Cold Comfort

by Isobel Hart

  “I’m fine,” he said, irritated now. He hated it when he did stupid things because of his poor sight. “I’ve got us both a summer job. Or at least something that counts as work experience.”

  “What are you talking about?” I asked, bemused.

  “We’re going on the road,” he said, excited again.

  “Eddy, what are you talking about?”

  “My brother’s in a band.”

  “Really? You never said. Your mum must be so proud to have such a musical family.”

  Eddy’s expression softened. “You’re amazing, do you know that?” I just looked at him, confused. “Anyone else would immediately want to know the name of the band in case they were someone famous. You just tell me how proud my mum must be of us. Amazing,” he said again.

  “You’re so silly,” I said, smiling fondly at him.

  “So anyway, as I said my brother’s in a band, and we’re going to hang out with them over the summer. They’ve got some gigs, and then they’ll be in the studio for a bit. I thought it would be great experience for us. Plus if they need any extra musical input we can help out.”

  “What does your brother play?” I asked, intrigued.

  “Lead guitar. Have you heard of Cold Comfort?”

  Cold Comfort were a massive band at the moment. They’d featured at every festival, including Glastonbury, the previous summer. I’d have had to be dead not to have heard of them. The entire world had heard of them. I was amazed his brother was part of such a massive group, yet I’d known nothing about it. I guess it explained the apartment.

  “They had that song ‘Enemy’,” I recalled. “It had the most amazing key change. A really beautiful major to minor shift. Totally unexpected. It really made the piece. Did your brother think of that?” I asked, impressed. Eddy blinked at me again for a moment.

  “You’re awesome,” he said. “I never tell people who my brother is, especially women, because when I do they invariably start fangirling all over me. They want to know if I can introduce them and what the boys are really like. You just want to know if he thought of the key change.”

  “Well, did he?” I asked, impatient to know.

  “Yeah, he did, actually. Him and Cat.”

  “Cat?”

  “Cat Colton. Lead singer. I’ll be keeping you clear of him, though. To be honest I’ll be keeping you clear of all of them if I can. They’re a group of manwhores, and you’ll be better off without getting involved. But they are great musicians, and you’ll like my brother.”

  “What did I ever do to deserve you taking me under your wing?”

  “You’ve given me as much. You don’t even know it.”

  “So where are we going?”

  “London to start with. As soon as we finish term we’ll head up to Matt’s house.”

  “Is Matt your brother?”

  “Yeah, he’s cool. Kind of protective of me,” he said, flushed with embarrassment.

  “I like him already,” I said with a grin.

  “He wanted to know all about you.”

  “What, whether I was just some fangirl using you to get to them?” I guessed.

  “I suppose. I’ve never really asked to bring anyone with me when I’ve been to see them before.”

  “So I’m something of a novelty, then?”

  “You are,” he agreed.

  “Well, I’ll try not to embarrass you,” I promised. “Will I get to meet your parents?”

  “I expect so. They normally try and get to at least one performance during each UK tour. The guys are off to the States in October. They’ll be away for months after that.”

  “They’ve done so well! Your parents must be really proud.”

  “Yeah, but they’ve worked hard for it. People don’t see how much effort goes into everything they do. It’s no accident they’re successful. They are some of the best musicians I know, present company excepted. The songs are musically complex. Wait and see, you’ll love it.”

  I couldn’t wait.

  Chapter 12

  I’d always been nervous about meeting strangers, but the thought of meeting the members of Cold Comfort had taken it to a whole new level. Although it had started to get easier at university, I was still uncomfortable talking to people I didn’t know. Just the thought of the band was terrifying. Plus I was worried what they’d think of me. I didn’t want to let Eddy down, not after he’d been so kind and set all this up.

  The last couple of weeks at college had passed quickly, too quickly, filled with exams which the pair of us had passed with flying colours. Before I knew it we were packing and heading for the station. Several times I’d nearly chickened out, but Eddy was so excited I felt I owed it to him to at least try. I figured I could scurry back to Brighton if it all got too much.

  I’d deliberately dressed in the biggest, baggiest clothes I could find in my wardrobe – sweatpants with a big baggy sweatshirt. I wanted no one to confuse me with the sort of girls that usually tried to catch their eye.

  When we got out of the taxi I had my backpack in one hand and guitar in the other. We made our way towards a large three-story house, where a few girls with very little in the way of clothes on watched us with some interest from their perch on a wall. One look at my clothes and Eddy, and they obviously decided we weren’t worth knowing and returned to scanning the windows of the house. I put out my elbow and helped Eddy up the steps.

  It was a squeal from a couple of the girls that first suggested we might have an audience. The door opened before we even reached the top step, and a good-looking guy leaned out to take Eddy’s bag from him. “Good to see you, brother,” he said, pulling Eddy into a one-armed hug, the kind that said he cared but was still manly. It made me feel warm inside to see the genuine pleasure on Eddy’s face at seeing him. The girls from the wall were by now almost apoplectic at this extended viewing of one of the members of Cold Comfort. He waved at them over Eddy’s shoulder and then stood back to let us inside.

  I stepped into a large entrance hall that was surprisingly well appointed. It looked more like something my Mama would have liked, rather than the home of a member of the UK’s leading rock band. “Matt, this is Delilah,” Eddy introduced me, moving away to expose me to the full glare of his protective older brother. Matt scowled as he scrutinised me from head to toe. I took a step back under his glare.

  “Matt, dial it back,” Eddy said with a laugh. “I appreciate the protective brother thing, but she’s been my best friend now for nearly seven months, six and a half of which she had no idea I was related to you. Not everything is always about you, you know.” I smiled at Eddy, and he grabbed my hand.

  “Has she turned you straight?” Matt asked, genuinely interested. We both laughed at that.

  I said, “Hardly,” and snorted, which made Eddy laugh again.

  “Which rooms have we got?”

  “You’ve got yours. I figured you’d want Delilah up there with you, so she’s in the one to the right.”

  “Are the rest of the band here?” he asked.

  “Yeah, they’re all downstairs. Dump your stuff and then come on down and say hello,” he said.

  “I’ll show Delilah where to put her things,” Eddy said, knowing I needed a minute before I was thrown to the lions. Automatically I put my elbow out again, and he took it without any real thought. I saw the look of surprise on Matt’s face at our obvious comfort together. Eddy was oblivious, leading us towards the stairs. “Put the kettle on,” Eddy called over his shoulder. “Delilah has milk with one.”

  My room was stunning. I wanted to suggest we just stay up there and hide, but I knew we couldn’t. Eddy was excited to be back with his brother. I wanted to share it, but I was veering between embarrassed and terrified. Matt looked a lot like Eddy, but a bit more built, which helped. Most of all, I liked that he obviously cared about his brother. “Come on,” Eddy said, “let’s see if any of the others are still here.” I prayed they weren’t. I didn’t think I could cope with more than o
ne at a time.

  When Eddy and I walked into the room it instantly went silent. It was beyond silent… it was almost like all sound had been sucked from the room, as if we were in a sound vacuum. And it was obvious I was the cause because they were all staring at me.

  Everywhere I looked when I finally lifted my eyes from the knot on the beautifully waxed oak floorboards I had been staring at since we walked in there was flesh – male and female. I knew there were three other band members in Cold Comfort in addition to Matt; Dougie, who played drums and had some of the biggest biceps I’d ever seen combined with a buzz-shaved head; Henry, who played bass guitar and had dark hair pulled back in a ponytail; and finally, Cat. Cat Colton had shoulder-length blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. He was the lead singer, although I’d heard he could also play piano. I only knew this much about them because I’d seen their pictures in the articles Eddy had put in front of me before we’d arrived, not from firsthand experience. Having taken in the staring gazes, my eyes were now firmly fixed back on the floor. Back on the knot. If Eddy hadn’t manoeuvred himself behind me I’d have been out that room faster than a rat down a drainpipe. To add to my discomfort, in addition to the band there were at least three other guys in the room and a handful of girls all planted on the band members’ laps. The girls seemed to have forgotten to put on their clothes, judging by the amount of boobage and midriff I’d seen in the ten seconds I’d taken in the scene around me. On the coffee table in the middle of the room there was a mirror and a pile of white powder I assumed was cocaine. I’d never done any drugs, but you couldn’t be a student without at least coming across them.

  “Nice to see you too, guys,” Eddy said, gripping my hand reassuringly tight. I was grateful for the support.

  “Eddy, my man,” Dougie broke the awkward silence first. He stood up, letting the girl who’d been fastened to him slither off as he grabbed Eddy into a bear hug. “Who’s your friend? You batting for the other team now or something?” he asked, looking at me curiously.

  “This is Delilah, and no, I’m still gay. Delilah’s at uni with me. We share an apartment. I asked her to spend the summer holidays with me, to stop me getting bored with you lot,” he said, laughing. “I thought Matt told you?” He looked towards his brother.

  “You know I did. You guys just don’t listen.”

  “You said he was bringing a friend. You didn’t say anything about it being a girl,” Henry said, looking pissed off.

  “If it’s going to be a problem…” I began, backing towards the door and running straight into Eddy, who had moved himself behind me again. He looked really cross.

  “If it’s going to be a problem, then we’ll both go,” Eddy declared. The band looked at him as if he’d grown a second head.

  “Well, well, well,” Cat said, rising to his feet. The blonde attached to him was more tenacious, and he had to physically prise her away from him. “The boy went and learned how to say boo to the goose. Good on you, kid,” he said, hugging him. He turned to look at me. “What did you say your name was?”

  I looked up at the last moment into his sky blue eyes. “Delilah,” I whispered, blushing. I watched a corresponding gleam of interest flare in Cat’s eyes as he stared down at me. He towered over me in a way I found intimidating when it was wrapped up in all that muscle. I felt a flush of heat from his scrutiny that made me want to get as far away from him as I could manage as soon as I could manage it.

  “Well, Delilah, the boys and I have got to go and do a sound check. You can come and watch.” It sounded like an instruction to me. I’d met someone who spoke to me like that before and knew where that led. I didn’t plan to make the same mistake twice, no matter how good-looking this guy was. He knew what he looked like, and I’d had enough of players.

  I looked over to Eddy. “We can do whatever you want to do,” I suggested.

  “I’d like to go with the band. You’ll love watching them. They’re not actually that bad.” I managed a laugh at that, and it cleared some of the tension from the room.

  “You a musician too?” Cat asked.

  “She’s brilliant. Could give you a run for your money,” Eddy answered before I had a chance to. “She plays piano and guitar.”

  “Is that so?” Cat said, looking at me with renewed interest. “Well, little girl, the cars are coming in thirty minutes, I suggest you go and get yourself changed if you don’t want to miss leaving with us.” I looked down at myself confused. I hadn’t intended to change.

  “How is it she can go in the car with you, Cat, and I have to make my own way there?” the girl who’d been attached to him asked.

  “Because she’s a friend of the family and you’re just a girl I fucked,” Cat said. The other guys sniggered. However much I disliked the girl, and what she represented, I hated this arsehole for how he spoke to her even more. I scowled at him, but if he noticed he didn’t seem to care.

  “Delilah,” Eddy said, “I know you weren’t planning to change, but the stadium will be hot as hell later. You’ll at least need to wear a t-shirt there.” Cat was looking at me like I was some sort of freak. This was exactly what I’d hoped to avoid. It was totally reminiscent of being back in school. I blushed and scurried from the room.

  Once back upstairs I wondered what the hell to wear. The other girls were all dressed in tiny skirts and tops that barely covered their assets. Emily would have loved it. I didn’t have any clothes like that, and I wouldn’t have been caught dead in them if I had. I grabbed my best pair of black skinny jeans and a simple white vest top and pulled them on. Then I picked up my suede jacket and slipped it over the top. I supposed I looked okay. It was hardly rock band attire, but it was Delilah attire. I left my hair loose but grabbed a band so I could put it up if it got really hot later, and I decided that was as much effort as I intended to make. The more I blended into the background the better as far as I was concerned.

  I could hear Eddy really laughing as I approached the downstairs room again. Steeling myself, I tried to slip inside without anyone noticing and totally failed. The conversation stopped dead in its tracks for the second time. “Oh, fucking hell,” Henry said, furious for some reason as soon as he saw me. I had no idea what I’d done to upset him. Eddy scowled at him.

  “Henry, leave her be,” he pleaded. “She’s not what you think she is. I swear.”

  “Whatever. I’ve yet to meet one that isn’t a manipulative slag and won’t use her assets to get what she wants.” I looked down at myself, wondering what it was that I’d done to so offend him. “I’ll see you in the car,” he told the other band members as he headed out the room and up the stairs.

  “You scrub up okay, Delilah,” Cat said from across the room. “And it took you less than ten minutes. That has to be some sort of female world record for changing. Girls, you could learn a lesson from that,” he said to the women who were all now clustered around him again. All three of them scowled at me.

  “She hasn’t even got any make-up on,” one of the trashiest-looking ones said to him in disgust.

  “She doesn’t need it,” Cat said. “She’s got it all going on naturally.” He hadn’t taken his eyes off me since I’d walked back in. I began to squirm.

  “Do you need anything from your room?” I asked Eddy.

  “No, I’m good,” he said, smiling and patting the empty seat Henry had left beside him. The conversation in different parts of the room resumed, but I could still feel Cat’s eyes on me as Eddy leaned in to talk. “Ignore Henry. He had a really bad breakup last year. He was into this girl, a model, but she dumped him when someone better came along. Now he thinks all women are the same… only after him for what they can get. He’s been a complete manwhore ever since.”

  “Who came along that’s better than the bass guitarist of Cold Comfort?” I asked, bemused that love-life issues were no easier even if you were a member of a world famous rock band.

  “The lead singer of Cold Comfort,” Eddy said with a roll of his massive eyes.
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br />   “Oh, yuck,” I said with a grimace. “Couldn’t he keep off his friend’s girl?”

  “Cat’s not great at that,” Eddy said, smirking. “To be fair to him, girls do kind of throw themselves at him. That’s how he got his name.”

  “Why, what do you mean? What’s it short for?”

  “Catnip. Matt came up with it because in his words – not mine, I hasten to add – Cat’s ‘irresistible to pussies’.”

  “Seriously?” I groaned. “That is one of the most unattractive things I’ve ever heard. And girls really go for that?” I asked, amazed.

  “See for yourself,” Eddy said, looking over at Cat, who now had one of the girls nibbling on his ear while another massaged the top of his thigh... except when I looked closer I realised it wasn’t his thigh she was rubbing.

  “Jesus,” I exclaimed with shock and blushed. Cat, who was still looking straight at me, laughed at my reaction. I lowered my voice and asked Eddy, “Didn’t Henry mind that Cat shagged his girlfriend? I’m amazed they’re still in a band together.”

  “Well, he was pissed for a while, but these guys have been mates since school. Henry’s view was that in the long run Cat had done him a favour.”

  “Cars are here,” Henry called from the hall landing upstairs. Everyone stood at once. The girls started moaning about not being offered a lift, only pacified somewhat when Cat said he’d see them later. The roll of Matt’s eyes at his words told me that was highly unlikely.

  We were herded out the house and into some waiting SUVs with tinted windows. I kept close to Eddy and tried to ignore the hulking presence of Cat just behind me. I hesitated, not knowing which car we were meant to head for. “This one, sweetheart,” Cat whispered. I looked to see he was pointing towards the first car. Very deliberately I steered Eddy towards a different vehicle.

  “Nicely done, Delilah,” Eddy whispered when we were finally seated in a car with Matt and Dougie. “I heard what he said. Just because my eyes are rubbish doesn’t mean I can’t hear. Seriously, that guy is relentless. Well manoeuvred.” He laughed.