Chapter 12: The Triple Date.
POV: Thomas
As I've awoke from my slumber, I glanced over at Lady, whom was still asleep and curled up like a cat. She had calmed me down from yet another nightmare last night, and I couldn't help but feel extremely lucky to be having her as my Girlfriend.
"She looks absolutely cute sleeping like this." I thought as I then gently brushed some strands of her golden hair off of her face.
School was to start in about a week from now, and so I intended to savor moments like this one with Lady. Yeah she did go to the same school, but it was highly likely that our classes were separate from one another. So spending time with one another might be a challenge.
As I gently caressed Lady's cheek with my fingertips, a realization came to me.
"Darn. I really forgot how many days it has been since Geoffrey trashed my guitar. I really must get a new one."
For a person who was really beaten up by his former classmates, I really got far with playing the guitar and even managed to figure out the cords used in many of the opening songs from the animes I like. Personally though, I don't know how well my singing was, since I've kept my singing voice to myself and just myself. Not even my parents know about it, just to explain how scare my singing voice was to the outside world.
Sighing and shaking my head to try to bring myself back on track, I was about to reach over and grab my phone, when a certain someone woke up.
"Mm... Thomas?"
"Morning, Lady." I greeted in reply, as she let out a yawn.
"Did you sleep well?" She then asked me as I nodded in reply.
"Far better than those nights before I met you." I then said with a smile. "Still can't believe that I've won your heart."
Lady let out a giggle as she heard my words. Waking up and seeing my life with her as my reality was always so soothing to know.
As we then got ready for the day in separate rooms, I've double checked my bank account to see how much money I have, hoping that I've received compensation for a video editing job I've done for someone before I've left Brighton but to only be greatly disappointed in the end.
"Seriously?!"
POV: Lady.
I've had just got changed into my fresh set of clothes within my morning shower routine when I heard Thomas's displeased voice. Stepping out I saw him looking quite cross as he texted to someone.
"Something happen?" I asked in concern.
Thomas growled slightly, clearly at the fact that got him ticked off and not me.
"Remember that video editing job that I took on before leaving Brighton?" He asked me, prompting me think back some days back.
"Yeah." I replied. "The guy said that he'll pay you big time for it, right?"
"Yeah." He replied. "And get this, my payment did come in, but it was only £20.00! And since the guy is living very close to a rich life, and the fact that I've edited a 4 hour movie you'd expect to get at least 15 times the money he gave me! So in a sense..."
"You got ripped off." I finished, sighing upon seeing that Thomas did indeed have a point on where he came from.
He was really looking forward to his payment but to only be somewhat ripped off in the end was infuriating. But that said, something about this particular fustration of his as well as the timing he checked his account told me that there was more than disappointment in being underpaid. Glancing carefully at him, I said my next set of words.
"Thomas, what were you going to get with that money?"
His expression of frustration turned into one of insecurity as his mouth began to tremble. I knew this look all too well. He was scared and scared to sound a bit selfish.
I kicked in the charm and gently placed my hands on his cheeks. I know it sounds seductive, but my intentions were to get Thomas to speak his mind and not be afraid to say what he wants. His mouth began to jitter more. This time clearly moving as if he's trying to hold his words back.
"Please tell me." I then said sweetly. "I won't mind if you wish to get yourself something. Especially if it's expensive. Please Thomas. I won't judge you in your choices. Ever."
A breath left his mouth as his eyes gazed at mine. Becoming much more composed and at ease. A grunt then came as he slowly eased out his words.
"Alright." He uttered. "I was hoping to get a new guitar with that money."
"A-a guitar?!" I exclaimed, shocked at what I heard.
My boyfriend nodded as he began to look sheepishly away.
"I... I actually found that I had a fondness with them." He stammered shyly as he began to look all worried. "I've practiced for years, and got really good with it. Even mastering some difficult anime opening covers. I-I know it's probably going to be a bit disruptive, and maybe even expensive. But since I'm on Sodor and I feel a bit more free here. I thought I should take it up again and buy a new since Geoffrey trashed my first one."
Upon hearing that, I could NOT hold back any bit of excitement within me. My boyfriend was a FREAKING guitar player and wanted to reignite his talent for it! I slammed my hand on the nightstand, and stared straight at him with a serious look across my face.
"You ARE going to have a guitar. No excuses!"
My boyfriend nodded in acknowledgement as I then grabbed his hand. I know it seems a bit scary, but at times you got to do what you got to do to help your lover be confident with their choices. Anyways after that hand grab we headed down to the kitchen to have breakfast, and in a nutshell tell mum and dad that we may be out for a long period today. Nothing much else worth mentioning.
POV: Thomas.
Sometime after leaving the penthouse, Lady dragged me across Knapford, through a quite interesting shortcut that was actually low on spectators. When we arrived at our destination, I gasped in shock as I saw a massive mall before us.
"Here's the Knapford mall center." Lady said to me sweetly. "This place has quite a few shops, including a few music stores. Figured you'd rather have a variety and see what perks your interest."
"I guess that wouldn't hurt." I replied, still in awe at how huge the mall was. "However, how did you know about the music stores here?"
My girlfriend chuckled nervously as she scratched the back of her head.
"Well um... I may have a few friends who go here from time to time." She admitted as her sweat dropped.
I was a bit more curious now, and was about to ask her more about them, when two feminine voices called out to her.
"Hey! Lady!"
"What are you doing here?!"
"Ah! Emily! Rosie! Hey!" My girlfriend called back as two girls of the same age as her dashed up to her.
From where I stood it was clear that these two were good friends of hers.
As they chatted, I was sure to keep my mouth tight shut. For I didn't want to bother them. But of course that would not be the case.
"Oh my gosh! We're so glad to have you back, Lady!"
"Yeah! We are! But... Um... Who's that boy to your left?"
I felt a bit of uneasiness rush into me as Lady placed her arm gingerly around my side.
"They're okay, sweetie." She then whispered into my ear to reassure me before turning back to the two other girls before us. "Gals, this here is my new boyfriend. Thomas Billinton. He came all the way from Brighton!"
The two other girls blinked at one another before turning their attention back to Lady. Their expressions clearly perplexed.
"So if he's from Brighton why haven't we heard about until now?"
"I've actually met him during my days there while I was on my tour." Lady explained as she sheepishly tapped the tips of her index fingers together. "Long story short, our parents were apparently friends from high school, and since I've wanted a taste of a normal teenager life there before leaving, dad and Mr. Billinton agreed for us to meet after a quick run in to each other. It was just going to be for fun, but after getting to know Thomas a little as well seeing how he reacted to me getting frightened... well... uh..."
Oh gosh, did that face look cute. She was clearly a bit embarrassed at our night of Anime within that very hotel. Though the most we did was make out and cuddle, I could certainly tell that my pop star idol girlfriend was still flustered by the fact that memory. Smiling, I've wrapped my arms around her, much like I did on that very night. A slightly deeper blush came upon her face as I did so.
"Uhh... Thomas... What are you..."
"Just hugging you, Lady." I replied with a smirk.
I could tell that my tease was working for her blush was looking more and more intense by the second. She then pushed me off trying to not scream in embarrassment.
"I-idiot." She stammered. "Gosh darn it. Why did have to be THAT hug?!"
"Because it was the one where you tried to kiss me in." I replied cheekily.
Lady froze upon hearing my words.
"YOU SAW THAT?!"
"Yes." I blankly replied. "I did."
Lady let off a sigh and began to pout. I guess she never expected me to spot her attempt to kiss me as I was in that position that very night.
"Darn it." She whined. "Why did you have to be so preceptive, Thomas?"
"Well it's a given when you're always expecting someone to come up behind you and attack you for no reason." I simply said.
Lady's expression changed to more of a less pouty look, while Emily and Rosie's were both filled with question.
"Wait?" Emily began.
"Attack?!" Quizzed Rosie.
Both girls were easily confused. Lady glanced over at their direction to explain.
"Yes. Attacked." She replied. "Thomas here was often bullied by every student in his high school in Brighton. It was so bad that very few of the staff would do ANYTHING about it, especially when it comes to his received injuries. It's for that reason I brought back here with me."
Emily and Rosie both gasped as they turned their attention towards me.
"Oh my gosh! How awful."
"It was indeed." I replied to the girl in emerald. "My late older brother, Timothy was the only one who could keep it to an absolute low before he died. Not to mention the multiple girls who dumped me for the guy who beats me up the most."
"Are you fricking kidding me?!" Rosie cried out in anger. "That's beyond horrible! They're total bunch of filthy, lying, dirty, cheating, Jack..."
"I think that's enough Rosie!" Emily swiftly cut in. "I don't think cussing will help us in the moment."
She then preceded to gaze at Lady.
POV: Lady.
"Perhaps, we can pull off a triple date together with James and Percy."
I dropped my jaw in disbelief as I've heard Emily's words.
"Wait, James and Percy are here?!"
"Yes." My friend in emerald replied. "They're currently waiting for us inside, itching to get some new cords and amplifiers for their stage band at school."
I felt a smile creep upon my face, as I remembered why Thomas and I came here in the first place.
"That actually sounds very convenient." I remarked. "Thomas here wishes to get a new guitar, and so, I've brought him here since this place overall has a larger variety then anywhere on Sodor."
"Really now?" Emily went on with an intrigued kind of tone. "Well, I suppose he'll be happy to receive some help navigating through the store. Right?"
"I guess so." Thomas replied timidly. "I mean, I suppose know the best shops would be prudent for finding the right guitar."
Emily smiled broadly as did Rosie.
"Looks like it's settled!" Emily declared as she clasped her hands. "Come on, Lady! Let's have you and your boyfriend join us for a triple couple date!"
"Right!" I replied back. "Come on Thomas! Let's meet up with Percy and James!"
"Right behind you!" He complied, before following me and my friends inside.
POV: Thomas.
Upon entering into the mall's center, we saw quite a few people walking about the place, unaware of who they were passing. I was honestly in awe of the fountain, and the beautiful architecture it had upon it.
"I'll certainly never see this in Brighton." I thought, as I continued to follow my girlfriend.
"Sodor according to the brochure that visitors would receive is the epicenter for talented artists of many kinds." Lady stated to me as I followed her and her friends. "For this reason, they have a lot of shops and places where their abelite's can be put to excellent use. But in my personal experience, nothing is a better source for the art of stage play: singing, dancing etc., than this mall here. I've been to many different place, and if you want good quality the shops here offer the best while still having a very good variety."
We continued on for a little while, until we stopped over by a sector that had a string of musical shops and stores. Emily and Rosie walked happily over to two guys the same age as me. One was just a bit shorter than me with attire clad in green, and the other was clad in red, just a bit taller than his girlfriend in emerald. I picked up whatever courage I had within as I heard them speak to one another. My hand clutching Lady's.
"Hey, James." Emily began somewhat seductively. "Look who Rosie and I found."
James glanced over from his girlfriend to mine a smiled slightly before frowning as he saw me. His black eyes clearly full of distasteful as I felt any confidence I had wash away. Fortunately for me, Lady sensed my concern and promptly stepped in.
"James. I know that you're a good friend of mine who's willing to scare away the crowding fans, but this guy with me is my new boyfriend and I want you to get along with him."
James only scoffed at this.
"Are you absolutely sure that you want him, Lady? He doesn't look like he's got the skills or abilities to keep a relationship with you."
"I'm certain of it!" Lady declared firmly. "And mind you. Thomas here is actually better off with me sense his previous school in Brighton was nothing more than a heck-hole for him. He's been beaten, dumped and even broken to beyond a healthy point. Not to mention his guitar and talent with it been trashed by the very guy whom gave him the most grief. If you have a problem with him, you'll have my fist to answer to. And just to clarify, I scratched up the very guy who's the absolute worse to Thomas when he tossed him into a locker, so don't think I'm bluffing just because you're a friend."
James's eyes widened and shined with pure fear as he saw the darkened look on my girlfriend's face. Gosh! She certainly did take things pretty far for me. Oh, what did I do to deserve her?
POV: Lady.
"Um... alright." James stammered as he sweat dropped.
Hehe, that certainly showed him. He was now showing an expression very similar to that of Geoffrey's in Thomas's last day in that Brighton school. No-one is going to have the pleasure of harassing my dear sweet Thomas. Not even those who are close to me.
As I held my sadistic grin, Percy and James decided to properly introduce themselves to my lover which made me pretty pleased to say the least.
"Um... uh... sorry about my behavior. My name's James."
"And I'm Percy. Nice to meet you Thomas."
"Thanks." He replied, letting out a sigh of relief. "So... uh... are you both also getting something from these stores?"
Oh boy... they smiled. James and Percy are going to state about IT.
"Yes we are! James and I have to get a few new things for the Instruments of some of our friends. We kinda have our own band, not to brag or anything like that."
Oh, that smile on Thomas's face! He was looking truly happy, which was pretty rare during his days in Brighton.
"Sweet! That's pretty darn awesome."
"I know! Right?! We've been playing for the school whenever we can!"
"And sometimes invite our girlfriends and Lady to sing on a few occasions."
"Really?"
"Uh... yeah." I timidly replied. "I.. uh... well, I just can't help at times."
"She's been swarmed on a few occasions." Emily quickly explained to Thomas whom of which nodded in understanding.
POV: Thomas.
For the next few hours, me, Percy, James and our girlfriends walked about the area to find everything that we were after. Eventually we made it to THE music store where I would find my new guitar.
"Whoa!" Percy exclaimed as he saw it. "That's a really nice one!"
"And a good brand too!" James added in reply. "You should get it, Thomas."
"Yeah.." I replied thoughtfully. "But, I think I should test it first."
Fortunately, the shop had a few amplifiers already plugged in, enabling the customers to test their products if they wished to do so. Plugging in the cord from the guitar to the amplifier, I decided to give the song "Unravel" a try and see how it sounded. In short, it sounded great, thus making up my mind.
"Alright! This is the one."
"Nice!" Percy commented.
"I'll go and help pay for it." Lady complied as she followed me to the counter where I also got some extra strings and other things. During my time there I had also got a case for my guitar so it'll have a safe journey home.
Some more time passed and we eventually found ourselves headed towards the upper floors of Skarloey's, a karaoke place that Lady loved to go to. She was friends with the owner of the place, Skarloey Jennings as well his brother Rheneas. They placed us in a place away from the public crowd so Lady wouldn't be swarmed. As we waited for our food, Percy sang a song from some show I never heard of.
"He's not bad." I remarked. "He been singing long?"
"No." Rosie complied. "He's actually quite nervous to sing in public. Such a same for his wonderful voice."
I guess this is where I thought about it to. I never really revealed my own voice to anyone and am truthfully scared to reveal it. But with that said, this was meant for fun, not a career so it shouldn't matter. Once Percy had finished as quickly sprung up and darted towards the front.
(A/N: The following English lyrics of Unravel was made by Jonathan Young. They were found here: . )
Oh, can you tell me
Can you tell me
The way the story ends
A monster in my heart
A ghost inside my chest
I'm broken down, the world around us
Surrounds my suffering
You smile and laugh at me
But you don't see a thing
Damaged and broken as I am
I'm trying not to breathe
Unraveled I'm, not unraveled by the
Truth I finally see
(Freeze)
I'm breakable, unbreakable
I'm shakeable, unshakeable
Unraveling since I found you
And now I'm
Turning to dust in a world that's twisted
Don't come searching when I go missing
Close your eyes or just try to look away
Don't want to hurt you
We live in a world someone else imagined
The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished
Remember my heart
How bright I used to shine
Entangled in the loneliness
The memory of innocence
It's stinging me, it's breaking me
The pain is spreading endlessly
I cannot move
I close my eyes
I try to breathe
I realize
I'm paralyzed
I'm paralyzed
Unravel the world
I'm not what I was then
Don't touch the infection
Entwined we will both die
So stay away, and stay alive
I'm breakable, unbreakable
I'm shakeable, unshakeable
Unraveling, I won't infect you!
And now I'm
Turning to dust in a world that's twisted
Don't come searching when I go missing
Close your eyes or just try to look away
Don't want to hurt you
We live in a world someone else imagined
The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished
Remember my heart
How bright I used to shine
Please, just don't forget me
Just don't forget me
Just don't forget me
Just don't forget me
Just don't forget me
We live in a world someone else imagined
The ghost of what's left of me all but vanished
Remember my heart
How bright I used to shine
Oh, can you tell me
Oh, can you tell me
A monster in my heart
And now there's nothing left
As the song came to an end I looked over at Percy, James, Emily, Rosie and Lady to find them all frozen in their tracks. I was about to ask how bad my voice was until...
"Thomas... T-that... T-that was amazing! Oh gosh! You never told me that you could sing!"
"I-I didn't know how good or bad my voice was until now." I stammered in reply to my girlfriend. "I mostly kept my singing voice to myself."
"Well regardless, it was so wonderful." Lady spoke energetically. "If we worked on your vocal cords more to where they can last longer, you can do duets with me!"
I couldn't help but smile at that. Though I'm still trying to find my dream future, I was so lucky to have a girlfriend like Lady.
To be continued...