by Julie Archer
Damn, she knew me too well.
26
Tris
When I’d suggested the idea of Sunday lunch to Saff, I hadn’t expected her to agree so readily. Or that Jonas would join us. I frantically messaged Aunt Annie as we left the Barnes’ house, telling her there would be one more for lunch. Not that it would make much difference, she always cooked enough for a small army anyway.
Jonas drove and Saff insisted I sit in the front. I realised why, because as soon as she got into the car, her eyes closed and she was asleep.
“Thanks for letting me tag along,” said Jonas, without taking his eyes off the road.
“No problem. You already know Uncle Col, so it’s nice for you to meet Aunt Annie, given as he talks about her so much.” I grinned and glanced at the backseat. “She’s looking forward to meeting Saff too.” It was a small white lie. When we’d had our last conversation about it, Aunt Annie’s response hadn’t exactly been the most enthusiastic. I was fairly sure she was more excited to meet Jonas. I think he vaguely knew one of her favourite artists too, so she’d no doubt bombard him with questions about them.
“What did you do before you started working with your uncle?” Jonas asked.
Unsure of how to answer, I froze. Jonas had no idea what had happened prior to me moving down south. I couldn’t risk him—or Saff—finding out the truth because it would ruin everything.
“Oh, this and that, you know. Didn’t really have a career in mind, not like you. When did you decide to work in the record industry? Saff said it was something you’d always done.” I tried turning the tables on him, hoping he’d take the bait and talk about himself.
“You sound exactly like her,” he said, with a sigh. “She didn’t know what she wanted to do either. I was already in the business when she discovered her voice, so it was an easy choice really. I enjoyed hanging around musicians and bars. Doing what I do was a way to combine the two things I loved.”
“What’s the best part of it?”
“Easy. Discovering new talent. Even now, although I’m not meant to go out and scout formally, I can’t beat the feeling of excitement when I see someone I think will go far. Then something clicks and I know immediately the whole package will work.”
It was almost as if he’d described how I felt about Saff. Even from the first time I saw her, all tattoos and attitude, I knew she was the whole package. And despite how we’d come to be together, fate, destiny, contracted, she was the one for me. After the other night, when she’d admitted she felt the same, I couldn’t help but feel positive about the future. More positive than I had a long time.
The positive feeling evaporated almost as soon as we arrived at my uncle and aunt’s place.
Aunt Annie’s gaze swept up and down Saff as we stood in the doorway. Without me asking her to, she’d toned down her appearance and was dressed in a simple black dress and Converse, her hair pulled back into a half-ponytail. Even her usual dark make-up was lighter, more natural, and secretly, I think I preferred that look. I wouldn’t dare tell her though, I didn’t want to risk her wrath.
“Tris!” She enveloped me in a hug. “It feels like I haven’t seen you for ages.”
I laughed. “Aunt Annie, I saw you on Thursday night.” I extricated myself from her arms and gestured to Saff. “This is Saff and Jonas, her cousin.”
Uncle Col appeared, reaching around me and pumping Jonas’ hand in a vigorous shake. “Come on in, don’t stand on the doorstep. Annie’s been up since six cooking up a storm.”
The aroma of a home-cooked Sunday roast permeated the air and my stomach rumbled in response. “Smells good, I can’t wait.”
We went inside and I could see Saff nervously glancing around. Aunt Annie’s neutral decor, chintzy knick-knacks and plethora of photographs on the walls was the total opposite to the chaos of her own room. I looked at it, seeing it through Saff’s eyes and could see how she might think it somewhat dull and boring compared to the London bubble she existed in.
“Thanks so much for inviting me,” said Saff, her voice more subdued than normal. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
“You too.” Aunt Annie’s smile didn’t quite meet her eyes and I sensed she wasn’t exactly telling the truth. “Lunch is almost ready. Col, why don’t you take Saff and Jonas into the dining room and Tris can come and help me?”
I followed her into the kitchen. “What can I do?”
She turned to me, wiping her hands on her apron. “I’m sorry, Tris. I’m not sure about this.”
“What do you mean?” I frowned.
“You and Saff. This whole being paid to go out with her thing. Doesn’t it make you some kind of gigolo?”
If it wasn’t so inappropriate, I might have laughed. Aunt Annie was serious.
“Maybe it did at the start, but we moved past it. We’ve been together properly without any witnesses or gossip columnists charting our every move.” I went over to her and touched her on the arm. “I really like her, Aunt Annie, she’s amazing. Surely you can be happy for me?”
The expression on her face told me the opposite. “I’m worried what might happen, Tris. You’ve been through a lot the past few months. I’m not sure someone like Saff Barnes is the right girlfriend for you.”
“Why not? Because she’s got pink hair and a nose ring? Should I be going out with someone who’s got platinum extensions and a nose job instead? Does it make that person any less fake?”
Aunt Annie pursed her lips. “That’s not what I meant. Going out with someone who’s constantly in the limelight is going to get you unwanted attention as well.”
I threw up my hands. “So what if it does? I’m enjoying myself right now, so why can’t you let me get on with it?”
“I just want you to be careful, Tris. Don’t go falling too hard.”
It was already way too late.
Lunch ended up being a cordial affair, despite my aunt’s best sabotage attempts before we sat down.
As I thought, Aunt Annie practically chewed Jonas’ ear off asking him thousands of questions about the bands and artists he’d looked after. Jonas promised her tickets to her favourite group if he was able to persuade them back out on the road.
“Comeback tours are all the thing right now, aren’t they?” asked Aunt Annie. “There are loads of bands re-forming and going out on tour. What makes them think they’ll be popular the second time around?”
“They probably need the money.” Uncle Col had always been the more cynical one. “Blew all their cash on cars and drugs the first time.”
“Saff’s about to take her band out again, aren’t you?” I looked over to Saff, who had been unusually quiet throughout the meal. That said, it had been difficult to get a word in edgeways between Jonas and Aunt Annie.
“That’s right.” She gave a small, tight smile. “Jonas has been great in getting us back on track.”
“Not only me, Saff. You guys had to want it as badly too.” Jonas nodded in acknowledgement.
She stared at him, her gaze intense. “I do want it, Jonas, you know I do. We’ve worked hard this week to get ready for the gig, I’ve barely slept.” There was a determined edge to her voice I hadn’t heard before.
“Surely it’s not what you want to do forever though, is it, love?” asked Aunt Annie. “I mean, once you’re a couple of years older you’ll want to get married and settle down, have a family.”
I could see the change in Saff’s body language as she tensed at my aunt’s comments. It wasn’t like Aunt Annie to be so…old fashioned about things. She was usually encouraging me to get out and about, see as many people as I could, not to settle. Here she was telling Saff to do exactly the opposite.
“Yeah, maybe. But I’m only twenty-four. Anything could happen in the next couple of years, even in the next couple of weeks. I mean, Tris and I might forget to use a condom and then, bang, I’d be pregnant. Who needs to put a timeframe on these things?” Saff picked up her glass and took a huge gulp of wine. “We haven’
t talked about kids yet though, have we, Tris?” She glanced over to me, her eyes sparkling with mischief as Aunt Annie’s face took on a horrified look.
“Hey, don’t bring me into this conversation.” I leaned back in my chair. “It’s way too early to be talking about kids.”
“It seems your aunt thinks we should have been talking about it already. We didn’t discuss how many kids we should have, three, four? A football team?” Saff pushed her chair back. “Sorry, I need to visit the bathroom.”
I wanted to go after her, but Jonas placed a hand on my arm.
“Leave her,” he whispered. “She’ll calm down. It’s not the first time she’s had to deal with an angry relative.”
The last thing I wanted was for Saff to think she wasn’t good enough for me. I couldn’t believe Aunt Annie’s attitude; it wasn’t like her at all. I wondered what had got into her.
The four of us made small talk until Saff returned.
“Are you okay?” I asked quietly.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She smiled brightly at me, her bad mood seemingly gone. “Jonas, we should get going shortly, I’ve got an early start in the morning. Another band rehearsal, remember we need to be ready for the big gig,” she added pointedly.
It was half past four and it wouldn’t take us long to get back to London. Her reason for leaving was probably to get away from Aunt Annie’s sniping.
“Tris, are you staying here tonight?” asked Uncle Col. “We don’t mind either way.”
Aunt Annie perked up at the question too, while Saff’s shoulders slumped. One way or another I’d be disappointing someone.
“I’ll head back with Saff and Jonas. Maybe I can get on with painting the bathroom.” I tried to make a joke but was met with stony silence. “I’ll go and grab a few things from my room.” Without looking back, I went upstairs.
I was sorting out a few clothes and some more underwear when I became aware of being watched from the doorway.
“She doesn’t like me, does she?” Saff twisted a strand of her pink hair around her finger.
“I guess I haven’t ever brought anyone like you back to meet her before. You’re different to my previous girlfriends.”
“So did she like them?”
I hadn’t brought anyone to meet them. But up until two weeks ago, I hadn’t actually lived with Uncle Col and Aunt Annie full-time.
There had been a whole different life somewhere else I hadn’t told Saff about.
And if I did, I was afraid what we had would be shattered.
27
Saff
The next couple of weeks flew by. After the frankly awful lunch with Tris’ aunt I’d thrown myself into the band and focused all my anger into writing a bevy of kick-ass new songs. Her apparent dislike of me shouldn’t have bothered me one single bit. I wasn’t sure why I was so irked by it. Normally, I didn’t care what the parents or relatives thought of me.
Deep down, I knew Tris was different. This was different. What had started out as something to save my career and keep Jonas off my back, had somewhere along the line, developed into something that felt a lot like love.
I had to keep pinching myself.
We’d known each other for a little while and had gone from casual flirting to practically living together in the blink of an eye. In the evenings, we stayed in or went out with the guys in the band—Darren and Tris had formed a pretty strong bromance—or even out with Rosie and her friends.
We were definitely a couple and I relished every moment of it. Particularly the ones we spent in bed...
I propped myself up on one elbow, watching Tris as he slept, one leg poking out from under the duvet. His long lashes brushed his cheeks and it took all my willpower not to lean over and wake him up with a string of kisses down his heavenly naked torso.
Suddenly, he turned and threw an arm over me, pulling my body closer to his. He wriggled about until he was comfortable spooning me, his erection pressing against my buttocks. I loved waking up like this.
“Morning, gorgeous,” he murmured, his breath tickling my ear. “Big day today.”
All of a sudden, the nerves kicked in.
It was a little over twelve hours until the gig. The one which would make or break the rest of my career.
I felt sick.
Reluctantly, I pulled myself out of bed. Tempting though it was to stay with Tris and hide out for the day, I had things to do. Joel from Roccia was coming to The Windmill to do an interview with TheSB early evening, we had to get all the band’s kit over there, plus I had to decide what to wear. I grabbed my phone and messaged Rosie, begging her for help. She replied saying she’d be over in an hour.
“We have to get up.” I pulled the covers off Tris, admiring his naked body.
He rolled on to his back and I couldn’t take my eyes off his dick, ready and waiting just for me. “I’m up already.” He winked.
“No time for that right now. But later, I promise you.”
Tris wrinkled his nose. “Not even a quickie?”
I shook my head. “Much as I’m tempted, I can’t.”
“Then I guess I’ll have to sort myself out.” He quirked an eyebrow and reached down to touch himself.
“Oh my God, Tris! For fuck’s sake, stop it!” I covered my eyes, peeking through the gaps in my fingers. In all honesty, I would rather have been doing that for him.
“Sorry, if you’re not going to help, then you’ll have to leave the room.”
I was sorely tempted to stay. With a heavy sigh and a huge exertion of willpower, I grabbed a hoodie and did as he suggested. Now wasn’t the time.
“What look are you going for?”
Rosie stood in the middle of my room, the wardrobe doors open, clothes strewn over every available space.
“I’m not sure.” I sat, cross-legged, on the floor, an ashtray balanced on my knee, chain smoking my way through a pack of cigarettes, despite Rosie’s protestations it would be bad for my voice. I pretended I was looking to cultivate a husky tone for this evening when in reality, I was as nervous as fuck and it was the one thing keeping me calm.
“Casual, one of the boys; or slutty, come and get me, boys?”
“There’s only one boy I want to come and get me and he’s downstairs.” I chuckled at her analogies.
“This is a comeback gig, right?”
I nodded.
“Then you can’t play it safe. Jeans and t-shirt isn’t going to cut it.” She twirled around, an array of clothes in her arms. “Image, as you well know, darling, is everything.”
Not for the first time, Rosie was absolutely right. And I loved her for it.
“There’s plenty of sluttiness in here to work with.” She set to work, clearing the bed of clothes and replacing it with a selection of dresses in lace, latex and rubber. “Come on, get up. You need to try these on.”
I tried on each of the dresses she passed me, rejecting all of them for being too tight and restrictive, meaning they would hamper my singing or movement around the stage.
“Now what?” Dejected, I sat down on the bed, resting my chin on my hands.
Rosie was nothing if not resourceful as she trawled through the rest of my wardrobe. “Try this.”
She threw a pair of tiny black leather shorts at me, followed by a cut off black lacy t-shirt shot through with silver thread. While I wriggled into the clothes, she ransacked my footwear collection until she came up with a pair of thigh high stripper-esque boots.
“I’ll kill myself in these heels. Or at least break a bone.” I sat on the edge of the bed and slid my legs into the boots.
“So don’t dance around so much. Use the microphone stand as a weapon.” Rosie mimed a hand job. “You’ll have them hard within seconds. Well? Is this the winner?”
“Hang on.” I grabbed my phone and took a photo of my reflection in the mirror and messaged the result to Tris.
Within seconds he replied with a GIF of someone fanning themselves and the heart eyed emoji. I showed th
e screen to Rosie. “Seems we have our answer.”
“Hmm, so your boyfriend likes the slutty Saff look?” She raised her eyebrows. “Why am I surprised? Everyone likes the slutty Saff look.”
I threw a discarded shoe at her, narrowing missing hitting her with the heel. “Stop it. Tris isn’t like the other guys I’ve hooked up with.”
“Yes, you met him a uni, you’ve known him for ages, it was fate you came into contact again.” Rosie rolled her eyes. “I’ve heard the story and I still don’t buy it. I’ve been racking my brains to try to remember him from college, but I’m coming up with nothing.”
I avoided looking at her. She was my best friend, she ought to know the truth. I hesitated, wondering whether to say anything. Before I could speak, there was a knock on the door.
“Are you decent? I wondered if you fancied lunch?” Tris’ head poked into the room. He clocked me in the outfit in the flesh and his eyes widened. “You’re really going to wear that tonight?”
“Too nervous to eat, but some coffee would be good. And yes, I’m really going to wear this tonight.” I faced Tris, hands on my hips, striking a sexy front woman pose. His pupils dilated as he shook his head.
“I’m not sure I can allow you to go out looking like that.”
“You’re the one I’ll be going home with.” I approached him, grabbing his hands and smoothing them over the material of my shorts. “And at least you won’t have too many clothes to take off when we finally get here.”
“Ugh, stop it, you two. Jealous spinster here.” Rosie pretended to stick her fingers down her throat, making a vomiting noise.
Tris’ fingers traced the waistband of my shorts, the feel of his rough skin stroking mine causing my groin to tighten. If only Rosie weren’t there, I’d have him on the bed in a flash.
“Promise me you’ll keep the boots on later,” he whispered, kissing me on the sweet spot on my neck behind my ear.
I almost dissolved there and then. Tris squeezed my arse, gave me a lingering kiss on the mouth then headed out of the room. Legs shaking from the sensations flooding through me, not to mention the ridiculously high heels, I sank down onto the bed.