Harry's POV
"Oh are you serious?" Jamie shouts, waving his game controller around in the air as he stomps his feet, frustration evident as he loses to me again in a racing showdown.
I put my controller on the table and grin at him.
"This is dog," he shakes his head and mumbles.
I glance over at the clock and see that we should be leaving in about an hour to meet everyone for dinner.
"You guys should start getting yourselves ready for tonight," I remind them, "you know your mum hates being late for anything."
"You're right there Harry," Nick agrees, "the amount of times dad would be hurrying us along and we always had to end up waiting for him, mum would crack the shits so bad."
Curiosity gets the better of me as it's not that often I hear the kids talk about their father.
"What would your mum do then?" I ask.
"Oh," Jamie's eyes light up, "she would yell at him and he would just laugh and give her a kiss."
"He must have been pretty patient with your mum," I reply.
"Actually that's what mama used to say," Chloe agrees with me, "she always said dad put up with a lot of her bullshit."
"Chloe don't swear!" Nick scolds her.
She pokes her tongue out at him and he scoffs at her.
"Okay," I interrupt before this gets out of hand, "let's go and get ready hey? I'll go up and see how your mum's getting on."
Everyone gets up and starts walking off to their rooms.
"And no fighting either!" I call out.
Good on you Harold.
You sound just like a parent.
I walk upstairs to my bedroom and stop.
Our bed is covered with clothing, some of it on the floor and there's a trail into my walk-in wardrobe.
I can hear noises coming from it and a lot annoyed huffing before a top and a pair of jeans are flung out.
Then more noises and a groan before a dress comes shooting out.
This isn't good.
"Uh love, what are you doing?" I call out to Beth.
"Trying to find something to wear for tonight," she calls back.
And not in a good way.
"Have you tried on virtually everything you own?" I survey the bed that has seemingly now become our wardrobe.
"No, not everything," she suddenly stomps out and stands in front of me with her hands on her hips.
In her underwear.
Just her underwear.
Focus Harold, focus.
She's having a crisis here.
"Are you sure?" I ask, thinking there can't be much more left for her to try on, "most of it seems to have made its way out here..."
And you were doing so well Harold.
"Harry," she whirls around, eyes blazing, "don't make fun of me! I have nothing to wear and everything looks horrible on me and I'm just so fat today and...and ugly and horrible and my arse has doubled in size since I got here, and my boobs are at my belly button and..." she trails off, frustration written all over her face.
What on earth is she talking about?
She's never really been this...
Irrational?
Why would she...
Oh.
"Uh...sweetheart," I venture, "can I ask you a question without you reading too much into it?"
"What?" she grunts.
"Are you due for your period soon?" I ask.
Please be right.
But please don't rip my head off.
"I don't know," she mumbles, "it comes when it feels like it, so...maybe..."
"Love, I know you probably won't believe it when I tell you, but you are not fat, horrible or ugly...quite far from it," I give her a kiss, "it's really casual so why don't you just wear jeans and a top?" I suggest.
She lets out a frustrated huff and pulls away from me.
She starts to rummage through the pile of clothes on the bed and my eyes drift from the clothes in her hands as I register again that she's in nothing but her underwear.
Leaning over.
Looking nice.
Looking very, very nice.
My arms start to move of their own accord, my hands reaching out to squeeze some of her ample flesh with them when she spins around, a black top in her hand and a smile on her face as she holds it up.
I quickly move my hands behind my back.
Damn.
I look at the top she's holding up and I'm sure that's the first one she tried on a couple of hours ago.
"Isn't that the first top you tried on?" I blurt out.
Her smile fades, a frown taking its place.
Oh fuck.
"Not that there's anything wrong with that, uh...obviously you just had to find the right one yeah?" I add quickly.
She gives me the death stare before pushing past me and stomping off to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.
And you were doing so well there Harold.
The door flies open and she comes stomping back out and I'm ready to stand there and take whatever tirade is going to come out of her mouth but instead she wraps her arms around me tightly.
"I'm sorry, I love you," she whispers.
Well that wasn't what I was expecting.
"I love you too," I reply, "always."
She pulls away and walks back to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and I decide it's best if I leave her be and check on how the kids are faring, so we can get going as soon as Beth is ready.
Which hopefully won't be much longer.
~~~~~~
We walk into the restaurant and I can see everyone else is already here, sitting down at the back of the room.
Hopefully no one mentions we're twenty minutes late.
Beth has met everyone here from mum's New Year's Eve party except for one person.
Grimmy.
He can be pretty out there at times, right in your face so I'm not sure how receptive Beth is going to be to him, knowing how she is around new people.
He seems to sense her shyness when I introduce them and he's nothing but polite and friendly to her.
Bless him.
We all sit down and our orders are soon taken for drinks and dinner.
"How about a wine?" Gemma asks Beth as she pours one for mum and then herself.
"Oh no, I really shouldn't," Beth replies, "I'm virtually on my head after a couple of glasses!"
"Really?" Gemma says, "that's a shame, don't know if I could live without wine."
"Only since I had children," she explains, "before that I had no trouble knocking back eight vodkas' in one sitting!"
Grimmy gives me a nudge under the table, a grin on his face.
That's a lot of drinks.
"There's a lot of things I could live without since having children," Anne laments as she takes a sip, "weight, grey hair..."
"Come on, one glass won't hurt you," Gemma tries to entice Beth, "besides, you have to toast the birthday boy hey?"
That's right.
Birthday boy right here.
I wonder if I'll get any special presents when we get home?
The sound of mum, Gemma and Beth clinking their glasses together stops my mind from wandering.
"Just one won't hurt I guess..." Beth says as she takes a sip.
Again, Grimmy nudges me under the table with his foot and raises an eyebrow in amusement.
I'm not sure what he's trying to tell me since she's only have one celebratory drink.
~~~~~~
Dinner has finished and people have shifted around the table, changing seats so they can catch up with others for a chat.
I've had two drinks so far and although I had planned to have more, since it's my birthday, Beth has had more than one which has me stopping now to keep an eye on her.
Gemma returns with two rather large fruity looking concoctions, plonking one down in front of Beth before taking the seat next to her.
"What, pray tell, is this?" Beth asks, eyeing the glass up and down.
Grimmy snickers next to me.
"She's funny," he says.
"Sex on the beach!" Gemma announces happily.
Beth is silent for a moment.
"I don't recommend it," she shakes her head.
"Oh, have you had one before?" Gemma asks.
"Certainly have," Beth replies, nodding her head sagely, "ended up with mozzie bites all over my arse..."
Grimmy spits his drink out while I choke on mine at her words.
The girls look over at us with drunken disdain on their faces.
"What?" Beth asks.
"Yeah, what?" Gemma echoes.
"You've...you've had sex on a beach?" I whisper.
"You haven't?" Beth whispers back, "why are we whispering?"
"I think Gemma was talking about the drink, not the actual activity..." I say quietly.
Beth turns around to face Gemma.
"Were you talking about sex on the beach drinking or sex on the beach sex?" she asks.
Oh crap.
"You've had sex on the beach?" Gemma asks excitedly, "ooh what's it like?"
My sister sometimes loses her ability to remember certain things when she's drunk.
"Sandy...sand in bits that sand shouldn't go..." Beth tells her, "ever had sex somewhere outside?"
"Not me," Gemma smirks, "but Harry has..."
Both women turn around and face me.
Now that she chooses to remember.
"Ooh do tell Harry..." Beth says.
"Yes, do tell us Harry!" Gemma giggles.
"Yes, go on Harry," Grimmy chips in, "do tell us about the time you fornicated outdoors."
I let out a sigh, taking a sip of my drink.
"I may or may not have taken a girl up into our old treehouse..." I trail off as Gemma and Grimmy start laughing while Beth sits there staring at me, "and I quite possibly might have gotten a few splinters in places..."
"Oh Harry, kinda gives new meaning to getting a woody doesn't it?" Beth chortles.
Grimmy and Gemma howl with laughter, the three of them laughing at my expense.
I'm starting to think this is going to be a long night.
~~~~~~
Anne's POV
"You seem to be enjoying yourself tonight," I say, taking a seat next to Beth, "it's lovely to see."
She lets out a snort before smiling at me.
"I think I'm gonna really, really regret it in the morning though," she whispers, "I haven't drunk this much since...since before having my kids!"
She probably will regret it in the morning, but I'm pretty sure it's something that won't hurt her to do.
Live a little.
Let her hair down.
She nods her head to the beat of the music in the background and I think about taking the opportunity to quiz her a little while her guard's down.
They do say a drunken person's words are a sober man's thoughts.
"So how are you and Harry going?" I ask, taking a sip of my drink.
"Harry...Harry..." she smiles, "he's so lovely, don't you think?" she suddenly asks me, "he has very nice eyes by the way, good job with that!" she gives me a friendly punch on the arm.
"So, it's going well I take it?" I ask her again.
"It seems to be..." she says with a frown as she starts searching for something, her eyes lighting up when she spies a bottle of wine and she reaches for it.
"Seems to be?" I repeat, worried that it should be great.
Well Harry seems to think it's going along splendidly.
"Is it not?" I ask.
"Is what not what?" she asks me, clutching the bottle to her chest.
I smile at her, giving her arm a light squeeze.
"How are things with Harry? Are they going well?" I ask her.
Beth stares off for a moment, as if she's deep in thought about something before she sighs.
"He's wonderful," she says, "one of the most sweetest, loveliest, kindest, prettiest people I have met."
"Prettiest?" I reply good naturedly.
"He's fucking hot Anne," she looks at me before her eyes widen and she slaps her hand over her mouth, "I'm so sorry, I should not have said that."
I chuckle at her, shaking my head.
"It's okay Beth," I say, "he is a good-looking boy."
"I'll let you in on a little secret though," she whispers, her finger calling me in a come-hither motion, "he's too good for me you know."
I shake my head in confusion, opening my mouth to tell her she's wrong.
"The sooner he wakes up..." she trails off and starts to giggle, covering her mouth with her hand, "I mean, he's not asleep now, it's a...it's a hyp...hypo-thing," she taps her nose with her finger.
"You mean a hypothetical?" I correct her.
"That's it!" she sits up in excitement, pointing at me, "oh! Secret thing..." she leans in and whispers again, "the sooner he wakes up...and realises that he's too good for me..." she looks down at the bottle in her hand, "ooh who put that there?"
Oh darling.
"I don't think he's too good for you Beth," I tell her, "why do you want him to think that?"
She looks at me like I've grown another head.
"Well we'll both be better off when he does of course," she rolls her eyes like it's the most obvious thing, but it's actually not.
"And why is that sweetheart?" I ask, waiting for her reason.
"Because," she starts, "because...I'm...in love with him," she finishes as she raises the bottle up to her glass.
"You love him?" I repeat.
She pauses in mid-air and looks at me and I swear she looks stone cold sober right now.
"Irrevocably," she says, before turning her attention back to pouring the wine into her glass.
I sit there speechless, looking at the woman who has just confessed to being head over heels in love with my son, but thinks he'll be better off without her when I know he feels exactly the same about her.
Even if he doesn't quite know it yet.
"Beth..." I say her name, ready to tell her this.
"Sshhh..." she says, "wine..." she focuses as she tips the bottle over her glass, but nothing comes out.
She huffs in frustration and uprights the bottle before tipping it over again.
Seeing nothing come out, she brings the bottle over to her eye, looking at it closely before letting out a giggle.
"Forgot to take the lid off," she says sheepishly, removing the lid and then finally pouring herself half a glass.
"Cheers big ears!" she smiles at me, holding her glass up, waiting for me to do the same.
I clink my glass against hers before taking a sip and regarding her silently, wondering how this is all going to work out between the two of them.
And if I'm going to have to lend a helping hand.
~~~~~~
Harry's POV
"Are you enjoying yourself love?" I ask Beth, my arm around the back of her chair wraps around her shoulder.
"I actually am," she smiles at me, "may have had a little bit to drink though and I really shouldn't have..." she stops short as I kiss her on the lips.
"It's okay," I reply, pulling away, "you're allowed to let your hair down occasionally...and possibly your underwear..."
"Harry!" she turns and looks at me, shock on her face before a grin breaks out and she leans in close to me, "actually did you notice I wasn't wearing any socks?" she says, and I look down at her feet to see she clearly isn't wearing any, "I'm wearing the knickers that match them..."
My head snaps up and her smile has now turned into a grin.
"Well that was pretty average Beth," I smirk back at her.
"Oh really?" she raises her eyebrows as her hand rests itself on my thigh.
Like, really high up on my thigh.
"Want to give me an Australian kiss? It's like French kissing but you're going Down Under..." she whispers before nipping at my ear.
Okay.
"You know what would make your face look better Harry?" she asks, and I shake my head in response, "if I sat on it..."
Grimmy chokes on his drink before he howls with laughter.
"Where did you find her, and can I get myself one?" he says.
"Mate you bat for the other team," I remind him.
"Doesn't matter," he shakes his head, "I still want one, just to have around."
I feel Beth's hand squeeze my thigh a couple of times, forcing me to turn my attention back to her.
"Are you a taxidermist?" she asks me.
Uh...
What?
Now I'm confused.
I shake my head at her.
"Okay then, wanna try stuffing my pussy?" she says, causing my eyes to open wide and my mouth to fall open.
Grimmy is now belting the table with his hand before wiping away the couple of tears that slide down his cheeks.
The thing is, even though I know she's drunk, I fair want to take her up on her offer.
The thought of having sex with her has my pants tightening by the second and it's then I remember my mum is here and it's wrong.
So very wrong.
"Can you wait until we get home love?" I whisper, knowing full well the only thing she'll be doing in bed is sleeping but hoping I might be able to placate her somewhat and steer the conversation another way.
"I don't think so," she whispers again, "you know what we did on the plane..."
Holy fuck yes I do.
"Uh..." I stammer.
"We can have a repeat if you'd like..." she says, biting her lip.
She's going to kill me.
I am officially dead right now.
Hard as a rock and dead.
"What exactly did you two get up to on the plane?" Grimmy interrupts.
"Oh I sucked him like he was a lollipop," Beth replies and I know my face is as red as the tablecloth.
Grimmy's mouth drops open, not quite knowing how to respond.
"What?" she looks at him, "you can't tell me you've never sucked a bloke's dick?"
It's my turn to laugh at Grimmy as he recovers his composure and lifts his drink up to salute her.
"Touché," he grins.
"We should probably think about going home soon love," I tell her, "I can guarantee you're not going to be feeling the best in the morning."
"Probably," she shrugs her shoulders, "I'm not feeling all that well..."
"Are you okay? Are you going to be sick?" I ask, panic setting in.
"I think...I think I might need a shot of penis-illin," she starts to giggle.
Smart arse.
~~~~~~
I keep my eye firmly on the bathroom door, waiting for Beth to emerge from it.
It's been awhile.
I contemplate going to check on her, or getting Gemma to check on her.
Mum might be a better option as Gemma's just as pissed as Beth is.
But to my relief, the door opens, and Beth strolls out, a smile on her face.
As she walks past the bar, the same random bloke that eyed her off when she walked there turns around on his chair, looks down at his crotch and says something to her.
"Easy there tiger," I feel Grimmy put his hand on my shoulder, pushing me back down onto my chair.
I hadn't even realised that I'd begun to stand up.
We both watch however as she responds by giving him a 'what the fuck' look as she says something back before rolling her eyes as she keeps walking.
Grimmy gives me a gently elbow to my arm, as if to say, 'I told you so.'
She walks back to our table and sits down next to me, throwing her arm around my neck and pulling me close to give me a loud kiss on the cheek.
Curiosity gets the better of me.
"What did that guy over there say to you?" I ask.
She frowns in confusion for a moment before her eyes light up in recognition.
"Oh he asked if I fancied a ride on his dick, something like that," she rolls her eyes again as she takes a sip of her wine.
The fuck.
"I told him I'd consider it if he gave me some tweezers and pepper so I could find it first," she says with a straight face before turning to Gemma, "hey we should get some chips to eat, I'm hungry."
"Oh I don't feel like hot food," Gemma responds.
Hang on.
This bloke...
"No!" Beth says loudly, "chips to eat, you know, crunchy ones..." she looks around and points to the wall behind the bar, "there! There's heaps of packets there!"
"Crisps?" Gemma asks.
"Chips," Beth replies.
"No those are crisps," Gemma says.
"No those are chips," Beth huffs, "they're called...okay, when in Rome...or...here," she says in defeat, "let's get some chippy crisps!" she smiles at Gemma.
"Harold!" Gemma barks at me, "crippy...no, cruppy...crisps please! Can you get us some crisps please brother dear?"
Grimmy is crying with laughter next to me and I give him a glare.
I'm still trying to process what this asshole said to my girlfriend though it seems everyone's moved on from his apparent little dick to chips.
I mean crisps.
I give Beth a kiss on her temple before wandering over to the bar, putting a few different packets on my tab and taking them back over to the table.
"Harold, you are amazing!" Gemma gushes as she pounces on them.
"Isn't he?" Beth looks at me fondly and any trace of anger I felt moments ago seems to melt away when she puts her hand on my cheek.
"Oh you two are adorable!" Gemma cries before wrapping her arms around Beth, nearly pulling her off her chair, "I love you!"
"I love you too!" Beth replies as she hugs my sister back.
I look over at mum who has her eyebrows raised in surprise, a smile on her face as she watches Beth and Gemma.
"Hey!" Gemma suddenly pulls away, "let's snap it!'
She starts to dig around in her bag for what seems like an eternity for her phone before finally finding it.
"Aha!" she exclaims as she pulls up Snapchat on her phone, "here!" she pulls Beth in for a selfie.
"What are we?" Beth asks as she squints at the screen.
"Cats of course!" Gemma rolls her eyes, "now move your eyebrows so it can see your face."
I watch the girls in silence.
"Are you moving your eyebrows?" Gemma whispers.
"I don't really have any, I can only work with what I've got," she whispers back.
Gemma looks closely at Beth's face.
"Well we'll get you some," she nods sagely, "anyone got a pen?" she yells out.
"No!" I instantly jump in, "no pen Gemma, you're both fine, don't need it," I gently take her phone out of her hands and place it back in her bag, "crisps?" I point to the table.
"Ooh...who bought those?" she asks as she grabs some.
I rub my hand over my face, wondering how much longer we'll be here for.
~~~~~~
"Harry, where's Beth?" mum reaches out across the table and grabs me by the hand, "she's been gone for a bit..."
Yes she has made a few trips to the bathroom over the course of the evening but now that I think about it, she has been gone for awhile.
I start to look around the restaurant, hoping I can spot her.
What if that prick from earlier is talking to her somewhere.
She's not really in the best coherent state right now.
"I better go look for her," I tell mum and stand up ready to go off in search of her.
Thankfully I don't have to go too far because I notice her tucked away in the corner in front of an ATM machine.
As I walk closer to her, I notice she's staring at the screen and frantically pressing the buttons.
"Love, what are you doing?" I ask, wondering why she's trying to withdrawal money right now.
But her face is one of annoyance and frustration.
"I can't find one!" she says, not taking her eyes off the screen.
"Find what?" I ask, completely lost.
Has she no money?
"A song," she replies.
Excuse me?
"Uh...love..." I start to reply.
"I can't find a One Direction song on this stupid machine!" she sighs sadly before spinning around, her face becoming angry, "I'm going to talk to management about this! I need to make a complaint!" she raises her voice.
Oh my.
"I mean," she gestures to the ATM, "what kind of jukebox doesn't have at least one One Direction song?" she shakes her head but then laughs, "one one," she giggles, "one One Direction...that would make you Harry Harry!" she starts to laugh at her own joke, "double the Harry...oh!" she grabs onto my arm with a wide look on her face, "you already have double the nips...one, two, three, four!" she pokes my chest roughly where each of my nipples are to cement her point.
Thank fuck she wasn't talking about my dick.
God knows what she might have done.
I really think it's time we call it a night.
"Darling," I wrap my arm around her shoulder, "I think it's time we went home, don't you?"
"Ohhhhh..." she smiles up at me, "someone wants their birthday present..." she stands up and wobbles on her toes to give me a kiss, "Harry wants some hanky panky," she giggles.
If that's what's going to get her out, then yes, I'll go with it.
"Yes I want my hanky panky sweetheart," I reply.
"Well we better get going so you can be coming," she says and starts to pull me over to our table.
How much of this should I tell her about in the morning?
Absolutely none of it Harold.
Absolutely none of it.
~~~~~~
Gemma's POV
"Hey you know they do karaoke here right?" I say to Beth, hoping she might join me in a singalong.
"Harry wants to go home though," Beth replies, "he wants some hanky panky..."
"Oh Haz, surely you can keep your dick in your pants a little bit longer," I glare at my brother, "hey we could sing a One Direction song for Harry!" I suggest, the idea sounding better by the second.
"But...but why would I want to...look so stupid in front of everyone?" Beth frowns, "do you want me to embarrass myself?" she asks me.
"Oh god no!" I say, "we could embarrass Harry though, that was my thinking..."
I can see her thinking it over and I hope she says yes.
I push a shot of tequila over to her, nudging her as I hold one in my hand.
"Liquid courage," I tell her.
She picks up the glass and sighs.
"Liquid luck," she says to herself.
"Pardon?" I reply, "liquid luck?"
She looks at me like I've grown another head.
"Liquid luck?" she repeats, "Harry Potter...Felix F...F...something," she shakes her head, "anyway, it gives you confidence."
Ah.
"Well bottoms up then!" I say as I down mine and slam the glass down, waiting for her to do the same.
"I'm going to hate you tomorrow aren't I?" I glare at her.
"Possibly," I reply, "but you're gonna be like my sister one day so it won't be for long..." I point my finger at her.
"How so?" she asks, confusion on her face.
I motion for her to come closer so I can tell her the secret.
"Because I see the way Harry looks at you," I whisper, "he looooooooves you, like, sooooo much!" I throw my arms out wide to show her how much.
Beth stares at me, her mouth opening and closing but nothing comes out.
"I...I..." she says, shaking her head.
"What?" I suddenly demand, "don't you love him back?"
If she's stringing my little brother along I will knock her off her chair no matter how much I love her.
"I...love him...more than anything," she whispers back to me, "except my kids, about the same..." she sits back up and downs the shot in front of her, "but you can't tell him," she puts her finger to her lips, almost poking herself in the eye.
"But...why?" I ask, "why won't you tell him?" I ask in disbelief.
If two people love each other, they should be together.
I say so.
"Cause I have to go...back home...soon," she smiles sadly at me, "and he'll find someone...else...that's not me...and he'll..."
I put my hand over her mouth because she's talking so much shit my ears are starting to bleed.
"Nope," I shake my head, "nope, nope, noppity, nope, nope," I take my hand off her mouth and point my finger at her, "you'll work it out, I know it in here," I point to my heart, pushing on my chest, "and you know it in here," I point to her heart, pushing on her chest as well.
"Ouch!" she says, "that hurt my boob!" she jolts, her hand coming up to where I poked her.
"Sorry," I reply, resting my hand over hers and rubbing the spot I poked.
"Um, Gem?" Harry pokes his head over Beth's shoulder, "why are you touching Beth's tit?" he asks me.
Good question.
I can't quite remember.
Maybe I should stop.
I pull my hand away and give her a scrunchy face smile.
"I'll just go find a song," I say as I stand up and leave her to walk over to where the song list is.
~~~~~~
Harry's POV
I watch Grimmy as he holds his hand out for Beth to walk off the small stage and I'm not sure what to think.
First, I watched Gemma drag her up for a rousing rendition of Best Song Ever much to the crowd's delight, right down to our awesome dance moves at the end of the video.
Her arse did look amazing in those jeans I must say.
Grimmy thought he'd one up Gemma when he got Beth to sing Don't Go Breaking My Heart and it was a crowd pleaser, especially amongst the older folk here.
But nothing prepared me for when Beth was dancing with the other women here, particularly mum and Gemma when Shoop came on.
Apparently, it's a song that Beth knows word for word.
Nothing prepares me for when Beth grabs my mum and points to me as she sings the line 'wanna thank your mother for a butt like that' either.
My mum, bless her, takes it in her stride and holds her hands up as if to say, 'thank you.'
Mind you, I'm fully prepared for Grimmy to almost fall out of his chair from laughing at the whole situation.
"Oh if you don't marry her mate I fucking will!" he cackles hysterically.
I look over at Beth again.
Would I marry her?
Well? My inner voice asks, would you?
Yes.
I think I actually would.
~~~~~~
Grimmy, Gemma, Beth and I exit the restaurant, well Grimmy and I walk, the girls are teetering as they each have an arm linked within the others, giggling madly as Grimmy and I walk behind them.
Mum and Robin offered to take the kids with them, mum insisting on it because of Beth's current state.
And it wasn't because she was worried or angry about Beth, far from it, she just wanted Beth to continue to enjoy the night without the pressure and responsibility of being a 'mother.'
"She's really great Harry," Grimmy says with a smile on his face, "I can see why you like her."
"Yeah," I reply with a goofy smile as I watch my sister and my girlfriend, "it's like, she just came out of nowhere and smacked me right between the eyes...like I was kind of asleep, but she woke me up..." I pause and look at him, "that's sounds kind of weird doesn't it?"
"I would have gone with deep and profound," he smirks, "but she's definitely got you by the short and curlies," he taps me on the chest where my heart is, "and quite possibly this."
"Yeah man..." I return my attention back to her, "I can't imagine being without her..."
"And she feels the same?" Grimmy asks.
I pause for a second.
"I think so," I put my hands in my coat pockets.
"That sounds more like a but..." he questions.
"I think she's almost there, but she's scared..." I reply.
"Ah," Grimmy nods his head in understanding, "then you need to set her straight."
"What?" I reply.
"You want her to stay? You want to be with her for the rest of your life?" he asks me, and I nod in response, "then you have to show her, show her exactly how much she means to you and how much you want to be with her. I mean, call me crazy, or rather this," he gestures between me and Beth, "it's happening so fast but there's obviously some kind of connection that can't be ignored...right?"
"I thought myself crazy at first too," I confess to my friend, "but she felt the same..."
"Well Harold," he claps his hand on my shoulder, "you've always gone after what you've wanted, worked hard," he says, "this is no different. You want her, you go after her and prove it to her. Fight for her."
"Thanks man," I turn and give him a hug, "thanks."
"I'm fine!" I suddenly hear a voice and Grimmy and I both turn back to see only Gemma in front of us.
I frantically scan around, looking for Beth until I notice the bush next to Gemma starts moving.
Grimmy and I run over to it only to find Beth flat on her back in it, struggling to get up.
"I'm fine!" she repeats, throwing her head back and laughing.
"Oh love," I smile as I reach down and pull her inebriated self out of the bush, "you okay?"
"Actually," she frowns in concentration, "I'm really hungry...I want pizza!"
"Pizza! Yes!" Gemma cries in agreeance, "Haz, can we get some pizza please?" she whines, grabbing my arm and shaking it.
I turn to Grimmy who already has his phone out.
"Delivery to your place mate?" he asks.
"Yeah thanks," I reply as I make sure Beth is steady on her feet, "cars just over here girls," I gesture behind them.
Grimmy and I are able to get the girls into the back with minimal fuss much to my surprise.
Well if you don't count Beth copping a feel of my genitals as I put her seatbelt on for her.
We drive along in comfortable silence, the music down low as Grimmy and I catch up on other things when the silence is shattered by my sister.
"If I had a sister, I'd want her to be just like you!" she says to Beth.
"Ohhh, that's so nice!" Beth replies, "like, I have a kind of step-sister, but our parents aren't married, just engaged for a billion years so she's kinda like a step-sister, did I say that?" she asks Gemma.
"You did, you did," she replies, "but she's nowhere near as good as me!"
"True," Beth replies, "she's the favourite though, fucking favourite everything and I'm the troublemaker...all the fucking time..." she says and there's a hint of bitterness in her voice.
My poor love.
"Forget her," Gemma says, "you have me now."
I glance in the rear-view mirror to see Gemma hugging Beth and Grimmy and I give each other a knowing smile.
The truth that comes out in drunken conversations.
And we should know, we've shared quite a few.
"I wish you could stay here forever," Gemma sighs.
"Me too," Beth agrees, and I watch her head fall back onto the seat.
Wait.
She does?
This is the first time I've openly heard her say she wants to stay without any other excuse of some type of reasoning.
Grimmy gives me a nudge and a raise of his eyebrow, and I'm reminded of his words.
Fight for her.
I pull into my drive way and hit the button on the garage and wait for the door to open.
"Wait!" Gemma yells, causing us all to jump, "you can stay!"
"I can?" Beth replies sleepily.
"Yes!" she continues excitedly as I drive the car into the garage and park it, turning the motor off and hitting the remote button to close the garage door, "Harry asked your boss!"
My heart skips a beat at Gemma's words.
And not in a good way.
"What? What...do you mean?" she lifts her head to look at Gemma.
"My dear brother asked your boss if you could work here and he said you could!" Gemma says excitedly.
Oh fuck.
Grimmy stares straight ahead at the garage wall, not moving an inch.
My hands seem to be stuck gripping the steering wheel and maybe if I don't move as well, she won't notice me.
"Harry," Beth quietly calls my name.
Shit.
"Yes love," I turn around and see confusion on her face.
"What is she talking about?" she asks.
"I...uh..." I begin when the first random thought pops into my head and out of my mouth, "pizza's here!"
"Pizza!" Gemma exclaims excitedly and scrambles to get her seatbelt off before grabbing Beth by the hand and pulling her out of the car.
Never in my life have I felt so much love for my sister when she's been drunk than I have right now.
Grimmy and I follow the girls into the house and another miracle occurs when my intercom sounds due to the pizza delivery man.
"What did you do?" Grimmy corners me in the kitchen while I grab plates and drinks to take into the lounge room.
"I kind of emailed her boss back home and asked about her working here, you know, if it was possible for her to continue if she decided to stay..." I explain earning an eyebrow raise from him, "okay, I was going to use it as part of my plan to try and convince her to stay here..."
"You shouldn't have to convince her though mate," he says, "she should just want to stay."
"Oh I know that," I reply in frustration, "it was just to show her that working wouldn't be an issue if she chose to say, one less thing for her to think she needs to return home for!"
Grimmy rests his hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture.
"It's okay Harry, I get that," he smiles, "I just hope she does when you have to explain yourself," he says as he picks up the pizza boxes and walks into the lounge room.
Lord help me.
I don't know if I want her to remember this particular conversation in the morning.
I pick up the glasses and drinks and follow him.
~~~~~~
I wake up naturally, turning over to reach out to cuddle Beth to me when I feel the other side of the bed is empty.
With my eyes closed, I blindly feel around but she's not there.
And her side is really cold.
Where the hell can she be?
I sit up and listen for any noise signalling where she might be but there's nothing.
I quickly fling the covers off and notice that the bathroom door is closed so I decide to check there first.
I open the door and find Beth lying on the ground.
"Fuck!" I cry out in panic and rush to kneel down next to her, gathering her up in my arms, "Beth! Beth!" I frantically call her name as I gently shake her, my other hand feeling her forehead.
I relax slightly when she lets out a groan.
"Ohhhhhhhhh..." she groans again, "stop rocking me..."
Oh thank fuck for that.
"Fuck you had me worried," I say, "I woke up and I couldn't find you..."
"Oh," she whimpers.
"Let's get you back into bed love," I begin to grab hold of her to lift her off the cold ground.
"Nooooo," she moans, "I like it here...just leave me please..."
"Beth, I can't leave you to lie here on the bathroom floor," I try to reason with her, "and judging by how cold your side of the bed is and how warm this bathmat is, you've been here for some time."
"Just leave me here to die please," she pleads with me, "it's so nice down here."
You are not staying here in the bloody bathroom.
I ignore her pleas and I pick her up but nearly drop her when she starts to struggle.
"No put me down Harry!" she says.
Don't be so fucking stubborn woman.
"I'm gonna be sick Harry!" she cries.
Shit.
I place her down in front of the toilet and pull her hair back just as she begins to empty the contents of her stomach into it.
Oh my poor love.
I stay behind her until there's nothing left for her to bring up and she rolls back up onto the floor, curling into a ball.
"I'm dead," she moans, "I really am dead."
"Well I wouldn't go that far love," I say as I hand her a glass of water and some pain killers, "nothing some sleep won't fix though."
I wait until she's finished and feels ready to move.
"Come on love," I pick her up again and take her into the bedroom, gently laying her on the bed and pulling the covers up over her.
She looks like she's concentrating but then she pulls my pillow over her head and groans.
"I can't believe I sang karaoke Harry," she cries.
"Don't worry love," I smile at her as I sit next to her on the bed, "who would have known last night would turn out to be dinner and a show," I start laughing which earns me the finger from her.
I crawl over her and slide under my side of the covers and cuddle up to her, kissing her shoulder before snuggling into her.
The pillow comes flying off and Beth wriggles around so she's looking at me, confusion on her face.
"Harry," she says, earning another kiss on her shoulder from me, "did...did you talk to my boss about me working here?"