The Married Man

Chapter 10

 

 

A slight tap at Guy's door came about ten minutes later.

Guy opened the door to find Aaron on the other side with an armful of stuff.

"How's Beth?" Guy asked.

"Sleeping peacefully," Aaron told him, "I don't even think she knows the electricity went out."

Aaron dropped his load of stuff onto Guy's bed.

"What's all this?" Guy asked.

"Candles and matches because we have no electricity," Aaron told him as he ticked off the items one by one on his fingers.

"Crackers, cheese and fruit because I thought you might be hungry. I am starved. Two glasses in which to pour the contents of this delightfully delectable bottle of Calvados."

"Apple brandy?" Guy asked, feeling more than a little surprised, "You drink apple brandy?"

"I love the stuff," Aaron told him, twisting the cork on the bottle.

"I just thought you were more of a whiskey or beer man," Guy explained.

Aaron smiled at him.

"I like them all. I am a man of eccentric taste."

Guy sat down on the bed and began to cut the fruit.

"Here, taste it," Aaron said, handing him a glass.

Guy took the glass and in return he slipped a slice of an orange into Aaron's mouth.

"It's good," Guy said, approvingly of the liquor.

"So is this orange," Aaron said, licking the sticky juice off his mouth.

Guy was watching Aaron closely.

He sat his glass on the bedside table and stood up.

"Why don't you let me do that?" he asked.

Then he leaned in close to Aaron and gently slid his tongue across Aaron's upper lip and then down across his lower lip.

At the corner of his mouth, Guy bit Aaron's lip, just a little.

Aaron dropped both the bottle of cognac and his unused glass onto the floor.

"That will make a stain," Guy said, "Let me get something to clean it up."

Aaron grabbed the collar of the blue t-shirt Guy had just put on.

"This will work just fine for a cloth," he murmured into Guy's ear as he tugged the shirt over Guy's head.

Aaron's shirt was fastened with snaps which when Guy pulled on them, all came loose at once.

Guy ran his hands over all of Aaron's well-muscled upper body.

"Good grief," he said, "I have never seen you like this before. You have such lovely strong muscles."

"I am so fucking nervous," Aaron said.

Guy laughed.

"You? What about me? This is all completely new to me."

"Ah yes," Aaron said, "What you need is a teacher."

"Are you volunteering?" Guy asked, in a whisper.

Aaron ran a single finger down Guy's chest until he found the top button on Guy's jeans.

With strong fingers, he unbuttoned the jeans in less than ten seconds.

Guy noticed that his breathing had increased considerably.

"How lucky I am to have such a gorgeous student," Aaron said, leaning forward and kissing Guy's chest.

Then in one smooth stroke, Aaron stepped back and pushed Guy down onto the bed.

Guy fell among the supplies and they all scattered onto the floor.

Guy watched as Aaron deftly wriggled out of his jeans.

"I've been waiting for this moment since the first day I saw you," Aaron said, as he joined Guy on the bed.

"I'm not sure," Guy said, pulling Aaron to him, "I think I may have been waiting for this my whole life."

 

 

 

Chapter 11

 

 

Guy woke up and sleepily looked around the room.

"What are you doing awake?" he asked, when he saw Aaron sitting in a chair.

"Just watching you sleep," Aaron told him, "And thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Guy asked.

A loud gust of wind rattled the window panes and Guy shivered.

"That sounds like a blizzard out there," he said, pulling the quilt tighter around him.

"Not quite," Aaron said, "But soon enough."

"Get out of that damn chair and come back to bed," Guy told him.

"I've just been sitting here thinking," Aaron said with a sad sound to his voice.

The tone gave Guy a bad feeling in his stomach.

"I think that maybe you should leave," Aaron told him.

Guy sat up and looked at Aaron with a shocked expression.

"Why?" he asked, "You said it was okay to be here with you and Beth."

"It isn't that," Aaron said, looking down at the floor, "I want you to go."

"Did I do something wrong?" Guy asked, "I can learn, you know. I can learn to be better."

Aaron looked at him and shook his head.

"You damn fool," he said, "It isn't anything like that. This was....you were....together we were incredible."

"Then why do I have to go?" Guy asked.

"Because I realized that this is not the kind of life that you should be living. You should be having fun with your friends. You just don't belong here."

Guy sat up.

"That is a load of crap," he said, "I have never really belonged anywhere but here. Before I was just going through the motions of having a life. Here I actually have a life. And people that I love."

"You have such a wonderful future ahead of you," Aaron said, "I won't let you throw it away."

"I don't intend to," Guy told him, "As soon as Chris gets his shit together, we are going to cut a new album and then go on tour."

"Where does that leave me?" Aaron asked.

"You could come with us," Guy suggested.

"What about the farm? Who would take care of it?"Aaron asked.

Guy was silent.

"I don't want to live my life without you," he finally told Aaron, "I can't do it. Hell, I won't do it."

"You belong there," Aaron said, "And I belong here. We knew it all along, but I just refused to accept it. I should have put a stop to this long ago. But....but I just love you so very much."

"But what about Beth? I promised her I would take care of you?"

"She doesn't have to know," Aaron said, "I'll just tell her that your band went on tour."

Guy shook his head.

"I won't lie to her," he said, forcefully, "If she asks, I will tell her the truth."

Aaron stood up.

"She won't ask," he said, "Just be gone by the time she wakes up."

 

 

 

 

Chapter 12

 

 

"Geez," Will said, standing with his hands on his hips, looking down at Guy, "I have never seen him this drunk and that is saying alot."

"What should we do with him?" Chris asked.

"Let's try to get him to bed," Jonny said.

"I'll stay with him awhile," Will volunteered, "I don't want him choking on his own vomit like all those other pop stars."

Will and Jonny leaned over to pick Guy up by the arms.

Guy's eyes flew open and he grabbed Will's shirt.

"Aaron?" he asked, "Have you seen Aaron?"

"Guy, it is me....Will.....Jonny and I are trying to put you to bed."

"Jonny?" Guy turned his alcoholic eyes toward Jonny, "My friend," he said, resting a hand on Jonny's shoulder, "Have you seen Aaron?"

"Who is this Aaron that he keeps talking about?" Chris asked.

"I don't know," Jonny said, "Maybe it is the name of that little farm girl."

"Oh like Erin....not Aaron. Yeah, that's probably it," Chris said.

"He does this every time he gets dumped and we have to carry his ass home," Will said, "He needs to grow up."

"Well you can tell him that at length tomorrow morning," Chris said, "Right now we just have to get him to bed."

 

Two miserable weeks later, Will was heading into the studio when a woman approached him.

It was Beth.

"Look who I found outside," Will said, upon entering the studio,"This lovely woman to see Guy."

Guy looked up.

""Beth......" Guy rushed to her side and hugged her.

She looked three times worse than when he had last seen her.

"What are you doing here?" Guy asked.

"What are you doing here is more like the question," She said, "Why aren't you at the farm with Aaron?"

"Here, sit down," he told her.

When they were both sitting on the sofa, Guy told her about Aaron's decision to end their relationship.

"I ought to give him a good slap across the face," she said, "If I was stronger, I certainly would."

"It was a shock to me too," Guy told her.

"He's miserable without you," She told him, "Come...take me back to the farm and we will kick his ass together."

"I don't know," Guy said, not wishing to disappoint Beth or anger Aaron.

Beth leaned forward and grasped Guy's arm with her thin cold little hand.

"I don't have much longer," she said, "Days...maybe...hours...maybe. I want to see you two together."

"I'll do it for you," Guy said, "Just let me get my jacket."

Guy walked to his guitar stand and grabbed his jacket.

"Is that your little farm girl?" Chris asked, sarcastically.

"No," Guy told him smugly, "That is the wife of the man I have been sleeping with."

Chris' eyes bugged out and Guy walked away.

Then Chris laughed.

"Good one," he told Guy.

But then he frowned as he realized maybe Guy was telling the truth.

 

 

 

Chapter 13

 

 

Aaron was in the barn when Guy and Beth drove up.

"Oh no," Guy said, "He looks really pissed."

"Don't let him intimidate you," Beth advised.

Guy jumped out of the car and ran around to open the door for Beth.

Out of the corner of his eye, Guy could see Aaron hurrying over to them.

"Beth!! What are you doing?" Aaron asked her, sweeping her up, "You should not be out."

To Guy, he just said, "I'll deal with you later."

He walked off to the house carrying Beth.

Reluctantly, Guy followed them.

By the time Guy had walked slowly up to the kitchen door, Aaron was already coming back out again.

"I'm sorry," Guy told him, "She just showed up..."

"Shut up," Aaron said, quietly.

For a moment Guy was afraid of Aaron.

His face was red and his jaw was tightened.

"Into the barn," Aaron commanded to Guy.

Guy felt like a little mischievious child being taken to the wood shed.

Aaron swung the huge door of the barn closed.

The only light was some random stripes of sunlight that snuck between some loose-fitting boards.

"I'm not afraid of you," Guy told Aaron boldly, even though it was a lie.

Aaron walked close to Guy.

"There's no reason you should be," Aaron said, "I would never do anything to hurt you."

Guy was surprised.

"Aren't you angry?" Guy asked.

"Yes, at Beth..for being so stupid and wearing herself out. But not at you. Never."

"I'm not leaving either," Guy told him, "Even if you don't want me around. I'm not leaving Beth. She is my good friend too."

"I am so sorry.....for making you leave...." Aaron said, reaching out to straighten the collar of Guys' jacket.

"My life was pretty empty without you," Guy confessed, taking the usual cap from Aaron's head and running his hand through his black curls.

At the same moment they both leaned in for a kiss.

Guy worked his way out of his jacket.

Aaron untucked his shirt and took it off.

Their kissing grew more intense with every second.

Guy took his shirt off and pressed his body against Aaron.

"Your skin is so smooth," Aaron murmured to Guy as he slid his hand down Guy's back.

"Don't let me go," Guy told him.

 

 

 

 

Chapter 14

 

 

"Beth!" Guy called out, "The daffodils are blooming! The ones we planted."

"Take me out to see them, please," she said.

She was completely bed-ridden by now. They never knew if each day would be her last.

Guy picked her up gently and carried her to the porch swing.

"Oh they look so wonderful," she said weakly.

Then she looked at Guy.

"You did such a good job planting them," she said.

Then she asked,"Where is Aaron?"

"Out on the tractor planting corn I think," he said.

"Do you think you could get him for me?" she asked.

Guy looked at her in the eyes and he knew why she wanted Aaron.

"Of course," he said.

Ten minutes later, Aaron was there.

He sat down in the swing with Beth and she leaned on him.

"I love you," Beth told him.

"I love you too," Aaron told her, kissing her on the head.

She held out her hand to Guy.

"You two better listen to me," she said, "Stay together or I'm coming back to haunt you."

Aaron was crying, with huge tears sliding down his cheeks.

A few birds soared gently in the breeze and Beth was gone.

 

Six Months Later

 

"Okay...so you promise that you will come to New York?" Guy was asking Aaron.

"Yes, I promise," Aaron said, "Calm down."

"Sorry," Guy said, as he was finishing packing, "It's just such a nervous time right before a record is released."

"I'm sure it will be a great success," Aaron said, with a wink, "Since I haven't been allowed to hear any of it."

"I have something for you," Guy told him, walking to his book shelf.

He handed a CD to Aaron.

"It's the new one," Guy told him, "You might want to listen to #8 first."

Aaron flipped the CD back and forth.

"There's no track listing on here. How do I know what it's title is?"

Guy smiled at him.

"It's called 'Beth'," he told Aaron.

Aaron looked up quickly.

"I love you so much," he told Guy, "Beth would be proud. Thank you."

"She would hate it," Guy said, laughing, "But I wanted to do something special for her."

"Did you write it?" Aaron asked.

Guy smiled and shook his head.

"No," he admitted," I wanted it to be good."

Aaron stood up.

"Finish this later," he said, "Let's go visit her."

 

The End

 

 

A Rush of Blood

 

Chapter XI

 

 

 

 

Removed, please PM if you want to read.

 

Jonny screamed. “I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!”

 

Chris took a few steps away, backing into Guy. “Just relax, J…”

 

“NO. I PAID GOOD MONEY FOR MY TICKET AND NOW LOOK AT ME.”

 

Chris looked at Jonny. He looked perfectly fine. His nice green hat bringing out his nice green eyes, his nice shirt and his nice jeans…okay, so he did look a little angry…but Chris thought it was kinda cute.

 

“I WANNA GO ON THE RIDE!!”

 

Guy spotted a cute girl watching him and hit Jonny in the shoulder. “Get a grip man, we’re two steps away from the gates!”

 

Will laughed. “I can’t believe some people are scared of this thing,” he muttered, looking up at the enormous roller coaster. He gulped, “It’s only 200 feet tall…”

 

“Actually,” Guy opened up his map of the park, “the Ride of Steel is 208 feet tall, and has a drop of 205 feet at a vertical angle of”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Chris rolled his eyes and took Jonny’s hand, “Just be patient, love.”

 

Jonny grinned and stepped up to the ride. “Front seat here I come!” He took a seat beside Chris in the front car, Will and Guy a few rows behind them. “I’m SO FREAKING EXCITED!”

 

Will twiddled his thumbs, Don’t look down, don’t look down…

 

Guy sighed and smiled, finding the cute girl in front of him. He tapped her shoulder. “I’m a bassist, you know.”

 

After a minute, the ride jolted forward, slowly moving to the giant hill ahead of them. “OHMIGOSH OHMIGOSH OHMIGOSH,” Jonny squeed. He shook Chris, “AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”

 

“So, drop by the show tonight,” Guy handed the girl a backstage pass, “and maybe we can”

 

“GUY, I’M SO SCARED!” Will grabbed him and held him tight.

 

The girl frowned, and turned away.

 

“Dude, you suck,” Guy pushed Will away, “you’ll be fine.”

 

The roller coaster reached the top of the hill and stopped. Below them, the boys could faintly see the ground, the falling track barely visible. Will cringed at the site, while, ahead of him, Jonny screamed with joy as the cars flew forward.

 

The roller coaster zoomed down the track, screams and laughter filling the air as it corkscrewed and dipped. The ride soon stopped, and Jonny laughed. “That was AWESOME!”

 

The boys got off and walked to the gift stand, deciding to purchase a few photos of their ride. In the picture, Chris was holding Jonny, Jonny was giving Chris bunny ears, Will had his hands in the air, and Guy was clinging onto Will for dear life, a look of utter fright on his face.

Well, the next part will be better... :P

 

Losing Grip (Part 7)

 

 

 

 

I proudly marched into the Bakery and placed my black jacket on the wooden coat rack. That was the best date I've ever been on. As soon as I'd shut the door Jonny, Will and Guy's attention came towards me.

 

"How was it?" Will asked, placing this news paper on the table.

 

"Brilliant. Best date ever." I said cheerfully, grabbing a beer from the fridge. I tossed three more bottles towards Guy.

 

Guy stared, puzzled at the three bottles on his lap. "I know I like to drink and all but, I don't think you should start me off with thr-."

 

I laughed. "You're suppose to pass one to Jonny and another to Will, smart-ass."

 

"Oh..."

 

"What's she like anyways?" Will asked. I had forgotten he hadn't meet her yet.

 

"Her name is Julia Wakefield. She's Scottish. She's a teacher in math and ballet. A very shy and sweet woman." said proudly.

 

Guy whispered something in Will's ear.

 

"Really?" Will asked.

 

Guy continued to whisper in Will's ear again, but all I could hear is murmurs and some giggles.

 

"Well, I'll be the one to judge that." Will told him.

 

"Oh, you'll agree..." Guy said, drinking half his beer down.

 

"What?" Chris asked.

 

"Nothing." Guy said, continuing to drink down his beer.

 

"Something about you're girlfriend being hot." Will told me.

 

I shot a fake glare at Guy, who popped straight up choking on his drink, and once he stopped coughing he said, "Erm...Uhmm... No." and scratched the back of his neck.

 

I laughed. "I don't care if you think my girlfriend is hot," I drank my beer as I sat next to Guy. "but remember: she's mine!" I poked him in the ribs.

 

"Yep, I know." He said smoothly, but he raised a brow at me.

 

"I'm serious..."

 

"Oh, I know." He said it even smoother.

 

 

SPRING & WINTER

Chapter 7

 

 

 

“So, she just...” began Jonathan, waving a hand.

 

“Died,” I finished. “Just like that, yes. I don’t often see things happen in that way. It was so odd.”

 

“God bless her soul,” he murmured.

 

“Thank you for doing the service on short notice, my friend. It was very kind of you. And thank you for finding a place for her in the cemetery.”

 

“There is room there; it wasn’t so hard. But you’re welcome, Chris.”

 

I nodded, smiling tiredly. “More tea?”

 

“No, thank you. I should be going if I’m to be on time for today’s baptisms.”

 

“Of course,” I said absent-mindedly, squeezing Jon’s shoulder. Once I saw him off, Mrs. Bennett met me in the main hallway. She told me that I had just received a letter from the Berrymans; apparently their eldest son had written me. I took the letter from her with a small frown of confusion on my face, and opened it quickly.

 

Basically, Guy was asking me if I wanted to go riding with him next Saturday. “He had to send a letter for this?” I mused aloud. “Couldn’t he just have come over? Don’t they live only a few miles away, Mrs. Bennett?”

 

“Yessir, they do. But they prefer to do things as if they do not.” She grinned as she said it, and I could tell that our household had received many such letters in the past.

 

“Well, what do I do? Send a letter back?” Mrs. Bennett nodded, and I asked her if she could send a message of acceptance for me if I wrote it down. Once I got the letter done with, I dragged myself upstairs. As I walked across the smooth, crimson-colored carpets and passed the dark wooden panels on the walls, I realized something odd. I didn’t have any childlike curiosity about exploring the house anymore. When I’d still been getting used to the place, I’d spent hours seeking out nooks and crannies that I could stuff myself into and just stare out a window. But now that I’d been here for quite a while, I found that my burning desire to explore the interior had dwindled.

 

A trip outdoors would be just what I needed; I was sure of it. And Guy was the first true gentleman I’d ever talked to, so I was eager to learn some tips from him...if he would give me any.

 

I walked over to the stables, hoping to find someone who could point out the best horse. I’d given my old mare to Jonathan to use for his parish, and I hadn’t yet found a suitable replacement. The minute I walked into the barn, I noticed a lone figure grooming a small pony. I very nearly walked straight out again as I recognized that the figure was William. But I stood my ground.

 

“Hello...”

 

“Sir...” he gasped, spinning around. “I’m...I...I’m terribly sorry for what I did,” he stammered suddenly, his tone of voice rooting me to the floor. “I should never have laid a hand on you. If you want me to leave the estate, I will be more than happy to...”

 

“Stop!” I managed to cut in. “Hold on. I came here to find a good horse to take out riding next week. Can you help me?”

 

There was a moment of silence, and the other man looked as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. “Yes. Of course.”

 

 

 

awww, i wanted to post on the 42nd page :disappointed:

 

oh well, here's a picture to make me feel better

 

:cheesy:

The Escapists

 

Part 8

 

 

 

Genieva's POV

 

 

 

"GENIEVA! Guess what!" Chris' rambunctious voice rang through the hall as he came bustling down towards my locker.

 

"What?" I asked, turning around with the slight fear that he was about to run into me. It wouldn't have been the first time.

 

"Guess, guess, guess!" he exclaimed.

 

"...I don't know!"

 

"It's big news. Come on, guess!"

 

"Are you... joining the circus?"

 

"Very funny. It's better than that."

 

"I don't know, why can't you just tell me?" He sighed, rolled his eyes, and held up his hand. On one of his fingers was what appeared to be a piece of red string. A closer observation showed that is was on his ring finger. Wait... "Is that...?"

 

"Mm-hmm."

 

"You and Jonny are... engaged?"

 

"Mm-hmm!"

 

"Oh my god!" I said, hugging him. "Oh my god! Congratulations! That is so... wow. Awesome!"

 

"Genieva, Jonny and I are getting married. It sounds so... wonderful." He had this cheesy grin on his face like a little kid has when he's given candy. Or Chris when he's given chocolate.

 

"Not to burst your bubble- I mean, I am happy for you- but, um... can you guys really get married?"

 

"I don't... Maybe not legally, but, you know... that doesn't matter."

 

"Well, I'm happy for you guys."

 

"Oh, did he tell you already?" Jonny asked as he walked up to us.

 

"Hello... fiancé," Chris giggled.

 

"Right back at ya," Jonny paused, and Chris held his breath, "... fiancé." Chris burst out laughing, giddy as hell. As much as I loved watching the two of them, there were more pressing matters at hand.

 

"Jonny, that guy who sits in front of you in homeroom... what's his name?"

 

"Uh, Paul. Why?"

 

"Is he friends with you guys?"

 

"Not exactly."

 

"Oh. It's just that I always hear him talking about you two, and I was just wondering if you guys were friends."

 

"No, we pretty much hate him," Chris chimed.

 

"Good to know," I said. "And also, he's coming this way."

 

"What?" Chris turned around, searching for the enemy.

 

"Other way." Chris turned back.

 

"Oh. What do you want, Paul?" Chris asked as Paul stopped.

 

"Who says I want anything?" Paul answered.

 

"You always want something," Jonny said.

 

"Right, well, I was wondering if you two would... come to my birthday party," he said in a hushed tone.

 

"What?" Jonny laughed. "Why would we go?"

 

"I was just asking," he said, blushing a little.

 

"What about... what's his face? Joe?" Chris asked.

 

"He doesn't really talk to me much anymore."

 

"We're not going," Jonny said.

 

"I think Chris can speak for himself."

 

Chris slowly shook his head and replied, "No, we're not going." Paul looked down with the saddest eyes I've ever seen. Chris must have noticed, because he quickly added, "Sorry."

 

"Whatever. We're not friends anyway." Paul, still clearly upset, walked away. He came back, though. It was much later, but he did come back.

 

Jonny and I were standing in almost the exact same spot six hours later, waiting for Chris. I don't even remember what we were talking about, but it obviously was of little importance. An angry-looking Paul stormed up and stopped right in front of Jonny.

 

"Buckland!" he shouted.

 

"What's your problem?" Jonny asked.

 

"You know what my problem is."

 

"Oh, what, that we won't go to your party? Maybe you should try being nicer to people, and then they'll like you."

 

"You know what?" Paul screamed, shoving Jonny up against the wall. "There's only so much a person can take of you," he said, stepping closer. Scary close, even, and he sounded really, really angry. "And I think I've reached my limit."

 

 

 

The Escapists

 

Part 9

 

 

Paul's POV

 

 

I didn't know what I was doing. Honest. I didn't even realise anything that had happened until it was all over. I felt bad about it, too. Not while it was happening, though, because it was all a blur.

 

One minute I was walking up to Jonny, and yes, I was angry, and the next thing I knew I was being pushed to the ground by Chris. And thank God he came, because I don't know what would have happened if he didn't rescue Jonny.

 

But, oh. He just had to rescue Jonny.

 

Somewhere in the blur, I suppose my anger intensified. It was all silly of me to be so upset, but I couldn't control it. Teenagers and their hormones, I guess. I wanted to just talk to Jonny, try to get some of my frustration out without saying too much and taking it too far. That didn't really work at all.

 

I did walk up, and I did start talking, but the problem started when Jonny started talking back. He... well, I don't know, really, but I just got so angry. I remember shoving him up against the wall, and I think at that point I scared myself so much that I just stop paying attention. I do recall a few screams coming from what must have been Genieva's vocal chords, shouting something like, "Get your hands off him!"

 

Then Chris ran up, tackled me to the ground and ran back to Jonny. From the little bits that I do remember, I must have had my arm shoved up against Jonny's throat. As I fell to the ground, I could hear Jonny gasping for air. He collapsed forward, but by that time Chris had caught him. He eased Jonny down to the floor and held him while Genieva moved towards me. I scurried up off the ground and backed away a bit.

 

"Why would you do that?" she shouted.

 

"I..." Everything was only just getting clearer to me. What was going on?

 

"What did he ever do to you?"

 

"Uh..." Panic. I looked over at Jonny, who was still panting. It was clear now. How could I do something like that? Genieva was still shouting at me, and I wanted so badly to just yell back. No, don't. Don't say anything. But it just kept building up inside of me.

 

"What did he-"

 

"He took Chris away from me!" Shit. Everything slowed down. I tried to leave, but I couldn't move fast enough. I kept walking and walking, but I wasn't going far enough. Genieva ran up along side of me.

 

"Wait," she said. "Talk to me."

 

"No."

 

"Please?"

 

"No." She grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

 

"Please just talk to me? I'll listen. I'll be your friend."

 

"Why would you be my friend?" She slowly leaned forward and kissed my cheek. Oh, geez.

 

"I want to be your friend," she said calmly.

 

"Even after what I did?"

 

"Will you please talk to me?"

 

"Fine." She smiled and placed her hand on my back.

 

"Come on, we can walk."

 

"I don't know what to say..."

 

"Tell me about... everything. Anything." I took a deep breath.

 

"I... I met Chris, what was it? Five years ago? And... but I didn't know how to react. I guess it just felt natural to be mean to him, or something. And then Joe came along, and he thought it was fun, so we just kept bullying him. I know that he hated me for it... but I think part of me wanted that, because I was uncomfortable with it."

 

"You kept this to yourself for five years?"

 

"Well, it sounds bad when you put it like that."

 

"Was it hard?"

 

"Uh, it was all OK until Jonny showed up. I mean, at first he wasn't a problem, but then... you know."

 

"He really loves Jonny."

 

"Yeah, I know," my voice cracked. I could feel tears making their way to my eyes. What was wrong with me?

 

"Can I ask you one last thing?" She stopped.

 

"What?"

 

"Do you think you could ever feel that way about... anyone else?"

 

"About you?" She lowered her head, and we kept walking.

 

 

 

Love Over This: Part One

 

 

 

 

"Chris! Can you get the door?" Gwyneth shouted behind her while she was making the kids breakfast.

 

"Sure thing!" Chris replied from upstairs, while he put on a shirt. The doorbell rang again.

 

"Hang on man!" Chris exclaimed with a grin on his face as he progressed down the stairs. Chris opened the door. It was Jonny.

 

"Alright, Jonny?"Chris asked, delighted to see his bandmate as always.

 

"I was just in the neighbourhood so I thought I'd stop by!" Jonny replied, chuckling.

 

Chris paused to take in the delightful sound of Jonny's chuckle.

"You have a cute laugh!" Chris said, still grinning.

 

"You always say that, you great softy!" Jonny replied, shaking his head and trying not to laugh.

 

"Well maybe you should get a soft side!" Chris said, leaning on the door. "So, you want to come in, Gwyneth's making breakfast!"

 

"There's enough to feed ten men here!" Jonny said, picking up a slice of toast.

 

"How you doin' little fella?" Jonny said to Moses.

 

Moses looked up at Jonny with a grin before saying,

"I'm good thanks Uncle Jonny!"

 

"How is Chloe then, Jonny?" Gwyneth asked, pouring herself a glass of orange juice.

 

"It's over" Jonny replied. Chris looked up.

 

"Over?" Gwyneth said, almost spilling her orange juice.

 

"Yes, I'm afraid" Jonny said. Chris continued to stare at Jonny but he was staring at Gwyneth.

 

"Well, what happened, are you okay?" Gwyneth asked, concerned.

 

"Yes I'm fine, we just thought that it wasn't going well and we both decided we should end it!"

 

"Wasn't going well, how do you mean?" Chris said, talking for the first time since they had sat down, genuinely intrigued.

 

"I'm in love with someone else!"

 

Chris continued to stare at the man.

"Who is it then?" Gwyneth asked. "Is it someone I know?"

 

"It's someone you know very well!" Jonny replied. Chris stood up from his seat. "Anyone want some wine?" he asked.

 

"Chris, it's ten in the morning!" Gwyneth exclaimed.

 

"Well there's nothing like a glass of wine to wake you up in the morning!" Chris launghed, uneasily.

 

The doorbell rang again. "Ooh, that must be Denise from down the road, she said that she would pop down this morning!" Gwyneth said, getting up from her seat and rushing towards the front door.

"What the hell is your problem?" Chris said quietly to Jonny.

 

"I don't see what you mean?" Jonny replied, grinning.

 

"With your little games, saying "ooh, t's someone you know very well!" heeheehee!"

 

"Oh have a sense of humour, Chris!" Jonny said.

 

"I want to kiss you!" Chris said quickly. "Right now" Chris looked down at his kids. "Umm, Moses honey, Apple, will you two please go upstairs and play with your toys for a few minutes?"

The two kids smiled, kissed their father on the cheek and ran upstairs almost simultaneously. Chris walked over to the kitchen door, closed it and then jumped on top of Jonny.

 

 

 

I dceided to change the PoV up a little bit... :P

 

 

Losing Grip (Part 8)

 

 

 

 

I pulled the load of clothing out of the dryer and into the laundry basket. I was about to carry it into the living room to be folded up, until I heard the doorbell ring. I set the basket on top of the dryer.

 

"Who is it?" I called.

 

"It's Guy!"

 

"You can come in." I called in return.

 

"Oh, Chris," he must have still been heading towards the laundry room, "you'll never guess what I got! I got two-."

 

Then he finally saw me. "Julia? I- I didn't expect to see you here. You moved in with Chris?"

 

"Yeah, just a few days ago." I picked up the laundry bin and headed towards the living room to fold the laundry. I set the basket on the coffee table and sat on the couch preparing to fold the clothing. Guy sat next to me.

 

"Doing his laundry, already?" he laughed.

 

"I suppose. He insits I don't but I know how busy he is. I'm not that busy at all, so I find time to do it."

 

I watched as he took a piece of clothing from the laundry basket and started to fold it. "You don't have to do that." I reached my hand out to take Chris's shirt away from him, but instead it took his hand. Well, actually his took mine.

 

"Your hands are so soft..." he whispered into my ear. His hands were rough against my skin.

 

I didn't speak. With his other hand, he his ran finger along my lips. "And so are your lips." And we closed our eyes and he softly brushed his lips against mine.

 

"Do you love me?" he asked, playing with my hair.

 

I stared at him with no answer. Stunned.

 

"Please, be honest." he whispered.

 

"No." I breathed. "I'm sorry."

 

 

 

.

Love Over This: Part Two

 

 

 

 

"Guy! What do you want?" Gwyneth said as she opened the door to the sight of Mr Guy Berryman.

 

"I'm here to see Chris!" Guy replied, trying to look around.

 

"Chris isn't in!" Gwyneth said, folding her arms.

 

"I'm lying, I came here to see you!"

 

"Out, Guy, it is over, I told you that a month ago!" Gwyneth exclaimed, closing her eyes and muttering the word; Go.

 

"Gwyneth, please, give me another chance!" Guy pleaded. "Do you want me to get on my knees because I will do that!"

 

"Stop acting like a spoilt child!" Gwyneth said, shaking her head.

 

"But I like being spoilt, you spoil me Gwyneth!" Guy said, getting down on his knees.

 

Gwyneth began to smile. "There you go, thats the smile I like!" Guy said.

 

"I am married, Guy!"

 

"Don't you think I know that?" Guy replied, putting his head in his hands. "You told me yourself that Chris hasn't been right recently, like he hasn't been interested in you!".

 

Gwyneth began to cry. "Eh, eh, eh, don't cry Gwyneth" Guy said, reaching in to hug her. She didn't push him away. "I can make you so happy, Gwyneth, like Chris never could"

 

--------------------------------------------------------------

 

"I love you Jonny!" Chris said, buttoning up his shirt.

 

"What's taking Gwyneth so long?" Jonny asked, putting his trousers on.

 

"Who cares, it gave us time to be alone" Chris said, smiling and staring into Jonny's eyes.

 

The kitchen door swung open, Gwyneth and Guy entered. "Guy is here!" Gwyneth said.

 

"You alright, Guy?" Chris asked, walking over to shake his hand.

 

"Yeah thanks, there has been something I've been meaning to ask you!" Guy said.

 

"What's that then, mate?" Chris wondered, smiling.

 

"I've been evicted from my house, would you mind if I could stay with you?"

 

 

 

Coldplay Alphabet W-X, B*

 

 

W is for Will, drummer of Coldplay

He's built like a bear with a personality like creme brulee!

He's hard and rough on the outside, with coldness galore

But he's warm, sweet, soft, and creamy to the core

Will was the first member to leave the band

And if he came back he made Chris drink on his demand

 

X is for X&Y, where Coldplay's drifiting into space

They have a new sound, a new studio, a new place!

This album took 18 months to make

A whole lot longer than a regular album should take

However critics knocked X&Y even more than VLV

And fans respond, "FIX YOU! WE DISAGREE!"

 

B is for B-sides, songs we almost never see

Which Coldplay never releases on a full CD

From Sleeping Sun to Crests, to Things I Don't Understand

We love everything that comes from the band

These rare gems are hard to get

But good thing we have the internet!

 

Love Over This: Part Three

 

 

 

 

"You want to stay here- with us!" Chris said, hiding behind the kitchen table to hide the fact that he still wasn't wearing any trousers.

 

"If that's okay, it's only until I get a place of my own!" Guy replied, forcing a smile before looking over to Gwyneth for her approval. Gwyneth nodded.

 

"It's okay by me! Come on Chris, we have tons of spare rooms!" Gwyneth said, trying not to sound too excited.

 

"Yeah, well, I guess I have no choice" Chris walked over to Guy, his trousers now on, and gave him a big hug. "It will be nice to have a man around the place!" he continued. Jonny looked up, trying to look happy. Moses entered the room.

 

"I'm a man!" he said, grinning, showing his gaps between his teeth.

 

"Of course you are!" Chris said, picking his son up and swinging him round the kitchen.

 

"Be careful with him!" Gwyneth said.

 

"You know, I love you Moses!" Chris said, putting him down. "You know, if anything happens, remember your father will always love you and he wishes you well for the rest of your days!" Chris kissed him on his forehead. Jonny shed a tear and so did Gwyneth.

 

"What made you say that?" Gwyneth asked, intrigued.

 

"Well, you can't hold onto them forever, when he leaves home, when he forgets all about us, he still has two loving parents!" he replied.

 

"You're such a great dad!" Gwyneth said, walking over to kiss her husband. Chris pulled away, Jonny was staring at him. "Does anyone want any wine?"

 

"Are you trying to get rid of this wine?" Gwyneth said, chuckling and slapping Chris' bum. Jonny stood up.

 

"Are you alright, Jonny?" Gwyneth asked.

 

"Yeah, I'm fine, I just think I'll be off now!" Jonny replied, smiling and turning to walk out the room. Chris followed him.

 

"Chris, where are you going?" Gwyneth asked. "Always following Jonny, it's like they are a married couple, eh Guy?". Guy reached in to kiss Gwyneth.

 

"Guy!" Gwyneth exclaimed.

 

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!" Guy said. "I'm moving in with you!"

 

"You are not moving in with me, you are moving in with me, Chris, Moses and Apple!" Gwyneth said, playing hard to get.

 

"It doesn't matter, I'm still in a house with you!"

 

-------------------------------------------------------

 

"Jonny, where are you off?" Chris asked, following Jonny out of the front door.

 

"Home!" Jonny replied, not looking back at Chris, and still walked straight on.

 

"But this is your home!" Chris said. Jonny stopped in his tracks. "I want you to move in!"

 

"You are joking, your ex-lover moving in with you, his ex-lovers wife and one of his bandmates!" Jonny said, laughing sarcastically.

 

"Ex-lover?" Chris replied, crushed.

 

"Yes, it means, was before but not anymore!" Jonny said, his sarcasm reaching epic proportions. He continued to walk down the street.

 

"I'll tell Chloe!" Chris shouted. Jonny stopped again and turned to Chris.

 

"Me and Chloe are finished!" Jonny exclaimed, his hands in his pockets.

 

"Yeah right, you just made that up!" Chris said. "I know what you are like Jonny boy!"

 

Jonny approached Chris and whispered, "Chris I'm begging you, if you do this then my relationship with Chloe and your relationship with Gwyneth is ruined for life!"

 

"I don't want Gwyneth, I want you!"

 

 

 

A Rush of Blood

(This is kind of short, but I really wanted to update! You might be getting shorter but more chapters. We'll see. Enjoy.)

 

Chapter XII

 

 

 

Removed, please PM me if you want to read it.

 

Losing Grip (Part 9)

 

 

 

 

"No, I'm sorry."

 

My heart sank. Several years of no love. And Still going. I never wanted to be alone, with just me and myself.

 

"But wait... do you love me?" Julia asked, with clear seriousness.

 

"Yes, more than anything in the world." I said with no hesitation.

 

She paused and store back at the laundry, creating a deep pause. "No, you don't."

 

I was shocked by what she had said. "What?!?"

 

"You don't. But you wished you did. You barely know me." I knew what she was trying to say now. "Once you know me better, you will not love me. You have searched for love, and you have just found the first person you've seen. There are others that you will find besides myself."

 

The woman was always right, but I didn't want others. I just wanted her. "You're too nice." I told here, "Chris is very lucky to have someone like you." She smiled and I rose up from the couch.

 

"Wait, you have to do me a favor!" And she rose up next to me.

 

"Sure, anything."

 

"Tell him what you had done." My heart continued to sink, down into my stomach.

 

I grew nervous. "I'll do it, but he will kill me, huh?"

 

"No he won't, I won't let him put a single finger on you." She said, kissing me on the cheek, warmly.

 

Maybe she was right. I would find someone else, someday.

 

 

 

The Escapists

 

Part 10

 

 

Chris's POV

 

 

"So, what happened?" Jonny asked Genieva when we were sitting in lunch the next day. "You know, when you went to talk to him."

 

"Well, we talked," she answered. "That was about it."

 

"What did he say?" I asked. I wasn't sure that I wanted to know, really, but I asked anyway. She sighed and looked at me.

 

"He's liked you for five years."

 

"What?"

 

"Yeah," she nodded, "and he was only mean to you that whole time because he wasn't comfortable with liking you."

 

"Wow..." Five years? That's insane.

 

"I feel bad for him." I instantly shot her a look, and she had this frightened expression on her face. "Well, it can't be easy, hiding something like that."

 

"She's got a point," Jonny said. "I mean, imagine if nothing had ever happened between us. If you'd never said anything."

 

"Yeah..." I reluctantly agreed. "But... I don't know. This whole thing is just weird."

 

"I know what you mean." There was a bit of an awkward silence after that, filled with me trying to wrap my head around everything that was going on, but sadly I failed. I decided instead to change the subject, which was convenient because I had to tell Jonny something anyway.

 

"Jonny, come over to my house after school. I have something I want you to hear."

 

"OK," he said, attempting a nonchalant manner. He smirked, though, and I could tell that he was excited. He probably knew that I meant I wrote a song. I was a bit nervous, too, because I had never actually played for anyone before, so Jonny would be my first.

 

Eh, that sounded pervy.

 

 

 

Part 10b

 

 

 

I sat in my room, quietly strumming the guitar. No matter how many times I tried, I could not get this one part of the song right. It really worried me, too, because I was already nervous and Jonny would be there in less than ten minutes. There was something missing, but I wasn't sure what. Strumming over and over didn't help. My mind was a complete blank. Eventually, I gave up and just decided to wait until Jonny arrived. He'd have a good idea for sure.

 

Unsurprisingly, there was a knock on my door not too long after. I told Jonny he could come in, and so he opened the door and sat down beside me on my bed.

 

"Hey," he said.

 

"Hi."

 

"So, you wanted me to hear something?" Again with the fake calmness and obvious excitement. I love Jonny.

 

"Mm-hmm. I wrote a song."

 

"Cool." He was so smiling right then. On the inside, but it was totally a huge smile. "Play it, then."

 

"OK... here goes nothing." I strummed once, my hands slowly starting to shake from nervousness. Calm down! I told myself. It didn't really work.

 

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna make fun of you or anything," Jonny said. I think he could sense my fear.

 

"Right." I picked the strings again, this time actually playing the song. I took a deep breath, and prepared myself to sing. I was so nervous.

 

"Sometimes I wake up and I'm falling asleep

I think that maybe the curtains are closing on me

But I wake up

Yes I wake up smiling"

 

I glanced at Jonny. He seemed to be enjoying it.

 

"Sometimes I feel oh the charge is surprising

Surprisingly good to be moving around

So I wake up

Yes I wake up smiling"

 

Another glance. Jonny was grinning now, and tapping his fingers to the music. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

"So what? I feel fine

I'm OK

I've seen the lighter side of life

I'm alright

I feel good

So I'll go

I'll try and stop moving

 

Sometimes I wake up and I'm falling asleep

But I've got to get going so much that I'm wanting to do

But I wake up

Smiling"

 

I stopped. I'd been doing so well, but I reached the part that was missing something.

 

"Why'd you stop?" Jonny asked.

 

"I don't know where to go from here."

 

He looked up at the ceiling with a pensive face, then said, "Go big."

"Big..." I replayed the last few chords, trying to get a feel for it. I closed my eyes and let the words escape from me.

"And this could be my last chance

Of saving my innocence

And this could be my last chance

No more keeping my feet on the ground"

 

I could feel the energy flowing through my veins when I sang. And I sang my heart out, too. I was practically screaming it. But it felt so right.

 

I stopped again, because I felt that I'd basically gotten the whole song. I slowly opened my eyes and looked at Jonny. His eyes were wide and his mouth was slightly open.

 

"Whoa..." he said. "I didn't know you could sing like that."

 

I smiled and looked down at the guitar. It felt so right.

 

"Jonny... I think I know what I want to do for the rest of my life."

 

 

 

 

 

.

SPRING & WINTER

Chapter 8

 

This part is a bit short, but it is completely necessary to the story. So there. :P

 

 

 

 

“So, Martin...” said Guy, idly gesturing around to his surroundings. “What do you think?”

 

“Of what?” I asked confusedly, looking for something obvious. I blushed as Guy laughed, looking remarkably like a mischievous schoolboy.

 

“Of this place,” he explained, grinning.

 

“Oh, of course. How stupid of me. It’s beautiful.”

 

“Isn’t it?”

 

The horse I was riding made an tired noise and bent its neck down to nibble a bit of tall grass. Guy watched, his eyebrows raised. “Who trains your horses?” he asked, once again biting back a laugh. His horse, of course, was standing perfectly at attention.

 

“I’ve honestly got no idea,” I defended, making a face. “I haven’t been here that long; I don’t know these horses.”

 

Guy nodded quickly, looking nervous. “Right. Sorry.”

 

“Oh. It’s...fine,” I muttered awkwardly. That’s all this outing was turning out to be: unbearably awkward. Finally, Guy suggested that we tether the horses to a low-hanging branch, because he wanted to show me something we could only get to on foot.

 

He walked through the vegetation expertly, and I could tell he’d made this journey hundreds of times before. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he said, lovingly looking around at the greenery. He turned back to me for a moment, and his eyes were practically glowing with warmth. I paused, nodding slowly.

 

“Yeah, it is. Very nice.”

 

“Very nice,” repeated Guy under his breath. “How very nice of you.”

 

I had an odd feeling that I’d deeply offended him by not gushing about how gorgeous the scenery was. So, I decided to have a bit of fun with him. “It’s absolutely the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life. It’s heaven, my friend. Heaven on earth.”

 

Guy chuckled again, but he sounded a little less boyish this time. “Come on, hurry up,” he scolded, grabbing my sleeve and tugging me forward. That’s when I realized that he probably wasn’t the best gentleman to learn from. I thought it was a bit strange that he was so eager to show me around, and then I also realized that he probably didn’t get to see many other men his age. The more I thought about it, the fewer I could remember being at my mother’s party.

 

“Do you have many friends, Berryman?” I asked simply. “I haven’t met too many lads our age.”

 

“Oh. Well, there were more...” he murmured, rubbing the back of his neck. “Many joined the army, and others moved to the cities. There aren’t that many houses left that are actually lived in, I suppose.”

 

“Ah,” I sighed, running my hand along the rough bark of a nearby tree.

 

“My brother is in the army now,” said Guy, finally turning around. “But he doesn’t write home often enough...Oh! We’re here!” he exclaimed suddenly. Stretched out in front of us was the bank of a large, lazily-moving river. The water was sparkling and clear; perfect for swimming.

 

“God,” I muttered. “That’s...”

 

“Beautiful?” suggested Guy.

 

I nodded, smiling. But when I turned to face him, the smile was instantly swept off my face. He was eagerly struggling out of his jacket, and already starting to loosen the layers of clothing he was wearing.

 

Oh, God.

 

 

 

Losing Grip (Part 10)

 

 

 

 

 

I sat alone, on the couch continuing to do fold the laundry. Eventually, I was on my last piece of clothing., on I picked up the basket and took into the bedroom, to be put away. As I opened the door to the bedroom, I heard the front door open and close.

 

"Christopher, is that you?" I hollered to the kitchen and put the basket down on the bed.

 

"Yeah," he replied back.

 

Chris quickly jumped into the room, shutting the door behind him. He quickly ran over to me and pinned me against the wall. "It's just me, darling." he whispered into to my ear as his lips meet mine. He pulled away for a moment and pulled strands of my hair from my face.

 

"Did he tell you?" I asked, in almost a whisper.

 

"Yes, Julia." he said softly, "He's was so sorry. I'd never seen him so upset in my life. He was crying."

 

"C-crying?" I was more guilty than anything.

 

Chris sighed. "Yeah, I swear I was ready to slap him when he'd told me. But he had already forced himself to cry because of how guilty he felt."

 

"The poor man..." I sighed. "He must feel so unloved. All this time alone..."

 

"If it weren't for you, you know, I probably wouldn't be living right now." he stored deeply into my eyes. "You've made me so happy ever since tragedy struck. I'll never let you out of my sight. "

 

Could it get any better than this?

 

 

 

The Escapists

 

Part 11

 

 

 

-Four Months Later-

Jonny's POV

 

It was nearing the middle of February now. Everything was positively cold and snowy. It looked nice, but it was so, so cold.

 

Chris and I were sitting in the cafeteria like we normally do. He was scribbling down something on a piece of paper, no doubt either writing a song or finishing his homework. Or both. In any case, his head was buried in his work, until suddenly he shot up and alertly looked around.

 

"Hey, where's Genieva?" Chris asked. Of course, the one day he remembers that she sits with us is the day that she's not sitting with us.

 

"She's sitting with Paul."

 

"Why?"

 

"They're dating now." His eyes widened with horror.

 

"What?" he asked, his voice reaching the highest frequency I've ever heard it reach. "Since when?"

 

"Yesterday."

 

"Why wasn't I informed?"

 

"No offense, Chris, but I don't think she really considers you that good of a friend."

 

"Why not?"

 

"You never even remember she's here."

 

"Oh, right. I remembered today, though."

 

"Yeah, when she's not here."

 

"Hmm," he said, defeated. Then he reached out and stole some of my food. "So, her and Paul, eh? Good."

 

"It is good. I think they both need it... especially Paul."

 

"Ugh, don't remind me," he shivered. "Hey, are we doing anything special tomorrow? You know, since it's Valentine's Day and all."

 

"Oh, yeah, that's tomorrow, huh? Well, we could do something if you want." A cheesy grin slowly spread across his face and he started to blush a little.

 

"Can I take you out to dinner?" he asked. He had the sweetest look in his eyes that almost made me want to cry.

 

"Yeah," I smiled back.

 

"Oh, this is gonna be great!" He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. "I love you, Jonny."

 

"Love you, too, Chris."

 

"One day we're gonna get out, you know that?"

 

"... What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"I don't know," he shrugged. "It sounded cool. Do you want it to mean something? 'Cause I could probably come up with something in, like, five seconds."

 

"Do it."

 

"We're gonna get out... Well, see, it means that one day we will be free from the criticism and hate of all the people around us, and we will be a cute married couple who live in... Burma."

 

"Burma?"

 

"Yes. Or wherever we live. But we'll be cute and married, and that's all that counts."

 

"Sounds good to me."

 

"Perfect!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up. "Burma it is."

 

"Why Burma?" I laughed.

 

"Would you get it if I said I panicked?"

 

"... No."

 

"Never mind then."

 

"What?"

 

"No, if you're not gonna get it, there's no point in quoting it."

 

"Tell me what it's from!"

 

"Uh uh, Jonnyboy," he said, patting my shoulder. "You've got to learn these things for yourself."

 

"You're a jerk, you know that?"

 

He tilted his head, put his hand on his heart and said in a mock-hurt tone, "Oh! I thought you said you loved me."

 

"I do," I nodded. "But you're still a jerk."

 

 

 

.

Losing Grip (Part 11)

 

 

 

 

So that morning, I went to go see Guy, by foot (which wasn't a good idea, because it was freezing outside). I was bored and Julia had gone out with Chloe do some Christmas shopping. I was also going to see Guy because he would probably have an idea of what I should get Julia for Christmas.

 

---

 

I walked his apartment doorstep and knocked on his door. I hoped I wasn't too early, although he was usually up by 10am.

 

A few minutes, he had finally came "Hey Chris," he was in the middle of buttoning his shirt.

 

"Did I wake you up?" I asked, almost guilty.

 

"No, I got up about an hour ago. I've been a little busy."

 

"Doing what?" I laughed.

 

He hesitated. "Nothing."

 

"Wow, that must keep you exhausted."

 

And just as I had suspected, I saw a woman walk out of Guy's bedroom in just a tank-top and a pair of very short shorts and plopped onto the couch. I frowned and stared at him angrily.

 

"Who is that?" I asked almost furious, "That better not be a girlfriend of yours!"

 

Guy's face had flushed. He was completely speechless. She didn't even glance at us.

 

"Uhmmm..." He scratched the back of his neck, like he always did when he was nervous, or hiding something. "Well, her name is Brooke..."

 

"I can't believe you. I really can't." I was completely disappointed in him. "The only reason Julia let you off the hook is because she felt bad for you, because she thought you had been alone!"

 

"I don't love Brooke! She just keeps following me around!" Brooke didn't even bother to look over at us.

 

"I'm leaving!" I declared, "You're... You're just... icky!" And I slammed the door and flew out of his apartment.

 

 

 

holy SHIRT! this is long.

 

 

 

that's what she said.

 

:shame:

 

 

 

anyway, i think this is worthy of not being called a snippet chapter. :P

The Escapists

 

Part 12

 

 

Chris's POV

 

 

"Mother, will you stop it?!" I yelled. She kept trying to fix the collar on my shirt. It was bad enough that I had to wear the stupid thing. The only reason I did was because I wanted to look nice for Jonny. I was wearing the most uncomfortable outfit I'd ever worn- a navy blue button-up shirt, black suit pants, and my dad's really, really old dress shoes. I even went as far as slicking my hair back a bit, but my mum insisted that I just cut it.

 

"Christopher, I'm just trying to help," she said, yet again trying to smooth the stubborn cloth down.

 

"It's fine!"

 

"I thought you wanted to look nice."

 

"I do, but-"

 

"Then let me help you."

 

"Fine," I sighed. She stood still, took a good look at me, then mysteriously ran away. "What the f..."

 

Before she returned, my little brother came skipping into the room.

 

"Chris, you look so fancy!" he squeaked. Then he crinkled his nose and said, "Why do you look fancy?"

 

"If you must know, Thomas, I'm going out to dinner with Jonny."

 

"Ohhhh. Cool!" he said, and skipped back out. I glanced at the clock. Quarter to seven. I had to leave in five minutes. Where the hell did my mum go?

 

Ten minutes later, she finally reappeared. With scissors.

 

"Come here real quick," she said, motioning me towards her position next to the garbage bin.

 

"Mum, we were supposed to leave five minutes ago!"

 

"Oh, don't you worry. This will only take a minute." I sighed, rolled my eyes, and marched over to her.

 

She lied. It took another five minutes. All for a haircut that didn't even look like much had been done. After she set the scissors down on the table, I grabbed her keys and ran to the car. I actually intended to just drive myself if she took too long. She must have realised how rushed I was, though, because she was in the car not long after I got in. It took another tedious three minutes to reach Jonny's house, and when we finally arrived I practically threw myself out of the car while it was still moving.

 

I knocked on the door, and within seconds Jonny's dad was in front of me.

 

"Ah, hello, Chris."

 

"Hello, sir. Sorry I'm late, my mum was having a field day helping me get ready."

 

"Don't worry, my wife's acting the exact same way." He opened the door more to reveal Jonny and his mum in the background. She was fiddling with what looked like a striped tie resting on Jonny's torso. "Ann, leave the boy alone. Chris is here."

 

Jonny turned, a huge smile lighting up his face. He quickly waved to me, then grabbed a jacket and ran to the door. For a few seconds we both just stood, absorbing as much as we could of each other's beauty. He was wearing a traditional formal outfit, much like I was, with this gorgeous black-and-white striped tie. His hair was absolutely perfect, just short enough that it didn't look completely horrible spiked up. And his eyes. They were the brightest, greenest, most beautiful things I had ever seen.

 

"Hi," Jonny finally said. I couldn't really respond, I just hugged him. He even smelled wonderful. He always does, though. Like clean laundry.

 

My mum had the nerve to honk the horn at us. As if she had any right to be impatient.

 

"I swear, if murder was legal," I said.

 

"Tell me about it," Jonny laughed, closing the door behind him. We walked towards the car. "But you look fantastic."

 

"So do you."

 

"We're just a couple of regular ol' hotties, eh?"

 

"Yeah." I opened the car door for Jonny and as soon as I did I could hear my mum talking at us. I wasn't listening, though. Tonight was about me and Jonny.

 

We pulled up to the restaurant fifteen minutes later. Seven-twenty. I'm so glad that I booked the table for seven-thirty. One of the benefits of being an avid worrier, I suppose.

 

Jonny and I exited the car, walked up to the entrance, and into the building. It was exquisite. There were marble fountains everywhere, and even the pale yellow lighting screamed amazing. Everything was lined in dark blue, too. I was a tad bit afraid that I would blend in if I stood too closely to anything.

 

The maître d', in her ugly black dress suit, smiled brightly at us.

 

"Good evening. Do you have a reservation?" she chirped.

 

"Yes, uh, Martin." She quickly looked down, scanning some sort of list.

 

"Ah! Table for two?"

 

"Yep." She looked between Jonny and I, her smiled changing from bright to fake.

 

"Right, then," she said in the sort of nasally tone one has when trying to hide disgust. "Follow me."

 

Oh, I followed her all right, but not before reaching to grab Jonny's hand. That set her straight. She led us to our table, told us the waiter would be there shortly, and left.

 

Jonny browsed the menu. I think there were, like, five pages or something. I just sat and stared at him. I couldn't believe how beautiful he looked. It was mesmerizing.

 

"Good evening, gentlemen," the waiter said as he walked up to the table. He expertly flipped out a pad of paper and a pen and spewed, "What will you be having?"

 

"I'll have whatever he's having." I was too hypnotized to think.

 

"I'll have the... uh..." Jonny flipped through the pages again. "Lasagna," he finally chose.

 

"Excellent choice," the waiter said, scooping up the menus. "We'll get it out here as soon as possible."

 

"Thank you," Jonny said as the waiter rushed off. "Are you just gonna keep staring at me?"

 

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." He quietly laughed. "Is it bothering you?"

 

"No."

 

Twenty uneventful minutes later, the waiter returned with our food. It tasted all right, I guess. Jonny liked it.

 

"Jonny, when would you say our anniversary is?" He looked up from his plate.

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"Well, are we counting from December or April?"

 

"Hmm... I never thought about that. Maybe April..."

 

"Good. 15th, right?"

 

"If I remember correctly, yeah."

 

"Is that a Saturday this year, do you know?"

 

"Uh... could be," he shrugged. "Why are you asking all this, anyway?"

 

"Just wondering." There was more to it than that, but my answer seemed to satisfy him.

 

The reason I wanted to know was because I was planning something. Something big. Something spectacular. Something neither of us would ever forget for the rest of our lives.

 

I was planning... well, you'll see. Or read, you know, 'cause this is a story.

 

 

 

.

Love Over This: Part Four

 

 

 

 

"I don't love Gwyneth!" Chris exclaimed. "I need you!"

 

"You sicken me, Chris! You are married to someone you don't even love, how low can you get?" Jonny replied, shaking his head before spitting on the floor.

 

"Call it sick, but I thought you would take it as a compliment!" Chris said, puzzled at Jonny's odd behaviour.

 

"Well you thought wrong!" Jonny said, continuing to walk down the street.

 

"I thought I knew you, but I guess I'm wrong!" Chris said, creeping back into his shell as if he was a crab.

 

"I'll see you around Chris!" Jonny said, walking off.

 

"I was wrong, you know! I don't need you!" Chris said, shouting, and storming off in a different direction to Jonny.

 

Chris walked into the corner shop, coincidently around the corner from where Chris lived. Chris picked up a bottle of brandy and walked up to the counter.

 

"You alright Chris?" the shop assistant asked his regular.

 

"Yeah" Chris said, grumpy, thrusting the money at the shop assistant and walking out the shop. Chris sat down on the curb beside the shop, unscrewed his bottle of brandy and began to drown his sorrows.

 

------------------------------------------------------

 

Jonny burst through his front door.

 

"Jonny? Where have you been all day?" Chloe asked, coming into Jonny's eyeline.

 

"I've just been to see Chris!" Jonny replied, grinning and giving his girlfriend a kiss.

 

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?" Jonny said.

 

"Jonny!" Chloe said, stunned. "But you said you didn't want to get married!"

 

"Well I do now!" Jonny said, getting down on one knee. "Chloe, will you marry me?"

 

-------------------------------------------------

 

Gwyneth put her coat on. "Guy, I've just got to go to the shops, I'll be back soon!"

 

"Don't be too long!" Guy said, taking a good long look at his lover.

 

"Easy tiger!" Gwyneth said, smiling.

 

Guy stood up and walked towards Gwyneth and kissed her on the cheek. Gwyneth smiled again before approaching the front door. The front door swung open. It was Chris. Guy walked over to the sofa and sat down.

 

"Oh hey Chris!" Gwyneth said. "I'm just off to the shops!". Chris nodded as Gwyneth walked out the front door. The door slammed shut.

 

"Alright Chris?" Guy asked. Chris sat down beside him, saying nothing. "I said are you alright Chris?"

 

Chris moved in and kissed Guy. Guy didn't pull away for a few seconds.

 

"Chris! Are you drunk?" Guy exclaimed, standing up.

 

"Maybe I am and maybe I ain't!" Chris said.

 

"Let's get you to bed!" Guy said, pulling Chris up from the sofa and leading him upstairs and into his bedroom. "Goodnight Chris!". Guy closed Chris' bedroom door, turned around and smiled.