I Don't Want It, I Just Need It.

“So. ‘Av ye told ‘im?” I dropped my arms heavily to my sides, the banner I’d been trying to hang falling to the floor. Thomas was standing in the doorway his brother had just disappeared through. A huge keg at his feet, the tap in his hand. “D’ye know ‘ow t’…”

I rolled my eyes and clambered, carefully, over the various bags and boxes scattered about the room. Taking the tap from Toms hand, and attatching it to the keg. “Of course ye do” He smirked, “Ye blatantly went t’a ton of ragers…’s that what they’re called? When ye was in the states”

“Keggers” I corrected, with a nod. “And yeah, I went to my fair share”

I grabbed a pack of plastic cups from my side and watched, amused, as Tom skirted around the keg. His brow furrowed in confusion as he fiddled with the tap. “Pump” I chuckled, tearing the packaging of the red plastic cups, open with my teeth. And passing him one. “You’ve got to pump baby Sy…”

“ ‘Av ye told ‘im yet?” Tom asked again. Squeezing the cup; as to make an annoying crunching noise, in his hand.

“It’s a surprise Tom” I mumbled lamely, “Why would I tell…”

“I meant Oli”

“I know”

I could feel his eyes boaring into me as I nudged him out of the way. “I’ll do this, you sort the sign. I can’t get the fucking thing to stick to the…”

“ ‘ll take that as a no” Tom sighed, not moving an inch. His arms folded across his chest, his eyes watching me a little too intently as I pumped the keg,

“The sign, Tom” I nodded toward where it lay on the floor. “We’ve got like two hours and I…He’s still here isn’t he. I don’t think he would be if he knew”

Tom moved silently to the sign and picked it up from the floor, smiling as he read the writing Alice and I had scrawled on it earlier, before holding it against the wall. “ ‘e’s not as childish as ye think Verity” He mumbled, stretching his arms the length of the sign and playing with its height. “Ye came back t’tell ‘im, I think ye should”

“I can’t just tell him Tom. I can’t just waltz up to him and say ‘you know what I told you four years ago, well I was…”

“Ye such a retard”

I jumped at the sound of Oliver’s voice. The two of us spinning around quickly to see him leant in the doorway. His eyes squinted as he peered into the room, a pencil raised in his hand. “Ye got the sign proper wonky Tom” He smirked, pointing the pencil to the right corner. “Can ye actually see kid?”

I straightened up from where I’d been crouched at the keg and ran my fingers through my hair. Tugging it up into a messy knot on the top of my head, and teasing my fringe from my eyes. “It’s a lot harder than it looks Ol” I smiled uneasily, “Tom was just…”

“I came up wi’ the perfect plan t’get Jake ‘ere” Oliver interrupted, tapping the pencil against the corner of his mouth, before flashing the pair of us a devilish smile. “ ‘ow good are the two of ye at lyin’?”

&&

“ ‘S a bit short notice isn’ it?” Jake asked, peering at the Italian restaurant I’d pulled up in front of. He’d posed this question a dozen times in the last fifteen minutes we’d been in the car, and I was still yet to answer him directly.

I shrugged my shoulders and pulled the keys from the ignition. Giving Alice a cheeky wink as I collected my purse from the back seat. There was nothing quite like pulling the wool over your fathers eyes, and I was deeply amused that; at three and a half years of age, she already understood that.

“I think I handled the car better than I ever have before” I smiled proudly, slipping out of my comfortable ‘driving’ pumps, and into something a little higher.

“I’d ‘ope so, at the age of twenty on…”

“Two. In two days” I corrected, “Jeeez Jake, this whole evenings to celebrate my…”

“Twenty Two” He nodded with a roll of his eyes, “Fine”

I tossed my phone at him and pushed the door open, “I’ll get Alice, give Oli a ring and see if they’re already…”

“We could jus’ go in an’…”

“Give him a ring Jay” He gave in and climbed from the car.

I waited until I heard him mumbling, before helping Alice from her car seat. I smiled at the little squeeze she gave my hand as we walked around the hood to meet Jake. His brow was furrowed in confusion, his finger and thumb pinching the bridge of his nose. Alice gave me another little squeeze as he began to talk.

“What d’ye mean they….did ye not book a table?” I flashed Jake my best concerned looked as he turned to smile at me apologetically, his hands raised in mock surrender. “Ye said ye’d booked a table Oliver, ye…Where?”

Jake looked around the street quickly, taking a step back; as to take in the whole bank of shops. “Were stood outside the Italian righ’ now Ol, an’ there’s nothin’. Jus’ a shitty little newsagents an’ somethin’ I can’t see the….”

Alice’s squeeze of my hand almost cut off the circulation, as Jake turned to look at us. His head jerking back and forth between us and the shop to his left.

“Tattoodles”

I nodded slowly, catching the big red door opening, from the corner of my eye. A large group of people flooding out onto the street. Oliver a little ahead of the others.

“Are ye...ye gotta be shittin’ me, ye…”

“Jake” I scolded, giggling softly. “Mind your French”

“This, ‘s what French was intended for” He chuckled, “I can’t believe that ye…”

“It was Oliver” I smiled, glancing at the Sykes brothers who were now striding towards Jake. Huge, proud grins on their faces. “Oliver and Tom, I just got you here”

&&

I took a sip of my water and scanned the crowd once again. I hadn’t realised there would be so many people here. I hadn’t realised there were so many people I had forgotten whilst being away. There were over a dozen faces I could no longer put names too, more than a few dozen names just hanging in the air. I had nodded a fair few hello’s to people I had no recollection of, and caught the unsavoury glances of more than a few people I remembered too well. Sheffield was home, but I wasn’t at home.

“Ye okay Verity?” I glanced sideways to see Lee emerging from the bustling crowd. A red plastic cup clutched in his hand. No doubt the culprit, the reason for his slight stagger. I nodded uncertainly and took another sip of my water. I’d chosen to be designated driver for a reason. I’d never had had any control over what would spill from my mouth after a few too many. “Ye look a little…”

I shrugged my shoulders. My eyes unconsciously, and uncontrollably searching Oliver out in the crowd. He was, of course, surrounded by girls; many of which had looked less than impressed when I’d arrived. But his eyes met mine across the room, and for a second, or maybe two. Everything and everyone paled into insignificance.

I hated the fact that I still had these moments, yet adored the sneaky suspicion that maybe; even after four years, and everything that happened. He had them too.

“..dazed” Lee chuckled. Waving his hand in front of my face. “Are you o…”

“I’m just going to pop out for a second. It’s a little crowded and I…”

“Ye lookin’ forward t’Paris?”

I couldn’t fight the grin spreading across my lips, or the enthusiastic nod overcoming me.
“I am” I enthused, “I’ve always wanted to go and see where my…”

“Ol’s been waitin’ t’ take ye” Lee slurred, “Like four years waitin’ t’ take ye, ‘e ‘ad it booked an’ every…”

“I really have to go get some fresh air” I choked, glancing frantically around the room. Focusing, eventually, on the younger Sykes brother pushing his way through the crowd.

I grabbed Thomas’ hand as he edged past me, and dragged him toward the door. Leaving Lee talking to himself; something he was probably yet to realise. “Olivers been waiting to take me to Paris?” I asked the second we stepped outside. Ignoring the harsh, cold wind howling around us. The light rain beginning to fall. “Like four years waiting to take…”

I stopped abruptly as Tom nodded his head. His eyes fixed to the pavement as he rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet.

“Are you kidding me?” I exclaimed, “Tom! Are you fucking…”

“Ye didn’ think ye were the only one wi’ secrets, did ye?”