November 30, 2006

Motion in the Ocean was the first McFly album not to hit number 1 in the UK charts.

The highest it reached was 6th, and I was pretty bummed out. What could they have done more? The album had plenty of songs, B-sides and promotion. I thought Motion in the Ocean was the best album they had released to date.

However, the boys weren't as upset as I was, due to the fact that the album was certified platinum quite quickly after the release.

It seemed to me that the boys were happy. Much happier than they had been during the release and tour of Wonderland. Maybe they were maturing, or they were used to the spotlight. Or maybe it was something else...

After Dougie and I returned from Bolton, I had worked on and received my driver's license, which was handy, even if I didn't have a car of my own. I borrowed Dougie's sometimes. It made me feel better, incase there was ever another Tom-post-African-watermelon incident, or something like that again.

The tour started on the 5th of December, to the 17th, the day before the third single from Motion in the Ocean, "Sorry's Not Good Enough" would be released. Then the tour would resume after the holidays.

But today...today was Dougie's 19th birthday.

I was meeting the boys at their rehearsal later and I decided to make a chocolate cake, to exactly replicate the one I made when I first met Dougie, in hopes that a tarantula wouldn't end up in this one.

And incase you were wondering, yes, Lloyd is alive and well, and he has a cage that resides in the living room, next to Zukie's.

So I made the cake, and took the train to the studio, because Dougie had already taken his car.

When I arrived, luckily, the boys weren't playing.

"Happy Birthday Dougie!" I said, placing the cake on the table and walking over to him to give him a hug, like we were best mates. Like it was the first time I had seen him all day or the first time I said happy birthday to him.

"Thanks Lil." He smiles, and I walk to put the rest of my stuff down.

"A cake?" Harry asks.

"Yeah." I say. "To make up for the one I made for the first time we celebrated."

"Oh...yeah...the tarantula." Tom laughs to himself.

"Can we have a cake break?" Danny asks, putting his hands together, begging.

"But it's only-" I look at the wall clock. "Ten o'clock." I say.

"It's cake o'clock." Tom says, and all the boys rush over and we cut the cake. I made sure to bring paper plates and utensils, because I had a feeling something like this would happen.

"You never make us cake on our birthday." Harry says.

"Because we always have a party where your girlfriend makes the cake for your birthday." I say.

"So are you Dougie's girlfriend?" Tom jokes. I can feel my face heat up at just the word. As if that's not a dead give away! Cool down! Cool down!

"Lilly has made cake for my birthday." Danny saves me quickly. "Maybe she's my girlfriend." Danny says.

"Yeah who are we kidding." Harry laughs. "Lilly's more like our mom than our girlfriend."

"More like sister." Danny adds, pointing his fork at Harry.

"And no offence Lil, but it'd be pretty gross if any of us dated you." Tom laughs, taking another bite of cake.

"Not that gross." Dougie mumbles quietly, only loud enough for me to hear.

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"I almost forgot." I say, placing my wine glass on the coffee table.

"Forgot what?" Dougie asks, sipping his beer. We spent his night eating homemade food, drinking, and listening to Blink-182 on a low volume with dimmed lights, sitting on the couch, talking. Because that is what Dougie told me he wanted for his birthday, and who was I to deny him of it?

"Your gift." I say, rushing over the kitchen where I left it.

"I said no-"

"I know you said no gifts." I say returning to the living room with the wrapped present. "But it's small and you always get me something." I hand him the gift. He puts down his beer and sighs.

"Thank you." He says. He goes to rip into the wrapping paper and he looks back up at me. "I love you, Lilly."

"I love you too Dougie." I smile.

"I just wanted to tell you. You do so much and I really didn't need-"

"Dougie." I say.

"You just...make me happy Lilly." He says, starting to open the gift.

Dougie opened the package and took out the small remote. He looked up at me.

"Yes, it does go to something." I say, answering his question before he has to ask it. I lean over his shoulder and point to the red button. "Press that one."

He does, and a projector screen lowers, spanning one wall of the living room and projecting what looks like a fish tank filled with odd, exotic fish.

His jaw drops

"Small gift?" He asks, getting up and walking up to the projector. I walk up behind him and wrap my arms around his shoulders, smiling.

"You like it?" I ask. "Tom always said you liked weird animals."

"How did you do this?" He asks.

"We spend a lot of time at rehearsals."I laugh.

Dougie and I stand there for a long time after, looking at our fake fish.

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