Nowadays Every Night: Chapter 7

I have the bloke I want. The bloke I love.

"I love you," she whispered in her boyfriend's ear.

"I love you too," he whispered back.

The rest of the day was a happy blur, the filming went smashingly well.

Even when the cow was dropped on Neil was a hoot, although he wasn't too happy about it.

"See, Julie?" grumbled Neil. "Cow."

Michael started giggling, whilst mooing like one.

"Shurrup Palin!"

"Ah, don't be picking on the wee one," said John in a Scottish accent. "He's a right giggler, you know that."

"I'm not wee!" protested Michael. "Gilliam's the midget not me!"

"Look at this way, Neil," said Julia, trying to be helpful. "Least you're turned round when it hits you. You don't see it coming. Would you really wanna watch a cow as it goes to smash your face?"

Neil paused.

"You're right. I wouldn't."

"No need to be a prat is there?"

"No," he said, embarrassed. "Sorry."

"'Tis alright. Not everyday I get to see a bloke get his arse kicked by a farm animal."

Neil groaned in protest. "And I always lose," he grumbled.

The days and weeks that followed were great, even though at times Gilliam and TJ were at each other's throats over the direction.

Julia tried her best to keep any feelings for Mike hidden. He did seem to get on well with the girl named Dani, who seemed really very sweet. Carol'd even given her the advice of anytime that Julia thought about Mike in a naughty way, to use that energy on Eric.

And it really seemed to work.

But oh..this one day, she couldn't stop thinking about him, about what he'd look like underneath his knight costume.

Stop it! You can't think about him that way!

Mike glanced at her every now and then, almost seeming as if he could read her mind.

That's it..I'm DONE for.

Julia shook her head, in an attempt to clear her mind.

Which seemed to work, she avoided looking his way, but whenever he did, she would smile.

She wasn't going to be rude.

Whilst this was going on, Eric spoke to TJ and the other Pythons one day.

"I'm going to ask Julia to marry me," he said. "Officially."

"Officially?" asked Graham. "You already asked her once?"

John paused, 'cause he'd already knew WAY before the others had.

"Yeah," smiled Eric, reaching into his pocket. "Got the ring right here."

"That's a nice one," said TJ. "Must have set you back a few quid then."

"Well worth it," said Eric. "Well worth it."

TJ paused in his thoughts.

Good thing Mike wasn't here to see that. This mess has GOT to be sorted out once and for all. Better I tell him. He's my friend, it'd be the right thing. Easier to do it that way than slap him in the face with it.

That day's shooting was the "Knights of Ni" bit, where Julia and Gilliam acted as the horses for Graham and TJ, Mike was the big Knight with the ginormous helmet on his head.

"Hey Julie?" asked Gilliam. "You okay?"

"Aye, yeah, I think so."

"Sure?"

"Yeah."

She was afraid that he'd seen her looking at Mike.

"You look upset."

"I'm fine, really, no worries."

"Yeah?"

Julia nodded.

Then a little while later, she tapped Graham on the shoulder, during a break in the filming.

"Gray? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"Sure, anytime, love," he smiled.