Beside You

Caoimhe had just fallen asleep and I was sitting on the couch, my laptop in front of me on the coffee table. I was sitting on the very edge, leaning forward concentrating on what was on my screen. All of a sudden I feel something move behind the couch and then I feel something big and hard plop right behind me on the couch. I jump a foot in the air and about a foot off the couch. I land with my ass to the floor and my back to the couch.

I lay my head back on the couch, looking up at a very amused Tom. He had this surprised yet taunting grin on his face and I wanted to rip it off because I did not share his feelings.

Apparently he noticed my scowl. “What’s wrong?”

“My ass hurts” I say with spiteful venom still looking directly up at him.

“I’m sorry to hear that” he smirks.

“No you’re not” I state the obvious.

“You’re right, I’m not.”

I just roll my eyes and then return them to the screen ignoring Tom. By that point my computer had gone into sleep mode. Stupid thing I thought as I woke it back up, I really needed a new one. Tom rests his chin on my shoulder and stares at the screen.

“What are you looking at?” I felt the pressure on my shoulder change as he talked.

“Dresses” I reply in a coy, innocent voice.

“What kind of dresses?” he pushes farther.

“Wedding” I say, still in an innocent tone.

“Have you found one?” he asked serious.

“No, I’m just trying to get some ideas” I turn to look at him, “I’m not doing any serious planning until the tour is over and the baby is born. Right now I have too much on my plate.”

“Then why are you looking at dresses?” Tom asked.

“Because dress shopping” I stand and sit on his lap so my back is resting on the arm of the couch and my legs are hanging off his legs slightly, lacing my fingers around his neck, “is fun!”

“You know what else is fun?” he asks but doesn’t wait for a response from me as he immediately goes in for a kiss. At the last minute I turn my head, meaning for him to get my cheek but instead he kisses my ear.

“Ew! That was disgusting!” I rub my ear with my shoulder, not wanting to remove my hands from his neck.

“Ditto” he says scrunching his face and wrinkling his nose.

I sit there for a minute, my eyes closed. Then I feel Tom shift.

“Why didn’t you eat your lunch?” He had become so anal about me eating three meals a day, it was very annoying.

“I’m not hungry right now” I say at first even though it would do me no good. He gives me a look like that was the stupidest answer in the book. I give a half roll of my eyes but continue, “Did you notice how scary those crowds were to Caoimhe?”

“Duh” he says dully, “But wouldn’t that be kind of the normal reaction for a four year old? Plus she was tired.”

“I suppose, but she normally doesn’t act that way” I pull my body closer to his, “I think she might be getting sick.”

He gives me this weird look, obviously not seeing it himself. “On the plain she wasn’t hyper and excited. She normally loves plain rides but today she was quiet and slept most of the time.”

Then we get back from the interview and she’s almost asleep again. She barely ate her favorite; macaroni and cheese, then she fell asleep again not five minutes after” I slide off his lap and sit on my legs next to the arm of the couch.

“Do you think we should take her to a doctor?” he starts to get up off the couch.

I roll my eyes at his overreacting and grab his arm, “Tom, she’s not even running a fever. There is no need to panic.”

He sits back down, “When is the time to panic?”

“For now let’s just let her sleep it off” I put my legs on his lap.

“What, like a hangover?”

“Yes Tom” I say in a dull tone, “Like a hangover” I wiggle my feet up and down making him grimace a bit like it really hurt, “You should give me a foot rub!”

“What!? Why?” he leans back slightly.

“Because you’re the reason they hurt” I cross my arms, acting like a little kid.

“Oh really?” his voice rings with disbelief.

“Yeah, it’s your kid I’m carrying for one” I respond deviously, “And then it’s your career that forces me to be on my feet all day!”

“Ah, no it’s your career that keeps you on your feet all day” he pokes a hole in my argument.

“It’s not my fault you won’t make me a trophy baby mama\fiancé!” I joke back.

“Why, you want your hair dyed blond and a boob job to match?” he starts to tickle my feet instead of massage them.

I kick them wildly and then I grab the knit hat off his head. I put it on over my hair and Tom pauses as I pout my lips and make a crazy face. I take this time to escape and run straight for the sleeping Caoimhe.

Tom comes bursting into the room about to yell something at me when he realizes who else is in the room. “Not fair!” he whispers pointing his finger at me.

“Oh just pick out a movie and put it in” I get comfy on the bed.

He walks to his one of his suitcases in the bathroom and I hear him moving crap around.

“Shit!” I hear him swear in English, a habit of mine I’ve already gotten him into.

All of a sudden I hear the door close and if I hadn’t been looking at the bathroom door I would have thought nothing of it. Then I hear Bill shout, “Hallo! Where are you?”

“Shut the fuck up Bill” I say in a horse whisper.

“Oh, there you are!” he says completely blowing off the fact that I just scolded him, “What are you doing?”

“Will you please lower your voice” I jerk my head in Keevie’s direction. He nods his head as he moves his left hand down like he was lowering his volume by doing so.

“We’re gonna watch a movie” Tom says walking out of the bathroom with a DVD in his hand.

“Ooh yay! Can I stay?” Bill asks clapping his hands.

“Would you leave if we said no?” Tom asked going over to the TV.

“No!” Bill snorts and plops on the floor at the foot of the bed. I see a light coming from his hands. I crawl across the bed as Tom’s trying to figure out the DVD player and stare at Bill’s hands. It takes me a second to figure out that he’s texting and then I strain to adjust my eyes so I could read what he was texting.

‘movie marathon in Tomi’s room :D
Bring popcorn!!’

“Bill!” I slap him upside the head.

“Oww! What was that for?” he rubs his head, mussing up his hair a bit.

“For telling everyone we’re having a movie marathon in our hotel room when we’re watching one movie!”

“Not anymore” he sings in a mocking tone.

“Ugh” I groan rolling over so my hair is hanging off the bed and I’m facing upwards. Tom turns around and raises his eyebrow. “Babe, we’re gonna have to move the party to the other room.”

“Why?”

“Because your brother just invited the rest of the band and told them to bring popcorn.” I lift my legs and then roll backwards off the bed, landing on my feet. When I turned around and looked at Tom he had the most shocked look on his face, like he couldn’t believe that I just have done that while I was pregnant.

“Close your mouth” I say walking up to him before whispering, “It only would have hurt the baby if I landed on my ass again” I say with renewed spite.

“Sorry” he rubs the back of his neck.

“Sorry” I mock him in a whiny voice. “Just get the DVD player in the sitting room to work.”