Acquiesce

Chapter 40

Just as Liam wanted, we stayed in Manchester. Peggy was the best nan to the twins so we didn't have to worry about them at all. We could do everything we wanted. I was excited to discover everything that Liam loved about Manchester but we weren't making much progress.

We found it hard to get out of his bedroom, we were a newly married couple, again, temporarily free of children, of course it was.

I was laid with my head against his bare chest, watching the digital alarm clock that I was sure wasn't set for summer flick through its numbers. He'd gone back to sleep after we'd had morning sex or he sounded like it with the way he was breathing. I couldn't, it was too alien to have all of the time to ourselves.

"Liam." I patted his stomach and gently rubbed to get his attention.

"What? You wanna go again?" he asked excitedly, not at all asleep.

"No." I stopped him before he could suggest sex in any other room. "I think I've seen enough of your bedroom..."

"We could..."

"No, you said you'd show me Manchester, we could have this anywhere."

"I will, after..." he whined.

He didn't want to get out of bed one little bit, neither did I but I was excited to see the sights. The shower was there giving us a compromise and gave us a lift for the day.

Over breakfast we tried to come up with ideas on where to go. He wasn't a good tour guide.

"You've just bin to mams." he told me when I asked for the Oasis tour, there was apparently nothing else they were connected to in the city they all grew up in.

The Boardwalk, the place Oasis really began and grew, was completely out of the question. He insisted it'd be too much hassle for him if we went there and it was his holiday too so he shouldn't have to deal with that.

He took me to Maine Road, the football stadium. They hadn't been quiet about their love of that team so that was a connection. We were allowed in to have a look around with a tour guide but it was Liam doing all the taking.

He talked about how Bonehead refused to be involved in any of the promotion photos for those gigs, something about him being red, whatever that meant. I was trying to look like I was listening and understood but I was trying to take in the look of the stadium. I hadn't been to a stadium before other than for gigs at Wembley. It was odd being there when the place was so empty when it was designed to be packed. I tried to imagine it packed with everyone singing, like it was meant to be.

I asked about Niall Quinn. I loved hearing about my son's namesake but it made me miss the twins so much. Both the tour guide and Liam enthused about the work of the striker, despite the club's situation.

Liam was never going to get bored of being there so it was lucky the tour guide couldn't keep the tour going forever so we had to leave.

The next place was the Hacienda. Liam lamented its closure. It had literally just made it' closure official on the 28th, days ago and now it was empty because it's patreons prefered drugs to alcohol. He had so many tales to tell about those nights out. I didn't really know if I should believe him. Everyone in Manchester must have their story of the place whether they went or not and he was no different.

Mr Sifters was somewhere that he attempted to mention in passing as we walked through town. He said it was important to Noel, not him. He didn't want to go in and he certainly didn't want to stay but the moment I started looking through the bins I was captivated. It was like my husband wasn't even there.