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“So are those the keys?” the car rental guy (‘Phil’ according to his badge) asked Benedick. But Benedick was not releasing his grip. They were stood in the reception to the car rental place surrounded by their bags and just outside was parked up Francis. Parked up for the very last time.
Hero winced, aware that this was probably a spectacle but not really caring. “Is it… is it ok if we just say goodbye for a moment?”
And Phil looked completely blank. “To the car?”
“He has a name…” Benedick began almost angrily but Beatrice took his hand.
“It’s ok,” she muttered. “It’ll be ok.”
“Well, um, ok…” Phil said, obviously not getting it. “Just drop the keys back when you’re done.”
They trudged out into the car park, opened Francis up and got inside, Pedro, Balthazar and Hero in the back, Benedick and Beatrice in the front.
They sat in silence for a moment.
“We’ll miss you,” Hero said softly. “It wouldn’t have been the same without you.”
“I like how your foot wells got warm really quickly,” Beatrice added and stroked the dashboard. “You always kept my toes toasty.”
Pedro was feeling genuinely emotional and couldn’t help feeling for Balthazar’s hand and gripping it in his own. “Do you think we’ve got enough photos in him?”
“Yes, um, yes, definitely,” Balthazar smirked. “I think there’s probably more photos inside Francis than outside of Francis.”
Pedro stuck out his bottom lip. “It’s not fair. Why do we have to say goodbye?”
“It was good while it lasted.”
“Remember when we went through that drive through?” Benedick suddenly piped up.
They all laughed and Pedro said, “What, when you drove past the window to pay and we had to get all those other cars to reverse?”
“That was the worst!”
“And remember that bridge…” Balthazar said and they all laughed again.
Then there was another silence. None of them wanted to be the one to say they had to leave.
“He had good speakers,” Beatrice said.
“And acoustics,” said Balthazar.
Benedick ran his hands over the steering wheel. “No one will love him like we do.”
Beatrice put one hand on his shoulder. “You don’t know that.”
Eventually they did have to go because they did actually have a train to catch. They were going by train to London, spending their last days there before getting their flight.
“Here,” Benedick said, throwing Francis’ keys down on the reception desk. “Just take care of him, Phil. Take care of him.”
Phil looked somewhat alarmed but promised he would do his best.
And they said goodbye to the blue Vauxhall Corsa for the last time.
“This is the end of the trip, isn’t it,” Pedro sighed. “No more Francis, just the rest of us losers left.”
.
“Are you alright?” Pedro asked.
Balthazar shrugged, “Yeah, fine,” and continued to doodle song lyrics into his notebook.
They were sat on the cold concrete of the train platform surrounded by a mound of bags. The others had gone on a mission to get snacks and coffee from the small coffee shop on the opposite platform.
Pedro wasn’t an idiot. He had realised that something was wrong. He could see it in the way that Balthazar’s eyes shifted away and his smile fell before it was fully formed. It was like a punch to Pedro’s gut.
And it was hard for Pedro because he had never dated a guy before. He was never sure if he was actually doing it right, which sounds stupid, but it was true. How did Balthazar want him to behave? Was he being too clingy? Was he kissing him right? Should he not have said that Balthazar was cute the other day?
Now Pedro felt as if he was second-guessing everything that he did or said to Balthazar and it was starting to drive him insane. It felt so right being with Balthazar and Pedro just hoped he wasn’t messing it up some how.
Anyway, he had to find out one-way or another. So in true Pedro style, he ripped the plaster off without really considering the consequences. “I feel like you’re holding out on me,” he said. “It’s a feeling I don’t like.”
Balthazar looked up at him in surprise then turned away, a frown crinkling his forehead. “… Sorry.”
Pedro grimaced. He didn’t mean that there was anything wrong with Balthazar. “We’re meant to be the ones holding out on everyone else!” He laughed half-heartedly. “Like we have our little in-jokes that no one else gets and spend all our time congratulating ourselves on being the best out of everyone.”
“Everyone?” Balthazar asked with a small smile.
“Everyone.” Pedro looked at the ground and gave the smallest of sighs. “I mean, are you not… into this?”
“What? Pedro! I… yes. I am into this.” Balthazar scrunched his shoulders uncomfortably. “I’m sorry. I just, I guess it’s a self-preservation thing.”
“What do you mean? You think that I’m not into it?” Pedro couldn’t prevent the incredulous laugh from spilling out of his lips.
“I don’t know, I don’t know… I guess I thought maybe it might different when we get back home.”
Then Pedro really was taken aback. “Wow, really?”
“Sort of.” Balthazar knew that his face was going red but he didn’t know how to stop it. One of his hands was curled up in a tight fist and he was determinedly not meeting Pedro’s eye.
“Like that I wouldn’t want to be your boyfriend in real life?”
“Maybe. It’s a lot to deal with…”
“You’re so fucking ridiculous.”
Balthazar’s head snapped up. “Um, excuse me?”
Pedro put his hand on the back of Balthazar’s neck and leaned in closer to him. “I don’t know what more I could do to show you how much I… I really like you.”
“I love you.” The words had escaped Balthazar’s lips before he could stop them. His eyes widened then he looked away, grimacing at the concrete.
Pedro didn’t respond though so eventually Balthazar had to glance back up. And with a wave of relief saw that Pedro was beaming.
“Um, sorry,” Balthazar muttered. “That was a weird thing to say.”
“Shut up.” Pedro wrapped his arms around Balthazar’s shoulders and kissed him. “I love you. This is amazing. You’re amazing. I want to be your boyfriend here and at home and everywhere. Everywhere. Got it?”
Balthazar wasn’t used to extremes of emotion. He wasn’t used to this feeling as if his heart had burst and was flooding his chest. He didn’t know how to deal with the aching happiness that tautened all his muscles so that he could hardly move. He grinned back at Pedro. “Alright, yeah… That sounds good.”
Pedro laughed and found Balthazar’s lips again, allowing his kiss to linger this time. “Can we walk hand-in-hand into the sunset already?”
“I was so worried about this trip ending…”
“Ok, I can’t wait for this trip to end.” Pedro ran one of his hands through Balthazar’s hair and gently cupped one of his ears, stroking his thumb over Balthazar’s cheek. Just because he could. “You know what I’m looking forward to most?”
“Um… is this going to be romantic or dirty?”
“I like to think both.”
“Is it your bed?”
Pedro laughed. “I was going to say your bed but either works!”
“GET A ROOM!” Benedick yelled as he Beatrice and Hero walked back across the platform with packets of crisps and coffee cups.
Everyone standing near them turned to look at the two boys sitting amongst the pile of luggage and Balthazar smiled nervously.
“Yeah, that’s kind of the point,” Pedro said and winked at Balthazar.
Balthazar smirked and shook his head, still embarrassed.
“Yes!” Pedro cried. “In-joke! Relationship win!” He held up his hand for a high-five and Balthazar acquiesced.
Perhaps one day Balthazar would get used to having the most awesome, good-looking, cool, dorky boyfriend in the world. Today was not that day.