9 December 2014

"Theresa, can you take care of Matthew tonight? Carmel backed out and mum's going to see the priest. Please, I'm going on a date… a real date… a date date… and I can't cancel. Pretty please?" John Paul begged his cousin.

"Oh, okay, I'm staying in with Kathleen Angel anyway." She agreed reluctantly. "But you…"

"I know, I owe you … big time!" John Paul clapped his hands and made his way back to his room where all his shirts were lying on the bed. Which one to choose, he thought to himself. He looked at them and felt the nerves increasing.

"Theresa?!" He called out for his cousin. "Theresa!"

She came running in on the ridiculous high heels she insisted on wearing at home as well as outdoors. "What?"

"Can you help me decide what to wear?" He tried what he believed was a winning smile. "Something that makes me look quite cute?"

"Oh, I don't know… I'm only joking… you always look cute, John Paul." She hurried to add when she saw the look he gave her. "Hold on." She looked around the bed and took up one shirt after the other. "No, not this one, not this one, not this one," she said as she threw them behind her, one by one. "A-ha, this one, voila!" She sang as she handed him a light-blue shirt. "Try this!"

She waited while he took off his t-shirt and changed. Noticing something for the first time, she couldn't help but comment, "John Paul, you've lost too much weight. Have you been eating properly lately? Working out?"

He looked at himself in the mirror and replied, "Yeah, I know. It's the stress lately. Been drinking too much coffee and not building up my muscle."

"You need to take care of that if you want to pull the fittest blokes."

He gave her a fake evil eye as he took on his shirt. "I most definitely can pull all the fit blokes I want. But you're right. I need to beef up a bit, get some more definition." He checked his reflection. "So what do you think? Can I go out like this?"

His cousin smiled at him and gave him the thumbs up. "You're gorgeous! No chance you're going home alone tonight!"

"Unless that's exactly what I want," he winked at her.

Craig finished his dinner, stood up from the kitchen table, and went to his bedroom. Siobhan was already there. She'd only had a tiny bit to eat and just wanted to be by herself after they'd told Craig's family about their break-up. Frankie had sat in silence the entire meal, but Jack tried to calm things, while Darren had made himself disappear the moment he heard that Craig had some news to tell everyone.

"This went better than expected, I guess." He said as he sat down on his bed. "Mum will come around before we leave, I'm sure." He didn't know whether he was trying to convince Siobhan or himself. So what are your plans tonight?" He asked delicately.

"I think I'll stay here, can read something and just have an early night." She replied from the mattress where she was lying.

"Okay. I'll be going downstairs in a bit, don't know how late I'll be. I'll try to be quiet if you're already asleep when I come back." He said before standing up, grabbing his jacket and leaving the room.

"Have a good night!" She called after him as he closed the door.

Craig couldn't help smiling as he made his way downstairs to the pub. Seeing John Paul there, already sitting at a table, he waved to get his attention as he walked through the bar. As he approached John Paul's table he noticed that he wasn't alone. No, a man with shoulder-length brown hair and a full beard was sitting opposite him. Craig didn't recognise him, but thought there was something strangely familiar about him. Before he could say anything, though, John Paul looked up and noticed him.

"Oh, hi Craig! Good to see you! You remember Spike, right?" He asked as he nodded towards his companion.

Spike? Spike? Craig shouted in his head, but tried to remain calm. "Yes, of course I remember him. Good to see you, mate." Mate, where did that come from, he thought angrily. "How have you been?" Yeah, why don't you just kiss him? He stretched his right hand and shook his old rival's hand.

"I'm fine. Good to see you, too, Craig. You're looking well."

Craig couldn't decide whether Spike was trying to make fun of him. "So what's up, what are you guys up to?" He asked, as innocently as he could.

"We're on a date." Spike replied matter-of-factly. "Trying to rekindle some old flames." He added, winking at Craig, who had to use all his self-control not to deck him.

Instead he just forced a smile and said, "That's nice. Can I brink you anything? You want new drinks? On me!"

He went and brought the drinks.

The rest of the night he spent hidden in a dark corner outside the pub, waiting for the two of them to leave, hoping that at least John Paul would be going home alone.