Chapter Eleven- The Boyfriend’s Suspicion

“Tom! You’re here!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at the shock in Matt’s voice. “Of course. I said I would be. What did I do to make you not trust me?”

He blushed, “Nothing. I just…didn’t think you’d come.”

“Well…” I tapped his present against the side of my face thoughtfully. “I can go again if you want…”

He seized me by the arm and pulled me in, “Oh, no, you don’t! I have Tom Fletcher in my house. You’re going nowhere.”

“Tom Fletcher?” I turned to see a blond boy standing in the doorway to what I assumed was the kitchen. He had a delicate face, clear blue eyes, and a part of his hair was dyed black at the front. “So, you’re the guy who puts up with his obsession…”

I cocked my head to the side, “Which must make you the most understanding boyfriend in the world.”

“Or I was as long as I wasn’t in the same room as you.” He regarded me for a moment with suspicion, before turning back into the kitchen.

I gave Matt a worried glance, “He doesn’t want me here, does he?”

He made a dismissive noise in response, “It’s not his ‘birthday’. I want you here.”

“Tell me if you begin not to,” I told him. He nodded understandingly, then his eyes lit up as I held out his present.

“Can I open it now?”

“Your birthday was last May. You’re more than licensed to open it.”

He took it from me, and examined the flat package, “You got me a bit of paper?”

I gave him a bright grin, “Of course. It’s the new iPod. PaperPod. What you do is write the songs down, and it plays them.”

“Revolutionary…”

“I thought so.”

He laughed, and opened the envelope. Then he gaped at the picture that he slid out. Silently, he moved a finger over the shining surface, counting. “Is this real?” he asked breathlessly.

“Yup.”

“So the Foo Fighters have actually signed this?”

I chuckled at the stunned tone of his voice, “As far as I know.”

“I love you!” Matt threw himself at me, his arms locking round me tightly as he squeezed me so hard that my head started to spin. I managed a weak chuckle at this, before he let go. “I have to go and show James!” He ran off excitedly, leaving me trying to right my vision again.

*****

“Hi,” Dougie said with faux cheer, appearing next to me at the drinks table.

“What are you doing here?” I asked quietly.

He glanced over his shoulder, “Boyfriend duties. We need to talk.”

“I don’t think we do…” I made to walk away, but he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

“You’ve been avoiding me ever since it happened,” he hissed. “I need those tutoring sessions.”

“Then why the hell did you kiss me?” I demanded in a whisper. “Your boyfriend is my best friend. Don’t ever think I’d do anything to hurt him.”

“I slipped, okay?” he defended, not bothering to deny he liked me in that sense. It wasn’t a mistake, it was a slip to him. “Do you think it’s easy for me to be this close to you?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “But you’ll have to learn. And if you ever kiss me again, the tutoring sessions are over.”

His eyes narrowed at me, before he turned and stalked back across the room to Harry. There was a low whistle from my side, “Problematic.”

I turned to see James standing next to me, “Oh, great. You heard?”

“Purely accidental, I assure you.” He held up his hands, “I’m not going to judge. It’s not your fault that your best friend’s guy has the hots for you.”

“Technically, it is. I could make myself ugly and cruel.”

He laughed, “I was so worried about you.” I raised my eyes to his questionably. “So worried that you would just be this jerk who was leading Matt along for laughs, but you’re decent.”

“Thank you.” I picked up a can from the table, “I tried to discourage him at first, but when that proved pointless and he was really doing no harm, I just let him be. Don’t get me wrong, I like him. He’s a great guy.”