Lost in Flight

  ********************

  Jed

  When the equipment failed, Jed thought, she’s fecked. I’m fecked, everything’s just fecked. He was processing his options when he saw a mop haired eejit standing in between Bonnie and Mandy go to throw something.

  Before he could slap the fool on the head, Jed saw Hot Red’s hand snake out, grip mop head’s arm and squeeze. To Jed’s amusement, mop head actually shrieked like a little girl. Then he tried to struggle out of Bonnie’s grip, but his foot was pinned to the floor and he was having trouble keeping balance because his legs were moving like a newbie skater.

  Jed looked over to see Mandy’s heel spiked through the top of mop head’s shoe. She didn’t have enough pressure on to cause serious damage, but the intent was clear. Despite himself, Jed was impressed and more than a little amused.

  He watched Bonnie pull mop head toward her and whisper something in his ear. Mop head jerked back and stared at her in horror. He then gulped and nodded. Bonnie let his arm go and there were red marks all around it. Jed was seriously turned on.

  Jed glanced up to see if Christina was okay because, although the girls had taken care of mop head, there was more than one eejit in this crowd. He watched Andy James stalking toward the stage, with the predatory menace of a jungle cat, ready to rush it if things got ugly. Okay, Jed thought, she’s covered.

  He was calculating exit strategies and how many people he would have to bowl through when he stopped. Jed did a double take and looked at the crowd. It took him a moment to realize, but no one was throwing anything. The crowd was listening because Christina hadn’t stopped singing.

  Jed was actually moved and felt his eyes prick with tears. He swallowed hard, muttering “damn onion cutting ninjas, they get everywhere.” Christina’s voice, a cappella, was haunting, raw and full of pain. He thought, you would have to be dead inside not to be affected by that voice.

  He had always understood what Riley saw in Christina. She reminded him of a buttoned up schoolteacher, who wore naughty knickers underneath. Christina was strong and vulnerable, but hearing her sing? He got it now.

  Jed could only imagine the impact that voice would have on someone like Riley because, right now, Jed would take on the whole room to protect Christina Martin, and he wasn’t in love with her. It felt like he was witnessing something rare and special. And he wasn’t the only one.

  He couldn’t believe it. No one moved. This crowd was hostile and one of the reasons many of them came here was to humiliate people, but she’d shut them up even on a free round.

  Jed looked at Christina Martin with newfound respect. “Good for you girly,” he whispered. He was even prepared to forgive her for acting like a stupid, bloody minger tonight. Almost.

  He turned to see Riley and the other guys entering the premises. Johnny was smiling his lopsided grin and couldn’t take his eyes off his sister. He saw the guys head to the bar, so he told Mandy and Bonnie the men had arrived.

  Mandy muttered, “Thank God,” but Hot Red scowled. “What’s he doing here?”

  Jed followed her eyes to Riley. “Why wouldn’t he be here?”

  Bonnie turned her gaze on Jed. “I thought he would be off with his little girlfriend.”

  Jed was confused. “He is. She’s singing on stage.”

  Bonnie scoffed. “Riley’s been a bad boy and having adventures with a little blonde, while playing games with Dina.”

  Jed liked Bonnie, he could imagine doing bad-dirty things with Bonnie on a regular basis, but now she’d pissed him off. He looked Bonnie in the eye. “You’re wrong, Red. He’s done no such thing. You’d have to be blind to miss how he feels about Christina.”

  Bonnie’s jaw clenched. “I know he’s your friend, Jed, but you don’t know the history those two have.”

  Jed cut her short. “It’s not their history I’m worried about. It’s them getting a chance in the present and the future. Leave them be, Red. They need to work this out on their own.”

  Mandy had been listening and was nodding her head vigorously in agreement with Jed. She also looked a bit smug. Leaning toward Bonnie she said, “I hate to say I told you so, but you know: I did. Somewhere, Jesus is face palming because of you, Bonnie Howard, because of you.”

  ********************

  Riley

  Riley heard her before he saw her, and a smile spread across his face. He looked over at Johnny who was smiling a wide, lopsided grin. Johnny turned to him and grabbed his arm. “Listen to that, man. That’s my sister.”

  Johnny was shaking his head in open admiration and brotherly pride. They watched Christina close her eyes and lift her arms in song, and her tits rose up, almost out of her dress. Riley saw Johnny’s face change into a frown and his mouth drop open. “Um, why is my kid sister almost nekkid?”

  Shrugging off his coat, Johnny made his way to the stage. Riley saw the crowd do a double take when they recognized Johnny and move aside giving him a path to Christina. Johnny stood with his arms folded watching Christina and when she opened her eyes, and saw her brother, a smile lit her face.

  Andy James blocked Johnny from the stage until he realized who he was. They shook hands, introducing themselves and stood side by side waiting for Christina to finish. Christina made eye contact with Riley from the stage and he smiled, but she didn’t. Her eyes went dark and hard, and even before Jed, and a contrite Bonnie Howard reached him, he guessed what happened.

  It was like they could never catch a break. Their past was between them and they always expected the worst from each other. Riley was angry with Bonnie, but he listened to her apologize over and over again. Jed stood watching Bonnie with his arms folded like he was a parent bringing an errant child to make amends.

  Riley shook his head. “Maybe next time you can give someone the benefit of the doubt, Bonnie? What else did you tell her? Did you tell her everything I told you, so you could have a good laugh at my expense?”

  Bonnie’s mouth dropped open. “No. I didn’t. Look, Riley, I’m sorry. I’ll tell her I was wrong, but I was looking out for one of my best friends.”

  He shrugged. “Tell her what you want, Bonnie. It doesn’t matter anymore.” Bonnie left Riley with Jed and walked toward Mandy and Dave.

  Riley watched Mandy and Dave sitting with their arms around each other, talking intimately with their heads together. Every now and then, Dave would kiss Mandy, and she would smile. He envied them their clarity. They just loved each other and there was no confusion.

  Jed clapped him on the back. “It’ll be okay, mate. You two can work it out. You still love each other and you’d have to be a numpty not to see that.”

  Riley laughed, but there was no mirth. “It’s never been a continuity problem, Jed. I’ve always loved her. I always will and vice versa, but it makes no difference. We’re broken and I don’t think we can be fixed.”

  After a while, he heard Jed say quietly. “Oh I don’t know, twisted up in knots and tangled, maybe, but definitely not broken. It just needs a bit of unraveling, but I think the cord is as strong as ever.”

  ********************

  Christina

  When the equipment failed, Christina carried on. She wasn’t motivated by fear of the free rounds because she didn’t know they existed. What pushed her were her father’s performance standards. Dad wouldn’t accept equipment failure as an option to stop and give up, so she just continued. She was surprised the crowd had gone quiet and was listening to her.

  The first person Christina saw out of the band was Johnny and she felt the grin stretch across her face. He moved to stand in front of her with Andy and as he did she spotted Riley. He was smiling at her and she felt her face freeze. She was so hurt and angry with him right now, and she couldn’t hide it. Christina watched Riley’s eyes narrow in response, but she turned her focus to Johnny and not ruining the end of the song.

  As she finished the crowd stayed silent and for a brief moment she thought she was going to be doused, but then they broke into a
pplause. Johnny jumped on stage and hugged her, then covered her with his jacket. She tried to tell him she had a coat, but he was insistent, so she put her arms through the sleeves.

  The crowd booed, but Johnny put his hands up laughing. “This is my kid sister, people.” He was met by catcalls, whistles and cheers, but with a laugh he waved them away. Christina went to get off stage, but Johnny grabbed her. “Uh-uh. I’m going to find a guitar and we’re going to sing a couple of songs.”

  They argued because she didn’t want to, but he was determined. She even threatened to spread rumors on the Internet that he wore Grandpa underpants and Old Spice. He turned to her and laughed. “You say that like it’s a bad thing. There’s nothing wrong with that.” Johnny put her in a headlock. “Sing with me, Dina, and then we’ll go.” So she agreed.

  Ever the showman, Johnny fired the crowd up by saying they would sing a couple of numbers if someone could find a guitar. After a pause, a guitar was produced from behind the bar and Johnny sat down tuning it. He looked up at Christina. “How about “Use somebody” and “Running up that hill?”

  She leaned over and said, “We’re doing the slow versions right?”

  He grinned. “Of course and if we mess up what’s the worst that can happen?”

  Christina looked at him. “Oh, I don’t know. They could pelt us with food and other stuff.”

  Johnny’s smile got even wider. “We’ve worn worse. You remember when we were a family act, right?” She did and he definitely had a point. Food and stuff would be preferable to some of the outfits their parents had forced them to wear.

  They sang their two songs and had a great time together. They did muck up in parts, but carried on anyway. When they went to leave the stage they were met with abuse from the crowd.

  Johnny put his hands up and smiled. “Hey people, come on - we want to have a drink.” There was a pause, someone yelled “you suck” and then the food started flying. In the end, they were pelted with food not for being bad or mucking up, but for leaving the stage.

  ********************

  Riley

  “Why doesn’t she sing with Johnny?”

  Riley turned to Jed and pointed at the stage. “Well, she is.”

  Jed rolled his eyes. “Shut up, smart arse, you know what I mean.”

  Riley shrugged. “Long story.”

  Jed raised his eyebrows. “You’ll have to tell me some time.”

  Riley doubted that, but he was glad Jed was prepared to leave it alone for now. He listened to Christina and Johnny singing with a smile on his face. He leaned over to Jed saying, “They were a family act - Johnny, Christina, and their father.”

  When Jed laughed, Riley joined him. “Oh, yeah. If you ever want to watch them throw all their toys out of the cot, ask their old man to show you home movies.”

  Jed asked, “Does the Princess of the underworld sing?”

  Riley pulled a face. “Yeah, she does and she’s good. Not as good as Christina or Johnny, or the old man, but her voice is pretty sweet. The family act was over by the time she was old enough to perform with them.”

  Jed was disappointed. He hoped to score some ammunition against his nemesis to pay her back for the pain and suffering she’d caused with her scary personality. He made a promise to keep looking because there had to be something he could find. He knew it was mean, given what she’d been through, but sometimes he was tempted to send the other side a medal for throwing her out of the tree. If they knew her like Jed did, they would have never had the bollocks.

  Riley and Jed were still talking when Johnny, and Christina finished their performance. The crowd was booing and yelling for more, but Johnny was having none of it. He had his hands up smiling at the crowd and Riley thought “uh-oh.” Riley moved toward the stage, but it was too late. There was a fraction of a pause and someone yelled abuse, then food started flying.

  Johnny was trying to cover him and Christina, but they took more than a few direct hits. Andy James jumped up on stage to try and help them down, but got hazed for his troubles. Riley and Jed looked at each other. There was nothing they could do, so they did the only thing they could. They burst out laughing.

  Christina was screaming, Johnny laughing, but Andy looked dangerous. Andy was blocking as much stuff with his hands as possible, then turned and stared at the crowd. He marked people with his eyes, until the missiles slowly stopped.

  Jed tapped Riley on the shoulder. “That lad might just be able to tame Gabby de Ville you know.”

  Riley shook his head. “Doubtful.”

  Jed pulled a face. “Well, he might be able to defend himself before she eats his head off on the wedding night.”

  Riley doubted that too, but he knew Andy would give it his best shot. Riley watched Bonnie Howard approach Christina, who was trying to wipe the food off her face and get it out of her hair. The two women started an intense conversation and Christina looked his way a couple of times.

  He held her eyes briefly and then turned to Jed. Nodding at Christina and Bonnie, Riley said, “My cue to leave.” He made his way out of the bar and decided he’d give her fifteen minutes. If she wanted him, she could come get him, otherwise he was going back to the hotel.

  ********************

  Christina

  “Are you okay? That looked really horrible.”

  Christina wondered what gave it away: the screaming, punctuated by “owwwws,” or the arms over her head, begging people to stop? Looking at Bonnie, Christina replied. “You know, it actually was.”

  Bonnie looked Christina directly in the eye and said, “Dina, I have to talk to you.”

  After Bonnie had given her the account of miscommunication, Christina stared at her friend. “So, Riley isn’t Mr. Anal Adventures?”

  “No, he is, but there’s been a misunderstanding.”

  Christina was trying to get this clear in her mind: 1) Riley was Mr. Anal Adventures, but 2) he hadn’t been on any with the cute blonde. She was oscillating between concentrating on Bonnie and making eye contact with Riley who hadn’t moved from the bar. He just stood there and every time she looked up he was staring at her.

  Sighing Bonnie said, “The girl read more into the situation than what was there. As much as it really, really hurts to say, Mandy was right. I’m so, so, sorry.” Christina took her hand and gave it a squeeze. She knew Bonnie was only looking out for her, but she could have done without the drama and this heinous night at Pax.

  “There’s something else,” Bonnie said quietly, “I can’t tell you all of it okay because I promised I wouldn’t, but… Riley’s feelings… he still cares for you. A lot. He’s just wary of getting hurt.”

  Christina stared at Bonnie. “How do you know this?”

  Bonnie grimaced. “He told me on Thursday. We had a meeting and he told me he still loves you. I didn’t trust him Dina and I thought he might be playing games, but I believe him now.”

  When Christina looked up, Riley wasn’t there. Looking around the bar to find him, she made eye contact with Jed, who pointed at the door. She said to Bonnie, “I have to go. Can you run some interference for me with the others? I’ll be back soon.”

  Christina made her way passed Jed, who grinned. “Good luck.” Yes, good luck. She could do with some of that right about now.

  There was no sign of Riley when she got outside, so she walked up and down trying to find him. Just as she was about to go back inside, she heard him say behind her, “Did you have a nice night at Pax?”

  Christina spun around and made eye contact with him. Riley was looking at her with the half-smile on his face she loved and his eyes were full of amusement. Her mouth turned up at the corners and she said, “Oh yeah. It was great – a little strange maybe,” making them both laugh.

  By the time she’d finished giving him her account of losing Bonnie, her and Mandy’s discovery of the dirty room and El Creepo’s pursuit his shoulders were shaking with laugher. Riley cupped her face in his hand, “Only you.”

&nb
sp; He looked at her dress and pursed his lips. “By the way, I meant to compliment you on your outfit. I didn’t think you’d go for that, um, color, but it certainly draws the eye.”

  Christina shrugged. “I think the food and gunk accessories make it pop.”

  Riley laughed and took her in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and then pulled away. “No offense, Dina, but you really smell.”

  She slapped him and he grabbed her, dragging her to his chest, while she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back. She mumbled into his chest. “I’m sorry,” but he stopped her.

  “We need to talk.”

  ********************

  In relationship etiquette, the “we need to talk” phrase is in the same level of anxiety grouping as “I love you, but…” The apprehension these four little words can create could only be further reinforced if they were accompanied by the theme music from “Jaws.” Christina’s heart was in her mouth and her throat went dry. She’d blown it with her crazy.

  She pushed back from Riley and waited for him to say what she thought he was going to say. This was a big mistake and too much trouble. He put his hands in his pockets and lifted his shoulders up into his neck. He wouldn’t make eye contact with her, so she braced herself for what was coming.

  ********************

  Riley

  Clearing his throat, Riley said, “I’m not a perfect person, Dina. You know that better than anyone else, but you also know me better than that. Well, I hoped you did. I’m not that guy. I went on one date with someone else after we’d gone postal at each other. I was really angry with you, but I stopped further contact after we went out on Tuesday night.”

  Riley was trying to get a sense of Christina’s emotions, but she’d moved back from him and her face was unreadable. He noticed her body had gone tense and she’d wrapped her arms around her waist, gripping the sides of Johnny’s jacket with her fingers. “Mason Glenn invited the girl along tonight – not me.”