SomeWhere On... (BXB)

...Deck 05

So I smile. But inside, I want to fucking shoot something.

Because Murph's aunt just asked me about my family. This is all at a table that seats eight in the ship's dining room, so it's loud and anyone can hear us talking.

Again, I want to shoot something.

What's worse is that I'm still not totally sure how it happened. I WhatsApp'd Murph, we talked about stuff, and that's it. Dinner in the dining room together. Except he didn't tell me his family was coming, too.

So now I have this shit-eating grin on my face and just hope that nothing too severe comes up.

"So Toumas, whaddya do fer a livin'?" she asks. I don't understand her, her accent's too thick. And that's saying something. I have relatives in Yorkshire.

Murph tells me it's a Brooklyn accent.

Doesn't mean I can understand it now.

There's five other people at the table. One's his sister, and she's really little. Like. I think she's in primary school. I don't know where else she'd be. Unless she's, like, a midget or something.

I look at my phone. I've been here for twenty minutes already.

"Toumas?" This old woman looks at me. "What do you do fer a livin'?"

My name isn't 'Thomas'. It's literally just 'Tom'.

I laugh. "Uh...I'm a...I bartend." I haven't bartended in about a year. I'm unemployed right now, so go me.

"Oh! Where duyou bartend?"

I swallow and eye Murph, hoping he'll help me. Except fucking Murph's looking like I'm telling the most engaging story in human history, hints of dimples showing and I'm slightly relieved that they're there. But he's not reading what my face is saying.

"Uh...I was...at a hotel in Belgravia." Pfft. Yeah. More like Whitechapel. It was on the river though, and that was cool.

"Oh, how fanceh!" she exclaims, taking a sip of her chardonnay, and I snort out my laugh. Who the fuck says that?

"I didn't know you were doing that," Murph whispers.

I smile and lean over towards him. "Because it's not true, mate," I hiss through my teeth.

Murph inhales, a contemplative expression on his face. And then he asks, "...why?"

OH MY FUCKING GOD, MURPH.

"Are you planning to roise up in the company?" his aunt asks.

I look back to her. "I'm sorry?"

"Bartendin'," she clarified. "Do you wanna be a bartender forevuh?"

"Aunt Caitlin, stop," Murph mutters. "You asked me to invite him."

"You did?"

His aunt smiles. "Of course. In fact, Murph didn't wantchu tuh come."

Now I'm just confused. "Really?"

Murph's turning red, and I'm almost, like, a billion percent certain that he's embarrassed. It's not that "Oh God, she's talking in front of my crush" look. It's this "Oh God, I've been found out."

So now I'm not just confused but also curious. "What do you mean?"

"Well, how would you feel, talkin' in front of yer lovuh?" She takes a sip of her wine.

And I slowly turn to Murph, just...no emotion. I'm not pissed off. I'm not even, like, angry or something. And Murph's avoiding eye contact like he'll literally die if he looks at me. Murph's not just embarrassed. He's ashamed.

Because of course Murph would talk to his aunt about us.

"...really?"

Murph looks at me and inhales, his breath shaking. "Okay. Okay." He sighs. "But to my credit, I was really confused, and, and yes, even angry at you." His voice is low and quiet, quiet enough to be heard by just me and his Aunt. Maybe the stranger besides us, but that's it.

His aunt waved her hand. "Oh, please, Toumas. He didn't tell me."

I blink. "How'd you figure it out?"

Her eyebrows rise. "Murph, ah luv ya, but you're kind of obvious." Murph gone red. Redder even. I don't think there's any blood in his arms anymore. It's all in his head. "Oh, ah may be old, but I'm still kickin'." She winks at me.

Okay, so I don't get to be mad at Murph anymore.

I'll be pissed at his aunt.

"So...why am I here?"

"Oh, hunney, this was a ruse." She stands and takes her bag. Little midget sister stands up, too. "Have fun." Her mouth opens as she waves, walking out towards the doors to the dining room, little sister on her trail.

Leaving me, Murph, and four strangers at a table.

"She's a lot nicer than that. I promise," Murph whispers. His jaw is clenched and his posture slouched.

Why do I want to murder everyone in this guy's family?

"Nothing's stopping me from goin'," I say, and stand up.

Murph takes my hand and stands. "If you're going, I'm going."

Oh yeah. He's stopping me from going.

I sigh. "No food?"

"We can get food at the Schooner Cafe." He looks down at himself, dressed in a blazer, khaki shorts and a button down. "I...might need to change."

I'm just hungry. I don't really care what he wears.

Okay, I do a little.

"Okay...just...sit down."

I sit. Murph stays still, holding my hand. "Wh - you're okay, here?"

I'm touched for a moment, and then I swallow, forcing my stomach back beneath my heart. "Let's just get this out of the way now, yeah?" Murph sits, keeping his blue eyes on me. "Okay, I got a question. How did you not - " Nope. That's not that way to phrase it. "Did you aunt say anything about luring me here?"

Murph shakes his head. "No. I said you were on the cruise, and then she asked me to invite you for dinner." He swallows and shakes his head. "But I said no. And then she threatened me and I said okay."

Okay, I take it back. I love his aunt.

"So..." My hands drop into my lap. "Was there anything you wanted to say to me?"

Murph looks around and stands. "No, I'm not okay here." He grabs my shirt sleeve and tugs. "I need something quieter."

I follow, but only after he tugs on my sleeve two more times.