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Niko walked into the studio, with his hoodie pulled tightly over his head.
“Hey,” Joonas greeted him, setting down the guitar he’d been tuning.
“Hey,” Niko said back. “Are the others not here yet?”
“Nah,” Joonas shrugged. “Tommi and Olli got stuck in traffic. And Joel is hungover from last night, so he’s probably gonna be late.”
“You guys went out?” Niko asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah, we partied pretty h…” Joonas stopped suddenly, as he looked up, and met Niko’s gaze.
“What?” Niko blinked.
“Dude,” Joonas gasped. “Your face .”
“Handsome, isn’t it?” Niko asked sarcastically, hoping he could just laugh the whole thing off.
“Niko, that’s a huge bruise on your cheek,” Joonas said, staring. “What happened?”
“Oh,” Niko hesitated. “Um. I went out drinking last night, too. Got in a fight.”
“With who?!” Joonas cried.
“Just…just some guy,” Niko mumbled, staring at the floor.
“What bar were you at?” Joonas pressed.
“45 Special,” Niko replied. “They were hosting a gig. You know pits at shows. They get a little crazy sometimes.”
“Niko, don’t lie to my face,” Joonas frowned.
“What makes you think I’m lying?” Niko asked defensively.
“Joel and I were at 45 Special last night,” Joonas revealed. “And you weren’t with us.”
Shit , Niko thought. I should’ve named a different bar.
“Who actually hit you?” Joonas demanded.
“Fine…it was my girlfriend, okay?!” Niko confessed.
“What?” Joonas gasped. “Why would she do that to you?”
“We got into an argument,” Niko explained. “She wanted to look through my phone, to make sure I wasn’t texting other girls. I wouldn’t give her the passcode. So, she slapped me.”
“How hard does someone have to slap, to leave a mark like that?” Joonas wondered. “You didn’t fight back?”
“Of course not!” Niko snapped. “If I had hit her back, to defend myself, she would’ve called the cops on me, and told them I was abusing her.”
“It’s abuse when a woman does it to a man, too,” Joonas said quietly. “You know that, right?”
“I should’ve just given her the passcode,” Niko sighed, collapsing on the couch beside the guitarist. “I’m not a cheater. She would know that, if I’d let her look through my messages.”
“No way, man. You deserve your privacy,” Joonas argued.
“Just…don’t tell the others, okay?” Niko reddened, burying his head in his hands. “It’s really fucking embarrassing to admit, that I got beat up by a girl.”
“She’s the one who should be embarrassed,” Joonas insisted. “She’s the one who did something wrong. Honestly…I think you should leave her.”
“No,” Niko shook his head. “This is the first time she’s ever done anything like this, so…”
“She’ll do it again,” Joonas said, his expression serious. “People like that always do.”
“But if I leave her,” Niko protested, “I’ll be alone.”
“You don’t have to be,” Joonas shook his head.
“What does that mean?” Niko asked.
“It means, I could treat you better!” Joonas blurted, and suddenly he was leaning across the couch. He impulsively pressed his lips to Niko’s.
Fuck. They were so soft, and they tasted so good. But…
“Joonas, stop!” Niko cried, pushing him away. “I’m not going to cheat on her with you!”
“She already thinks you’re cheating, anyway,” Joonas pointed out, panting.
“I don’t want her to be right about me!,” Niko frowned. “I…I have to go.”
He jumped off the couch.
Joonas cursed his impulsivity, as he listened to the studio door slam shut, behind Niko’s retreating back.