Love's Requiem

They played a few more songs, and then the singer Eugene began to deejay while the food began to be served.

“I love you.” I told Alex as he held my hand under the table.

“I love you too Bella.” He smiled giving me a kiss.

After we ate, we began making our rounds to the tables to talk to everyone. Everything was going really well, that was until it was time for the speeches.

Jack went first, and I felt nervous as to what he and Michi were planning on saying.

“Hello all, for those of you who are Bella’s tough guy friends, or crazy European family I am Jack. Alex’s best friend, and Bella’s partner in crime.” He began making me chuckle. “I know these two probably better than they know themselves, I mean I live with them 350 days out of the year in a bus. If anyone was ever made for each other it was these two. They’re complete polar opposites, and yet they manage to complete each other. Sure they fight, and Bella tries to slip him dairy in hopes of getting revenge and making him shit his pants. But at the end of the day, they’re still together in the back lounge watching the cooking channel and taking their daily vitamins together. Good luck you guys, congratulations.” He finished as I smiled and mouthed thank you to Jack.

“Zdravo everybody! That means hello, where we come from.” Michi started.

“Oh god,” I mumbled putting my face in my hands.

“I’ve known the bride since she was a little nothing, visiting Zagreb from the coast. And the funniest thing is, she still hasn’t changed!” She went on, “She still hangs out with guys, bosses people around but now she gets paid to do it, and from what it smells like still hates bathing. And Alex god bless you for being able to put up with her. She can be a handful, but I think you have everything under control. I love you guys,” She finished as I saw her smile at me.

I got up and hugged her over the table.

“I hate you.” I chuckled.

“Love you too bitch.” She laughed giving me a squeeze.

The night went well to say the least, of course it played out to exactly how I said it would. Half my family was wasted by the time it was time to cut the cake, and they all began signing folk songs. Once everything was over, some of our friends stopped over for some drinks and just to hang out a bit longer until heading out to their hotels. My family was flying home a day later so I’d have to go see them tomorrow most likely.

“It’s over.” Alex smiled kissing me as we headed upstairs to finally go to sleep.

“Finally.” I smiled, “Now to just worry about the three of us.” I told him as he put his hand on
my stomach.

“I love you Bella.”

“I love you too Alex” I smiled kissing him again.

It was so nice to finally be able to sleep in for once, Alex and I didn’t wake up until almost 6pm the next day. And we only woke up just to head out to dinner with my family.
The next few days we just laid low at the house, no one really bothered us because they knew we this was somewhat our honey moon despite us not going anywhere. We took it easy, I’d make us dinner every night, and we’d go out shopping or just to take a walk. We also went to the beach a few times. We didn’t care that we couldn’t go away, we made the most of our time off the best we could.

“Bella don’t you think we should start maybe thinking of some names?” Alex asked me while I was watching a Man Utd game on television one afternoon.

“Nope.”

“Bella are you even listening to me?”

“Nope.” I replied as all of a sudden the television went black, I screamed making Alex jump.

“Bella I’m being serious, this is the only free time we really have together left in a few weeks we leave for tour and then before you know it it’ll be d-day.” He explained sitting next to me.

“Did you just refer to the day our child is born as d-day?”

“Possibly.”

“Really I’ve been calling it the rapture, I think I like yours better.” I chuckled.

“Let’s think of names.”

“Fine,” I sighed, “Can I get some tea first?” I asked getting up.

“As long as that’s not code for you running out the back door and driving to Jack’s with Zita.” He smirked, as I scooped Zita up in to my arms.

“On nas mrzi moju ljubav.” I told her with a smirk.

“Speaking gibberish that your husband doesn’t understand is against the rules!” He exclaimed. “You know eventually I’ll understand it!” He added as I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Its not my fault she doesn’t get English.”

“Yes it is.”

“I’m pregnant!” I shouted to him from the kitchen.

“What?” I heard him laugh.

A minute later I came back sitting next to him, while he had a notepad and a pen in his hands.

“Mister business I see.” I chuckled as I put my cup down and Zita and Sebastian tried to both jump in my lap.

“Okay so do you have any ideas?”

“Of course you think I wouldn’t?”

“Well what do you have?”

“Slaven Bilic.”

“So Slaven?” He asked with an uneasy look on his face.

“No the whole thing, Slaven Bilic Gaskarth.”

“Fuck my life” He mumbled rubbing his head.

“A ha! I’m off the hook.” I exclaimed turning the TV back on only to have it shut off a second later.

“Now seriously,”

“Cristiano Ronaldo, that’s two names.”

“I’m not naming my kid Cristiano Ronaldo Gaskarth.”

“Why it has such an exotic tone to it.” I giggled.

“Are you going to be serious now, how about your grandpa’s name wasn’t he like your
hero?”

“As much as I love and miss my Deda I’m not torturing my child.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“His name was Zlatko.”

“Well,” He began and tried to think.

“Exactly.”

“You know what I have an idea.” He said getting up and running upstairs.

“You left that means the game goes back on!” I shouted up to him as I turned on the TV.

“I’m back it goes off.” He said coming back a minute later.

“No, no, they’re going to make a goal. Don’t do it, don’t do it. Honor thy wife! Aww!” I whined as he shut the TV right off. “God Damnit.”

“Here, write five boy’s names down.” He told me handing me a pencil and five scraps of paper.

“What is this, pot lock baby naming?”

“We have a 50/50 chance and the faster you’ll get back to watching your game. And only serious names, I don’t want to pull out a slip and have it read Henry Rollins, or Jesus Christ.” He explained.

“Yeah, yeah I got it.” I mumbled as I scribbled names on to the sheets.

“Done?” He asked me a few minutes later.

“Yup.” I nodded folding the scraps in half.

“Put em’ in.” He said holding out one of his fitted hats.

“Christ.” I mumbled, shaking my head as I put the slips in the hat.

He shook the hat around and turned the sheets around more.

“You pick the first one.” He told me.

“Okay and this is for the first name I take it?” I asked.

“Yup, I’ll pull out the next one for the middle.” He explained as I reached in and pulled out a slip.

I opened it, and rolled my eyes. “Can I pick again, I don’t want to name my kid Gabriel.”

“Nope it’s already done.” He smirked.

“Bastard” I mumbled, as he reached in and pulled out another slip. “Gabriel,” I began.

“Luka.” Alex read off.

“Eh it sort of has a ring to it.”

“One more maybe we’ll get a back up.” He said shaking the hat as I reached in.

“Ha” I chuckled,

“What did you get?”

“Milan.” I told him with a smirk.

“Croatian?” He asked as I nodded.

“What about you?” I asked him as he opened the slip in his hand.

“Steve?” He asked making me laugh.

“That sounds horrible! What’s your name kid? Milan Steve Gaskarth. That kid would get his
ass kicked just for saying his name!”

“So first pick?”

“Definitely.” I agreed as he emptied out the hat and handed me five more pieces. “Girl’s
names?” I asked as I already began writing.

“Yup.” He mumbled, as he looked deep in thought.

“Done yet?” I asked as I already had all my slips in the hat and was tossing them around out of boredom five minutes later.

“I just need one more.” He said and went back to thinking before he wrote something down
and folded all the slips putting them in the hat.

“After you.” I told him extending the hat to him.

He reached in and pulled out a slip. “Nora? Dare I ask how you came up with that one?” He asked me as I reached in the hat.

“I always liked that name, and the band didn’t suck either.” I smirked, as I opened mine. “Do you want me to pick again cause this is another one of mine?” I asked him.

“What is it?”

“Zlata, it’s like the female diminutive of Zlatko.” I explained.

“Nora Zlata? Pick one more and we’ll see which sounds better.” He told me as I grabbed another slip.

“No way.” I said shaking my head.

“What?”

“Alex?”

“What?”

“No, you wrote Alex!” I told him showing him the slip. “And I thought I was bad might as well name her Nora Ronaldo!” I grumbled.

“Zlata is fine.” He chuckled.

“Are you sure? Everyone’s going to think we’re fresh off the boat from Russia or something when she starts school.”

“Technically,” He began with a grin.

“Don’t even.” I said shaking my head. “Now back to the game.” I smiled, turning on the TV.

“You’re such a fucking jock on weekends.” Jack exclaimed walking in the house a half hour later.

“Really Alex?” I said still not looking away from the television. “Excuse me if I have three premier league games and then after that I have to watch the highlights from the German, Spanish and Croatian leagues.”

“The worst thing you ever did was let her get all those premium soccer channels.” Jack told Alex as they went in the kitchen.

“There’d be no living with her if we didn’t.” I heard Alex say.

“Fuck you both!” I shouted to them.

“We’re going out to the mall are you coming or are you not leaving the couch today Al
Bundy?” Alex asked me as they came in the living room.

“Whose we?” I asked cautiously.

“Us both.”

“Then I will see you when you get back.” I told him giving him a smile.

“You know I’m beginning to think she doesn’t like us anymore.” Jack pointed out as they walked out the front door.