I'd Like to be Somebody Else

Chapter 62

I went to Liam's early on Christmas morning to get the place ready for the day. The snow was falling, adding to the already covered ground. The scenery looked perfectly Christmassy even if everything else went wrong.

Liam answered the door, his hair was messy and he was in his boxers and a grey t shirt, I'd woke him up with the door buzzer. "Don't you friggin' sleep these days?" he yawned.

"It's after nine." I said as he let me in. "The baby's been kicking from about seven." I said as he let me in.

"You're not having it now, are you?" he asked, looking a little freaked.

I shook my head. "It's not contractions, not even fake ones." I unzipped my coat, grabbed his hand and made him feel the baby kicking.

"I'm getting dressed, don't fucking do too much." he said as his version of "you're too pregnant to do anything" before going upstairs.

I went to the living room to find a tree already decorated with presents underneath. There was also a dining table with a Christmassy cloth on it. I looked around, confused. I went to the kitchen assuming since the living room was sorted the food must still need preparing.

The vegetables were all already chopped up, stored in tupperware and the meat wrapped in tin foil in his fridge. I closed the fridge and looked for pans, wondering who'd done all this for him.

"Told you not to do too much." he told me.

"Is there anything left to do?" I asked, turning to look at him.

He looked amazing. He was wearing brand new trainers, jeans and Ben Sherman checkered shirt, he no longer had a single hair out of place. He put my navy blue maternity dress to shame.

"You can set the table in a bit, if you want." he suggested. "Chill out, we've got this."

"This is my family Christmas, I'm supposed to do it all for everyone else to enjoy it." I complained.

"You shouldn't have gotten pregnant then or not so friggin' heavy pregnant now." he commented as he made his breakfast. "D'you want anything?"

"Just some water please."

"What kind d'you want?" he asked, I still wasn't used to there being kinds of water just in people's fridges.

He didn't give me chance to answer and passed me some bottled water. "Have that."

"Thanks... Who did the food? It wasn't you and Noel was it?" I asked. "Just last time Noel cooked, erm, it didn't go too well."

"Me and Alan."

"Alan's here?"

"Yeah... he's stayed here since we got back cos of your bloody Christmas demands." he said like I should have known. "Still asleep, I think, want me to get him?"

"No I wanna hear about you in the kitchen."

"I was bullshitting, I got a chef in, he's coming soon to cook it." he admitted. "You wanted us all together and you're pregnant, I'm not friggin' risking it." he added seeing my disappointment.

"Thank you Liam, thanks for doing all this for me."

We went and watched TV in his living room. "Wish I could get pregnant and get everyone to do what I want."

I faked shock, dropping my jaw. "When have you ever not got what you wanted?"

"Didn't want this. Everyone in my fucking house, all Christmas." he pointed out. "I wanted a quiet one, followed by a massive fucking New Year party."