Dark affairs

I must've dozed off because I am awoken by Jack shaking my shoulders lightly.

I shoot him a glare.

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair, then he takes one of my hands in his.

"Baby, I'm truly sorry, and I do understand if you're still mad at me but it's afternoon already and you need to eat." He speaks to me slowly and cautiously trying to calm me down.

It's not working. I rip my hand out of his grasp and peek through the screens out the window.

The busses are parked at a typical truck stop with gas station and restaurant and I can see the band and crew already sitting inside occupying three tables.

I get up and stuff my hands in my jeans and walk towards the diner noticing Jack trailing beside me awkwardly.

He speeds up to reach the door and open it for me. "Don't even bother" I snarl and he retracts his hand quickly as if he has burnt himself. I kick the door open with my foot and walk in and order at the counter then sit down at one of the tables.

Nobody greets me but I don't care. Jack sits down at the other side and the conversation lowly starts up again but I have the feeling they all stare at me.

I am not even that mad at Jack anymore, you can't stay angry at him for long because he is like a huge baby bunny and he looks at me like a little boy that broke his favourite truck in the sandpit.

I am still mad at Alex though, in a way he started all this trouble when he wanted to be part of our relationship and I hate that he thinks he can just get away with lying to everybody. And I hate myself for believing he had actual feelings for me.

When my food comes it looks exactly how I expected it, like everything is straight out of a can and I just pick at it with my fork and stare down at the plate gloomily.

Suddenly Phil speaks up."God, Mickey! Can you please stop ignoring us! Are you PMSing or what is wrong with you?"

I look up at him and the whole table starts giggling, including Jack and Alex.

That does it! What the fuck is wrong with these guys?

I let my fork drop to the plate with a loud clunk then I get up and scan the restaurant for a mildly attractive person and I find him sitting at the bar. I take my plate and go over to him.

He is in his early thirties and well built with short brown hair, a fuzzy beard, a tattooed sleeve and stretchers. He is pretty hot for a truckie.

"Can I buy you a drink?" I ask and his head snaps up in surprise but when he sees me he smiles and nods his head to the stool beside him.

I smirk and put down my plate on the bar, climb the stool and hold out two fingers to the bartender to order our beers.

We talk a while and I find out his name is Dave and he is on his way to California.

About ten minutes later Jack comes up to us and he looks at me distressed.

"Mickey, we'll have to leave soon to make it to Tempe on time." He tells me hesitantly, nervously shuffling on his feet.

"I'm going to Tempe as well" I hear Dave say behind me and I make a quick decision.

"Well, Jack." I smile at him humourlessly,"you guys go ahead without me as I might drive with my friend Dave here." I look to my new acquaintance for confirmation and he nods in reply.

"So I'm not bothering you with my mood any longer." I end the conversation and turn my back to him.

In the corner of my eye I can see Alex getting up from his table ready to come over to us but Rian pulls him back down and Jack hangs his head and walks past them out the door.

The rest of the team scurries away as well and soon I see the buses leave the parking lot.

Well fuck, I didn't expect them to actually leave me like that!

"We better get going, too" Dave says and I nod and get up and pay.

We head out to his truck and climb in. I have never been in the cabin of such a huge vehicle before and while he starts the motor I inspect my surroundings curiously.

I point to a photo that's pinned to the dashboard. "Who's that?" I ask.

A bright smile appears on Dave's face but he stays quiet until he has securely manoeuvred us onto the highway again before he speaks up. "That is my wife, Jen." I look at him for more information.

He happily sighs and continues. "We've been married for five years now. And I'm so lucky that she decided to date me. I love her so much, I would go through hell and back for her. She has given me two wonderful boys. Here," he points to another picture that shows two little kids in a baby pool grinning into the camera. "Timmy and Jason, they are two and four years now. They are the best."

I'm honestly surprised, I had braced myself to shoot down his advances but now he confesses his undying love for his wife.

"Wow, the way you speak about her, she is one lucky lady." I muse and I think about my situation and turn to look out the side window sadly.

That's the problem with those band guys, they are so convinced that every girl would kill to be with them, that they have never fought for a girl. Jack didn't even try and fight for me, he just walked away.

Suddenly there is a hand patting my thigh. "No, I'm the lucky one. But don't worry, Mickey, I'm sure some day you'll gonna find someone too."

I look at him and nod but with a heavy heart. Here's the thing, I thought I had found him but then he just slipped through my fingers. I look away again and blink back the tears that start to form.

It's only another three hours to Tempe and Dave drops me off directly in front of the hotel. He is a really sweet guy and I'm glad we met. I wave him off and walk into the hotel where the girls at the reception desk stare at me, probably not many guests arrive in a 16 wheel rig.

I check in and go up to my room with the full intention to get room service and go to sleep but after I finally downed the first edible meal of the day I cannot fall asleep. No wonder I have been sitting around for almost the whole day, so I'm by no means tired out.

I go down to the hotel bar to get a drink and maybe a nice conversation but it is petty empty and the only two guys there are creepy middle aged businessmen looking for a hookup before going home to their wives so I take my drink and ask if I could use the piano they have there for live music and sit down.

It's been ages since I played but like a lot of people that work in the music industry I once had the dream of becoming a performing singer and songwriter.

I play around a bit with some simple melodies until a song I've been listening to today pops up in my head and it fits my emotions so well that I close my eyes and start to play and sing it.

You know that he trusts you and I know that he loves you
But somehow you convinced me again
My foundation rumbles and all my morals crumble
My father's warnings run through my head
Your heart's a vine that I've bled trying to climb
Yeah, you're making a ruin of me
Try to survive, keep my spirit alive
But like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me
Like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me
Like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me
One temptation sparked this
Now I can feel the darkness
It's my own fault but you had this planned
All of me, you take now, like criminals and shakedowns
Yeah, you make me forget who I am
Your heart's a vine that I've bled trying to climb
Yeah, you're making a ruin of me
Try to survive, keep my spirit alive
But like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me
But like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me, hey
Like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me
All of your good is mine
All of your good is mine
All of your good is mine
All of your good is mine
Like a knife in the woods
Yeah, you hunt down the good in me, hey

When the last notes ring out I hear slow clapping and I open my eyes and look around, Jack is standing there leaning against the piano and speaks with a soft voice.
"That was beautiful, I didn't know you had such a sweet singing voice but it is also a really sad song."

I look down because my emotions are all over the place and I don't want to let him see me cry.

"How did you find me?" I ask instead.

He comes closer and chuckles. "I called up your boss Michael at home and made him log onto the company computer to get you itinerary. Let's say, I'm not his favourite person any more."

I nod unable to look at him.

He grabs my hand gently and pulls me up and over to one of the small tables. "Mickey, we need to talk."

Notes

Uh, oh the talk!

Song lyrics credit Jon Bellion, the good in me.