Just Once

The Last Day

I watched in amusement from the bed in our hotel room as Jon struggled into a pair of black leather pants. He was going to be playing another small show, much like one he'd played when we met in LA.
"I cannot believe you're going to wear that," I laughed, shaking my head. He was crazy.
Jon looked over at me and smiled a little as he clasped the button on the leather pants. He shuffled around, bending his knees to break the leather in for he night. I raised an eyebrow. He looked hilarious.
"This is what the fans want," he told me, picking up a leather jacket to match.
"You sure?" I mused, "Maybe they don't know what they want!"
Jon threw the jacket at me and smiled as he sat down to put on a pair of boots.
"This town likes their leather," he replied evenly as he pulled on his boots.
I laughed, rolling over on the bed next to him. He looked down at me and smiled again.
"You gonna hide out here all evening or are you coming with me?"
"Me?" I giggled, "Be seen with you? Like that?" I mock laughed harder.
Jon mock laughed too, as he stood, and grabbed his jacket once more.
I laughed a little for real and smiled up at him. "Of course I'm coming with you," I assured him. I sat up and reached for the camera I'd bought myself about a month or so before. "But I'm bringing my camera!"
Jon rolled his eyes with a snicker and a muttered 'whatever' before holding out a hand to help me up. I took his hand and he tugged me towards him, pulling me straight into a kiss.

As before, he only played a short set, but the small crowd didn't seem to mind. I'd leaned against a far wall for three songs already, but the one he was playing at the moment was my favorite.
     I watched from the back of the room as he sang our song, strumming his guitar. He looked ridiculous wearing that leather outfit, but he was right, the fans seemed to eat it up. Nonetheless, it looked out of place in the intimate setting.
     I watched him look down at someone sitting close to the stage and smile a little. Then he looked around the room, letting his eyes drift from face to face before finally falling on me. He smiled again and then continued singing.
     "I suppose I could collect my books and get on back to school," he sang, "or steal my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool."
     I sang along to myself, as I'd done that first night. "Or find my self a rock and roll band that needs a helping hand."
     "Oh Maggie, I wish I'd never seen your face," Jon sang, glancing down at the floor, "You made a first class fool out of me, and I'm as blind as a fool can be." He looked back up at nothing in particular, I think, somewhere in the room, as he continued, "You stole my heart but I love you anyway."
     He closed his eyes as he played the next part and I smiled. It was a relatively long instrumental break for such a small group of people, but he made it work. He, aside from maybe Rod Steward himself, was the only one who could.
     "Maggie!" He sang, "I wish I'd never seen your face!"
     I smirked.
     Jon continued, "I'll get on back home one of these days!"
     "Hoooo hoo-oo hoo!" I sang the high note with him, still amazed at how well he could hit it. I grinned and clapped with the rest of the venue as he ended the song.
     He wasn't looking at me when I slipped away at the start of the next song. I knew it was the last song and I didn't want to bother trying to get to him through the crowd that would form for autographs after the set. I went on back to the little dressing room they'd lent him, not that he really needed one.
   I was waiting for him backstage in his meager dressing room. As I leaned casually on one of the vanity counters, I fiddled with my camera, trying to remember how to get the film out so that I could develop the pictures I'd taken of us.
I didn't notice the door open until a woman's voice sounded.
"Hello?"
I looked up from my camera with surprise. Jon hadn't told me about anyone coming in here. She had brown hair down to just past her shoulders. And bangs, she had bangs. She was pretty. Furthermore, she looked just as surprised as I did.
"Who are you?" I asked.
She stepped further in, leaving the door open. "I'm Jon's wife, who are you?"
Wife? What? He'd never said anything about being married! I sure as hell had never seen a wedding ring! I blinked a couple times, but that was all I let show of the utter shock that was going through my mind right now.
I smiled instead, and lied, "Oh, I'm just a fan. They said he'd be offstage any minute and that I could wait back here for a picture." I held up my camera for her to see, inwardly applauding my decision to bring it with me this afternoon.
"Oh," she sighed with a smile, "Well he's-"
At that moment, Jon stepped into the doorway. "Dorothea!" he exclaimed as he pulled his wife into a hug from behind.
"Here!" she laughed, "He's right here."
Jon didn't seem to notice me until he was already planting a kiss on his wife's shoulder. He looked startled for a moment and then smiled at Dorothea when she looked up at him.
"She's waiting for a picture," she informed him. Jon looked back at me and I awkwardly held up my camera again as if it weren't visible hanging around my neck, as if he didn't already know it existed.
"Just one and I'll be out of your hair," I assured them, putting my acting skills to use.
God, I wanted to kill him. I wanted him to hurt as bad as I was right then, but I loved him too much to ruin his marriage. He seemed to be on a good path for doing that himself, anyway. I hated that I'd been used. I hated even more that I'd been too blind to see it.
I smiled and pointed to some amps that occupied a corner of the room. "Maybe just sit on the amps, please?"
"Alright," Jon muttered, stepping out from behind his wife. He didn't seem to be putting as much into acting as I was. He sat awkwardly on the amps. His leather attire stood out against the beige wall. He didn't smile; he looked uncomfortable.
I held the camera up to my face. Through the lens, I could see the ring he hadn't been wearing our entire time together. I didn't know when he'd put it on, but I'd never seen it before that day. Just looking at it stung. I swallowed back the burn of betrayal and forced a smile.
"My friend is gonna be so jealous!" I snickered as I took the picture.
Just the one click and I was done. I stepped back over to the counter I'd been leaning on and grabbed my purse. I wanted to go. I wanted to get as far away from both of them as possible.
"I wasn't smiling," Jon stalled, "You want to take another one and I'll smile this time?"
I could hear it in his voice. He didn't want me to leave just yet. I only prayed that Dorothea didn't hear it too.
"Or I can take a picture of the two of you," she offered as she stepped further into the room and set her own purse down.
I looked between the two of them with a tight-lipped smile and shook my head.
"No, it's alright. Don't worry about it," I said, still shaking my head. I looked over at Jon, who was still sitting on the amps. "Thanks for the picture." Then I turned to Dorothea and added, "It was nice meeting you," I glanced back at Jon for a fraction of a second before starting for the door. "Bye," I called as I walked out, not looking back.
I was only a few steps down the hall when I stopped to take a breath and let out a little of the emotion I'd bit back in there. I could hear the knowing tone in Dorothea's voice when she spoke to Jon.
"She lied for you, didn't she?"
I didn't want to hear his answer or any more of their conversation about me. I just wanted to get away. I bit my lip and shook my head as I continued down the hallway, finally letting a few tears fall.