Misery Loves Company

By: theinkslingerr

Track 39: Sound & Color

"W-what're you doing here?" I stammered instead of accepting the cup of coffee.

Rocco chuckled, but the glimmer of hurt in his eyes made me wish I could take it back. "I'm Jae's ride on his quest for redemption."

So Jae had come to apologize.

"Did you or Ji-Hyun put him up to this? Or is he actually sorry?" I crossed my arms to ward off the chill in the air, and tried not to shiver in my bomber jacket.

Rocco came forward, pressing one of the coffees into my hands before ushering me farther into the parking lot. "Get in the car and I'll tell you."

His black Range Rover was parked nearby. Totally conspicuous now that I knew who it belonged to. He opened the passenger's side and let me in, then climbed into the driver's seat. He blasted the heat, and within seconds the car grew warm and toasty.

"Rocco, is he sorry?" I asked again.

He cradled his cup in both hands, choosing to stare out of the windshield thoughtfully. "He's sorry. But he needs a little help. On Tuesday, when we were leaving for Enid's, he asked me if I could get Sienna's number from you. He didn't say anything about apologizing, but I know Jae. He wouldn't have asked if that wasn't his plan. But then Ackerman called and told us the shoot was cancelled so...it didn't feel right asking you for her number when it seemed like something else was going on."

Something else had been going on, but knowing I'd delayed Sienna's apology didn't make me feel good.

I took a sip of coffee, so Rocco wouldn't see the guilt on my face and almost spit it out. It was about as old and bitter as a divorcée with ten cats. But I took a second sip— anything to avoid eye contact.

"You seemed into the idea of talking to Paula, so when the shoot got cancelled and I didn't hear from you..."

He got worried. And I iced him out like a colossal jerk.

"Anyway," Rocco mumbled. "I told Jae to suck it up and just get Sienna's number from Ji-Hyun, but she wouldn't give it to him. She told him he should apologize in person, so here we are."

"How'd you know I'd be with her?" I asked.

He put his coffee in one of the cup holders, and finally looked at me. "I didn't. Came along for moral support. I was thinking about stopping by your place after, but Jae shot me a text when you walked into the shop with Sienna."

"Oh..." The Bro Code in action.

An awkward silence enveloped the car as I fiddled with the lid on the styrofoam cup.

"I dig the hair," Rocco offered, one corner of his mouth lifting.

"Thanks." I took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, OK? I didn't mean to get..."

"Distant?" he supplied.

"Yeah. The truth is something did happen on Tuesday, but I can't— don't look at me like that. I can't tell you. It's not my thing to tell."

He studied me for a moment, then let out an irritated sigh. "What's she up to now?"

"Who?"

"You know who, Miz."

Man, he was good. It was tempting to just blurt out everything. "Look, it's not a big deal." Only it was. "Just a power play. And when Enid gets what she wants, it'll be over."

I hope.

"And what exactly does she want?" Rocco asked calmly.

I wasn't falling for that again. I remembered how calmly he'd sat and listened to the summary of my date with Dom, the kiss, and the Peeping Tom in the bathroom. He hadn't seemed angry then either, but as soon as I was done, he'd jumped up and made me fear for Dom's life. Rocco rarely lost his temper, so when he did it was unsettling.

I had to approach this from a different angle. "What do you tell me whenever you get those weird calls?"

He stiffened, eyes narrowing slightly. "That's hardly the same—"

"You tell me it's nothing. Well, this is nothing, Rocco. Trust me. Things are already pretty much back to normal. You don't need to worry," I insisted.

Enid was itching to get out from under Edwardo's roof, and she said she'd found cheap apartments nearby. As long as I didn't rock the boat and say anything to Paula about her puking her guts out, I'd be in the clear. Then I'd make sure she deleted the picture of me and Rocco from her camera roll, the recovery folder, and every cloud on the face of this planet.

"If back to normal is Enid treating you like crap, it's hard not to," Rocco muttered.

We eyed each other warily, neither one of us backing down. How come he was allowed to worry about me, but I wasn't allowed to worry about him? Taking in his furrowed brow, tousled black hair, and the challenge in his hazel eyes, it struck me how similar we were about certain things.

I was going to point out this mutual hypocrisy of ours, when my phone vibrated with a text from Sienna.

Sienna: So...am I calling Liam Neeson or what?

I turned away from the pull of Rocco's magnetic gaze to respond.

Me: I'm with Rocco. Jae didn't tell you he was here?

Sienna: The only thing Jae has announced is that he wants coffee. I offered him a cup from the Keurig in the break room, and he proceeded to tell me he didn't drink rotgut diarrhea water from k-cups :)

I groaned loudly.

"What?" Rocco asked, shifting closer.

"Does Jae know what an apology is? He's completely striking out in there."

"Really?" I showed him Sienna's text and this time he was the one who groaned. "That idiot! He's trying to ask her to get a cup of coffee with him next door."

I cracked a smile. "Wow, you got all that from 'rotgut diarrhea water'?"

"Funny how I'm just discovering this undercover smart mouth of yours. How long do you usually wait before revealing it?" Rocco shot me an amused look as he pulled out his own phone to send a text to Jae.

"Ninety days, but I'm running a special."

He chuckled, and a minute later my phone buzzed again.

Sienna: OK...so now Jae wants me to get coffee with him next door. Well, joke's on him, because their coffee sucks!

I could attest to that, but I gave Rocco a quick thumbs-up before replying: Go! He probably doesn't wanna talk to you with your mom and the rest of the staff eavesdropping.

Sienna: What about you? We were supposed to get pizza D:

Me: I'll be fine.

Sienna: Truuuue. You're with your maaaaan ;)

I stuffed my phone in my pocket, and glanced at Rocco to see him smirking.

"I'm your man, huh?"

My cheeks burned, and it wasn't because the heat was blowing in my face. "Anyone ever tell you how nosy you are?"

"You had it in plain sight."

"Whatever."

"So, when'd you tell her you weren't actually going out with Dom?" Rocco asked, brow quirked.

I bit my lip. "Er...this afternoon? Sorry, it just kind of happened. I know she won't tell anyone."

"I believe that."

My stomach chose that moment to rumble loudly. I put my hand over it, and laughed, a little embarrassed. Aside from breakfast and the snacks I'd had while Sienna braided my hair, I hadn't eaten much today.

"Hungry?" Rocco asked, putting the car in drive. "Let's hit a drive-thru."

"Aren't you Jae's ride?"

"Yeah, but something tells me he'll be at that coffee shop for a while." Ever the optimist, Rocco pulled out of the parking spot one-handed and grabbed his coffee cup with the other. He took a sip and choked. "Holy—"

"Yeah...Jae's gonna love it."

Our first drive-thru attempt didn't go well.

Rocco pulled up to the window at a Wendy's, and the girl manning it shrieked in recognition.

"Oh my God!" She practically hung herself out of the window. "It's you! I— I...guys! Guys! It's Rocco from Blue Vendetta!"

A few co-workers gathered around her; some curious, some skeptic.

"Last time it was Liam Hemsworth. I think you need to get your eyes checked, Patrice."

They took a closer look.

"No, wait. It's really him!"

"Dude, no homo, but I love you."

"Means a lot, guys. Thanks," Rocco replied politely.

Then he tore out of the parking lot so quickly, you could've fried an egg over his tire tracks.

I burst out laughing as we made our getaway. "Did you forget who you were, Black Stallion?"

"Never call me that," Rocco grumbled, speeding down the road.

"Did the people at the gross coffee shop recognize you?"

"Yup. I spent twenty minutes taking selfies with everyone before I got my order."

Our second drive-thru attempt went better.

Mostly because Rocco found an old beanie in the glove compartment, and slapped it on when we pulled up to the window. The McDonald's employee handing him the food stared a little too long, but we made it through relatively unscathed. Rocco and I high-fived, and he slid the Rover into a spot at the far corner of the parking lot. He put on the Sound & Color album by Alabama Shakes as we devoured our food.

The enclosed space, the cloying heat, and the sound of Brittany Howard's voice breaking as she begged her lover for his love created a torrid atmosphere similar to the one on the night we kissed. It was hard choking down my chicken nuggets under these conditions, but Rocco cooled everything down by talking about Blue Vendetta's upcoming album. He told me how daunting releasing a second album was when your first one was an unexpected hit.

"It's called the sophomore slump," Rocco explained, polishing off the last of his fries. "For students, it means slacking off in school. For athletes, it means sucking after a stellar rookie season. And for musicians, it means failing even though your fans and your label have high hopes for you. A lot of artists don't live up to the hype of their first album, and the ones that start off strong don't finish that way."

I could hear the stress in voice, feel the weight of his words. "I've heard of it, but...I don't think it'll happen to you guys. You've got stuff to say, and it really resonates with people. Even if I didn't see that at first."

Rocco threw me a lop-sided grin. The one that set off butterflies in my stomach. "I don't know what's cuter. You hating us or you loving us."

"I'll take a subject change for eight hundred dollars, Alex." I tucked a braid behind my ear, slurping on my soda.

Rocco chuckled at the Jeopardy reference, head swiveling to survey the shopping center we were parked in. "You know, I could really go for some dessert."

"We literally just ate!"

"I'm a growing boy. I have needs."

Me: OK, so they've got Batman and Spider-man. Which one do you want?

Rocco: Pics?

I sighed and snapped pictures of both masks then sent them to him. I was in the toy aisle of a dollar store in the same shopping center as the McDonald's we'd gone to, and Rocco's brilliant plan was for me to get him a disguise so he could come inside and load up on junk food with me. The beanie alone wasn't going to cut it in a well-lit store, and they were out of sunglasses and scarves, so that left...superhero masks. Creepy, plastic superhero masks with eyeholes too far apart to be functional.

Rocco was currently in the car trying to figure out which one he wanted. He was being really picky, and I needed him to hurry him up.

Me: It doesn't matter. They're both hideous.

Rocco: Help me choose.

Me: Idk...Batman?

Rocco: Spider-man it is!

I tossed Batman back onto the messy shelving. Sometimes I wanted to find Rocco annoying, but he made it hard.

I paid for the mask, took it outside, and watched Rocco transform from a rockstar into the type of creep people hired to do kids' birthday parties.

I laughed right in his face.

"It's that bad?" He bent to look at himself in one of the car's side mirrors and started laughing with me. "I look like I'm getting ready to rob a bank! Or go out during the Purge."

"Can you even see out of the eyeholes?"

"Barely," Rocco admitted. He deepened his voice and pointed in the direction of the dollar store. "Come on, Robin. Back in we go!"

"Oh my God. Why didn't you just get the Batman one?"

We spent forty minutes exploring the dollar store, and buying everything from Rocco's beloved Sour Patch Kids to the ingredients for s'mores. The employees were initially worried when Rocco strolled in with his creepy Spider-man mask, but once they realized he wasn't there to rob them (and that I'd bought the mask five minutes ago), they laughed at our antics and made funny little comments.

"They totally think you're a weird cosplayer who's out of touch with reality," I teased, pushing our cart full of snacks.

Rocco bumped into another shelf, and I giggled. He really couldn't see a thing.

"Out of touch with reality?" he groaned, rubbing his shoulder. "These bruises feel very real to me."

Back in the car, Rocco tore into a bag of watermelon sour patch kids immediately. Watching him happily munch on them with the Spider-man mask on top of his head warmed my heart and brought a huge smile to my face.

He suddenly glanced at me, and I looked down to root around in one of the plastic shopping bags. I didn't want him to catch me staring. "Why'd we buy stuff for s'mores again?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Rocco said with a shrug.

I peered around the shopping center and the surrounding trees. Even though it wasn't one of my usual haunts, I was still somewhat familiar with this part of town. I got on Google maps, and my suspicions were confirmed. "Actually...there's a big park close by with fire pits. Wanna go make some s'mores?"

Rocco grinned, once again putting the car in drive. "Let's go make some s'mores."

Midland Park was downright creepy at night.

In fact, if Rocco hadn't been so gung-ho about the s'mores, I would've suggested that we go somewhere else.

Somewhere well-lit with a zero percent chance of getting murdered. Or mauled by wild animals.

I walked a little closer to him as we made our way to one of the fire pits, eyeing the shadows and gnarled tree branches warily. It felt colder here, and the twigs and dead leaves crunched loudly under our feet.

The fire pit was crudely designed, surrounded by heavy gray stones that looked like they'd been there since the dawn of time. Huge logs encircled it, and Rocco plopped down on one and started unpacking the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows.

"Haven't done this in forever," he declared, excitement evident in his voice. "My grandparents always used to take me camping when I was a kid."

I smiled softly. His genuine enthusiasm was making me less creeped out. Not to mention, this was one of the few times he'd volunteered information about his family and childhood. I had to tread lightly if I wanted to know more. When it came to his past, Rocco was more skittish than a stray cat.

"What was your favorite camping trip?" I asked, sitting beside him on the log.

"Southern Cove Lake," he answered immediately. "My grandpa forgot the bug spray, so we spent all night being eaten alive. Then he had the brilliant idea of making this home remedy, but it just made us more delicious. We were swatting bugs left and right when my nonna decides to turn it into a dance party. None of us can dance, by the way. The next day we got real bug spray, but it was kind of pointless. We already looked like uncooked pepperoni pizzas."

Rocco had been chuckling while telling the story, but it slowly faded into a look of contemplation.

"Did your grandparents raise you? They sound fun," I said gently.

"Yeah, they're great," Rocco replied, opening the bag of marshmallows. He took one out. "Betcha I can catch one in my mouth."

I held in a sigh at the subject change. I wanted to learn more about him, not play games. I thought about pressing the issue, but vetoed the idea as soon as it popped into my head. Rocco would definitely clam up and work even harder to divert the attention away from himself.

So, I grabbed a marshmallow and threw it at his face. He missed, but caught the next one.

Soon we had a fire blazing (thanks to the lighter Rocco found in his car) and delicious marshmallows cooking over it.

I pulled my stick back, sandwiching the gooey marshmallow between a wedge of chocolate and two graham crackers. It looked and smelled amazing, so instead of waiting for it to cool off, I took a big bite and immediately regretted it. Searing pain tore through the inside of my mouth, causing me to choke and start coughing. My eyes watered, and I dropped the s'more in order to clutch the bottom half of my face.

"Careful!" Rocco handed me a bottle of water. "Couldn't wait, huh?"

I gulped down the water, letting it soothe the stinging nerves in my mouth. Rocco shook his head and seared another marshmallow with his stick. He put it over the fire, roasting it to perfection before creating a particularly appetizing s'more. Then I watched him blow on it for a while. He took a tiny bite, nodded like he'd confirmed something, and held it out to me.

"Here," he said simply.

I just stared.

Where did this guy come from?

Rocco stared back, hand still out-stretched as the fire cast delicate shadows across his face. He blinked, and his lashes looked so long, I was surprised they didn't put out the flames. He was thoughtful. He was funny. And the truly baffling thing was he liked me the way I was. My heart beat wildly in my chest as a powerful feeling crested and spilled over.

"I like you," I blurted out.

Rocco's eyes widened, arm finally lowering to his knee. His Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't open his mouth to speak. It was dead quiet except for the crackling fire and the soft sounds of nature.

I broke out into a cold sweat as the seconds ticked by.

How could I be so stupid?

Were these braids too tight?

"You said it first!" I pointed out immaturely. "Back at your apartment on the couch. You told me not to change...and that you liked me."

A horrible thought occurred to me just then.

Way later than it should have.

"Unless...you meant 'like' in a general you're-an-OK-human kind of way. In that case, I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to give you a concussion. Not a bad one— just enough to make you forget the last five minutes."

That made Rocco smile. "Miz."

"God, what am I saying? I—"

"Just listen—"

"Do I have to? My ears are starting to ring so—"

He grabbed me and kissed me.

And for a moment it didn't register, so I was kind of talking into his mouth. But when he slid closer and lifted one of his legs over the log before gripping my thigh and doing the same, I shut right up. We were both straddling the log, and he dragged me forward until both of my legs hooked over his. He must've dropped the s'more, because his hands were around my waist, and his entire focus seemed to be getting his tongue in my mouth.

I'm sure everyone thought their kisses were sweet— but this one really was.

It tasted like marshmallows and chocolate and every bright thing that made up Rocco Alden.

I quickly forgot what I'd been saying, and the panic that came with rejection fled my body like an unwanted squatter in a house that was no longer vacant.

By the time Rocco pulled away, my brain was mush. Mashed potatoes. Applesauce.

I barely remembered how we'd ended up at the park, or why.

Rocco kept his hands on my waist, that small smile still on his lips. We were so close I could make out a tiny scar on his forehead partially hidden by his hair. Entranced, I leaned forward to kiss it.

"I didn't think you remembered," he whispered.

"Remembered what?"

"I didn't think you remembered what I said to you that night. You were half asleep when I told you I liked you."

I giggled softly, "True, but it hit me the next morning. I didn't say anything, because I didn't know what to do. I was trying to...figure things out."

Rocco pressed his lips against mine. Once, twice. Short and sweet. "And how's that going for you?"

"Well, I didn't have to give you a concussion— so better than expected."

~~~

Author's notes: The song playing while Miz was trying to choke down those chicken nuggets is "Gimme All Your Love" by Alabama Shakes.

And yay! She finally told Rocco she liked him! A little more of his past was also revealed ;)

Public service announcement: Kissing is not an excuse for littering. I'll make sure they pick those s'mores up next chapter haha (totally j/k btw)

Please don't forget to VOTE, COMMENT, and SHARE. You guys really do motivate me.