SomeWhere On... (BXB)

...High Street, UK - August

To say things are uncomfortable is not enough.

I blame Mum for that. Murph gave her some wine. She likes wine. She has a collection of it.

Now before I go further, let me clarify. My mum doesn't collect wine. She drinks it. And then tries to be crafty with the bottles like those Buzzfeed videos "How to Turn Your Bottle into a Lamp" or some shit.

"Already 'ave this one," is what she said. She hands it to Gavin, who puts it on the floor between his and Murph's chair.

Murph looks annoyed. Even annoyed, he's cute. Not telling him that, though.

"How was the flight in?" asks Michael. He's looking at the menu.

Murph sighs. It's a nervous, shaking one. "It was fine. Little bit of turbulence, but nothing serious." His American accent's sprinkled with British pronunciations of different words. His voice is quiet and he's enunciating.

I look outside. For a Thursday night, High Street's empty, but the restaurant's full up. I'm actually surprised. It doesn't seem like the place to be full up on a weekday.

"'ave you done anything?" Mum asks.

Murph lights up. "Oh! We went to the Victoria & Albert - " He turns to Gavin. " - they have the most amazing collection of Renaissance art I've ever seen."

"That's the only collection of Renaissance art you've seen," I point out, taking a sip of my fizzy drink.

He hits me in the side. And then gasps. "We should go to Venice! Nono, wait..." Murph's got stars in his eyes as he waves his hand above the table, like he's revealing the location. "...Paris. No, no!" He gasps again. "St. Petersburg." Murph's mouth drops open. He seems more amazed at the idea than I am.

Mum and Michael are watching him. Their eyes meet mine, eyebrows up in a confused expression. Their lips're pursed. They're asking, "Really?"

"So, Murphey," begins Michael, "what do you do fer a livin'?"

Murph deflates. "Oh, I'm an intern at an architecture firm, and a house manager at a theater."

"Impressive," she says, eyeing me. "And what did you study? You did study at uni, yeah?"

My eyelid twitches. I should be used to this by now.

"I-I did, yes. I majored in Mass Media Studies and minored in Art History." Murph reaches for his glass of water. His hands are shaking.

Gavin leans forward. "What's Mass Media Studies?" He looks at Mum and Michael and then says, his hands up in defense, "Some of my mates are studying it."

I'm mad now.

Murph goes on to explain what it is, but it doesn't seem to satisfy them. He doesn't seem put off, because he goes on talking to Gavin like there's no one there. But this just makes Mum and Michael pissed.

Every question Mum and Michael ask seems to just make them more angry. I have no idea why. Murph's minding his manners and answering every question as best he can. "So, Murph...wha does your muthuh do?" Mum asks.

"Oh, she's..." Murph looks down and says, "I live with my aunt. I can't answer that. I'm sorry." He smiles, but that doesn't seem to satisfy her.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes. I have an older sister and a younger sister." Murph's sitting up straight.

"Are you close to them?"

"Not particularly," he admits, slouching his posture. "I've been very busy the past couple years so I haven't really had the time to spend one-on-one with them." He pauses. "Do you have any siblings?" He asks this as a genuine question.