“Gabe really messed her up,” Damian sighed. “Maybe we should’ve said something, like Jake wanted to. I didn’t even realize she was that into him, honestly. They were only seeing each other on weekends.”
“He really charmed her,” Libby told them flatly. “Charmed her right into bed, out of her comfort zone. She wouldn’t have slept with him if she didn’t think he might be the real deal – and then he dumps her – over the phone, no less – and tells her she’s less-than.” She glowered. “That’d kill anyone’s spirit.”
“Well, lucky for you, my dear Elizabeth, you’ll never have to experience anything like that, because your man worships you,” Fink assured her, and her mouth turned up a bit at the corners.
“Okay, lovebirds, can we get back to the task at hand, please?” Damian prodded. “Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day. She could get much, much worse. I think someone should spend the day with her, get her out of the house, and pick up her spirits a little.”
“That’s a great idea!” Libby brightened. “Who should it be?”
All eyes turned to Jake, who’d been silent up to this point. “What?” he asked.
“It’s our first V-day together,” Fink reminded him. “And Damian made plans with two different girls – he’s double-booked as it is.” Damian winked. “You’re the only one without a date – so we unanimously vote you to fix Miriam.”
“I don’t know,” Jake said uneasily. “Cheering people up isn’t my thing, you know? I kind of suck at it. I tried to help last weekend and she turned into a zombie.”
“Just think about what makes the girl happy, and do it,” Damian suggested. “And don’t take her anywhere that could remind her of Gabe.”
“Like I’d be able to afford anywhere like that,” he snorted.
“Oh, right...you’re poor,” Fink remembered. “Maybe we should all contribute financially to this venture. Does everyone have a twenty on them?”
Libby and Damian each pulled some money out as Fink handed over one of his many credit cards. “I don’t have cash on hand right now, but you can use this if you run out,” he told Jake. “Just spend wisely and try not to screw up.”
***
Miriam awoke to the smell of hot chocolate. What confused her, as she blinked sleepily, was that she could smell it as though it was right in front of her, instead of wafting up from the kitchen. As she opened her eyes fully, she discovered Fink’s fancy white wicker breakfast tray positioned above her lap, laden with scrambled eggs with cheese, banana-chocolate chip pancakes, and a steaming mug of hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows and topped with whipped cream. She was confused at the appearance of her favorite breakfast – she hadn’t had breakfast in a week, and definitely not in bed.
“Guys?” she croaked, her voice dry from underuse.
Jake immediately poked his head into her open doorway. “Hey, you’re up! Good morning.”
“What’s all this?” She gestured to the tray.
“Uh, breakfast?” He rolled his eyes. “It should still be warm; I just brought it up five minutes ago.”
“Okay, but why is it here?” she pressed.
Jake shrugged. “Just wanted to do something nice for you – you’ve had a rough week.” He flopped down into her desk chair as she slowly ate the food. “So, I was thinking, I haven’t been to the zoo in awhile, and it’s actually kind of nice outside – do you want to go with me?”
Miriam stopped eating and stared at him blankly. “To the zoo?”
“Yeah, the good one, in Fort Worth,” he nodded. “And then afterward, maybe we could bum around Sundance Square, or see a movie, or go ice skating, and maybe go to Mack’s for dinner and open mic–”
“Jake,” she stopped him. “Did the others put you up to this?”
Jake shifted uncomfortably. “We might have discussed some things last night, because everybody’s worried about you. I wouldn’t say they ‘put me up to it,’ though.” He paused. “Libby was going to call your mom if things didn’t get better, but I thought maybe if you had some fun today, it wouldn’t have to come to that.”
Miriam snorted. “I don’t need a babysitter,” she informed him, draining her mug.
“I know you don’t,” he assured her. “Look at it this way...it’s Valentine’s Day and we’re both alone for the first time in years. So let’s hang out together and not be lonely and miserable. How about that?”
She gave it some thought. “I would like to go to the zoo,” she admitted.
“And the other stuff?” he prodded, smiling.
“Let’s play it by ear.” She stretched and yawned. “I need a shower before we can go anywhere...mind letting me out of this prison?” She pointed to the tray, now devoid of food.
Jake grinned. “Right, yeah,” he answered, removing the tray so she could get out of bed.
***
“Miriam!” Charlie grinned. “We missed you all week!”
She and Jake had just sat down at the group’s usual booth, having come for dinner and open mic night after a long day of activity.
“It’s nice to see you, too, Charlie,” Miriam smiled back, accepting the cream soda he had brought her himself.
“There’s Baileys and butterscotch schnapps in there,” Charlie warned her. “Missed you so much, I had to add a little kick!”
“Aww, thanks!” She sipped the drink, making appreciative noises. “This is awesome.”
“Good, maybe you’ll start coming in for lunch again,” he hinted with a laugh.
“Count on it,” Miriam assured him. “My boyfriend broke up with me and I took it badly, but I’m done mooning over him now – enough is enough. Right, Jake?”
“So, very, definitely, yes,” he agreed. “I don’t ever want to see Zombie-Miriam again – she sucks.”
“And how did you two defeat the zombie?” Charlie wanted to know.
“It’s all thanks to Jake.” Miriam beamed at her roommate. “He knew just what I needed in order to get through Valentine’s Day – he took me to the zoo, to lunch at Sundance Square, and we went to an animal shelter to play with cats and dogs...and now we’re here at my favorite place in Denton, and I feel like singing for the first time all week!”
“Good,” Charlie nodded approvingly, “because it’s a little slow here tonight, it being Valentine’s Day, and I need you to liven things up. You go over to the stage whenever you’re ready; we can start open mic early tonight.”
“Thanks, Charlie!” she beamed, and he went back to his office. He seemed to be spending a lot more time there than at the bar as of late.
“So, you had a good day, then?” Jake asked Miriam.
“Um, yes,” she laughed. “Nothing beats the Fort Worth Zoo. And Operation Kindness was awesome – I wish I could’ve taken them all home with me! I’ll have to settle for Kharma sleeping next to my face tonight instead.”
“Is there anything else you want to do?” he offered. “Day’s not over yet – it’s not even nine.”
She shook her head. “I think I just want to play a song and then go home and watch Firefly on the couch.” She smiled. “You are, of course, welcome to join me.”
“I’ll take you up on that,” he nodded. “Go sing your song; the food should be here when you get back.”
As Miriam sang the crap out of a Queen song about her “best friend,” Jake couldn’t help but smile and fee
l a little warmer inside.
Chapter Eleven
The spring semester seemed to go by in a flash. After Valentine’s Day, Miriam was back to her normal bubbly self, but she had decided to swear off men for the rest of the semester so she could better concentrate on her classes. She even upped her study hours, resulting in an ‘A’ in government for both herself and Jake.
Jake hadn’t been on a date (or even talked to a girl, with dating in mind) since his secret one-night-stand with Shoshanna, and he hadn’t made any attempt to contact her, either. The guys had written his romantic life off a long time ago, but Libby tried occasionally to bring girls from her classes to Mack’s or by the house with no success. She and Fink still seemed pretty happy, and Damian was as much of a lady-killer as ever.
For Spring Break, Libby was asked to do a shoot in Los Angeles that would have her out of town from Wednesday to Sunday. She was allowed to bring a guest, but Fink’s boss, Mark, the new head of the intern program at The Finkelstein Group, wouldn’t give him the time off; it seemed that having your name on the side of the building didn’t entitle Fink to special treatment. With the university closed for the week, Miriam was free to accompany Libby across the country. She packed excitedly for the trip, never having been to Southern California before, and she bounced around the house exuberantly chattering about going to the beach, theme parks, and sightseeing. Fink moped despondently at his bad luck, while Jake and Damian didn’t really care all that much one way or the other…at first.
The guys, so used to having Miriam around, did not enjoy her absence at all. Once again, no one met Jake for lunch during his shift at Mack’s, and his nights were boring without the option to visit Miriam at the lab. Damian was also at a loss, as he counted on Miriam’s advice about women more than he’d previously realized. Fink missed Libby the most, but he also wished Miriam were around to keep him company while he whimpered about Libby not being there. The girls sent them plenty of texts and pictures over the five-day period, but it wasn’t the same as having them there, in the flesh.
Miriam and Libby returned on Sunday afternoon to find a special dinner had been prepared by the guys in their honor – homemade eggplant parmigiana, fettuccine alfredo, warm Italian bread, and plenty of wine – although Miriam had to limit herself, since she still had to work that night. Not having had enough time together as a group, they all had accompanied Miriam to the lab to “study” before ending the night together at Mack’s. It was difficult for everyone to get up and going the next morning, but they all felt it had been worth it.
The rest of the semester had gone smoothly and summer had begun. Memorial Day weekend was upon them, and Fink had delightedly informed them that Mark Dawson, the head of the intern program at The Finkelstein Group and Fink’s direct supervisor, had invited him to a party at his apartment in a nicer section of Carrollton for Sunday night. Libby had a weekend shoot in New York and Damian had a date, so only Miriam and Jake accompanied Fink to the party.
“Thank you both for upping your game a bit tonight,” Fink commended his roommates as he pulled his BMW coupe into the parking lot of a swanky apartment complex. “I really want to impress Mark tonight, and if you two showed up looking like schlubs, what would that say about me?”
“That you have schlubby roommates, I guess?” Jake quipped.
“You’re welcome, Fink,” Miriam chirped from the passenger seat, smoothing her short denim skirt and red tank top before pulling on the heather gray cardigan she’d held in her lap. She exited the car, trying not to trip in her strappy red sandals – a gift from Libby, who’d extracted them from a local shoot. Jake got out grumbling and caught her as she tripped, he himself wearing an old pair of Fink’s ‘fat’ jeans – he still only worked out on weekends, whereas Fink was practically an exercise machine. Their outfits had been carefully chosen by Fink, who’d balked at the idea of either of them wearing outfits of their own choosing to meet his boss, whom he seemed to have a serious man-crush on. Jake plucked at the expensive tee shirt Damian had lent him. “I’m going to spill something on this,” he glowered at Fink, who was resplendent in a pair of very tight jeans and a white tee shirt that looked basic but they all knew had to be Armani Exchange rather than Hanes.
“So you’ve said, multiple times,” Fink rolled his eyes. “It’s washable, or Damian wouldn’t have lent it to you. Now, please try to perk up before we go in – I can’t have Mark thinking I brought an antisocial misanthrope to his party.”
“But you did bring an antisocial misanthrope to his party!” Miriam grinned at both of them. “So it’s your own fault, really. And why is it so important that we impress this guy, anyway? He’s seen you work; is that not impressive enough?”
They walked into the apartment building, taking the stairs up to the second floor. “With my old boss, Eric, sure, that was fine, but he retired in January and Mark was promoted. Now instead of doing any real work, I’m Mark’s errand boy – I get him coffee and his dry cleaning, I pick the olives out of his salad at lunch, I field calls from his mother – you name it, I have to do it.” Fink was visibly anxious. “I wish Libby was here. He’d respect me a hell of a lot more if he saw her on my arm tonight.”
“How to make friends and influence people, Fink-style,” Jake mused, as they approached apartment 203 and Fink knocked.
“Best behavior,” Fink pleaded to them both, and the door opened. “Mark! Thank you so much for inviting us.”
Mark was dressed in an eerily similar fashion to Fink – or was it the other way around? “Well, I couldn’t throw a party and not invite my favorite intern, now, could I? Where’s this model girlfriend you’re always talking about?”
“Libby’s in New York for a shoot this weekend, but I did bring two of my roommates – this is Miriam Silver and Jake Perry.” Fink motioned to his companions.
“Nice to meet you both,” Mark replied, his eyes on Miriam. He extended a hand to her. “Mark Dawson, director of the intern program and senior account executive at The Finkelstein Group. Would you like a tour?”
“Absolutely!” Fink chirped and Jake shrugged noncommittally. Mark ignored them both and led Miriam away, leaving them to follow in his wake.
After a brief tour of the apartment – large for a one-bedroom, with fancy furnishings and expensive decor – Mark introduced them to some friends of his and went to get Miriam a drink, which she sipped slowly, confiding to Jake that she didn’t want to get drunk and embarrass Fink. Jake decided to stop at two beers, just to be on the safe side; if he screwed things up for Fink at work, he’d be a dead man, and probably homeless to boot.
A couple of hours into the party, Jake had relaxed somewhat and was talking music with one of Mark’s old frat brothers. It turned out Tim was an avid indie music fan and had actually met some of Jake’s favorite bands while visiting his brother, a promoter of various independent acts all over the country.
“You should meet my roommate, Miriam – she loves indie music as much as I do; I bet she’d love to hear your stories,” Jake suggested, glancing around the room. “Huh, I wonder where she got off to?”
“Isn’t that her over there?” Tim pointed towards the hallway that led to Mark’s bedroom, where they could see Mark tugging her by the arm. She stumbled, her head bobbing, as Mark pulled her back upright. Jake felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise – something wasn’t right.
“Man, she looks wasted,” Tim commented.
“No, she’d be giggling – when she’s drunk, she thinks everything is hilarious.” Jake narrowed his eyes. “I think I’ll go check things out.”
He made his way over to Miriam, whose arm was still locked in Mark’s grasp. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused. “Miriam, are you okay? Can you hear me?” Jake waved his hand in front of Miriam’s face and didn’t get a reaction. He turned on Mark. “What did you do to her?”
Mark laughed and shrugged. “Some girls can’t hold their liquor, I guess. I’ll just put her in my room to lie down.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so.” Jake stepped into Mark’s personal space. “I know what Miriam looks like when she’s drunk, and this isn’t it.” He moved closer and growled menacingly, “So what, exactly, did you put in her drink?”
Mark snorted. “I wouldn’t be making accusations like that to a man in his own home, if I were you. You’re a guest here, but maybe it’s time for you to go. I think Miriam wants to lie down, don’t you, honey?” He glanced down at her, where she was slumping against the wall, her eyes still unfocused. “Now if you’ll excuse us–”
“Let go of her, now, before I do something you’ll regret,” Jake warned angrily.
“Do you practice that one at home before you go out?” Mark scoffed. “What’s next – ‘you wouldn’t like me angry?’“ He tugged on Miriam’s arm again, pulling her away from the wall so she stumbled into his side. “She’s just fine, and she wants to spend a little more time with me; right, baby?” At her lack of response, Mark smirked. “Not hearing a ‘no,’ there.”
Jake reared back and punched Mark in the face, knocking him to the ground, before grabbing Miriam as she slumped toward the floor.
“Jake, what the hell?” Fink cried, hurrying over to the scene.
Jake motioned first to Miriam, whom he had pressed into his side, and then to the pill bottle that had fallen out of Mark’s pocket and rattled to the floor. “Ask your damned boss,” he spat.
Fink grabbed the bottle before Mark could get to it and turned it over in his hand. “No label,” Fink observed, opening the bottle and checking the contents. “They sure don’t look like Advil, though.” He looked to Mark, horrified. “Seriously, Mark? Did you actually drug my roommate? You’re, like, beautiful – why would you do that?”
Mark groaned and clutched his nose. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. You can’t prove anything. Now get out of my house before I call the cops!”