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Before: Unibrow


Ashley

"Army, Navy, or Marine?" Nick asked, sipping the dregs of his pint.

I studied the brunette we were circling tonight for a moment. She had a purse with little birds all over it and lipstick the color of a cherry red Mustang. But other than the slutty lipstick, she looked kind of prudey. "Navy," I answered.

Nick nodded. He ran a hand through his hair.

"You do know the moment you go over there she's gonna know who you are anyways, though, don't you?" I asked.

Nick looked over his shoulder at her. "You think?"

"I bet you anything you want that she went to see you on tour." I guesstimated her age quickly. "In 1999. When she was fourteen."

Nick laughed. "You think she's that young?"

"I bet she's still in college," I answered, nodding. "Nursing degree. She wants to help save lives." I said the last line as whimsfully as I was capable of.

Nick grinned. "She can practice on me."

I took a sip of my drink.

"Okay. So. No Navy."

"No Navy."

Nick nodded and slid out of his seat. "Wish me luck."

"You don't need it," I said, shaking my head, "This one's in the sack."

"Well, not yet," Nick answered, winking. He wandered away towards the Brunette.

I finished my drink and carried our glasses up to the bar. "Hey can we close our tab? Nick'll pick it up."

The bar tender nodded and ducked away with the dirty glasses. I glanced back at Nick and the brunette. They were already talking over at the booth, her hand caressing the back of his neck, her fingertips playing with the hair at the top of his spine. I gnawed my lip and turned away. A guy was suddenly in front of me, and it was a close call that he didn't dump a pint of beer all over me.

"Sorry," he said. He gave me a once over and ducked away.

Even drunk guys don't hit on me.

I stepped out of the bar onto the sidewalk and started walking down the street. It was my nightly routine. Get out of work, go hook Nick up, walk home, sit in the dark with the glowing Christmas tree, stare at the wall, think about Nick and his flavor of the night, fall asleep at some point, and wake up just in time to call him and get him out of the one night stand's apartment before she woke up.

I really needed to get a cat or a dog or something.

When I got home, I turned on the tree lights and sat on the couch and turned on I Love Lucy.




Nick

"So what are you doing for Christmas?" Brian was packing up the last of our equipment in the studio. He had a sore throat and he sounded like shit so we'd called it early.

"More like who is he doing for Christmas," AJ chortled. He raised his hand for a high-five and our palms clapped together as I grinned and laughed.

Brian rolled his eyes, "Well that's the holiday spirit," he said. He tucked the case under his arm and turned to load it onto the dolly. I made a face at his back and AJ snorted. "Wouldn't you rather spend it with family?" he asked.

I laughed, "Yeah, I'd love to go to my mother's and listen to her bitch that her new mother-in-law hates her table cloth." I shook my head, "I'll pass, thanks."

"What about Angel and Aaron or something," Brian suggested. "I mean, didn't y'all decide to stick together this year?"

"They're going to some whatever, whatever, party, something," I replied. Brian raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't paying attention really," I answered. "Angel called while I was with a girl and --"

"Was she good?"

"Angel?"

"No dumbfuck, the girl."

This last exchange was obviously AJ, not Brian. Brian turned away, exasperated. "There's no talking to you anymore," he muttered. He shoved the last of the cans onto the dolly and rolled it out the door.

AJ was still waiting expectantly. I shrugged, "Eh."

"You don't remember do you?" AJ laughed, "You've had so much sex this week that you don't remember." He shook his head in the way that proud fathers do when they're impressed with their kids. "Taking up the slack now that I'm off the market," he said, patting my back, "I really didn't think you had it in you, but you've done good, kid."

Howie came in from the van where he'd been loading the dollies as Brian pushed them out. "What's Brian pissed about?" he asked.

"Nick's getting laid more than he is," AJ said.

Howie picked up a water bottle that may or may not have been his originally and took a sip out of it. He shook his head, "Why do you guys gotta antagonize him? You know he's going through a hard time."

"If Rok is going through such a hard time then maybe he should get his balls back and do something about it," AJ replied.

"Yeah anyway," I chimed in.

Howie thumbed over his shoulder, "Also, Kevin wanted me to tell you guys that you can get off your asses and come out and help us anytime now."

AJ and I got up and followed Howie out into the parking lot. Kevin and Brian were unloading the dolly into the van. Howie rejoined them. AJ took a pack of cigarettes out of his coat pocket and lit up. He held the pack to me and I took one, too. We watched the other three guys load up the stuff. "So... How's Ashley?" AJ asked.

"What?" I asked.

"Ashley," AJ said, "You know - Dogface."

"Oh Dogface is okay," I replied. I took the lighter he was holding out and sparked the end of the cigarette. "I swear the girl can read minds like the sparkley guy in Twilight."

"Edward," AJ supplied, taking his lighter back.

"Yeah, the guy with the pleated pants."

"That look is coming back," AJ said with a shrug.

I took a drag off my cigarette. "Why?"

"Why is it coming back? I dunno. Maybe the pants companies are just sick of all the skinny jeans."

"No, no. I mean why are you asking about Dogface?" I asked.

AJ shrugged. "Just curious. She's kind of hot you know."

"Eh."

AJ laughed. "You don't even see it."

"See what?"

AJ shook his head, "What you've got right in front of --"

"Are you fucks just gonna stand over there or are you going to actually make yourselves useful?" Kevin called, interrupting AJ, as he turned around to aim the dirty brow at us.

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Why'd we let him back in the band again?"

"When you rub the unibrow, a genie pops out and grants you magic wishes?" I suggested.

AJ tossed his half spent cigarette onto the ground and scraped it with his toes. "Oh is that why?" he asked.

I shrugged, "It's the rumor. I've never dared to rub the unibrow long enough to find out if it's true."