Pretenders

Date Night

Mike looked up from the bar stool when Anna entered the kitchen in straight dark wash jeans and a sheer blouse dotted with flowers. She looked cute with her new hairstyle, the straight bangs and auburn locks, eyes hidden behind oversized sunglasses, and he smiled. "You look great. You know you're always welcome to hang out here with me and Chester, boo. We're just going to watch chick flicks and eat junk food. You like that kind of stuff." He grinned and reached over to poke Anna in the side as she passed by him on the way to pick up her purse from the kitchen table.

Anna rolled her eyes and tried to see what Mike was doing at the bar. It looked like he had a book in his hands, but she couldn't tell if it was a book to read, or a book to write in, or maybe a sketch book. He'd been sitting there the entire time she'd been upstairs getting ready to go out, and it annoyed her a little that he was in such a good mood. He always seemed to be in a good mood for these date nights with Chester. Just the term date night caused Anna to roll her eyes again. What grown men call their bro time date night?

She grabbed her purse and turned back to Mike with a smile. "Linsey and I are going to check out the new wine bar over on Hollywood Boulevard," she reminded him, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek. "Girl's night out."

Mike dropped his book and pulled Anna over into his lap, trapping her between his body and the barstool. "Well, don't be out too late," he teased, kissing the side of her neck quickly. "You never know what kind of trouble Chaz and I could get into without adult supervision. And, there could always be a little something waiting for you when you get home." He kissed right down to the plunge of her v-neck top and then pulled back to wink at her. "I know when you're out, thinking about how you get to come home and fuck a rock star makes you hot," he teased.

It had been true, at one point. It had been ridiculously satisfying to know that Mike was hers, back when Linkin Park hit it big, and women were practically throwing themselves at her boyfriend. It had been fun for a while, telling people she was dating Mike Shinoda. It had been fun to parade in front of the tabloids with him, just to get all the fangirls and groupies jealous.

But as Anna sat on her husband's lap in the kitchen of the multi-million dollar house they'd just bought last year, she had to admit the thrill of being a rock-star wife had worn thin. It felt like from the moment the first record hit, she'd hardly seen Mike. Linkin Park had toured relentlessly, then written their sophomore album, and she married her rock star before they toured again and he was gone for months. It had led to some fights, all those nights she spent alone, waiting for him to call. She'd felt like an idiot more than once, falling asleep with the phone in her hand, waiting. Mike had promised he'd be home more, that they all wanted to take a break before the third album, and Anna had believed him. How could she have known he'd spend those hours at home writing hip-hop tracks instead of starting the family she wanted. What had they even bought this giant house for? It was 2006, and she was no closer to having a baby than she'd been in 1998 when she met Mike. Being a rock-star, rap-God wannabe was getting in the way of her dreams. It wasn't as fun anymore.

Yet she reached out and ran a finger across Mike's lips, then down, touching the silly looking goatee he was wearing these days before leaning down and kissing him.

"Mmm," Mike moaned softly when they broke apart. "That's what I'm talking about, Anna Shinoda. You don't stay gone too long, you hear me?" He was about to say something else, something dirty and suggestive in her ear, but the doorbell rang.

Mike was up from the barstool, practically shoving Anna off his lap to get to the front door. "Oh, Chaz is here!" he called over his shoulder, loud enough for Chester to hear from outside.

Anna sighed and shoved her purse up onto her shoulder. She needed to get out of here before the love-fest began. It was just weird how her husband and Chester acted in each other's company. She'd never seen two people laugh so much when they were together.