KISS: In The Band

Ch 33: Ah Okay (Bruce)

I looked over at the argument erupting at the bar and closed my eyes. "Oh my gosh." Lisa turned, following my gaze and also the source of the commotion, and gasped. "Oh shit is that Peter?" she asked. I heaved a sigh before nodding. "Yeah. And he's gotten stupid drunk and sad and now he's a mess."

The two of us watched as the bouncer walked over to a sobbing Peter, grabbing his arm and trying to escort him out of the bar. I rolled my eyes, rising to my feet. "I'm going to go get him and call him a cab or something," I said. Lisa frowned, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine." My heart sank and I put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on Lis, don't be like this. I'm just going to call him a cab and I'll be right back! I'm not leaving you or anything," I said, bending over and giving her a kiss.

She just rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "Fine. Just go take care of him," she muttered crossly. I bit back a sigh, kissing her on the forehead and following the bouncer and Peter out of the bar. "Excuse me? Hey, that's one of my friends, I can take him from here!" I called. The bouncer turned around, pulling Peter to a halt. "What's his name?" he asked. "That's Peter, but the name on his license should be George Criscoula." The bouncer turned to Peter, shaking him. "You know this guy?"

Peter blinked, looking at me, before a slow smile spread across his face. "B-bruce! Misshed you!" he slurred. After showing the bouncer my ID and proving I really did know him, I was left alone with Peter, who let out a sigh, sitting on the ground as I called a cab. "He'sh gonna...he wants a divorsh. I ha'nt e'en dated anyone elshe an' he wants...a divorsh."

"I'm sorry man. Look, we can talk about it when you're sober, how about that? You still staying at your house?" He nodded sadly. After like ten minutes, the taxi got here, and I pushed him into the backseat. "Call me when you're sober tomorrow, alright?" I said, before walking back inside and sitting across from Lisa. "Sorry about that. Where were we?"

She heaved a sigh, shaking her head. "You were off with one of you friends and left me alone while we were on a date. Again." I winced, running a hand through my hand. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know I keep--" "Yeah, you do keep doing that, Bruce. If it's not Eric, it's one of your other friends. I get that you care about them, but at the same time we almost never have any time together! I love you Bruce, I really do, and I want to be able to go on dates with you, or sit at home with you, and not have to worry about you running off again."

I took her hand, giving it a squeeze. "I know, and I'm sorry. I love you Lisa Lane, more than anyone. I promise, from now on we'll have more time together." She gave me a smile, leaning across the table and giving me a kiss. "I love you, Bruce Kulick." I smiled, kissing her back, running a hand through her hair before feeling my phone start to vibrate.

She pulled back a little bit, still resting her forehead against mine. "Aren't you going to answer that?" she murmured. Grinning, I shook my head. "No. I'm spending time with my girlfriend," I said softly, pulling her back into a kiss. My phone started to ring again and I tried to ignore it, just trying to focus on Lisa.

"Bruce. Just see who's calling."

Heaving a sigh, I looked at my screen, looking at Gene's number with a frown. "It's Gene. I'll just tell him to call me back later." "If it's Gene it's probably important. Just go ahead and answer, it's fine!" I gave her a concerned look. "Are you sure?" She nodded, giving me a smile. "Just answer it! If it's not important tell him you'll call him back."

"Alright, I'll keep it short though. Hey Gene what's up?" "Uh...hey, kind of random question, but have you seen Peter by any chance? He's doing withdrawals again and I stopped by to check on him but he's not at his house. I know you helped him in college so is he like...at your place, by any chance?" he asked slowly.

"No, he was at the bar I was at with Lisa. I called him a cab and sent him home, just give it a few minutes and he'll be back at his house." "Shit you're a saint, Bruce. Thanks so much, I'll see you later, bye!" "Yeah no problem, bye!" I said, hanging up before turning to Lisa. "Just worried about Peter. Anyway, where were we?"

Lisa smiled, picking up my hand and giving it a squeeze. "We were on a date together, being happy with each other's company," she said. "Mm, yes, my favorite thing to do," I said softly, leaning across the table to give her a kiss.

We made it home after a nice enough dinner and plenty of rounds of drinks. I fell into bed, barely stifling a yawn. Lisa let out a sigh, curling up next to me and resting her head on my chest as my arm went around her shoulders. "Hey can I be honest with you about something?" she asked softly. I ran a hand through her hair, nodding. "Of course, always. What's up? Something wrong?"

"I miss when you weren't back with your friends. I miss having more time to be with you. And I know it's selfish of me to say that, and I'm not asking you to stop seeing your friends or anything at all! That's just what's been kind of bugging me." I sighed, heart sinking, and gave her a soft kiss. "I'm sorry. I know what you're saying though. I miss having more free time, to spend with you especially. But at the same time, I am glad we've sort of been able to patch up our friend group."

"I do like seeing you happier. That always makes me happy," she said softly. I smiled, closing my eyes and holding her closer against my side. "And seeing you happy makes me happy. But I promise I won't let any date nights get interrupted again."