show me yours | matty healy

chapter twenty-nine

January 1st 2016

"Happy new year, babe."

Caleb leans down to kiss her cheek, before she can answer or mutter the phrase back to him Denise is sweeping in to kiss her on both cheeks, "Happy new year, darling."

Tommie grins, "Happy new year, Denise. Where's the eldest?"

Denise shrugs, "Tommie, we both know I've never been able to control that boy."

The pair look around the room, "He didn't come?"

Denise shakes her head, "He's with his girlfriend somewhere, doing things a mother really doesn't want to know about."

Tommie chuckles, eyes glancing towards the front door, "How's Gabby?"

"She's lovely, have you met her?"

She shakes her head, "Uh, I was in LA when he brought her round to meet everyone."

"With Caleb?" Denise asks, smiling over her shoulder at the American.

"Yeah, he's working on his first album with his band."

"And how's that going, dear?"

Caleb clears his throat, clutching the drink in his hand as he steps up closer to her, "Uh, pretty good, yeah, we've got a few songs done now. Decided we're going to use the two most popular ones from the EP, too."

Denise turns back to Tommie then, quickly bored with the American's voice, "And how's LA treating you?"

Tommie frowns a little, waiting for Caleb to get distracted talking to one of Matty's cousins before answering, "I hate it."

She frowns deeper and Denise wraps her arms around her, "Oh, darling."

"I want to come home."

Denise holds her tighter, "You're welcome back here as much as you want, you know that."

Tommie closes her eyes, enjoying the warmth of her arms. Tommie wasn't used to warm hugs until she started coming to Manchester more often. Shewasn't used to being mothered until she met Denise either.

Denise pulls back to smooth out her hair, the dye is fading, blonde reaching her shoulders and her natural colour back at the top.

"Caleb's whole life is in LA, and with Matty wanting to finish the last bits of the album out there I'm stuck."

"Tell Matty to shove it where the sun don't-"

"Hey, what did I do now?"

Suddenly a pair of arms are wrapping around the two women, a third head being placed on top of Tommie's.

"Well, you're late for starters." Denise says, pushing his head away from Tommie to give her some space, "You missed the countdown."

"Yeah, sorry mum, we were on our way back from London."

"We?" Tommie asks.

Matty's smile brightens a little as he nods and moves aside, one arm outstretched, "This is Gabby."

"Tommie," The woman introduced as Gabby says her name like they're long lost childhood bestfriends, it's so sweet, so comforting, Tommie can't hide the smile that automatically fills her face, "I feel like I've known you years with the way Matty talks about you."

Matty grins as the pair share a quick embrace, wiggling his eyebrows at Tommie over his girlfriend's shoulder.

"It's lovely to meet you."

Gabby grips both her hands pulling her towards the kitchen, "Let's get a drink and talk. I want to know about you, not the Tommie he's put in my head."

Tommie smiles, getting pushed by Matty to follow after her.