by Alice Raine
As if sensing my growing distress, the barman suddenly appeared at our table with a tray containing two more colourful cocktails and two small shot glasses filled with a clear liquid and topped with a blue, floating substance. ‘A special shooter of my own creation,’ he informed us as he placed our drinks down with a flourish. ‘Just the thing to sort out trouble,’ he added with a conspiratorial wink before disappearing again.
‘So, what do you think?’ I asked tentatively, taking a sip of my cocktail. It was just as delicious as the last one and as the cool liquid slid down my throat it seemed to make the events of the day just a tiny bit more bearable. Maybe I should back-track to my earlier thought and get blasted on booze.
Cait skimmed the iPad results once more and then bounced her head a little from side to side as if weighing up the options. ‘Some of these articles back up Sean’s story saying that the engagement came out of nowhere and seems a little too conveniently timed with the promos for the new series. It seems from those pieces that fake engagements and relationships are actually quite common in Tinseltown.’
Giving me an intent look, she raised her eyebrows. ‘If you want my honest opinion, then from the brief meeting I had with him at your house in January, he’s clearly crazy about you, so I think he’s probably telling the truth.’ Sliding her iPad back into her bag, she turned to me with a sympathetic smile. ‘You love him, don’t you?’
This wasn’t something I’d actually confessed to Cait. She knew I was crazy about Sean, but it wasn’t exactly the type of thing you could discuss over a phone call, so I’d never really divulged the exact depth of my feelings. Swallowing loudly I slung back my shot, relishing the burn in my throat, and then nodded my head decisively.
‘Yep.’ My voice was thick with emotion, but I was definitely getting a good buzz from the alcohol. My limbs felt looser, and my melancholy certainly seemed easier to deal with, which could only be a good thing.
‘Wow,’ she whispered softly, giving my arm a supportive rub. ‘Well, granted he’s not dealt with this situation in the best of ways, but it seems to me you have little choice in the matter. You should cool off for a day or so, but then you need to meet up and give him a chance to explain it to you.’
Tipping my head back, I stared up at the ornate ceiling rose that surrounded the elaborate light fittings, and drew in a few deep breaths as I tried to settle my swirling emotions. That was basically the same conclusion I’d come to, and I found myself nodding as I lowered my head.
‘Has he called you?’ I was about to explain that I hadn’t given Sean my new number, but we were interrupted by Cait’s phone as it chimed on the table. Glancing at the screen she smiled, ‘It’s my mum. Even after three years of travelling she still likes to check in with me most nights,’ Cait joked, but I saw a slight tightness around her eyes and immediately suspected that her mum must still be paranoid about her safety after the trouble with Greg, much like I was.
Our conversation drifted through easier, less stressful topics as we caught up on each other’s news, but after a few more expertly mixed drinks from our moustached cocktail master, the conversation came back around to my man troubles with Sean. Levelling her glass at me, Cait nodded sagely, looking more than a little tipsy. ‘I know I don’t have all the specifics, but this town is full of fake, fickle fools. Stories get invented every hour, none of them with a shred of truth to them. Don’t you dare let him off easy, though, Allie, celeb or not, you need to make sure he treats you right.’
I knew that Cait’s warning came from her own personal experience, and felt a brief pang of pain for her again, but Cait wasn’t hanging around for any pity tonight, ploughing straight on with more advice. ‘I think you should give him a few days to stew, just to make him realise that he shouldn’t have hidden it from you, and then go and see him.’
Nodding, I took a second to absorb her words. Sean had always treated me perfectly up until now, I thought miserably, feeling a tight lump settle in the top of my throat. He’d perhaps been a little domineering in some of our sexual encounters, but I rather liked that side of him.
‘Of course, my advice is partly selfish,’ Cait confided with a small smile to brighten our moods. ‘Because if you are staying away from him for a day or so then it means I get you all to myself!’
Grinning at Cait’s tipsy words, I nodded my agreement before suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed and immensely glad that my best friend was here with me when I needed her the most. To try and distract myself from the tears that were suddenly threatening to spill from my eyes again I finished off my drink. Alcohol might have seemed like a great idea earlier, but mix it with the exhaustion of my flight, not to mention the high emotion of the day, and I was quickly wavering towards a meltdown.
Placing my empty glass down I stared at it fixedly, willing my eyes to dry and the room to stop spinning, when my stomach gave an almighty rumble. Hmm, that had probably been my third cocktail on an empty stomach, and that wasn’t counting the shots the barman had prepared for us.
Standing up, I looked intently at my drinking partner. ‘I need to go and get something to eat,’ I announced. I was surviving on the airplane food I’d eaten that morning, and with all the drinks I was consuming I’d be steaming drunk soon if I wasn’t careful. Actually, testing my balance with a few adjustments of my stance, I decided I didn’t feel too drunk at all. Maybe the cocktails were more fruity than alcoholic, but still, dinner was definitely needed in the very near future.
Cait assumed her tour guide role, collecting up our few belongings, seeing to the bill, and ushering us to the door. It wasn’t even nine o’clock yet, but out on the street, the serious party goers were just starting to crawl out of the woodwork looking like catwalk models, several sending complimentary wolf-whistles our way.
Crikey, I don’t think I’d ever attracted so much attention on a night out before. If I really was about to find myself being young, free, and single again, then I suppose at least it looked like I was in the right town for it.
Cait
As we stumbled along the pavement I tried to distract myself from the dark night sky by thinking back over all I had discovered this evening. I could barely believe what Allie was going through with Sean, it was like some far-fetched movie, and it was awful to see my best friend this upset, especially when I didn’t know what I could do to help.
However miserable it might seem at the moment, though, I had hope for them. I’d met Sean back in the UK, admittedly briefly, but I’d seen the way he’d looked at her – his eyes lit up when she was in the room and the connection between them had practically buzzed in the air. He was a man in love, it was clear to see, so I had faith in his commitment and believed his side of the story even if Allie was cautiously dubious.
I just hoped with all of my heart that Sean would get his arse in gear and sort this mess out quickly, because I knew that Allie was too stubborn and too proud to hang around for long if she was being messed about.
Thinking back to my own vague man issues of the day, I decided that I had been bloody lucky that Allie hadn’t wangled the story of my run-in with Jack out of me. She was normally the first to spot my guilty blushes if I was trying to hide something, so I could only assume that her issues with Sean had distracted her from pursuing it. I was still certain that keeping the Jack incident to myself was the best course of action, for now at least. Allie was trying to deal with all her own problems at the moment, the last thing she needed was me turning into a simpering mess just because a man had made me feel a bit peculiar.
Feeling myself tense as we passed a group of lads out for a night out, I remained stiff and wary all the way back to the hostel, only relaxing once I was back in the reception’s familiar surroundings.
Taking a deep breath to compose myself I looked at Allie and felt my heart clench at the sadness I could see in her eyes. Apparently noticing my pity, she forced a bright smile onto her face. ‘I’ll be OK,’ she assured me, her voice firm but quivering just slightly
. ‘So, I was thinking we should get some comfy clothes on, grab something to eat from the hostel cafe, and then as the resident Los Angeles expert you could help me devise a list of some distractions to keep me occupied tomorrow.’
Nodding my agreement eagerly, I linked my arm through hers as we set off for the dorm room to change.
Formulating fun sightseeing plans I could do. None of that would involve me thinking about a certain tall, dark-haired jogger …
Chapter Twelve
Allie
Cait had been a little tense on the walk back to the hotel, presumably because it was dark and we had passed several groups of guys out for the night who had made attempts at conversation with us. They were all harmless though, and it made me wonder for the thousandth time just how Cait had managed to spend the last three years travelling if she was still struggling with her anxiety to this extent. She was a brave one, that was for sure.
Now we were back at the hostel, Cait seemed more relaxed, and I was glad to say the drinks had also done me the world of good too, the girly chatting helping clear my head to the point where I actually felt I might be able to give Sean a call tomorrow. Or perhaps at least text to give him my new number. As insignificant as it may seem to others, the thought of breaking our routine and not sending him my nightly text was almost too painful to consider.
Heading up the stairs we decided to change into more comfortable clothes and reconvene in the kitchen for a cuppa before bed, some much-needed food, and a chat about what we could do tomorrow.
After changing into tracksuit bottoms and a loose T-shirt I decided I should call the Beverly Hills Hotel to cancel the room that Sean had reserved for me. There was no point in him getting charged for a room I wasn’t even going to use. A quick internet search had the hotel’s number on my phone, and then seconds later I was listening to a very OTT greeting in a sing-song American accent. ‘Good evening, this is the Beverly Hills Hotel and Suites. You’re speaking to Carolyn, how may I help you tonight?’
Once I had given my name and explained that I wanted to cancel the booking, I heard a pause down the line followed by a soft, embarrassed cough. ‘Um, I’m afraid I can’t do that, ma’am. The suite has been paid for in full by a gentleman, two hours ago.’ If she had recognised Sean, the receptionist was keeping quiet about it.
‘Suite?’ I repeated weakly, suddenly feeling a little dizzy at how ridiculously grand his gesture was.
‘Yes, ma’am. The gentleman has booked you a garden bungalow for the next three weeks. He came in to see if you were checked in. When he found you hadn’t arrived he paid the balance in full and then left.’
Pursing my lips, I leant back on the cool, tiled bathroom wall and closed my eyes as a wave of nausea swept through me. A garden bungalow. If that didn’t reek of a desperate attempt at an apology I didn’t know what did, and the fact that he’d seemingly done it all anonymously annoyed me too, reminding me that I was essentially his dirty little secret.
Ending the call in a daze, I stayed in the bathroom for a few more minutes just in case I did throw up, killing time by splashing cool water on my face and rinsing out the alcohol taste from my mouth. Even after lingering for nearly ten minutes, I could still feel my stomach swirling with renewed anger at his deception. But far worse than the anger was the hurt, and the horrible, achingly-deep sense of loss that I was starting to feel at the thought of my relationship being over.
Blowing out a breath I puffed my cheeks and tried to shake off my frayed nerves. Drying off my face I decided I couldn’t very well hide in the toilets forever, so I made my way back to the kitchen where I found Cait chatting with two other girls and the tattoo guy from reception, who I had learnt was called Marlon.
As I got closer I saw that he was leaning over an intricate sketch of a wizard, adding some details with a fine-tipped pen. ‘My next tattoo,’ he said when he saw me looking.
‘Oh, wow. It’s good. Where’s it going?’ I asked instinctively, because from what I could see of him there wasn’t a centimetre of his skin that wasn’t already inked.
Looking up at me he popped the cap on his pen and stood up with a smirk, his dreadlocks swinging as he did so. ‘I got some spare flesh that ain’t marked yet. You wanna see?’ he said, reaching for the fly of his baggy jeans.
Beside me I heard Cait spitting out a full mouthful of tea, a good deal of it splattering warmly on my wrist as I held up a hand towards Marlon. ‘I’ll take your word for it!’ I shrieked, glancing across to see Cait recoiling in panic behind me and banging into the fridge.
Thankfully, Marlon just burst out laughing and fell back into his seat with a grin and a wink before carrying on with his sketch. Poor Cait would probably have exploded if he’d popped out his flesh. But I have to say, my mind was now positively boggling about the possible locations for the tattoo.
Distracting me from my thoughts, Cait (who was now incredibly red in the face) plonked some toast on the table and handed me a cup of tea which I accepted gratefully. After blowing the steam from the top I multi-tasked, sipping and grabbing a slice of toast and taking a hasty bite.
‘Mmm, that’s good. Thanks.’ I felt almost instantly better as some nourishment hit my stomach. ‘I couldn’t cancel the hotel room at the Beverly Hills, it’s fully paid for up front.’ I told Cait through my mouthful, feeling a stab of guilt that Sean had paid out so much money for a suite that was going to sit empty for three weeks. Although if he hadn’t concealed all this stupidity from me in the first place he wouldn’t have had to try and hide me away, so really, it was his fault.
My words apparently got Cait’s full attention, because she practically dropped her mug as she looked at me with wide eyes. ‘You have a room booked, and paid for, at the Beverly Hills Hotel? That’s the hotel you meant when you said Sean had booked you a room somewhere?’
Nodding glumly, I raised my tea to my lips again and took another sip. ‘A suite, actually,’ I offered with a shrug. ‘A garden bungalow, I think the woman said.’ Cait and Marlon were now both sitting with similar expressions of shock on their faces, mouths hanging open and eyebrows raised high.
‘What the hell are we doing in this dive then?’ Cait exclaimed loudly, ‘No offence, Marlon,’ she added, flashing an apologetic wince at him.
‘None taken, I just work here. Ain’t like I own it or nothing,’ he said, going back to his drawing.
I raised my own eyebrows as I bounced my gaze back to Cait. ‘Why? Do you want to go?’
Rolling her eyes, Cait grinned and nodded vigorously. ‘It’s the flipping Beverly Hills Hotel, and the suite is booked and paid for … so yeah, I kinda want to go there.’ she said with added exaggeration in her voice as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, which thinking about it, it probably was. Why stay in a five story budget hostel when we could be living it up in a five-star hotel?
‘Wow. Wow. Wooowww.’ Cait was standing in the middle of our garden bungalow with her head thrown back and arms held out wide as she spun on the spot, causing her long, brown hair to flow around her like a floaty, chestnut, silk scarf. ‘This is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever stayed anywhere so posh before!’
‘I know; me neither. But we may as well make the most of this luxury while we can!’ And luxury it was – the room was huge, done out in cool creams and tans and furnished so beautifully that it screamed class and expense. The two bedrooms were exquisitely decorated: sumptuously covered king-sized beds, foil-wrapped chocolates on the pillows, beautiful furnishings, and tempting roll-top baths in the stone tiled en suites.
The master bedroom was basically in a wing of its own, down a corridor, round a corner, and completely separated from the rest of the rooms, so we left that until last in our exploration. Arriving at the doorway in front of me, Cait suddenly stumbled to a halt. Wondering why she had stopped so abruptly I looked around her and followed her gaze towards the bed. There was a single red rose on the quilt, sitting upon an envelope, and as I gazed at it I felt my heart accelerate
in my chest.
‘Why don’t you look around and I’ll go and order some room service for a late snack? I’m starving, and that toast can’t have been enough for you either,’ Cait blurted, giving me the opportunity for some time alone. Nodding, I smiled weakly at her as she left. Her soft footsteps disappeared down the corridor until I was embraced in a heavy silence. My chest felt tight. Was this some perk left by the hotel staff, or had Sean been in here? As stupid as it was, I inhaled to see if I could get any lingering trace of his smoky, spicy scent, but disappointingly all I smelt was the clean aroma of the bed linens and the soft smell of some beautiful flowers on the chest of drawers to my right.
Forcing my shaky legs forward I hesitantly advanced to the bed. Without even moving the rose I could see that the envelope had my name written across it in Sean’s elegant, sloping script, and this tiny thing brought the events of the day crashing down on me. I missed him so much. My throat tightened with emotion a second before my legs went soft below me, causing my body to sink down onto the edge of the mattress. I felt completely and utterly drained. Picking up the envelope with trembling fingers I held it in my hands for a few seconds before drawing in a deep breath and then sliding the flap up to remove a single sheet of paper.
Allie,
I went to the hostel but you weren’t there. I checked here but you haven’t checked in either, and I can’t phone you because I no longer have your number. I’m going out of my mind.
This situation is completely messed up. I understand how it must seem to you, but you must believe me when I say there is nothing between Savannah and me.
I see now that I shouldn’t have tried to keep it from you. I thought I was protecting you, but instead I’ve pushed you away. I can only say how very sorry I am for that.
You know how much I hate not being able to contact you – I won’t sleep not knowing if you are safe or not. I recognise why you want to distance yourself from me, but please, please, if you are reading this just let me know you are safe.