“Dirk where are you?” The exhaled breath steaming up the window.
Stop it! Eliza commanded of herself. If you think bad thoughts, bad things happen. Think positive! Dirk is absolutely fine.
She sat down on the wicker chair and watched the dawn break.
“Eliza?” Jonny startled Eliza. He was stood at Dirk’s door. “You ok?”
“Yeah, I’m good. I woke up with a headache, so came in here looking for some paracetamol.”
She was pleased to see him, he always looked most beautiful to her in the morning. Slightly dishevelled and as his boxer shorts revealed - always ready for sex.
“I know what you mean.” Jonny was obviously suffering too. “Are there any left?”
“No, but come here.” She stood up and beckoned to him. “Sit down.”
Jonny sat on the wicker chair. Eliza stood behind him and placed her fingers onto his head, pressing firmly into his scalp with small circular motions. Massaging all over the back and top of his head, down his neck and shoulders.
Without taking her hands off him she moved around to face him. Straddling him, she moved her thumbs down to each of his temples and gently pressed on them, bringing her middle finger in to play and sliding her thumbs over to the pressure points in the middle of his forehead.
She kissed each of his closed eyes and rubbed herself back and forth on his erection.
Releasing him deftly from his boxer shorts, she pushed her panties to one side and sat down hard on top of him.
He let out a sigh of obvious pleasure and flickered his eyelids.
“Hangover sex,” she whispered in his ear. “It beats headache pills any day.”
He didn’t have chance to reply, verbally anyway. The rest of his body agreed almost immediately. Endorphins rushing into his blood stream and melting away the pain in his head.
The noise of the apartment door opening ended their moment together.
“Dirk!” Eliza was overjoyed. She climbed off Jonny and skipped to the bedroom door.
“Make yourself comfortable, why don’t you?” he joked at Jonny, who Eliza had left in all his prowess for Dirk to get an eyeful of.
Jonny rearranged himself into his boxers and stood up. Coughing to clear his throat. “Good to see you mate. What happened?”
“Well there was an almighty earthquake by all accounts.”
“No. I know. I mean…”
“I know what you mean.” Dirk cut him off laughing. “I’m just playing with you man. Well… not in the way Eliza was anyway. I got to Hendy's and met one of the guys from Leopards Fold, we got chatting outside and then it happened. A car veered off the road, avoiding some falling masonry and took him straight out. Missed me by inches. Anyway I went to the hospital with him, and stayed until he was seen by a doctor. He was on a stretcher in the corridor at A&E for five hours. There were so many casualties with much worse injuries than him.”
“Is he ok now?” Eliza enquired.
“Yeah, he’s fine. I took him back home, then came straight here.” Dirk proceeded to take his jeans and t-shirt off and rummaged through the wardrobe for clean clothes. Going commando was Dirk’s usual way.
Eliza protested, “Don’t mind me!”
“Well this is my bedroom Missy and anyway you two didn’t seem to mind getting ‘au naturel’ in here a minute ago!”
“So where are my strings?” Jonny jested.
Dirk just laughed back at him.
“Let’s have some tea,” Eliza suggested.
“Why don’t I go get coffee instead?” Jonny offered. Knowing he couldn't take the green tea Eliza was likely to make. Not the way his stomach was feeling queasy this morning anyway.
“You’ll struggle to find many places open,” Dirk said. Adding, “although it was less of a disaster zone the closer I got to the apartment.”
“Why don’t we all go,” Eliza suggested, “I could do with some fresh air and you can tell us all about your ordeal.”
They didn’t have to venture far to find a café that was open. Jonny joined the long queue at the counter whilst Eliza and Dirk found somewhere for them all to sit. They found the last table in the corner furthest away from the door. It was as if the whole of the neighbourhood had turned out. All the local residents taking the opportunity to find out what happened and exchange stories.
“I’m looking forward to going home,” Dirk said to Eliza, drumming the table with his fingers. Dirk was very fidgety and if he wasn’t tapping his foot he was drumming his fingers. It would always put Eliza on edge. She folded her hand over his fingers to calm him. He switched his fidget response to his foot that was under the table away from her gaze.
“Yeah, me too. I think it’s time. I guess we’ll be skipping tonight’s gig. It’ll be good to go home and see some familiar faces. A lot’s happened on this tour.”
Dirk nodded in agreement. “What about him?” he asked raising his eyes towards Jonny.
“Not sure.” She looked back over her shoulder to make sure Jonny wasn’t about to come over. “I like him. Really like him. He’s caring and sweet and the sex…” She licked her lips and shuddered slightly. “He’s pretty damn hot. Just look at him.”
“Yeah. Most people do. Gay or straight, men or women. He definitely wears that ‘fuck me’ t-shirt. He’s the best you’ve had yet Eliza.”
Eliza laughed, looking around again. “But I’m not sure. Do we just go our separate ways and look back on the time we had together with fond memories? Something to get off to when there’s no-one else around? Or do we carry on and hope it won’t turn bad?”
“He’s coming back.” Dirk warned her before he had chance to offer some advice.
Jonny sat down next to Eliza handing out the coffees and muffins.
She stared at him searching for an answer to the question she asked of herself. He looked so cute, like a lost little puppy dog. The sort she could never bring herself to own, in case it got run over or ran away and broke her heart. Pets always died prematurely, leaving their owners distraught. She could never own a pet. She had told herself a thousand times. No pets and no children. But here she was with a little puppy of her own.
She wasn’t sure how she would feel when he wasn’t there. With some space between them she might feel differently, and she had to give herself that. To know for certain was important. She did everything in life without commitment and she just couldn’t give herself over to this now.
Chapter Nineteen
Jonny sat patiently on the plane waiting for it to taxi to the runway. He had been checked in next to a loud, very talkative woman. She was either very nervous or just spoke for the sake of it. He couldn’t quite tell which.
“So I said to my friend Keeley, I’m gonna turn into a Brit. You won’t recognise me when I return from vacation. I’ll be all pale and speak like the Queen.” Chortling at her own joke.
Jonny tried to avoid eye contact, fearing it would make her worse. All he wanted to do was be alone with his thoughts.
“Do you think we will take off soon? I need the bathroom before we do.”
Jonny picked up the inflight magazine to see what films he could watch on the flight. His travel companion looked over the back of the seat, trying to catch the attention of one of the stewards.
He had gone with Eliza and Dirk to the airport early that morning. Their flight to Schiphol was at ten and his to London three hours later, giving him plenty of time to brood on their parting.
Travelling first class, they were all given access to the departure lounge and had spent their last couple of hours together there.
He had gone over every word she said dozens of times in the time he had afterwards in the lounge on his own. Penning his feelings into a cleverly disguised song about fate and love. He entitled it “Samsara”.
“So why don’t I fly to Amsterdam instead of London?” he asked Eliza, on the off chance she would agree.
“You should go to see your family. Your parents will have missed you.”
<
br /> He didn’t want to diminish the value of having parents so changed his tack. “OK then, why don’t you come to London with me. My parents would love to meet you.”
“Thanks for the offer but Dirk and I need to get back to Amsterdam. We’ve got to see Kurt. And there’s some gigs we’re committed to over Christmas that we’ve got to arrange logistics for. And then we’ve got to work out a plan for this summer. There are a load of festivals in Europe we need to get booked in to. We also need to sort some stuff out with the record label.”
It all sounded like a load of excuses to Jonny. Nothing that meant he couldn’t be there with her. Even the Christmas gigs. What would they do if Kurt couldn’t play? Jonny didn’t buy it.
“So. Is that it?”
“What do you mean - is that it?”
“You and me.”
She took hold of each his hands. “I believe we should go with the path life leads us down. There seems to me to be a definite pause in our relationship. A fork in the path where we both need to take some time and see how we feel about being apart.”
“I know now, how I will feel without you Eliza. I don’t need to take any time apart to know.”
She smiled and leant forward to kiss him. “Well good, hopefully I will feel the same Jonny.”
Eliza passed over her phone number and address on the back of a Polaroid photo he had taken of her on a tram in San Francisco. He hastily scribbled his on a Virgin Atlantic napkin.
“Promise you’ll ring?”
“I promise.”
Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her into him and crashed his mouth into hers. Every ounce of emotion given over in one passionate kiss. She wouldn't forget that in a hurry, he was sure of that.
Frozen, he watched as Eliza and Dirk walked off to their life on a different continent. He didn’t want it to be the last image he had of her in his mind.
Coming back to reality, he realised the woman sat next to him was still talking at him.
He broke his silence. “Do you drink?”
“Alcohol? Noooo not me. Not touched a drop since I was at College back in seventy-six,” she said with a boastful tone.
Hallelujah. He let out a sigh of relief. As soon as the plane took off, he was going to the bar at the back of the first class cabin and drink and smoke all the way to London.
Chapter Twenty
Jonny had been back in London for over a week now and was still suffering from jet lag.
He had received a call from the record label asking him to meet with Joanne at the record label offices on Tottenham Court Road the next morning.
Waking at three in the morning, and unable to get back to sleep he decided to go downstairs and watch a film on the video player. Predictably, he fell asleep on the sofa before the film finished.
His parents unaware of his appointment had left him to sleep. Jonny only woke when he heard his father slam the front door on his way to work.
Disorientated, but knowing he was probably going to be late for his appointment, he quickly leapt upstairs and claimed the bathroom from his mother.
He ran all the way to the nearest tube station at Parsons Green and, as usual, it was packed out with the regular morning city commuters. He scurried down the escalator into the heat of the underground; managing to barge his way onto the tube that had just pulled up. Irate passengers hurling obscenities at him for pushing in.
The doors struggling to close behind him. He turned around shoving his backside into a heavily shoulder-padded business woman; his face squashed up against the window of the door. He felt sure she was grabbing his arse but he couldn’t move or look around to see if she was, or if it was just some badly placed briefcase. Either way there was not a lot he could do about it.
Burped out at the next stop, he ran up the stairs and through the station, vaulting over the barrier to the Northern Line. The rickety train was due in one minute. He elbowed his way through to the front of the platform. Harassed, he puzzled how on earth people did this day in day out.
Finally, he was free of the subterranean hell, emerging at the top of the huge flight of stairs into the cold late autumn air. He zipped his jacket up and stuffed his hands in his pockets. Trying in vain to recall the address of the office. He knew he was looking for the Pinnacle Building but what number on Tottenham Court Road was it? He’d forgotten how long the street was. 153? 513? The more he thought about it, the less correct it sounded.
Conceding to himself he should have written it down. It was obvious now he was here it wasn’t going to be a shop front, but one of the offices above. Probably with only a small plaque to signify which of the unobtrusive doors to go through.
Finally, he found it. Number 531. The door was locked and there was a small row of door buttons near the handle; with faded names of the businesses each of the five floors represented.
Flummoxed, he proceeded to press every one in turn until eventually one of the buzzers was answered. Not knowing what the person on the receiving end of the intercom was saying over the noise of the morning traffic, he just replied with his name. It must have been the correct one as the buzzer sounded back to him and the door clicked open. He pushed on it and went up the fusty smelling narrow staircase to the first landing and through the lobby door marked "AP Records".
Instantly he heard Simon’s voice. Bollocks! He didn’t feel in a fit state to be locking horns with him right now.
“Come in Jonny.” Joanne got up from her chair behind the large leather clad desk, beckoning him in with her hand.
Joe and Badger were also there and turned around to greet their friend. Simon remained seated and just stared at Jonny. His elbows resting on the arms of his chair, his fingers pressed in the shape of a triangle. The tag Christine, the barmaid, had given to Simon sprung to mind. Dick head.
“Hiya mate! Long time no see.” Joe walked up to greet Jonny and gave him a shoulder to shoulder slam and big pat on the back. Badger did the same.
“Wow.” Jonny couldn’t hide his surprise. “You guys look… erm different.”
They had really glammed up their image. Heavy make-up. Long permed hair. Scarfs hanging from their metal button adorned belts and tied around their tattooed arms. Underneath it all, it was still Joe and Badger. His friends since child hood. Who, not so long ago, were spotty virgins. Young men who didn’t shower enough or even think to pluck the overgrown hair in between their eyebrows. They now looked like something out of a Kerrang photo shoot.
“Please… sit down.” Joanne politely invited him to sit opposite her on the other side of the desk.
“OK let’s get straight to it.” Simon tried to take control.
Joanne threw him daggers. It was quite obvious she was going to approach this in her own way. Simon backed down and suddenly took an intense interest in his black painted fingernails.
Jonny glanced down at the desk and spied a contract and a cheque book. He looked up at Badger and Joe. They both had apologetic looks on their faces.
Jonny knew what was coming.
He knew before he walked in the door.
Actually, if he thought about it he knew when he told them he was staying on in America to play guitar with Karma Life.
In fact, he knew when he contested Simon’s father about the first tour offer.
It was always going to end like this. It was his destiny and he wasn’t going to put up a fight. But he sure as hell was going to make them feel bad about it.
“Jonny, the rest of the band have been writing some new stuff whilst you were in America and their creative direction has taken a different turn.”
“Yeah I can see that,” he replied sarcastically, referring to their new look.
She continued unperturbed. “They want to carry on as a three piece and I’m so sorry but that means letting you go.” Emphasising the apology by cocking her head on one side and giving a sympathetic sickly smile.
“What do you mean a three piece? You need a base guitarist for our sound. It’s what g
ives us depth.”
“Didn’t you hear what the woman said? We’re moving away from that sound.” Simon looked up from his ring infested hands and flicked his head so his fringe was free of his heavily mascaraed eyelashes.
Jonny became agitated and fidgeted in his chair. He was resisting standing up and walking straight out. “But I was here from the start. We started Crash together. It’s as much my band as it is yours.” Making the point specifically at Simon.
“Jonny.” Joanne regained his attention. “You and the others signed a contract with the label and that gives us the ultimate say on the shape of the band. Simon, Joe and Badger have put forward a good case for a re-structure and it doesn’t include you. Sorry. I’ve put together a severance agreement and, although we don’t have to contractually do this, we will give you ten thousand pounds as a good will gesture. No hard feelings and all that.” Joanne pushed the one pager toward Jonny.
He looked down at it, but without taking in a word knew he had to sign. If they didn’t want him, then that was it. What was the point in arguing against it?
“Make it twenty and I’ll go quietly,” he said, crossing his arms.
Joe and Badger sat forward in their seats, hoping Joanne would agree, so they could get out of this awful meeting. In truth, they were happy for Jonny to stay with the band. It was Simon that had manipulated the situation so Jonny was squeezed out. Insisting they write songs that didn’t include a heavy bass element. Convincing them they need to refine their music to fit in with the new wave genre that had been popular in the UK charts for the last few years. Put their own rock twist on it. Joe and Badger were confused by it, but the label seemed convinced. They didn’t have the confidence to protest. So just went along with it. But now they felt bad and backed into a corner.
“Eighteen. And like I said no hard feelings.” Joanne outstretched her hand.
Jonny walked out of the office nineteen thousand pounds better off.
Walking to the bank to deposit the cheque he felt alone. He knew this was going to happen when he left America. No band. No girlfriend. Too old to stay at home. What was he going to do now?
Falling for his ANGEL_A Rock Star Romance Page 14