Erik inhaled, looking at the ceiling. “I wasn’t sure.” He dragged both palms down his face. “When I caught her with that prick the other day, I wanted to send everything to hell. For a moment, nothing made sense. It was like, what have I done so wrong for her to need to seek another man’s attention like this? As if everything I’ve done for her has been a useless waste of time.” A sonorous huff resonated in the room when he leaned his elbows on his knees.
Chris hated seeing him like this. It made his heart ache. His heart, an organ that barely belonged to his body.
Look, he didn’t remember what having a girlfriend was like anymore, but he still understood loyalty and honesty. Why would someone promise fidelity only to end up fucking around like a Whitechapel prostitute? What was the point? Why crush someone else’s trust and self-esteem? He was probably biased—cheating was a sore spot for him since his father had left—but he couldn’t stand the lies and betrayal.
“Then I realized this is not about me,” Erik continued. “We’ve fought too hard, fucking sweated blood and tears to create something. I can’t assume and make those kinds of decisions by myself because a two-year relationship is over.”
“You’re an idiot,” Chris replied.
“Thanks?” Erik gave him a lopsided grin.
“I don’t know if I should feel offended about you thinking so low of us.” The guitarist flipped a finger between him and Marc as he leaned back on the couch, a leg crossed over the other. “Or if I should be happy that you put us first. But either way, I stand by what we swore over a pack of beers and that nasty, spit handshake five years ago;bros before hoes. Remember?”
In the past, they’d all had issues with other male friends because of pussy. Actually, Erik’s previous group had dissolved over something similar—two of the members had fought over a chick they were both nailing.What are we, kids?
Although everyone appreciated a good fuck, they didn’t want their relationships or any other personal shit outside their group to mess up the haven that was music. It was stupid. This was the one thing that kept them going, even on their worst days. It was what had brought them together, what made them feelalive, and they fucking deserved it after overcoming many hurdles.
“I remember, yeah…” Erik let out a bitter chuckle. “What are we gonna do if we kick her out?”
“We’ll figure it out. We always do,” Marc reassured him.
“You sure?”
“Yup. Finding a new vocalist won’t be as hard as it was in the beginning. We’re the shit now.”Chris pretended to check his nails and polished them on his chest with a fake air of superiority. “Besides, we have Luca and Uwe. Don’t worry about those minor details.” He waved a hand dismissively, grinning. Those two dudes were more than their techs, and had been their saving grace multiple times.
“Minor details.” The drummer snorted.
“Anyway,” Marc started, “how are you holding up?”
“This is why you told me to come earlier today?” he asked, the shit-eating grin curling his lips ratting him out. He already knew the answer.
“Dude, you just told us she cheated, and you weren’t coming to the bar because you were having a talk,” the bassist countered. “We’re worried about you.”
“Honestly?” The other two nodded. “I’m as good as someone can be after getting home from work to find his girl on all fours with a dude ramming into her from behind,” Erik said, his face as stoic as his tone.
The room froze for an endless second.
This man was cautious and always thought twice before acting, but the mask of calmness he was wearing now felt so odd it gave Chris the chills. It was most likely that snake’s fault. She had sucked all the blood in the drummer’s system and he had become a dead man walking.
“What the fuck?” Marc cursed under his breath.
“Yeah.” Erik lifted a shoulder and twirled the drumsticks in his fingers. “The talk afterward went marvelous, too. She blamed it on me.”
“Of course.” Chris rolled his eyes.
“According to her, I was neglecting our relationship because I’ve been spending too much time with Julia and made her feel lonely.”
“You live together, play in the same band… What the hell does she want?” Chris clipped, biting his tongue to not blurt out what he was really thinking. “So fucking needy.”
Selfish. Hypocrite. Liar. A fucking cancer.The list went on.
Julia had been friends with Erik since high school, and she was struggling. Her ex had cheated on her with her best friend five weeks before their wedding—that they knew of.
What the fuck is wrong with people? Is someone giving discount vouchers for all-inclusive vacations in the Bahamas to royal dickheads and I didn’t know?
Anyway, she had been dating that asshole for over a decade, and it had only been seven fucking weeks since he’d fucked up big time. Why couldn’t LeBitch understand that Julia needed a shoulder to cry on?
“Yeah… The funniest thing is that Hannah’s been shagging the idiot for three months.”
