No More Heartache: The MORE Duet

by Anders, Tarrah

  I’ve lived in Max’s house for about three months. And almost every day of those three months, I haven’t seen the person who my brother is, but a shell of him. He works hard, I’m impressed by that. But as soon as his work day is over, he’s all booze and boobs.

  Which two years ago, I would have happily been joining in, but I’m looking for a job, somewhere in the teaching field or education administration – so I try to keep my head above water. I’ve also got an amazing girlfriend who is in her final year of school at State who is so busy most of the time, I’m glad she hasn’t witnessed some of Max’s bad days. She’s a journalism major, who is editor of the school newspaper as well as holds a monthly column for the Tribune. Since I’ve got my plans on my radar, I can’t say womanizing and binge drinking are high on my list, at least not for the past 3 years. While we may be close, our priorities in life couldn’t be more different.

  I hear a shuffle from the hallway and Max walks out moments later. He’s scratching himself and he looks worse than I feel.

  “Morning.” I say, pretending to not be hung-over.

  “Is it?” He asks.

  “Is it what?”

  “Is it morning or afternoon?”

  I look at the clock on the microwave. “It’s still morning.” Just barely.

  Max makes a disgruntled noise and backs out of the kitchen and plops down on the couch.

  I continue fixing eggs and toast and plate the food into two portions. I can share with my big brother.

  I shove his legs aside and place a plate in front of him on the coffee table. I grab the remote and turn on the morning news. Max grunts before reaching for the plate and devouring the food. He thanks me as he gets up and puts his dish in the dishwasher, then promptly returns to his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. At least he came out of his room today.

  * * *

  I knew they would show up today, and I’m sure Max knows it as well. I answered the door to Lukas, Sterling, and Dane. Sterling was her normal cheery self, as the guys were… well they were guys. We fist bumped as they walked through the door and Sterling managed to give me a hug even though she had some huge Tupperware in her hand.

  “How was he last night?” Dane asked cocking his head towards Max’s room.

  “As one would expect. But I stuck around until last call and we came home and he passed out. He woke up a few hours ago, ate breakfast then returned to his bedroom. I haven’t heard a peep from him since.” I say as I sit on the arm of the couch.

  “Did he mention Betsy at all?” Sterling asks.

  “No. We barely spoke and he hardly even checked out any of the chicks in there. I don’t think he wanted any sort of company last night. He was a dick to me when I first showed up, but I forced myself upon him.”

  Lukas and Dane walked down the hallway as Sterling sat on the couch flipping through channels. Dane lightly knocked on the door and when there was no answer he reached for the doorknob. It wasn’t locked, so they both walked right in and disappeared leaving Sterling and myself.

  “So, how’s Katrina?” Sterling asks.

  I like Sterling, she’s got a background in therapy and social work, so she has become someone that I can speak to about some of the bullshit that I have to deal with around the house since I moved in.

  “She’s good. She’s been busy with writing some huge paper the past week, so we haven’t seen much of another. Actually, today she might have off. After babysitting last night, I could definitely use some R&R.” I pull out my phone and type a quick text to her.

  “We should have you and her over for dinner sometime.” Sterling offers.

  “Yeah. That would be nice.” I say. My brother’s friends are great and all, but they aren’t my friends. We’ve hung out, but Max was always there too.

  My phone vibrates in my hand. I smile. “Looks like Kat wants to do the beach. Can’t say no to that. I’ll see ya later. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen, and you know how to work the TV.” I say getting up and walking towards my room to get my board shorts on.

  “If Max asks, which I doubt he will, I may not be home tonight.”

  “Good to see you Davis, and thanks for last night. I’m thankful Max didn’t kill you for crashing his party and for you being there for him.” She smiles.

  I nod as I enter my bedroom, Max’s door is open, and the guys are sitting on the chairs facing his bed as he’s perched at the top of the bed, still in his clothes from last night. They’re having a quiet conversation, but it’s doesn’t look to be too bad. With that I close my door and get ready for my day date with my girl.

  3

  Max

  My brother left the house in a hurry while everyone was still here. I heard Sterling tinkering in the kitchen as Dane and Lukas were seated in my bedroom, so I moved the party to a more common area. As I entered the kitchen to grab some water, Sterling wrapped her arms around my waist from behind and snuggled her cheek against my back. I momentarily stiffened by the sudden contact but relaxed an instant later. I patted her hands as she withdrew.

  “Hey there.” She smiles as I turn to her.

  “Hey yourself. How’s it?” I ask as I lift the bottled water to my mouth.

  She shrugs and hops up on the counter.

  “I wish you would have called me yesterday. It would have been nice to hear from you.” She says looking down to pick some invisible crumb off the counter.

  I was selfish yesterday, more than usual. I knew I was being like that from the moment I woke up and decided that I wanted nothing to do with people all day, even as my brother forced himself in on my drinking binge last night. But as I’m looking at Sterling right now, all I feel is remorse and shame. Sterling was Betsy’s best friend, of course I’m a jerk. When Betsy died in that car accident, a part of me died too.

  “I didn’t think yesterday, I’m really sorry.” I hang my head.

  “I understand Max, just wanted to be open with you. I can’t lie to you, you mean too much to us.” She says waving towards Dane and Lukas who are now sitting on the couch observing our encounter, but pretending to be watching television, knowing Sterling needs to tell me this stuff.

  “I know. I have no excuses. Sorry.” I acknowledge my fuck up. Sterling lost her best friend just as much as I lost my girlfriend. Damnit ex-girlfriend!

  I step in front of her, as she looks up at me I lean in for a hug. She accepts and squeezes me tightly. We say nothing for a few moments.

  “Alright. Alright. Both of you need to step back from one another. Remember Max, she’s a married woman.” Dane jokes.

  Sterling is laughing as we step away from one another and she turns to exit. I grab her arm and she looks back at me. I mouth I’m really sorry. And she nods.

  * * *

  The week has gone by relatively fast, it’s Wednesday now and I’m sitting in one of the bars that’s in walking distance to my place. From the outside, it looks like any trendy bar that the young 30’s frequent in San Diego. On the inside, there’s memorabilia from each college in the state of California, which the San Diego schools being the biggest and more prominent with lighting foxed precisely over those pieces. The bar isn’t exactly a sports bar, but it’s not exactly a dive either, as it gains a decent crowd. Tonight, I’m situated in the back-corner booth with an ample view of the front door, and the main big screen television, which is currently playing a commercial. There are several groups of people here tonight, as I am sitting alone watching the crowd. I’m sipping on my three fingers of scotch; I think it’s my 2nd drink. I’m still relatively sober, and I’m trying to stay that way as I browse through the crowd to find someone that would catch my attention for the evening. I need to at least portray I’m sober, until I pick up a chick.

  I look at my watch, it’s still early, not even midnight – so some of these women in here should be ready to flirt with a stranger, perhaps even more than flirt. I take a sip of my drink and as I lower the glass, an ass wrapped in sequins is swaying to the overhead bar
music as she talks to two of her friends. I cannot see her face from where I’m sitting, but her backside is pleasurable. I lick my lips in the thought as the girl places her drink down, says something to her friends and turns and starts to walk in my direction. Not exactly to me, but the bathroom which is in the hallway to the right of where my booth is.

  Her front side is just as pleasurable as her backside is. With perky tits and a dick sucking mouth, my dick is instantly tenting my slacks. Our eyes meet and I give her my lopsided grin. She parts those lips and then rights herself and smiles back before taking the turn to the hallway. Before she opens the door to the bathroom, she pauses and looks my direction again. I can practically feel her heart beat from my seat and I lick my lips imagining that heartbeat being my dick pulsing inside her as I come. It’s been a few days, and I could use a good release.

  I scan the crowd as sequins is in the ladies’ room, are there any other takers tonight, just in case? Her friends have spotted me and they’re talking while looking my way. One of them is fuck-able, while the other is frumpy. Neither compare to sequins though.

  Speaking of the devil.

  She slowly walks out of the hallway with a confident swagger staring me down with a hint of a smile ghosted on her lips.

  Those lips.

  They’re covered in some sparkly lip gloss, I hate that shit as it’s so sticky, but who cares when I know what will happen soon. She walks back to her friends, who no doubt have watched me eye fuck their friend. As they are talking excitedly and looking in my direction. Sequins looks over her shoulder and then back to her friends, she grabs her drink and turns around and starts her prowl to me.

  Game on!

  * * *

  Sequins is passed out, naked and face down in my mattress. She told me her name, but I don’t remember it, especially right now as I’m slipping out of the bed and walking into the bathroom to shower and start my day. I try to not bring too many chicks home, since I’m sure my little brother keeps track of all of my activities. Plus, it’s not as easy to get them to leave the next morning, thank God it’s a weekday.

  I’m scrubbing the soap out of my eyes, as I feel soft breasts brush against my front.

  “I figured that I could help you wash your back.” She practically purrs as she reaches for the soap behind me.

  “Sure.” I managed to say as her hand slips down my abdomen and to grasp my dick, my waiting, hard dick.

  “While I could go for a repeat of last night escapades, time does not allow that thorough of a fucking.” I explain, moving her to be beneath the water stream.

  “What if I just used my hand? Or my mouth?” She eagerly says.

  She doesn’t strike me as the dominant type of girl. Nor do I try to continue to fuck the next morning, when I’ve already fucked the night before. But a hand job or a blowjob wouldn’t be a bad way to start the morning. It would be less work for me and this may make my morning meetings more tolerable.

  I place my hands on the tiles behind her and smile. “Whatever you want sweetheart.” I sometimes like to let them think they hold the cards. That my pleasure is in their hands, to an extent it is, but I’m just fucking away, there’s nothing in it for me other than to blow my load. Since we used four condoms last night, I believe my load was blown accurately last night.

  She lowers herself onto her knees and grabs my hips and pulls me to her. I look down as her mouth opens and my dick head brushes her lower lip. My first impressions last night were right, god I love fuck sucking mouths.

  * * *

  “With the final walk through on the Valley project in two weeks, and the final realty office reno coming to an end, what do we have next Max?” Dane asks from my right.

  “It appears that we can sit back and relax. We’ve gone hard for the past 2 years. There’s chatter of a new bar or restaurant space in North county and then there’s some more chatter of a hotel down the road.” I state to the group around me.

  “The hotel, do we know who the owners are for the space or which hotel yet?” Lukas asks.

  “Not yet, but I did hear of the demo for the existing hotel that is in the space currently is scheduled for end of this summer. That gives us 4 months or so to have our ears to the ground.” I scratch the back of my neck.

  “Excellent. Do we have anything else guys?” Dane asks. He likes to take charge of these meetings, I hate even showing up to them, but since I’m one of the 3 partners, I have to. I often have input which is helpful to our company. My heart used to be into my job, but like everything else in my life, I have no desire for anything, so I just go with the motions.

  The meeting ended, and everyone went back to their respective offices. I entered my office and sat at my desk. It was an elegant desk, with three computer screens and several stacks of paper. I started up my computer and sighed. I ran my hand through my hair and exhaled loudly while waiting for the start screen.

  I immediately started browsing project sites and looking for potential projects. I had found a few projects that didn’t fit our line of scope and emailed a few other companies who I thought the projects would work for. That’s how we got the East Village project last year, a fellow friend of mine in an AV company emailed me the job scope and suggested it. Sometimes a helping hand is fruitful, like the one I got this morning.

  Dane and Lukas poke their nosy heads into my office an hour later with burgers and we eat lunch in my office.

  “So, Lukas, whatever happened to that girl you met at the grocery store?” Dane asks wiping his chin.

  “Oh, Tracey. She’s still around.” He says chewing on a french fry.

  “That’s all you’re going to divulge?” Dane asks.

  “Since when do we gossip like chicks? We hang out, and we don’t. She’s busy with work, and so am I. When we feel like it, we hang out.” Lukas shrugs.

  “He means they’re fuck buddies.” I snort.

  “You would know!” Dane retorts jokingly.

  “Yes and no. We’re dating, I guess, but we go without talking or seeing another for a week or so at a time.”

  “That’s fuck buddies, I hate to break it to you.” I throw my wadded up napkin at him.

  “Call it what you want. What about you Max, you seem in a better mood today than usual.” Lukas switches the subject.

  “I had a shower blowjob this morning. I released whatever and all frustrated energy pretty efficiently within the past 24 hours. No biggy.”

  “That explains his glow.” Dane laughs.

  “Shut up motherfucker.” I throw my French fry at him and he dodges and it hits Lukas instead.

  “Quit throwing your shit at me,” Lukas throws the fry back at me.

  “Children! Children! Do I need to separate you?” Dane asks.

  It’s nice to be able to joke around with these guys. It feels like it’s been a while since we were able to be so casual together, it’s my fault I know. But I cannot stop how I am now. This happy mood will likely not last, so I’ll relish it now.

  Morning blow-jobs might have to be a regular occurrence.

  * * *

  I got home and moved slowly through my house. It was too quiet for me. When things are too quiet, my mind drifts, and I don’t like that. I go into the kitchen and grab a glass. I reach into my cupboard and grab the first glass bottle that comes to my fingertips. I pull the bottle up, and note that its vodka. This will do.

  I pour a glass and remove my tie. I start walking towards my bedroom, my eyes lingering on the air freshener in the wall. It smells like cranberries, or at least it used to. My mind is starting to wander as I reach my doorway to the bedroom, I grip the edges.

  I walked into my bedroom and my eyes pinned to the dresser that I cleared out for Betsy’s clothing.

  Dane approaches my side cautiously and asks me what’s up.

  “I need this dresser removed.”

  “Sure, do you want to empty out the drawers; I’ll take it out of here for you.” He asks.

  “No, all contents
can go.” I say as I turn and head towards the bathroom, I need to splash some water on my face. As soon as I’m at the doorway, I see Betsy’s hair brush on the counter. My eyes dart to the toothbrushes and her pink toothbrush is right there. I stumble backwards and I feel Dane’s hands on my upper back steady me. Fucking heavy cast.

  “I’ll take care of it, go chill dude.” Dane says to me as he turns him the direction of the living room. I wobble out of the bedroom and directly towards the kitchen.

  “Better have a fucking beer in here.” I mumble to myself. I swipe a beer out of the fridge, open it and wobble into the living room. My recliner in the corner is calling to me.

  I should have sold this place and rid myself of everything reminding me of her. I’d been begging her to move in for months prior to the accident, she was on the verge of it, I could tell… what would have happened if she did move in?

  I blink rapidly, the dresser is no longer there. I walk further into my bedroom and the bathroom has no female products anywhere in sight. I sit down at the edge of my bed with my drink in my hand. I swallow the remainder of the vodka and let the glass fall to the floor.

  My head is now in my hands and my shoulders are tense. I rub my hands over my face and stand up. I quickly change out of my suit into something more comfortable. I pick up the glass and deposit it in the kitchen as I grab my wallet and keys.

  I need another drink. I think to myself as I leave the house and head down the sidewalk, which bar will it be tonight?

  4

  Davis

  Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. What the hell is that banging noise?

  I slowly open my eyes and hazily peer over at my clock, but I can’t see it because Katrina’s shoulder is in my way, so I lift my heavy head. It’s 3 a.m., what the fuck Max! I slowly lower my feet to the ground softly to not wake up Katrina, although I’m shocked she’s sleeping through this noise.