Chapter 13: She Understands Howie sat in his living room for an hour, completely motionless. He felt horrible about how he had treated Celia the night before. He wanted to turn around so badly and say something, but he was too afraid to do so. He felt as if he was going to lead her on.          No, I gotta apologize to her... He stood up and with as much courage as he could muster, grabbed his keys and headed out the door.           He pulled up to Club Passaro, got out of his car, went to the door and knocked.          Celia answered the door. "Oh, hi Howie."           "Hey," Howie stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Can I come in?"           "Yeah, come on,"           Howie followed her into the back office. Celia leaned on the desk. "So what's up?"          "I just wanted to apologize for the way I was acting. I act like a real asshole when I got too much alcohol in me."           Celia put her hand up. "Don't even worry about it. I've dealt with drunk friends before. Actually I wanted to apologize to you."            "For what?"            "For the silly way Laura was acting. I felt like I was on some cheesy game show."            Howie smiled. "I felt the same way."            "I thought she was just trying to be nice, but when I was in the car and that song came on..." Celia trailed off.           Howie looked down at his fingers. "Oh..."            "I felt like a complete moron."            "It's OK, really. I guess she had her heart in the right place."            Celia nodded. She understands... Howie cocked his head to the side. "Hey, are you busy right now? I'm getting a little hungry. You?"            "Yeah actually," Celia smiled.            "Wanna catch a bite to eat?"            "Sure," Celia grabbed her bag.             They got into Howie's car and headed to the restaurant. He looked at Celia as he was driving, and felt a new sense of relief. She understood, and didn't want to push him. He felt safe again being around her. She knew.             They arrived at Cafe Latino, one of Howie's favorites. "I love this place," Celia smiled.             "Really?"             "Yeah, I try to get them to deliver when I can at work."             "Then you won't be surprised."             They sat down at a corner booth, per Howie's request, and looked at the menus.           "So, you did come from a large family," Howie put his menu down.           "Yeah. It had its advantages and disadvantages. There was always someone around to play with, but no privacy. I enjoyed the perks of being the baby though. I could always get away with the bad stuff."           "I feel exactly the same way," Howie smiled. They ordered their food and had a great conversation. They shared the ins and outs of family, the nightclub trades, their favorite Latino artists.            "Are you still gonna organize the showcase?" Howie asked.           "As soon as Laura's wedding is over. I figured they have enough to worry about right now with a big project such as this."           "Speaking of them," Howie leaned on his desk. "I guess you've gotten to know us a little bit. How does it feel to have half of Elegance as your bosses?"           "To tell you the truth," Celia took a sip of her Sprite. "I thought I was going to be intimidated. You know, big rock stars and me doing all of the dirty work for them. I thought I might be considered second class to them. But they haven't. They take as much an active role in the club as any other owners would. And they don't push any of my ideas under the rug. They listen to them, put their own input in it if any, and they let me run with it. To me they are more then my bosses. They are truly nice people."           "And what about us? The faithful customers who never pay," Howie laughed.           "I like you guys. I was nervous at first when I met you. But you're normal. It shocked me, but I guess you hear that from everyone."           "Sometimes," Howie took a forkful of his paella and chewed it. "You get the initial 'Oh my God you're really him!' Then people calm down and realize you're human like everyone else. That's what I like the most. It's thrilling when someone acknowledges you, but it's even better when someone doesn't treat you like an object."           Celia nodded. "And how do you think I treat you?"           "I'm liking it so far," Howie smiled. ~*~ They arrived back at the club, where Howie followed Celia back into the office.           "Well, I'm stuffed. One thing about Cafe Latino; they never leave you with an empty stomach," Celia patted her stomach.           "Well, if you didn't have that extra helping of fried ice cream," Howie shook his head.           "True. Well, thanks for lunch. You really didn't have to pay."          "Hey, a gentleman always pays, no matter what."           "OK, but next time, I buy."           "I'll hold you to it." Howie checked his watch. "Oh I gotta go. We're getting fitted for our tuxes this afternoon."           "Then I'll see you around?"          "Yeah," Howie smiled. "I'll see you around." He walked out of the office and into his car.           "That wasn't so bad," he said to himself as he drove away. "No pressure at all." Chapter 14 Contents Chapter 12