Sing

It was the day before Thanksgiving and Gerard had invited my aunt and me to his house for dinner. My aunt was preparing something, and I was in the process of pulling on my pants when there was a knock at my door.

“Come in!” I called, buttoning my pants. Frank came in and laughed at my appearance. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Not much, “he said, handing me my shirt. “I just came to see what you were up to. Apparently, you’re getting dressed.”

“Yeah, I’m going to Gerard’s with my aunt. I had to get dressed because we’re supposed to be there in like an hour. Plus, she still has to go get something for Jesse or something, “I said, buttoning up my shirt. He looked and me and then nodded.

“Ah, “he said. “Well, have fun. I just thought I’d drop by. My mom is going to be busy tomorrow, but I was just seeing what you were doing…”

“Well, Nessa and I are having Jesse over for dinner…”I said slowly.

“Oh, well, that sounds fun, “he said, pulling a hand on the door knob.

“I don’t know, but would you like to go? I don’t think anyone should be alone on Thanksgiving, “I said, tugging at the hem of my shirt. He smiled, but it fell almost as instantly as it appeared.

“What about Gerard?” He asked quietly.

“He and Mikey are going to be having dinner with their grandmother. That’s why we’re having the dinner tonight, “I said, walking over to the mirror.

“Okay, “he said slowly. I watched his reflection in the mirror. “That sounds wonderful…” I smiled at him and grabbed a straightener. He laughed at my difficulty using it.

“Hey, this is not my fault! I haven’t been able to straighten it correctly since you hacked it!” I said, sticking my tongue out at him. He smiled and laughed again.

“You are the one who was stupid enough to let me cut your hair!” He accused. I rolled my eyes and settled for it being just brushed repeatedly. He sighed and walked over to me. He held his hand out and I looked at it.

“What do you want?” I asked, finally giving up.

“Give me the straightener, “he laughed. I gave it to him and he grabbed the brush and began straightening my hair. After about 10 minutes, he stepped back and clicked the straightener off. “There we go. It looks so much better now.” I played with it for a minute.

“It’s so pretty!” I said as I spun around and hugged him. He stumbled back, momentarily stunned, before hugging me back.

“Thank you! I worked really hard on it!” He said, laughing.

“Well, I need to do my makeup now, “I said, looking at how bare my skin looked. He looked at me and shook his head.

“You are beautiful without makeup. If I were him, I’d tell you that every day, “he said, forcing a half-smile. I smiled at him and kissed his cheek.

“I love you, Frankie, “I said, hugging him. “You are my best friend.” He sighed and laughed quietly.

“Well, let’s get the princess ready for her prince, “he said, pulling out my makeup bag.

After he did my makeup, he hugged me and left. I had just pulled on my shoes and grabbed my purse when Nessa came to get me.

“We got to go!” She exclaimed. About 15 minutes later, we arrived at his house. He greeted me at my door, opening it for me as if I was a princess and it was my carriage. He held his hand out and I took it, stepping out of the car. My aunt looked at us and cooed softly.
“You look beautiful, sugar, “he said quietly.

“Thank you, “I said putting one arm around his waist. We walked inside and my aunt followed us soon after.

“Nessa, this is my mother, Penelope. This is my father, Arthur. Mother, Father, this is Aiden, and this is her aunt, Vanessa, “he introduced. It was weird how formal he spoke to them. Mikey dashed downstairs.

“Oh no, the love birds are together again. This is going to be a yuck-fest, “he said overdramatically. I poked him lightly, and Gerard laughed, putting an arm over my shoulders.

“Gerard, why don’t you go and get those drawings you made for her? I would love to see what she thinks of them!” His mother said softly. I smiled at her. He smiled and walked into the other room. He came back with a few framed pictures. I at first thought they were actually pictures until I noticed the pencil marks.

“I drew these for you. I took the photos and drew them. They are some of the best ones I have of you, “he said quietly. His mom put an arm around his dad and smiled.

“They are beautiful, “I said, looking at one of me sitting on my bed. There was a picture a picture of me standing in the rain, one of me looking out a window, one of me just after Frankie hacked my hair, and one of a girl sitting in a window sill. “Who is this?” I asked, not recognizing the subject.

“Well, I saw some pictures of you from a year or two ago. I took that and applied it to a background. It’s kind of how I imagined you felt when you first found out about your mom being ill, “he said quietly. I felt the tears prick my eyes and I buried my face in his chest. He held me tightly. “I’m sorry…”

“It’s fine. It’s really beautiful. I just miss her…”I mumbled quietly. He nodded and after a couple minutes, Arthur suggested we move to the dining room for dinner.

After dinner, we moved to the living room and began conversing about when we were younger. Gerard asked for us to be excused and we went to his room. I noticed the random drawings and paintings that covered his wall. Above his bed was the picture I drew of him. He led me over to his bed and we sat.

“I’m really sorry, “he said again. “I didn’t mean to make you cry…”

“It is fine, “I said, smiling at him. “That’s a good way to tell that I love you. I’m not afraid to cry in front of you…”

“I love you too, “he said, kissing me softly.