Crushes and Denial (Mavin)

Chapter 7

The next time I see Michael turns out to be in the cafe after I've picked up Johnny and Olivia on Thursday as he was working all week. We walk in and he's sat at our usual table with Lindsay and Meg.
"Hey Gavino." Meg calls and I smile.
"Hey Turney." I sit down and Meg walks over to get cake, Johnny going with her. I'm very aware that everyone here knows that Michael asked me out and Michael probably told Lindsay he almost kissed me like how I told Meg so I feel slightly awkward.
"Is Geoff still having that barbecue tomorrow night?" Lindsay asks before adding "And are you sure he won't mind me bringing Andy?" I nod as Olivia climbs on my lap. Andy is a good friend of Lindsay's and he's staying on her sofa until he finds an apartment.
"Yeah, he's met Andy before, it's calm. Oh, Micool, you can come too if you want to." I say and Lindsay throws a smirk my way before getting up and joining Meg at the counter.
"Come where?" Michael asks.
"Geoffs having a barbecue but it's more a huge party, there's alcohol and Geoff is a great cook and there's gonna be a shit ton of people there." I say and he nods.
"Yeah sure, sounds good." He says and I grin.
"Top. You wanna meet us there? Andy is taking Lindsay and I wouldn't mind taking you but I've already got Johnny, Liv, Meg and our friend Blaine so there's not really space." I ramble and Michael nods.
"Yeah sure." He says smiling just as the other three come back.
"Hey, Michael so are you coming?" Meg asks and Michael nods.
"Why don't we give you a lift there?" Meg offers and I look at her confused.
"I thought you said Blaine wanted a lift?" I ask.
"Oh shit yeah I forgot about Blaine." She says and I chuckle.

I spend the rest of Thursday and half of Friday nervous as fuck and by the time I have to get ready I feel like I'm going to throw up. I help Johnny and Olivia get ready, Johnny wearing black jeans and a t-shirt and Olivia wearing black leggings and a dark blue soft dress. They're both dressed in comfortable clothes because it's not a fancy party and if they fall asleep they'll be comfortable. I also get an overnight bag for them both as they always stay with Geoff after his parties. I do too as I have a few drinks and don't want to drive home drunk and Geoff has a few spare bedrooms that he says are ours if we ever need them, however I might walk Meg home and stay at hers so I leave my overnight bag in the car. I get dressed in jeans and a plain white t-shirt that Meg says I look good in because it shows off my body or something.

We all climb into the car and I make my way to pick up Meg and Blaine from Megs. I always get to Geoffs an hour or so before the party starts to help him set up and to drop the kids bags in their rooms so by the time I've picked up Meg and Blaine and driven the 10 minute drive to Geoff's its only 6pm. Johnny and Olivia go and play football with Millie in the back garden, Meg and Blaine help Griffon in the kitchen and I drop off the bags before helping Geoff in the garden.

"So did you invite Michael?" Geoff asks as we set up speakers under the gazebo.
"Yeah, is that okay?" I ask and Geoff rolls his eyes.
"Gav, he's nice, I like him. I'm not gonna be mad that you invited a guy you like to a party. Besides there's gonna be so many people here that I probably won't see him much." He says and I nod, smiling slightly.

We help set up and start cooking and by around 7:30 the house is full of people. A few RT employees have brought their kids too and they're all playing football at the end of the huge garden and everyone's drinking and chatting and joking. I'm currently standing with Meg, Kerry and Chris listening to Miles tell a story about what happened in Vegas. Meg and I are almost in tears and Chris is laughing so hard he's shaking whilst Kerry is leaning against Chris so he doesn't collapse from laughing. I hear Lindsay call my name and I grin, turning around. They've only just arrived and I was so invested in Miles's story that I forgot how nervous I was.
"Lindsay! You have got to listen to this story!" I call, still laughing and Meg turns around too, leaning on me slightly as she, like Kerry, is weak from laughing.
"Oh dude it's the best thing ever." She says and Lindsay pulls Andy over and I look behind the two of them to see Michael. I smile at him for a second before I feel Meg shove my back and I'm forced to walk over to him.
"Hey boi!" I greet and he smiles.
"Hey Gav." He says.
"Let me introduce you to people." I say quickly because he's wearing a shirt that hugs his body perfectly and I need to stop staring. I grab his forearm and pull him over to the group I was just with, who also now includes Blaine and Aaron.
"Guys! This is Micool. Micool this is Miles, Kerry, Chris, Aaron and Blaine." I introduce and they all say hello before Miles starts telling his story to Lindsay. I'm assuming Meg told them about Michael whilst I was saying hello because Miles shoots me a smirk before starting his story. When the story is over Meg and I are in tears again and everyone else is laughing too. I decide to introduce Michael to more people so we get more drinks before walking round. I see Barbara outside with Ray and I grin. I grab Michaels hand so we don't lose each other in the sea of people and make our way over.
"Barb!" I call, releasing Michaels hand so I can hug her.
"Micool this is Barbara and Ray, guys this is Micool." I say and Ray gives me a knowing look. We start a conversation about halo when I hear Geoff call me. I look to my right and see him holding a crying Olivia. He passes her to me and I frown.
"What happened buddy?" I ask as Johnny runs up to us.
"She fell, is she okay?" He asks and I nod.
"Of course she is." I say before looking at Olivia.
"Where does it hurt, kiddo?" She holds up her hand, all five fingers spread apart and her palm scratched but not bleeding.
"Gavvy's magic kiss?" She asks and I smile. I press a kiss to her palm and she grins.
"There we go! All better." I say, kissing the side of her head and putting her down, watching as she runs off holding Johnny's hand.
"Be careful!" I call after them and Johnny throws me a thumbs up before running back to the end of the garden.

Michael and I spend the next few hours talking to as many people as possible and at around 11 we go into the kitchen to see Griffon. She hasn't met Michael yet.
"Griffon! This is Micool. Micool this is Griffon, Geoffs wife, my unofficial godmother and the most kick ass woman I know." I introduce them and Griffon stares at Michael like Geoff did.
"Nice to meet you, Michael." She says after a few seconds and Michael smiles slightly.
"Nice to meet you too." We stay and talk to Griffon for a while and as we're walking away she mouths that she approves and I grin. I put Olivia and Johnny to bed just after we leave the kitchen and tell Michael he can either come with or do whatever. I carry Olivia upstairs, freeing Muriel who had been holding her when she fell asleep. I put her in bed, tuck her in and kiss her forehead before walking into my room.

We stayed with Geoff for a few months when we first moved to America and he decorated our rooms especially for each of us as well as putting a framed photo of us with our parents in our old back garden on the desk by the bedroom door. I walk over to the picture and pick it up, running a finger across my mum and dad, grins on their face. Dad has his right arm around mum and his left hand on my shoulder. Mums holding a baby Olivia and I have both of my arms wrapped around Johnny so that my arms are crossed slightly across his front. I smile slightly as I remember when this photo was taken. I hear someone clear their throat, quietly though as if they don't want to interrupt a thought. I turn around see Michael leaning against the doorway. It's dark upstairs so I can only see his features from the glow of the fairy lights in the garden coming through the window.

"Hey." He says as I place the photo back down and walk over to him.
"Hey." I mumble. We stand in the doorway staring at each other for god knows how long. It feels like hours when it's probably only a minute. All I know is Michael is smiling and he has a soft amazing look in his eye and it could be love but I don't know.
"Gav?" He says quietly but it's quite a lot quieter upstairs and I can hear him over the music.
"Yeah boi?" I mumble back.
"Your friends are really nice." He says quietly, referring to the mass of people downstairs.
"I know, they really like you." I smile. "Griffon really likes you." I add and Michael smiles somewhat proudly.
"She's your Godmother?" He asks and I nod.
"Unofficial godmother." I correct and he nods.
"I guess that's a good thing then." He says, referring to her liking him, and I smile slightly, no longer nervous like I was a few hours ago because the alcohol in my system has decided fuck it but still not at all confident.
"We should, er, get back to the party." I say and as we walk downstairs I see Ryan and Jack talking to Ray near the bottom of the stairs. Ray sees Michael and I coming and immediately shuts up.

"Hey Gav. Who's this?" Jack asks as neither him nor Ryan has been introduced to Michael yet.
"This is Micool, Micool this is Ryan and Jack." I say and they say hello before Ray grabs my arm and pulls me aside, leaving Michael with Ryan and Jack.
"I need to talk to you." He says and I nod, confused and looking back over to Michael who looks nervous as Ryan talks to him. Ryan and Jack have their backs to me so all I can see is Michaels face.
"What are they doing?" I ask and Ray shakes his head.
"Not important. What happened when you were upstairs?" He asks and I keep my eyes on Michael, who is now saying something that I can't hear.
"Nothing, I put Olivia and Johnny to bed and then me and Micool had a very brief conversation about how he thinks you lot are top. Now what are they doing?" I ask and Ray sighs.
"Alright, I told them about you and Michael, Meg told me, and they wanted to have a chat with him and Ryan said something about putting him in the hole with Edgar but he probably wasn't serious they just want to make sure you're going to be okay." He says and I roll my eyes.
"Why does everyone need to have a word with him?" I ask as Jack turns around and calls
"You can come back now." Ray grabs my arm and drags me back over, obviously excited to hear how it went.
"Alright, so I think he's alright but Ryan isn't convinced." Jack says and Ryan nods slowly, staring at Michael for a second before looking at me.
"Yeah, not sure yet. He's funny I'll give him that." Ryan says and I raise an eyebrow.
"You realise he's right here?" I say and Ryan nods once in acknowledgment.
"Yeah and so he knows not to fuck up our Brit." Ryan says and I roll my eyes, smiling.
"I would say he's not normally like this, but he's usually worse." I say to Michael before grabbing his wrist and pulling him over to Miles and Blaine.