The Things That I Know || George Michael

thirteen - the life i want

"That shower is really good. I tell you what: they got the temperature spot on with—" As Levi leaves the en-suite bathroom, he finds himself cutting his own speech off, as he notices the scene before him. On the double bed he shares with George, he is greeted with the adorable sight of his sweet husband asleep, with Gemma and Kieran nestled in either side of him; they are also in a restful slumber. He smiles, a sense of pride taking over his trivial opinions of the hotel facilities; he hurriedly grabs his phone, to capture the moment before any of them wake up. With a couple of photos taken, he places his phone back on the bedside table to charge, before taking a seat on the chair in the corner of the room. He doesn't wish to disturb the trio — after all, George had an incredibly restless night; and the children have had a busy day. Levi appears to be the only one with the stamina to remain awake, so he uses this time to have a think over life as a whole.

His conscious is neither empty nor full; yet, it feels simultaneously as though it is both. He evaluates to himself that he is thoroughly enjoying his trip in London with George and the kids — although, he acknowledges that there are elements that are hindering his partner's experience. The most obvious factor, of course, is Mack; Levi is aware that the chance meetings are incredibly strange to say the least — but at the end of the day, he doesn't find any harm in the occurrences. Another aspect is the fact that George is very-clearly trying to push the passing of his mother to the back of his mind for the sake of their children. Levi wishes that George didn't have to bear the burden of such a heavy loss; but alas, he also knows that death is a natural part of life, and as sad as it is, there isn't anything he can do to prevent it. On the plus side, he has observed that George has seemed a lot more positive today than he has in the last couple of weeks — whether this is a result of his purposeful mental block or not, is another question.

His mind continues to tick on, with his trance-like state causing him to lose himself in his own little world while the rest of his family sleep.

• • •

"Bloody hell." The sound of George's gravelly voice, a couple of hours later, finally brings Levi away from his own mind.

"Sleep well?" Levi interrogates in a hushed tone, as the children are still asleep.

"My head is pounding," George groans. "Why did you let me fall asleep? I always get headaches if I sleep in the day time."

"You needed the rest," Levi explains. "You got two hours last night. At least now, you've had a bit more."

George heaves a sigh; when he finds he cannot lift his arms affectively, he realises that Gemma and Kieran are laid on him. "I didn't even realise they were sleeping on me."

"It's adorable," Levi comments. "I think you all crashed at the same time. I got a photo."

"I'm the ugliest sleeper in the world," George self-deprecates. "I hope you covered my face before taking this photo."

"Of course I didn't." Levi unlocks his phone to show George the image he caught. "Look how cute you guys are."

"I look disgusting." George visibly recoils at the sight of him sound asleep, choosing to focus more on Gemma and Kieran instead. "At least the kids look cute in it, though."

"You all do," Levi corrects him. "But anyway, did you want me to go and grab some paracetamol from the corner shop down the road? So that you can actually function for the rest of the day."

"Would you?" George gives him an over-the-top forlorn expression. "Thank you, my darling."

"It's fine. I won't be long." Levi grabs his jacket, making sure he takes a keycard with him so he can re-access the building upon returning. He exits the room, leaving George alone with the kids.