For the Road

8

Jay!:

Would you like to go wedding shopping with me? I have a few things I need to get at the shops

You:

Really? That sounds lovely!

Jay!:

Can you be in Manchester by noon?

You:

Sure! Can't wait!

It's a few minutes before noon and Anne finds herself pulling into the car park of their café. She looks around the lot and spots Jay's car a few spots down from hers. Anne picks up what little things she has and hurries over to Jay's car.

"Sorry that this is so last minute. I knew I had to come to Manchester to take care of a few things and I figured it would be better if I had a friend come along with me. I hope you didn't have to cancel anything," Jay apologizes. Anne waves her off.

"Absolutely not, it is no big deal. I don't have any plans for today anyway, so I'm actually glad you called. What are we going to be doing?" Anne asks. Jay visually relaxes when she realizes she hasn't caused Anne any fuss. She already feels bad enough knowing her son's tour is being put on hold for her wedding.

"Well, I need to get a few wedding favors for everyone in the ceremony, and I'd just like to shop a little too," Jay say.

"Who all's in your wedding party, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Lottie, Fizzy, and Eleanor. We're trying to keep it family oriented," Jay explains. Anne goes over the names in her head trying to remember who Eleanor is. She's, obviously, familiar with Lottie and Fizzy, but Eleanor isn't someone she quite remembers.

"I feel so bad, but would you remind me who Eleanor is? She must've just slipped my brain."

"Eleanor is Louis's girlfriend. They've been dating for 3 years now, I do believe. We treat her like family," Jay sighs. Anne can tell something's troubling her friend. Most parents love to talk about their children and their future partners, but Jay doesn't seem keen on discussing it. Anne figures Jay probably doesn't like Eleanor as much as she lets on.

"That's nice. My son, Harry, hasn't had a boyfriend in years. I'm never going to be the parent that pressures him into getting in a relationship just so I can have grandchildren," Anne jokes. Harry came out as bisexual in secondary school, but only recently came out as gay. Anne can't be prouder of her son for coming out and is fully supported of him.

"So, Harry's gay?"

"Yeah, and we're all very accepting of him. I've always wanted my children to know that I'll be there for them no matter what," Anne explains. She can still remember the moment Harry came out and the smile on his face will never be something Anne'd forget.

"Did you know he was gay before he came out? I hear parents talk about having a feeling, or just knowing, that their child is gay before they tell anyone," Jay asks.

"Well, it's not like I knew, but you get ideas. Harry's never had female crushes and never talked about girls growing up. He talked about having a girlfriend once in primary school, but it ended pretty quickly. We're also fairly close and being around him and knowing him I knew he wasn't telling me something. I don't think anyone truly knows except for them." Jay nods but doesn't say anything.

After a short moment of silence, they start chatting about the wedding and discuss ideas for party favors. It's harder for Jay because her wedding party happens to be her children. Most of what Anne has seen on Pinterest regarding party favors made for adults. After a while, Jay's decided to get a bag with cosmetics in it.

They decide to go into Ulta and come up with a few ideas in there. "How about nail colors? You could get them to match your wedding theme," Anne suggests. Jay lights up and joins Anne. They pick out three lilac nail colors for the girls. Jay throws in two extras for the twins not wanting them to feel left out of the fun.

The pair goes around a few more shops and buys a few more things to put in the gift bags. Jay's feeling a lot less stressed knowing she got one more thing marked off her never-ending list of things to do before the wedding. Just thinking about the list gives Jay headaches.

They were on their way back to the café, so Jay could drop Anne off when Anne speaks up. "I was thinking of hosting a dinner for you one night before the wedding. I just want to give you one stress-free night that you don't have to cook or worry about. Robin, Harry, and I can drive up the afternoon before and set up and cook for you." Anne's been thinking about hosting a dinner party with the Tomlinsons for a while and with the wedding coming up, Anne assumes Jay would want a night off from the stress of it all.

"I would have to look at my schedule and talk to Dan about it, but that sounds lovely. I would love for you to meet Louis and Eleanor before the wedding. Louis gets back into town the 14th and I'm sure he's going to be tired. Eleanor's coming over on the 15th to have a welcome-home party for him. I'm sure you could come the 16th or 17th, but I still have to talk to everyone about it," Jay explains.

"Sounds like fun. I can't wait for our sons to meet. Wouldn't it be great if they became friends? It would give us a reason to hang out more," Anne laughs.

"Like we need a reason to hang out more," Jay jokes back. Anne thanks Jay one last time as she leaves her car to head back home. When Anne gets back to her car, she immediately pulls out her phone to text her son.

You:

Guess who's the best Mum ever?

My Baby Boy:

You!

You:

Yep, because you're probably going to get to cook for/meet Louis Tomlinson in a few weeks!

My Baby Boy:

Oh. My. God. I love you so much. Do I tell you that enough? You're the best Mum ever!

You:

Better!

On my way home now. Love you! 

~_~_~

Hey guys. Thoughts on Zayn? I've never been so excited to be updating a book for you. I promise that there will be Larry soon! Faith, trust, and pixie dust my friends! Thanks for reading and I hop you enjoyed! ~B