Sparks

Twenty-Five

"You heard what the therapist said, babe."

Chris ran his hands through his hair. "We don't need to move." It was late. Apple and Moses were already in bed and usually at this time, Gwen would be, too. The only reason she wasn't was because she was just as stressed as Chris was, if not more. Not only did she have to consider actually moving to Los Angeles, but she had to deal with a stressed Chris, find work there, and a new school for the kids.

"Look, I'm not saying that we're absolutely going to. I just think we should consider it."

Their couple's therapist had suggested that they move out of London for awhile. It would introduce them to new people, new experiences, and by moving to a brand new place with no familiar faces but each other, it might bring them closer together as a family.

"What about your work, though? What about my band? The kids? How would they feel about moving schools?" Chris sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. Everything had been going so well during the Viva era and almost through the entirety of the making Mylo Xyloto, but now it seemed that everything was falling apart.

The president of Ollama had recently come in contact with him for the first time in years, to check in on him. He first made sure that he had a wife, which Chris answered yes to. He then asked if he had any children yet, which Chris had hesitantly answered yes to as well. However, when the president asked him if he'd gained power yet, he didn't dare tell him that his band was one of the biggest in the world (despite him being humble, he still knew it was true) and that he was rich, but donated a portion of his earnings to different charities. He knew that the president wouldn't approve of his selfless acts, and he figured that if he told the president that he'd completed all the key components of the mission, that he'd be taken back to Ollama, and he certainly wasn't ready to leave Earth yet.

He hated Ollama. He never wanted to return to that planet. Even with all the heartbreak he'd experienced on Earth (which his father hadn't been wrong about), Earth still beat Ollama in so many different aspects of life.

"Chris, do you want our relationship to work or not?"

No.

"Of course I do, but I don't think that moving to Los Angeles is the way to make it work. It's too much struggle and effort to move an ocean and a country away."

"I think it'd be good for us, Chris," she said stubbornly.

Chris shook his head.

"Well, you think on it. I'm going to bed."

Gwenyth left the room and Chris burst into tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't believe you're actually moving to LA," Jonny said with a shake of his head.

"Me neither. Don't drop that box, J."

Jonny, Will, and Phil were all helping Chris and Gwen pack boxes and load them into the car, which would then have to be loaded onto the cargo hold of the plane that would take them across the world.

"You'll get to see me every month, though. It won't be as bad as you think it will."

Jonny shook his head again as he put the box into the trunk of Chris' car. "It's not enough. I need you here with me." He hugged Chris tightly and Chris knew he was crying.

"I know, J."

He let Jonny hold onto him, and when Phil caught sight of the scene, he awed and also wrapped his arms around Chris. "Come on, Will! We're having a group hug!" Phil said, making the other two chuckle.

Will laughed when he saw the three of them, and put his large arms around the three of them.

Chris smiled. The love he felt for his friends swelled in his chest, and he was so thankful that he had landed on Earth where he did, because he never would have met these amazing blokes if he hadn't.

"We'll miss you, mate," Will said. "Please try and move back soon!"

"I'll try," Chris said. When they parted and Gwen came out of the house to let him know that she was almost ready to go. They weren't packing everything, since the house they bought was already furnished and they had decided to keep their current house as a vacation home for their trips back to London.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye," Phil said.

"I'm not leaving forever, Phil!" Chris laughed. "You act like I'm dying or something."

Will and Phil laughed. Jonny stood silently. "Well what am I supposed to say?"

"How about 'well, see you later, mate.'"

"But I won't see you later!" Jonny's frown grew at that statement.

"Later doesn't always imply today, Phil," Will said.

Phil scoffed. "Leave me alone! At least I was nice enough to say goodbye!" They all laughed again, except Jonny, who was on the verge of tears.

"Jonny Boy, are you ok?" Chris asked him, seeing his face.

Jonny just nodded. "I'll just... miss you is all." Will and Phil gave him a look that told him that they knew he was lying.

"I'll leave you two blokes alone. See ya, Chris. And good luck!" Will said.

Phil nodded. "Me too. Bye, mate!"

Each of them gave Chris another quick hug and left him and Jonny standing there, awkwardly. "Here, come out back with me, J."

Chris took Jonny by the hand and lead him to the backyard of his house. "Jonny, this will in no way affect my thoughts about us. It will simply complicate things further."

"It's not simple at all, Chris. In fact, it's extremely difficult." Jonny sighed. "Can we still pull it off?"

Chris smiled at him. "Jonny, if you still love me as much as I love you, then we can still pull it off. I still want us. We can make it through anything."

Jonny nodded and squeezed Chris' hand, which he hadn't let go of. "I do still want you, Chris. I want us. You swear that we're still going to work?"

"Jonny Boy, I guarantee it."

Jonny smiled. "I love you, Chris," he whispered.

Chris snuck a quick peck on his lips. "I love you, too," he replied in a hushed tone.

"Chris!" Gwenyth shouted, looking for her husband.

"Bye, Jonny Boy. Take care," Chris said before running back to the car, where Gwenyth was waiting with the kids.

"We're gonna miss our flight if we don't hurry," she said.

"Well let's go then."

He got in the car and as they pulled away, Chris waved goodbye to a happy Jonny.