Tick, tick, tick, tick.
When he emerged from the bathroom, she hadn’t moved.
“Your sweatshirts are gone.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his shoulders stoop. “It’s for the best.”
You cannot believe that,she wanted to shout. Instead, she averted her gaze and got in the shower.
The next night, she initiated by pronouncing Noah’s character dead.
“I just c-c-can’t believe it, Doctor,” she gasped.
“It is unbelievable,” said Noah dryly.
AJ then forced Noah to play a slew of rebound lovers to the bereaved W. She picked them up at a local dive by writing her number on their plates in ketchup.
The chair had been fixed again, and AJ used it to stage fuck W’s lovers in several positions.
After every one, she cried for missing F.
Once a respectful mourning period had been observed, AJ informed Noah that he was now Hank, the guy who would never live up to F’s memory. They spent what felt like an eternity as W and Hank, during which a kindly Hank could not reach a disenchanted and emotionally unavailable W. The set ended with W going back to the dive bar to try to feel something with a stranger.
Noah left the stage without AJ after one curtain call, and she did not know which he would rather do: yell at her or Heathcliffian Death Fuck her. The question had to be put on hold because Dave and Dani Chan were waving her down outside their dressing room.
“Age, nice job,” said Dave, giving her a quick hug. “That was…really dark.”
“Right?” said AJ, affecting cheer.
At that moment, Noah stalked up to them.
“Hey, Dave. Hey, Dani,” he said evenly. “Thanks for coming.”
“Nice job, Rho,” said Dave. Dani eyed Noah skeptically.
Five shows left.
For their second Wednesday performance, Noah initiated a scene close to his heart.
“We’re renovating the kitchen,” he announced.
“I have some news, too,” said AJ. “The FDA just approved a new treatment for your cancer. Sure is lucky we held out, even when they told us it was hopeless.”
Noah’s energy coiled like a serpent ready to strike. He nodded stiffly.
“Just in time for the renovation, too,” AJ added chipperly.
He agreed to the treatments, and for a while everything went well.
It was a particularly spicy evening for W and F. Noah had never kissed AJ onstage this much. To AJ’s embarrassment, this was deeply affecting. She could not help how her body responded to him, and every time he initiated physical intimacy, she would get increasingly turned on.
“God, you get me going,” he said, pulling her hips flush against his groin. The audience hooted as he brought their lips together, as she gasped.More.
Then it stopped.
The drug, Noah informed her, was having deleterious side effects. The prime one was that he no longer had interest in sex with her.
“But you never know, it might come back,” he said. “Hand me that demo bar, will you?”
