Nick took a long pause, staring at his mug. Had I gone too far with my simple question? I’m sure the look on my face gave him a hint that I was regretting my choice of words.

«Actually, my girlfriend –

«You mean Lauren?»

«Yeah. She’s giving me the silent treatment, sorta».

I didn’t know if I should ask ‘why’. He looked down. I simply stood up and got another cup of coffee. I grabbed his empty mug and got him a refill too. I don’t know if he wanted one, but it sure looked like he needed one. His hair was all flat from the wig he had been wearing earlier and his left hand was twisting stands of hair. What looked like a slightly-annoyed look on his face soon became a pissed off look. I didn’t know if it was a good idea to sit down (but hey, I was here first!) in front of him again.     

I set the cup of coffee in front of him. I reached for my small purse and thought about leaving, but his hand on my wrist told me otherwise.

«Please, don’t go» he said.

«Nick, you need to go back to your cabin. Or to the party. You can’t stay here, they will find you eventually. Your bodyguard is not in sight, they’d eat you alive.»

«Not if I offer to buy out the place for a little while. They’ll put the key in the door », he added.

«Alright then. Have a good night Nick» I said. I took one last sip and settled the mug on the counter. I was finally able to reach for my purse.

«Hannah, wait. I need to talk to someone»

«Don’t you have a best friend, or a bodyguard or I don’t know, a band member you could talk to?» I asked, puzzled.

«Yes I do, but I already know what they’ll tell me to do. Maybe I don’t want to hear it. Maybe I just feel like talking to you. I don’t know you a whole lot, but talking to a girl is easier.Please, sit».

I knew I’d probably regret it later, but I sat down. Nick stood up and went to talk to the manager of the restaurant and came back.

«Alright, before you start talking, I just want to know if you’re looking for advice or a shoulder to cry on Nick. I’m not sure why you want me here but I need to know what you want out of this discussion». I said, looking at him straight in the eye, for the first time that night.

Sighing, he said «I…huh…I just need to get it out of my system so I can pretend like nothing is wrong tomorrow. It’s super late, or early, I lost track of time. And until I talk it out or hit the gym and kill it, I won’t be able to sleep, no matter how many pills or drinks I swallow».

«So, let me get this straight. You need some sort of help with Lauren but don’t want to ask someone you know because you already know what they’ll tell you…»

«Yeah. Since you don’t know my girlfriend all that much, maybe you’ll be able to give me advice without, you know, saying the obvious, or…huh…getting the wrong idea…» Nick added.

«Totally. So, why is she giving you the silent treatment?» He wanted to talk? There!

«Basically, she’s pissed at me for dragging her along with me on the cruise».

«Why? Didn’t she have a great time last year?» I asked, without thinking.

«Oh she did. Thing is, she was supposed to go to New York City with her girlfriends. She had her weekend all figured out; shopping, sightseeing, eating out. But then, management strongly suggested she’d come. Turns out fans don’t like seeing me drinking and they have this idea that when she is with me, I keep it down. Fans are worried because I gained a little bit of weight and they think I’m back doing drugs and drinking».

«Well, do you?» I asked

«Of course! But nothing compared to what it was like a few years back. I enjoy drinking with my people. Lauren is always getting plastered and hammered whenever we go out. I find it hard not to do the same. Besides, I can fucking drink if I want to. I’m not going out every night and doing blows every day. I’m good now. It pisses me off, thinking management makes me do things that I don’t want to do». Nick added

I simply looked at him while he was talking. I was trying to figure out what he meant by ‘the obvious’. I was still dressed in my 80s outfit and my tights were starting to itch. I reached down and managed to get them off without him noticing anything. My skirt was long enough to cover a little bit of leg. I had them in a ball in my right hand and considered placing the fabric in my tiny purse. Nick looked at me, with an eyebrow raised. Then I realised he was waiting for me to say something. I mind had gone elsewhere with the tights situation.

«Right. You’re saying you didn’t want Lauren here with you ?»

«Yeah. Exactly. She’s great, but this is a fan event. I’m not Brian; I don’t drag my girlfriend everywhere I go. He can’t decide on his own. Fuck, she has his balls in her bag – it’s called a purse Nick! (mocking Leighanne). She has him do whatever he wants. I need my space.» Nick said

I laughed a little at his impression of Brian’s girlfriend and said, «And you couldn’t say no?»

«Well, after the meeting with management, I told Lauren what they had advised me to do and she got mad. She could of said NO! Fuck, why is she making this all about her? »

He was right. She could have said NO and gone on her trip with her friends. She decided to tag along and go with what management had suggested.  «And it’s your fault she’s here?»

«Yep, pretty much. I huh, I didn’t want her here but couldn’t tell her that, right? I simply said she could fly to NYC as planned and that’s when things got ugly» Nick confessed.

«Ugly?» I asked

«Huh huh» He said, looking down at his mug.

«How so?» I continued

«Well, since we’re being honest…Lauren found out about huh…you know…you and huh, me last year, at least I think she did».

«Excuse me, what? Nick, you can’t be serious! It’s impossible. You said she wouldn’t! How…when…why?»

«I don’t know how much she knows, but I know she knows something sorta happened»

I motioned to stand up but his eyes told me not to. «And she didn’t dump your ass?» I asked

«No…I, huh, I’d done it before and well, she knew. She doesn’t like it, but she puts with it when I…huh, when I misbehave…yeah. I know…» Nick said.

«I can’t stay here. I thought kicking you out of my cabin that morning was a good move. Judy was my only worry and she still doesn’t know anything».

«You didn’t tell her? Why?» Nick asked, looking seriously disappointed

«Nick, really...I—

«No, I wanna know why you still haven’t told her. Not to brag but usually girls talk about me all over the internet…» He added shyly.

«I’m not telling you. And there’s nothing to tell, really. We had sex, that’s it. I don’t usually talk about people I hook up with»

Nick laughed a little and gave me this funny accusing look, «nothing to tell? Really…»

How did he manage to make this conversation about me now. I didn’t like where this was going. I was pretty sobered up now and didn’t want to put my foot in my mouth. He was pretty pissed about the whole situation, but his body language was telling me otherwise. «Nick, let’s go back to your story now. I think Lauren was just insecure. She didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, she’s just insecure you’re gonna do it again. And she can always go to New York next week, no?»

«That’s the thing, though. I was a good boy all year. Well, most of the year. She has nothing to be insecure about, right?» Nick convinced himself

«Right!» I said, smiling at him.

«Unless…» He added

«Unless what?» I asked

«Unless you’d want to…you know…do it again» he smirked

«Nick, Are you kidding me? No!»

«I was just joking, don’t worry. I’m glad you didn’t say Oh yes, Nick, take me right here on this very table» Oh my gosh, he was mocking me!

I motioned over the table to plant my hand over his mouth, before the manager heard anything. He grabbed my wrist and said «Huh, Hannah, I can see down your shirt. Hmm, no bra? That’s not how they did it in the 80s. But for the record, they still look pretty good from this angle». I hit him in the arm , sat back and stuck my tongue at him. «Alright, so where is Lauren anyway? Was she at the party earlier?» I asked, laughing. He then told me she had been gambling his money away at the Casino ever since they had set foot on the boat.