I Met Her On the Balcony

by Sandra Corton

  “Sorry I made you punch me, I definitely deserved it,” Ren answered, as he looked between Ash and Lucy. “I guess I’m just going to have to get used to this.” He gestured between them with a forlorn sigh.

  “Yes, you are.” Lucy told him simply, as she grabbed Ash’s hand, and pulled him closer to her.

  “Okay, are we all sorted?” Daz asked, while looking at Ren’s father. The man hadn’t said anything, but he nodded wisely.

  “Come, Darren, welcome to the world of grounding,” Ren’s father said firmly, to which Ren looked aghast.

  “Why am I being grounded?” Ren asked in despair.

  “For treating Lucy badly when she chose another boy over you.” His father told him sternly, and Ren looked at his feet.

  “Fine.” Ren huffed, as he followed his father from the room.

  Lucy snickered to herself, until Daz cleared his throat from behind her. She turned towards him with a grumble, and waited for the lecture to begin. Ash ran his thumb along the back of her knuckles distracting her, and thankfully helping her to remain calmer.

  “You know that you can’t just up and hit people, Lucy. You’re an adult now and Ren could have charged you with assault,” Daz said sternly making Lucy wince. “Your punishment is that you two can’t go out on the weekend.” She pointed between them, and she went to argue.

  “But that’s…”

  “Would you prefer to spend the night in the cells, Lucy? I can arrange that no trouble.” Daz stated casually, and Lucy slumped.

  “No.” She whispered in defeat.

  “Good, now get home you two.” He swished his hands at them, and turned back to his paperwork.

  Lucy grabbed Ash, and whipped him from the building so quick that he barely noticed anything. She grumbled a bit to herself for a moment, and Ash let her go.

  He’d yet to tell her that he had to go to the recording studio this weekend. He wanted to get the first song for his new album ready for release. He knew the advice would be not to release it until his album was further along, but he needed to find out if it was as good as he thought it was. Most especially, he wanted the grumbling girl next to him to listen to it.

  “Ugh, that really sucks! I mean it’s not like we made plans yet or anything, but this is all Ren’s fault,” Lucy stated emphatically. Ash just chuckled, his thoughts scattering to the wind, as she linked her fingers through his. They headed back towards the café where Lucy had left her car.

  “Belle, its fine. Just do me a favour and don't get grounded for the following weekend,” Ash told her, and she frowned.

  “Okay, what’s going on?” She looked over at him suspiciously.

  “I have to go to the recording studio this weekend, and then there’s a charity event that I have to attend.” He told her quickly, and her frown turned to a scowl.

  “When were you going to tell me?” She asked quietly.

  “Today, but with everything that’s been happening, I didn’t get a chance.” He told her straight away, and she softened.

  “That’s fine, I guess.”

  “Not quite,” he let out a sigh, not looking forward to telling her the rest. “I have to take a date to the charity thing, and I need you to know that we are just friends.” Ash insisted, seeing a stormy, but almost expectant expression on Lucy’s face.

  “Who?”

  “Mindy Taylor.” Ash watched as Lucy’s face fell.

  Another sigh rolled out of him. He knew she was comparing herself to the pop singer that he had just named. He didn’t know how to get through to her that she was more important, more beautiful, and far more intriguing than Mindy would ever be to him.

  "I guess it’s good that I’m grounded.” Lucy muttered under her breath.

  “Don’t do that, Belle. Don’t close me out. Mindy is...” Ash trailed off, and shoved a hand through his hair.

  “Geez, she's beautiful, talented, and slightly tarty. She also talks about you in interviews all the time.” Lucy finished dryly.

  “No, I was going to say that Mindy is pretty boring. She talks about herself constantly, or talks down to others who don’t deserve it.” Ash finished, and Lucy looked up to see the truth beaming from his golden eyes.

  “Are you telling me that I’m totally overreacting?” Lucy asked wryly. as they walked into the café together.

  “Hell yes! But how do you know she talks about me?” Ash asked curiously.

  “Penny. She’s another one that I am forced to listen to, just not as much as your music.” Lucy said, rolling her eyes skyward at her younger sister’s obsessions.

  “That’s a relief. If you had of told me that you liked her music then I would’ve went home, and burned my guitar.” Ash told her seriously, and Lucy burst into laughter.

  “It’s not a date or anything? You just have to take someone right?” Lucy asked, trying to stop herself from questioning why he didn't ask her.

  She knew that it was because of her mother that it was best to stay out of Martin James's world. Lucy didn’t want to do anything to encourage her mother towards either of them, so avoiding the celebrity world was necessary.

  It didn't stop her from feeling excluded, especially when Ash had a gorgeous celebrity to go to events with. She would be back on the farm and he would be in his megastar world.

  “Hey you two! Do you want another, Lucy? I guess you need one after Daz’s visit hmmm?” Jolee asked, and Lucy nodded eagerly. “What about you, Ash?”

  Ash quickly ordered. Lucy had her normally chocolate explosion shake, as Ash liked to call it. Ash though got a burger, as his stomach grumbled; reminding him that he had missed lunch.

  “No, it’s not a real date. George just organised it, and I’ve known Mindy for ages,” Ash finished their previous conversation with a shrug.

  “Alright, I guess that I’ll just have to deal with it,” Lucy accepted the situation, but her curiosity got the better of her. “So, all the times that you’ve been linked together in magazines…” She trailed off.

  “All a bunch of lies, Belle. She’s just a ladder climber, and sees me as a convenient way to get higher.” Ash answered honestly.

  “Fame seems to have a lot more bad things than it has good,” Lucy mumbled thoughtfully.

  “You have no idea. It's a crazy world out there.” He agreed, with a shake of his head.

  They ate quietly together when their meal arrived, until their friends from school turned up. Col was glad to hear that she and Ren had made up. He sent them some strange looks, until Ash put his arm across the back of Lucy's chair, and dragged her closer to him. Col seemed to get the message and left things alone.

  It was only on the car drive home when Ash remembered that he had to go to her house for dinner. His anxiety spiked, until later that night when he felt relief rush through him. It may have been a hellish day, but having Lucy's parents accept him made everything better.

  They had spent a while warning him about Crystal, which he appreciated. He had held Lucy's hand tight, as they talked. He still had the feeling that she was holding something back, and that even her family didn't know about whatever it was.

  She smiled at him after the delicious apple pie dessert, before reaching out a hand for him.

  He looked hesitantly around, but her family seemed completely unconcerned. She tilted her head, gesturing towards the lounge room, and he followed with a grin of his own. When she began pulling him up the stairs, he came to a stop.

  "Lucy Jean," Her father’s stern voice came from the kitchen doorway.

  "Oh, come on, Dad," she turned, and pleaded at him with her eyes.

  "Fine," he huffed, as he waved his hands at them. "But don't you dare shut that door." He told her firmly.

  "Sure." Lucy answered, as she tightened her grip on his hand, and dragged him to her room.

  He looked around, and he was pleasantly surprised. Her room was girly, but in a far more subtly way than most girls. Nothing was fluffy or terribly floral. From the scuffed teddy bear on the bed, to
the tiny swirls painted on her dresser, it showed him a different side to Lucy.

  He decided that he liked seeing this softness in her. She was always being the tough, totally in control person, and it was nice to see this different side of her.

  "God, what a nightmare of a day," She muttered, as she plopped down on the bed.

  "Yep, and we haven't even done our homework yet," Ash reminded her, as he sat next to her.

  "Ugh, didn't want to hear that." She pushed her feet against his side, and scrunched up her face.

  "So, what would you rather do?" He asked with a waggle of his eyebrows.

  "And here I thought that that would be obvious. Come here!" She demanded, as she gestured next to her, and he grinned, as he lay down beside her.

  "Are you sure your Dad our Daz isn't going to come rushing in here?" He asked, as he pushed her crazy curls back to tuck behind her ears.

  "If they do they do." She mumbled, as she touched her lips to his.

  With a groan, he kissed her back, and she melted against him. His strong, warm hands cupped around her face, spreading heat through her, as his tongue licked against her lips. She opened her mouth to him, as her fingers dove into his hair. His hand splayed against her back, bringing her closer to him, before stroking sensually, which sent shivers across her spine.

  He broke the kiss reluctantly, when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Lucy sent him a frown, before grumbling at him when he sat up, and pretended that nothing had happened. She pushed a hand through her unruly hair, while sending him her best pout. Daz knocked on the open door, and peered in at them, looking boldly between them with a smirk.

  "Now that was almost payback," Daz chuckled to himself, while Lucy gasped.

  "No way, neither of us is half naked," Lucy insisted, and Ash frowned in confusion at the pair of them. "What do you want?"

  "Nothing I just thought that I'd check up on you." Daz said with a chuckle; as he turned and walked quickly back out of the room.

  "You are so dead!" Lucy jumped off the bed, and ran out into the hallway.

  He had done that just to try to catch them out! She pushed her foot into the back of her brother’s knee, as he made it to the landing. He stumbled, but managed to remain upright, so Lucy jumped up, and latched her arms around his neck to hang onto him like a dead weight.

  "What is this all about?" Ash asked them wryly, as they wrestled around like crazy for a while.

  "He did that deliberately!" Lucy yelled out, as her elbow hit her brother in the ribs and he grumbled.

  "Of course, sis," Daz's chortle turned into a groan, as Lucy thumped him.

  "God, I hate you sometimes." She hissed, as he managed to get both her hands behind her back, and hold her immobile.

  "I know. You did hear what I said today?" Daz turned serious, as he let her up.

  "Yeah, I did." Lucy answered with a sigh.

  "No more hitting anyone, even if it's for their own good. Now, come here," he gestured her closer, and she went over to give him a hug. "Now tell me that you love me, and I'll leave you two little lovebirds alone." Daz teased, while Lucy fervently shook her head.

  "No way."

  "You just told me you hated me, so I need some redemption." Daz told her with a fake sad face.

  "Ugh, fine. I barely tolerate your brother of mine, but underneath I love you, okay. Happy now?" Lucy made her statement with raised eyebrows, and Daz laughed.

  "Yes, see you guys later." Daz left as quickly as he arrived, leaving Lucy standing in the hallway scowling.

  "Okay, what was that?" Ash asked with a grin.

  Lucy looked at him and rolled her eyes, "I caught Daz making out with a girl once, so I guess that he wanted to return the favour." She told him, and Ash couldn't help but laugh.

  "Now, that would have been embarrassing. You know he’s strange. I mean he has always been serious around me and now... well, that was completely unexpected." Ash frowned a little, as he followed her back to her room.

  "He is a serious guy, but he has a great sense of humour. He seems to have accepted you as part of the family. I guess that’s why it's a bit easier for him to act normal around you." She said with a shrug, as she sat back on her bed. She reached out a hand to him, to tug him down next to her.

  "I love your collage." Ash gestured to the wall, where a huge frame with pictures of all her friends hung.

  They all seemed carefree in the photos. Ash envied the freedom that they had to be themselves, and not have to live a double life. Lucy grinned, before looking over at it.

  "Yeah, we've had some great times," her words came out on a whisper, and Ash felt terrible for possibly making her think about her earlier argument with Ren. "And now I get to include you in there. In fact, I don't even have a photo of us together, and yeah, don't mention the newspaper." She sent a frown in his direction, and he raised his arms in defence, unable to stop his grin from showing.

  "It would be nice to have a picture of us." Ash said, as Lucy whipped out a hot pink, rather advanced looking digital camera. She clicked one of him, and then frowned at the screen.

  "Geez, that’s a bad one. Who would ever think that the great Martin James could take a bad photo," she teased him, as he sent her one of his dazzling smiles, which made her quickly snap a picture. "You have such a great smile." She said softly, as she leaned back next to him in the bed.

  She quickly pulled him down, and clicked the camera to get them both in the picture. She laughed at his surprised look, before reaching over to kiss him on the cheek, and click another one. She spent the next few minutes trying to get as many photos of him, or them together, that eventually he just shook his head, and posed for her.

  She finally stopped, and sat down next to him. She flicked through the screen, until she paused at her favourite. When he had finally had enough of her crazy photo session, he had rolled on top of her. He had put his forehead against hers; grinning as he reached for the camera, but not before she obtained the shot.

  She loved this one. They looked so playful and happy, but another emotion in their eyes shocked her. It made her wonder that it had only taken her a few short weeks, before she had fallen totally in love with Ash. She sighed and snuggled closer to him. All she could hope for was that it would last.

  Chapter 15 – Mystery girl

  The week had passed surprisingly fast, and Lucy was still amazed when she thought it over. So much had happened, and she still found herself giggling when she thought of the most important thing. She was Ash’s girlfriend. She tried not to think about the fact that then made her Martin James’s girlfriend, because that part of it still worried her.

  Ren had slowly come to terms with them being together. He still wasn’t quite acting like himself, but at least they were back on speaking terms. All her other friends seemed to have known it was coming from the first time they met Ash. Col had accepted it far easier than his brother had. He was already teasing them about their future children, which made Lucy roll her eyes.

  Today, she was going to meet up with the pair of them for their apparently traditional Sunday lunch. She was in the middle of throwing on her jeans and a shirt, when her phone beeped. She quickly picked it up, excitement zinging through her, hoping it was Ash.

  She had missed him since he left on Friday evening far more than she had expected. She now seemed to check her phone constantly, just in case he was contacting her. She felt like such a silly fan girl, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. She read the text, and a tremble of anxiety went through her.

  “I did something stupid.” The words stared up at her from her phone.

  “What?” She sent a quick response.

  “I’ll explain later, but please don’t get freaked out okay. I’ll make it right.” His cryptic reply only increased her nerves.

  She groaned aloud, and felt an almost desperate need to ring him. She wanted to demand to know what he was talking about. Her finger hovered over the call button, knowing that she couldn’t. He had told her that exce
pt for the charity thing that he was going to be recording all weekend, which meant a huge do not disturb. With a frustrated sigh, she threw her phone into her handbag. She wasn’t good at being patient, and this was sure testing her limit.

  It was much later, when she was turning the ice cream in her milkshake to pulp, that she told herself to stop thinking about it quite sternly. Col was grinning like a fool at her, while Ren sent her a puzzled look at her agitated expression.

  “Dare we ask where lover boy is today?” Col asked with a sly wink at her.

  “I don’t know. Home, I guess,” Lucy muttered, which only brought the text messages back to her mind.

  “Oh, come on, I’ve got to stir you about him. He is such a dapper fellow after all.” Col teased, making her frown at him, before thumping him in the arm.

  Ren let out a laugh, as her milkshake almost toppled over at her erratic gesture. For some peculiar reason, they were back to being her best friends, and having a great time. She shrugged and let it go; she would rather have them as friends than anything else.

  She was stealing one of Col’s chips to dip in her milkshake when she first noticed it. She gagged and gulped for a second, until Col hit her firmly on the back.

  “That’s what you get for stealing my food.” Col scowled at her, before letting out a chuckle.

  Lucy hadn’t even heard him; her eyes focused on the TV screen intently. A very familiar building flashed onto the screen. Dread clutched at her, as she saw Mindy Taylor walking casually away from Ash’s city apartment. She was scantily dressed, as to be almost naked.

  There was no sign of Ash anywhere, but when the reporters rushed Mindy, she bit her lip and waited for the inevitable. When Mindy started saying that she had spent the night there, Lucy felt sick, her milkshake rising diabolically in her throat. Mindy kept gushing about Martin James for so long that even the reporters seemed bored.

  The footage skipped to later in the day, to what looked like Ash’s sports car trying to escape through the crowd. His face seemed beyond ferocious, as he crawled along. When he stopped the car, Lucy wasn’t the only one surprised, as the reporters stepped back to let him get out.