Called It

Chapter 9

Simon

I take out my phone as soon as we get in the car. I open my messages and see that Baz texted me.

1:03
Baz: Hey, don't tell Penny, but we're gonna hijack her relationship.
1:07
Baz: For good
1:10
Baz: Like, not forever, for good, but like, for the opposite of evil, for good.
1:13
Baz: I'm just gonna stop now.

I chuckle. Baz may act all suave, but he can be a real hot mess sometimes. It's like when a normal person is drunk. But he's cool when he's drunk. When he's low on blood, however, he can get a little... well, a little like me. Rambling. Like I am now.

"Hey Simon," Penny says, softly.

"Yeah, Pen?"

"Did you know the Mage had a girlfriend named Lucy?"

"He what?"

"Yeah, my mom says that Lucy and Davy ‒the Mage‒ were always together. She thought it was gross."

"That's nice Pen. Do you think that woman was the Mage's girlfriend?"

"No. I think that Davy's Lucy lives in America. I mean, where else would she be?"

"Okay, Pen." I pull out of the parking lot.

We sit in silence for most of the ride home.

"Simon," Penny says at one point.

"Yes, Penny?"

"I think I want to marry Micah."

"Are you going to propose to him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because."

"Okay."

"Do you want to marry Baz?"

The question takes me by surprise. "I- I mean, I don't‒ I haven't thought about it."

"Really? Because last week, you said you did."

"I did?"

"Yeah. When we went out drinking. We were in the cab and you were rambling, and Baz told you to stop talking before you said something stupid, and you said 'Like what, marry me?' then freaked out about your wings."

I blush. It must have been a long night.

Penny gasps.

"What? Are you okay? Does your leg hurt? Do I need to pull over?"

"We should get married."

"Um... Pen... You're like a sister to me."

"Not like that, Simon. I mean we should propose to our boyfriends."

"That would be something, wouldn't it?" I smile

Baz

"Hey, Micah?" I ask as we sip our coffee.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"How much do you remember from the night we went drinking?"

Micah goes still. His eyes focus on the rim of his cup. "Everything."

"What do you think about what Simon said?" I break a chunk off of a chocolate chunk scone.

"About moving to America?"

I cough. "What?"

"Oh shit. Did you not hear that conversation?"

"No! I heard a conversation you two had about you moving to England, but I certainly did not hear a conversation about him moving to America." I can't believe Simon didn't tell me about that. Has he thought about moving to America before?

"Well‒ I mean, I don't think he's totally serious, he was pretty drunk..."

"Well, what I was going to ask about was him talking in the cab on the way back to the flat."

"Oh."

"I think..."

"You want to marry him?"

"Yeah. I do." I blush.

"You should propose," Micah says.

"You think? I mean..."

"Baz, if you love him, which you obviously do, and you can picture yourself spending the rest of your life with him, then, of course, you should."

"What about you?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you obviously love Penelope, that's no question. And if you guys got married, you could live together and see each other all the time, not just once in a while. I mean, it's our last year of Uni. Then we'll officially be functioning adults."

Micah swirls his coffee in his hand. "God. I can't believe it's already our last year of college. Where did time go?"

"I wish I knew. I feel like I just met Simon yesterday." I look down at my scone. I used to hate scones. I thought they were dry and crumbly, and super overrated. But Simon eats them so much that I took one every once in a while, and they started to grow on me. "I can't believe that I'm bloody in love with Simon Snow."

"Hey, man, I thought it was pretty crazy at first too. I mean, you're all suave and stuff with the ladies, they all fawn over you. But they fawn over Simon too."

I laugh. "Yeah, gay culture is attracting all the females in the vicinity."

"Oh my god you're referencing a meme. I never thought this day would come! O' World! You've granted this man the ability to be normal! How kind you are." Micah moves his hands around, making ridiculous gestures. People on the streets stare. I sit there and laugh. And it's the first time I've laughed with someone other than Penny or Simon in a very long time.