How Do You Like Me Now?

Part Nine


“Mr. Taylor,” the strict, stern voice of Perry Macalister rang
throughout the room. Tristan, along with Yugi and Duke, looked up from
their card game on the round table in the corner. Perry’s voice sounded
uncharacteristically cross, and his angry eyes narrowed even further at
the condition of the greenroom he had entered. Beer cans, pizza boxes,
and other such garbage littered the floor. Such was one of the
downfalls of working with such young bachelors.

“What’s up your ass, Perr?” Tristan frowned, crushing his cigarette in
the ashtray in front of him.

“Mr. Taylor,” Perry said again. “Where is Mr. Wheeler?”

Tristan scoffed. “How the hell should I know?” He pushed a few green
bills to the center of the table. “Raisin’ you.”

“Fuck it,” Duke growled, throwing his cards down.

“Whaddya got, Yugi?” Tristan inquired.

“Full House!” Yugi beamed, obviously quite pleased with himself.

“Fuck,” Tristan moaned. “You sure this your first time playing, Yugi?”

“Mr. Taylor,” Perry said yet again. Reheaehearsal is in one hour. Mr.
Wheeler is nowhere to be found and he’s already missed three rehearsals
these last two weeks. He cannot miss any more.”

“Come on Perr, cut the guy some slack,” Tristan replied, collecting the
cards from the table. “He went through some tough shit recently.”

“The show must go on,” Perry stated firmly. “He’ll have plenty of time
to contemplate what’s happened after rehearsal.”

The brown-haired boy sighed heavily. “All right, I’ll find him.” He
rose from his seat and turned to his friends. “You wanna come with?”

“Sure,” Yugi nodded. “I’ll come.”

“Why not?” Duke shrugged. “Got some time to kill. Where to?”

“Good question,” Tristan frowned thoughtfully. “I’ll see if I can reach
his cell.”

“I’ve already tried that,” Perry intervened. “He won’t answer.”

“Just because he won’t talk to you don’t mean he won’t talk to me,”
Tristan replied.

Perry narrowed his eyes, obviously somewhat insulted. Tristan unhooked
his cellular phone from his belt and pushed a few buttons, then put it
to his ear. After a few moments, he began speaking into the phone.

“Hey Joe, it’s Tris. Um, Perr’s looking all over for you. We got
rehearsal in an hour. Where are you, man? Gimmie a call on my cell. See
ya.” He pushed another button and turned to Perry, shrugging. “Nope, no
answer. Maybe he has it off.”

“Well, he’s not here and he’s not at the hotel,” Perry replied. “You
know this city better than I do, so I’m leaving it entirely up to you
to find him before rehearsal.” The older man turned then and walked
rigidly out the door.

“Fuck this shit,” Tristan groaned. “Why the hell is it my job to play
babysitter?” He picked up the jacket he had earlier draped over his
chair and put it on. “Ready guys?”

“Sure,” Yugi nodded. He and Duke joined him at the door and walked with
him outside to the waiting limousine.

****


He had just about dozed off when the phone rang. Again. He groaned and
reached over to the coffee table, picking up the phone and lazily
examining the name displaying the identity of the caller. This time it
was Tristan, not Perry, but Joey was almost certain that the brunette
had been instructed to call. He sighed, tossing the phone back onto the
table and laid his head back down on the arm of the couch. He was not
in the mood for Perry or rehearsals, or even Tristan. He was not in the
mood for anything, really. All he wanted to do was rest. After all, he
had spent the last few days and nights awake, pondering over the
remnants of the relationship he had once had with one Seto Kaiba, and
what that single kiss in the hospital room meant. After the kiss was
broken, Kaiba had turned from him and went to sleep, or at least
pretended to, and Joey had left then, not wanting to stay in awkward
silence any longer than necessary. He was not entirely sure whether
that was the best thing to do or not, or if he should have stayed with
the brunette a bit longer, and the question ate away at hinsisnsisting
for an answer.

The one who had been most pleased with the kiss, he thought, was not
Joey, nor Kaiba, but instead Mokuba. Once the black-haired young man
had heard what had transpired, he bore a smile that extended from ear
to ear and remained there for the rest of the evening. He had
congratulated Joey on his courage for doing such a thind hnd had told
the blonde that he would speak to his brother about enc encounter.
Kaiba’s reaction to Mokuba’s questioning had, as far as Joey had heard,
not been the greatest. Kaiba completely shut off from his brother and
refused to say anything regarding the blonde. Still, Mokuba insisted
that Joey not give up hope, for it would only be a matter of time
before his elder brother came around to him again. That was why Joey
was deep in thought. That was why he did not feel like attending any
rehearsals. And that was why Mokuba had invited to Joey to stay at
their apartment for as long as he wanted.

Presently, Mokuba was not home. He was at work, leaving Joey and the
recently-returned Kaiba in the apartment alone. Of course, Kaiba was
resting in his room and Joey was laid out on the yellow couch in the
den, his mind filled with dozens of thoughts and questions that had no
answers. He had no intention of bothering the brunette, out of both
politeness and cautiousness. After all, he had just returned from the
hosl anl and would want to get some sleep. Joey reasoned that that was
why he was not in there with him, not because he was nervous around
him. Really, why would Joey be nervous around him? They had shared many
an intimate moment together and there was nothing they could hide from
one another. He thought. Now Kaiba was so different that he hardly him.
It unnerved him, how much the former CEO had changed, and he could not
help but pity the man. He had lost everything in mere seconds, and the
result was so devastating that he had become an entirely different
person. He used to be proud, arrogant, and confident. Now he was
uncertain, weak, and vulnerable. Joey had never thought he would ever
see Seto Kaiba as such. But there was he was, in the apartment of this
new Seto Kaiba, wondering how the hell he was going to be able to
confront the brunette when the time arose. If the time ever arose. He
had his doubts. Kaiba was furious with him, for coming back, for
talking to him, and for kissing him, and Joey knew that.

The shrill sound of his cell phone scared him nearly out of his pants,
and he jumped up, grabbing the small device and inspecting the caller
identification. Taylor, Tristan.
Joey sighed and pushed the ‘accept’ button. He was never going to get
any peace until he talked to somebody.

“Tris, what the hell do you
want?” he growled. Of all people, Tristan should have known Joey’s
current state of mind and his unsaid wish to be left alone.

“Joe, there you are,” came his friend’s voice. “Where the hell are you,
man? Perr’s on my ass about you missin’ rehearsals. We got one in an
hour, y’know.”

“Yeah, I know,” Joey muttered. “But… I can’t. Not now. I…”

“Joe, Perr’s not gonna take ‘no’ for an answer and you damn well know
that,” Tristan responded. “It’ll take, what? Two hours at the most?
We’ll come pick you up. Where are you?”

“I ain’t goin’, Tris,” the blonde snapped. “And that’s that. Besides,
Mokuba ain’t here and I gotta stick around in case Kaib needs anything.”

“What the hell’re you doing at Kaiba’s house?”

The color in Joey’s face wiped clean away. Damn… Tristan was not supposed to
find out where he was… Why am I such
a fucking idiot? “Ain’t none of your business,” he replied.
“Just tell Perr to have the rehearsal without me.”

“What? How’re we gonna rehearse without you? You’re the fucking lead
singer!”

“Then just call the fucking thing off!” Joey retorted, a bit louder
than he had meant to. “I ain’t goin’, so get off my back!” He did not
wait for a response but hung up and switched off the phone, tossing it
roughly at the table. It bounced off the edge, hit the floor, and slid
under the couch.

****


“Fuck,” Tristan blinked, staring at his phone in confusion. “I pushed
some buttons I didn’t know he had…”