Feeling This

Chapter Thirteen

There was something going on between Tom and Nicolette. Mark was sure of it. Tom had told him that nothing was going on, but Mark had a hard time believing it after finding the two of them in the dressing room together yesterday. The two always seemed to be sneaking off when they got to a new venue. They never left the bus together, but they were always gone at the same time, which couldn't just be a coincidence.

            Mark didn't have any proof, however, just his suspicions. Granted, his suspicions may not have been very valid since they were clouded by his own feelings of jealousy when he'd first found out about Nicolette flirting with Tom. In fact, there was even less proof of a secret tryst than there had been a few days ago. The flirtatious glances Nicolette used to send to the guitarist had disappeared; in fact, the two even avoided sitting next to each other on the bus or at restaurants. Which could mean one of two things: either Tom actually had told Nicolette to stop flirting, or they were taking extra precautions in order not to get caught in their little affair.

            Mark had a gut feeling it was the latter. All because of what he saw in Massachusetts. He didn't know if it had been Nicolette's lame excuse about Tom helping with Math homework, the way her cheeks seemed more flushed than usual, the way Tom kept playing with his lip ring nervously after Nicolette had left, or the way Tom had made Mark get a different guitar rather than use the one Tom had kept in his lap for the entire conversation, that had tipped him off. But something was definitely going on.

            Even knowing all that, Mark was still shocked when he found the two of them lip-locked in a supply room in Philadelphia. If they weren't wearing so many clothes, Mark would've thought they were in a fucking porno they were going at it so hard. Tom's hands couldn't be seen since they were under Nicolette's shirt and her own hands were clenched around fistfuls of Tom's hair.

            They jumped apart when they heard the door open. (Thank God. Mark wasn't sure how many flashes of tongue he would be able to handle seeing.)

            "What the fuck?" Mark uttered confusedly, feeling a jumble of emotions and not sure which one to react to. He was astonished, even though he had suspected something. And he was angry. Angry that Tom had lied to him. Angry that Tom had gone behind Travis' back to hook up with his fucking niece, risking that relationship and even the band itself. And he was angry that Tom had had the guts to act on his feelings for Nicolette when Mark hadn't.

            "Uh, I can explain," Tom declared, his voice sounding desperate.

            "Oh please, spare me from hearing the excuse of fishing out a popcorn kernel from her mouth with your tongue," Mark spat. There was no explanation that could justify what Mark had just caught Tom doing. Tom winced, bringing Mark a sick sense of satisfaction. "What the hell were you thinking, Tom?"

            "Hey, he's not the only person to blame here," Nicolette intervened, crossing her arms over her chest. Mark scoffed at her quick reaction to defend her little boyfriend. "It was my idea in the first place. I was the one who initiated it."

            "Oh yeah, he really seemed to hate shoving his tongue down your throat," Mark agreed sarcastically. "How could you force him to do such a thing, Nic?"

            "Lay off, Mark," Tom cut in. He stepped towards Mark and slightly in front of Nicolette, as if to shield her from the bassist. "It's not a big deal."

            "Not a big deal?" Mark repeated with disbelief. "Of course it's a big deal, Tom! It's a huge fucking deal! You're-" Mark quickly stopped himself, realizing that anyone might overhear. He stepped into the room and shut the door before lowering his yelling to a whisper.