“Wow, I’m stuffed,” she announced with a yawn. “Think I could do with a coffee, too, to soak up some of that wine. D’you want one?”
Gideon nodded briefly and gave her a slight smile. She smiled shyly back and disappeared off to the kitchen. There was so much she wanted to ask him, but she didn’t know how to do it. Having talked so much about what had happened to her, she felt she should be asking what had happened to him in the intervening years, but there was only one thing she actually wanted to know. She poured the milk on the coffees, added the boiling water, then carried them out to the living room. Gideon had got off the floor and was stretched out on the sofa with his eyes closed. Abi thought for a moment he had fallen asleep, but as she quietly placed his coffee on the table his eyes opened, and he stared at her. She sat down on the floor again and looked up at him, cradling her mug in her hands.
“Gid,” she said, using her old pet name for him. “I have to know something.” He sat up and nodded to her. “In August ’95, when I hadn’t heard from you and was beginning to get desperate, I saw you on the news…” She paused, and he looked at her questioningly. “You were with a girl. You were in Seattle, I think, and you got into a limo with some tart hanging on your arm. That destroyed me. Who was she? And did you really find someone that quickly?”
Gideon looked shocked. He sat forward and caught hold of Abi’s hand.
“Christ, Abi, what d’you think I am?” he said. “I didn’t look at another woman for years after we parted. I was still in love with you.” He paused and frowned for a moment. “I think I remember the time you mean. We got followed everywhere by groupies, and they used to hang on me, and try and get me into bed, but I told them all I wasn’t interested. That one was a real pest.” He grinned. “If you could’ve seen what happened in the car, you would’ve been happier. I told her where to go, and Simon took over. He loved all the attention. I think he liked being with me ’cause I attracted them all but passed them on to him, and since all they cared about was sleeping with someone famous, he had a ball.”
Abi shivered. That scene on the news had haunted her for years. She had honestly thought he had abandoned her, his head turned by the fame and attention. Now she felt so ashamed. She hung her head and her hair swung forward over her face.
Gideon laughed. “You’re doing the hair thing again,” he said. “I always loved that.”
There was a slightly awkward silence for a moment before Abi looked up.
“I’m sorry, Gideon,” she said quietly. “I actually thought you were being unfaithful to me. I thought you had had my letter telling you I was pregnant, and that you didn’t want us any more. I’m so sorry.”
Gideon slumped back against the cushions. “I can see why you might have thought that. I would have done. I thought you’d abandoned me, after all. I didn’t receive any of your letters either. Where did you send them?”
“The record company. I guess they never passed them on.” Abi’s eyes reflected her pain.
Gideon frowned and shook his head. “No, they forwarded mail to us regularly,” he said, his voice puzzled. “I wonder if you had the wrong address?”
Abi shook her head. “No. I thought of that, so I went and asked Simon’s mum, and she had the same address. She said she often wrote to him that way.”
“Yes, she did. Simon never told her where he was, so she had to.” Gideon paused thoughtfully. “He certainly got plenty of letters from her that way.”
Abi frowned. “Well, my mother hid your letters to me, but I can’t imagine why anyone would hide my letters to you, can you?” Gideon was silent for so long she wondered if he’d heard her. She looked up at him. “Gid? Can you?” she repeated.
Slowly realisation dawned on Gideon’s face, and his eyes glinted dangerously.
“Yes, I can,” he said sharply. “Simon.”
Abi gasped and stared at him in amazement.
“Simon?” she repeated. “But he’s your best friend. Why would he…?” She shook her head in disbelief.
Gideon sat forward urgently. “Remember what he was like when you came to gigs? He used to hate it. He had this thing about girlfriends ruining the band. Like they had with other bands. But I never thought he’d go to such lengths to keep us apart.” His face hardened as he thought back over the years. He began to see how Simon’s behaviour had been the cause of a lot of trouble. In recent years they had not been nearly as close as in the past, and Gideon realised, sad though it might be, he could actually believe that Simon had kept the letters from him. His head snapped up and he stared at Abi, “Did your mother read the letters?” he asked abruptly.
Abi shook her head. “Only the first one. Oh, and possibly the postcards. Why?”
“Just wondering if Simon read yours,” he said tightly.
Abi gasped, immediately realising the implications.
“Then he would have known about…all these years?” she stumbled over the words. “How could he not tell you?”
They stared at each other in silence. Then Gideon shook his head.
“No, even Simon couldn’t be that cruel,” he stated firmly. “He couldn’t have read them. He must have just destroyed them.” He stared at Abi with a dangerous look on his face. “And I’m going to fucking kill him.”
Abi scrambled to her feet and perched on the end of the sofa.
“Why was everyone so against us?” she asked softly. “We didn’t hurt them.”
Gideon’s shoulders slumped, and he reached out and gently touched her arm. “Dunno. It’s like they set out to ruin our lives.”
“I thought they’d succeeded,” said Abi slowly. “But maybe we can put some of it right, now.”
Gideon gave her a small smile. “Maybe we can,” he agreed.
They sat in silence for a minute, and then Abi glanced at the clock.
“Hell, it’s nearly one,” she said in surprise. “How on earth did it get that late? I think I’ll turn in now. I’ll get you a quilt and a pillow for the sofa.” She jumped to her feet and ran upstairs to fetch the bedding.
Gideon bent down and began to clear away the food and drinks, piling everything onto the tray and carrying it into the kitchen. When Abi returned, he had kicked off his shoes and was rearranging the cushions on the sofa.
Abi dumped a pile of bedding on the chair and grinned at him. “Okay? I’ll see you in the morning, then. Sleep tight,” and with a wave she disappeared upstairs again.
Gideon stared after her, an inscrutable look on his face, before he bent down, closed the fire up, and began to make up his bed.
Chapter 19
Wednesday, 23rd November 2005
Abi awoke the next morning to a sound like a helicopter that seemed to be just outside her window. With a muttered oath she sprang out of bed and peered outside. A helicopter was indeed hovering at the end of her garden, and she found a camera pointing directly at her window.
“What the fuck!” she swore under her breath, wrenched open the door, and ran downstairs. “Gideon! Gideon, there’s a sodding helicopter outside, taking pictures through my bedroom window. Where are you?” She stared around the apparently empty room. The sofa was still made up like a bed, and Gideon’s clothes were scattered around the floor. She peered into the kitchen, then found herself looking in cupboards. She shook her head impatiently. “Where are you?” she shouted again.
“In the bathroom,” came a distant reply, and Abi scampered up the stairs again. She tapped on the door and received permission to enter.
“Why are you in here?” she demanded, finding him sitting cross-legged in the empty bath, wearing only a T-shirt and boxers.
Gideon looked sheepish. “It’s the only room they can’t see into,” he said apologetically. “Apparently they’ve found me.”
Abi sat on the edge of the bath and surveyed him severely.
“Clearly,” she said dryly. “So what do we do now?”
Gideon looked up at her, his eyes gleaming. She was dressed in checked pyjama pants and
a white T-shirt, her hair was messed up, and her makeup had smudged.
He grinned cheekily at her. “You look good first thing in the morning.”
Abi scowled at him. “That’s as may be,” she said, slightly self-conscious. “What are we going to do about the press? I looked out the front, and there are cars and vans out there, too. The garden is full of paparazzi. How am I going to get to work?” she demanded. “I’m a prisoner in my own home.”
Gideon sighed and stood up in the bath.
“Sorry. Happens to me all the time,” he said, stepping out onto the bathmat. “I had hoped they wouldn’t have followed me here, though.” He looked down at Abi. “D’you really have to go to work? I thought we could spend the day together.”
“Well, it looks like we might have to, now,” Abi replied sharply, raising an eyebrow at him. “Come on. We can’t stay in here all day. If we’re careful, we should be able to get to the kitchen and make a cuppa. We’ll keep the curtains drawn.”
She made her way out of the bathroom and back downstairs. The sound of the helicopter was still throbbing through the house, and Abi could also hear the engines of vehicles both arriving and departing. Someone hammered on the front door.
“Go away!” she shouted. “There’s nothing here for you.”
She went into the small kitchen and put the kettle on, glancing out the window as she did so. There was a bright flash, followed by the sight of a head ducking down below the windowsill. Abi swore loudly, flung open the window, and emptied a cold cup of coffee over the offending photographer.
“Fuck off and leave me alone,” she snapped, slamming the window shut again. She grabbed a packet of biscuits, the kettle, some cups, and some tea bags and carried them back upstairs to the bathroom. Gideon was sitting on the edge of the bath, grinning. Abi dumped the stuff on the floor and plugged the kettle in on the landing.
“What?” she demanded of Gideon’s amused face.
He chuckled. “Dreadful, isn’t it?” he said. “See what I get all the time, everywhere I go? It’s no fun being famous.”
Abi snorted. “I’m sure it has its compensations,” she said, attempting to make tea at the top of the stairs. “How can you stay so calm? I want to machine gun the lot of ’em!”
Gideon laughed out loud. “You haven’t changed a bit!” he said in delight, taking the proffered cup of tea. “No milk?”
Abi gave him a look. “Get it yourself,” she retorted. “I’m not going back down there.”
“Are you really supposed to be at work?” he asked after a minute.
Abi shrugged. “Well, it is something I could re-schedule,” she said eventually. “But I’ll need to make some calls. Hang on.” She disappeared into the bedroom to fetch her mobile, ducking down as she passed the window, in case the helicopter was still hovering, then ran back to the bathroom.
She made a couple of quick calls, then leaned back against the door and looked at Gideon. He looked really hot in his T-shirt and boxers, and she couldn’t help thinking he had matured very nicely. He was rather too thin, and his face looked haggard, but when he smiled she could still see the teenager she’d fallen in love with. His hair was messy, and he badly needed a shave, but that only enhanced his good looks. Abi looked away, aware she’d been staring at him. She felt her face flush and bent her head to allow her hair to fall over it.
Gideon chuckled. “That hair thing again,” he teased. “Bet you’ll never grow out of that.”
“So what are we going to do now?” She chose to ignore his comment. “We’re pretty much stuck here today. Do these people usually stay long?”
Gideon shrugged. “Well, they are pretty keen to see me. I rather disappeared off the face of the earth, and they’re all desperate for the story of why I quit the band.” He paused rather too long, and Abi glanced up at him. “I suspect they want to see you, too. Someone will have got hold of the story about us from somewhere. Probably want to know if I quit the band for you.”
Abi looked appalled. “How could they know about us?” she asked in surprise. “That was more than ten years ago.”
Gideon sighed. “Someone must have told them. Simon or Chas, possibly.”
Abi kicked the side of the bath in frustration.
“Hasn’t Simon done enough?” she said angrily. “You don’t wanna go and talk to them, do you? Wouldn’t that get rid of them?”
“It’ll take more than that.” Gideon shook his head. “I don’t want to, anyway. I want to be left alone for a while, and I don’t want them hassling you.”
Abi gave him a look. “A little late for that, I think,” she said dryly. “I’ve never been forced to make tea in my bathroom before.” She thought for a minute. “What we need is to be able to go somewhere they couldn’t possibly find out about. Any ideas?”
Gideon watched her as she spoke, more interested in her use of “we” than in anything else she was saying. He smiled to himself.
****
Judy flicked on the television as she passed by to fetch the children for breakfast. As she re-entered the room and popped Sabrina into her highchair, a picture flashed up onto the screen, and she froze. It was Abi’s house, surrounded by vans from all the news channels, and with a helicopter hovering over the garden. She turned the sound up and moved closer.
“The whereabouts of elusive rock star Gideon Hawk was discovered late last night. It appears he’s staying at the house of former girlfriend Abigail Thomson, in the little village of Sennen in Cornwall. Abigail and Gideon are known to have…” Judy muted the sound and stood quite still. This was all her fault. She needed to sort it, fast. The best way would be to get them out of there and to a secret location. She finished strapping Sabrina in, then snatched up the phone.
“Hi, Mum? Yeah, it’s me…Have you seen the news?” She waited a moment. “Yeah, I feel awful. I sent him there, but it never occurred to me this would happen.” She listened again as her mother spoke. “Well, that’s what I was thinking. Would that be okay?...Oh, thanks, Mum, you’re a star. Could you have the kids, then?...Great! I’ll be over in half an hour.” Judy replaced the receiver and untied Sabrina from the highchair. “Sorry, pet, no time for brekkies. Grandma will feed you. Mummy’s on a mission! Tommy, come and get dressed.” She hurried out of the room and upstairs to get ready.
****
“Don’t think you’ll be getting your car back anytime soon,” called Roger Hawk to his wife. Caroline appeared at the door, wiping her hands on a tea towel.
“What d’you mean?” she asked with a frown.
Roger pointed at the television. “The press have found Gideon. They have them besieged at Abi’s cottage. Helicopters and all.”
Caroline moved closer to the television and popped her glasses on the end of her nose.
“Oh, poor Abi,” she said at once, perching on the edge of a chair. “She could have done without this.” She looked at her husband and raised her eyebrows. “If he stayed there the night, that must mean they’re talking?”
Roger looked over his glasses at her. “Or doing something else,” he said with a grin.
Caroline flicked him with the tea towel. “Roger! Don’t be coarse,” she chided. “They haven’t seen each other for years. They have a lot of talking to do. I hope they can get some peace.”
****
Simon had been awake for hours, but he couldn’t find a good reason to get up. He had done virtually nothing since he’d arrived home, and he was beginning to think he really should get his act together to try and find Gideon before he got together with Abi. He rolled onto his back and pulled the duvet up to his chin. His mother’s house was very cold. She would only allow the heating on in the evening, and he’d grown used to a much more opulent lifestyle. He glanced at his mobile. It was nearly eleven o’clock. If he didn’t get up soon, his mother would come banging on the door offering him tea. He hated tea. He rolled out of bed and dragged the previous day’s clothes back on. Then he ran his fingers through his hair and made his wa
y downstairs. Josephine was hoovering the living room, and Simon wandered into the kitchen and poured himself a large glass of orange juice. He sat down at the kitchen table and waited for her to finish. He quite fancied some scrambled eggs this morning. After a couple of minutes the hoovering stopped, and Josephine came in to join him.
“Morning, son,” she said cheerfully. “Sleep well?”
Simon grimaced. “Not really,” he said. “That bed’s too small. And it’s always so cold.”
His mother’s smile vanished, and she pursed her lips.
“Well, don’t let me keep you here,” she said sharply. “Shouldn’t you be out looking for Gideon anyway?” Simon snorted. She went on. “Actually, I know something about that.”
His head shot up. “What?” he demanded, staring at her.
“It was on the news. They found him last night. Apparently he stayed in a little village in Cornwall…” She racked her brains for a moment. “Yes, Sennen, that was it. I think it’s near Land’s End…” She tailed off as Simon leapt up from the table and ran out of the room. She heard him thundering upstairs, only to return a moment later carrying his jacket and a holdall.
He pulled open the front door and ran out, calling, “Don’t wait up,” before slamming it behind him and racing out into the cold November day.
Josephine sighed and finished her sentence. “Apparently it’s Abi’s house he’s staying at,” she said, shaking her head. “And I suspect you needed to know that, you silly boy.”
She put Simon’s glass of undrunk orange juice back into the fridge and got on with her day.
****
“So how long does it take to drive down here from Judy’s place?” asked Gideon impatiently. Judy had texted Abi at eight o’clock to say she was on her way to rescue them. She gave no details but instructed them to have bags packed for a few days’ stay and make sure they didn’t get seen packing them.
“Four, four and a half hours,” said Abi vaguely. “She should be here soon. I wonder what she has planned? I really can’t see how she thinks she can get us out of here unnoticed.”
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