Tonight We Can Be As One

OCTOBER

Frank's POV

It was late October, leaves turning orange and starting to fall of the trees. I was enjoying the beautiful view I got from my window in the peaceful silence of the Way's house on a early Saturday morning. I didn't got much of that silence during day as Mikey was always here and there making noise.

So today is my birthday... I don't know why people is always excited for their birthdays to come. I have always hated birthdays, I mean, I never found it funny to age.
It was 7 o'clock in the morning. I was already awake because my parents called me at 6 thinking that here it was 8.

I am not gonna lie about it, but I don't miss my family as much as I thought I would. I think it is because I barely saw them around the house. My Dad was always busy working at the hospital; he is the most important doctor Firenze has. And my mom, she was always the social type of woman who likes to organize events and goes out with her friends a lot. So I was always home alone with my nana Lucia, a 61 year-old woman that I love more than my grandmother.

In the call, they said that they miss me and that they are really sad that they can't be by my side on my birthday blah blah blah... And that they are sending some gifts. That's the only thing I enjoyed of birthdays, GIFTS! It may sound really shallow but it was the best part of my birthday parties, because my dad always gave the most unbelievable gifts you could ever think of, maybe thinking that he would buy my love with those or that I would forgive him for not showing up to my party. My mom, on the other hand, always did her best and threw me the biggest parties with a bunch of people I didn't know but at least she tried to make me happy.

Obviously I wasn't happy as my dad wasn't there, or when he actually showed up my mom would be arguing with him in the kitchen or they wouldn't talk to each other, which was very sad.
You know, my parents don't have the best relationship. Sometimes I think it would be better if they get divorce, everyone would be happy, especially me!
When they hang up, I wanted to go back to sleep but I couldn't, I wasn't sleepy anymore... So I decided to just enjoy the view and the silence.
I heard someone opening my room's door and started humming along to the Happy Birthday song in Italian.

"Tanti auguri a te,
tanti auguri a te,
tanti auguri caro Frankie,
tanti auguri a te"

I turned around and saw Gerard with a big chocolate cake with lighted candles in his hands.
"Happy Birthday Frank!" I couldn't help but to smile at Gerard's sweet gesture.
I got up of my chair and walked towards him, who was standing by my door.
"Thanks"

"Now before you blow the candles and make your wish, I've got a question" I nodded. "Did I sing it well? The Happy Birthday song in Italian? It took me more than a week to learn to pronounce all the lyrics correctly" That made smile even wider.
"Yes! It sounded pretty good"

"Phew! Thank god! I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of you" His cheeks turned somewhat pink. "Now make a wish" I'd never believed in that bullshit, however I didn't want to make Gerard feel bad so I pretended that I was thinking my wish.
"Wish that Mikey gets abducted by aliens" I chuckled while closing my eyes and blowing my candles.

"Whhhooooooo! Yay! I really hope your wish comes true! I hope the aliens are already on their way here" I laughed harder. "Let's go downstairs, mom is making you a breakfast buffet and this cake is starting to get kind of heavy" he said turning around and heading downstairs. I put my slippers on and went downstairs too.
"My dear! Happy Birthday!" Donna yelped while throwing her arms around me. "I hope you have a wonderful day" I thanked her and once she broke the hug, I felt another pair of arms wrapping around me.
"I'm sorry I didn't get to hug you upstairs but I was holding the cake" I hugged Gerard back and let the smell of his clothes invade my nostrils. He smelled like coffee, cigarettes and wine.

"Ok, kids take a seat! I hope you like it" We did as told and put some waffles on my plate.
"Where's Mikey and Don?" I asked Donna before taking a sip of my orange juice.
"They went to Wal-Mart really early today. Mikey was freaking out, because he had forgotten to get his costume for tonight. And Don was freaking out because he had forgotten to buy the Halloween candies I asked for a week ago" I chuckled.

We ate everything that Donna cooked for me, from waffles to cheese omelets and fruit shakes; while we chat happily during breakfast. Once we were done, the door bell rang; Donna went to answer it and then came back with a big red box.
“This is for you” Donna said placing the box on the table. I kneeled down on my chair and opened the box. The first thing that I found was a letter. I opened the envelope…
“Frank! Buon Compleanno! Tanti auguri! Siamo felici….”
Yay… 50 bucks pasted on the envelope! I put the letter away and kept looking to what was in the box.

What the…? The new Ligabue album ‘Arrivederci, mostro!’ was in the box too!
“What is it?” Gerard asked me. Apparently I was so surprised to see the CD that I had the biggest smile drawn on my face. I took the Ligabue album out and gave it too Gerard.
“Cool! Who is this?”
“Ligabue! Duh! The best Italian band of the whole Earth! That’s their new album”
“Goodbye, monster!” Gerard had traduced the album’s name. “I like it!”
“Once you listen to it, you are gonna love it” I reassured him.

After that, the rest box was filled with food! It had every single type of Italian cheese. God, I love my mom! I had really missed my cheese; I don’t mean to offend any American, but their cheese taste like plastic. There also was a big panettone (Mamma mia!), frutta martorana, cannoli and a bottle of wine? I read a white sticker that was pasted on it. Oh… that’s for Don! And prosciutto? I think my mom had forgotten I am a vegan… Oh no, this is for Donna!
I gave Donna the prosciutto and the wine, and then I took my box upstairs to Gerard’s room who had insisted to take me to his room so we can listen to my Ligabue CD.

“So?” I asked Gerard once we had finished listening to the first song. We were both seated at the edge of his bed.
“it is FUCKING AWESOME” he screamed in my ear.
"Fuck Gerard! You left me deaf!" I screamed in his ear too and laughed.

“Idiot!” He yelled and punched my left arm. I punched his arm as well, but that didn’t stopped right there, he punched me once more and so did I. So he threw himself on me, grabbing both of my arms so I wouldn’t be able to punch him again.
It was very uncomfortable to feel him over me… but it was, somewhat nice too. For a strange reason this moment reminded me of Brokeback Mountain. Oh God…this was bad…
Then I realized it, every time I was around him, I felt a tingling sensation starting in the back of my neck and continuing down my spine.

This time wasn't different.

I realized that we were extremely close, we were chest to chest and later we were face to face.
We just stayed like that for a long time…. Just looking into each other’s eyes, neither of us sure of what to do.

“Guys, we are home!” I heard Don yelling and someone running upstairs. Gerard got himself off me, sat at the edge of his bed again and started talking out of nothing.
“Yeah, I love the Misfits, you?” Misfits? What? What did just happen?
“Hey there!” Mikey said when getting into Gerard’s room. “Who is that?” Mikey asked referring to the artist that was sounding on Gee’s radio.

“Ligabue! It is Frank’s favorite band” Gerard answered calmly, like nothing had happened.
“Mikey…you are forgetting something important” Gerard pointed out and I half-smiled knowing what he meant. I shook my head lightly, trying to ignore everything that happened seconds ago. It was nothing!
“Oh my gosh! Happy Birthday Frank!!!! I’m sorry I’m a dumbass” He said and approached the bed to hug me.

“It’s ok Mikey, thank you!” I said while receiving the box he gave me. I took it and immediately opened it; it was the last Harry Potter book and it was in Italian…
“Mikey, thank you so much I love it!!!” I said with a huge smile.

“You are very welcome. It took me over a month to find it… and when I finally found it, motherfucking eBay charged me an arm and a leg for it. And then the shipping was a highway robbery… but don’t worry. You are happy with it, so that makes me happy too. It was worth every penny” He shouldn’t have bought such expensive gift! I really love this kid.
“Oh… and Laura sends you this” He took a big bag of skittles and The Strokes’ album “Angles”.

“We run into her at Wal-Mart today. I told her, today was your birthday and she immediately bought you something there”
“She is a sweetish” I lilted and opened my Skittles bag and started taking fistful amounts of them and putting them into my mouth.
“She is!” Mikey replied sighing.

“And speaking of her… when are you going to tell her your real feelings for her?” Gerard asked Mikey while taking some of my Skittles too.
“I’m taking it slow… I don’t want to freak her out or anything” Mikey mumbled rubbing the back of his neck.

“I would say, you are taking it way too slow!” I preached. “And about freaking her out, I think it is already kind of late for that because she is already freaked out! Especially the time when you asked her what was going to be her costume for Halloween and she said Lady Gaga… and then you literally yelled ‘I’m going as a vampire then!’; because you remembered the time when we were talking about who could actually date Lady Gaga and Laura commented that she thinks that only a vampire could handle her because she’s so twisted” I finished catching my breath; a month ago I barely talked because I didn’t speak English that well, but now, I get amazed by the ease with which words come out of my mouth. “Poor Girl! Even I got freaked out! Seriously!”

“No, she’s not! Today when we were at Wal-Mart she asked me to go with her asking for candies…”
“Uuuuhhhhh!” Gerard and I scoffed at unison.

“What?” I’m sure Gerard was thinking the same as me as we had the same reaction, so I let him talk.
“It is not cool that a girl has to ask you out because she is starting to feel that you don’t like her”

“Really?” Gerard and I nodded at the same time. Wicked!
“Fuck!” We kept nodding.
“Ok… enough of your love life drama! Now let me see your costume” Gerard said noticing the bag that Mikey was carrying in his right hand.

“Sure” Mikey placed the bag on my bed, he took out of it a black and red cape, some false blood and something I didn’t see because Mikey hide it behind him.
“What is this?” Gerard asked holding the cape with just one finger.“This looks like something Batman would wear!”

“Nope… I’m gonna be-” He turned around and put something in his mouth, when he turned again, smiled letting us see his fake fangs and muttered:
“A vampire!”
“Uuuh…scary!” Gerard provoked him.
“Oh, so you think your costume is better than mine, huh?” Mikey countered crossing his arms.
“Indeed! I’m gonna be Elvis!”
“Elvis?” I asked abashed
“Who the fuck is Elvis?” Asked Mikey as well
“Elvis Presley! The king of Rock n’ Roll! Dumbs”
“Oh, awesome!” Said Mikey lamely.
“Jealous” I actually thought that Gerard would rock into that Elvis costume. It would really fit him…
What am I thinking? Jeez!