When We're Together (Damon Albarn)

Chapter Nine

Friday 6th October 2006

"Hello darlings, did you have a good day?" I asked Primrose and Foxton as they ran through the front door and into my arms.

I had spent the afternoon with Hazel, we'd been out shopping and gotten some lunch together. She was heading home now to try and avoid rush hour traffic, but she'd offered to pick the kids up from school so that she'd get to quickly see them. That was fine by me, I had a few things I wanted to get ready for Missy's sleepover tonight. They'd never had any friends stay round, other than Rocky and Denholm, so i wanted her first proper sleepover to be special. Though as I stood looking at my eldest daughter and her friend, I suddenly realised that Damon and I really should've found out more about this friend before we agreed to let them come round.

"Hi girls" I smiled, I looked up to see Hazel smiling at me, blissfully unaware of who's child we currently had stood in our house.

"This is my friend Anais" Missy told me, wrapping her arms around this little blonde girl as she said her name.

"It's lovely to meet you Anais" I smiled at them, trying to pretend that I had no idea who she was.

"You too Mrs. Albarn" She beamed, nodding her head enthusiastically as she wrapped her arms around me, taking me by slight surprise.

"Call me Eliza darling"

The three of us made small talk as I prepared them all a snack in the kitchen. Anais was unbelievably polite but she was also incredibly confident and the more I looked at her, the more her mannerisms reminded me of what little time I had spent with Noel.

"Missy you know the rules, but Anais if you could not go in the studio upstairs and no-"

"-let me guess, no touching any of the guitars?" Anais interjected, I nodded my head as I laughed loudly at her words "Thought so, my daddy has the same silly rules"

I let the two girls disappear off to Missy's room pretty quickly after that, I was still laughing at her comment as I dialled Damon's number on the phone.

"You alright darling? I'm just about to leave"

"Yeah sorry Dames, I just feel like you deserve a bit of a heads up-"

"-what's happened?"

"Well you know how Missy is having a friend stay over tonight? Yeah, well you'll never guess who's shes brought round"

"Im not even going to try and guess, who?"

"Fucking Anais Gallagher"

The silence from him was almost deafening.

"You're fucking joking me"

He had ended the phone call pretty sharpish after that, but it wasn't long before he was walking through the front door, with a very bemused Jamie following behind him.

"Sorry Lyla, I kind of invited myself round for dinner when I heard who your guest was" Jamie chattered away to me, giving me a quick hug and placing a kiss on my cheek as he walked into the kitchen "I could do with some entertainment really"

"What's she like?" Damon asked as he walked towards me, wrapping his arms around me before placing a kiss onto my lips.

"Actually really lovely" He raised an eyebrow at my words "She doesn't have a clue who we are the same as how Missy wouldn't have a clue who Noel was"

"I can't believe it, what are the fucking chances"

I nodded my head in agreement as we both walked into the kitchen, our eyes landing upon Jamie, who was sat at the breakfast bar, a beer in his hand as he flicked through the newspaper I'd brought earlier.