A/N - A rather shorter chapter, this one, and I'm not sure it's much good. But before anything else....Oh, my goodness, I can't believe the rankings for this story! Never in a million years did I ever think something I wrote would be so popular! Thank you, everyone!!! 🤗 And I just got a lovely reply from Marc Spelmann on Twitter, so, basically...Day. Made!!! ❤
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Ant was toughing it out through "Sofa Watch," despite the instant jealousy that had sprung up within him as soon as Stephen Merchant got involved again with explaining the rules of the game. Although he did get some satisfaction out of the smug amusement he felt when Stephen made a mess of trying to demonstrate the rules, getting all flustered and nearly dropping the paper. But then came the horrendous sting of being reminded that Dec would be flying out to Florida in a few days' time, and Ant's mood dipped again. They had had such a fabulous time out there together earlier in the year while filming the teasers for the trip, and he and Dec had been looking forward to having a bit of fun in between rehearsals and filming for the finale. He hated to think of Dec being over 4,000 miles away, all alone in a hotel room. Ali wouldn't be going with him, that much he knew – now she was finally pregnant, she was being super careful. They didn't want any mishaps that would potentially harm their little one. So it would be Dec all by himself, utterly alone. No one would be there for him. Ant shuddered.
Dec looked utterly washed out now, just so drained, although he seemed to have gained in confidence from earlier in the show, which Ant was very relieved to see. He hated seeing Dec like this – he just didn't look like his Declan somehow, but Ant couldn't quite put his finger on what it was. Maybe it was the lack of a spark in his eye. Yes, that was it. There was none of that incredible zest for life, that irrepressible puppy energy that made him who he was. He wasn't happy anymore, the light in his eyes had gone out. That sudden realization was like a lightning bolt of pain in Ant's heart, a shock to his system. Dec wasn't happy without him.
It was such an obvious thing, really, that it shouldn't have come as a surprise to Ant. But when you spend nearly your entire life with one person, you tend to forget what they mean to you – what your presence means to them. Dec had frequently stated in interviews over the years that he considered himself blessed, incredibly lucky, to be able to go to work every day with his best mate. And Ant felt the same way, of course he did – he loved working with Dec, he was his best mate. Working with Dec was basically the only thing that had kept him going over the past couple of years. But he'd never really stopped to consider the fact that Dec might not actually be able to be truly happy without him. Was he that important to Declan that he couldn't be happy, enjoy his job, without him there? Really? Dec loved his job, he was a proper workaholic. Surely he'd still have fun at his job regardless of Ant's presence or absence....
Ant was pulled out of his thoughts quite unpleasantly by Stephen Merchant ad libbing again as the show went to another break:
"I don't care what the producers are saying back here, I think you're doing a great job."
