Tell Me How It Feels

Chapter Twenty-Four

AN: Had this chapter on my phone for days now, and I just can't seem to get it right. This is the fourth version of it, and I'm becoming impatient so this one will have to do. Hmmmmm. Regardless, I hope you don't mind it :)

Ehhh, not edited much, just warning you.

Caysie. x

----------

Chapter Twenty-Four

"Poor bugger," Chester muttered deeply into his beer glass before suddenly tipping it up to his lips and gulping the remaining contents.

All of the surrounding people nodded in agreement, but none of them said a word. There was an obvious mutual feel in the air that every single person around the table would be in the exact same mind-set, thinking the exact same thoughts.

Finlay, then Timothy to his left, Joel, Adelia with Chester, Derek and Ryan were all hunched or slouching over a small round table lazily. To anyone who passed, they might have appeared to be a tangle of arms and elbows scattered around with bundles of hair and drink glasses placed randomly, the table was that undersized.

"He's done well so far," a voice slowly mumbled from between two hands placed messily on either side of a face. Derek moved them once his words were out and ruffled his golden fringe, then moved his lower arm like a crane on his elbow to rescue his glass from being consumed by Chester's hair.

Everyone nodded again with a chorus of mmms, and Finlay looked on over to Jay who was a little way across the room. He could practically feel everyone else's eyes looking in the same direction, for Jay was the obvious topic of the small references made.

After the funeral, the majority of people that had attended also came to have a drink afterwards in a nearby pub. Finlay had never been here, and he probably would never return. It wasn't that is was grotty or awful, it's just that it was a typical place where people come to drink. That was it really. It was neither nothing nor something. That, and the addition that his recollection of the place would be tarnished with memories he'd prefer not to have, it put him off the building completely.

Jay wasn't alone. He had been discussing something with people, that Finlay knew to be close relatives of his, since they had arrived here, along with some of Ryan's nearest and extended. Currently, he was sitting at another tiny round table right in the middle part of the room with an older woman's hand placed over his, rubbing her thumb across his skin. The gesture was reassuring, there was no doubt about it, and it was clear to Finlay that Jay was upset, just by the way he nodded his head and blinked slowly.

"How you doing?" Finlay heard Derek whisper to Ryan who was in between them, which caused him to return his attention back to his own table.

"Fine," Ryan's muffled word was barely audible due to his hand covering his mouth as he supported his head in it. He hadn't looked up to address Derek and, in fact, his head was actually turned more towards Finlay himself, just like it had been for the last twenty minutes.

Derek nodded, and leaned back in his chair, being the only person not to be bending their backs forward in a possibly unhealthy posture. This is what Finlay loved about Derek, the fact that he asked no questions if he could sense they didn't need to be asked. He wasn't a large talker anyway, you couldn't often get more than a few sentences out of him unless he was drunk or talking about something he was passionate about.

Joel, however, was notoriously good at holding conversation with him, most likely due to the common love of guitar. Joel had actually taught Derek a lot of what he knew, and they often shared equipment. On their tour in a few days time, Derek would be playing Novelty's songs using much of Joel's own pedals.