Last chapter before the epilogue.
Enjoy beautiful people!
Song for chapter is Alexander Hamilton by Leslie Odom Jr, Anthony Ramos, Daveed Diggs, Okieriete Onaodowan, Lin Manuel Miranda, Philippa Soo and the Original Broadcast of Hamilton
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Keane's POV
I had to hand it to Arlo and Angelo, they were definitely packing lots of things in. I had a feeling of where we may be going. Though was slightly doubtful because I expected Noah to be totally hyper. Unless he of course didn't know either. This was clarified when we pulled up outside Richard Rodgers Theatre which had a big sign with Hamilton on. Noah screamed, so loudly in delight.
"OH MY GOD! NO WAYYYY! WE'RE GOING YO SEE HAMILTON!" He shouted as we climbed out of the Uber. "Wait, is this surprise for Keane and Tayte or me?"
"This long weekend is for all of us," I told him,
"Though yes this was for you," Angelo and Arlo said together and he grinned widely.
"This is going to be amazing," Leo said, "My sister is going to be so jealous,"
"We are definitely getting a photo outside here right now," Noah demanded. So we asked someone who willingly obliged and we huddled in a group and had a mini photoshoot before we headed inside. I was slightly worried that there was no queue, then again, we were slightly later.
Once our bags had been checked, which was only Tam and Mali and our tickets were inspected. Noah grabbed Angelo's hand and pulled him away to buy him some merchandise. We knew what area we were heading too, so the rest of us went to grab some drinks from the bar located on the mezzanine level. Glasses of white wine and beers. Angelo and Noah soon found us and Noah had a Hamilton bag,
"Thank you," Angelo said as Arlo handed him a beer, Noah had a glass of wine since he didn't really like beer.
We had tickets on Row A of the front Mezzanine, seats A114, A113, A112, A111, A110, A109, A108, A107, A106 and A105.
There was such a buzz around the place,
"You good A?" I asked,
"I was until you called me A," Arlo answered and I smiled, "I'm fine,"
We headed in around 15 minutes before curtains up and Noah was so hyper. We sat down; Arlo on the end, Angelo, Noah, me, Tayte, Marshall, Leo, Mali, Tammara and then Arii. I found it odd that Arii was on the end, but everyone seemed happy enough. We had no one in front of us either, as we are at the front of the balcony. Which was so nice and had decent leg room.
"Baby, you can sing every song, but not too loud okay," Angelo told him,
"Promise,"
Arlo took a sip of his water, I was watching him, Angelo caught my eye,
"He's okay," he mouthed.
The theatre went quiet and the music began to play, Noah squeezed my hands in delight as Aaron Burr appeared on stage and sang;
"How does a bastard, orphan, son of a whore and a Scotsmen, dropped in the middle of a forgotten spot in the Caribbean..."
I looked at Noah who was mouthing every word of the song and smiled. Tayte reached and squeezed my knee. I put my other hand on top of his,
"And the worlds gonna know your name, what's your name man?"
"Alexander Hamilton," The whole theatre cheered, "My name is Alexander Hamilton and there's a million things I haven't done, so just you wait, just you wait,"
After the song everyone clapped and cheered,
"I have goosebumps and tears," Noah said. I admit, I had goosebumps too.
Watching Noah do all the parts of Aaron Burr, Sir, was just as amazing as watching them all do the same on stage.
The whole audience was laughing all the way through Farmer Refuted, favourite song so far. Hilarious.
You'll Be Back, sang by our once crazy King George was hilarious.
We all then got engrossed and I couldn't take my eyes of it. The song My Shot resonated with me, Angelica Schuyler was breath taking in Satisfied and I felt so bad for her. She loved Alexander, but did what she needed to do and let her younger sister Eliza have her man. The whole production of that song is just heart breaking.
My favourite characters though were Alexander, John Laurens, Lafayette and Hercules Mulligan.
Guns and Ships was insane and I was impressed, though not surprised that Noah knew all of the words to the rap.
When John Laurens, *Spoiler alert* dies, it was so sad, and how they did it, they looked at one another as if to say goodbye.
Tears!
To be honest, I could comment on every single song, but I won't.
The midway intermission came and everyone legged it to the bathrooms on the ground floor. Arlo and I were the last ones standing.
"Shall we get everyone some ice cream?" he asked,
"Hell yes," I said and we walked off to join the long queue, "How you finding it?"
"Bloody brilliant," he answered, I laughed,
"Alright Ron Weasley," I winked and he smiled.
When we finally got to the front we got 10 tubs, 4 vanilla, 3 strawberry and 3 chocolate. Noah, Angelo, M and Leo were back and Noah's eyes lit up,
"Yay, ice cream, thank you best older brothers," He beamed, we handed them out and then the girls joined and eagerly with thanks took them. We chatted a little bit, but soon ice creams were demolished and the second half began.
Enter Thomas Jefferson and James Maddison.
"So what did I miss?"
Followed by the Cabinet Battle one which I could see Noah making us do later on or tomorrow.
"Turn around bend over I'll show you where my shoes fits," Noah sang laughing.
Before we see the beautiful Angelica and Eliza Schuyler again and Phillip Schuyler's rap was so cute and funny.
"Why did he have to go and be a dick for?" Mali asked quietly, as Say No To This, began;
"Men," Tammara answered,
"Oi, not all men," Arlo retorted.
"If this didn't happen, there wouldn't be the rest of the story," Noah explained,
"Sssshhh," Leo told us and we chuckled and zipped our lips and watched on.
"Just say bloody No!" Mali said,
"The Lord's not going to tell you" Arii added.
"Ssshhh," Noah and Marshall said and they rolled their eyes.
Cabinet Battle two was even better than one, believe it or not. In my opinion.
"We signed a treaty with a King whose head is now in a basket. Would you like to take it out and ask it? Should we honour our treaty, King Louis' head, Uh, do whatever you want, I'm super dead," Noah sang, those were some lyrics!
Time was flying by and so were all the songs, I loved One Last Time sang by George Washington and Hurricane.
"She is my idol," T said, as Eliza sang Burn.
"Goosebumps," Tayte told me.
Definite goosebumps.
Then when, *Major Spoilers* Phillip Hamilton dies, the music being the heartbeat and then when it stops he's dead and Oh My Word.
We were all sobbing.
Sobbing!
Eliza's cry had us all a mess.
Angelo had a hold of Arlo's hand, I had a feeling, he was reliving some of his army brother's dying. He was staring at the floor.
Followed by It's Quiet Uptown, I don't think there was a dry eye in the whole theatre.
I heard Angelo whisper something to Arlo, but didn't know what he said.
"He should have lived, he committed suicide, he knew exactly what he was doing," Marshall said quietly,
"Definitely," Leo agreed,
"Trust Burr to be his killer though," Arii mused.
As The World Was Wide Enough was performed,
"You have no control, who lives, who dies, who tells your story," the truth!
Eliza Schuyler, an incredible woman.
"I can't, I'm crying again, they told her story," Noah cried, as we all stood and applauded.
"Wooooo, woooooo" we cheered and shouted and clapped.
"I feel so happy that I watched it, but so sad that it ended," Marshall said, which we all agreed with.
"Best musical ever!" Noah declared. I walked over and hugged Arlo, I knew he appreciated this as he wrapped his arms around me.
We eventually left the theatre after it had died down a little and out in the New York night.
"Can we walk to Times Square, since it's literally 2 minutes' walk away?" Arii asked,
"As if anyone is going to say no," Tayte smiled. So hand in hand and arm in arm, we headed there among the bustle of people.
If you've been to Times Square and haven't span around in the middle like you see people do in the movies, you didn't really visit Times Square.
"INSANE!" Noah shouted.
Pictures were of course taken, in abundance. It was 10.30pm, but it felt like the middle of the day.
"Wow, didn't realise it was that time of night already," Tammara said,
"The night is still young," Noah grinned. We all began walking, not sure where. Until I saw it.
The Empire State Building.
So Arlo and Angelo had bought VIP passes, so we had our own private lounge where we could go to and chill, have cocktails and canapes, before, during and after we've had enough of seeing the night sky view. From the east, west, north west and south sides of the building.
"I hate lifts," Marshall then said, we looked at him, "Is there stairs?"
"Sure there is, a lot of them," Leo answered,
"M, stand by me, hold my hand and close your eyes, it'll go by in the blink of an eye and those views are going to be so worth it. We won't let anything happen to you," I told him.
"Promise,"
"I promise," I said.
"You've got this Marshall. We all believe in you," Noah told him, smiling at him. I took M's shaking hand,
"You've got this," it was the 10 of us and one couple in the lift. He clutched onto me,
"I've got this," he repeated and I smiled.
All in all it took 1 minute, though for someone with a fear of lifts, I'm sure it felt like longer.
"I just did that," Marshall said happily as he opened his eyes once we'd stepped out of the first lift. I had yet to tell him that we had to get another one to reach the viewing point on the 86th floor.
Firstly, we were heading to the VIP private room. It had grey sofas, scattered cushions, a massive flat screen TV on one wall, a glass coffee table sat in the middle of the room, with a bowl of what looked like crisps and some breadsticks in a bowl. There were some stunning pieces of art on the wall too. We were greeted with a smile as a smartly dressed man was stood behind a bar that was also situated in the room.
"If I were you. I'd go up and see the night time views first. Alcohol tends to blur and distort the stunning views. You have plenty of time to drink afterwards," he said with a wink and we all smiled.
He was right though.
So that was what we did. Marshall having accomplished the main lift, was much more confident in the next one. There were only 2 other people on the 86th floor when we reached it. The views were breath-taking, all 360 degrees of them. An array of colourful lights lit up the city that never sleeps.
A multitude of pictures were taken, of both the views and of each other. Noah, M, Leo, Mali, Tammara and Arii were dancing and singing Hamilton like a bunch of loons. The rest of us watched on with smiles plastered on our faces.
"I'm not going to join you on the 102nd floor," Marshall announced after we'd finished on the 86th floor, for now anyway. "I know my limits and an all glass lift is exactly that. My limit,"
"I'll stay with you," Tammara told him with a smile and I wondered whether there would be future romance between those two,
"Me too," Leo added,
"No, don't be silly no one has to stay. I'll be fine on my own,"
"I'll stay too," Arii then said and he rolled his eyes as if to say, did no one just hear what I said!
In the end, the OG Bahamas gang went up to 102 together.
"I feel like I haven't seen you much today," Arlo said softly to Mali, she hugged him,
"I know, I'm sorry, how are you doing QB?" she replied. I then tore myself away from their private conversation.
"Imagine waking up to that view every day," Tayte told me, as I wrapped my arms around him and nuzzled into his neck,
"That view has nothing on you," I whispered and he laughed and spun around to kiss me.
"Do you think Keane and Tayte are having a fabulous time?" Noah asked Angelo, "I'm worried they aren't,"
"Baby, I am pretty sure those lovebirds are having the most fabulous time. They are together and you are with them. That's all they need," Noah kissed him softly,
"I love you," Angelo smiled brightly at him,
"I love you more handsome," he answered.
We headed back down after a group photo and a quick cartwheel competition, Angelo won, though Noah would disagree.
...
We had the yummiest cocktails which were tailored to suit our tastes, which we enjoyed immensely. Alongside a variety of cold canapés, considering it was 11.45pm. I was impressed they catered for us at all.
After a sing song, another two rounds of cocktails each and demolishing all of the canapés, we were all definitely tipsy. We thanked our cocktail connoisseur and then decided to take in the view one last time before we made our descent back down to ground level.
"Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today, I want to be a part of it. New York!" Noah sang,
"Are you singing Frank Sinatra?" Arii asked,
"Of course he is," Arlo smiled,
"I'm impressed you knew who it was," Tayte teased, she stuck her tongue out,
"Mum and Dad used to always play him around the house when we were young," She answered,
"I remember," Tayte answered,
"I wanna wake up, in a city that doesn't sleep. And find I'm king of the hills, top of the heap," I then sang and Noah's eyes lit up in joy.
"If I can, make it there, I'll make it, anywhere. It's up to you, New, York, New York!" Noah and I sang together,
"I want to wake up, in a city that never sleeps and find I'm A number one, top of the list. King of the hill, A number one. These little town blues, are melting away. I'm gonna make a brand new start of it. In old New York. And if I can make it there. I'm gonna make it, anywhere. It's up to you, New, York, New York. New York!" Everyone to my surprise joined in and sang. We heard an applause and all bowed grinning away. I didn't even now there was a crowd amount of people up here, but there was obviously.
We bundled out of the lift on the lift on the ground floor, singing the whole way down to distract Marshall. Heading back off to Times Square whilst waiting for the Ubers Angelo had ordered to come pick us up.
It was 1.15am when we got back to the hotel.
"LET'S GOOOO GET MORE COCKTAILS" Noah shouted,
"I'm in," Arlo smiled, Angelo gave him the eye. I had a feeling he was worried about him.
No one however disagreed with more cocktails, so after a literally 5 minute refresh we run riot through the hotel and ended up in Pauls cocktail bar, which closed at 4am, so we had plenty of time.
"It's like a flamingos house," Arlo chuckled,
"I love you," Noah said. It was what he was going to say. I smiled. The waiters were suited and booted and our cocktails were served to us on silver platters. It wasn't overly busy, but there was still enough people for an atmosphere.
...
2.30am came round super quickly. It had been a long eventful, but super fun day. We'd definitely all had enough cocktails, however had decided to order one more round.
Noah was even more crazy and hyper than usual, he was a really fun drunk and was of course, entertaining not just us, but those who were still drinking in the lounge.
Mali, T and Arii were definitely tipsy, but still weren't drunk. They'd also been drinking water alongside alcohol.
Marshall and Leo had drunk the least and were chugging water like it was a competition too. Though I knew had been having the time of their lives.
Angelo was always the sensible one, he'd drunk too, but knew his limits and could also handle his alcohol.
Tayte and I were definitely buzzed, but still fully alert. I didn't need to go all out and get totally wasted and I knew Tayte didn't need to either.
Arlo on the other hand, had me extremely worried. I had never seen him drink this much since he entered our lives. I knew seeing that Eddie guy, a face from the past had affected him today, as well as the part in Hamilton when Phillip died. As much as he tried to pull on a smile and act as if he was okay. I knew him, and I had done the same so many times. Looking at him now, I hadn't realised how much he was hurting.
There was a crash. Arlo had just fell into a waiter, in which he toppled over and drinks smashed and they both fell to the floor,
"Shit," Arlo giggled, "Sorry, oh shit! Oh nooo, the drinks," he stumbled up and Angelo had rushed over to him, "Heyyyyy babe," he grinned,
"You're done," Angelo told him,
"Hellll noooooo" he went to run away from him, stumbled and would have cracked his head open on the corner of the bar if Angelo hadn't re grabbed him, "You're sooo strong," Mali came over,
"Let's get you back to the suite QB," Mali said,
"Nooo, I'm fine. I'm fine," he tried to pull away from Angelo, but he held firm. "Let goooo, I said...I...Am...Fine..."
"Arlo, you aren't fine and we are leaving now," Angelo looked at me,
"I'll make sure Noah's okay," he nodded and Mali and Angelo pulled him out.
It was as if all the happy atmosphere got sucked out of the lounge. We all sobered up a lot too.
"Is..." Leo began and Arii shook her head as if to say don't continue your sentence.
"Think we are calling it a night," Tayte said, "Is everyone going to be okay?" Arii and Leo nodded,
"We'll be fine," Tammara answered for herself and Marshall, who gave me a look to say yes.
We'll all be fine.
Arlo's POV
I knew, of course I did. How much of a mess I was right now, but I was too wasted to care.
"Why are you both looking at meeeeee like that!" I mused as we got back to our suite. I slipped their grasp and then tripped over and sprawled out on the floor laughing, lying on my back giggling, "That why?" I then asked, Mali came over and bent down,
"I think we should get you to bed," she said softly,
"Nope, no, nada," I replied, sitting up, feeling slightly dizzy, but ignoring the fact,
"Yes Arlo," Angelo answered. He was pissed, because he was calling me by my actual name, I shook my head and pouted at him childishly,
"Make me," I grinned and hauled myself up. I could see the worry in Angelo's eyes and I faltered for a moment, he handed me a bottle of water. I chugged half of it down, smiled at him and then darted off. He actually smiled. It however didn't last long. Flashes of all the things from my past with Eddie kept replaying over and over. All the things I hoped would only stay a mere memory, locked away. I stumbled to the mini bar,
"Arlo, no bloody way," Angelo warned, I pulled out a random bottle,
"Baby no," Mali then said as she reached me, she tried to take the bottle, but I pulled away, backing off,
"Leave me alone," I moaned, Mali put her hand on my arm and Angelo the bottle, "Guyyysssss, you're no fun, no, no, fun," Angelo took the bottle from me. I would let them think they'd won, for now anyway.
We then heard voices and I assumed it was my younger brothers back.
It all went downhill just as they came in.
As Angelo and Mali were somewhat distracted, I reached for the bottle he'd put on the side, knocked it and it smashed on the hardwood floor, I soon followed as I toppled over and fell onto the glass.
Fuck!
I felt pain, it oddly sobered me up. Though with it, brought more past memories, all flying to the forefront of my mind. I shut my eyes and curled into a ball. I heard Keane say,
"Let's get you to bed bub," to Noah and then Noah say,
"Is Arley okay?" I didn't hear the reply,
"Babe," Angelo's soft voice cut through the flashbacks. I felt his hand on my back, "Can you slowly sit up for me please?"
"Angelo,"
"Yes babe, it's Angelo and Mali is here with me,"
"I'm here," I then heard Mali's voice,
"No, I'm sorry but no,"
"No what,"
"No Mali,"
"Arlo, I'm not going anywhere, I'm here for you, don't push me away right now, not after all your progress,"
"I said no," I snapped, sitting up and dashing off and into the bathroom, slamming the door.
Angelo's POV
"I want to help him, but I think right now, you are the best person to deal with this. I'm going to see if Tammara is alright, will you..."
"I'll text you, but you don't have to go he..."
"No, you are what is best for him in these situations, I know that," she kissed my cheek and left the suite. Just then Keane and Tayte appeared,
"What the hell is going on?" Keane asked, I could see the hurt and fear in his eyes, he looked at the glass and blood, "Where's Arlo, where did Mali go?"
"How's Noah?" I asked,
"He's fine, he's sleeping, he kept asking for you. That didn't answer any of my questions though," Keane answered,
"Mali has gone to see Tammara, Arlo is, not in a good place right now and ran off into the bathroom, I'm going to make sure he's okay,"
"How bad?" Tayte asked,
"I don't know. I'll know more when I sober him up and calm him down,"
"Will you..." Keane began,
"I will come in and let you know how he is,"
"We'll stay with Noah in your room until then,"
"Thank you," Keane was looking at the blood, "Just little cuts from the bottle, nothing to worry about," he nodded, but I know he was still worried.
They went back off to Noah and I knocked on the bathroom door,
"Arlo, babe, I'm coming in," I called and opened the door, I was so glad he hadn't locked it. He was sat in the shower, fully clothed, water pouring out of the shower. He looked at me, I turned the shower off and then sat down in there next to him,
"You'll get wet," he said,
"I can get dry," I answered,
"My head hurts," he then said, "And my hand and wrist," I reached over and grabbed the hand towel and wrapped it around his wrist and hand, "I'm sorry, I was an idiot. I..."
"You were being haunted by memories of the past and you drank to much, that's all, doesn't make you an idiot. It's okay babe,"
"I scared everyone, Keane he's going to be so worried and Mali, I pushed her away and...and...I've ruined the weekend. It's Keane's and Tayte's weekend and I bloody...I fucking...I..." he began to cry and seeing him cry was like a bullet to the chest.
"Look at me," he wouldn't, "Babe, look at me, I took his non wrapped up hand, he turned his head, "You haven't ruined the weekend, you haven't ruined anything. These things happen, we can't control them. You didn't know you were going to bump into Eddie. No one is going to blame you for anything. Mali, she loves you, she wants to be there for you, but knows your limits right now,"
"I hate myself,"
"You ever say that to me again. I swear to God I'll..."
"Okay I'm sorry, jeez," he interrupted and I actually smiled.
"I think we should get out of the shower, get dry and dressed, have a cup of tea and have a chat,"
"Is Noah okay?" he asked, "I'm sorry you can't be there for him,"
"Babe, seriously, shut up," I stood up and saw him smile, I held out my hand and he took it and I pulled him up. We went into his empty bedroom and he chucked me a t-shirt and some joggers to put on and I bandaged up his hand and wrist. It was a minor laceration, would heal in no time.
"I'll, I'll clear this up," he said,
"I'll do it, you go and see Keane and Tayte, their in my room with Noah," he looked at me, "Or you can wait and we can go together," he nodded. He made tea for the four of us, I knew my baby would still be asleep, whilst I cleared away the glass and wiped up the floor.
We entered my room at 3.45am. After I made Arlo text Mali. Keane and Tayte looked up,
"Arlo," Keane began,
"I'm so sorry," he got up and hugged him after putting drinks down. I sat on the bed beside a sleeping Noah and stroked his hair carefully and kissed his forehead. He snuggled up to me as if he knew. We all got comfy and tea was handed out.
Arlo's POV
"Before you say anything, we just want you to know that you haven't ruined anything, put a downer on this little trip, or done anything to affect how much of good time we are all having. I know you are undoubtedly thinking that and none of it is true. Also, can I just say that you can handle your alcohol really well," Keane said and I smiled, which was probably the aim of him saying it,
"Practice," I replied, then looked at my hands sadly, "I know what you just said but...but that's how I feel. We had such a good day today, well, minus the whole Arii bit, then I fuck it all up. I thought I was over ruining things. I thought I was done being fucked up, yet here I am. Here we are, sat together and me having to explain my fucked up self to you all once again,"
"Arlo..." Keane began, Angelo took my hand, but I didn't look at him,
"Just let me talk," I interrupted, "Eddie De Merle, where do I start. I met him in Peru when I was 18, it was before I decided to join the army. Eddie was 21. I was sat at the bar, the outdoor kind, drinking a beer in the hot south American sun and he approached me. Bought me another beer, got chatting, he seemed really friendly, introduced me to some friends of his. We went for food and to a club, he sorted out ladies for us all. Gave me his number, said he may have a job for me if I was interested. I needed the money and didn't really care what I was doing. So when he rang a few days later, I said yes, before I really knew what I was saying yes too," I took a sip of my tea and squeezed Angelo's hand, which was still holding mine, "He was part of some super dodgy and highly illegal, drug smuggling import, export ring. As soon as I realised what the hell I had got myself into, I wanted to try and get the hell out of it as quickly as possible. However it wasn't that easy. Eddie said I was in and the only way out was death. So instead, I tried to leave little trails, started messing things up, getting people thinking there was a rat who'd infiltrated their little business. Eddie knew it was me, he never told the others, he just used to beat me, keep me as his little drug runner, for his use only. He'd drug me up with product and send me out. He blackmailed me, said that if they were ever caught, everything would be pinned on me and that I'd get life in jail and if I cut a deal, that I would have wished he'd just killed me for what he and the rest of them were going to do to me,"
"God Arlo," Tayte gasped, Keane was looking at Noah, I knew he was hurt, I reached over and cupped his chin with my spare hand and he looked at me,
"I'm sorry you..." he began,
"I'm here now, with you all. I'm alive and loved by the most amazing family in the whole world. Don't feel sad for me," I told him,
"How did you get out?" Angelo asked softly, I took another sip of my tea which was almost cold,
"Still to this day we don't actually know how we were made. Maybe there really was a rat among us, someone from the FBI or CIA, because we were at a small airport, in a warehouse with a big score of drugs and weapons when we were raided. There was a major shootout with the police and a neighbouring gang, it was a blood bath. I took a bullet to my shoulder, but was the luckiest out of everyone. They were all dead, so many bodies littered the floor of the warehouse. I fled, I knew I had to get out of there before I was arrested. Then I heard someone cry out help me. I froze and ducked down, the cry came again, followed by my name, Arlo, please help me. It was Eddie, he'd been shot in his abdomen and was bleeding out. If I left him he would have died, just like everyone else," I paused, "I wanted to leave him so much, he was a nasty piece of work, he'd beaten and drugged and blackmailed me and I wanted him dead," I could feel tears bubbling to the surface, I closed my eyes, Angelo's hands tightened mine, "I wanted to leave him, for him to die. But I didn't, I hauled him up and we escaped in a stolen car, ended up in some abandoned building and I found a pharmacy, got supplies, patched him up as best I could. When I knew he wasn't going to die, I ran, I ran away from him, from Peru, from that part of my life I wanted to stay buried in my past memories and I never looked back. Until today," I wiped some stray tears. Then Angelo, Keane and Tayte all hugged me,
"You have a heart of gold Arlo, anyone else would have just left him to die, but not you, because you are such a good person," Keane told me,
"I don't feel like a good person for all the others things I did," I answered,
"You were barely 18, you didn't know and then when you did, you wanted to get out as fast as you could. You aren't a bad person, nor have you ever been," Tayte then told him.
I knew they probably wanted to talk more, to reassure me more, but I was done talking about it. I never wanted to relive it, seeing him in the subway, was like seeing a ghost in the way, a ghost of my past.
Keane and Tayte hugged me again and said goodnight.
It was 4.30am.
"I hope you don't think you are going anywhere except lying beside me on this bed," Angelo warned as he saw me move and I smiled,
"Don't make me smile right now," I told him,
"Not my fault I make you happy," he remarked,
"Angelo I...that, I was a different person back then, I hope you don't..."
"You hope I don't what? Think any different of you, decide that I don't want to be your brother and best friend anymore? Distance myself from you because of things you did in your past when you were 18. Seriously, I thought you knew me better than that babe. I love you now, I love past you and I love future you. You aren't getting rid of me ever. I'm proud of you for telling us all, I'm impressed you managed to last the whole afternoon, evening and I am also admiring as Keane said, your ability to handle alcohol," I chuckled, then frowned at him,
"Oi, don't make me laugh," he then laughed, "I love you babe,"
"I love you too, now, I suggest, we try and get some sleep like sleeping beauty here and we never have to speak about this ever again okay," He told me, I laid down and he turned the lights off, "Babe," he then said,
"Mmm,"
"Though if I ever see Eddie again I'm going to punch him in his face hard and knock him the fuck out," Angelo then said innocently, I chuckled,
"That is acceptable," I knew he smiled.
<<<
Keane's POV
My eyes opened and saw 10.30am on my phone, yawning I sat up. We'd had around 6 hours sleep. Totally not enough. Tayte was looking at me, grinning, I kissed him.
"Don't tell me it's time to get up already," Tayte mumbled with a smile and I laughed,
"You don't have to get up yet, but I'm going to see whose awake and how the land lies," I told him, kissing his lips delicately, he rolled his eyes and sat up, kissing me more.
I was surprised, though I probably shouldn't have been, to see Arlo and Angelo sat on the sofa, coffee's in hand and Noah laying across them.
"Morning," we mused, they looked up and Noah leapt up and hugged us both tight,
"Morning," they answered with a smile,
"You okay kiddo?" I then asked,
"I am now," he grinned,
"No hangovers?" Tayte answered,
"I kind of had a headache, drank loads of water and coffee, had a gym dance party and now I feel super refreshed and ready to go," Noah said really fast and then ran over to make us both a coffee.
"Gym dance party?" I questioned,
"Lolo and Arley had an hour gym sesh, we got back 20 minutes ago, via grabbing a coffee from the café. We haven't showered yet, so if it smells, it's those two," Noah answered, we smiled,
"I don't know whether to be worried or impressed," I said,
"I'm fine, really," Arlo replied, I looked at Angelo and Arlo rolled his eyes,
"He's not lying," Angelo smiled, "He also went to speak with everyone about the events of the early hours of the morning,"
"Everything?" Tayte then asked,
"What they needed to know anyway,"
"Voila," Noah grinned handing us both a mug of coffee,
"Thank you Bubba," we smiled and sat down, he worked his way back between Angelo and Arlo, as we took a sip of our coffee.
"So is everyone up and okay?" Tayte asked,
"Yes, just..." Angelo began,
"Hungry. We're all hungry and are waiting, were waiting for you two beautiful humans to get up, so we could go get food," Noah interrupted, "Sorry baby," he then said,
"How much coffee have you had?" I asked with a smile,
"Too much" Angelo answered, "My fault,"
"Nooooo Lolo, not you're fault...oooh look, a bird," Noah then said scrambling up and going over to the floor to ceiling window. We needed to get food into him as soon as possible!
"Plans for today?" I asked, drawing my eyes away from Noah,
"Ruined because of me," Arlo said,
"Shut up babe," Angelo remarked,
"Yeah Arlo, shut up," I agreed,
"Brunch first, surprise after," Angelo said,
"BRUNCH!" Noah shouted happily.
We all showered and got dressed and left the suite around half an hour later. I expected it to be slightly awkward, but was pleasantly surprised. I noticed a slight glance between Arlo and Mali and hoped everything was okay with them.
"Where are we going for Brunch?" Tammara asked, linking arms with Mali,
"Bubby's a 5 minute walk away," Angelo answered. So that was where we headed. I assumed no one had called ahead, as it probably wasn't part of the plan. Though was pleasantly surprised that we had a table booked for us, I pulled Mali to one side, Arlo looked at us, I smiled and they went in,
"Everything okay?" she asked,
"That was the question I wanted to ask you. Are you and Arlo okay? Because I'm worried things aren't alright with you both"
"We're okay Keane. Really we are, I just...I wish he'd let me fully in. I honestly thought these past few months we'd connected, that he trusted me. I guess it was just because he was in a really good headspace, then as soon as things get tough, he pulls away from me and..."
"And confides and is comfortable with Angelo. Do you all want to talk about this?"
"No and don't think I'm jealous of Angelo, because I promise you I am not,"
"Mali, I just want you and my brother to be happy,"
"We are, I love him so much and I know he loves me,"
"I just don't want to see him or you get hurt,"
"I swear on my life that I would never hurt him,"
"KEANE, MALI, COME ON," Arii hollered,
"Keane..."
"Okay," was all I said and we walked in. Arlo looked at me, as if to say, you and me need to talk.
"You good baby?" Tayte whispered,
"Always handsome," I replied.
It didn't take us too long to order breakfast, lots of pancakes, eggs, fried chicken and bacon, plus a whole lot of other tasty things. Plus iced coffees. The atmosphere was much brighter and happier than I expected. Though everyone genuinely seemed to be really happy.
"These pancakes are so GOOD!" Noah exclaimed,
"I agree," Marshall smiled,
"And this is probably the best iced coffee I've had," Arii said
"It's the only iced coffee you've had," Leo said and we all burst out laughing.
It was around midday when we left Bubby's and the sun was shining. I had a feeling this surprise Angelo was talking about was in walking distance. As with the sun shining, we took a pleasant stroll hand in hand.
We'd just left the 9/11 Memorial where we had a minutes silent. That place was so eerie. So heart breaking.
When Arlo caught up with me, Tayte nodded and dropped back with Marshall;
"Firstly, I'm sorry I fucked up this weekend for you and Tayte," he said,
"Firstly, I'm not going to talk to you if you speak like that," I retorted and he smiled,
"Secondly, I thought I was the big brother,"
"What do you mean?" I asked playing dumb, though I knew exactly what he meant.
"Looking out for me and making sure that my relationship with Mali is okay and pretty much warning her that if she breaks my heart you'll break her," I chuckled,
"I didn't say that," he smiled,
"But that's what you wanted to say though," I didn't answer, but just smiled, "We are okay Keane and if we weren't, it's my fault anyway. I know that. I shut down, close myself off to her when things go bad and I know she does get upset over the fact I do this, yet am so at ease and open with Angelo. I don't mean to be, I just...he has a calming effect on me and..."
"You don't need to be explaining any of this to me, I know. I just wanted to make sure Mali knew this. She said she wasn't jealous of Angelo, but I could tell she was hurt that you always went to Angelo. She said she loved you so much and just wished as you already knew, that you opened up to her. I just said I didn't want you to get hurt," I told him, "You know I love Mali, she's a beautiful soul inside and out, but know I love you more and you will always come first, so if your relationship with Angelo is going to end up being a problem for her, then..."
"It's not...I promise it's not. I love her too, so much. We'll be okay, but thank you, for having my back and for caring so much, for loving me no matter what,"
"I always have and always will love you Arlo," we stopped and hugged each other.
"RACE YOU!" We heard Noah scream and he, along with Marshall, Leo, Tammara and Arii ran off. We saw Angelo and Mali talking and this somewhat worried me slightly. Arlo's face changed, as if he was also worried.
"Don't look so worried," Tayte laughed, "They aren't arguing, they're just talking," we looked at him,
"We didn't say anything," Arlo remarked,
"You didn't have too," Tayte answered, "It's written all over your faces," we smiled at one another.
"GUYS HURRY UP!" Noah beckoned, Angelo and Mali then saw us watching them and both winked cheekily at us. We eventually caught Noah and the others up, Noah eyed us all, "Why are you all so slow?" we chuckled,
"Baby, everyone is slow compared to you," Angelo told him, making him grin widely.
"Any ideas of where we are heading?" Marshall asked. I think only Arlo and Angelo, possibly Noah knew of the next surprise.
I looked around, we were on route near the waterfront, so I assumed we were maybe going on a boat tour of some sort, either that, or I did have a feeling that we may be going on a helicopter tour.
My thoughts were proved correct as we headed to Pier 6 and a New York City Helicopter sign could be seen. I smiled,
"Oh My God! Are we going on a helicopter tour?" Arii shrieked,
"No, a boat tour actually," Noah responded cheekily, she stuck her tongue out at him,
"Any one afraid of heights, speak now or forever hold your peace," Tammara said.
No one did.
"Good afternoon and welcome to New York City Helicopter tours. The best tour in the state," this man with a super friendly face said beaming at us,
"We're all super excited," Leo answered,
"That is great to hear, has anyone been in a helicopter before?" he then asked, we all turned to look at Arlo, knowing full well he had. He rolled his eyes at us,
"I'm ex SAS, so yes, I have been in and know all about helicopters," Arlo announced, "And my brother here had a year placement with the Air Ambulance Service," he then said pointing to Angelo,
"Oh wow, very impressive and extremely brave,"
"The rest of us however, are all Helicopter virgins," Noah then added with a wink.
"Well then," the guy chuckled, "This is going to be a real treat,"
Each helicopter could hold 6 passengers, so we would be split 5 and 5. I felt like we should mix up who went with who this time, so everyone felt involved and loved and it wasn't just the original gang together, again. However, Noah had other plans. Of course he did.
"Kiddo..." I began,
"I know what you are going to say, but I still want to go with you, Tayte, Arley and Lolo," he interrupted,
"I think Arlo and Mali should be together," I said,
"Okay, Mali booess can come up with us as a 6," Noah then regarded, Mali chuckled. Arii, who had obviously already had enough of this debate announced,
"Me, Leo, Marshall, Noah and Angelo in one. Then Keane, Tayte, Tam, Arlo and Mali in the other,"
"But I want to be with Keane, Tayte and Arlo," Noah pouted. I rolled my eyes,
"If we don't hurry up we won't be going anywhere," Tammara mused as we saw the friendly man heading over.
In the end, believe it or not, we settled it, Mali did come with the usual gang. Honestly, no one would have gone if that wasn't the case. So we climbed into retrospective helicopters,
"Have fun and see you in a bit," we said to each other.
I have to admit, I was really excited! It was always amazing to try new things, especially when those thing were with the ones you loved. We all had our phones out at the ready as we got ready for take-off.
Have you ever had a moment, where you become speechless, where you gasp in awe, or take a breath and look around, to make sure that you are actually alive and witnessing such magical sights? When you look around and just smile. That in this moment in time, you are happy and lucky and full of emotions. That was how I was feeling during the helicopter tour.
I took pictures and mini videos to remember the moment. But I also still lived the moment, I still took it all in. The sights, the sounds, the faces my family were making.
When we landed and were back at ground level together. It was like we were all high, our adrenaline was flowing through us. Bright eyes and wide smiles.
A little slice of heaven.
We then, on foot, wandered about. Taking in the sights, the smells, the city noise. Despite there being a whole lot going on around us, it was definitely a sensory overload. I felt incredibly at peace. Everyone was walking hand and hand in their pairs. Yes, Marshall and Tammara were walking arm in arm, chatting away. I hoped there was romance blossoming between those two. I knew they both deserved it.
"What is on your mind fiancé?" I smiled at the word. Fiancé. I couldn't wait to marry him. I kissed his shoulder,
"Besides you, nothing," I answered and he grinned and kissed me.
"Sure I can change that," he said and then whispered something I'd keep between him and I.
I couldn't tell you how far we'd walked, but we ended up at the Museum of Ice Cream, in I think we were in Soho. Noah was super hyped about going inside to explore.
In the words of Noah, the Ice Cream Museum looked like a unicorn had exploded in here, because obviously we all know that unicorns are full of rainbows, glitter and a whole lot of awesomeness.
The truth, it was pink, very pink, Mean Girls, on Wednesday's we were pink! Pink! We went off to explore. There was a hundreds and thousands sprinkle swimming pool, with its own slide and diving board. Plenty of pictures were taken in this area. The same went for striking a pose in the rainbow tunnel. We were in awe at the hundreds of pink and yellow bananas hanging on strings from the ceiling. More pictures were taken in the shells which had red cherry balls and pink and white mini balls and ice creams. Gold Angel wings which were a lot of fun to take pictures in front of. A very pink room with a party table laid full of sweet treats, an assortment of cakes and ice creams, presented on colourful trays and tiered cake stands. The highlight was flying down the 3 floor slide. We then all took a small sample of ice cream with us, as we hit the hustle and bustle of the noisy New York City streets.
"This little sample has made me super hungry," Noah said, I looked at him,
"You're always super hungry," Tayte remarked, beating me to it, he pouted with a grin,
"What do you two fancy?" Marshall asked, "Besides each other," we chuckled,
"Well, we're in New York..." I began, looking at Tayte, he smiled, eyes glistening,
"Pizza," we then said together,
"HELL YES YOU LEGENDS!" Noah cheered. We googled pizza places and decided on Pizza Suprema. It had been owned by the same Italian family for over 56 years. We hopped on the subway and then walked there.
"No baby, you are not having a whole pizza, or pie they call them to yourself," Angelo said, Noah rolled his eyes,
"Fineeee,"
We were all sensible and went with two slices each, since we'd undoubtedly order some food back at the hotel later. Deciding which slices was the difficult part, since there were 29 pizzas to choose from.
I went with a slice of the award winning NYC Round cheese pizza and the Burrata.
Tayte, because he loved spice, the Hot Honey Pizza and Buffalo Chicken.
Noah picked the Meat Lover's pizza and the New York Style Sicilian.
Angelo chose the Suprema and the Upside Down pizza.
Arlo decided on the Chicken Parmigiana pizza and the Grandma, which Noah thought was hilarious.
Mali opted for the Veggie Medley and a Margarita pizza.
Marshall selected the Pizza Al Pastor and Creamy Potato pizza.
Tammara the Margherita Primavera pizza and the Fig pizza.
Arii settled for the White pizza with garlic and the Hawaiian.
Finally Leo, no surprises, had the Chicken Bacon Ranch and Buffalo Chicken pizza.
Once we had two pizza slices each in hand, we left and headed to find somewhere in close proximity to sit and eat.
The food didn't last long, as we demolished it within minutes of sitting down.
...
When we got back to the hotel around half hour later and decided on some downtime. The mood in the suite was calm and quiet, everyone was occupied one way or another. Tayte and I were cuddling watching something on Netflix. It was nice to just have some time to relax. I was sure how long it had been when Noah appeared,
"Are you two hungry? Because we were going to order some room service," he asked with a grin and I smiled,
"Whose we?" Tayte asked,
"Everyone minus the ladies because they've gone for a walk,"
"Okay, we'll be out in a minute Bub,"
"Yay," he did a little dance and then ran off, "KEANEY AND TAYTEY SAID YES!" we then heard him shout, which made us chuckle. Tayte kissed me and we got up, Noah was led cross Angelo and Arlo and Marshall and Leo were chatting on the other, "They're here, can we order now?"
"Baby, just because you've looked and decided what you want, no one else has," Angelo said, Noah pouted,
"Fineeeeeee, Marshy and Leo hurry up," I rolled my eyes.
"How are you still hungry after that pizza?" I asked,
"Because that was hours ago and also because I'm always hungry," Noah grinned, which was true.
"Why don't we order a selection of like mini tapas type food and share," Angelo suggested,
"Share food," Noah said disgusted and then winked,
"Great plan Lolo,"
So we ended up ordering a variety of wings, hot and spicy, BBQ and salt and pepper. Some mini sliders, a Spanish meat and cheese board and some sweet potato fries with aioli.
Which Noah then said took forever to arrive, when in reality, only took half an hour.
"FOOD IS HERE!" Noah screamed and rushed to the door when we heard it knock. It was wheeled in and laid out for us, Arlo tipped him and saw him to the door. "Oh my Jesus it looks and smells so good,"
We dug in, okay when I say we dug in, I specifically mean Noah. Everyone else did eat, but Noah was eating like he'd been starved for years. Angelo had just stuck the coffee machine on when Tammara, Mali and Arii appeared,
"How'd you lot sneak in?" Arlo smiled as Mali sat on his lap,
"We got a card from reception," she winked and kissed him,
"Have you been eating without us?" Arii asked,
"Help yourself to what's left, before Noah demolishes it," Tayte said, Noah pouted,
"Good walk?" I asked,
"It was thank you," Tammara answered, "Very relaxing,"
"Would you like a coffee?" Angelo asked and the consensus was yes please all round.
We chilled out chatting together for a couple of hours and then dispersed around 6.30pm for showers and to get dressed ready for our last evening out in New York.
"You can't go out looking like that," Tayte said to me, I looked at him,
"Why not?" I asked confused,
"Because you are looking way too hot I don't think I'll be able to control myself," he replied and I chuckled, he came over and kissed me passionately,
"I love you," I told him,
"I love you more,"
We were all in Ubers just gone 7pm heading to the Press Lounge for our last evening in the city that never sleeps.
The Press Lounge was a restaurant that sat sixteen stories up above the Ink48 Hotel. Marshall dealt with the lift like a pro.
"We've booked at table for 10 at 7.45pm, under the name Angelo Trego," Angelo said,
"Come this way," the waitress beamed and we followed her outside and all gasped at the views and she chuckled, "That is the reaction I love to hear,"
"It's beautiful,"
"Wait until the sun starts to set," and left us to it,
"Are we going to argue over whose sitting facing the view?" Tayte asked,
"More like are we going to argue over who sits next to who,"
"We're sitting in our couples opposite each other, yes Tammara, you and Marshall are classed as a couple," Arii said bossily. Noah dived for the sofa side which looked at the view,
"Keaney," he then grinned.
In the end the 5 on the sofa side with the view was: Mali, Noah, me, Tammara, Arii and opposite; Arlo, Angelo, Tayte, Marshall, Leo.
It was as much as a cuffuffle than I thought it would be. Menus were then picked up and scanned,
"Cruel Summer is a bit of me," Mali said,
"I was going to say the same thing," Tammara laughed,
"Besties," they then said together,
"I separate you, yet you still manage to break my heart," Noah said dramatically pretending to cry and I rolled my eyes and pulled him into me, kissing the top of his head, "I love you," he grinned at me,
"I think I'm going to try the Emilio," Tayte said,
"You're brave," Marshall added,
"Jalapeno infused tequilia, you'll be sorry bro," Arii said,
"Guess we'll find out," he winked.
"I'm having So Berry Cool, because I am so berry cool," Noah chuckled,
"You on the bourbon," Angelo teased, "Lord help us,"
"We need more than the Lord to help us with Noah," I said cheekily and Noah grinned,
"I think Aren't You Cuke sounds interesting," Leo piped up,
"Refined cucumber vodka, sounds weird," Arii said,
"You're weird," Noah shouted,
"You haven't even had any alcohol and you're already loud," Tammara laughed,
"You know Noah, he was born loud," Angelo smiled,
"Arlo, what about you?" Mali asked,
"Bet him and Lolo are going to have the same, bet it's the Classic Beauty," Noah said, Arlo and Angelo looked at each other,
"How did you know Noah?" Arlo grinned,
"Because I know you both,"
"Well we are both classically beautiful," Angelo smiled and Arlo squeezed his arm softly with a smile,
"I should have separated you two, why have I not learnt my lesson by now" Noah pouted and we all laughed.
Marshall and I chose the Pink Negroni and Arii had a glass of prosecco and we all took the piss out of her.
Noah then wanted food, of course he did, not like we didn't order an array of room service not so long ago.
We ended up with yet another local cheese and meat platter, Mali, T and Arii wanted some marinated olives, so we got them too, as well as some house hummus and warm pitta to dip and a few warm soft homemade pretzels with a creamy honey mustard.
"I'm actually so sad, I can't believe this is our last night here," Tammara said,
"Me too, I've loved it," Mali added, "The ups and the downs," shen then said looking at Arlo,
"I want to just say thank you again for including me and asking me on this wonderful adventure with you all," Marshall said with a smile,
"No thanks needed M, we all love you," I told him and I swear he blushed,
"Some more than others," Mali teased and Tammara glared at her making us all laugh,
"I really hit the jackpot finding this family," Leo said,
"This family, not Arii right!" Noah teased and Arii huffed and pouted,
"There'd be no family without Arii," Leo said, she beamed at him,
"Suck up," Noah mumbled, but we all heard it.
"Have you both had a good time?" Angelo asked, looking at Tayte and I,
"Despite all the shit I put you through," Arlo added and he got death glares from most of us,
"It's been just perfect, everything we wanted, with the best people," Tayte answered,
"Wouldn't have wanted to spend a weekend in New York, the last weekend as finances, with anybody except those currently sat around the table right now," I said, everyone lifted their glasses,
"To Keane and Tayte,"
"TO KEANEY AN TAYTEY," Noah shouted and we all cheersed with genuine giant smiles on our faces.
I think this evening was actually the best one of the weekend and I wasn't sure why. We had 3 cocktails each, plenty of nibbles. Noah made sure we too lots of pictures looking out across the city. The sunset was magnificent. We laughed a lot, we smiled more and I kept looking around at the family we'd created and my heart felt so full.
<<<
It was 9am and we'd been up half hour, Arlo and Angelo longer. We didn't have a super late night last night. We got back to the hotel just after 11.30pm and then congregated in our penthouse for at least another hour. No one was however hungover, which was a bonus.
We were about to head down to Jack's for a takeaway coffee that we would drink on a last stroll around, before we finished packing. We had Uber's booked for 11.30am.
"We're going to get food too right?" Noah asked as we got in the lift, "Because I am pretty hungry right now and feel I could get hangry relatively soon," I chuckled,
"Heaven forbid I let my handsome prince get hangry," Angelo said with a smile,
"I love you Lolo,"
"Love you to baby, of course you can grab something to eat,"
We met the girls, Leo and Marshall as we headed in,
"We were going to order, but knew you wouldn't be long," Arii said,
"You should have, to give the guy a head start," Tayte said.
It didn't take too long though, we all ordered a variety of coffees, then we got some pastries: plain, blueberry and raisin croissants and some pan au chocolate's.
It was a warm morning, with a slight breeze, perfect weather for drinking coffee and eating pastries.
"I can't believe you two are getting married in less than 4 days you are going to be husbands," Tammara said, sitting between us, "I'm so glad I met you,"
"Us too, feels like a whole lifetime ago since Noah and I first saw you in the clothes shop in Cirencester," I said,
"Never thought we'd come this far," Tayte inputted,
"I'm so happy and proud of the two of you," T then said, "You both deserve the world,"
"My whole world is right here with me now, all of you," I said, "And especially that man sat beside you," Tayte smiled and blew me a kiss. Tammara then wrapped her arms around us both and pulled us into her.
"I love you both so much,"
"We love you too," we answered in unison.
We had a mad rush to finish packing as we stayed out longer than we should have, so one of us probably left something. But we said goodbye to the stunning penthouse and rushed down to the lobby. Our Uber driver was late, so the mad rush was not needed.
JFK airport was so busy when we got there, as in, was today the day everyone had decided to go away somewhere. We hadn't booked a lounge, so the first lot of seats we found in the terminal we plonked ourselves down on. Noah was led on the floor, head resting on a bag.
"Why is it so busy? Is there something going on we don't know about?" Mali asked,
"Just think Monday is the perfect day for a holiday," Arlo answered and Mali rolled her eyes. Arlo had been quiet and I'd be lying if I didn't say I was somewhat worried. He must have seen me looking at him, he walked over and took my hand pulling me up and away over to the window, "Why are you looking at me like I'm not okay,"
"Are you okay?" I asked,
"I am unless you're going to tell me I'm not," he answered,
"Seriously Arlo,"
"I'm seriously fine," he smiled,
"Do I need to go and ask Angelo," he laughed,
"If it will make you feel better, then go and ask him," I pouted at him,
"No, I trust you," he pulled me in for a hug,
"For the rest of this week, including your wedding day, can you try and put yourself first, I know it's going to be extremely hard for you, but please to try worry less about us all and focus on you and Tayte,"
"For you, I'll try," I answered with a smile, though it wouldn't happen.
"That's all I ask,"
...
The flight went reasonably quick and was uneventful and we were home by 5.30pm, to loving embraces from Auntie and Mum,
"So how was it?" Dad aske walking in and Noah ran at him and hugged him,
"AMAZINGLY GOOD!" Noah shouted,
"Amazingly good," I answered with a smile.
Noah went on to fill them in of what we got up too, minus any of the Arlo incidents.
The evening seemed to be flying by. I noticed that Arlo and Angelo had gone off somewhere together. Mali, Tammara and Arii were next door and Noah, Marshall and Leo were playing on the PS5 in the sitting room.
"Want to go to the beach?" Tayte whispered, I took his hand in response and we left the house.
"Did you think we'd ever get here?" I asked,
"In America? Together? Alive? I need a bit more context baby," he answered making me smile,
"Happy," I replied, he sat up and looked at me,
"At one point, I was truthfully worried, but then I thought about it. I'm always happy with you, no matter where we are, or what's happening. When I'm with you, I'm happy,"
<<<
So there you go, last chapter. Epilogue to follow!
Unedited!
Love and thanks
Gx
Copyright © Georgia T R Thompson-Wing 2021