Beyond the Lens

by Hannah Ellis

  “Really?” I failed to hide my amusement. “Your mum comes round and cleans for you?”

  Now he was the one looking embarrassed. “Maybe.”

  “Does she do your washing too?” I glanced at the duffle bag that he’d dumped in front of the washing machine in the corner of the kitchen.

  “Not always.”

  “So it was hilarious that I thought you might live with your parents, but your mum actually does your washing and cleaning for you?”

  “Don’t judge me!” He looked suddenly bashful and it was endearing.

  “I bet you just let her do it because it makes her happy, right?”

  “She likes to look after me!”

  I eyed him suspiciously and he glared back at me. “I can look after myself!”

  “Sure you can, Mummy’s boy!” I gave him a nudge and moved back to the living room.

  “Hungry?” he asked.

  “A bit. Are you going to cook?”

  “I thought I’d take you to the pub for lunch. I can give you a tour of the village.”

  We walked down the street in glorious sunshine, Adam pointing out the sights as we went. Havendon boasted a post office, a little shop, a community centre, a playground and a pub.

  “That’s pretty much it,” Adam told me as we got to the pub.

  “It’s nice.”

  “I know it’s not that impressive, but I like it.”

  “Adam!” the barman greeted him cheerfully.

  “Hi, Mike. How’s things? Did I miss any excitement while I was away?”

  “You wouldn’t believe what’s been going on here,” he said, his voice full of mirth. “It’s been crazy!”

  “I always miss the fun,” Adam told me before looking back to Mike.

  “Little Lily Stevens lost her pet rabbit again!” he told us excitedly.

  “No? You’re having me on!” Adam laughed.

  “Don’t worry; it turned up after ten minutes in Mrs Johnson’s garden.”

  “Phew!” Adam sighed and I smiled at their little joke.

  “And …” Mike took a breath. “You won’t believe this, but John had a nasty cold …”

  “No way!”

  “And there was no post for a day! Things really start to fall apart when the postman gets sick. It was chaos. No post! For a whole day!”

  “Shocking!” Adam declared. “I might need a beer to calm my nerves now.”

  “Coming right up. And the lady friend?” He leaned on the bar and gave me a once-over.

  “This is Lucy.” Adam introduced me.

  “I’ll have a beer too,” I told him, surprising myself. I think I’d developed a drinking problem over the last week.

  “I’ll bring them over,” he told us with a smile.

  We sat at a table in the corner and I relaxed in Adam’s company. It was nice to spend time with him in a normal environment, and I enjoyed listening to him chat about his childhood in the village and his work in TV production. We switched to soft drinks since Adam was driving, and the time passed quickly. We ate lunch and I was disappointed when Adam suggested we start the drive back to the city. “I’ll be in trouble if you don’t put in an appearance at Dylan’s place tonight.”

  “It’ll be nice to see everyone.” I would’ve liked to keep Adam to myself for a little longer, I thought.

  We were getting up to leave when a plump, dark-haired woman approached us. I was expecting her to have recognised me and be intent on telling me what a terrible person I was, so I was surprised when Adam greeted her.

  “Hi, Mum.”

  “I saw your car and came looking for you,” she told him, giving him a warm hug. “What happened to your hand?”

  “I cut it. It’s fine. This is my friend, Lucy.”

  “I’m Ruth.” She hugged me before turning to Adam. “Were you going to bring Lucy up to the house?”

  “It’s a bit of a flying visit, actually,” he told her. “We were just about to head back to the city.”

  “Stay and have a coffee with me before you disappear, will you? I’ve not seen you properly for ages.”

  Adam glanced awkwardly at me.

  “Coffee sounds good,” I said.

  “Great.” She turned to look over her shoulder. “Bring us three coffees, will you, Mike?”

  Adam mouthed an apology at me and I smiled in reply as I sat back down.

  “What do you think of Havendon then, Lucy?”

  “I like it. It’s pretty.”

  “These are all local …” She pointed to a framed photo hanging on the wall close to us. There were a few similar ones dotted around the pub, with differing landscapes.

  “They’re great.” I gazed at the one nearest us, a peaceful sunset over farmland.

  “They’re Adam’s,” Ruth told me proudly.

  “Really?” I stood to get a better look. “You took these?”

  “They’re old,” he told me while I peered at the picture. “They’re not my best ones.”

  “They’re really good,” I told him, moving back to my seat. He shrugged, and his silence reminded me of Spain and all the times he couldn’t talk to me.

  “He’s an amazing photographer,” Ruth told me. “But he’s very modest.”

  “The one of the churchyard is my favourite,” Mike said when he appeared with our coffees. He pointed to the door, and I walked over to look. It was stunning. Delicate bluebells sat in the foreground, creating an eerie contrast with the lonely church and heavy headstones beyond.

  I sat back down to my coffee. “It’s amazing.”

  “I don’t know why he insists on wasting his life working in TV studios,” Ruth commented while she stirred her coffee.

  “The TV work is okay,” Adam said. “I get to meet some interesting people.”

  I caught his eye and he gave me a sly smile.

  “It’s your life, I suppose!” Ruth said.

  We chatted over our coffees and were interrupted twice as customers entered the pub and came to say hello to Ruth. It seemed that she knew everyone. A hazard of village life, I guess. Ruth told us about the church fete she was helping to organise, and talked a bit about Adam’s dad, who had apparently driven an elderly neighbour into the next town for her hair appointment.

  She didn’t ask about me. I wasn’t sure if she knew about the TV show, but if she did she was politely avoiding the subject.

  “You’ll have to come up and have dinner with us sometime,” she told me while I drank the last of my coffee and Adam went to the bar to pay.

  “That would be nice,” I told her.

  “All set,” Adam said. “You heading home, Mum?”

  “No, I’m going to go and see how Stan is.” She glanced at the old gentleman who’d waved at us when he came in a few minutes earlier. “His wife died recently, and I like to keep an eye on him.” She hugged me goodbye and I thanked Mike as we left.

  “Sorry about that,” Adam said as we fell into step and headed back to his place. “I can’t believe my mum just gate-crashed our first date.”

  “This was a date?”

  “I thought so,” he said, slipping his hand into mine.

  Chapter 28

  We’d just found a parking spot around the corner from the pub when Adam’s phone rang. It was Carl, he told me as he answered it. I listened while he told Carl where we were, and had a brief conversation.

  “I think I’ll take the car home so I can have a few drinks,” Adam told me when he ended the call. “Carl wants to come for a drink so I’ll get a taxi back over with him.”

  “Okay,” I told him. “Probably a good idea to get rid of the car.”

  “Especially if Matt’s around. He’s got a thing about shots.”

  “I’ll see you later, then.” I said, opening the car door.

  “I won’t be long.”

  I walked straight into Dylan in the pub and was overjoyed to see him.

  “Hey, stranger!” He left the empty glasses he’d been collecting and gave me a big hug
.

  “Isn’t that Lucy?” I heard someone on the next table say. I turned at my name and smiled vaguely, but the looks I received weren’t particularly friendly. I’d almost forgotten about everything that was going on while I’d been out with Adam. It was all coming back to me now.

  “Come on.” Dylan put a hand on my back and ushered me towards the bar, where I found Chrissie sitting alone.

  “I thought you’d fallen off the planet!” she exclaimed, embracing me tightly. Dylan moved around the bar to serve a customer and I noticed an older version of him pulling pints.

  “Hello!” he said, beaming at me. “I think I recognise you from the telly!”

  “I’m Lucy,” I told him.

  “Jack,” he replied. “I’m Dylan’s dad. I’m busy, but come around and give me a quick hug.”

  I glanced at Chrissie.

  “He’s harmless,” she told me. “He likes his hugs. And we get free drinks so we go along with it!” She smiled over at him while she spoke; they seemed to be familiar with each other. Jack gave me a big squeeze, then asked me what I wanted to drink. I ordered a beer and wondered again at my increasing alcohol consumption.

  “Why on earth didn’t you have your phone on?” Chrissie demanded when I took a seat next to her at the bar. “You had us worried.”

  “Sorry. I didn’t know you’d be trying to get in touch.”

  “Why not?” she asked. “It’s all completely crazy. We need to stick together!”

  “Yeah, I know. I just wanted to hide when I saw what they’d shown on TV.” I smiled at Jack, who put a beer on the bar in front of me.

  “Don’t hide from us, though. Didn’t you miss everyone? I felt so lost on Friday night. I didn’t know what to do without you guys.”

  “Yes, I really missed everyone,” I told her, picking up my drink. “It was so weird; I just wanted to be back in Spain with you all. And I missed our bedtime chats.”

  “Me too!”

  “I heard you’ve all been hanging out without me?” I pouted.

  “Only because we couldn’t get hold of you.”

  “What did I miss? I presume you’ve been having fun with Matt without me around to sabotage you?” She laughed at my comment, and then couldn’t stop.

  “It’s not that funny!” I insisted, but laughed with her anyway.

  “Sorry.” She coughed as she calmed down again. “It was pretty funny, though.”

  “I just don’t think I’m ready to laugh about it yet,” I told her sadly.

  “I know,” she said. “They really set you up, didn’t they? Anyway, let’s not talk about it now. I want to know about your date with Adam …”

  I opened my mouth to fill her in, but a tall, butch-looking woman suddenly loomed over us, interrupting our conversation. “Everything okay?” she asked, her eyes on Chrissie.

  “Fine, thanks,” Chrissie told her, politely.

  “Is she bothering you?” she asked, glancing at me.

  “No,” Chrissie answered slowly.

  “Because I can give her a slap for you if you want. She deserves it.”

  I was taken aback by her tone and my heart raced. She was very intimidating.

  “Oh, it’s that Lucy!” A man appeared next to the woman and glared at me. “I can’t believe you’re talking to her,” he told Chrissie. “Crazy bitch!”

  “She’s not crazy,” Chrissie snapped at them. “And she didn’t do anything wrong.”

  “It’s that weirdo from the TV,” someone else commented as they walked past, drawing the attention of the whole pub.

  “I just offered to give her a slap,” the big, scary woman announced.

  “Nobody’s slapping anyone,” Jack shouted from across the bar. “Sit down and drink quietly or get out!”

  “I think it’s Lucy the lunatic you ought to be throwing out,” someone else called.

  “Leave her alone.” Dylan elbowed his way to us and took my hand as I slipped off the stool. “Come on.” He led me around the bar and through a back door. “Take her upstairs,” he told Chrissie. “I’ll sort the rabble out.”

  My heart was still racing when I took a seat on the couch in the living room of the apartment above the pub.

  “That was crazy.” Chrissie seemed as shocked as I was. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so,” I replied, on the brink of tears.

  “I really hate Jessica and the stupid TV people,” Chrissie commented. “I don’t know how they can mess with our lives like that.”

  “Jessica’s career certainly isn’t over, is it?” I said. “Those conversations we overheard were all set up, weren’t they?”

  “I guess so. I’m a bit confused by everything, to be honest.”

  Margaret and Kelly appeared in the doorway.

  “Hi!” I jumped up to hug them both.

  “Are you okay?” Kelly asked. “Dylan said there was a bit of trouble in the bar.”

  “I’m okay, I think. I’m not sure,” I told her honestly. “I’ll survive, though.”

  “Yes, you will,” Margaret agreed, giving me a big hug. “We missed you!”

  “I can’t believe everything that’s going on,” Kelly commented.

  “I take it you didn’t lose your job?” I asked her.

  “No!” she laughed. “Business is booming. Apparently celebrity waitresses are even better than pretty ones! I got a pay rise!”

  “That’s great,” I told her with as much enthusiasm as I could muster.

  “Sorry. Am I being really insensitive? They really screwed you over, didn’t they?”

  “It’s fine. It’s not your fault. I’m glad it worked out well for you.”

  “Not that well,” she said. “Didn’t you see how they made me out to be a blonde bimbo?”

  “Yeah,” I said slowly, biting my lip in an attempt to keep a straight face. Kelly looked from me to Chrissie, who was concentrating on her feet.

  “I’m not a bimbo!” she screeched, breaking into a laugh.

  “No, you’re not!” I said.

  “I don’t think they needed too much editing to make you look that way, though,” Margaret told her.

  “What about me?” Chrissie said, chuckling with the rest of us. “They made me look like some pathetic lovesick little girl.”

  “Well …” I looked around. Everyone looked thoroughly amused.

  “That’s not how I am!” Chrissie was adamant. “Nobody came out looking that great really, did they?”

  “Ryan did all right,” Kelly argued. “He’s getting a lot of female attention now and he’s loving his new celebrity status. Dylan came out looking fine too.”

  “That’s true,” I agreed. “What’s happening with you, Margaret? Are you going to stay in the UK longer now you’re a big celebrity?”

  “Well, I have to stay a bit longer to do the final filming. Kelly got me a job at the restaurant with her for now, just to keep me out of trouble!”

  “That’s nice,” I told her. “I bet it’s fun working together.”

  “It is,” she told me. “And we can get away with anything, what with us being such big celebs!”

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do about a job,” I told them glumly. “I don’t have the energy for job-hunting. I might have to sell the Rolex and the car to tide me over. I’m nervous about going out in public at the moment anyway, what with reporters and the general public after me.”

  “Just keep a low profile for a couple of weeks,” Chrissie told me. “As soon as the three-week gagging order is over, we can all sell our stories and set the record straight.”

  “So just three weeks of this hell, then?” I said, and felt bad as they looked at me so sympathetically. “Sorry. I’m not a lot of fun, am I?”

  “It’s understandable,” Margaret told me. “You definitely got a bad deal.”

  “Yeah, well, just wait,” I told Margaret. “As soon as the three weeks are up, I’ll be telling everyone about you and your cradle-snatching ways! That should take the att
ention away from me!” There was a pause before Margaret grinned at me and we all erupted with laughter. “How is Ryan?” I asked. “Have you seen him?”

  “Yes. He’s fine,” Chrissie replied. “He’ll probably turn up later. I put out an alert to everyone that you were off the missing persons list.”

  “I’m glad Adam came to find me. I was going crazy at home.”

  “Shall we go down and get a drink?” Kelly suggested. “We demanded a night off work to celebrate your return. Let’s have some fun!” She smiled at me mischievously.

  “I can’t go down there,” I told her. “People were mean to me!”

  “Jack said we can use the back room. It’s all great publicity for him and the pub, so he wants to keep us sweet!”

  “Go on, then,” I agreed. “I think a drink might be just what I need.”

  The back room of the pub boasted a small bar and a pool table. A long wooden bench stretched along one wall of the room, and small round tables and stools were scattered around the place. Dylan came in, told us to help ourselves to drinks and took a food order to the kitchen for us. It was a nice set-up.

  I had a beer and chatted with the girls. It almost felt like we were back on holiday when Margaret insisted we play pool. She and Chrissie were pretty good, but Kelly and I were hopeless, and it led to a fair amount of laughter.

  I was still reeling from the incident in the bar, but it was good to laugh with the girls. I felt better being surrounded by my holiday gang. It was as if I was in a bubble again.

  “Ladies!” Ryan beamed at us when he arrived.

  “Hi!” I grinned and gave him a big hug. “I missed you,” I told him, surprised by the strength of my feelings.

  “It’s good to have you back!” he told me. “It wasn’t the same without you.”

  “I love how we all sound like you’ve been gone for years, when it was actually only three days,” Chrissie laughed.

  “It felt like a lifetime to me,” Ryan commented as he released me from the hug and moved to the bar. “How amazing is this place?”

  “It’s pretty cool,” I agreed.

  “I love being a celebrity.” Ryan laughed as he got himself a beer, and passed more around when he saw we were almost empty. I could already feel myself getting emotional with the alcohol, but I didn’t care. “It’s brilliant,” Ryan went on and clinked his beer bottle against mine. “The girls are all over me! All the time. It’s amazing.” He gave me a goofy smile and I couldn’t help but laugh.