by Julie Archer
“Can I come and see you again?”
“I hope so! Just having you here today has made such a difference.”
“Am I allowed to hug you?”
Richey laughed. “We’re not in prison, physical contact is allowed, although I’m sure you had your bag searched on the way in.”
They both stood up and found their way towards each other. Richey pulled Eva close to him, enveloping her body with his. He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. He leaned down and met her lips. Their kiss was tender and searching. Richey didn’t want it to end. He didn’t want Eva to go. He brushed a strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear.
“Make sure you look after yourself too,” he said. “I don’t want to swap places with you.” He let the words sink in and then kissed her again. “I’ll see you soon.”
He watched her walk away and sank back onto the bench, emotionally drained. He leaned over the table and rested his forehead on his arms. He hoped he would see Eva again.
After lunch, Richey and Molly sat in the corner of one of the common rooms, away from the others who were engrossed in their own activities.
“How was it?” asked Molly. She twisted a strand of her blue hair around one of her fingers and nibbled on the skin around her nail.
“It felt good to be able to tell her the truth. And I don’t think she hates me as a result, so that’s a start.” He gave a weak smile.
“Do you see a future with her?”
He nodded. “I’d like that. We’re good together. If we could get our own place, get some independence, that would be great.”
Molly nodded. “I knew it the moment I saw her come in. She was looking at you like you were the only one for her, like she’d be lost without you.”
Richey couldn’t help but smile. That was exactly how he felt about Eva. He was already looking forward to the next time that he could see her. He glanced over towards the door and was surprised to see Parker Roberts heading their way. Parker stopped in front of them.
“Richey?”
“Two visitors in one day, Richey, you are lucky,” said Molly, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “I guess it’s time for me to disappear again. Don’t worry, I won’t take it personally.” She got up and left the room.
Richey hadn’t seen Parker since he’d been in hospital and wondered what bombshell the manager was about to hit him with next. “Parker,” he said. His kept his voice even, if guarded.
Parker sat down on the sofa next to Richey. “How are you?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether you’ve spoken to Tony or not.”
Richey was acutely aware of what might or might not happen if Parker turned up. Tony had advised him that there would be regular checkpoints and milestones on his progress and that Parker was the one who would help make the decisions about whether he was able to leave or not.
“I have. He said you’re getting on well.”
“And did you agree when I can come home?”
“We spoke about it, yes. But he didn’t give a definitive answer.” Parker paused. “I gather Eva came to see you. Has she been in often?”
“Today was her first time. I asked her to come.”
“How was that? Was it good to see her?”
Richey resisted the urge to roll his eyes; it was like speaking to Tony. He fixed Parker with a stare. “What do you think? Having her here this morning has been the best couple of hours I’ve had in a long while. I just want to get out of here and try to get things back to normal. Whatever that means.”
Parker nodded. “I know that.” He looked down at the floor. “She hasn’t been in the best frame of mind since then. She’s been angry, drinking too much, not eating, missing work.”
Richey had an inkling that Eva hadn’t been coping, her appearance had given that away. He and Parker chatted for a while longer, discussing plans for the future, and Richey was once again grateful to the band for being supportive. He guessed that, in a way, he had Billy to thank for that. When the time came for Parker to leave, Richey walked out to reception with him, and after his manager had gone, the receptionist passed him an envelope.
“It’s from your visitor this morning.” She gave him a broad smile.
Richey practically sprinted back to his room. He shut the door behind him and sat down on the bed, turning the envelope around in his hands. He ripped it open and pulled out a single sheet of paper.
Richey,
In the spirit of notes, I thought I’d let you know that I don’t want to walk away from you. I need you as much as you need me. We need to look to the future and make it work for us, together, whatever that means.
Eva xxx
It was all he could do to stop the tears flooding down his face. Happiness, relief, love, essentially every emotion coursed through him. He vowed to himself that he would be going home soon.
Chapter Fifty-Two
It had been seven weeks and three days since Richey had first entered Beech Hill House. The time had come for him to leave, and he was, in truth, a little nervous. During that time, he’d had a structured timetable to his day, the company of like-minded people, and some sort of sanctuary from his own thoughts. Being able to do what he wanted, when he wanted, felt like an alien concept to him.
Leaving Molly had been tough. In the recent weeks, she had opened up to him about her past, and, distressing though it was to hear, he hoped that he had helped her in some way too. She had made him promise to go and visit her, if he could tear himself away from his gorgeous girlfriend, of course.
“I’m at the end of a phone if you need to talk,” Tony had said when it came time to go. “Anytime. Don’t feel you can’t get in touch.”
Parker came to pick him up. He hovered around the reception desk as Richey said his goodbyes. When Richey was ready, Parker shook hands with Tony, and they headed off. The journey back to the house took longer than anticipated, due to some hold up getting back through the centre of North Ridge. Richey stared out of the window, seeing people walking along the street or cycling along the road. It was the most activity he had seen in weeks.
“Looking forward to getting home?” asked Parker.
“Yeah, I think so,” replied Richey.
The car fell silent. It wasn’t as if they had been close friends prior to Richey being away, not like he was with Alik or Nate or even Dev.
“How’s Poppy?”
Parker nodded. “She’s good. We’re good. I think she’s sorted everything out with Nate now.”
Richey mimicked Parker’s nod. “Good.”
The silence descended again, and Parker reached over and turned on the radio. Richey was thankful for the inane babble of the DJ as they crawled along the road. It meant he didn’t have to think too much.
They finally made it home. Parker unlocked the door to let them in, which was new for Richey. He didn’t remember Parker having a key before.
“We’re in here!” Poppy’s voice came from the living room, and Richey followed Parker in.
Eva was curled up on the sofa, her legs tucked underneath her. She looked at him and gave him a small smile. All Richey wanted to do was run over to her and bury his face in her shoulder and have her hold him. He needed her closeness, her strength.
“Hi,” was all he could manage.
Poppy leapt up and threw her arms around him. “Welcome home! We’ve missed you.” She drew back and looked him up and down. “You look well.” She grabbed his upper arm and gave it a squeeze. “I’m going to put a lasagne in the oven. Dinner will be ready in about three quarters of an hour. Give you a chance to unpack and settle back in.” She went to go to the kitchen and gave a meaningful look towards Parker who obediently followed her.
Richey went over to Eva and sank down next to her. She wrapped her arms around him and held him as silent sobs racked his body. The relief at finally being out of that place hit him hard. After a few minutes, he raised his head and met her
eyes, eyes that were equally as watery as his.
“Do you want help unpacking?” she asked.
He shook his head. “It’ll give me a bit of time to get used to the place again.” He paused. “Eva, I’m going to stay in my room for a bit. At least until things are a bit more normal for me.”
“Sure.” Her light tone belied the sadness in her eyes. “I understand.”
Richey went upstairs. His room was pretty much how he had left it, except the bed had been made with fresh sheets and there were clean towels waiting for him. He felt like he had the first day he had moved into the house; damn lucky to be there. He shoved his clothes back into the cupboard and drawers, then placed his notebooks and pens on the desk. He hadn’t really done much to the room since he’d been there, and it felt even more stark than the one he had just left. Then he remembered that for the majority of the time he’d been there, he’d been sharing a room with Eva right across the hall. He lay back on the bed and closed his eyes. It was good to be back.
He realised he must have drifted off as there was a tentative knock on the door some time later.
“Richey? Dinner’s ready if you want to come down,” said Poppy.
“Give me five minutes.”
He went into the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water and then stared at his reflection in the mirror. His clear eyes stared back at him, tinged with the darkness of everything he’d been through. He hoped that he would soon find a new routine.
Dinner was very different to the ones he’d experienced in Beech Hill House. For a start, there was wine and beer on the table, and it was likely that no-one would have a breakdown about being expected to eat something. Poppy brought a jug of iced water to the table at the same time as Parker brought the food in. Richey immediately reached for the jug and poured himself a large glass.
Poppy brought a hand to her mouth. “Oh, Richey, I’m sorry, I didn’t think!”
“Don’t worry,” he said. “I wasn’t being treated for alcohol problems, but I think I’ll give it a miss tonight.”
Poppy and Parker let out a cautious laugh, but Eva looked away. He noticed she had a large glass of wine in her hand, and it was already half empty.
The four of them had a pleasant meal. Parker explained some of the ideas he had been working on with Alik for the band’s future. Poppy told him how she and Nate were back on good terms. And Eva regaled him with tales of The Indigo Lounge. By the time they had finished, Richey was exhausted. Trying to get back to what had been normal was going to be a challenge.
“Sorry, guys, I know it’s early, but I think I’m going to go to bed,” he said.
The others nodded and let him go. Back in his room, he stripped off his clothes and sank naked into the cool, clean sheets. Several hours later, he was still awake. Despite being dog-tired, he had been unable to fall asleep, his mind racing. He hauled himself out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers. He poked his head out into the hallway and looked across at Eva’s room. The door was shut, but he could see a chink of light at the bottom, which gave every indication she was still awake.
He crossed the corridor and tentatively knocked on it. There was no answer, but he waited a couple of moments and then quietly opened it. Eva was lying on her side, reading. She looked up as he stood in the doorway.
“I can’t sleep,” he said. “My head’s a fucking carnival.”
She tossed the magazine to one side and drew back the duvet, beckoning him in. He closed the door behind him and took up the altogether more familiar position in her bed. She switched off the light and adjusted her position so he could spoon against her. As he breathed in her scent and felt her soft skin against his, he sensed himself grow hard. It had been months since they had last had any proper physical contact. Part of him wanted to wait until he was used to the situation again, but another part of him needed that intimacy right now. His hand brushed her breast, her nipples already erect, and she gasped. That was all the encouragement he needed. Richey rolled Eva onto her back and straddled her, his hair covering his face as he leaned down to kiss her. His lips crushed hers as he claimed her; his hands ripped off her vest and shorts until her naked body quivered underneath him. His dick was rock hard, and it was all he could do to get his boxers over his erection. He slid easily into Eva, his cock thrusting in and out as she writhed against him. It was quick and dirty and didn’t last as long as he wanted it to, but as he came, it gave him a release that he needed.
He resumed the original embrace and wrapped his arms around Eva’s naked body and drifted straight into a dreamless sleep. It was good to be home.
Chapter Fifty-Three
The Storm Rocks tent was packed. It was slightly smaller than the one Blood Stone Riot had played a couple of years ago, but there was more anticipation about their set. That made Richey nervous. As well as ‘Such A Lonely Ride’, he was also going to debut a new acoustic song, the one he had written for Eva while he was in rehab. Although Alik had made a few suggestions, it was basically as raw and untouched as Richey had wanted it to be. He stood in the wings as the sound techs made their final preparations to the stage. Alik, Nate, and Dev were by his side. Alik called them into a huddle.
“This is our chance,” he said. “The culmination of all the work we’ve put in touring those tiny venues, getting our name back out there. We’ve got some excellent new material.” He slapped Richey on the back. “And we can do this.”
There were some general fist pumps and whoops, and then it was time for them to go on.
As Richey strutted onto the stage, the adrenalin was pumping through his veins. It had been a long time since that had happened for a good reason. He gave a sideways glance towards Eva, who stood at the side of the stage and blew him a kiss. She was another good reason to make this work. He shook his arms out and looked towards Dev. Together they counted in the start of ‘In It For The Craic’.
The first four songs of the set sped past, and all too soon it was time for the acoustic break. The others left the stage, and Richey went to the centre, an acoustic guitar looped around his body.
“Afternoon! Thanks for rolling out of your tents to catch our set. I’m going to do a couple of tracks that will feature on the new album.” At the mention of new material, the crowd cheered. He took a steadying breath and started to play. The words of ‘Such A Lonely Ride’ brought back everything he’d been through in the past few months, and he struggled to hold back the emotion as his voice cracked on a couple of notes. The audience listened, some singing along. As the song drew to a close, he felt nothing but pride. He held up his hands to quell the cheering after he finished.
“This is a short one, but it’s for someone special.” Richey looked down at the floor. “This is for Eva.”
‘Broken’ was just two minutes long but captured what he’d learned about himself and the fragility of his relationship with her. The crowd was silent as he sang, listening to the words. It was a truly special moment for him. As the final chords died down, there was a lull for a split second before cheers broke out. He leaned towards the mic as Alik, Nate, and Dev returned to the stage. “Thank you.”
Poppy, Eva, and Olivia sat at the bar at the hotel, waiting for the others to come back from packing up all the equipment. Parker had excused himself to make a call to Numb’s head office to tell them about the reception Blood Stone Riot had received.
“This is very different to the last time we were here, isn’t it, Olivia? Much less drama!” said Poppy.
“God, yes. I haven’t had to do any troubleshooting this year,” replied Olivia.
“What happened?” asked Eva.
“There was a bit of an incident,” explained Poppy. “Alik basically kicked seven shades of shit out of some guy who made a move on Caro. The band didn’t get to finish their set, and Alik was banned for the rest of the festival.” She glanced over at Olivia and rolled her eyes. “Those were the days...” She remembered the last time they had been there, when she had been excited about her w
edding, head-over-heels in love with Nate and looking forward to their future together. Her life was a far cry from what it had been then. Her gaze fell on Parker as he came into the bar and ordered a drink. He had changed things for her and what was to come for them was something to be excited by.
Olivia followed her look. “Things are very different for you now, aren’t they?”
Poppy nodded, smiling. “Yes. He makes me happy, and India adores him. What about you Olivia? When are you and Nic finally going to tie the knot?”
Olivia sighed. “It’s not going to be for a while yet. But there was something else I wanted to talk to Eva about.” She turned to her. “You know that Caro wants to rebrand The Indigo Lounge and The Roca Bar and bring them together under one banner?”
Eva nodded.
“That’s a big job that I can’t do on my own. Plus I have a number of smaller clients who aren’t getting the attention they deserve as well as some bigger projects that need at least two pairs of hands,” she said. “Eva, I was wondering if you’d be interested in becoming a part of The OC Consultancy?”
Eva looked bewildered for a moment before slowly nodding her head.
Poppy clapped her hands. Olivia had told her what she was planning, and it was fantastic timing, as Richey was also getting his time in the spotlight with the band. Parker had also told her that Alik and Richey had sold some songs to a huge name artist and would be getting some serious cash. Everything was finally falling into place.
“I can’t believe we’re doing this,” said Eva. It was close to midday the morning following Blood Stone Riot’s successful appearance, the news that she had a new job, and Richey was going to be earning some money through song writing. Her head was whirling.
Richey grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the tent. “I can.” He smiled.
As they approached the stall, the buzz of the tattoo gun became louder.
“Are you sure this is hygienic?” Eva asked.
