Here, Here, and Here

“This is delicious!” Anna exclaims for about the fifth time.

Everyone else has been to busy eating to respond to the first four and Georg is the first to finish shoveling food down his throat.

“I know, it’s been so long since I’ve had one of Avy’s Random Thursday Feasts” he says oblivious to what he is really saying.

’Oh shit’ I think to myself. Today is just full of slip-ups.

“Random Thursday Feast?” Jessica asks suspicious, “Eibhlin isn’t that what your old friends use to call it?” She then turns toward Georg.

“How many of these have you had?”

We both start to stutter out incoherent answers while Bill and Tom try and come to the rescue.

“Oh my god, just shut up?” she yells getting annoyed, “Eibhlin what is going on here?”

“I . . .” I start then stop. What’s the use, she’d figure it out anyway. I sigh and try to relax a bit.

“Umm” I say thinking, “Rea why don’t you and the guys take Keevie out for some ice cream.”

“But Mommy I want apple pie” Caoimhe whines.

“Caoimhe” Tom warns as everybody else slowly stands.

“But” she starts be hesitates as Tom raises his eyebrows, “Never mind.”

“I’ll go get her coat” Bill says anxious to get out of the tense air. They all follow him out of the room, all except Tom.

I give him a look and he states simply, “No.”

“Let’s go to the living room” I suggest to Jessica and Anna. As I stand I feel dizzy all of a sudden. Once the dizziness passes all I feel is drained. I had been so distracted by everything else that I paid no attention to how tired I was.

As the four of us walk the short distance to the living room Tom hangs back to walk with me.

“Are you okay?” he asks looking from my washed out face to my still flat stomach.

“I’m fine just a little tired” I say trying to wave him off.

“Remember what happened the last time you were tired?” he raises a concerned eyebrow.

“Yes but that was also for lack of food and stress” I say making reference to the half dinner I had time to eat.

“Are you trying to tell me that you are not stressed out right now?”

“Maybe” I supply walking into the living room.

“Well don’t because your acting skills may work with everyone else, but it’s not worth shit with me.”

***

“Okay so now you’re making me nervous” Jessica says after me and Tom sit down.

“Do you want me to answer your questions or not?” I ask. She nods he head yes. “Then shut up.”

“Okay, so yes my German friends did call my Thanksgiving dinners Random Thursday Feasts. Georg and Tom and Bill and Gustav have had about four before today.”

“So what you are telling me is that you were friends with Tokio Hotel” Jessica starts but I cut in.

“Before they even were Tokio Hotel.”

“She’s right because I’m pretty sure we were still Devilish back then” Tom butts in.

“Okay so you guys being friends makes sense now how you got the job,” this time it’s Anna who speaks.

“Um, no. If anything us knowing each other would have prevented me from getting the job” I say matter of factly.

“Why?” Anna has a confused look on her face.

“Because before they left Tom and I had a big falling out –”

“You and Tom? Does that mean that you two were once and item?” Anna cuts me off.

“Yeah” I reply shortly.

“Oh okay go on then” she sits back.

“So they had no idea I was going to work with them -”

“Wait, if you two had a fight why would you want to work for Tokio Hotel?” Anna bursts in again.

“Ann will you please shut up!!” Jessica yells at her cousin.

“Sorry” Anna says meekly.

“It’s okay” I go on to answer her question, “When I went in for the interview it was for a job as assistant manager for the record label which means I could have been assigned to any artist.

“The thought that I could be assigned to Tokio Hotel never crossed my mind. So when they called me and told me that I had got the job and would have to meet with the manager of Tokio Hotel my heart stopped for a good minute and a half.”

“You should have been me when I figured out it was you” Tom says and I feel his hand move invisibly to my lower back. A slight shiver runs up my spine as he moves his thumb gently across my lower back.

“So this is why you were freaking out Jess?” Anna finally speaks again.

“I guess yeah” Jessica sighs distracted. I know she is lying but we’ll just have to talk about that later.