Only a Dream

4

"For fucksake Kelly, could you take any bloody longer?"

I shout up the stairs of her flat, my eyes rolling towards Gracie who sits on the sofa with her eyebrows raised. She doesn't need to say anything for me to know she's thinking that she told me so. She doesn't realise how hard it is to say no to Kelly, or how annoying she can be when you do.

"I'm bloody coming! God, you are so impatient," Kelly shouts down the stairs.

I huff, uncrossing my arms and moving to slump next to Gracie on the sofa, my head falling onto her shoulder with a groan.

"I told you, it should've been just us," she whispers, and I roll my eyes once again.

Grace and I spend a further fifteen minutes competing on 8 ball pool before Kelly finally trumps down the stairs, an extra large suitcase making an obnoxiously loud banging noise with each step she takes.

"Finally," Grace mutters, but I can't help but burst out laughing.

Kelly looks flustered, her face beetroot red and her hair disheveled as her hands land on her hips with a huff.

"Fucking hell Kel," I laugh, smacking the sofa cushion as I cackle, "we're going to London for two days, not a ten day all inclusive to fucking Bali!"

Grace and I burst out laughing as Kelly begins to whine.

"You two are so bloody cruel. I wanted to be prepared for any occasion," she whines and we laugh harder.

We all eventually pile ourselves out after I've called Van that we're ready to be picked up. It's not like he's far, he's only downstairs in the pub with the boys as they have yet another meeting with Mark. Mark ended up never leaving, instead renting a room out in Mary and Bernies BnB while he gets the band set up as a business. He's a lot nicer than his sibling counterpart, and despite our awkward meeting, I've actually ended up getting along with him quite well. We all hustle down the stairs, each with a hand on Kelly's suitcase as we argue about who's going where and how stressful it is. And when we arrive at the bottom, and reach the floor of the pub, the boys' eyes are wide as they witness the scene before them.

"What you got in there Kel? The kitchen sink," Bob jokes and we all laugh at her expense.

"Right fuck you all. Van get a bloody move on, Abby he's cut off!" Kelly shouts, striding outside with her suitcase in tow as we all continue to laugh.

Van laughs but follows Kelly's huff of a request and eventually we all make it to the car. Kelly and Gracie sit in the back, much to poor Grace's dismay, and I sit in the front with Van, his hand laid on my thigh.

"I'm so excited," Kelly gasses ten minutes into the journey, her bad mood long lost in her mind, "I haven't been to London in donkeys!"

"I've been there all too often," Grace retorts miserably.

"Same here Kel," I hum, ignoring Graces self deprecation.

"You girls go careful," Van muses, "it's not as quiet as Llandudno."

"Thanks Dad," I say sarcastically, "you know we're grown adults don't you Van?"

He smirks at my answer, glancing back to Kel who's got her hands on the window as if we've entered into the North Pole rather than the next town over. Van is driving us to London, where we're staying for three nights before he'll pick us up again. He's a God send, having to make a trip on the train with all of Kels bits would be a nightmare.

"What was that Kath?" he hums, "you'd rather me drop you off at the station?"

"Fuck off," I groan, causing for him to laugh.