Kid A
Eleven.
I woke up a while later to find that I had fallen asleep in Thom’s arms. After taking a moment to gather myself, I gently nudged his shoulder.
He slowly opened his eyes. “Mm…”
“Thom, how long were we asleep…?”
“Mmm…” he put a finger over my lips to shush me, and proceeded to pull me closer. I smiled softly and looked into his eyes while I reached up to gently stroke his cheek.
“You’re so pretty,” I whispered.
Thom smiled and kissed me. “No, you.”
I blushed.
Thom giggled quietly, and started kissing me more until our lips were moving in perfect sync and he gently slid his tongue into my mouth. I felt my pulse quicken and my breathing pick up, but it all felt so good. I pulled Thom closer, clinging tightly onto his thin frame. He reacted by slowly moving his hands across my chest, waiting for the okay to go farther.
If only for a moment, time stood still.
---
The doorbell rang, and Thom and I hurriedly got ourselves together and I slowly stood up to answer it. Colin was standing in the doorway dressed in a hat and overcoat with a suitcase in his hand; his face looked as if he’d just been to hell and back.
“Colin? Are you okay, you don’t look so well…”
He shook his head. “Jonny, I need a favour to ask…”
I nodded. “Yeah, anything.”
“… I hate to impose but… Well things kind of got out of hand at home and um… Jonny I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“Oh, Colin, are you okay?” I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. “You can have the guest room, okay? Stay here as long as you like.” I took his suitcase from him and started to head upstairs to the extra room.
“Jonny, you don’t have to do this…” he started.
I cut him off. “Colin, you’re my brother. What kind of little brother would I be if I didn’t help you out when things got a bit rough, anyway? Now come on. I’ll show you where everything is.”
Colin smiled and followed, “Thanks, Jon, I owe you one.”
I grimaced. “Don’t say that, Coz. You don’t owe me anything, okay?”
He laughed a bit and nodded as I led him inside his room.
---
Shortly after, Thom came up and joined us.
“Hey, Colin, what happened to you?” He frowned a bit, “Is everything going to be okay?”
Colin smiled, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks, Thom. I just had a bit of a… erm… disagreement at home. I just need a couple of weeks to get back on my feet.” Colin sighed, “maybe the band will be more productive without lady friends around anyway.”
Thom looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Colin. It’s her loss.”
Colin laughed back, “No not really. It’s my fault, I really did care more about you guys than I cared about her. It was only a matter of time until she got fed up.”
Thom hugged Colin, “What is it they say, bros before hoes or something stupid like that?”
Colin started laughing, “Thom you sound ridiculous.”
“Good, it worked.”
I laughed at his remark, but still felt a sinking feeling of discomfort growing inside me. I nodded at Colin, “I’ll leave you to get settled in, then. Make yourself at home, seriously.”
“Thanks, Jonny,” he smiled, “I mean it.”
I smiled back at him before leaving the room.
Thom followed me back to the kitchen. “Dinner time already?”
I nodded. “It’s a good way to welcome Colin, isn’t it? Plus it’s almost six.”
Thom nodded in agreement. “Well then, just tell me what to do.
---
Together, Thom and I managed to cook up some tofu miso soup, which I served with my favourite blend of green tea. Thom always made fun of me because I have tea with everything, and today was definitely no exception.
Colin came downstairs soon after the meal was set out, and we all ate together.
“Mm, Jonny, this is amazing,” Colin remarked.
I smiled. “Glad you like it, Coz.”
Thom nodded, “You really are a great cook, Jonny.”
I blushed, “Hey you helped this time, Thom. Plus I’m just average…” I shrugged.
Thom frowned, “No you really are amazing. I just chopped stuff up for you anyway,” he laughed.
“Well I’m happy that you both like it,” I smiled.
“On another topic,” Colin started, “don’t we all have an interview coming up in a couple of days with that one magazine?”
Thom shrugged. “Phil always keeps track of that for us.”
Colin nodded. “I’ll text him.”
I sighed. “Sometimes I forget that people we’ve never met before actually care about what we have to say…”
Thom laughed, “I doubt they do, Jonny. It’s just publicity. Empty advertising. But still, aren’t you glad that your opinions are heard, anyway?”
“Yeah I guess so… I just. I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think that these people even realise that we’re just people on their side, you know?”
Thom gave me a weird look. “You think about this too much, Jonny.” He smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be fine. It’s not like their forcing you to do anything,” he shrugged, “you should be used to it all by now.”
“I think you rub off on me or something,” I started, “or the attention. I don’t know.”
Colin interrupted, “It’s Friday at noon and we’re just supposed to go to their headquarters, which, luckily, is in town.”
“Okay,” I paused, “I’ll just follow you guys, I guess.”
Colin laughed, “Like you always do, Jonny, like you always do.”
---
Night time rolled around and Thom was spending the night again. He looked so cute the way he buried himself under the blankets of my bed while he waited for me. I just stood and gazed out the window for some time, I wasn’t feeling up to sleeping quite yet.
“Jonny,” Thom mumbled, “are you coming to bed soon?”
I nodded. “In a second.”
I quickly changed into my pyjamas and crawled in next to Thom, who was already on the verge of falling asleep. Soon, I could hear the sounds of his rhythmic breathing along with the classical music I had on quietly in the background as I stared blankly into the ceiling…
---
I dreamt that news of Colin’s breakup was all over the front page and people really hated him for it, and they were all screaming how he was a terrible person and that they hated Radiohead now because he was in it. It made me unbearably sad to see Colin being treated like that, because I knew he did nothing wrong…
He slowly opened his eyes. “Mm…”
“Thom, how long were we asleep…?”
“Mmm…” he put a finger over my lips to shush me, and proceeded to pull me closer. I smiled softly and looked into his eyes while I reached up to gently stroke his cheek.
“You’re so pretty,” I whispered.
Thom smiled and kissed me. “No, you.”
I blushed.
Thom giggled quietly, and started kissing me more until our lips were moving in perfect sync and he gently slid his tongue into my mouth. I felt my pulse quicken and my breathing pick up, but it all felt so good. I pulled Thom closer, clinging tightly onto his thin frame. He reacted by slowly moving his hands across my chest, waiting for the okay to go farther.
If only for a moment, time stood still.
---
The doorbell rang, and Thom and I hurriedly got ourselves together and I slowly stood up to answer it. Colin was standing in the doorway dressed in a hat and overcoat with a suitcase in his hand; his face looked as if he’d just been to hell and back.
“Colin? Are you okay, you don’t look so well…”
He shook his head. “Jonny, I need a favour to ask…”
I nodded. “Yeah, anything.”
“… I hate to impose but… Well things kind of got out of hand at home and um… Jonny I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“Oh, Colin, are you okay?” I grabbed his hand and pulled him inside. “You can have the guest room, okay? Stay here as long as you like.” I took his suitcase from him and started to head upstairs to the extra room.
“Jonny, you don’t have to do this…” he started.
I cut him off. “Colin, you’re my brother. What kind of little brother would I be if I didn’t help you out when things got a bit rough, anyway? Now come on. I’ll show you where everything is.”
Colin smiled and followed, “Thanks, Jon, I owe you one.”
I grimaced. “Don’t say that, Coz. You don’t owe me anything, okay?”
He laughed a bit and nodded as I led him inside his room.
---
Shortly after, Thom came up and joined us.
“Hey, Colin, what happened to you?” He frowned a bit, “Is everything going to be okay?”
Colin smiled, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. Thanks, Thom. I just had a bit of a… erm… disagreement at home. I just need a couple of weeks to get back on my feet.” Colin sighed, “maybe the band will be more productive without lady friends around anyway.”
Thom looked sympathetic. “I’m sorry, Colin. It’s her loss.”
Colin laughed back, “No not really. It’s my fault, I really did care more about you guys than I cared about her. It was only a matter of time until she got fed up.”
Thom hugged Colin, “What is it they say, bros before hoes or something stupid like that?”
Colin started laughing, “Thom you sound ridiculous.”
“Good, it worked.”
I laughed at his remark, but still felt a sinking feeling of discomfort growing inside me. I nodded at Colin, “I’ll leave you to get settled in, then. Make yourself at home, seriously.”
“Thanks, Jonny,” he smiled, “I mean it.”
I smiled back at him before leaving the room.
Thom followed me back to the kitchen. “Dinner time already?”
I nodded. “It’s a good way to welcome Colin, isn’t it? Plus it’s almost six.”
Thom nodded in agreement. “Well then, just tell me what to do.
---
Together, Thom and I managed to cook up some tofu miso soup, which I served with my favourite blend of green tea. Thom always made fun of me because I have tea with everything, and today was definitely no exception.
Colin came downstairs soon after the meal was set out, and we all ate together.
“Mm, Jonny, this is amazing,” Colin remarked.
I smiled. “Glad you like it, Coz.”
Thom nodded, “You really are a great cook, Jonny.”
I blushed, “Hey you helped this time, Thom. Plus I’m just average…” I shrugged.
Thom frowned, “No you really are amazing. I just chopped stuff up for you anyway,” he laughed.
“Well I’m happy that you both like it,” I smiled.
“On another topic,” Colin started, “don’t we all have an interview coming up in a couple of days with that one magazine?”
Thom shrugged. “Phil always keeps track of that for us.”
Colin nodded. “I’ll text him.”
I sighed. “Sometimes I forget that people we’ve never met before actually care about what we have to say…”
Thom laughed, “I doubt they do, Jonny. It’s just publicity. Empty advertising. But still, aren’t you glad that your opinions are heard, anyway?”
“Yeah I guess so… I just. I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think that these people even realise that we’re just people on their side, you know?”
Thom gave me a weird look. “You think about this too much, Jonny.” He smiled reassuringly. “It’ll be fine. It’s not like their forcing you to do anything,” he shrugged, “you should be used to it all by now.”
“I think you rub off on me or something,” I started, “or the attention. I don’t know.”
Colin interrupted, “It’s Friday at noon and we’re just supposed to go to their headquarters, which, luckily, is in town.”
“Okay,” I paused, “I’ll just follow you guys, I guess.”
Colin laughed, “Like you always do, Jonny, like you always do.”
---
Night time rolled around and Thom was spending the night again. He looked so cute the way he buried himself under the blankets of my bed while he waited for me. I just stood and gazed out the window for some time, I wasn’t feeling up to sleeping quite yet.
“Jonny,” Thom mumbled, “are you coming to bed soon?”
I nodded. “In a second.”
I quickly changed into my pyjamas and crawled in next to Thom, who was already on the verge of falling asleep. Soon, I could hear the sounds of his rhythmic breathing along with the classical music I had on quietly in the background as I stared blankly into the ceiling…
---
I dreamt that news of Colin’s breakup was all over the front page and people really hated him for it, and they were all screaming how he was a terrible person and that they hated Radiohead now because he was in it. It made me unbearably sad to see Colin being treated like that, because I knew he did nothing wrong…