Gorillaz' Big Day

Chapter 3

2D could barely sleep the night before. He was excited about the prospect that, in 24 hours time, he could be engaged to a wonderful girl. At the same time, he was nervous about the idea that she could turn him down. He could hardly afford the heartache, which brought on a migraine. It caused him to wake up with a throbbing head. "No, I won' fink about it. I won' fink about it," he repeated to himself.

All day, he was nitpicking through all the details. "If somefink goes wrong, she'll say no for sure," he worried. "Wha' if it's too ova the top? Wha' if she doesn' like the food, or the flowers, or the..." He hadn't been this anxious about anything since the production of the "Plastic Beach" album.

Meanwhile, on Noodle's end, she was more curious about what 2D was planning than anything else. She only wanted to find out why he was planning a surprise date in the first place.

When she finished her shower at 5 that afternoon, she found Murdoc and Russel in her room waiting for her.

"Ack!" she screamed. "What are you two doing in here? Can't you see I'm a little busy right now?"

"We're here to help you get ready for your date, Baby Girl," Russel answered.

"Well, can't it wait a few minutes? I kind of need to dry off first."

Once she managed to get a few moments of privacy, they went to work helping her find something to wear. One after another, the guys pulled out outfits that she harshly rejected.

"Nope. Nope. Nope. Don't even think about it, Murdoc."

The cause was nearly lost until she decided on a ruby cocktail dress. After then, the rest was a breeze.

At 7 on the dot, she came out of her room ready. After the dress fiasco, there was no way she was going to let the guys handle her make-up and hair. Russel disapproved of her choice of make-up. Nevertheless, the red bow in her hair complemented her outfit completely.

2D, who hadn't been seen all day, pulled the Geep around to the front of the building on the street. He walked in to get Noodle, who was waiting for him at the door. His heart throbbed at just how beautiful he thought she was.

"Are yew ready, luv?" he struggled to ask.

She only smiled and nodded. He took her by the hand and they went down the steps together to the Geep.

"Have fun, y'all two!" Russel shouted from the front door. He and Murdoc watched them drive away.

"Will do!" Noodle answered as the Geep sped off down the road.

2D took Noodle to Riverside Italian Bistro, a small cafe on the side of the River Thames. It was the first restaurant the band members dined in when Noodle first arrived at their doorstep at Kong Studios. Down on the dock was the boat where 2D was going to propose to her.

"Do yew rememba' this place, Noods?" 2D asked.

She thought for a second. "This is the first restaurant we ever came to together. It was right after I arrived in England."

"Y'know, I wanted to bring yew somewhere familia'."

They were given a table near the window. Below them was the outside dock, which was always open in the summertime. A jazz cover band played on the stage in the back of the restaurant.

After a while of chatting, the band played a familiar song. 2D pricked up his ears and smiled at recognizing what it was. "Noodle, wanna dance?" he asked. As she said yes, the two of them waltzed hand in hand on the dance floor. She was having trouble recognizing the song, until 2D began to sing along with it.

"I remember this, now! It's FM, that song you did with Nathan Haines, isn't it?'

He nodded. "Brings back memories, don' it?"

They danced to the funky beat as everyone else watched. When the chorus reached his favorite line, Girls don't seem to care, tonight, as long as the mood is right, 2D shot her a look. It was a special look, one he hadn't given anyone else in years. All of his feelings for her were expressed in this look.

Once the song was over and the other patrons applauded them, Noodle and 2D sat down and enjoyed the rest of their dinner. They alternated between conversations of all topics and just enjoying each other's company.

It wasn't until 10 when they finally decided to leave. As 2D paid the bill, Noodle was getting ready to walk out the front door. She had no idea that the boat on the dock was for them.

"Noodle-luv," he stopped her. "Where are yew goin'?"

"We're leaving, aren't we?"

"Not yet. I have one more surprise." He covered her eyes with his pocket scarf and guided her to the door that led to the dock.

He uncovered them when they reached the boat. It was being lit by purple Japanese lanterns. There were purple orchids on a small folding table and a bucket of ice with champagne sitting between two bamboo chairs.

"Stuart!" She was certainly surprised to see all that he'd done for her. "You did all of this, for me?"

He nodded as he helped her on board. "After yew, my lady."

As soon as the boat set sail from the dock, 2D started the radio. A variety of music played - from Michael Buble, to Maroon 5, to Bon Jovi, and others. They danced all night and sipped champagne. At one point in the night, they even decided to recreate the bow scene from "Titanic", where 2D was Jack and Noodle was Rose.

At close to midnight, according to the time on Big Ben, they had stopped dancing to listen to "Caught Up in You" by .38 Special. They were standing at the front of the boat, with a very tired Noodle resting in 2D's arms.

"2D, why did you do all of this tonight?" she asked. "All the flowers, the dinner, the music, the boat... why did you plan all of it, for me?"

"I luv yew, Noodle," he finally confessed. "I've felt this way for a while. A girl like yew doesn' deserve ta be played by a git like James. I luv yew so much, that I have a very important question ta ask yew."

He unwrapped his arms and pulled out the ring he bought the day before. Opening the box, he dropped down onto one knee.

"Will you marry me?"