Chapter Six: "I Fall to Pieces"

Dani thinks back to her phone conversation. Later she goes on an awkward date that leaves her even more confused.

Black Oval

Chapter Six

"I Fall to Pieces"

“You mind working the board, Dani?” Mathis asked as I looked into his blue pools.
“I don’t mind at all.”  Mathis usually already had the controls set up how he wanted them anyway.  All I had to do was tweak them.  “Though I probably need to leave by four.  I have a date with Vergil tonight.”
He nodded.  “Hopefully we will be finished up by then.”  He slung his bass guitar over his shoulders, the muscles on his tanned arms bulging.
I sighed.  Mathis was such a sweetie.  I felt bad for him after Barbie, but at the same time I was kind of glad.  Mathis deserved so much better.  He had been so good to my brother and I, especially Davis.
I put on my headphones as I watched everyone get ready.  Then they all started to play.
First was the bass.  The deep notes that came through the headphones felt like they touched my very soul as Mathis’s fingers plucked the guitar strings.
The drums and the guitars picked up simultaneously after that, creating a complete tune.
Then Davis opened his mouth and sang.  

“I know you're just a girl,

looking for a  boy,

but girl just give me a chance,

I’ll gladly be your decoy,

cause girl when you’re with me,

I’ll show you my secret joy.

and  you tell me...”

Mathis put his lips to the mic and sang with him in perfect harmony.

“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy,

what have you gotten me into?

I was looking for my one and only,

but somehow I got you.

Caught up in the pleasure,

I lost sight of my treasure.

Oh boy...”

Most men in the music industry just felt like they talked pretty.  Davis sang.  He did a bit of the “pretty talking” as well, but man could he sing.  Davis had many faults, even I would admit that.  He just seemed like a different person when he sang; passionate, dedicated, complete.  I knew it was an outlet for him.  He loved what he did, and it helped him cope with difficult things.

Davis has been through a lot more than I had.  I was really young when my father and our sister died.  He put up with our mother’s drug problem after that.  He had kept me out of most of the drama associated with her addiction.  He also took good care of me.  None of that excused what he did sometimes, but it made me understand him a bit better.  
I tapped my fingers and hummed along with the songs.  They sounded great together.  Shane really was the perfect match for the band.  Her personality fit them much better.  She was the no-nonsense type, a girl who could joke with the boys just as much as they messed with her.  Barbie, well she was just kind of a b***h.  I never understood how her and Mathis had ever worked together.
I listened as they all played together for the first time.  I made small adjustments to the panel as Mathis told me to, sliding the bars up and down, turning knobs, or whatever else they needed.
Mathis had been so kind to me this past week ever since I called him about what happened with Vergil.  Tonight would be the first time I saw Vergil since then.  He planned to take me to an Italian joint on Central Park South later.  I loved Italian food, and this place had really high reviews.
I smiled at Mathis when the song stopped and he told me which adjustments to make.  He had given me some good advice over the past few days.  I was very grateful to him.  It felt like he was family sometimes.  I couldn’t talk to Davis about what happened last week.  He would have freaked out and overreacted.  It was nice to have a guys input on the situation.  I could tell Mathis was not the biggest fan of Vergil either, but he tried to advise me as unbiased as possible.  He knew how much I cared for Vergil, and that I wanted to make things work  I thought back to the conversation we had almost a week ago.
I had gone up to my room, crawled under the covers of my bed and started to weep.  I debated between crying myself to sleep and crying in the shower, but instead I reached for my phone.  I sat there a few minutes not know what to do, if I should call or not.  Finally I dialed his number and put the phone up to my ear, trying to suppress the sobs.
The phone rang a few times, then I heard his warm voice over the phone, speech slightly slurred, but not as prominent as Davis’s often was when he was drunk. “Dani?” he asked a bit surprised.
It took me a minute to find my voice.  “Yes,” I confirmed quietly, not trusting myself to speak, scared I would start blubbering again.
I could almost hear the frown in his voice, “Dani, what is wrong?”  The concern in his voice was so comforting.  It was such a relief to have someone else in my life that cared for me like that other than my brother.
“Vergil, he and I,” I didn’t know what to say.  I huffed into the phone.  “I don’t understand, Mathis,” I could hear my voice start to crack.
I could almost feel the tensions even over the phone as he asked in a stiff voice, “Did he hurt you?”
I shook my head at the phone before realizing that Mathis could not see it.  “No,” I said unsure, “I don’t know,” my voice was a bit shakier this time.  “He didn’t physically hurt me if that’s what you mean.  Just maybe a bit emotionally.  He said it was my fault.  I just, I don’t know what I did wrong,” I told him desperately.
“What did he say was your fault?”

“I texted him, and asked if he wanted to come over after the party.  I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up he was at the door, so I answered it.  He started kissing me, then he picked me up,” I felt hot tears fall down my face and my voice was shaky again.  It was a bit embarrassing to be telling Mathis this, but I had to tell someone, to get someone else to tell me what they saw that maybe I didn’t.  I just didn’t understand what had just happened.  Maybe I sent signals that I didn’t mean, that he interpreted it in a way I didn’t mean to.  “It was my fault for inviting him over so late, all I did was say no and he stopped,” I said almost defensively.  I knew Vergil didn’t mean to do anything I didn’t want, we just had a misunderstanding is all.  “What did I do wrong, Mathis?”

“Nothing was your fault, Dani,” he said, tension in his voice, “You did nothing wrong.”

“I love him Mathis,” I told him, “I really do.  Is there something wrong with me?”

I heard him sigh over the phone, “Dani there is nothing wrong with you, I promise you that.”

“Then why is he so mad , and why do I feel so bad?  I would do anything for him, Mathis, I just wasn’t expecting that.  What did I do wrong?”

“Sometimes,” he started, “Guys think they see something when it’s not there.”  I heard him sigh again, “I think you should both take some space to think this through.  I need you to understand me when I say you did nothing wrong, and if he ever does anything like that again, you get away, and you call Davis or me.”

“I just don’t want him to be mad at me.”

“Dani,” he said firmly, “if anyone should be mad it’s you.  He tried to take advantage of the situation, advantage of you.  He thought you wanted,” he paused, “He thought you might want to,” he sighed, “have sex with you, so he went for it.”

I sniffed and wiped a tear from my eyes.  “He knows I’m not ready for that yet.”

“Apparently he doesn’t,” he told me.

“I must have done something to make him think otherwise.”

“You are,” he paused, chuckled lightly, and muttered where I could almost not hear him, “too sexy for your own good sometimes.”  His voice picked back up and he spoke a little quicker, “Dani you didn’t do anything wrong, just be more clear what you want; set some boundaries.  If he bugs you about it, then he is not worth it, break it off.  He should be trying to make you happy and comfortable with how things are.”

“I’m not sexy Mathis. . .” I told him a bit shyly before continuing.  I tried not to let my sniffles show through in my voice.  Just talking about things with him made me feel more at ease.  “I am glad you will always be there for me to talk to.”  Heaven knows I couldn’t discuss this with Davis.

“Anytime you need me Dani.  You know that.”  He paused for a few moments before speaking again, “Do you need me to come over, or are you okay now?  Davis is on his way home and should be there any minute.”

I heard Davis’s shuffles downstairs as he walked in the door.  “I just heard him walk in.  It’s late I don’t want to make you come over, I’ll be okay.”  I smiled even though he couldn’t see it.

“If you need me just call.  Sleep well Dani,” he said in a warm tone.  

I was silent for a few minutes, a battle raging on the inside of what I should do.  I really did not want to be alone right now, and Davis didn’t count.  I could tell just by his footsteps that he was probably drunk and he was unreasonable about this stuff when he was sober.  On the other hand this wasn’t Mathis’s problem, and I don’t want Davis to get the wrong idea if he came over.

“Dani, you still there?” his voice asked quietly over the phone.

“I’ll talk to you later Mathis, thank you, for everything.  Sleep well.” I told him, making my decision.

“You too Dani, goodnight,” and he hung up the phone.

One thing stuck in my mind that Mathis had said.  It was really just an offhanded comment, and I don’t think he meant much by it, but it really stuck.  He said I was too sexy for my own good sometimes.  Maybe that was part of my problem.  Vergil mentioned something about me sending signals, and being suggestive.  Perhaps I sent off strong signals, and didn’t realize it.  Maybe I dressed too revealing.  That is probably what they meant.  I was so naive sometimes.  I was nineteen for goodness sakes, you would think I knew how the world functioned by now.  I sighed, not realizing the music had stopped.
“You okay?” my concerned brother asked me.
I looked up at him and blinked as I took the headphones off.  “Huh?” I asked, then he repeated himself.  “Oh yes,” I responded, smiling brightly at him, “Just thinking is all.”
Mathis arched a tawny eyebrow at me curiously.  I watched his soft pink lips as he mouthed, “You okay?” at me.  I smiled reassuringly at him and nodded my head.
“I probably need to go though,” I told them, “I still need to figure out if I am going to wear something from my closet or buy something new.”
“Well I think we are done playing for now,” Davis told me, “So we shouldn’t need your help anymore.”
“Yeah, we are just going to go over some things with Shane,” said Mathis.
“We can always work the board ourselves if we need it.  The Nazi is good at putting us to work,” Jo chimed in.
I watched as Mathis pursed his lips then roll his eyes.  I giggled a bit at the sound of the nickname Jo always called him.  If it wasn’t for Mathis I don’t think the band would ever get anything done.  Even though Davis was the lead singer, Mathis was really the leader in the group.  Jo often called them the President and his First Lady, commenting that behind every man there was a smart woman pulling the puppet strings.  I don’t think Mathis appreciated the metaphor, him being the “First Lady” in this scenario.  There was truly never a dull moment with the band.
I kissed my brother on the cheek, waved to everyone else, gathered my things, and got on the elevator.

---

I stood in front of the mirror for the third time, this time in a knee-length baby pink dress.  I was debating again.  It was cute, but not quite classy, and the v-neck was making me want to reconsider.  I looked through my closet for the fourth time.
My fingertips ran over a soft material, and I plucked the dress from my closet.  It was a knee length cream dress with barely-there golden shimmers.  The style made my mind think almost victorian the way the ruffles formed at the bottom.  I loved anything victorian.  It was a simple scoop neck, and had delicate flowers along the bodice.  It was perfect.  I pulled on a cream garter and strapped some nude stocking into place to help kill the bite of the cold November air.  I slid my feet into some nude colored heels, then pulled on a lace wrap over my shoulders.  I glanced in the mirror at my delicate features.  I had allowed the natural waves of my hair to tumble gracefully over my  shoulders, in a way that had grown fashionable over the past few years.
I heard the doorbell ring just as I put on the final layer of mascara.  I gave myself one last glance in the mirror and smiled.  Pretty, but not too sexy.  
I made my way downstairs, being careful not to lose my footing on the wood of the steps.  The doorbell rang once more before I made my way to it.  I opened the door and shivered as a cold breeze made it in the door.  I noticed we had a bit of snow flurries today.  I looked up at Vergil in his tailored suit and smiled.  I loved the way he looked in a suit.
“Ready to go?” his cool voice ran over me and I shivered again.
I nodded at him, then grabbed my white peacoat from our coat closet.  The coat ended right above where my skirt ended.  I buttoned up the coat, slipped on the matching gloves that I kept in its pockets, then stepped outside, locking the door behind me.  He rested his hand on the small of my back, gave me a small kiss on the cheek before ushering me inside the cab.
“I missed you this week,” he said as he slid in the cab beside me.  I nodded my head in agreement as he told the cab driver where to go.  Traffic was pretty bad today, so I knew it would take a bit longer than normal to get there.
Vergil had apologized many times over the phone about what had happened last week, so I was grateful when he didn’t bring it back up again.  We talked about idol things like the weather and the news.  We discussed the Wall Street protests in California for a moment, Vergil liked to keep up with current events, and I wasn’t surprised when he told me the head coach from Penn State had been fired the previous week.  I just couldn’t believe some of the crazy things that went down in our country sometimes.
We pulled up to the tan brick building; Vergil got out and opened my door.  I looked at the blue awning, the word “Marea” across the tops in white script.  We walked inside the restaurant and the hostess led us to our reserved table.  It was a stunning setting for a seafood themed Italian restaurant.  I sat in the seat as Vergil pulled it out for me, then smiled at the ornate square dinner plates in front of me.  Taking a neatly folded napkin from the plate and placing it on my lap, I glanced upward.  I just adored the red shaded chandeliers that complimented the amber bar top so well.
The waiter came by and filled our glasses with water.  Vergil ordered a glass of red wine, and I ordered herbal tea.
“This is very nice.  The ambiance of the restaurant is just stunning,” I smiled as I looked around again.
“I thought you might like it,” he said to me, as he looked over his menu.
I picked up mine as well.  I considered calamari at first, but we decided to go with the Panzerotti as our appetizer, smoked eggplant with ricotta, and I decided on the Dentice for my meal.  I had heard their fish here was exceptional.  
I smiled at Vergil, but he seemed to be a bit more distant today.  I frowned, but then perked back up as the waiter brought me my tea, with warm milk and honey on the side.  I fixed my tea the way I liked it, then took small careful steps, letting the hot liquid slide down my throat and warm my insides.
“How was work today?” I inquired, trying to keep my usual perky enthusiasm up.
He shrugged still studying his menu, “Work was work.”
Perhaps he was just having a bad week, it happened to all of us.
“Okay, well what did you do this weekend?  Anything exciting?” I asked after the waiter took our orders.
“Not really,” he pulled out his phone to look at something.
“Oh,” I said softly, “I think Davis and the band hired their new guitarist today.”
“That’s good,” was his only response.
I didn’t understand why he was so distant today  Was he still mad? Did he perhaps feel guilty or something.  “Are you alright?” I asked him concerned.
“I’m fine.”
“You know,” I started timidly, “It’s okay, what happened last week.”
He put his phone down and looked at me.  “Dani,” he said firmly, “We have already discussed that, there is no reason to bring it back up.”
I nodded, and glanced down at my hands in my lap.  I was just making him mad.
The rest of the meal went on like that.  Mostly quiet with just small bursts of conversation.  It was very unlike Vergil to act this way.  The food was fantastic, really it was.  A work of culinary art to be truthful.  Unfortunately, I could not bring myself to enjoy it.
“Was everything alright, Miss?” the server asked after we told him he could clear our plates and mine was still mostly full.
I nodded at him, “Yes it was wonderful, thank you.  My stomach is just a bit upset is all.”
The server said something along the lines of he was sorry to hear that, but I wasn’t really paying attention.  I just focused on the knot growing in my stomach.
“Would you care for dessert?” Vergil asked, and I jumped a bit, not expecting him to talk.
His face was a little softer than before.  I shook my head and smiled at him.  “No thank you, dear.  I think my stomach is too upset for a heavy dessert.”
“Okay,” he replied with a soft smile.  He payed the server and left a generous tip, then we went outside and hailed a cab.
The trip on the way home was quiet, but about halfway home, he put an arm around me and hugged me to him.  I nuzzled up against his chest, soaking up his warmth.  I knew we’d get through this just fine.
He got out with me and walked me to the front door.  “Would you like to come in for a bit?” I asked him hopefully.
He smiled at me but shook his head.  “Not today, babe.  I have a lot of work for Wednesday’s meeting to do.”
“Okay,” I said smiling back at him.  “I’ll call you tomorrow then.
“Sounds good.”
I closed my eyes as he leaned in to kiss me, but I felt his lips press against my cheek instead of my lips.  He walked back and got into the car, leaving me even more confused than last week.
I walked back inside, hung my coat in the closet, then made my way to the kitchen when I heard conversation coming from it.  Davis was sitting at the table, and Reid was at the stove sprinkled with flour, frying something on the stove, and wearing my frilly pink and white apron around his hips.  I laughed as I took in the sight.  Reid often came over to cook for us when he was running short on groceries.  Davis told him long ago that if he cooked for us, he could steal our food.
“What are you doing with that on?” I asked with a giggle in my voice.
Reid whistled at me when he saw me.  “Lookin’ hot, Dani!”  He wiggled his hips around in a little dance, “You don’t think I look good in it?”
I giggled again, “I think it looks better on me.”
“That’s the truth,” Davis chirped.
“Hey! These are new jeans and I didn’t wanna splash hot oil on them.” I glanced in the pan and saw he was making chicken fried steak.  Yum!  I was kind of glad I did not finish my fish now.
“How was your date with the d****e?” Davis asked, leaning back in his chair, balancing it on two legs.
I swatted his shoulder in chastisement.  “He is not a d****e!” I stuck my tongue out at him as if I was five, “and it was fine.  How did practice go?”
“Good.  Mathis and Jo think she has real talent,” he informed me.
“Good!” I exclaimed, “I liked Shane.”
“Hey, Dani,” Reid said while flipping the steaks with some tongs, “So I was telling Davis abou this party on Saturday, and wanted to know if you guys wanted to go.”
“The band is going and we are going to invite Shane too.  Oh, and don’t forget karaoke Initiation for Shane thursday.”  I shook my head, such a stupid tradition, but they had fun with it.
A couple of time a year Black Oval liked to dress up, sometimes in silly disguises, and do like a flash mob karaoke thing or whatever.  They would show up at one of New York, or elsewhere if they were on tour and decided to do it, sports bar or club that hosted karaoke nights, and sing.  They had done it as an initiation years ago, liked it, and now made a tradition to do it several times a year.  It usually made the newspapers when they did it, and over the past years had made the karaoke hang out spots more popular if it was known Black Oval was in town.  Everyone just tried to be there when they showed up.  They never announced when they would do it though, so it was pure luck.
“Okay, why are you telling me this?” I asked curiously.
“We want you to come this year.  Shane liked you and it will probably make her more comfortable,” he informed me.  “She is a bit shy about singing, but has a really good voice.”
“Wow! Thanks, that sounds really fun.”  Even though my date was a little odd, this week sounded like it would pick up quite a bit.

Author's Note

Leave a comment so I can get feedback and know if someone read it! Thanks! :D

I do read-backs!

Original Image: http://kimir-ra.deviantart.com/art/Commission-ashesonfire-227497698

Reviews

[Stefanie Holmes]

Another good chapter and I now dislike Vergil even more. I just hope she ends up with Mathis soon!

~Stefanie

[ashesonfire]

THanks! Haha, yeah, Vergil is a little creepy

[Bella Luna]

I love this chapter so much!!! What is going on with Vergil?! I feel like he is cheating on Dani. When a guy is checking his phone and seems disinterested with his girl, it usually means cheating! I want her with Mathis, he is so sweet! I really love the characters and relationships in this story! I can't wait to see how the party turns out! Awesome job! XD

[ashesonfire]

So glad you loved this chapter! :D I like Mathis a lot too, he is a sweetie. He's honestly probably my favorite and he's not even one of my Main Characters.. haha!

I'm glad you like the relationships and characters! Though they all have their ups and downs, and are all going to make a few mistakes.. so bare with me!

[Bella Luna]

I can't wait! XD This is seriously so good!

[ashesonfire]

Aw! You are so sweet!! I'm working on editing the next chapter right now, if I'm lucky I'll have it up within the hour.

[Bella Luna]

That would be amazing :)

[Trigorin]

Not bad, but some parts seem a little stilted and awkward. You don't take a very dynamic tone with your descriptions, and it does drag on a little near the middle and end. It's a good start, I'd just go back over and make sure everything is interesting and tight.

[ashesonfire]

Thanks very much :D

[ashesonfire]

How do you think I could create a more dynamic tone?

[Trigorin]

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/539/02/

[ashesonfire]

Thanks :)