Let's Make Up

Chorus

"What do you want to sing?" Julien asked as Molly sat on a stool only a little ways from him.

"You didn't have anything planned?" She asked, clearly annoyed.

"Well, I did, but you're not the person I practiced with, are you?" He said with a bitter voice.

John got himself sat in the recording booth with a man who would be operating the room's equipment and was wearing large headphones over his ears. He turned to John and tried to make small talk.

"Been a long time since Molly has been in here with Julien. I think they recorded some Christmas songs before, years ago."

John bit his tongue and tried not to show that he was vexed by the entire situation.

"You're in for a treat though, they sound great together." The man continued, much to John's chagrin. "Look good together too, don't they?"

"I don't know about that." John said back, not wanting to admit that the two of them were both objectively attractive people, close in age, and had modern aesthetic choices.

He watched and listened as they bickered about songs.

"How about Night We Met? You like that one." Julien asked.

"I'm not going to sing that, Julie." She crossed her arms.

"Why not? It's just a song, it doesn't have to mean anything. You're being so difficult!"

Molly looked at the guitar he had on his lap and she opened her hands as a request to hold it.

"You want to lead?" He asked and she nodded.

Soon she was strumming and John felt himself falling for her all over again.

"I didn't know she could play." He said in a low voice to the man in the booth with him. The man raised his eyebrows and talked into a speaker connected to the room.

"You two decide on anything yet?"

Molly smiled, gave him a thumbs up and Julien adjusted the position of his mic closer to his seat.

"We're doing a live stream of this too, for my social media, I'm going to introduce you and then we can start from there." He pulled out his phone and set it up to a record them.

She shook her head and gave him an annoyed look again.

"Fine. I don't know why you couldn't tell me that beforehand-"

"Sorry, hold that thought, I'm starting now." He cut in and pressed the tiny red play button.

Julien went through an intro and said that he had his ex girlfriend with him to sing some covers with him and for his audience to enjoy. Next he introduced her and asked what song she wanted to start with.

"She Used to Love Me Alot, by Johnny Cash." She said, looking up and winking at John.

Soon she started plucking at the guitar strings and Julien began to sing. His voice wasn't quite as deep as the original singer, but he held the tune nicely and she joined into the chorus perfectly, giving John goosebumps. He couldn't help but smile when she sang the lines 'Yes I'm in need of somethin', but somethin' you ain't got. But I used to love you a lot', and feel that she did it to express herself properly through the music.

When the song was over, she smiled over at Julien, clearly more comfortable, and handed back his instrument. He put the strap over his head and smiled back at her.

"You ready for this next one?"

He moved in his chair along with the beat, making her laugh subconsciously, and started playing an acoustic version of "Take on Me" by A-ha.

"Don't worry about the high part, we're not falsettos." He said to his phone camera while still playing the intro to the song.

Molly was having fun and John could tell, but also knew that Julien was giving her meaningful looks while singing some of the lyrics. He felt the emotion in Julien's voice as he sang "It's no better to be safe than sorry." and "I'll be coming for you anyway."

A couple more songs passed and they were deciding on the fifth and final one, when Molly turned to Julien.

"I don't want to talk about it."

He looked like he'd been taken out of the zone he'd been in, and sounded sincere.

"Thats fine, I'm not going to make you talk about anything you don't want to."

"No, you idiot." She said, taking his hand from the guitar and pulling it off of him. "The Rod Stewart song."

"Oh, s**t. Okay then."

John's heart was racing at the scene he just witnessed. He knew that their closeness had already been rearing itself by the way they fought like an old married couple, but seeing him show softness toward her and watching her enter his personal space for the guitar filled him with anxiety and sadness.

"She's cute, huh?" The recording producer commented as John nervously chewed on his nail beds.

"Extremely." John replied.

"Last time I recorded for them I had to give them a few minutes to themselves because they got a little carried away after so many love songs. People can get emotional in this type of setting."

His heart was pounding as he heard her melodic voice croon out the chorus to the song she chose.

"I don't want to talk about it, how you broke my heart." She looked over at Julien, who was also already looking at her. "But if I stay here just a little bit longer, if I stay here won't you listen?"

He joined in. "To my heart, my heart."

John left the booth, feeling claustrophobic and unwilling to see them continue to get vulnerable through their collaborative voices.

As soon as she made the last note, she suddenly stood up, breaking their eye contact, and he grabbed her hand.

"Molly, wait." He begged. "Let's make up."

She took off his guitar and set it beside him.

"I can't. Not anymore."

Julien watched as she took a hair elastic from her wrist and pulled her hair into a bun with a sigh and headed toward the door. He signed off, thanking his fans, asking them to comment and like the video since he would also be using it for an audition and ended the recording. He quickly followed Molly and stopped her from exiting the door.

He took her hand again and she tried not to look at him while her eyes filled up and lip quivered slightly.

"That's always worked before, what changed, baby doll?"

Julien kissed her suddenly and she pushed him away.

"He told me this would happen." She shouted at him while beginning to cry.

"Who told you that what would happen?" He asked, looking shocked.

"Johnny did. He knew that you'd want me now that I'm not yours."

"Molly... I'm sorry. Do you know how hard it's been to keep my hands off of you? You just left one day and I didn't know if we were done, or what was going on. Then you text me out of nowhere just as I'm beginning to make peace with you being gone. You make plans to see me, and show up smelling like some other guy's cologne, and then kiss him right in front of me. What are we, 15 years old?"

She scoffed. "That's rich. I had to watch you with other women for years, and suddenly now that a man shows interest in me, you can't handle it?"

Julien's brow darkened his eyes. "You knew how guilty I felt. I couldn't be with you like that after being with them."

"What does that even mean? Why stay in a relationship with me then?" She continued, trying to stay strong.

"And what? You meet a man right after leaving me and you're going to marry him?"

Her hands were shaking as she rubbed makeup stained tears away from her eyes. "He loves me, Julie, and I know I love him." Her voice raised again as she looked at him accusingly. "At least he gives me affection. He actually wants to sleep with me."

Julien looked angry. "Wants to, or does sleep with you?"

"He has. Too many times to count already." She tried to say unashamedly.

"Then he doesn't love you. He just wants to have a good time."

Molly pressed down on the door handle and turned to him before walking down the hall.

"I don't know who gave you such awful ideas about what love means. Keep everything, or throw it out, I don't care. I'm not going to your apartment to get anything and I don't give a s**t about the money."

Molly walked down the hall, still fuming and crying, and saw John outside of the door to the booth. When he made eye contact with her, she shuddered with sobs and he rushed to hold her close and comfort her. He clutched at the clothing on her back while the other hand was in her hair, as he pressed her tightly against him to try and stop her from shaking while crying.

"What happened?" He asked, vehemently.

"I hate him." She said, "I hate him so much. I'm so sorry, Johnny."

Julien rounded the corner and sneered as he saw the two of them embraced.

"Giving him a sob story? Big bad Julien kissed you for the first time without you begging for it and you hated it?"

John withdrew himself from Molly. "He touched you? f**k, I only left for a minute."

She was hurt by the way he sounded like he was putting her to blame, but she also knew he was right since she understood finally why she shouldn't have come back.

Looking up at both men separately, she took off the ring that John gave her and put it in his hand. Not wanting to see his expression, she just walked away and ignored him calling after her. Julien began to follow her but John stopped him and told him to never contact her again. It wasn't the first time that he'd been threatened or held up by a menacing guy since he'd gotten a good handful of spurned lovers of the women he'd slept with, show up and try to beat him down, so he just let John say what he wanted and was compliant.

"Take me to your place to get Molly's things. Pay her the money immediately. I know you've been setting things up for her all afternoon. Who the f**k does that? Wasn't it enough to string her along for all these years?"

Julien didn't reply, and it made John more upset.

"You don't have anything to say for yourself?" He raised his voice and glared down at him.

"Do you drive? She'll probably want her paintings and they're too big to just carry around. A cabby won't want to help out."

John stayed looking intimidating while telling Julien that he'd get his truck. Not wanting him to get away with anything, he also told Julien to come along with him while they pick it up, and that he would need him to get to the apartment.

Once the singer finished up with the recording producer he put on his coat and walked grimly in tow with John, who was silent the entire way while still taking care to remember Molly's makeup supplies.

"Get in." He commanded as they reached his truck. Julien listened and didn't look as cocky as before.

"Hey man, I didn't mean to kiss her, it was just habit."

"I don't give a fuck." John stated, "Unless you're giving me directions, I don't want to hear you."