26 Misunderstood

In the aftermath, Jon felt very happy about what had happened too, putting his guards down with Richie but he wasn't sure if he should feel happy about this. After all, he was cheating on his wife, who he loved very much but then again, this felt very good too.

After a few more minutes he started pushing at Richie so he could get up.

Richie moved away and looked worried at him. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, fine." Jon answer.
"You might be a little sore for a bit."
"Yeah, think so." Jon agreed, already feeling it.
Richie smiled sheepishly as Jon carefully got up. "Should get cleaned up."

He followed Jon to the bathroom where Jon found a shower and turned it on, assuming they were going to shower together.

Richie did debate the though of joining Jon in the shower but decided against it since he wouldn't be able to keep his hands to himself at all and that would make taking a shower completely pointless.

Not paying attention to what Richie was doing behind him, Jon stepped into the shower, figuring Richie would follow in a few seconds but instead of that, he heard the door open and close again and Richie was gone.

Disappointed, Jon finished his shower alone, faster than he usually did and walked out with a towel and got dressed in the dressing room where Richie was sitting on the couch playing his guitar.

Once dressed, Jon sat down in the other couch, keeping his distance from Richie.

A little hurt by that, Richie said. "There's an empty spot beside me."
"You're filling it up with a guitar."
"No I'm not. Guitar's on my lap."
"Still." Jon complained.

Richie put the guitar away and moved to the couch Jon was sitting in.

"Better?" He asked.
"Sure." Jon answered.

Richie sat close to him, happy to be there but still wondering what Jon was thinking about but on the otherside he was afraid to ask him about it.

"What's the setlist looking like?" Richie asked after understanding Jon wasn't going to talk to him.
"Oh." Jon said, having completely forgotten about it and started looking around for paper and pen.

Conveniently, both were next to Richie and he handed it over to Jon.

Richie watched him as he started writing down songs and threw in some suggestions but Jon ignored it.

"You said you'd let me help." Richie pouted.
"Maybe I'd let you help me." Jon corrected him.
"I distinctly recall you saying you’d let me help."
"I don’t." Jon sounded very much like he was in a bad mood.
"I do, I just happened to point out that you’d let me think I helped. Which you still aren’t doing." He pointed out.
"I always do the setlists on my own." Jon was quick enough to point out his own fact.
"But you do usually take a suggestion."
"It's fine the way it is." He only sounded more aggitated.
"That’s why you change it half way through." He wasn't going to give in.
"I don’t do that that often and it works perfectly fine."
"I will laugh if and when you do it tonight."
"Good for you." Jon said annoyed and went back to writing, not once having lifted his head to see Richie.

Richie just rolled his eyes and put his arm around Jon's shoulder. He felt Jon tense beneath him and frowned at the reaction, gently starting to massage Jon's shoulder.

"Relax." He told him.
"I am relaxed."
Richie dug his thumb into the tense muscle a little more. "Oh really?"
"That hurts." Jon complained.
"Relax and it doesn't." He tried to soften it away.
"Stop it."
Richie stopped, feeling rejected once again. "Sorry."

After a few more minutes of being ignored, Richie pulled his arm away. Not understanding at all why Jon seemed to not even be around him suddenly.

Jon finished his setlist and handed it over for Richie to check it over but Richie didn't even look at it.

"I'm sure it's fine." He said, pushing it away.
"Good, I put that one in there anyway." Jon said, meaning one of the songs Richie had suggested earlier.
That made Richie look at the list. "Because I thought so or because you wanted to anyway."
"Cause it's a good song."
"Which is why I suggested it in the first place."
"I know, sorry."

Richie half shrugged and continued stitting there confused witht he cold shoulder he seems to be getting while Jon stared at his setlist.

"Wanna go find supper?" Jon finally asked.
"Sure, anything in mind?"
"Whatever catering has." He shrugged.
"We could go for real food."
"You don't want catering? Catering is good." Jon asked confused, they always ate whatever was being catered at the venue, much easier than going to a restaurant in every city.
"I’m fine with catering, was just asking if you wanted to go out." Richie said.
Jon shrugged. "If you want to."
"I’d rather go out." Richie said and got up off the couch.
"Okay." Jon agreed and slowly got up. "Where do you want to go then?"
"Where I happen to like to go often."
"Don't let me get sick again." Jon said worried.
"It shouldn't make you sick, you've eaten there before."
"Great, lets go." Jon said, ready to go and followed Richie out of the dressing room.


Once in the car, Jon tried to sit somewhat comfortable.

"Good thing they have cushioned seats there." Richie said, noticing him squirming uncomfortably.
"Feels like someone raped my ass."
Richie winced at his choise of wording. "I told you you could stop me."
"Nah, it was fine."
"Just fine?"
Jon shrugged. "It was alright, kinda hurt but I came so it must have been good.
"It hurts less the more often you do it, muscles get stretched."
He shrugged again. "I suppose."
"Then it's just wonderful."
Jon decided to take his chance and ask about what happened earlier. What about after the sex?"
"It’ll always be a little sore, but usually it’s still pleasant knowing the why."
"Yeah I figured that out, I meant what do you do after sex?"
"Depends on the person. Some people like to cuddle after, some don’t. I do."
"Then why didn’t you shower with me?" He felt hurt that Richie hadn't.
"Because then we never would’ve gotten back out."
"So? That would count as cuddling. If I didn’t want to shower with you, I could have washed at the sink." Jon pointed out.
"Trust me, it would’ve been a lot more than a cuddle."
"So?"
"I didn’t want to hurt you more..."
"Sure." He still felt somewhat hurt that they hadn't showered together.
"I'm sorry." Richie felt bad again, like he couldn't do anything right with this whole thing.
"It's fine."

Richie felt guilty again until they arrived at the restaurant and got out. He kept his head down and walked ahead of Jon.

Once he got go the sidewalk he looked over his shoulder to see if Jon was still following but Jon stood still in the middle of the parking lot.

"Aren't you coming?" Richie asked, turning around.
"No."
He started walking back. "Why not?"
"Cause you obviously don't want to be near me."
"That's not true at all!"
"No? You don’t want to shower with me, don’t want have dinner where we usually have dinner with everyone else and now you’re walking half a mile in front of me."
"I wanted to shower with you, but I didn’t know if you’d be happy with me taking it farther again which I would’ve wanted to do. I’m taking you out to a nice place for dinner, and I was only that far ahead of you because you stopped in the middle of the parking lot!" Richie said, very annoyed with it all.
"You were before I stopped, that’s why I stopped." Jon pointed out.
"I thought you were right behind me." Richie said honestly.
"Behind you? Maybe it would be nice if you walked next to me."
"After shrugging me off before? Make up your damn mind."
"I didn't shrugg you off." Jon argued.
"You sat across the room and tensed when I sat with an arm around you and ignored me."
"I was making a setlist."
"I was offering suggestions, which you only took one of because YOU wanted it, not because I thought it would be good."
"I make setlists, usually all alone." Jon pointed out his fact.
"But you’re usually open to suggestions."
"You hardly make any. Whatever, I don’t wanna keep fighting with you." Jon turned around, ready to leave.
"Yes I do." Richie stopped him by putting his hand on his shoulder and turning him back around. "And where are you going to go then? I’m your ride remember? And we’re already here."
"I can walk."
"That's across town."
"I'll live."
"Do you want to eat since we're here or just go back there?" Richie asked.
"I don't know."
Richie took a breath, his hand still loose on Jon's shoulder. "Well, we're already here, why don't we just go in and have something good to eat?"
"I guess."
He ran his hand down Jon's arm. "Sorry if I'm being a bit of jerk. I don't mean to be."
"It's fine. I guess I'm doing the same thing, sorry." Jon apologized too.
"It's ok, come on, let's go in."