It's Not the Life It Seems

Honey sighed and shut the magazine she had been reading. It was an “exclusive” about her new romance, and how Gerard had been captured with another man, effectively breaking Honey’s heart. They had left the man as an identified male, believed to be in a band touring with My Chemical Romance. The magazines were not stupid enough to believe that the man was Billie Joe, like those oblivious girls back at the gas station. Honey wondered how they could be so stupid as to believe she was the lead singer of Green Day. Perhaps they didn’t get much exposure to the band, and had instead briefly heard the name as the glanced over the pages of their gossip magazines.

“What are you reading?”

Honey looked up to see Mikey walking past, headed for the bunk area from where he had been sitting in the kitchen.

“All about my supposed love life, it makes for a very interesting read, Mikey,” Honey told him, holding up magazine with her face on the front. Mikey smiled at her and nodded.

“I’m sure,” he replied, raising his eyebrows quickly in a good bye gesture as he turned to the bunks.

“Hey, Mikey?” Honey yelled after him. Mikey whirled around and cocked his head, waiting for her to speak.

“Want to help me make dinner tonight? I was just thinking before that seeing as you boys are incapable of taking care of yourselves that I should start pulling my weight. And I am getting pretty sick of instant meals and take away, so….” Honey trailed off, waiting for Mikey’s response.

He looked at her curiously for a moment before replying, “What are we making?”

“I was thinking we could make our own pizza, because I love doing that and it tastes so much better!” Honey told him excitedly.

Mikey laughed at her enthusiasm and shrugged. “Okay then,” he said with a smile and disappeared into the bunk.

Honey felt someone sit down beside her and turned her head to see Frank, sitting with his arms crossed looking upset. Honey tossed her magazine onto the floor and turned to face him, curling her legs up underneath her.

“Something wrong Frankie?” she asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

He shook his head no first and then turned to face her, worry laced in his innocent features.

“Well, I don’t know but I think Jamia might be angry at me,” he explained, playing with his fingers.

Honey frowned and played with a lose strand of his hair absentmindedly.

“And why might she be angry at you?” she asked gently.

“Well, last night when I rung her she was kind of snappy with me. I think it might be because I didn’t ring her the other day when I said I would, and she had to ring me instead and I had to hang up on her because we were so busy,” Frank said in one breath and then sighed.

Honey smiled warmly at him. “Frankie, I’m sure she is fine. Maybe a little pissed but its nothing to get worried about…do you need a hug?” she asked and held open her arms. Frank looked at her for a moment before falling into them, pushing Honey back on the couch so that he was sitting comfortably between her legs.

“Oh Frankie, what are we going to do with you?” Honey asked him, stroking his forehead as he relaxed back against her.

“I don’t know!” he cheekily replied, giving her one of his famous grins. Honey smiled back at him and wrinkled her nose, which he mimicked.

There was a cough at the door way which alerted them to the presence of another. Honey and Frank looked up simultaneously to see Gerard leaning against the door, both his eyebrows raised in curiosity at the ‘moment’ he seemed to have interrupted.

“Gerard! Come!” Honey beckoned with her hand, her enthusiasm to see him making previous jealous thoughts disappear. Gerard came and sat down on the couch next to Honey, perching awkwardly on the edge of his seat until Honey used her free arm to drag him back and make him cuddle into her side.

“You know what I think is strange?” Honey said and not waiting for them to respond, continued. “That I don’t even notice the cameras in here anymore. They must have so much shit on me.”

Frank laughed at that. “What could they possibly have on you? You’re so damn squeaky clean, you never doing anything majorly embarrassing! Me, on the other hand, that’s a whole other ball game.”

“I don’t know about that, me and Gerard were getting pretty hot on the couch last night,” Honey laughed, ignoring Gerard embarrassed face as Frank nudged him suggestively across Honey’s lap.

“We’re getting pretty hot on the couch right now,” Frank said with a giggle, throwing his arm over Honey so it reached Gerard.

“Aw, young love,” Honey said and then wriggled out from the two arms holding her down. “You two snuggle on the couch there, and I am going to call someone and make sure Mikey and I get food to make dinner with!”

“Mikey! No!” Honey shrieked as the knife Mikey was cutting pineapple with went dangerously close to his hand. He quickly pulled it back and looked up at Honey with a sheepish smile.

“Sorry, I stopped concentrating for a minute,” he explained and went back to cutting.

“You don’t cook much, do you?” Honey laughed.

“Can you tell?” Mikey said and smiled his warm smile.

“You’re making me kind of nervous Mikes.” Honey took one more glance at the knife that was threatened to cut his thumb of and yelled out “Ray!”

Ray came dutifully into the small kitchen area, accompanied by Bob, and asked a simple, “yes?”

Honey pointed at Mikey and said, “Will you please supervise Mikey cooking?”

“Hey!” Mikey protested.

“You let Mikey cook?!” Bob exclaimed, popping a pineapple piece in his mouth.

“Uh, yes. He’s helping me. We’re making pizza,” Honey told them, spreading the cheese over the base which Mikey had covered in sauce.

Ray looked at the food strangely. “Where did all of this food come from? We didn’t have this on the bus before,” he said, looking confused.

“I just told the other bus what I wanted and they had to get it. Remember how we pulled over before?” Ray nodded and Honey continued. “They were giving us all this.”

Honey handed him an onion and knife, as well as giving Bob a green capsicum.

“Make yourselves useful,” she told them, as they diligently began cutting up what they had been given.

“See, now isn’t this nice?” Honey asked them, admiring the boys who looked adorable in the kitchen.

Frank and Gerard sat together on the couch, leaving everyone else to do the work. They were still in the same position as when Honey had left them, both far too comfortable to move now.

“Dinner smells nice at least. They haven’t burnt the kitchen down….yet,” Frank said, breaking the comfortable silence that had engulfed them.

Gerard looked at him and nodded slowly. “We should help,” he said, but neither made a move to leave.

“So, you and Honey,” Frank started. “What’s the deal there?”

Gerard paused and thought for a moment, before saying, “At the moment it feels like we’re more friends with benefits. I just got out of being engaged and so I don’t want to jump straight from one relationship to another. So, I guess we’re just taking our time.”

Frank nodded in understanding. “Do you want more Gerard?” he asked him.

“Yes, of course. She is pretty fucking amazing, but for now, I am content with where we are at.”

Frank didn’t say anything, but cuddled further into Gerard’s arms, feeling himself getting sleepy. Honey came out of the kitchen a moment later, smiling at the sight of the two boys.

“Dinner time,” she told them, placing a pizza on the small table. Mikey, Ray and Bob came out after her, each carrying something they had prepared.

“We made you a special one too Frankie, with no meat,” Mikey said, gesturing to the pie in his hands.

“Aw, thanks guys,” Frank said, struggling to get off the couch until Bob came and pulled him up.

“Come on Gerard,” Honey said, walking over to him and grabbing his hands to pull him up. Gerard looked at her and smiled, taking in her beauty and simplicity. Honey turned to walk over to the table, still holding both his hands but Gerard spun her back around.

“Hey Honey?” He said and lowered his voice so the cameras couldn’t hear, “Are you my girlfriend?”

Honey looked up at him curiously. “Do you…want me to be?” She asked tentatively.

“Yes,” he replied firmly.

“Well then yes, I am.” A quick kiss followed before they both sat down to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

“This pizza is so good,” Frank moaned, as Bob and Ray nodded in agreement.

“It’s because I’m just such a good cook,” Mikey said to everyone.

Honey snorted. “Mikey, you’re just lucky this pizza doesn’t have your thumb in it!” she cried.

Mikey’s mouth opened in mocked shock. “How rude!” he exclaimed, as Ray patted his shoulder sympathetically.

“Honey, I am really going to miss you when you’re not on tour with us,” Frank suddenly said.

Honey looked over at him, placing her hand over her heart. “That is so sweet of you Frank. I am going to miss you too, all of you,” she said, feeling emotional.

“Then who will cook for us?” Bob said, chewing on a slice of pizza.

Honey kicked him under the table. “Thank you Bob, I love you too.” Bob blushed slightly at those words and returned to focusing on his pizza.

“I’ll miss you the most,” a voice whispered in her ear. Honey turned to see Gerard, pulling his adorable puppy dog face that made her heart melt. Honey leaned forward and kissed him, not being able to resist his charm any longer. Her lips met his, fitting perfectly against them and slowly worked her lips against his.

Ray coughed loudly, interrupting the kiss as reality came crashing back down and the world they had just created vanished.

“Mikey can cook for you!” Honey said brightly. “You could start a tally of the number of days that goes by without an accident in the kitchen.”

Mikey again pulled his shocked face, although he wasn’t really offended.

“What is the point of having a tally when the number never moves from zero?” Ray said, causing everyone to nod in agreement.

Mikey threw his hands up in the air.

“That’s it. I’m cooking tomorrow and you are all going to be blown away by my skills!”

Frank sniggered and said, "Or maybe just blown away. From when the oven explodes!"