These Bright Lights Have Always Blinded Me
Chapter Forty
Today we were all going to Chelsea’s, yeah. I mean I love going over there but I just wanted to spend time with Craig. He had to leave soon and I wanted to spend as much time as I could with just him. Monte told me he has to leave tomorrow just he didn’t want to tell me. We were all sitting on the couch: Bill, Bob, Chelsea, Craig, Frank, Gerard, Max, Mikey, Monte, Robert, and me. I clung to Craig’s arm for dear life.
“Ali?” Chelsea said waving a hand in my face, “Do you want to go or not?”
“What?” I said shaking my head and letting go of Craig, who quickly wrapped his arms around me.
“Do you want to go see Angels and Demons or not?” she asked.
“Yeah why not,” I said standing up.
“Babe you don’t have to go,” Craig said laughing, “You look tired as hell,” he said moving the hair out of my face.
“I just don’t want you to leave tomorrow,” I said as he stood up.
“Who told you I was leaving tomorrow?” he said pulling me into a hug.
I looked over at Monte and so did Craig, “Don’t look at me,” Monte quickly said.
“Can we just go to the movie?” I said running my hand through my hair.
“You want to drive or walk?” Chelsea asked everyone.
“Walk,” I heard everyone say.
“Walk,” I said yawning.
We all walked out the door all friggen, eleven of us when I saw Tom walk up the sidewalk.
“Sorry Chelsea I would have been here sooner but I had to find parking,” he said hugging her. I stood there in awe.
“It’s okay we are going to the movies now,” she said hugging back.
“Can I ask what the hell is going on,” I said jumping on Craig's back.
“They are friends again,” Frank whispered to me.
“Oh,” I said resting my head near Craig’s as he walked on down the road,” I love you Craigie,” I whispered in his ear.
“I love you too,” he said rubbing his face against mine.
“Craig,” I sad as we all continued down the street.
“What Darling?” he said trying to look at me.
“How much do you love me?” I said laughing at him.
“Too much,” he said smiling.
“Why do you have to leave then?” I asked.
“Because I have to take care of Leila,” he said looking down.
“Why can’t you move out here?” I whined, “Monte would let you and Max move in I know it!” I begged.
“Ali can we talk about this later,” he said getting aggravated.
“No,” I said, “I want you to stay here,” I whined.
“Ali stop,” Max and Chelsea said.
“I want you guys to stay though,” I said as we walked up to the theater. Craig put me down on the ground and grabbed me by the shoulders.
“We will talk about this when we get home,” he sighed pulling me into a hug, “I promise.”
The movie went over great. I just wanted to get home and figure out if Craig, Max and Robert were going to stay and live with us or not. I know Chelsea wanted them to also. She was going to stay the night but Monte wouldn’t let her in fear of what her and Max might do. Usually for him it’s just sex with girls and nothing else unless you get close enough to them.
Well anyways, I was sitting in the kitchen with all of them as they talked it over so far they were leaving.
“We don’t have enough rooms,” Monte said.
“Yes we do!,” I said, “We have your room, mine the basement and the guest room.”
“Okay then one of them can’t live here,” he said slamming his hands on the table.
“Yes uh!” I said standing up, “Me and Craig can share my huge room and Max can have the guest room while Robert takes the basement,” I said figuring it all out.
“God she is smart,” Robert said.
“It isn’t going to work Ali,” Monte said shaking his head.
“Why?” I asked a little annoyed.
“Because if you two break up,” he started.
“If we do he can room in the basement,” I said.
“No, Ali,” Monte said sitting down.
“Fine then.” I said getting up from the table.
“What are you doing?” Monte asked following me.
“I am going to pack,” I said walking up the stairs.
“Why?” he asked grabbing my arm.
“Since you wont let Craig, Max and Robert move in,” I said before exhaling, “ I am moving out.”
“You win,” was all he said before walking back to the kitchen.
“Really,” I said grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah they can move,” he began before stopping and looking at me, “If they want to and, they will have to help pay for the house and for food.”
“Thank you!” I said hugging Monte.
“Shut up Shorty,” he said pushing me off him.
“Forget you then,” I said running over to Craig, “Monte said you can move in,” I said hugging him.
“Yeah,” he said smiling fake-ly.
“Do you not want to?” I said stepping back.
“Ali it’s just,” he started, “I have Leila I have to look after and I can’t do that from here.”
“Yes you can!”
“Ali, I am a part time dad and I want to be the best one I can be,” he sighed, “even though I know in the end I am a part time dad.”
“Craig,” I said stepping back again, “What am I then?”
“You are my amazing girlfriend who I love a lot,” He said putting his hands on my shoulders.
“But you don’t want to stay here with me?” I said beginning to cry.
“Ali, don’t cry. I want to stay here but Leila,” he said pulling me to him.
“Craig,” I said stepping away again.
“Ali, I can try but its just I don’t want Leila not to know her father,” he sighed.
“She can come out here every weekend,” I said trying to smile.
“Ali, that’s a three hour drive.”
“Can’t Gab move out here?”
“Ali she has a life there,” he sighed, “Not here.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” I cried wrapping my arms around him.
“I promise Ali,” he said squeezing me tight, “If you lose me,” he paused, “I have lost myself.”
“Promise,” I said kissing his cheek.
“I will text you everyday just to say I love you,” he said kissing me, “And when I get enough money I will move out here,” just then his phone rang, “Hold on its Gab,” he quickly slid open his phone, “hello?” I stood there in silence till I heard, “Fine I will take her for how long?” Oh my god he had Leila maybe he could move out here, “Six months what will you be doing?” he huffed before saying, “Fine bring her to me I’m staying here for a bit more.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Gab got a modeling job thing and needs me to keep Leila for six months,” he sighed, “I would hate to ask this of you but can you help me watch her and I will stay out here with you?”
“Yes!” I screamed hugging him. This was great my life was almost perfect everybody was getting along, and mainly Chelsea was finally happy again. This is almost the best but, I could feel that something bad was going to happen very soon.
“Ali?” Chelsea said waving a hand in my face, “Do you want to go or not?”
“What?” I said shaking my head and letting go of Craig, who quickly wrapped his arms around me.
“Do you want to go see Angels and Demons or not?” she asked.
“Yeah why not,” I said standing up.
“Babe you don’t have to go,” Craig said laughing, “You look tired as hell,” he said moving the hair out of my face.
“I just don’t want you to leave tomorrow,” I said as he stood up.
“Who told you I was leaving tomorrow?” he said pulling me into a hug.
I looked over at Monte and so did Craig, “Don’t look at me,” Monte quickly said.
“Can we just go to the movie?” I said running my hand through my hair.
“You want to drive or walk?” Chelsea asked everyone.
“Walk,” I heard everyone say.
“Walk,” I said yawning.
We all walked out the door all friggen, eleven of us when I saw Tom walk up the sidewalk.
“Sorry Chelsea I would have been here sooner but I had to find parking,” he said hugging her. I stood there in awe.
“It’s okay we are going to the movies now,” she said hugging back.
“Can I ask what the hell is going on,” I said jumping on Craig's back.
“They are friends again,” Frank whispered to me.
“Oh,” I said resting my head near Craig’s as he walked on down the road,” I love you Craigie,” I whispered in his ear.
“I love you too,” he said rubbing his face against mine.
“Craig,” I sad as we all continued down the street.
“What Darling?” he said trying to look at me.
“How much do you love me?” I said laughing at him.
“Too much,” he said smiling.
“Why do you have to leave then?” I asked.
“Because I have to take care of Leila,” he said looking down.
“Why can’t you move out here?” I whined, “Monte would let you and Max move in I know it!” I begged.
“Ali can we talk about this later,” he said getting aggravated.
“No,” I said, “I want you to stay here,” I whined.
“Ali stop,” Max and Chelsea said.
“I want you guys to stay though,” I said as we walked up to the theater. Craig put me down on the ground and grabbed me by the shoulders.
“We will talk about this when we get home,” he sighed pulling me into a hug, “I promise.”
The movie went over great. I just wanted to get home and figure out if Craig, Max and Robert were going to stay and live with us or not. I know Chelsea wanted them to also. She was going to stay the night but Monte wouldn’t let her in fear of what her and Max might do. Usually for him it’s just sex with girls and nothing else unless you get close enough to them.
Well anyways, I was sitting in the kitchen with all of them as they talked it over so far they were leaving.
“We don’t have enough rooms,” Monte said.
“Yes we do!,” I said, “We have your room, mine the basement and the guest room.”
“Okay then one of them can’t live here,” he said slamming his hands on the table.
“Yes uh!” I said standing up, “Me and Craig can share my huge room and Max can have the guest room while Robert takes the basement,” I said figuring it all out.
“God she is smart,” Robert said.
“It isn’t going to work Ali,” Monte said shaking his head.
“Why?” I asked a little annoyed.
“Because if you two break up,” he started.
“If we do he can room in the basement,” I said.
“No, Ali,” Monte said sitting down.
“Fine then.” I said getting up from the table.
“What are you doing?” Monte asked following me.
“I am going to pack,” I said walking up the stairs.
“Why?” he asked grabbing my arm.
“Since you wont let Craig, Max and Robert move in,” I said before exhaling, “ I am moving out.”
“You win,” was all he said before walking back to the kitchen.
“Really,” I said grinning from ear to ear.
“Yeah they can move,” he began before stopping and looking at me, “If they want to and, they will have to help pay for the house and for food.”
“Thank you!” I said hugging Monte.
“Shut up Shorty,” he said pushing me off him.
“Forget you then,” I said running over to Craig, “Monte said you can move in,” I said hugging him.
“Yeah,” he said smiling fake-ly.
“Do you not want to?” I said stepping back.
“Ali it’s just,” he started, “I have Leila I have to look after and I can’t do that from here.”
“Yes you can!”
“Ali, I am a part time dad and I want to be the best one I can be,” he sighed, “even though I know in the end I am a part time dad.”
“Craig,” I said stepping back again, “What am I then?”
“You are my amazing girlfriend who I love a lot,” He said putting his hands on my shoulders.
“But you don’t want to stay here with me?” I said beginning to cry.
“Ali, don’t cry. I want to stay here but Leila,” he said pulling me to him.
“Craig,” I said stepping away again.
“Ali, I can try but its just I don’t want Leila not to know her father,” he sighed.
“She can come out here every weekend,” I said trying to smile.
“Ali, that’s a three hour drive.”
“Can’t Gab move out here?”
“Ali she has a life there,” he sighed, “Not here.”
“I don’t want to lose you,” I cried wrapping my arms around him.
“I promise Ali,” he said squeezing me tight, “If you lose me,” he paused, “I have lost myself.”
“Promise,” I said kissing his cheek.
“I will text you everyday just to say I love you,” he said kissing me, “And when I get enough money I will move out here,” just then his phone rang, “Hold on its Gab,” he quickly slid open his phone, “hello?” I stood there in silence till I heard, “Fine I will take her for how long?” Oh my god he had Leila maybe he could move out here, “Six months what will you be doing?” he huffed before saying, “Fine bring her to me I’m staying here for a bit more.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
“Gab got a modeling job thing and needs me to keep Leila for six months,” he sighed, “I would hate to ask this of you but can you help me watch her and I will stay out here with you?”
“Yes!” I screamed hugging him. This was great my life was almost perfect everybody was getting along, and mainly Chelsea was finally happy again. This is almost the best but, I could feel that something bad was going to happen very soon.