The Shrugging Contest

Mark

Burt and I decided to take a cab to our respective homes, not that we were too drunk to drive but we didn't want to risk getting stopped by the cops for whatever reason. Ever since Allen left Code Red for that second DUI, we've been very paranoid about it happening to us. And anyway, I rode with Jamie to the shoot and the dickhead left me.

The bracing night air was actually quite sobering as we waited for the cab Burt ordered on his app. I inhaled deeply and exhaled before putting my mask on my face. As I was doing so, I felt someone stumble into us, and I felt Burt teeter forward with me.

We weren't standing too near the bar's entrance to be blocking the way, so it was a bit annoying for outrageously drunk people to walk into us like that. Burt and I turned around and the couple, a guy and a girl, maybe our age or older, didn't really look that drunk. But the lady pointed at Burt and said, "You're someone famous."

Burt wasn't wearing a mask, but he pulled his cap down lower. "Please excuse me," he muttered and nodded, as if he was the one who bumped into them. He turned to face forward again to deflect attention.

"Hey, you're pretty rude for someone famous," the lady snapped. I gave her the once over and maybe she was drunk after all. She noticed me looking at her and put up her hands. "Excuse me, Mr Bodyguard, I'm not going to touch your precious celebrity here, I'm going on to my normal life."

I could see Burt hold back a laugh from me being mistaken as his bodyguard. I'm glad this was Burt, if it were anyone else, I'll never hear the end of it.

The guy that drunk woman was with pulled her back and coaxed her to calm down. "Please excuse us," he said to us and they went stumbling off. Lady kept going on and on about the big threatening bodyguard who was about to maul her and her boyfriend kept trying to shush her.

"I will protect you, Mr Boy Next Door," I whispered to Burt. He barked a laugh. "Thank you, Mr Bodyguard Next Door." He looked down at the app on his phone. "Cab's still 8 minutes away," he said.

I checked my own phone. It was ringing. It was on silent but not on vibrate and I didn't notice it was ringing. It was Antonia. I showed Burt my screen and his eyes widened accordingly. "Hello?"

"Hi Mark! This is Antonia, I was wondering if you could send me Jamie's number?"

"Oh, of course! I can send it to you now. Is there anything else you need?"

"Nothing else, this is great," she said, cheerfully. "Thank you, sweetheart." She hung up.

"What was that about?" Burt asked.

"She wants Jamie's number!" I gleefully sent it to her, too.

"Wow, Jamie's gonna spazz out and die," Burt cackled. Then he suddenly stopped cackling. "Why doesn't she already have his number? She has mine."

"And mine. And LJ's," I shrugged. "And obviously Steve's."

We both paused at that. Did Jamie like her so much that he couldn't find the guts to get her number? Is he in high school?

"Why does she have your number?" Burt asked me, suddenly.

"What?"

"She has mine because I'm the person you call when Ned's not with us, and she has LJ's because they did that music video together," Burt enumerated. "And she has Steve's because he produces her albums. So why does she have yours."

I shrugged. "Because she asked for it and I gave it to her."

Burt looked at me with narrowed eyes. "No way," I said, vehemently. "And even if she offered, no way am I going there after what happened with Jamie and Steve."

"Just checking," Burt shrugged. "I still can't wrap my head around her and Steve. Isn't she happily married?"

I shrugged again. It was a shrugging contest. "I thought so too," I said. "But that thing with her and Steve happened a long time ago, apparently." I was scrolling through my notifications and saw my mom had texted me about going with her to see a show next week. I have to remember to double check schedules tomorrow.

A beep sounded and we looked up from our phones that we were both looking at, that didn't make that sound. Burt looked at me puzzled as I pulled Jamie's phone out of my back pocket.

Burt had to laugh. "Your phone is on silent but Jamie's is not?"

I shrugged again and chuckled. "I don't even know why I leave it on, it's not like I can give Jamie his messages..."

And then my heart stopped. So, even if Antonia didn't have Jamie's number, he apparently had hers. Holy shit.

Antonia: I will come back tomorrow. We need to talk about this. Call me.

"Holy shit," Burt said aloud, looking over my arm. We stared at each other for a while. What was going on??

Then, Burt nudged me towards my other hand that held my phone, which had lit up because I received a silent notification. I looked at it and my heart that hadn't started moving yet suddenly exploded in my chest.

Kate: We can talk. Dance practice is at 10am tomorrow, nobody arrives before 9:30. See you then if you're free.