Spitting Image • TFC 3.0 • l.t. au

Chapter Twelve

12

When Jay got back after talking to Louis, all she said was that he wanted to go home. First thing I did was pick up Blaine and looked for Georgia or Troy in the house. I apologised to them in behalf of Louis but they brushed it away.

I do tell them that I'd be happy to meet them when they're in London. Louis' not going to be happy about that but it's not his decision to make.

The ride home was painfully quiet. It was tense. He tried to get me to talk but I answered him with hums and nods. An hour later, he gave up and we drove to London in silence.

The next morning, Sunday morning, I woke up nearly noon. It was strangely quiet and unusual. I don't hear the sound of Blaine's screams or the usual football commentaries on television downstairs. It's almost as if the whole flat is empty.

The silence got disrupted when my phone rang on the bedside table. Milly's name flashed on the screen.

I answered. First thing I heard was squeal, "Good morning Meg!"

I chuckle and put the phone to my ears, "You alright?" I ask.

"Brilliant! Oh! Happy Birthday!" She beams and I swear I hear a party popper in the background and s single cheer.

Until now, my birthday isn't a big deal for me. It's the same. You get older, you have another year ahead of you. It happens every year.

"D'you have any plans today?" She asks.

"Apparently I don't-" she makes a noise. Sort of a cross between a groan and a whine. "-unless you've got something up your sleeve."

"I always do and you haven't changed one bit. Tell you what, I'll come by in an hour and we'll have lunch, just the two of us." She says. I hear tussling So Ive got the idea that she's doing her laundry or she's in the laundry room.

"Sure. Say, you have any idea where Louis is?" I ask her, throwing my feet over the edge of the bed.

"No but he called me this morning to tell you not to worry in case you called. He's got Blaine and we can meet them later. What happened between the two of you, anyway?" She asks, sounding frustrated.

"We can talk about that later. Right now, I need a shower." I tell her. She says goodbye and hangs up. I got up and went straight into the bathroom to shower.

I changed up immediately and went out when my hour was up. Milly, of course, is parked outside the building, waving at me. I slid in her car and she attacked me with a giant hug the moment I got in.

"I can't believe you're 27 years old! Time flies so fast!" She beams. "It almost feels like it was just yesterday when you turned 22 and we took you to that club."

"Mhm," was all I could say due to lack of air. "If you don't let go, this would be my last birthday, ever."

She lets me go with a laugh only Milly can pull off. No matter how menacing that is. It's Milly's signature grin.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"If I were a really cliché person," Milly says, "I'd have a whole slideshow made for you."

"Oh you would." I say sarcastically making her laugh. "I know you'd never resort to that sort of gesture."

"Yeah, I'm not the most cliché person you know?" She says and takes a sip of her iced tea.

"I don't think you are." I say with a small smile and continued eating the food on my plate.

Milly took me to a Chinese restaurant in the O2 arena. They have amazing food and the best part is its a buffet.