A/N: Hey guys! This chapter is a little short but I just moved out of my house so things have been pretty hectic... I'm in university now (Edinburgh Napier if anyone is interested ;)))) )

Thanks for reading- please review

P.S- This is part one of many so expect the weekend to go on for a while...

Chapter Twenty

Where Did the Party Go? – Part One

"Are you ready Lovi?"

I could barely keep the smile off my face as Lovino shoved his night bag into the back of the car and sat in the passenger seat. He seemed far less disgruntled than usual! We were both bursting with excitement!

Just over a week had passed since I had taken Lovi out to that movie and just a few days after my phone call with Gilbert to confirm a date for Lovi and to visit him and Francis to get another one of those bucket list items checked off for good!

I had closed the cafe for the weekend, filled out the paperwork needed to take Lovino out of hospital for a few nights and got him and me both to pack a bag.

Now the only thing that lay between us and a weekend on the town was a trip on the train- I didn't think I would survive if we drove, the trip home would be murder if I was hungover! Besides I liked the train, it was relaxing, mostly because I didn't need to focus.

"Good thing I don't have to spend three hours in this piece of shit." He told me as he scanned the car as he always did, "I'd probably catch something."

I laughed as I buckled up, "Lovi have you ever been on a train?"

There was a moment silence before he punched me on the arm, "The fuck kind of question is that!? I'm almost twenty dammit!"

I smiled; his punches couldn't bring me down today! "Don't you love it?" I knew I was asking silly questions, but I was giddy!

He shrugged, "Better than a drive in this thing, that's for sure."

I had my hands on the wheels and took a deep sigh, looking over to him... Why did I have to find him so perfect? It was really gonna drive me crazy...

Before he noticed my eyes resting on him I was back to getting the car ready to go, I started the engine and we were pulling out and away from the hospital. This would be the last he saw of it for a little while now!

"What time are we actually gonna get there?" He asked after he had settled down from his craning in his seat to flip off the hospital building one final time as it disappeared.

It was a good question! Even though I had just picked Lovi up, it was actually five thirty! I wanted to work one last day before we left, and the real fun was starting the next day so I figured it would be fine if we took a later train.

"Around eight." I estimated, "Tonight we're not doing anything. We're sleeping at Francis' place and waiting for tomorrow for it to get going!"

He sighed and sat back, "This better be fucking worth the hype."

I nodded. It was true; I had really bigged this trip up into an experience of a lifetime. But in a way it sort of was... Even if he got a taste for what we were going to do, this was bound to be special! And even if he realised this kind of thing wasn't for him, he would have memories- either way, it was going to be an experience.

"It's going to be so much fun!" I repeated for what must have been the tenth time that week, "I've always loved hanging with those guys, but it's gonna be even better with you there!"

"Tch..." He made a point of staring out the window then, but I knew what I said was true.

It wasn't a long drive to the station; I bought both the tickets and a snack for each of us before we made our way for the platform.

The train rolled up right on time, and being one of the first stations it visited Lovi and I got a great choice of seats. Well, he got a great choice, I was just following him.

We ended up in a booth with a table; we sat opposite, facing each other. These booths were better for groups of four, but since we both got to sit by the window and there weren't many others around I didn't say anything as he leaned forward on the white plastic table between us and looked at me intensely.

"I finished the book." He told me as we started to pull away from the station.

"Norwegian Wood?" I smiled and leaned forward too, "You really finished it? That's great!"

He shrugged and looked away a little, "I know I was as slow as fuck, but I case you forgot; I do have a brain tumour that makes reading and concentrating hurt like hell so I'm not a huge reader."

I almost reached out to grab his arm but held back, "Don't say that!" I put my hand on my chest, it was my favourite book and he had really fought to read it, "I'm so proud of you!" I really did hope that me usually being so happy didn't take away from how sincere I was trying to be...

I sat back in my seat and tilted my head as I looked at him, "I really am so glad you liked it." My voice was softer now as the thought of Lovi curled up in bed trying so hard to get his head around characters that even I found complex mellowed inside me, "It's better than the movie, right?"

He nodded enthusiastically, "Damn right!" He smiled a little, "I don't how, but that book affected me."

"Yeah," I agreed. We were both looking out the window now, watching the trees rush by, "What did you think of the ending."

"Weird." He was blunt, but right, "What the hell was I supposed to take from that?"

I laughed, "That's Murakami! Sometimes you really have to think about it to see why it's really an ending, y'know?"

He glanced at me, "No. What's your take on it, smart ass?"

"Well..." I began; something was welling up in my chest. Something warm and right. Here was Lovi and I just chatting in neutral... We were always so caught up, he was always getting mad and out conversations were so fast paced, either that or they were so slow and gentle. This was the medium, talking like equal friends, no frills, no explosions, just discussing what interested us. We didn't get that so often, and it was so easy to forget about.

"The book is sort of a journey, right?" I carried on, "And the journey had ended. That's it!"

He sighed; obviously my explanation wasn't as deep as he hoped! "How can you say it ended? We're totally just left mid climax!"

I shrugged, "Maybe it's not fair to call to the rest of Toru's more meaningful than the others. Why wasn't the very start as climactic as the ending to you? Sure he let things go, but when he still felt one way his feelings were just as important to him as the ones at the end."

Lovi narrowed his eyes, "You're gonna give me a headache in a minute, I don't get this shit."

I paused, trying to find a better way of putting all this.

"Okay," Take two! "The basis of the book is a choice, right?"

"Between the past and present?"

"Right!" I confirmed, "And do you think he make a decision?"

He bit his lip and nodded.

"So why go on?" I concluded, "The story of Toru's choice had been made. Murakami couldn't go on forever. Toru's life carried on, it would be silly to think that he stopped when that choice was made- so we had to cut it off when he was leaving that behind him"

There was a moment when Lovi blinked and nodded slowly, now he was getting it! "Still could have given us a few more pages to round it all off a little more."

I shrugged, "I get it." I agreed, "I felt the same way. But life doesn't get rounded off! Will yours?"

He looked at his hands, "I thought we were doing that right now."

I sighed and tilted my head, "No one can round your life off, Lovi. That's a good thing."

He pressed his forehead and we exchanged a glance before both looking out the window again.

"For a jackass..." He began and I grinned, knowing a comment about me was coming, "You can be pretty damn deep." He prodded my arm with his index finger.

I just laughed.

.oO0Oo.

Lovi listened to music and watched out the window after that for an hour at least. I didn't have anything to listen to but I was still content watching him. It was so peaceful between us, it always was. I was beginning to understand now why he called us soul mates once, not romantic ones so much, but just two people who just worked together. We weren't similar in any way but it still all worked.

I had a faint smile on as I looked out the window with him; he was so perfect to me.

I heard the first noise from him that I had heard ever since he put the headphones in his ears then. It was a sigh and I looked at him to see him yank the buds out his ears,

"It's all bull." He muttered without much context (actually he gave no context).

"Hm?" I also made the first noise I had made in a while.

He nodded to the battered looking ipod that rested on the plastic table between us, "It doesn't even have any damn storage left and I still can't find shit I want to listen to."

I nodded slowly and leaned forward to peer at the ipod, "What music do you like, Lovi?" Funnily enough we had never actually talked about the music the two of us listened to... Judging by our personalities though, I had a feeling we had slightly different tastes...

He shrugged, "Just shit."

I tapped the black screen with a curious smile, "Can I look?"

He gave me a look of disgust and grabbed the device from the table, "What the fuck? No!"

I frowned, though maybe I should have expected that reaction, "Why not?" Suddenly I wanted to find out Lovi's music tastes really bad! "It's just music!"

"There's embarrassing stuff on there!" He protested.

I laughed, "Aw, come on... How bad can it be?" I widened my eyes and leaned forward, "Is it Kidz Bop?"

He looked totally offended at that idea, "Tonio!? What the hell do you take me for!? Ew, no!"

I laughed again and sat back in my seat, "Well it's gonna be better than that, right?"

He gave a loud huff, "Still embarrassing."

I raised my brow, "Lovi... If you don't show me I'll just think you have Kidz Bop."

"Che..." He looked at me intensely, "You know this is blackmail, right?"

I didn't reply, he looked tense.

He made a sound out frustration, "Fine!" He exclaimed and pushed the ipod over to me, "Just don't laugh."

I thanked him excitedly and brought up his artists as fast as my inexperienced fingers could go on the touch screen.

Wow... Lovi sure liked his music! He had more artists on here than artists I had ever heard of in my life...

And most of them were ones I didn't recognise.

I read out the ones that I did know, "Arctic Monkeys..." I murmured mostly to myself, "Awolnation..." I looked up at him, "I think I heard that name somewhere."

"Have you been living under a rock?"

I looked back at the screen and was a little surprised to find one name I definitely recognised, "Brittany Spears?!" That was certainly a surprise!

He scowled at me, blushing darkly, "Hey! You said you wouldn't laugh!"

I grinned, "I'm not laughing, Lovi!"

He narrowed his eyes, "You're about to!"

I grinned and looked back at the screen, picking up the pace with my scrolling... Gosh... I really didn't know many of these, "Fall Out Boy... Lana Del Rey..." There seemed to be hundreds and barely recognised two!

Then I found some foreign names half way down and I knew with these ones, I wouldn't be the only one who didn't recognise them, "Are these guys Italian?"

He nodded, I didn't need to show him for him to know what I was talking about, "Traditional stuff." He added, "Grandpa showed me it."

I nodded, "Is it good?"

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, no shit!" He folded his arms, "Why the hell else would they be on there?"

I laughed, "Lovi, you do have Brittany Spears..."

He glared at me for that before looking down, "That shit is catchy."

.oO0Oo.

We arrived there only a little later than planned, the station was quiet when we and only a few other riders got off onto the empty platform.

"Jeeze... Warm welcome." Lovi muttered, pulling his arms around himself tightly.

We took the bus to Francis' place. It was strange, it wasn't late but we both seemed to be tired. It wasn't even dark out.

"What's this guy actually like?" Lovi finally asked, it was the first time he had acknowledged that someone else apart from us would be there in Francis' apartment tonight and we were halfway up the stairs to his front door.

"Francis?" Oh gosh... How did I explain Francis in a way that wouldn't put Lovi off? Was it even possible?

"He's pretty dramatic!" I told him... That was true, right? "But he's nice. And he likes to make people happy."

Before Lovi could start to question my vague description of one of my best friends we were at the door already. He looked up at it a little uncertainly as I chapped on it. Poor guy, this must have been pretty daunting for him...

"He's-"

Before I could reassure Lovino anymore the door swung open and the weekend had begun.