Afraid of the Dark

Chapter Five

They practically ran down the sun-bathed pavements, weaving in and out of the many different people who crowded the streets. With the Brighton Pride event soon to be starting, those who were going to be taking part in its parades were practicing their routines within the roads. Some were dressed in the colours of various pride flags to celebrate the diversity in sexuality and gender, waving even brighter colours above their heads on large flag poles. Some were dressed in beautifully and meticulously made floral dresses, accented with dyed feathers and bright jewellery, which served to celebrate the different cultures around the world that brought joy to an uncountable number of people's lives. There were those selling pride-themed merchandise to raise funds for various charities, while there were others who were practicing speeches which were quickly attracting crowds of cheering supporters. For a lack of better word, the general "vibe" of the area was one of happiness, freedom, and joy. With the amount of people, it was a miracle that neither one of them got recognised.

Somehow, despite all of the setbacks of the morning, the pair managed to make it to TGI Friday's before the other members of the group had arrived, but only by a few moments. Almost as if it was like a movie scene, the pair who had travelled from Seán's house and the group of four who had travelled from the hotel saw each other approaching from different directions on the road, and smiles formed on each of their faces. With a previous agreement to keep as low of a profile as possible while getting to their destination, they tried their hardest to keep the smiles from spreading across their faces too obviously before they walked into the restaurant where they could be in relatively more privacy. Luckily, the four men from the hotel did not notice the make-up on Mark's neck. Seán had seemed to make it his personal mission to hide his tired and worn out state from the group as best as he possibly could, so they did not notice this either.

The Irish man had taken many precautions when it came to booking the table for lunch. Firstly, he had asked for a table which was as far away from any windows and doors as possible, preferably one that was partially obscured or in a corner of a room. Secondly, he had booked in a fake name so that there would have been no chance for anyone at the restaurant to recognise them before they had even arrived. And finally, he had booked online, meaning that no one would have had the chance to recognise his voice. He didn't want the group to arrive and get any 'special treatment', nor did he want to risk having to spend what was supposed to be a communal catch-up session barraged by people who had managed to find out that a group of famous internet celebrities were all meeting up in the same place. Fans were good and most were nice, but everyone needed a personal life too.

With all of this in mind, the group entered and waited for someone to take them to their seats. The best way to describe TGI Friday's would be a retro American restaurant that had been injected with extra American in the form of Hollywood memorabilia. The floor was made of black and white chequered tile pattern which spanned the entirety of the room; there were cream painted walls that were covered in movie posters, music posters and some neon lights; the roof was black but had a strange "shattered glass" effect, with thin lines of grey glitter forming intricate webs overhead. In the far right of the room, a section in the wall had been cut out to form a window into the kitchen where waiters and waitresses could collect freshly made food ready to be served to the dozens of tables that scattered the room. The room itself was made of three levels, as if they were on a stage that was progressively getting taller, steel and glass railings separating each one. On each level, a circular plinth had been created where various objects stood on display. On the first there was a very large drumming kit that was decked out with every form of percussion that a rock band would ever need. On the third there was a Harley Davison motor bike, although whether it was real or a replica was up to debate. And finally, on the final level was a statue of a red and blue Spiderman with silver highlights from the 2002 movie Spider-Man. All in all, they were a rather random yet interesting collection of sights to see. Everything was illuminated to a comfortable brightness by overhead lights which were coloured white, soft blue or soft red.