I Met Her On the Balcony

by Sandra Corton

  His golden eyes filled with warmth, as he tugged on her hand, until he could kiss it lightly. With a sigh of relief, she finally believed him. He wasn’t running away, he was doing the complete opposite; he was bringing her closer, and trying to understand her, which she valued more than anything.

  “So, pizza?” She asked hopefully, and he positively beamed at her.

  “Yep, and any movie that I happen to have.” He gestured to a built in cupboard.

  “Any chocolate?” She asked, her eyes shining expectantly.

  “Well the pizza place makes a mean chocolate mousse, if that’s good enough.” Ash said as he picked up the phone with a grin, glad that she was back to normal.

  She fished through his movie collection, and finally decided on a thriller. She was surprised that he had so many different types of movies, even some romantic comedies. She glanced quickly over to him, and could only wonder at the luck she had at finding a guy that could understand her major panic attacks.

  “Right, well the pizza should be here in about half an hour, so let’s just watch the movie until it gets here.” Ash informed her.

  He walked back over to her, and tossed his phone on the table behind the large welcoming couch. Lucy put the DVD in, and sat back on the couch, while frowning at the huge choice of remotes on the coffee table. With a grin, Ash picked up the correct remote and sat down next to her.

  “Do you mind if I go and have a shower? I always feel a bit unclean after seeing her.” She shook a bit, and rubbed her hand over her face.

  “Of course, Belle, come on,” He held out a hand to her, as he got off the couch. “I guess I should probably get changed too.” He gestured to his suit, before they headed off in different directions.

  He was standing in his room pulling on some track pants, when he noticed his lap top light blinking innocently at him. Would her mother have been cruel enough to write articles about whatever had happened between them? He certainly wouldn’t put it past the woman.

  Feeling incredibly guilty, Ash typed Lucy’s name into his computer. So much popped up that Ash had no idea where to start. A You Tube video labelled ‘The thief of our town!” caught his attention, and Ash clicked on it.

  Old surveillance footage showed a much younger Lucy arguing furiously with her mother. The woman seemed to be stealing money from the diner in town that they had went to the other day. It then clicked to Lucy’s mother looking impossibly saddened making a statement:

  “I apologise for my daughter. I was trying to return the money that she had stolen,” she let out a dramatic sigh. “I just don’t know what to do with that girl. Every day she gets more and more beyond my control.”

  “I guess you’ll want me to leave now?” Lucy said from the doorway. She once again resembled that lost and broken girl from earlier, and Ash didn’t know what to think.

  “No, I want you to explain things. What was that? All I did was type in your name and a lot of stuff popped up,” he glanced over to her, feeling utterly confused.

  “I’ll just go and pack my things.” Lucy muttered, as she shuffled out of the room.

  It took Ash a moment to realise what she meant, so he quickly dashed down the hallway to catch up to her. She was packing her bag, not that she had unpacked much. He stood and watched her, feeling deflated, but almost desperate to know the truth. She hadn’t even glanced up to acknowledge him, when she reached for her phone.

  “Hi, I need a taxi...” She never got any further, as Ash snatched the phone from her and hung up.

  “Do you really want to leave things as that, Lucy? Tell me the truth. I promise I will listen to you, and I won’t judge.” Ash told her firmly.

  “No, you need to let me get home. You didn’t trust me to tell you. You didn’t wait until I was ready to tell you. There are two things that I can’t take, one is people lying to me, and the other is lack of trust, so just let me go.” Lucy said determinedly.

  “I can’t do that, Belle. Whatever that woman did to you has left a scar so big on you that you lose consciousness to the world around you. What the hell happened?” He knew he was shouting at her, but he wanted to understand what was going on while she was determined to walk away.

  “Wait, so you don’t think that I’m trying to steal whatever I can get my hands on?” She asked him, her tone so hopeful that Ash felt saddened.

  “I know you, Belle. About the only thing you’ll steal off me will be my chocolate mousse later on, and don’t you worry, I’m well prepared to defend that.” He teased her lightly, and was immediately relieved when she finally seemed to relax.

  “Fine, I’ll tell you.” She muttered still refusing to look at him.

  “Thank you; now come out here because the pizza should be here soon.”

  She sat on the couch and fiddled with the blanket draped over the back of it. She had no idea where to start, and the words refused to budge from her mouth. She knew Ash was watching her expectantly, but he’d seen the video so she wasn’t sure if there was anything that could make it any better. The video was pretty incriminating.

  Of course, the one that showed her mother beating her senseless didn't exist. Her mother had either destroyed that video, or hidden it where nobody would find it, Lucy was sure of that.

  The intercom rang, startling her and she jumped. Ash’s warm hand clasped her shoulder, reminding her that it was only the pizza delivery. The pizza smelled delicious, but Lucy’s hunger had evaporated. Still, she held the plate that Ash handed her, and forced herself to take a bite.

  “You know that you don’t have to tell me all of it. Just give me a brief overview,” Ash said as he devoured his second slice, and she let out a sigh.

  “If only it was that simple. You know what let me give you some background on her first,” she said, as she toyed with a sliver of cheese.

  “If it helps than go for it.” Ash muttered through another mouthful.

  “My mother was brought up in a wealthy family. She grew up being the most popular girl in school, winning talent shows, and discovered as an aspiring actress. Until my grandfather lost everything in an economic down turn when she turned eighteen. Her agent dumped her, her roles dried up, and she couldn't even find commercial bookings. It turned out that her fabulous acting ability only existed because of her father's money. Apparently, that became a defining factor in her life.

  “She met my father at a rodeo, of all places. Dad was, of course, a farmer, and the life never quite lived up to her expectations. She had Daz who she loved beyond words, while I was an accident. She never let me forget that either.

  “Whenever Dad or Daz went away, she would tell me that I was a horrid child, amongst other things. Daz caught her doing it one day, and he went crazy at her. Told her to leave me alone. It didn’t work. She started hitting me after that. Not where anyone would see it, the bruises were always hidden beneath my clothes.” She paused for a moment, and Ash just stared at her in complete horror. She was calmly telling him these horrible things, as if she had a detachment to the events.

  “Belle, you don’t have to tell me anymore.” He said softly, the pizza in his hand forgotten.

  “You asked, Ash, and believe me when I say that this is only the beginning,” Lucy told him. “She began making me steal things when I was about eight. I knew it was wrong, and I told her repeatedly. In fact, like in that video, I argued with her. Even if I got a beating for it, I would still argue.

  “Jolee at the diner she saw us on that tape, and she couldn’t believe it. Mum told everyone that I was the thief. She was trying to get money, so she could escape our little country town, and become the famous actress of her dreams. Unfortunately, that video found its way through the town.

  “From then on, everybody in town treated me like dirt. Nobody trusted me, and the whole town watched me like a hawk. I copped a lot of ridicule in school, until Ren and Col started later that year. That was why I did the singing thing to them, well Ren at least. I need to know that I could trust them by making t
hem do something silly. They took it in their stride, naturally, and I finally had someone, besides my dad and brother who made me smile and laugh.

  “When I was almost ten, dad caught her hitting me. I wouldn’t steal the money that he kept in the safe for emergencies. He kicked her out, threatened her with child abuse, and she finally left. Dad met Belinda later that year. She had been concerned about me from the start of the year, but didn’t know how to bring it up with dad. She noted my marked improvement, and told dad about it. That’s the best thing to come out of this story.

  “Penny had been going to boarding school, but Belinda brought her back. I finally had a proper family that I could completely trust, and they trusted me.” She paused again, and wiped her eyes. She hadn’t even realised that she had started to cry, or that Ash had his arms around her securely, with her curled up on his lap.

  “But the town…. everyone seems really nice to you now. What happened there?” Ash asked, as he wiped at her wet cheeks, while Lucy let out a derisive snort.

  “Mum returned when I was thirteen. They caught her red handed stealing from the feed store of all places. They kicked her out of town, and told her not to bother returning. Dad told them all that Mum had made me steal from them, and they had to agree. Nothing had gone missing until my mother turned up again.” Lucy said briefly.

  “I guess that’s the free milkshake deal?” Ash asked curiously.

  “No, it’s pretty much the free everything deal. If I go grocery shopping with Dad they won’t let him pay, but if he goes by himself he pays full price. They will give me whatever I ask for to ease their guilty conscience, so I never try to ask for anything. The milkshake thing is different. Jolee always believed me. She was the only one besides Dad and Daz that stood up for me. She would be insulted if I offered to pay her anything.” Lucy finished and rubbed her eyes.

  “Dare I ask where Rachel fits into this?” Ash enquired, thinking about how the raven-haired girl always glared at Lucy. At that, Lucy let out a snicker of laughter.

  “Mum tried to use Rachel as her pawn when she returned. Dad, Daz and Belinda kept Mum away from me, so she had to use some other deluded idiot, hence Rachel. What’s funny is that Rachel blamed me for that happening, when really she readily agreed to Mum’s terms,” Lucy shook her head at the foolish girl. “So, that’s my story.” She said softly, but with a slight edge that Ash didn’t miss. She hadn’t told him something, but he would leave it alone for now.

  “I can understand why you reacted the way you did, Belle. Thank you for telling me,” Ash said against her hair. “Now, you should eat.” He reached out a hand to the box of pizza on the coffee table and picked up a slice. Lucy let him break off bits and feed her, with a roll of her eyes.

  She looked away for a moment, and pushed down the memories that threatened to surface. A glimmer of fear appeared when she thought about tonight. Had her mother noticed her talking to Ash, when he was Martin James? Lucy was sure that she couldn’t hide how she felt about him, even when he was in disguise.

  She could only hope that her mother would leave her alone and stop torturing her. Hadn’t she dealt with enough over the years? Couldn’t her mother just leave her be?

  Chapter 12 - Front page drama

  Ash’s phone rang, and he groaned aloud, not wanting to answer it. He blinked his eyes open in the early morning light, and tried to work out where he was, as he reached for his glasses. He heard a soft murmur from next to him, and found Lucy snuggled up tightly against him. There were still on the couch in his lounge room.

  Last night, Lucy's emotionally words had drained her, and exhaustion struck her after everything that had happened. All she had managed to do was eat a slice of pizza, and her whole tub of chocolate mousse, before she had fallen asleep watching a movie. Ash had not wanted to disturb her, so he’d stayed exactly where he was, holding her close and secure.

  His phone blared out its noise again, and Ash reached behind the couch for the table where he had dumped his phone last night. His fingers finally closed on it, and he dragged it to his ear, while pressing the button to answer it.

  “What?” He muttered into the phone.

  “Have you looked at the newspaper yet?” George asked him anxiously.

  “No, I’m sleeping. Go away, and ring me at a more decent time,” Ash went to hang up.

  “If you put that phone down, then I will ring the intercom button non-stop until you answer me,” George warned, making Ash mutter angrily to himself.

  “Fine, I’m coming, just give me a few more minutes.”

  “You’ve got until half past six, and then I start ringing.” George told him determinedly.

  Ash looked at his watch. Damn, he only had five minutes! He wanted just a little more time to enjoy holding Lucy like this. She was warm, and with that tantalising vanilla, cinnamon scent, she almost proved intoxicating. He watched her sleep for a moment, her sweet face soft, as he stroked her skin. Her lips pouted, and he wanted to kiss her desperately.

  “Belle, we have to get up,” Ash whispered softly to her, as she stirred, but never opened her eyes. “C’mon gorgeous, show me those blue beauties of yours.” He said a little louder.

  He stroked her cheek, and closed the distance to touch his lips to hers. He went to move away, when her hand reached up to touch his face. She lightly traced the shape of his lips with her fingers, and Ash sucked in a breath. She looked at him with sleepy, sky blue eyes, and he felt lost. He kissed her again, a soft gentle caress. Lucy let out a small murmur, as she brought her hands up to link around his neck to bring his lips back to hers.

  The quietness of the morning surrounded them, as they shared wondrous kisses and warming caresses. The jarring interruption of the intercom pulled them apart abruptly. Lucy jumped off the couch, and away from him, breathing deeply, with her heart hammering in her chest.

  She touched her tingling lips, and smiled, as she watched Ash turn to answer the annoying intercom. He hadn’t run away, even in the morning light after her crazy confessions of last night. He had still kissed her as though nothing had changed between them.

  When George stormed in, all business like, and gave her a strange look, Lucy went from happy to stress filled in a matter of seconds. He paced around the room, still talking into his mobile.

  Ash made his way over to her. He threw an arm across her shoulders, as they watched George continue to march around the room. Finally, the older man thrust a newspaper at them.

  “Damn.” Lucy spluttered, as her heart leapt to her throat and pounded furiously.

  There on the entertainment page of the newspaper was a picture of them, with Rachel looking snide behind them, and the crazy fan demanding his attention. Her hair obscured her face, but the picture had captured the fact that Ash had touched her hand, none too discretely, while smiling happily at her. With the title of ‘Is Martin James dating a fan?’ Lucy knew that she had seen enough.

  “Rachel was there. She’s going to know,” Lucy stated through dry lips.

  “No, she’s not; she was too busy having a go at you,” Ash replied soothingly.

  “No, no, no! Crystal is going to see this… Penny too,” She said in a high, panicked voice. “They will know it was me. How many other girls there had my stupid bushy hair?”

  “Lucy, stop that! I love your crazy hair. They just overhyped this one picture, and I’ll make a statement denying it. It’s that simple.” Ash told her, praying that she wasn’t going to fall to pieces like last night.

  “Ugh! Geez this sucks. Does this happen a lot? Well, I guess it does. Penny has read enough of those articles, and forced me to hear about them. There was one where you were apparently marrying a twin, but couldn’t work out which one was which, so that’s why the relationship ended.” Lucy chuckled to herself, her panic dissipating, as she sat back on the couch, and thought things through.

  “Just tell them the usual, George.” Ash waved his hand at the older man who just gazed at him with a frown.

  “
Look out the window, Martin.” George exclaimed.

  Ash walked over to the window that overlooked the street hesitantly. He let out a groan as he stared through a sliver in the blinds. At the gate to the complex, stood abundant number of news vans and reporters, which also included a numerous amount of fans.

  “Alright, plan B, tell them the usual, and then we will take separate cars to the airport,” Ash told him, and George nodded.

  “Your life is crazy, you know that, right,” Lucy said wryly, as George started ringing around to find transportation. Ash sighed, shoved a hand through his hair, and flopped down on the couch next to her.

  “Yeah, why do you think I wanted to have a rest from being Martin James? I’ve been doing this since I was fourteen, pretty much non-stop.” He grouched, as he looked over at her.

  “Maybe we should make our next date a bit low key.” Lucy pushed her shoulder into his, and he turned to her with a grin.

  “So you're okay with that newspaper picture? You really want to go out again?” He asked hopefully.

  “Yes, despite my numerous freak outs last night, and briefly this morning, I want to go out again. Third times the charm, right? We have got to get one right sooner or later.” She finished wryly, which made him laugh.

  “Martin, you take your car and drive yourself. I’ve organised someone to pick your car up and bring it back. That should draw everyone away, and then Joel can take Lucy. How does that sound?” George asked them both, as he strode into the room, and they agreed with a nod.

  George shuffled around the kitchen after that, leaving them alone. Lucy was pleasantly surprised when she realised that he was cooking breakfast. She sent Ash a questioning look, but he just shrugged.

  “He’s been like a big brother to me over the years. He looks after me a lot, especially as my actual brother can be pretty useless,” Ash explained.

  “Well, I can’t argue with that. Just out of curiosity here, have you thought of giving Martin James up?” She asked him seriously