed. Alex was sitting on the couch, with his ex curled up against him and their lips locked. "You're a fucking asshole Gaskarth.", she muttered. He pulled back from Lisa and looked up in shock, "Violet. Shit, you weren't..I didn't..... I'm sorry.." She scoffed, "Shut up Alex, just shut up." Lisa looked quickly back and forth between Violet and Alex before getting up and muttering, "I'm going to leave, I'm sorry..I need to go." In a calm white-hot anger she quietly walked to the bedroom.
Alex got up and rushed over to the bedroom, he reached out for her arm and she just shrugged him off. He stood watching her, "Violet...please...." She turned atriums and looked at him with cold empty eyes, "What?! What could you possibly have to say?! Sorry I invited my ex over to make out with while you were gone. Did you fuck her too?! Oh wait, it's okay. You didn't know I was home right?" He opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off and said, "You know what, fuck you Alex. You can have Lisa. At least I won't be wasting another three and a half years on you, fuck..just get out." He just stood there watching as she grabbed more cloths and shoved them into the bags from her last trip. She pulled the bag up over her shoulder and headed towards the door. She reached for the handle and from behind she could hear him say in a broken voice, "Violet, I'm so sorry..." She pulled the door shut and left him standing alone in their apartment.
She found herself outside an apartment across town, knocking on the front door a couple of times. After a long pause and what sounded like somebody falling out of bed, the tall, lanky, Lebanese man answered the door. She stood there awkwardly and mumbled, "I didn't really know where else to go." He tilted his head, "Is...everything okay?" She shook her and whispered, "I need alcohol..lots of alcohol." Jack gave a half smile and hugged her, mumbling into her hair, "I've got you covered V." He put his hands on her shoulders and guided her inside to the couch.
He handed her a beer and sat down on the couch beside her, but she just started crying. Awkwardly he watched her before reaching over and rubbing her back and pushing her hair out of his face. "Do you uh, want to talk about it?" She sat back and wiped her tears, "I got an early flight home. And he's on the couch with Lisa." Jack's eyes widened in surprise as he asked, "Lisa Ruocco..from high school?" She nodded and spat, "As in the ex girlfriend." He scoffed, "You guys have been together for years ..he wouldn't..." She corrected, "He would.", and took a swig from her bottle. Jack frowned, "Shit, Violet...fuck.", he said wrapping his arms around her and kissing the top of her head.
"Can we watch a movie or something? I need something to focus on.", she said taking a sip of her beer. He nodded and sat up, "What do you want to watch?" She shrugged, "Home Alone? Peter Pan? Pulp fiction?" Jack laughed and said a bit surprised, "Well uh, those are interesting choices. Let's vote no on Peter Pan..I think that will make you cry more..uh we can watch Pulp Fiction but i don't want you to get all stabby on me." She laughed a bit, " Home alone?" He nodded, "Good choice Vi. Home alone it is." He got up to put the movie in, and she trying to make conversation said, "Macaulay Culkin is such a nice guy. He's so funny. We hung out in Cleveland awhile back, he's so great." Jack laughed, "I bet." She curled up against him, and opened up her second beer. He gently draped his arm around her as the movie started.
"Hey, good morning.", Jack said standing over the bed. She rubbed her eyes and glanced up at him, it took her a minute of looking around to register, "Where am I?" He gave a crooked half smile, "You fell asleep, I carried you to bed..don't worry, I slept on the couch.", he said with a reassuring laugh. "There's coffee by the way.", he added and nodded towards the kitchen. Violet sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, groaning a bit, "My head hurts." , she grumbled. He nodded, "Hangover" She reached over to check her phone. Six, six missed calls from Alex. Violet turned her phone over and got up out of bed, stretching. No way was she talking to him, not now, not ever.
She slipped off to grab some coffee, and when she walked back into the living room, Jack was on the phone with an irritated grimace. He was mumbling, "I don't care man, leave her alone. I know. Lisa's a bitch, but dude she was at your apartment. No. Stop. Alex, you're my best friend but she's my friend too and you really fucked her up. No don't, don't come over. You fucked up Al, I can't let you do that to her." , he hung up and turned around to see Violet standing there sipping her coffee. "Was that...?", she asked hesitantly. He walked over and shook his head, "Don't worry about it ."
