Just Before You Go

“Hey,” Jimmy’s voice disturbed me.
I pursed my eyes shut tighter, pulling the blanket up just passed my nose.
“Hey,” he laughed, tugging at the comforter.
I grumbled sleepily, “No.”
“Get up,” he grinned, pawing at the blankets as I struggled to keep them in my grip. “It’s time to go home.”
I hated to admit it; but I didn’t want to go home. I’d had such a fun-filled weekend that leaving seemed almost strange somehow. Part of me didn’t want the weekend to end. The other part of me was crazy hung over and unable to get out of bed.
“Drugs,” Jimmy smirked, extending his palm to me. “The cure for all life’s problems.”
I snatched them quickly and swallowed them down dry. Then I resumed my nest.
“You can sleep in the car,” Jimmy insisted, finally ripping the blankets from my body.
I scowled at him grumpy. Mornings weren’t my thing under the best of circumstances. This hang over was seriously enough to kill me. My head spun as I sat up; my stomach took notes and tried its best to mimic the momentum.
“Don’t you get sick on me,” Jimmy warned me knowingly.
I sprinted to the bathroom just in time to expel the contents of my entire body into the bowl of the toilet. My body heaved violentally. Jimmy lingered in the doorway, shouting encouragements from a safe distance.
“Would you shut up?” I half-laughed, wiping at my mouth with the thinnest toilet paper known to man.
I was just regaining myself when a loud bang at the door distracted Jimmy and I from my disgusting reenactment of the Exorcist. Jimmy was happy to step away from the scene.
“Can I ride back with you two?” an irate Brian sounded loudly.
“Come in,” Jimmy teased, closing the door firmly.
Brian looked at me oddly as I emerged from the bathroom, “Were you just puking?”
I nodded.
Brian scoffed a little, “That makes sense.’
I wasn’t sure what to do with that, but I assumed that since he was talking to me, he’d forgiven me for blowing up on him a little. He didn’t look angry with me in the slightest; for that, I was glad.
“Anyway,” Brian groaned, looking back to Jimmy. “Can I ride back with you guys?”
“What’s wrong with Matt?” Jimmy asked curiously.
Brian shrugged, “Just…don’t want to be around him right now.”
“Interesting,” Jimmy grinned. “I assume this has something to do with participation in the Shair situation.”
“The what?” Brian asked awkwardly, his face scrunched up with distaste.
Jimmy shrugged, “Shair. You know…Shadows…Blair…”
“Shouldn’t it be Mair? Or Blatt?” I noted curiously. “You can’t use a last name with a first name in a cutesy couple name.”
“Are you two shitting me?” Brian asked flatly.
Jimmy considered what I’d said but then shook his head, “Shair is so much better. Don’t you agree, Brian?”
Brian blinked at his tall friend.
“Stop antagonizing him,” I laughed. “You can ride with us any time, Brian.”
“Thanks,” he grumbled quietly. “Shair is a stupid fucking name though—just for the record.”
Jimmy gasped, he was clearly appalled, “I beg your fucking pardon, sir.”
Brian fell silent for a second, his eyes drifting slowly away and out the window. He looked so introspective that, for a second, I wished that I could read his mind.
“Blain,” Brian finally said proudly. “That’s a way better name. Fuck, it’s a real name.”
Jimmy shook his head, “Nah, Blain is lame. Shair is better. Oh, and you know, Blair hates you…So…Without the Blair part, it’s just in. And I can assure you, you’re out.”
Brian stared blankly at Jimmy. Jimmy didn’t seem to mind at all.
“Don’t you ever get tired of trying to keep up with his brain?” Brian asked me with a laugh.
“Don’t you?” I challenged playfully.
We looked to Jimmy who’d found himself a bag of nuts and had ripped into them—I do mean ripped. They flew all over the floor.
Jimmy grinned from ear to ear, “Aw, nuts!”
He burst into cackling laughter, repeating “nuts” over and over again.
“Get it? Get it?” he followed it up with excitedly.
Brian and I looked at each other and nodded in acknowledgement.
We left the hotel shortly after and all crammed into Jimmy’s car to make the short journey home. Brian was spread out in the back, his hat tipped over his face to shield him from the daylight. He was snoozing away.
My head rested sleepily against the passenger window, watching the world outside fly by.
“We should hang out tonight,” Jimmy told me.
I smiled softly, “We hang out every night.”
“Yeah,” he nodded once. “But we should hang out tonight, too.”
“Sure,” I laughed. “One last night of fun before I have to get back to work.”
“Me too,” Jimmy whined loudly. “I have to go and stupid record all week. Don’t they know it’s almost my birthday? Doesn’t anyone care?”
“You like recording,” I pointed out.
He paused before giving a little laugh, “Fair enough.”
“What do you want to do?” I asked slowly. “Tonight.”
He shrugged, “I have a couple of ideas—you’ll see.”
“I hate surprises,” I griped childishly, sinking down into my seat with my arms crossed.
Jimmy snorted a laugh, “I know. That’s what makes it fun for me.”
“You’re the worst,” I groaned.
“You love it,” he assured me.
My heart jumped a little. Luckily, Jimmy breezed right passed it. He didn’t seem to notice any time that he brought it up. Was I digging deeper into his words than I should have been? Maybe he used the word ‘love’ interchangeably. Maybe he didn’t mean that he loved me at all. I was thoroughly confused.
“Do you want to go home first?” he asked me happily. “Or straight to my house? I need to shower something fierce.”
I laughed, “You really do.”
He grimaced at me quickly.
“I like it,” I giggled. “Home first, though. I also need to shower.”
“Yeah, ya do,” he teased with a smug grin.
Didn’t matter really if he loved me. I was sure as we joked about each other’s “funks” (Jimmy’s word, not mine), that there was no one in the world quite so perfect for me as he was. Sometimes it’s important just to appreciate what’s in front of you.
And love it with all you’ve got.

Notes

Short updates are better than no updates....right?

Next one will be good and long, I swear.

xx