University - Do Ya?
I pulled hard on the handbrake of my car, making the tires slip a little on the moist snow on the footpath as I parked it and smiled as I saw rushing around in his old bedroom through the upstairs window. He glanced outside and saw me waving, grinned and ran out of his room. I rolled my eyes as I imagined the familiar thumps of his feet on the stairs and at the time I predicted, he rushed out of the door. His mum turned up at the door waving a red santa hat around in the air."! YOU FORGOT YOUR HAT!! Oh and hi , how are you?" she smiled at me, as I rolled down my window to wipe away the condensation on the glass.
"I'm good thanks, and you ?" I replied, my breath turning into a mist outside of the window.
"MUMMM We've got to go!!" sighed, like the impatient kid he was and jumped in the car next to me, "Why hel-lo Mrs. Clause," he stared at my short red strapless Mrs. Clause dress that was lined with a fluffy white fur at the edges, then kissed me.
"And I've missed you too, Mr. Clause," I laughed, kissing him back before starting up the engine and laughing at the CD that was on. He laughed at me, and I tried to look offended, "What?! I wanted something to replace you with while you were away!"
"Yeah, yeah. You just love 's voice don't you?" he laughed.
"ANYWAY, how was Greece?" I asked, changing the subject.
"It was good. Nice to spend some time with Mum, as you're usually keeping me all to yourself," he winked, and I tapped him on his leg.
"Hey!" there was a silence, while knew what was coming, "do I?"
He laughed, "I'm messing with you."
We braked, turned a corner into a car park and found a spare space. We got out of the car and I shivered. I knew I should have brought a coat...
"Are you going to be okay?" took off his jacket and put it round my shoulders before holding my hand.
"Yeah, I'm warm now," I grinned up at him, even though we both knew what he really meant.
"You know what I mean, . I know it's been five years. This must be hard for you," he stood in front of me and squeezed me into a hug as I tried hard not to cry.
"I guess I'm going to have to face her sometime," I sighed. We parted and then our fingers were sewn together again. I looked up to his face that had perfect shadows, created by the streetlight that was lighting up the pub, and felt those butterflies that had still not given up ever since those three years ago when we first met...
"Who ordered the cheeseburger?" I looked up from the plate that I was steadying in my hands and concentrated on not slipping in my roller boots. I was working at a popular 50's American style diner and had to roller blade EVERYWHERE - and had to balance the meals too. My eyes went from the greasy patty to the gorgeous eyes of .
"That would be me," he smiled at me, melting my heart. I managed to put down the burger before flying in the air, and landing on his lap, and we both laughed, just like we already knew that it was going to happen. I guess you could say he knocked me off my feet?
"," he put out his spare hand that wasn't holding me firmly on his lap. I shook it.
"," I grinned, as we both got lost in each others eyes.
"Is this why you wanted to come here?" , who was sat across the table piped up, making us both look over at him.
"I guess so?" laughed as I stood up on the roller blades and wiped down my apron.
"So would you like any sauces?" I asked him, raising my eyebrow.
"No, but would you like to go to the cinema tonight?" grinned smugly.
"I would like that." If my smile would have got any bigger, my face would have been torn apart.
"I'll see you tonight then. Let me know when your ready and I'll pick you up from wherever you are," he wrote his number on a paper napkin and handed it to me as I wrote down my address on a separate napkin. We both put them in our pockets - I skated away and he carried on his conversation with . That night, as planned he picked me up and we went to the cinema. Anyone would have thought that this was an anniversary for us, not a first date from looking at us.
And then when I told him my biggest secret, he let me cry on his shoulder, rocked me to sleep and stayed with me all night. He didn't sleep a wink. I'd been put into care the year before I met because I was found, homeless on the streets. It was a holiday in London and I'd argued with my mum one night and ran away into the depths of London. I hid away from everyone for a year and a half, and when the social workers finally found me, they couldn't get in contact with my parents. When I met , they decided to trust him with me, and I moved in with him. I'd never trusted or loved anyone so much as . He was my life, my everything. Last week, the care home I lived at had rang me up. They'd told me that they'd been able to trace my family and that my mum had told them that they were going to arrange a welcome home party for me where we could have a reunion. It was a Christmas fancy dress party, so I thought I'd wear a dress that I wore to a party last year, but I'd forgotten how short it actually was.
"Here goes," I took in a deep breath and gave my hand a squeeze. I pushed open the red painted door and I saw flashes of colour and cheers all around me as party poppers and unknown people surrounded me and wrapped themselves around me.
"! It's me! Your mum! Oh darling... how you've grown up... I'm so sorry," I saw the same mum walk over to me that I'd seen all those years ago - the bleach blonde hair with extensions and glued nails, but she didn't look as tacky and trashy as she used to, she actually looked okay. Before I knew what I was doing, I burst into tears and hugged her tightly.
"Oh mum... I love you..." I sobbed into her shoulder.
"Shhh... Come on, it's okay, I'm here now," she smiled, and held me at arms length, studying me, "you look so... beautiful..." she smiled, shakily, trying to hold back the tears herself. Then her eyes wandered to the left of me and she grinned. "Do you need to introduce me to someone?" she smiled at , as I turned to see him looking over fondly at us.
"Mum, this is , my boyfriend of three years," I smiled at him and he came over to shake mum's hand.
"Nice to meet you," smiled politely.
"It's about time! She was a right tomboy when she was little. Boys were always "yucky" to !" she elbowed me jokingly, "I recognise you... have we met before?" she frowned.
"'s the in McFly, Mum," I laughed, and she gasped and grabbed my arm, raising her eyebrows.
"That's that band that you were mad on before... you know... London. That's the whole reason why we went to London! I remember you going on about how we might see them in a shop," she giggled, winking at me. opened his mouth and then closed it and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Yeah... mum..." I smiled at her trying to be polite, and walked away. I led round the corner by his hand, "I'm so sorry I never told you..." I was expecting him to be kinda mad, or frustrated that I never told him, but instead he started laughing uncontrollably, "?" I frowned.
"You were a fan all along weren't you?" he teased me.
"Okay, give up. I was a big fan I guess," I pouted at him, and he took me back into the main dance room. This introduction was repeated a few times over the night as I met some grandmas, aunties and uncles and cousins that I hadn't seen for years. Throughout the night I was drinking as agreed that he'd drive home because this was my night, and when I was a little tipsy and had gone to the toilet, I stumbled through the pub to the DJ booth that had disco lights around it, nearly tripping on some of the balloons that the little kids were messing with and which were all over the floor.
"Have ya got any McFly?" I asked the DJ, and he shook his head.
"Sorry, I only have classics, not rubbish pop music," the DJ laughed, and I gave him a dirty look.
"Fair enough, I'll get it myself then," I marched outside and got my Radio:Active CD out of my glove box and walked back to the DJ, plonking the CD on top of all the other CDs he was looking for.
"Where did you go?" I heard come behind me and wrap his arms around my waist.
"Track 4 please?" I smirked as the DJ sighed and put the CD on and the familiar drum beat pumped through the speakers, "Come on then, lets dance," I winked at as his face cracked up laughing. As we danced, I put my hands in his back trouser pockets as a joke.
"Hey!" he laughed, but didn't move my hands. Then I felt a piece of paper in his pocket.
"What's this?" I said, taking it out and wafting it around in front of his face as he tried to snatch it off me.
"Oh... it's just some notes me and were making about a new song... nothing interesting really," he shrugged his shoulders, but I argued and finally got the folded paper open to see 's scrawled writing and at the top, in capital letters it said "'s Song".
I miss the way that she kisses... the taste of her lips whenever we're far apart,
I'm telling you from the heart,
I just wanna know... do ya love me?
"I wrote this song about you last Christmas when I dressed up as Santa for a party and ended up being bored on my own in a corner, so I must have left this in my pocket. I guess Do Ya is written about you," he blushed.
"I just wanted to know... do ya love me? That's why I put on this song..." I blushed too, and then we both chorused, "I love you" and ended the song with a kiss in the middle of the dance floor as we swayed, the disco lights swirling around us, a mirror ball scattering fragments of light across the room, and my new family, all in the same room.