MagicAnimalClub: Happenings

28: Ring

Joes POV

I insisted that I drove tonight as the others would have a long drive ahead of them back to Yorkshire.
David sat in the passenger seat beside me,
"Long drive ahead of you, do you even remember what home looks like?" I asked,
"It seems like forever-ago since I was in my office playing minecraft."
"Wow.. Yeh. I forgot that game even existed to be honest." I said, "even though it's like.. My job."
"Beth, you been playing any minecraft lately?" David asked, looking into the back seats.
"You think that while you guys were out fighting for your lives I would be sitting on the sofa playing minecraft?" She scoffed.

When we pulled up at the restaurant the sun was going down. We went inside and booked a table for four.
"Your children are beautiful." Beth said, smiling, she was thinking about our new child.
"Yours will be too." Nicole said smiling maternally at us.
I wanted to say, Tom would have loved them so much. But i didn't have the guts, and I was positive that David wouldn't have either.
I was sure David could almost read what I was thinking, he looked at me in a saddening way before the waiter came, asking us for our meal choice was. I ordered a steak, Beth ordered chicken, David also ordered a steak and Nicole ordered a vegetarian dish.

"So, have you bought a house or.." Beth began,
"Yep, just down the road from yours."
"Which one is that?"
"The big, stone brick one around the corner."
"Oh yes! Oh that one is beautiful!" Beth's eyes brightened, I was glad she was excited to have more friends over, for ever.
"I think we will spend about a week up in Yorkshire before we move , just getting things organised and all, however it's ready for us to move in whenever. But it's not furnished so we will be coming down with a van or something." David responded,
"You ever driven a van before?" I asked, smirking,
"Well... No. No I haven't." We laughed,
"Good luck with that one!" I said, feeling actually really happy.

When the food came we chatted for hours, discussing things from YouTube to baby names to puns to different types of pizza. Our conversations were weird and wonderful, sometimes we would split into separate conversations, I managed to get into a conversation with Nicole.
"So how was old squid when you were away?" She asked, brushing her hair behind her ears and smiling at me.
"Oh he was great, he was pretty brave to be honest, your lucky to have him." She looked back up at David,
"Yeh.. Suppose I am."
"James, you know, little James, he's the image of him." I laughed,
"Isn't he just! He's just a smaller and less hairy version of my husband, if he goes anywhere I can just look at James and he'll be practically there!"
"Hey, you saying I look like a 2 year old?" David bounced in,
"David if you shave your beard and give a toothy grin you are practically 2 so..." I chuckled,
"I'm highly offended, stamps. Maybe I won't shave then." He fiddled with his small blonde beard, making us laugh.
We didn't have a lot to drink, we mainly just chatted for the banter and for the catch up before they left.
I was going to miss them.
I know they weren't leaving forever, I knew it was only one week, but for the man I had seen everyday for almost three years, I felt like part of me was going to go missing.
I knew he was thinking the same thing.
After all we've been through and the amount of times we stood up for each other, we had seen each other in all emotions.

Afterwards Beth drove us home as she hadn't been drinking at all. We went straight to bed and didn't wake up till dawn.

It was ten o'clock. I heard the birds chirping peacefully and the bright sky seeping in through my window.
Beth still lay asleep beside me, her head resting on my chest with one arm over the duvet. I brushed her hair off her face and kissed her cheek before getting up, I realised that I had woken her up too.
I got dressed into a white polo shirt and went into the kitchen where the children sat eating their breakfast in the sunlight and David and Nicole ate theirs.
"Hi guys, you two look shattered,"
David wiped his brow, "wow thanks mate." He laughed, "mind if I have a shower before I go."
"Course you can."
Beth came out, it had struck me that her hair was almost as long as it was before she cut it. She looked amazing to me, she always looked amazing in my eyes. I put my arm over her, "you okay, hon." I said, she looked up at me and smiled.
I walked over to the two children, Rosie asked me, "do you love Beth?"
I just smiled, "yeh." I whispered,
"Oh when you get married can I have some cake?" James added,
"The big white cake with flowers and people!"
"Yummy yummy! And can I throw flowers at you and Beth when she wears a big long dress?" I heard Nicole laughing in the background,
"Nicole, why don't you and David have a proper wedding?" I suggested.
"Mummy and daddy are already married." Rosie said,
"-But they didn't have a wedding." I raised an eyebrow, looking at Nicole.
"Huh, me in a big white dress? Don't think so!"
"But mummy you'd be so pretty." encouraged Rosie.
She walked outside the room however the door was still open, we looked in at her, she knocked in the bathroom door where David was.
"Dave?!" She called,
"Yeh?!" He replied back,
"Do you wanna get married, like for real?!"
I got my phone out to film,
"Get married?!"
"Yeh! We never had a wedding!"
"Um.. Yeh! Okay!"
"You have to propose to me then!"
"But I'm in the shower!" He called back, I was still recording, trying not to laugh to ruin the moment.
"Just propose to me!"
"Okay! Um.. Nicole?!"
"Yes!?"
"Will you make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?!" He called, Nicole laughed,
"Course I will! Yes!"
Nicole sat awkwardly outside the door smiling, I heard the shower turn off and then David called,
"Love you!"
"Love you." Nicole replied laughing.
David opened the door slightly and pulled Nicole in, kissing her on the lips, that's when I walked away.
"Hey guys!" I said excitedly, the kids looked at me enthusiastically.
"Your mummy and daddy are having a wedding!"
They gave out an out burst of "yay"s and cheers. Beth gave a heart warmed look, knowing we'd have to let them go soon.