Riley’s eyebrows came together and his eyes narrowed. “How much did you see?” He snapped, making Jed’s eyes twinkle. Who was he kidding? The thought of anyone seeing Christina naked, let alone being with her naked, infuriated him.
“Her heart’s underrated by most of those close to her,” Jed added. “But she’s got one and it’s good. If you want her back, that’s what you have to talk to. You war with that girl’s head and you need to stop it. She’s more than a match for you in that department, but if you can get through to her heart, you have a chance.”
Riley rubbed a hand over his face. He didn’t want to get his hopes up because if they came crashing down, it would put him back to square one. Their love was like standing on the tallest building. The heights were amazing, but the fall was fatal.
**********
Christina, Rimini
“This is awesome!” Andy James grinned, his enthusiasm irritating, rather than infectious. “I wonder who they are? Do you think they’re the Mafia?”
Christina began to get sweaty. This wasn’t awesome. It was scary.
“Why would you say that?” She screeched, making Andy apologize profusely. “It’s racist and stereotypical. Just because we’re in Italy doesn’t mean they’re Mafia. There are weirdos everywhere!”
Seething, Christina started snarling, “This was supposed to be some nice time-out they said, fun, relaxing they said, no drama… and now we’re being stalked by biker freaks! Oh my god. I’m going to be sick!”
They’d slowly made their way up the coast singing their hearts out, stopping for lunch at an Auto-grill and taking turns at driving. Christina was driving the last leg of the journey into Rimini and she’d been abused more in the last couple of hours than she’d ever been in her life. She was pretty sure she was fluent in Italian swear words and insulting hand gestures.
Christina could cope with that, but she didn’t like being followed. For the last hour, two motorbikes had been trailing them and she found their behavior sinister. At one stage, one of them had pulled up alongside her and her nerve had failed.
She’d been singing to Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” at the top of her lungs when the creepy guy on the red bike drew level with her window. He’d just stared at her like a serial killer and she couldn’t see his face through his helmet. It made her panic and she’d screamed at him in a combination of English and Italian swear words.
“Cazzo!” She shrieked, the car lurching to the left, making the stalking freak brake hard. “Go away, asshole. Leave us alone!”
He’d backed off after that, falling behind, but the two bikers were still trailing, and it creeped her out. Christina knew she wasn’t the best driver in the world, but this seemed disproportionate to anything she could have possibly done. She was also the worst person to be in charge of an automobile if this got down to a race.
“What do they want?” Christina blurted, veering to the right. “Why are they following us? What did I do?”
“Eyes on the road, Martin!” Andy bellowed, pointing two fingers to his own eyes and back to the road. “Focus! If they are psycho killers, I’ve got this. I do have skills.”
Why would someone follow you for over an hour unless they had nefarious motives? It didn’t make any sense. “I think I should pull into the next gas station,” she suggested. “You know and find out what they want. I don’t like this and maybe I shouldn’t be driving!”
“No,” Gabby disagreed. “If they are crazy, we don’t want to engage. We should just carry on and get to the hotel. There will be people there and then we can call the Police.”
It sounded like a good plan to Christina and so she continued, but her eyes kept darting to the rear view mirror. To her relief, the bikers took an early exit into the center of the city. “They’ve gone,” she laughed, taking her hands off the steering wheel and cheering.
The screams from Andy and Gabby unnerved her and she got lost, instigating a beeping marathon from other cars. “Aaaaagh,” Christina screamed, parking in the middle of the road and putting her face in her hands. “I’m a tourist, for God’s sake! And my life SUCKS. Give me a break! Where’s your compassion?”
“Andy,” Gabby warned. “Turn some music on and no more Adele or Lana Del Rey. Try Mary J. Blige. Dina has reached her limit.”
The trio entered Rimini singing “Family Affair”, Christina in the passenger seat and Andy taking over the driving duties. She felt like she’d aged ten years and needed to calm down. She might not be in the best condition to reunite with her family, but right now, she needed someone to hug her.
**********
Riley, Rimini
“I love Christina,” Jed frowned. “But that woman should not be on the road and what were you thinking? You scared her half to death! I thought she was going to wipe you out at one stage.”
Riley agreed. She shouldn’t be on the road, a fact that had become more acute the longer he followed her. He really did think he was going to die when she lurched toward him, shrieking like a banshee, but he was more worried about her.
“I thought someone was going to kill her,” he argued. “There were cars backed up behind her going crazy. I tried to get her attention, but she went psycho!”
“She didn’t know it was you,” Jed rolled his eyes. “You pulled up alongside her and stared like a freak! It would’ve creeped me out and I’m not high strung like Christina.”
Okay. There was some truth to that, but in all honesty, he’d been mesmerized when he saw her and zoned out. It had been so long since he’d laid eyes on her and the hair really was ‘something’, especially in combination with that car. She looked like a clown, driving a giant pink tit.
The two men exited into the city because rain started falling and they weren’t prepped for wet conditions. They were currently parked up at a bar, Riley tracking Christina on his GPS and trying to hide his anxiety. Who the hell let her drive?
“Got them,” Riley grinned in relief. “They’ve stopped at a place called Le Meridien Hotel on the beach. I’m going to get us reservations.”
Jed knocked back his beer. “Okay. Let’s go check in. I’ll get Manu to send our clothes over. We could do with a bit of freshening up.”
Riley nodded. “You’re right. I’m going to have a shower, get changed, eat something, and then I’m going to find Christina.” It was time to end this.
**********
Christina
“Would you ever take him back?” Gabby asked out of the blue, making pain sear across Christina’s chest. A part of her screamed yes, but the self-preservationist in her knew the truth.
“That’s a bit random, isn’t it?” Christina fudged, making Gabby give her the stink eye. “No,” she shook her head. “We’re the definition of madness. We do the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result. And we fail every time. I need to accept that we love each other, but we can’t be together. We-just-don’t-work.”
The two sisters were relaxing in Christina’s room in the Le Meridien Hotel, which had a spectacular view of the Adriatic Sea. There was something about the wildness of this ocean that appealed to her. Rain was falling and the boom of the sea crashing onto the rocks was soothing, almost musical in its rhythm.
They’d had showers and changed clothes, eating dinner in the hotel restaurant. Afterward, Andy had left them to explore the city on his own, but the women had stayed behind. The biker-stalker experience had dampened Christina’s spirit of adventure and she was grateful to hide away in her room.
She was also thankful for the private time with her sister, even if Gabby had become Chatty Cathy, delving into subjects Christina wished to avoid. She put it down to the two big glasses of vino they’d imbibed and they were about to have more. She was predicting a long and intrusive night.
“Is it a pride thing?” Gabby asked. “I know sometimes people ‘do’ things and we think we’re obliged to walk away, but who do we do that for? Ourselves or because we think that’s what othe
r people expect us to do? Is it more about societal expectations, though, than what we actually want?”
Good questions. Christina fully conceded she had pride issues and was susceptible to the persuasions of other people. “I think pride has something to do with it,” she agreed. “It’s part of it, but not all.”
“I know we’re different where this is concerned,” Gabby grinned. “I don’t care what other people think. I would put my own happiness over anything or anyone else’s. I want you to think about what makes you happy and go from there.”
Christina wished it were that simple. She’d analyzed her and Riley’s relationship from every angle. She could forgive him just about anything else, but his confession about Ted had rocked the foundation of her world.
“He’s dangerous for me, Gabby,” she sighed. “We’re dangerous for each other. We bring out the worst… more than you can imagine. More than I ever imagined and I just think it’s better that we’re apart.”
She was about to say more, but they were interrupted by a knock on the door. Hovering in the doorway was one of the hotel staff. “Buona sera,” he smiled. “Your presence is requested downstairs in the lounge.”
**********
Christina heard them as soon as she exited the elevator. Bob Marley’s “No Woman, No Cry” was being played soulfully on two acoustic guitars. Halting Gabby with her hand, she grinned. “That’s Dad and Johnny.”
The choice of song didn’t escape her and Gabby’s attention either. “Dad’s singing lead,” Christina smiled. “Come on, we can help with the chorus.”
As they added their voices, their menfolk glanced up, but made no visible reaction to their presence. There were subtle shifts of fingers on strings and more emotion in the voices, but they didn’t miss a mark. A small crowd had gathered, listening to the performance and the Martins were too well trained to finish in the middle of a song.
Christina kissed her father on top of the head. “I love you, Dad,” she whispered. “Nothing will ever change that.” He put his head down, squeezing his eyes shut, launching into Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine”.
If Dad was in the seventies, this could be a long night. She wrapped her arms around Johnny’s neck, kissing him on the cheek. “Don’t ever leave me again,” he choked out. “You once told me you wouldn’t live in this world without me. Well, right back at you.”
Christina’s eyes filled with tears. She had said that and it was only fair the same rules applied. “What are you doing here?” She sniffed.
Johnny shrugged, giving his lopsided grin. “We hired the lounge for a family session. LiLi told us that you were here and we wanted to spend some time alone with you. You know… heal this.”
“It’s over, Johnny,” she smiled and it was. She wasn’t just saying it. It really was over. She had no hard feelings, nor held any grudges. “I just needed some time away, but can we get Dad out of the seventies?”
“I’ll try,” he grimaced. “But this is Dad’s show. It’s his way of telling you how he feels.”
Christina grinned. She got that. As her father launched into Dire Straits “Romeo and Juliet”, she decided if you can’t beat them she’d join them.
“Well, maybe it’s time for sharing is caring,” she sighed. “Martin style. My song choice is next. I have some feelings that I’d like to express.”
**********
“Dina, you’re making people cry!” Gabby hissed. “You need to sing something less soul destroying. Hey, normally, I’d be enjoying this and collecting their tears in vials, but even Dad’s cried a couple of times. It’s embarrassing.”
On that Christina agreed. It’d had been going well until she sang Johnny Cash’s version of “Hurt”. People had been receptive up until that point, but then the emotional disintegrations had begun.
Apart from her depressive song choices, this had been cathartic. She’d probably consumed more vino than she should have, but she was feeling good. A song was pressing at the edge of her consciousness and she didn’t know if she could bring herself to sing it.
It was her Everest. If she could climb this mountain, then maybe she would be healed? It was the song that started it all and she viewed it as sacred.
Even the thought of singing it gave her butterflies invoking memories of an unexpected first love, found in an unlikely place. For the first time in forever, they didn’t hurt and she let them wash over her. Crash or burn she had to try and it was fitting.
It was perfect for the last song she sung in public about her own personal heartbreak. Tapping Johnny on the shoulder she grinned. “Do you know the musical arrangement these days for “Nothing Compares 2 U”?”
**********
Riley
“Wow,” Jed breathed, but Riley was frozen in shock. He heard her before he saw her and when his brain registered the song; it felt like some kind of sick joke. He was transported back in time to the Martin garage in 1999, watching a young, awkward girl light up from the inside, and shine on everything around her.
The world had brightened for Riley, shadows cast aside, and for a moment, he believed there might be something more than being alone in this world. He was the type of person that was always surrounded by people, but it didn’t matter if there were one or a hundred. He’d always been set apart.
Okay, she was no longer fourteen. She was a grown woman with terrible colored hair and they had a lifetime between them. The promise of youthful hope was long gone, but her voice was better now than it was then, and hearing her sing this song pierced his soul.
All the fears he’d had about ruining her had come true and if he could go back in time, what would he do? Was it worth it? For him, yes, but he couldn’t answer for her.
“We need to go,” Riley muttered to Jed. “I need to get out of here.” He stood outside the front of the hotel, trying to breathe. His guilt crashed into him as steadily as the waves hit the rocks in the distance.
He felt Jed’s presence beside him, but didn’t make eye contact. “I fell in love with her when she sang that song. I’d never even noticed her up until that point. I thought she was a pain in the ass, nothing but a spoiled, prissy, little princess. She was Johnny’s perfect little sister until she got with Bonnie and Mandy. Then, they were brats.”
“So nothing much has changed then?” Jed laughed and Riley joined him. “They’ll be mad mingers from start to finish.”
“Then, I saw her sing,” Riley added. “And it was all over for me. She was so… young, Jed, and so innocent. I was terrified of ruining her, but I went after her anyway. And I ruined her. I sucked out all her goodness and gave her pain.”
“I disagree with that,” Jed countered. “She’s still got plenty of goodness and so have you. How old were you when you fell in love with her?”
Riley shrugged. “I was sixteen, seventeen when we got together. She was… naïve. Small town naïve and I was never innocent.”
“At sixteen or seventeen, you weren’t exactly a man of the world,” Jed said quietly. “I’d say you were inevitable. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. Call it what you like, fate, destiny. I don’t think it would’ve mattered when you met. You could have been teenagers or senior citizens, but you were always meant to fall in love.”
Riley had never really looked at it that way, but Jed was right. Hell, he’d literally fallen in love with the girl next door, but proximity and age meant nothing. He would have recognized his soul mate if she were a stranger on a street in a foreign county.
“I’m ready,” he sighed. “Let’s go do this. I’m ready to go fight for her.” Whatever that means.
Jed grabbed him and hugged him tight. “Balls on the table, brother,” he croaked in a voice thick with emotion. “Leave nothing behind. This is going to take everything.”
“Thanks, Jed,” he murmured. “Seriously, I couldn’t have done this without you. I owe you more than I can ever repay.”
They entered the lounge and Riley’s eyes went straight to her. She wa
s leaning against the bar with her back to him, dressed in black with fire engine red hair. She was laughing, talking to Gabby as Jack and Johnny played Steely Dan’s “Do It Again” on stage.
The only one who noticed his approach at first was Andy. He smiled and nodded his head in Riley’s direction. At least he had one ally.
Gabby was the next and her eyes darkened. He was close enough to touch Christina and he had to resist the impulse to wrap her in his arms. He reached his hand out, before drawing it back, and thrusting both hands in his pockets. “Christina,” he said quietly behind her.
**********
Christina
“I’ve been thinking,” Gabby frowned. “When we get back home, I’m thinking of opening a business. I want something environmentally friendly and I want you to be my partner. We can set up in Seattle. Johnny and LiLi will be there, and Andy’s going to move too.”
They were still in the lounge, Christina’s back to the door, both sisters sipping on water. Johnny and her father were still playing, and Dad had returned to the seventies. Christina was genuinely touched by Gabby’s offer, but she’d thought long and hard about this.
“I’m not going back,” Christina whispered. “I didn’t want to bring this up until after the baby is born, but I want to keep traveling. I want to see the world. This is the perfect time for me. I have no real commitments and I want an adventure.”
Gabby pursed her lips. “Is this about Riley? You don’t want to come back because of him?”
Yes. “No,” Christina lied. “I just feel like I’ve changed and I like that. I want… more.”
“Uh-huh,” Gabby nodded, but she was unconvinced. “Where do you want to go? And how long do you want to go for?”
“I’d like to see as many countries as I can,” Christina enthused. She was beginning to enjoy this idea and it wasn’t just the vino talking. “I’d like to go back to Britain, but I’d also like to go to Australia or New Zealand. Maybe Brazil? I could chase the sun!”
Ties That Bind Page 45