SomeWhere On... (BXB)

CHAPTER 9: ...Canon Street, UK - September

"Can you open them now?" asks Steve.

I turn and glare. "He's not online yet." I glance back at my computer and wait for the little green check by his symbol thing to appear, spinning my ring while I want. After another minute of trying to break my computer with my eyes, I sit back and sigh. "Fine, let's have cake."

Jessie fist bumps the air and throws off the top to the cake I picked out. An ice cream cake, but I don't know which kind it is. I like the surprise.

Also, Jess struggling to cut through it is like watching cooks on those cooking shows get frustrated. It's amazing.

Gavin takes over and cuts up the cake. He struggles just as much as she did.

"It's chocolate!" she announces before gasping. "Oh my God, is there cookie under here?" She scoops the slice onto a plate and begins eating. "It's a cookie ice cream cake." Jessie winks and gives me the thumbs up.

"Where'd you find this?" asks Steve.

"Tescos," I say. Like I'd be able to find anything anywhere else.

My computer rings out and I roll over the back of the chair to answer it. "Hey," I say, grinning.

Murph's got bags under his eyes and looks ready to pass out. He's supporting himself on his elbows, head sandwiched between his hands. "I can't stay long, Tommy, okay?"

"Hi, Murph!" shouts Steve from behind me.

"Is everyone here?" he asks.

I nod. "I didn't want to open your present without you." It's a really normal thing to say, right?

But Murph turns into a tomato and stutters, "You didn't have to wait for me."

"I wanted to, though," I say. Because why wouldn't I wanna wait for my fiancé to come online. "You can go to bed after I open your thing, okay?" Murph nods with his whole body. He isn't gonna last that long, so I grab the Amazon box from under the table and shout back, as I'm opening it, "Guys! Murph's present!"

Only Jessie runs over. Gavin and Steve make their way over, eating cake.

"I miss you," Murph mutters, his eyes closing for a little too long before opening again.

I smirk. "It's been three months since we saw each other, luv."

Jess squeals at the nickname. I smack her in the leg.

"Too long, if you ask me," he says, half-awake.

"We'll see each other soon, I promise."

Murph groans, face twisting into this gross, sarcastic look. "Not if you're watching the immigration process."

Finally, the top of the box folds open, and I pull out three books – one "adult" colouring book with designs that no child could colour in easily, one car encyclopedia, and one book of railway posters from the National Railway Museum.

I sigh. I wanna tell him he went overboard. That he can't be spending this much. The amount we had to spend for the application alone was, to me, a small fortune.

But I just shake my head and ask, "What? No crayons?"

"I forgot crayons!" he shrieks, his hands trying to grab whatever's on the side of his head. "I-I just knew I forgot something, but I didn't remember." His face scrunches. "T-Tommy, I – "

"Murph, I love it." And I can pick up crayons for, like, £2 from the store, too. I hold up the railway book. "Is this to remember it, or as a jab at me?"

Murph shakes his head. "No, to remember. You've suffered long enough."

"How sweet."

"I have to be," Murph says, winking. "I get to be the mushy one."

Jessie can't handle it. I wanna smack her again.

"Well, I love it, Murph. They're really cool."

"There's an entire thing on car engineering in the encyclopedia," Murph notes, and I grab the book to find it. "I thought it would've interested you, how they're engineered and stuff." It sounds cool.

"Thank you," I say, grinning. "Now go to bed."

"Can I...talk to you really fast?"

I look at everyone, grab the computer and go to my room. "What's up?"

Murph shudders. "I...I love talking to you, Tommy, but I can't keep calling you every day after work ends. I'm so tired."

"...why didn't you tell me?"

His hands flop into his lap. "Because. You're schedule's so erratic as it is, and I don't want to be the person to make it even more complicated." Murph looks at me. I don't know why, but his eyes tell me they're about to begin crying. And I know he's gonna say more.

"Let's talk this weekend about it, okay?"

Murph sighs and wipes his eyes. "Tommy, you don't – "

"You're basically dying, Pup." I shrug. "Why wouldn't I wanna make sure you survive until we get married?"

Murph smiles. "Thanks."

"Please go to bed now."

"Mkay. Love you."

"I love you, too, Pup."

And I'm left in the quiet of my room.

I swallow away the unease in my stomach and hope Murph didn't notice it. He's probably too sleep-deprived for it, anyways, but still.

I go back to the party. Steve hands me cake and whispers, "Happy birthday, mate."

The celebration's quieted down a little.

Then Jessie reveals her gift of Cards Against Humanity, and we play until 4 in the morning.