You Can Run Away With Me Anytime You Want

I got out of hospital the next morning. I was wheeled out by a nurse and Frank was running along the side of the wheelchair. His tiny legs could just keep up, and it was so cute I kinda teared up a bit, because I’m soppy.

We had to get the train back, because I didn’t want to call my mom, Mikey couldn’t drive and Frank didn’t want to ring his mom but when he did he found out his number had been blocked.

“I can’t believe we have to take the fucking train” Frank sighed, shaking his head in disgust.

“Hey, I don’t mind. I like the train” I smiled, trying to cheer him up.

Frank laughed, shaking his head with a little smile.

“You’re so cute,” He laughed, leaning across the table and stroking my cheek with his thumb. “Hey. Let’s just go. We’ll get off at wherever this thing stops and like, get married and start again” A wide and excited smile spread across Frank’s lips.

“Are you serious?” I laughed. “We can’t do that. Think about it; money, friends, brother, parents, although we hate to admit it. I hate to be the one to put a realistic downer on everything” I sighed.

“No, you’re right, like fucking usual. Well, why don’t we do that soon? Finish school, save our money until then, Mikey can come with us and, well, we can visit our ’parents’” Frank planned, getting up and sitting next to me. He flung his arm around my shoulder and I rested my head on his shoulder.

How did he know I was tired?

“Sounds like a plan, baby” I whispered into his clothes.

“I’ll continue while you sleep, Gee. Promise” Frank whispered back.

“I believe you”

I didn’t exactly sleep, but I was kind of asleep but not really dreaming. I heard Frank’s heart beating quicken at little intervals, and knew that’s when his idea’s really excited him.

“Welcome back” He smiled down at me when I ‘woke up’.

“Hey. How’s the plan going?” I asked, trying to wake myself up.

“It failed when I started thinking of you in a tux” Frank smiled.

“And you’re sure you don't have a short attention span?” I grinned.

“Noooo” Frank smirked, looking down.

“How do I look?”

“You look beautiful” Frank smiled, kissing my lips briefly.

“You’re so sweet, but I was talking about in the tux” I giggled.

“Oh, that! Like I said, beautiful. And damn fine” Frank’s eyebrow raised and I got all giddy. He kissed me passionately and I went weak. My breath must have been disgusting, but he carried on anyway.

I’m fucking marrying this guy.

I kissed Frank one last time and he went home, shaking with nerves. I pleaded with him to stay at mine, but he insisted on going home, to “deal with it all”.

Before I was even through the door, Mikey slammed into me, his arms squeezed around my neck.

“You’re back!” Mikey heaved a sigh of relief, pulling himself off me.

“Hey” I smiled.

“I need to know everything” Mikey said, the worry back on his face.

Mikey put his arm around my waist to support me- He’s so sweet, I didn’t even need to ask him- and led me to the living room. He sat me down on the fabric sofa gently and headed to the kitchen.

“You want coffee?” He asked.

“Yes please”

He smiled and hurried to the kitchen. I heard him switch on the machine and slam the cups down on the counter, like he always did. He did it unintentionally, always had done. He slammed doors instead of shutting them, too. He stomped upstairs, put plates away and somehow poured noisily as well. For such a meek and scrawny dude, Mikey had power.

He brought in two mismatching cups of black coffee. He handed my cup, and it reminded me of how we’d done the same just a few months ago when I was telling him about how I’d been oggling Frank.

“So, what happened?” Mikey asked.

“Well, after I stormed out, I went to Frank’s, which you probably guessed, and we went walking and we went to the park, which” I couldn’t hold my giggles back any longer, “Um, well, I’ll get to that later. Anyways, we fell asleep in the park-”

“In the park?!” Mikey exclaimed.

“Yeah” I said.

I recalled the whole story, every detail of it, just like I’d want Mikey to do for me. He sat with wide eyes and a slowly widening gawp.

“Oh! And my doctor was called Dr. Dorian! No shit, dude! It was fucking amazing! Me and Frank were just fucking freaking out! It was so sweet” I nodded.

Mikey looked at me like his brain was going to explode. I knew the feeling.

“I hate you” He said, staring at me wide-eyes.

“I would too”

“You’re OK though?” Mikey asked, leaning closer, inspecting me.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It still aches a little, but that’s normal. I’ll be, and I am, fine” I stressed, touched by his concern. “Oh, I have something else to tell you” I giggled.
“I, ah, me and Frank, we’re…We’re engaged”

“WHAT?!”

“Yeah. We were in the park and I was telling him how grateful I was of his help and stuff with Mom, and he told me that he wouldn’t be a good boyfriend if he didn’t help me. Then he said someday wanna- and I was like, what? And he said someday wanna marry. He proposed to me, dude! Then, I kinda…I kinda proposed to him back. It was so perfect and so amazing. We just gave these massive speeches to each other about how much we loved each other and shit, it just- I fell even more in love with him. It was beautiful. So, yeah”

“Are you being serious?”

“Yeah”

“Oh my God!” Mikey ran over to me, throwing his arms around me in a massive hug. “I’m so happy for you! That’s amazing!”

“Aw, thanks! Dude, I’m so excited!”

Mikey unlocked himself from me.

“I bet you are, bro!”

“And we’re actually gonna get married, we’re not gonna be like those couples who are engaged forever, you know? And we even talked about kids!”

“No way!”

“Yeah!”

“Dude, I’m so happy. I really like Frank, and he makes you so happy, the happiest I’ve ever seen you”

“Yeah. Yeah he does” I blushed. “And you’re my best man, by the way”

“W-What? Seriously?” Mikey asked, his eyes wide and bright.

“Like I’d choose anyone else” I scoffed.

“I-” Mikey ran over to me again and hugged me even tighter.

“Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me. I promise I won’t let you down”

“I know you won’t”

Mikey wiped a tear away from his cheek and sat back down, patting my shoulder on the way back.

“You need to go to bed, you need to rest” Mikey changed the subject.

“You trying to get rid of me?” I teased.

“No! No, I swear, I just want you to recover!” Mikey pleaded.

“I’m joking, Mike. I’ll go to bed soon, I promise”

“OK. Just take it easy. You want me to bring down your duvet?” Mikey asked keenly.

“No, it's fine. Thanks, though” I smiled.

“I’ll go get it” Mikey rushed off.

I shook my head at him, happy that he cared so much.

Mikey came running down the stairs, dragging my duvet behind him.

“Fu-” Mikey cursed, just as my duvet knocked over the table.
He flung it out and spread it over me.

“You’re so sweet, I really appreciate it, dude”

“I’m only doing what you deserve” Mikey said, spreading the duvet out.

“Thanks, bro”

“Welcome. Battlestar Galactica?”

“Awesome” I smiled. He turned it on and we watched it for a while, interjecting some random comments like “Dude, I would do everyone of them” and “Fuck man, space looks so COOL!”

“Hey dude, you wanna order in?” Mikey asked, turning to me from the other sofa.

“Sure. What shall we get?”

“Pizza?”

“What about Chinese?”

“Sure” Mikey agreed, like I knew he would.

“Mikey,” I sighed, smiling, “You don’t have to get what I want”

“I know! I want Chinese too!” Mikey insisted.

“OK, OK, I believe you. How much you got? I have…” I plunged my hand in my pockets and pulled out random change and counted it. “$4.56”

Mikey only had $5, so we ordered beef and mushroom and fries. Mikey fretted that it wouldn’t be enough for us both and that I’d get more ill because I would starve.

“Shut the fuck up, of course it’ll be enough. I’m not gonna die, Mikes. I mean, well, I am gonna die, but not of this…Probably” I babbled, making him worry even more.

“Whoa, Gee, you should really be a reassurance councillor”

“And you should be a comedian”

The doorbell rang, and we both turned to look at the door at the same time.

“I’ll go”

Mikey looked to me as if I was gonna drop dead. He handed me his money tentatively, like it would weigh me down. I went to answer the door, money in my hand.

I opened the door, and Frank was stood on my doorstep, tears streaming down his face, his arms clinging a pillow to his chest.