“I tried not to think about you.”
“I tried that too. It didn’t work.”
They stretched out on the sofa again held each other like they’d never let go.
“Please tell me your last name,” he murmured.
“Evans.”
“Georgia Evans,” he sighed. “I’m going to kiss you again now, Georgia Evans. Unless you have any objections?”
She didn’t.
It was a slow kiss. A kiss of tenderness and sweet reunion with promises of so much more. She slid her hands beneath his hoodie, feeling the hard muscle of his torso. His breathing hitched as she touched him, and his own hands wandered beneath her sweater, his thumbs stroking the bare skin of her lower back as the kiss deepened and his lips moved urgently now with hers.
The kiss only ended when they rolled off the sofa onto the floor.
“Shit! Are you okay?” Tom sat up quickly and pulled her with him.
“I’m great,” Georgia giggled, rubbing her elbow. “You?”
“Fantastic.” He grinned and helped her to her feet. “But I think, before I kiss you again I’m going to get your phone number, and address...and…and…your shoe size!” He lifted her up and spun her around as they both laughed.
“Get me a piece of paper,” she said. “And I’ll write it all down. Everything.”
“Everything.” Tom frowned and stopped spinning. “I was just thinking…a florist shop? That’s no good, what will I give you on Valentines Days? And birthdays? You’ll be sick of flowers, I’ll have to think of something else.” He lowered his face, barely brushing his lips over hers, just as the dressing room door opened.
"Hey! What’s this?” The voice was angry and Tom moved quickly, shielding Georgia from the man with the greying pony tail and the tight leather pants who stood glaring in the doorway. "What did I tell you about the fans, Tommy-boy?"
"She isn't a fan, Dad. This is Georgia. I told you about her, she’s the reason I came on the show.”
Dave Dark narrowed his eyes and Georgia didn’t like the way the mood in the small dressing room had suddenly changed. “Yeah, well, things are different now. It’s very likely you’ll win tonight and every girl has to think she has a chance with you. You can't single anyone out." He frowned at Georgia who was peeking out from behind Tom’s back. "Sorry darlin’, but it's part of the deal. No girlfriends.” He stood back and pointed to the door. “Now out you go.”
“Like hell!” Tom snapped.
A flicker of surprise crossed Dave Dark’s haggard face. “What did you say?”
“I said, like hell. She’s not leaving.” Tom turned to face Georgia, taking her hands in his. “Sorry about this. Just ignore him,” he said gently. “He has no authority here.”
“Is that so?” Dave laughed. “You’re my son, remember?”
Tom grimaced, almost flinching, like the declaration had caused him pain. He threw a sharp glance over his shoulder. “Funny how you only remembered that when you saw me on the television.” Then he faced Georgia again. “He turned up here in week three of the competition, and it’s the only time he’s ever shown any interest in me.” Georgia didn’t miss the bitterness in his voice. “The last time I saw him I was six.”
If Tom’s words had any effect on his father, it didn’t show. Dave ignored his son now and spoke directly to Georgia. "Listen, he has an opportunity here that most lads would kill for. I'm sure you wouldn't want him to screw it up.” Then he stabbed a finger at Tom. “And what do you think will happen to her if she sticks around? You’ll be a star and she’ll get hate mail. She’ll be in the tabloids, they’ll tear her apart, make things up about her, you know how it goes. You wanna put her through that?”
“It won’t get that far,” Tom snapped. “I’m quitting. Saxon can have the recording deal. I never wanted it.”
Dave shook his head. “You signed an agreement when you got into the final five, remember? Even if you don’t win, you’re supposed to make personal appearances round the country with the other losers. And if you do win tonight, and I think you will...” He winked and Georgia got the feeling that somehow he already knew the outcome. “Then you’ll be off to sunny Los Angeles next week.” His mouth curved in an ugly smile when he saw how his news shocked them both. “That’s right. Special surprise. Two-year recording contract in LA. There might even be a chance for me to record a few tracks I’ve been working on – I’ve been talking to some people over there. We could do an album together, you and me. This could be my comeback and you’re not going to stuff it up for me.” There was a cold gleam in his eye that made Georgia shiver. Tom tightened his hold around her as Dave shot them another dark look. “You’re locked in tight. You didn’t really think this through, did you, son?”
Tom floundered for a response. “I don’t…they can’t force me…”
“Oh, they can.” Dave cut him off. “And anyway, how d’you know she isn’t just after you for your fame?”
“No!” Georgia tried to step forward but Tom pulled her back sharply, tucking her into his side.
“She took her time coming to see you, didn’t she?” Dave spoke as if Georgia wasn’t even in the room. “How many weeks you been on this show, and in the papers? And you seriously think she didn’t know? But she waited til now, waited until the prize was in your grasp, before she showed up. You can bet your spotty arse if you’d been eliminated earlier on she wouldn’t have bothered finding you.”
“It’s not true,” Georgia clutched Tom’s shoulders, staring hard into his eyes, because she knew how Dave could make this seem. “It’s not true. You know it’s not!”
“I know,” Tom said, touching her cheek. “I know.”
“All these weeks she’s waited,” Dave went on. “Biding her time, watching to see if you…”
Tom turned on his father. “Get out! Just shut up and get out!”
“She just wants to be the pop star’s girlfriend. She’s a user.”
“I said get out. Or I’ll throw you out myself.”
But Dave ignored the threat and kept on, stabbing his finger again at Tom’s chest as he moved closer. Quickly, Tom stepped in front of Georgia, sweeping her behind him again and holding her there, his arm pinning her against his back. She peeked anxiously over his shoulder.
“You’re just a trophy to her,” Dave was saying. “She wants to claim you and then lord it over every other girl in the country. That’s all she wants. That’s all you mean to her.”
“Get the fuck out of here!” Tom bellowed.
Georgia was trembling, her heart pounding against Tom’s back, but his hold kept her steady.
“She wants the money coming your way, she wants to ride your fame. But hey, if you’re lucky she might ride your cock too! She looks like she’s the sort who’d…”
Tom’s fist shot out and smashed hard into Dave Dark’s jaw. Georgia screamed as the faded pop star staggered back, stumbling into the sofa and crashing into the wall, his face alight with shock and panic.
Tom’s chest heaved, his breathing rough and ragged, but he stood his ground as he kept tight hold of Georgia behind him. Dave rubbed gingerly at his face as he scrambled unsteadily to his feet.
“That’s it, we’re done now.” Tom’s voice was low and dark. “Go on, get out.”
Dave Dark left quickly and quietly, practically scurrying through the door like the coward he was.
“Oh my God,” Georgia whispered and Tom spun around, crushing her against his chest and telling her over and over that he was sorry, and asking if she was alright. Before she could answer the dressing room door flew open and a woman with a clipboard and a frown appeared.
“TJ you’re needed for rehearsal. We’ve been waiting. Now, please.”
“I’m not going on.” Tom squared his shoulders, as if readying himself for another fight. “I quit the competition.”
The woman was clearly taken aback. “That had better be a joke.” Then her eyes fell on Georgia. “Who are you? You shouldn’t be
back here.”
“This is my girlfriend.”
“You’re not supposed to have a girlfriend, so whoever she is, she has to leave and you need to get to the studio.”
“I told you, I quit.”
“Then you’ll have to tell it to the producers!” the woman snapped, pointing towards the door. “Now!”
She bustled away and Tom was clearly torn as he took hold of Georgia’s hands. She could see the anxiety in his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah.” She nodded and he hugged her close.
“It’ll be alright. I’m going to go and sort this out, then I’ll come back and we’ll walk out of here together.” He kissed her forehead. “You’ll wait here for me?”
Georgia nodded again. “I’ll wait,” she said, and gave him a shaky smile. “I’ll be here, I promise.”
Georgia thought she heard him groan as he stepped back, like it almost hurt him to let her go. “I’ll be right back,” he said. “Promise.”
Then Tom was gone and Georgia dropped onto the sofa. She tried to clear her mind. She could still hear Dave Dark’s words in her ears, and they made her skin crawl and her stomach churn.. But she could also feel Tom’s arms around her and she hugged herself hard.
“It’ll be okay,” she whispered to herself. “It’ll be okay.”
But it wasn’t okay. Just a little later, a security guard appeared. “Members of the public aren’t allowed back here.” He made a show of folding his arms across his chest, just like the guard at the gate. “If you don’t have a ticket, then you have to leave.”
“No! Please...” Panic blazed like fire through Georgia’s veins as he came forward and began herding her from the room. “No, I have to stay! Tom said I could stay!”
The guard was unswerving. “You’re not authorised to be here, I have to ask you to leave.”
“Please just give me a minute to find him, he’ll explain everything…”
“Don’t make me call the police,” the guard threatened.
“I already have.” Dave Dark appeared in the doorway, grinning, despite the swelling of his lip. A second later, two uniformed offiers walked into the room, along with the woman with the clipboard who looked concerned and confused all at once.
“Is this necessary?” she asked. “Bringing the police?”
“She’s making a nuisance of herself,” Dave Dark said. “Harrassing my boy. She’s made threats. She’s a stalker.”
“What?” Georgia cried. “No! NO!”
The officers came towards her. “Come with us, please miss. We’ll sort it all out at the station.”
“No! He’s lying. Tom wants me here. He told me to stay. Ask him. Tom! TOM!”
But it was no good. Her pleas were ignored, and moments later Georgia found herself in the back of a police car being whisked away.
Sophie was aghast, her mouth swinging open like a rusty gate. “He had you arrested? Seriously? What a prick!”
Georgia nodded. “Yes, he was a complete and utter prick.”
“Did you go to jail?”
“Not quite. And I wasn’t actually arrested. They just kept me at the station for a while and gave me a caution. I had to ask Mum to come and collect me.”
“What did Grandma say? Wait! Does Dad know about this? Have you told him about TJ and your criminal record?”
Georgia rolled her eyes. “I didn’t end up with a criminal record, Sophie. And yes, your father knows all about it. As for your grandmother, well, she was upset with me, as you can imagine.”
“But did you tell her the whole story? Did she believe you?”
“She did, actually.” Georgia smiled. “So that was something. And I think she understood then that maybe it wasn’t just a holiday romance.”
“What happened to TJ? Did he know you were arrested?”
“I just told you, I wasn’t arrested! And no, TJ didn’t know.” Georgia sighed and turned her cup back and forth, swirling the last bit of tea at the bottom.
“And he still didn’t know your phone number, or address.”
“No, he didn’t.”
Sophie groaned and sagged onto the counter. “Oh my God, how did anyone ever get together back then? Go on, what happened next? This is killing me.”
TJ never performed in the final.
When the show started, Mandy looked slightly shell-shocked as she announced that, due to personal reasons, TJ had withdrawn from the contest and Saxon was the winner of a two-year recording contract in LA.
The press covered the story for a couple of days. There were reports of heated backstage arguments between TJ, Dave Dark, and the show’s producer, but by the following week the story had lost momentum and TJ was mentioned no more. Saxon flew out to Los Angeles. The remaining members of Star Factory’s final five geared up for their tour of shopping malls. Days became weeks, but it seemed like Tom had dropped off the face of the earth. And there was no way to find him.
Georgia called the television station, but they told her nothing, of course. So then she tried calling some of the music shops listed in the London Yellow Pages, in case TJ from Star Factory was a customer, or they knew him, but that got her nowhere.
Georgia felt like she’d been crushed from the inside out. She tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that at least he knew her last name, but she didn’t know what help that would be, because she certainly wasn’t the only Evans in the London phone book. She might be eighty by the time he found her.
But another thought nagged at her, pushing its way forward from a dark corner of her mind, persisting, no matter how often she tried to push it back.
What if Tom believed what his father had said about her?
“What did you do?” Sophie whispered.
“I got on with my life. Uni. Work. Friends. There wasn’t much else I could do.”
“But that’s not the end? Is it?”
“There’s a little bit more,” Georgia said.
Thunder crashed and lightning flashed and rain battered the windows of the florist shop that sat, tucked away, in a narrow West London street. Georgia barely heard the bell as the door opened and she wondered who would be out and about wanting to buy flowers in this weather. A crazy person, she thought. Or a hopeless romantic. She fixed a smile on her face as she looked up from the stems she was trimming.
“Hi, can I help…”
Her eyes shot open wide. The scissors fell from her hand, the flowers spilled over the counter.
Tom stood just inside the door, soaking wet, holding a bouquet of lollipops tied with a limp, red ribbon. He smiled at Georgia like he was seeing the sun for the first time.
“Thank God,” he whispered, and for a moment he simply stared at Georgia, drinking her in, it seemed, before he found his words. “Um, according to the Yellow Pages, there are 471 florist shops in Inner London. This is number 212.” He wiped at his wet face with an even wetter sleeve.
Georgia didn’t move or speak, too scared he might be a vision that would vanish with the smallest interruption. But she watched the smile spread even wider across his face, and felt herself drowning in his eyes, and she took the risk.
“You’ve been going from shop to shop?” Her voice shook and so did her legs as she slowly moved out from behind the counter. Tom didn’t vanish. Instead, he moved closer too.
“It’s taken me nine weeks of Saturdays,” he said, then his face became serious. “I am so sorry about what happened at the studio. By the time I got free of them all, you’d already gone. I couldn’t believe what my father did and when I found out…” He stopped, and took a deep slow breath as his free hand clenched at his side. “The police wouldn’t tell me your address. I’m so sorry.”
Georgia smiled and shook her head, letting him know it was okay. She took another small step towards him.
“You didn’t sing.”
“There was no point.”
“The contracts...”
Tom shrugged. “I decided the only thing to do wa
s fight my way out. Literally.”
Georgia gave him a puzzled look and Tom shrugged again. “I took a swing at one of the producers. Didn’t connect with his face and I didn’t plan to, but I knew it would still mean an instant disqualification.” He smiled wryly. “They thought depriving me of my shot at stardom was the worst punishment they could inflict.”
“And do you feel deprived?”
He grinned. “Devastated.”
“And your dad...?”
“Is a lowlife and always will be. He’s gone, out of my life for good.” He paused, a soft frown shadowing his features. “I’m not normally a violent person,” he said. “Before that day I’d never hit anyone, and I don’t want you to think…”
“I don’t,” she said quickly, stopping him. A look of sweet relief lit up his face.
“These are for you.” He held out the lollipops with one hand, and offered her his other. Georgia took the bouquet, and when she placed her fingers in his palm, Tom sighed. He pulled her close, wrapped her in his arms and Georgia sank into him. Not caring that he was wet, she savoured the feel of his arms around her, and the steady beat of his heart beneath her cheek. She felt the tender press of his lips to her temple.
“It’s lollipops today,” Tom said quietly. “But I’m thinking of a bouquet of jellybeans
for Valentine’s Day.”
Suddenly, Georgia was laughing and crying all at once.
“Hey, why the tears?” Tom smiled and kissed them from her cheeks.
“I think it’s shock.” She laughed, and touched his face, still needing to check he was real. “And the fact that you found me.”
He bent his head, touching his forehead to hers. “I will always find you.”
Sophie was statue-still, transfixed by her mother’s story. Georgia wasn’t even sure she was breathing.
“Soph?”
“Wow,” she finally said. “That’s just…the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard! The whole story is just…wow.”
“I suppose it is kind of romantic.” Georgia smiled.
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