“It’s just…” Mark said slowly. “All those years, I wondered just one thing. Why did you leave, after… after…?”
“…Because it was a mistake,” Jade responded quickly, turning away.
She remembered that day all too well, and the events that resulted in it all happening…
“Hey,” Graham said, passing Jade an envelope. “Mail for you.”
“Thanks, hon,” Jade replied. She frowned, noticing the return address. “Oh no,” she added, to herself.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s from… from Mark.”
“Your friend? The one who’s a singer? What’s so bad about that?”
Jade hesitated. Even after all this time, she still had never given Graham all the details about her former relationship. As far as he knew, she and Mark were just close friends who had lost touch with each other over time. She decided that it wasn’t worth bringing up all the sordid details.
“Nothing,” she lied. “Just that I haven’t heard from him in so long. Wondering if maybe something bad happened.”
“Well, open it up and see,” Graham encouraged her. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. I hear he’s doing well for himself. He’d probably do better if he weren’t solo, but… hey, it’s his life, not mine.”
Silently nodding, Jade peeled the envelope open. A ticket and backstage pass fell out onto her lap, along with a short note. Jade silently stared at the items on lap; Graham, curious, plucked up the note card and read it.
“Well, that’s nice!” he remarked, smiling. “He’s inviting you to come to one of his concerts. Even included passes so you guys could hang out before and after the show. Won’t that be great? I know you two used to be so close, and you’ve been so busy lately. You deserve some time with your friends.”
“I don’t know,” Jade replied quietly. “I mean, I’m not sure I feel okay about accepting presents from him.”
“I think it’s a nice thing to do. Besides,” Graham added, examining the ticket, “the concert’s the same day I have to be out of town for that show. You shouldn’t be stuck at home, bored. You need to get out more and have fun.”
“I’m okay with staying home and watching movies.”
“I just… I worry about you,” Graham said softly. “It seems like the past few years, you’ve kind of withdrawn into yourself. What’s wrong? It’s me, isn’t it? I’m sorry for not being around as much… or that we haven’t had any kids yet.”
“It’s not your fault, sweetheart,” Jade responded, hugging Graham. “When the time comes, a kid will come along. That, or we can adopt. And I’ve just been worn out with the job. You know how my boss is.”
“Yeah, I do,” Graham replied. “Which is why I want you to have a fun night out, away from all that work and responsibility.”
“Fine,” Jade said with a sigh. “I’ll go. I’m sure he’ll be happy to see me.”
_________________________________________
Jade looked around, feeling uncomfortable. Attractive and rather under-dressed young women surrounded her, trying to get glimpses of the band. She carefully elbowed her way through the crowd and hesitantly addressed the security guard.
“Excuse me,” she said, holding up the backstage pass. “I’m--”
“Wait with the other groupies and fans,” he interrupted her.
“Groupies?” she repeated indignantly. “I’m not a groupie. I’m--”
“--Is there a problem here?” a familiar voice asked. It was nearly drowned out by the loud squeals and screams of the women around her.
“Yeah, this chick says--” the security guard began, indicating Jade.
“Jade,” Mark greeted her, grinning. “You’re here. Great!”
“Oh, you know her?” the guard asked, surprised. “I figured she was, you know…”
“Yeah, I know what you thought,” Mark responded sharply. “Jade is an old friend of mine. Couldn’t you have even bothered to check the list. She’s right at the top. See?” He pointed at the clipboard and tapped her name several times. “Jade Gibson. Now, in the future, speak to people a little more respectfully, regardless of who you think they are. You never know who they know.” He took Jade’s arm and carefully guided her past the guard and barricades. “Stupid jerk,” he muttered, just loud enough for Jade to hear.”
“It’s okay,” Jade lied. “He was just trying to keep you safe.”
“He’s just trying to act like a big-shot,” Mark corrected. “For the record, I don’t know who those other girls are. Probably fans trying to get into my pants. No such luck for them.” He pushed open a door. “Come on, the rest of us are hanging out in here.”
“Us?” Jade echoed.
“My friends, the dudes backing me up, you get the picture.”
Jade nodded and stepped into the room; Mark followed her and shut the door. Jade looked around, chuckling. A group of people were playing an impromptu game of volleyball with an inflatable beach ball, which bounced over to other people from time to time and was tossed or swatted back. A couple of people were drinking and making jokes, and a rather pretty girl with short, curly hair was lounging on the couch.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” Mark told her. “Going to give that security jerk a piece of my mind. I don’t think you want to be around for that.”
“Sure,” Jade responded. She watched him leave, then sat on the couch. The girl already occupying it looked her up and down for several seconds before finally addressing her.
“So, you’re Jade,” she said. No questioning tone to her voice. She was positive.
“Yeah, I am.”
The girl smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Taste of Honey.”
“Is that your real name?”
“It’s real enough. It’s what most people call me now.”
“So… how do you know who I am?”
“Like I said,” Taste of Honey replied nonchalantly, “I’ve heard a lot about you from Mark. He talks about you a lot. That chick, Tacita, too. I’m surprised she’s not here today. Then again, last show, she said she wasn’t feeling so well. Must be a bug or something going around.”
“Wait, Tacita’s normally at the shows?” Jade asked, surprised.
“Yeah, most of the time. Then again, she’s backed Mark a few times, so that’s no big surprise. She’s usually our emergency plan in case one of the band people is a no-show. Happens a lot.”
Click Next: Chapter 46, Part 3 to continue...
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