See You at the Show

by Michelle Betham

  “Does it bother you?”

  She shrugged. “It isn’t my problem.” She looked at her watch. “I’ve got to get going.”

  “Will I...will I see you again?”

  “I don’t do needy, Daniel,” she said, picking up her bike helmet and turning to go. “You’ve got my number, so...” She smiled at him. “...you know what to do.”

  Daniel leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes as the door closed behind her. He didn’t know how he’d let this happen but she’d invaded his life now and he couldn’t just forget her. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget her.

  He opened his eyes as his ‘phone rang, walking over to the dining table and picking it up, looking at the screen. Samantha. He couldn’t ignore her again. She’d already left two messages asking if he was ok and the last thing he needed was for her to start worrying. So he took a deep breath and answered it. Daniel Madison may be an excellent MP and a first-rate politician, but he was still a terrible liar.

  ***

  “Where’ve you been?”

  Stevie threw her helmet down onto the hall floor and looked at Mark as he stood in the doorway of her living room, his hands in his pockets, his hair all dishevelled. He looked tired and rough as hell.

  “Sorry...could you tell me when it was we actually got married because I must’ve missed that.”

  “What’re you talking about?”

  She pushed past him into the living room. “You. Standing there asking me where I’ve been like you’ve got some right to know where I am. And what the hell are you doing here anyway?”

  “Looking for you.” He followed her into the kitchen.

  “Well, you’ve found me. You look like shit by the way. Have you been up all night or something?”

  “I didn’t sleep much.”

  She filled the kettle, getting cups out of the cupboard and milk from the fridge, until Mark grabbed her arm and swung her round to face him.

  “Will you just stay still for two minutes, please?”

  She stared at him. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

  “Let’s go to bed.”

  “I’m not tired.” She tried to break free from his grip but he held onto her.

  “Neither am I, and you know what I mean.”

  She looked at him, giving up the struggle and letting him pull her close. What was the point in fighting it? She fancied the hell out of him, whatever mood he was in.

  “Come on, baby. Come to bed. I missed you last night.”

  “We never had plans for last night, Mark.”

  “Jesus, Stevie, why can’t we just be like any other ordinary couple?”

  She pulled away from him. “Any other ordinary couple? Since when were we even a couple never mind an ordinary one?”

  She went back over to the kettle, waiting for it to stop boiling. He was acting weird and she couldn’t deal with him right now.

  “Maybe I want to be.”

  She turned round. “Maybe you want to be what, Mark?”

  “A couple.”

  “Ok. You’re freaking me out now.” She walked away from him, flicking on the TV.

  “What’s so wrong with being a couple, Stevie? Huh? What’s so wrong with that?”

  She faced him again, throwing the remote control down onto the sofa. “There’s nothing wrong with it, Mark. For other people. But it isn’t you, is it?”

  He leaned back against the wall, his arms folded, his head down. Stevie had no idea what was up with him but something was and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  “Were you with Johnny last night?” he asked, scuffing the heel of his boot against the skirting board, his head still down.

  She sighed, throwing her head back and closing her eyes. “No, I wasn’t. And I’m hazarding a guess you’ve already been round to his place so I’ve got no idea why you’re asking me a question you already know the answer to.”

  “So, where were you?” He looked up at her and she stared at him. Mark Cassidy was suddenly getting complicated and it was making her nervous.

  “What the hell has it got to do with you?”

  “I love you, ok? I fucking love you, Stevie, that’s what it’s got to do with me.”

  “Whoa, hold it right there, Mark. I really don’t want to hear this, this isn’t you, you’re scaring me.” She walked away from him, out of the kitchen and into the bedroom but he followed her, grabbing her hand and pulling her back, giving her no choice but to look at him.

  “Don’t walk away from me, Stevie. We need to talk.”

  “No, Mark. We need to get back to normal, that’s what we need to do.”

  “Did you hear what I said to you out there? It took a lot for me to say that, Stevie, but you’ve got to me, baby. You’ve really got to me.”

  She stared at him. This wasn’t the way things were supposed to be. Her and Mark, they were supposed to be free spirits, no commitments, no ties; he wasn’t supposed to be standing there in front of her telling her he loved her. That wasn’t the deal. She’d had a feeling things were changing but she hadn’t expected this. Mark Cassidy didn’t do love. And neither did she.

  “I wasn’t with Johnny last night, but I was sleeping with another man.” Her voice was quiet as she continued to stare at him. “That’s where I was. Ok?”

  “I can’t deal with this,” Mark said, turning away and walking out of the room.

  “That’s right, Mark!” Stevie shouted after him. “You can’t deal with something so you just walk away, like you always do. It’s the same old story, every fucking time!”

  He swung back round. “No, you were the one who walked away from me, Stevie. I tell you I love you and you walked away. Do you know how hard it was for me to tell you that? Huh? Do you have any idea? And then you stand there and tell me you slept with another man? How the hell is that supposed to make me feel?”

  “Like you should be feeling, Mark. Like you usually feel. Like you don’t give a damn because you know I always come back to you in the end. I always come back to you. That’s the deal. That’s the way it’s always been.”

  “Well, maybe I don’t want to feel that way anymore. Maybe it’s time the deal changed.”

  She sat down on the edge of the bed. “And what if the deal doesn’t suit me, huh?”

  He just looked at her for a second, offering nothing in the way of a reply, and then walked out.

  Stevie pulled her knees up, hugging them to her chest, closing her eyes as she sound of the door slamming made her flinch slightly, signalling Mark’s exit. She sighed heavily, keeping her eyes closed. What she’d done last night was something Mark had been doing for years, it wasn’t unusual, it never hurt them. Their relationship was intense but it had always been open and that had always worked for them, so why was he suddenly shifting the goalposts? And why did she suddenly feel as though nothing could be the same anymore?

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Samantha busied herself tidying away the debris of dinner, stacking plates in the dishwasher as the sound of the TV in the background filled the gulf of silence that echoed round the kitchen. It had pretty much been that way all through dinner too – silent, because Daniel hadn’t been particularly talkative after his arrival back from London. He’d tried to make polite conversation with her about her day while he’d picked at his food but as soon as he could he’d disappeared into his office, leaving her on her own. This wasn’t entirely unusual, of course, but Samantha sensed something was different this time. He wasn’t her Daniel. He’d been acting a little strange for days now, ever since Audra’s party really. He’d been more distant than usual, more introverted, not to mention the way he’d just upped and left last night without any explanation. The way he’d ignored her calls.

  She put it all down to this leadership campaign. It was bound to take up all of his time, it was extremely important to him, she knew that, but there was still something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Something about him that didn’t feel right. His behaviour, the
way he’d been acting around her lately, it just wasn’t sitting well with her but she had no idea what to do about it. They weren’t the kind of couple who sat and talked about their feelings so Daniel wouldn’t appreciate her asking him what was wrong. If anything was wrong. She just felt that it was.

  She pulled down the blind on the large picture window, shutting away the day. It was just starting to get dark outside and she suddenly felt very tired. Maybe things would feel different tomorrow. Maybe he was just tired too.

  She turned off the light and closed the door behind her. Yes, she thought, as she headed upstairs to bed, just a hint of hope making her believe everything was going to be fine. Things always looked better in the morning.

  ***

  Daniel watched from his office window as the light in the kitchen was switched off followed a few minutes later by their bedroom light coming on. He breathed a sigh of relief, and hated himself for it.

  He wasn’t being himself, he knew that, but how could he be? He also knew Samantha could tell something was wrong but what could he say to her? That he’d spent last night with the most extraordinary woman he’d ever met? A woman he couldn’t get out of his head? He couldn’t tell her that, could he?

  He sat forward, resting his elbows on the desk, his head in his hands. He had no idea how he’d got through the day because he felt as though he’d been on autopilot for most of it, and if he didn’t pull himself together soon he’d have more than just Samantha asking questions. Angus had already saved him from a potentially embarrassing situation that afternoon during a TV interview in The City when he’d just completely lost concentration. He’d told Angus he was tired, which wasn’t a complete lie seeing as he hadn’t really slept much the night before, but he wasn’t altogether sure Angus had been totally convinced. So he had to start getting his head together. With an important few weeks ahead he couldn’t risk losing focus, not now.

  Sighing heavily he sat back in his chair, taking a long sip of the whisky he’d poured himself earlier. What he should be doing is forgetting all about Stevie Stone, but she wasn’t going to go away. He couldn’t pretend that was going to happen because it wasn’t. Just thinking about her made him light-headed, excited; she made him feel things he hadn’t felt in a long time. All tinged with guilt, of course. The guilt was never going to leave him, and a wave of it kicked in again as he looked back out of the window. The light flicked off in their bedroom and he found that feeling of guilt being replaced with one of relief, another reason to hate himself even more than he already did. Samantha would more than likely be asleep by the time he joined her and that meant no talking, no questions he wasn’t in the mood to answer. That’s why he was relieved, because he didn’t want to talk, he didn’t want to have to explain something that he had no explanation for. He just wanted to close his eyes and re-live his night with the most incredible woman he’d ever encountered.

  He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. The beginnings of a headache were starting to throb away as another wave of guilt hit him. Samantha didn’t deserve any of this. What he was doing to her wasn’t fair because he loved her, of course he loved her, didn’t he? But she was no Stevie. Nobody he’d ever met before or was ever likely to meet again could ever be Stevie. She was a one-off, an original. And he needed her, for some reason he just couldn’t explain. He really needed her.

  The beeping of his ‘phone signalled a text message arriving and he reached out and picked it up, smiling as he read it: - Hey mr politician! 2morrow nite, repeat performance?

  He wanted a million repeat performances with Ms. Stone and he knew he’d never get tired. What she wanted out of this he still didn’t know, but he also didn’t care. He just needed to be with her again. And for the first time in his life, Daniel Madison wasn’t thinking about the consequences.

  ***

  Stevie sat down next to Jack, taking the cigarette out of his hand and taking a deep draw on it.

  “I thought you’d given up,” Jack said, looking at her as she threw her legs over his, slipping one arm round his neck.

  “When did I say that?”

  He took the cigarette back and ignored the question. “You and Cassidy had a row?”

  “More of a disagreement.”

  “You seen him tonight?”

  She leaned over him to grab a can of lager from the table beside him. “No. I’ve been busy. Call yourself a rock star? That can’s empty?”

  “What the hell’s up with you tonight?”

  “Nothing.” She reached into her pocket as her mobile signalled the arrival of a text message. From Daniel, and she couldn’t help smiling as she read it. Tomorrow night she’d see him again and she surprised herself by how much she was looking forward to that. He was a welcome relief to the shit going on around here, even if she shouldn’t be going anywhere near a married politician who could, quite possibly, become the next Prime Minister. It had ridiculous scenario written all over it, not to mention stupid and dangerous but then, sometimes stupid and dangerous was good, hadn’t she always said that? And the excitement never hurt. She never got tired of excitement.

  “Someone special?” Jack smirked, stubbing out his cigarette.

  “Shut up, Jack.” She slid her ‘phone back into her pocket and got up, just as Mark walked into the room. His eyes immediately locked onto hers and she felt her stomach turn a dozen tiny somersaults. She hadn’t seen him since he’d walked out on her that morning and now here he was, all set to go on stage looking drop-dead gorgeous and dangerously sexy. She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

  “Come here,” he said, holding out his hand and she took it, letting him pull her into his arms, grabbing onto his t-shirt, closing her eyes as he kissed her. “I’m sorry, baby.”

  “You’re always sorry, Mark.”

  “I mean it, Stevie.”

  “Whatever.”

  “Who was he?”

  She looked at him. “A quick apology then we move straight onto interrogation, is that it?”

  “Do I know him?”

  She let go of him, pushing him away. “I’m outta here.”

  “No, Stevie, look...I’m sorry...” He grabbed her hand, swinging her round to face him. “Ok? I’m sorry.”

  “Will you stop using that word, Mark, because you never mean it. No, you don’t know him, and it was just sex. That’s all it was. Do I ask you details of every groupie you sleep with?”

  He pushed a hand through his hair. “Can we just get back to normal?”

  “And what is that exactly? Because I’m not sure I know anymore.”

  “You and me, baby, back where we should be. We belong together. Mark Cassidy and Stevie Stone – we’re unbreakable.”

  She looked at him. “Are we?”

  “Things don’t have to change, Stevie.”

  “But they already have. Can’t you see that? And I don’t think I like it, Mark. I don’t think I can handle it.”

  He leaned back against the wall, throwing his head back as he pushed a hand through his hair again. “I shouldn’t have said anything.”

  “But you did.” She went over to him, stroking his face, the stubble rough underneath her fingers. “And I can’t pretend that you didn’t.”

  He took hold of her hand, looking into her eyes. He loved this woman, this crazy, Swedish woman. He loved her. He’d never known what it had felt like to be in love before, but he did now. It hurt like hell and he hated it but he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t.

  “So, what are you saying?”

  She kissed him slowly, his arm sliding around her waist as her body pressed up against his. “I’m saying, take me as I am, Mark. I can’t give you the commitment you want from me and I’m not sure I ever can so, take me as I am, or leave me alone. Your choice.”

  He watched her walk away, watched her run over to Johnny, throwing herself into his arms for a hug and he felt that pain again, cutting right across his chest. Because she’d left him with no choice at all really. He couldn’t stop loving
her and he couldn’t stop needing her. There was nothing left to think about.

  ***

  Johnny couldn’t pretend he wasn’t pleased to see the look on Mark’s face as he watched Stevie quite obviously tell him how it was. He couldn’t hear what she was saying to him but he could see Mark wasn’t liking it. Had he told her he was in love with her? Was she telling him she didn’t feel the same? Mark was his best friend but where Stevie was concerned he was also now his competition, and he wasn’t going to make the mistake Mark had quite obviously made and tell Stevie how he felt because where was that going to get him? No, he’d play it by ear. He’d keep doing what he was doing, keep her close as his friend and see what happened. He had nothing to lose. Mark, on the other hand, may have already lost it.

  ***

  Dave Deacon watched it all playing out in front of him. He wasn’t stupid, he could see where it had been heading for years now. Stevie Stone wasn’t the kind of woman you could keep at arms length for that long and not start to want totally for yourself, and that’s what was happening with Mark Cassidy. She’d got to him big time, Dave had seen it coming, and he should have stopped it from getting this far. He didn’t need his front man, the person who was, to all intents and purposes, Black Rock Diamond losing his focus over a woman. Without Mark Cassidy the band didn’t really exist and if he was off his game then everyone suffered.

  The tension between him and Johnny hadn’t gone unnoticed either. It was obvious things had changed between them and it was all because of Stevie Stone, none of which made Dave happy or comfortable and he wasn’t about to sit back and watch everything implode, because it would. If he let it. But he wasn’t going to. He had a job to do now, and the most important thing he had to make sure of was that he finished it.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Stevie sat on her bed, scrolling through the texts Daniel had sent her over the past couple of days. For a man who looked so right and proper in his suit and tie with his clipped English accent he wasn’t half using words that would shock those whose circles he mixed in. Stevie thought it hilarious, and cute. She was bringing out a side of Daniel Madison he hadn’t known existed, and she loved every second of teaching him things he’d never dreamed of doing before. He’d been a quick learner too. A very eager and willing pupil. But if his friends and colleagues over in Westminster only knew what he got up to with his secret rock ‘n’ roll mistress - the new Leader of the Opposition.