Page 41 of Punk Rock Reflection
A shimmer covered Angel’s eyes, but he was silent.
Tommy’s heart sank to his knees, and guilt made his chest hurt. A knot of emotion wedged itself in his throat, and he hugged Angel tightly. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. He wanted to say more, but they were the only words he could get out.
It had been a long time since Tommy flew solo. When you were used to two people sharing every part of your life, it felt weird to be alone. He embraced the new experience, even though he missed Angel and Jessi. A short chuckle escaped him, because he only made it to the LIE and was barely out of Long Island.
The ride through the Midtown Tunnel made him think of Jimmy, and he missed his friend. He’d spent more than a decade with Jimmy and Damien, practically on a daily basis. Now he barely saw them. Dinner at the mansion had proved that their animosity had dissipated, but things weren’t the same. In a spur-of-the-moment decision, he told the driver to head to Trump Tower. He was going to drop in and visit Jimmy.
The concierge announced Tommy’s arrival, so it wasn’t a surprise, but Tommy never expected Jimmy to be waiting in the open doorway of his duplex.
“Hey, man,” Jimmy wore his signature dazzling smile, along with a pair of sweats with a comfortable tee. “What are you doing in the City at this hour?”
Tommy glanced at the curl that broke free and hung on Jimmy’s forehead, and then down at his clothes. “Don’t tell me you were sleeping.”
“Nah. But if you came in another hour I will be.” Jimmy welcomed Tommy inside with the wave of his hand. “Come in. Don’t stand out there in the hallway.”
“Sorry to barge in. I miss you. And Damien. We don’t hang out anymore.”
“That’s because you were in Bora Bora for the last two months.”
“You know what I mean. We’ve been home for over two weeks, and we’ve only seen each other twice. Our kids see each other more than we do. That’s not right.”
Jimmy nodded. “I hear ya. It’s still a little weird, but we’re cool, man.” He gave Tommy a hug with a hearty slap on the back. “I hope you didn’t come all the way into the City just to tell me that.”
“I’m meeting my brother and some of his buddies for a few drinks. Why don’t you throw on some pants and join us?”
Jimmy’s smile widened, and he let out a short laugh. “Iamwearing pants. But I can’t do it. I’m beat. I spent the day with my kid at the park and then we hit the drums. Hard.” He rubbed at his biceps. “I haven’t done that in a while and, man, my arms are feeling it.”
Tommy couldn’t hide his disappointment. “How’s Damien? I called him the other day, but he never called me back. Is he pissed?”
“Don’t worry about him.”
“I have to worry about him. He’s like a brother to me.”
“He’s not pissed. He’s cool. He’s been jamming at Pete’s Candy Store.”
Tommy’s gut tightened. For one, Damien was too good to play a local open mic night at a Brooklyn bar. “With who?”
Jimmy ran his hand across his jaw and over his sideburns. “Some guys he met. He just wants to play.”
Damien had other friends now, and he was playing for free?Everything about it sounded wrong. Tommy shook his head. Damien should be playing with Jimmy and Angel. Playing with other musicians seemed like a betrayal. “There’s something inherently wrong with that. Don’t you think?”
“He’s not doing anything wrong.” Jimmy slung his arm around Tommy’s neck and gave him a little squeeze. “Relax, man. We’re all doing our own thing right now, but we’re still Immortal Angel. And that includes you. Nothing will ever change that.”
Tommy opened his mouth to argue that he wasn’t part of the band anymore, but nothing came out.
“Go out with your brother. Have a good time. I’ll get in touch with Damien, and we’ll hang. Don’t sweat it.”
Tommy nodded. “OK. Make sure you tell Damien to call me. And I want you guys to come over this week.”
“You got it.”
They exchanged a one-shoulder hug, and then Tommy headed to meet his brother.
He arrived at the club where two bodyguards escorted him through the crowd. The dim lights camouflaged his appearance, but a few people recognized him anyway. Heads started turning in his direction, and people started calling his name. He almost forgot what it was like to be hounded in public. It was crazy how easily he fell into a routine where he blended in with the locals. Now that he was back to reality, it struck him how utterly invasive people were. He loved the fans, he really did, but the way he had to leave the house was ridiculous.
He smiled and waved at people as security led him through the club, because they were being respectful. He even paused while a few snapped photos with their phones.
Security brought him to a roped-off area where Robert and his friends sat on a circular couch around a table full of alcohol. As soon as they saw Tommy, they all jumped to their feet and greeted him with pats on the back. The reception surprised him, since he really didn’t know most of Robert’s friends that well. He’d met them plenty of times, and they were over their parents’ house often when Robert was in college, but that was ages ago.
