The Bother

One late June afternoon, Rhiannon was looking for her passport around Lee's place as he slept outside, by the pool. The last time she recalled seeing it was during the trip to the Bahamas they had made in March. Back then, they had come right back to his flat.

She found Lee's little bag where he kept his travelling documents. He was half Irish, half American, so both his passports were here. Unintendedly, she saw a boarding pass. She went to throw it away and accidentally saw an Italian destination. She looked at it, puzzled and disposed of it. She finally found her passport in a drawer where she kept some clothes.

That afternoon, when they were having lunch, she couldn't help but comment.

- So did you make a stop in Italy when you went to Dubai?

He gulped his half-chewed food and furrowed his brows.

- Why do you ask?

- I saw a boarding pass when I was looking for my passport. Found it, by the way.

Lee shuffled in his seat and looked away, his dark blue eyes matched the colour of the pool exactly.

- Yes, it was a weird connection, but it was the one Em got me so...

Emily was Lee's assistant. She was a forty-something chubby woman who adored Rhi and she was well corresponded.

- Well if you're having such colourful scales, you might as well take me with you some time...

Lee smiled and caressed her cheek.

- Deal. — He said, his mouth full of the stewed fish they were having.

Rhi smiled back, but something in the back of her mind bothered her.

- I have to go to the florist today, will you come with me? - She finally said.

Lee made a face.

- Do you think I have enough good taste to have a say about flowers? — He hesitated.

Rhi sighed, exasperated. He did have a point, but she didn't need him for his good taste. He needed him because people planned their wedding together.

- I think it's your wedding as much as it is mine. — She answered sternly.

He rolled his eyes.

- OK, love, I'll go. Just, please change that face, yeah? — He kissed her cheek repeatedly, until she let out half a smirk.

-

When they were waiting for the florist, Rhi took a gossip magazine and started going through it, absent-mindedly. Then something called her attention. A name she knew, a face she knew.

Interpol frontman has fun in the sun in Central America.

It was from back when she had gone to his house and he was with a woman. Rhi had noticed how tan he had looked, this was definitely why. He was with plenty of women in these pictures. One image got particularly in Rhi's nerves. He was sitting in what seemed like a yacht, an incredibly attractive brunette wearing an almost inexistent bikini sat at his feet and another one stood beside him. His arm was around her waist and his hand wandered about her bum.

Rhi rolled her eyes and closed the magazine. "All men are idiots." She said to herself as the florist arrived and called them in. Lee turned to see her and asked with a gesture what was up.

- It's sometimes upsetting to see my clients in magazines. They are usually doing idiotic things when they make headlines.

- Well isn't celebrities being stupid and getting into trouble what makes you rich? — He inquired, holding her hand tenderly.

Rhi snorted.

- Yes, that's true. I shouldn't complain.

- But you love to... - He teased, sniggering. 

- Oh, be quiet. - She laughed too.

-

- Daniel, this moron thinks I fucked Julie. Did you know anything about this? — Paul asked as they put their instruments away. They were writing their next album as a band. Him doing solo projects never meant the band wouldn't record another album.

- What? — The guitar player asked, bewildered.

- Aiden, he thinks I boned his wife and that's why he's making up this shit about him owning the demos...

- Wow, that's nuts, but like... didn't she... totally throw herself at you for months before she married him? Maybe he's just jealous.

- He told me SHE told her we had slept together. Probably after they were married...

Sam, the drummer, screamed from behind his drum set.

- She was a fox, wasn't she? You never did her?

Paul turned to see him with an annoyed face.

- No, I wouldn't deny it if I had, but I didn't out of respect for this little shit and see just how great that worked for me.

- If this wasn't a complete bunch of shit, it would actually be funny. — Sam commented.

- Fuck you... - Paul muttered, smiling.

- I heard you, asshole! — Sam laughed.

- I intended you to! - Paul retorted.

Daniel scratched his head.

- Do you want me to talk to this prick?

- Aiden? To tell him what exactly? — Paul lit up a cigarette as he asked this.

- Primarily, to ask him to stop, then inform him that you positively didn't bang his wife and, I don't know... to leave us alone maybe?

- I tried that with my lawyer and it all went like fucking shit...

- Why don't you let someone else handle this for you so we can focus on the album? — Sam inquired, lighting up a cigarette of his own.

- Nah, this shit is personal. I don't want things out of my control. Also, my lawyer is beautiful and I really like having excuses to hang out with her.

Daniel and Sam laughed. Paul really liked women, he always had.

- You do realise a woman was what brought this problem to us right? And now you're getting another one in the way? I don't know, Paul... - Daniel meditated with false concern.

- Oh, shut up Dan. She's engaged, I haven't even tried anything, and I don't plan to. You really take me for such a worthless shit, don't you?

-  But you are. — Sam whispered and Paul gave him the finger playfully.

- Get off my arse...

They all stood there quietly, each with their own thoughts.