by Grace, M. J.
“Where did he go?” I ask. I might as well get this talk over with sooner rather than later, so I plan to have a quick drink and then find AJ.
“Leave him Jorgi. It might be best to let him calm down a little.”
“No Travis, he has no right to be pissed at me. Besides, I told him we would talk. So just tell me where he is, so I can get it over with.”
“Jorgi leave him. It’s no good you going to speak him when he’s angry…”
“Travis.” I lean towards him so only he can hear me. “So help me, if you don’t tell me where he’s gone….”
Poor Travis, I don’t think he knows how to deal with me, and he crumbles under the strain, telling me AJ has gone to his room. I lift an eyebrow questioningly and he provides me with directions.
“Thank you.” I give him a quick kiss on his cheek and move away, hearing him say good luck as I go. I head back to my seat, take a quick drink of some water that is on the table, and head upstairs. There is no sign of Ben and Davy, but I’m sure they will realise where I am when they notice I’m gone.
Moving down the corridors, it doesn’t take me long to locate his room. Listening for a second at the door, I hear nothing, so knock and wait.
Well, this brings back memories of New York, I think to myself.
After no response, I knock again and hear a muffled shout, which I’m sure is AJ, telling whoever is at the door, to go away none too politely.
I see, it’s like that, is it. Well, it is a private estate and not a hotel. So taking the chance that the door isn’t locked I try the handle, and finding it give way, I push open the door, to find AJ standing staring out of the window, with what looks like a very large glass of whiskey in his hand.
CHAPTER 20
On hearing the door open, AJ turns and looks at me, whilst taking a sip of his drink. I close the door behind me, and lean against it, watching him. For several seconds we stare at each other, before my eyes travel his body, eating up the look of him. God I have missed him so much, and now I can hardly breathe with the want of him.
“How have you been?” he asks, bringing my eyes back up to his face.
What can I say? I can lie and say I’ve been fine, or tell him the truth. I decide on the latter.
“Rough. You?”
“Well!” he says with a sigh. “You see, the woman I love left me and wouldn’t speak to me, so yeah, you could say rough, but I reckon in hell would cover it better.”
I close my eyes with the agony on hearing his words. I know if the roles were reversed I would have felt the same.
“I couldn’t. It hurt too much.”
“It hurt too much.” He repeats almost sarcastically. “Oh for crying out loud, come away from the door and sit down Jorgi. Do you want a drink?”
I don’t know what hurts the most, the tone of his voice or the fact that he called me by my name and not Birdie.
“I’m not sure I want to, and no thank you.” I admit, staying against the door.
“Please yourself.” He replies and picks up a bottle of what I was correct in thinking was whiskey, and fills his already half full glass up almost to the brim, before moving over to a chair and sitting down.
“Did you enjoy your dance?” he asks coldly.
This is a side of AJ I have never seen. Cold, almost calculating every word before he speaks. I’m not sure if it’s the alcohol or not making him act this way, but I don’t like it.
“It was just a dance AJ, and yes, I was.”
“Was?”
“Yes, until it was brought to my attention that you were giving me the evil eye.”
“Not you. Him.” He clarifies.
“Why? We were just dancing.”
“I didn’t like it. It’s been weeks since I’ve seen you. Then I have to wait hours, observing you from a distance because of wedding formalities, and the moment I’m free to speak to you as agreed, I find you dancing with Sam bloody Moress.” He says angrily, “So I didn’t like it.”
“Well, now you know how it feels.” I snap.
Damn, not a good time to have a mouth malfunction.
“What?” he shouts rising to his feet.
“Melody bloody Forrester. That’s what.” I yell back.
“You danced with that… that... In a warped attempt to get back at me. For something that I keep asking you to let me explain. Beg you in fact. Hell Birdie! Are you trying to drive me insane, because it’s working?” He retorts whilst running his free hand through his hair.
“No, it wasn’t to get back at you. I’m not five years old playing tit for tat for God’s sake. He asked me to dance, and I needed to dance. For a few minutes I wanted to forget how crap my life is at the moment, and dance it away.”
“God, what are we doing to each other Birdie?” he asks, as he sits back down, places his glass on the table, and runs his hands through his hair in desperation. “Please, I love you, and I can’t bear the thought of losing you. Please let me explain. Just give me a chance to explain.”
I didn’t think my heart could break anymore. I was wrong. Seeing AJ seeming so broken and desperate, almost kills me. I finally walk away from the door and sit in the chair opposite him.
“Okay AJ. I’m willing to listen. Fire away.”
AJ looks at me stunned, almost as if he can’t believe I have capitulated. Picking up his glass he takes another slug of whiskey, and motions to me, as if to ask if I want one. I shake my head in reply. I need a clear head for this.
“Now you’re here, I don’t know where to start.”
“At the beginning seems a good place.” And on seeing his frowning expression “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean that to sound bitchy or facetious, I was just stating a fact.”
“Okay.” He states taking a deep breath. “Melody’s been trying to get a hold of me for weeks now. Since around a week after I saw her in London. Texting, ringing, bugging me and Steve, trying to speak to us.”
I straighten my back at this news. She’s been trying to get hold of him and he never said. Not once.
“I ignored her babe. Every text, call, everything. I swear I wanted nothing to do with her.” At seeing that I was waiting for him to carry on and wasn’t going to comment he continues. “She found out about Razors stag weekend. Obviously I was going to be there, and she deduced that we would use the same hotel we always do.”
“Proper Miss Marple isn’t she.” I mutter sarcastically.
“Birdie please.” He begs sighing.
“Okay, okay carry on.” I reply, waving my hand and telling myself to hold my tongue.
“She bribed one of the staff to let her into my suite while we were out, and sat and waited until I returned.” Taking a deep breath he continues. “There’s been a threat against us. A serious threat. That’s why she was so desperate to contact me. So she could tell me.”
I sit there astounded. Melody Forrester, the woman he said lied, and fabricated stories and was totally untrustworthy, told him this story and he believed her. Yeah right, and I’m just as stupid if I believe him and her too.
“That’s the best you’ve got?”
“Pardon?”
“The woman you told me was such a deceiver, a liar, comes to you with this cock and bull story and you believe her. Why didn’t she mention it in London or tell the police? Good try AJ, but I’m not buying it.” I announce and stand readying myself to leave.
Grabbing my wrist, he halts my progress. “It’s the truth Birdie. I didn’t believe her either to start with, but she showed me the letters she’s been receiving. Steve got the police involved and it’s all true. It didn’t start until after I saw her in London. She didn’t call the police because the letters threatened her harm if she did. I can prove it, I’ll arrange for Detective Mason who is in charge of the case to speak to you. He wants to anyway. He hasn’t been happy with you not knowing what’s been going on, and about the security.”
“The security?”
“We’ve all had to up the level of the securi
ty. The guys, Steve, even mum, Casey and Mitch. The police are taking this as a serious threat Birdie. It’s no lie. I wish it were.”
I stand there looking down at him. Can I believe him? Okay, so if the story is true, that doesn’t explain why she was in his room, and I say as much.
“Why was she in your room?”
“Detective Mason. The hotel was full. He didn’t want to split the security detail if she went to another hotel. So she stayed in my suite Birdie. Not in my room. In another room in my suite. Nothing happened Birdie. I swear, I would do nothing to jeopardise our relationship.”
“She was wearing your T-shirt. She acted like she’d just climbed out of your bed. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“I know how bad it appeared, and I know if the roles were reversed I wouldn’t believe it either. She feels bad about it too. She wanted to contact you and tell you, but I wouldn’t let her. I thought it best to let things calm down and I would explain, but you wouldn’t talk to me. That hurt Birdie, so much, that you wouldn’t even talk to me.”
I ignore his comment. I need to stay focused so I fixate on his comments about security.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t Jen tell me? All she said, was that there was a good reason.”
“Because of the situation between us, we thought it best if I explained, but as I said you wouldn’t even talk to me. So we had no choice but to take on board Detective Masons recommendations, and act accordingly.”
“Act accordingly? What does that mean?”
AJ looks at me, and I see the apprehension on his face. I feel myself brace as I know there is something that he hasn’t told me.
“AJ?”
“We had to cover all bases. That includes you. You’ve had security with you, every move you made. The only time you didn’t was when you were in your hotel room and that had cameras.” I sit back down on the seat with a bump.
“You’re telling me I’ve had someone following me? Everywhere I went?” On seeing the nod of his head in confirmation, I think back over the last two weeks. I never saw anything out of the ordinary, I never noticed anyone following me.
“I never saw anyone. I take it that it wasn’t Tiny or Wade, because I would have seen them.” Suddenly a thought crosses my mind. “The hotel room?” I shout. “I walked about almost naked in the hotel room. Oh my God.”
“They’re professional Birdie. You have no worries on that score,
besides it was only on the door, not inside.”
“You knew where I’ve been staying the whole time didn’t you?” On seeing his nod my heart drops to the floor.
“So you knew where I was, but you didn’t come and see me. Yet you sit there seemingly distressed, because I wouldn’t talk to you. This is all shit AJ, total shit.”
“I was instructed not to. I have hardly moved out of the house in the last two weeks, under orders. None of us have. Detective Mason was adamant, that as no one seemed to know you were at the hotel, it was best to keep it that way. If I had visited you there, it could have been a paparazzi frenzy, and that would have left you open to threats. I had to take his advice Birdie, can you not comprehend that?”
Observing AJ, I can see the strain on his face. The stress and worry have taken its toll on him. If what he says is true, he has been a virtual prisoner in his own home for the last two weeks.
“What’s the threat?”
“Pardon?”
“You said there has been a threat against us. Who’s us? You?
The band? And what is the actual threat?”
AJ leans back in his chair, takes a deep breath and looks at me.
“The threat is against you and me.” I straighten in my seat, the shock taking my breath away.
“Melody has received fan mail from a certain individual for some time. The letters have always been supportive of her, especially where I am concerned. When we broke up, the letters apparently started to change, graduating towards blaming me and implying I was the villain of the piece. When you and I got together, they escalated. Over the last few weeks they have become threatening, saying they are going to harm you for taking me away from Melody and harm me for letting you. We all receive kooky fan mail Birdie. Melody just brushed it off as a nutter, until they got nasty. As soon as that happened, she tried to get hold of me. When all else failed, she headed to New York, bringing the letters with her as proof.”
Oh God! All this time, I’ve been heart broken and suffering and it’s all my own fault. I should have listened to him, let him explain.
“You should have told me. God, there’s a mad man or woman out there, do we know which it is?” He shakes his head and I carry on. “Two weeks wasted; we could have been together, I’m so stupid, but you should have told me, you should have made me listen to you.”
“Birdie you wouldn’t talk to me.” He states exasperated. “I dealt with it the best way I could.”
I pace across the room, my arms wrapped around my middle. Oh my God, there’s someone who wants to hurt us. I stop and look at him, then resume my pacing of the floor. All these thoughts crowding my mind. Who is it? Have they been close to us already? God! Could they have been close enough to hurt us already?
I can feel myself building up into a panic, no one has ever expressed the desire to hurt me before. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. I need to get a grip and compose myself.
“What happens now?” I turn and ask AJ.
“Now? Now I want you to come home, where I know you will be safe. Where we can get back to you and me, as we were.” He says as he stands and walks over to me, placing his hands on either side of my neck. “Will you come home, Birdie?”
I nod my head. I love him, there is no fighting that. I wrap my arms around his body, and on tiptoe offer my mouth as he dips his own, for a kiss. A kiss so tender and sweet, and full of longing, but also full of hope for the future, and relief that we are reunited.
“I love you.” He says as he lifts his head. “Please never doubt that.”
Leading me over to the sofa, we sit huddled together, and go over the last two weeks. It seems I was right, and AJ hasn’t been out much. However when he did, he was surrounded by bodyguards. It also appears, that on the rare occasion I ventured out of the hotel, I was followed by a crew of security, and I never knew.
Realising we’ve been talking for nearly two hours, we decide we had better re-join the party downstairs; before the bride and groom disappear on their honeymoon.
As we arrive by the dance floor, the band start to play “Heaven Bells” by Freedonia, and before I have a chance to find Jen and Razor, AJ pulls me onto the dance floor and we slowly start to move. With AJ holding me close and tight, quietly singing the lyrics to me, my eyes fill with tears and I nuzzle my face into his neck. All can do is hold on for the ride, as my emotions take hold and overcome me. As the song starts to come to an end, and we stop moving, AJ lifts my chin with his finger and lowers his mouth to kiss away my tears, and finally my lips, and I am lost. Lost to the last final few strains of the music as it fades away; lost in the kiss and totally lost in AJ. When we eventually pull apart, I notice we are the centre of attention and everyone is standing staring at us.
“Oh hell!” I exclaim and again bury my face into AJs neck, overwhelmed with embarrassment. I hear AJ chuckle as he grabs my hand, and with my head bowed, he leads me off the dance floor.
We head through to the other marquee, finding Jen and Razor talking to Razors parents. Joining them, Jen gives me a pointed look with a questioning raised eyebrow. I just smile in response. She wants to know what’s happened, but it will have to wait. Razor on the other hand is a different matter. He takes one look at both of us and turning towards AJ asks, “Sorted?”
“Sorted.” AJ replies and that’s it, no more needs to be said.
Jen asks Davy and I to help her change out of her dress, and we all head upstairs. As I knew they would, no sooner has the door closed behind us that they go into the third degree. After manag
ing to get a word in; I supply as much information to keep them happy, without giving away anything too personal. Then I tell Jen off for not telling me the truth about what was occurring. After explaining that the decision was taken out of her hands, I forgive her and we all have a group hug, then start helping her to change.
“So are you going back to AJs?” Davy asks.
“Yes. I’ll go back and gather all my things tomorrow. He says it will be safer for me at the house, and I know he’s right.”
“When are you coming home? I miss you.”
“A little over two weeks’ time, I have a meeting at the publishers that I have to attend, and I need to check the house. Why?”
“I can go and check the house, and you could have your meeting over the internet.” She states.
“Okay, what’s going on? Anyone would think you don’t want me to come home.”
“Don’t be silly. Of course I want you to come home; didn’t I just say that I miss you? I’m just thinking that maybe you would be safer here with AJ, and the security team that’s all.”
“Davy, you don’t need to worry. Even if I come home, I will probably have someone with me. From now on, it appears that I won’t be able to breathe without someone there. For a while anyway.”
“Oh. In that case, when you come home, I might come and stay for a while, would that be okay?”
“That would be just perfect.” I say as I enfold her in my arms.
“Will you two stop? You’re making me all weepy and I can’t be bothered to do my make-up again.” Cries Jen.
Laughing we all have a group hug and finish helping Jen out of her dress.
“This really is a stunning dress.” I say as I help Davy place it into the cover, turning to find Jen with a strange expression on her face. “What now?”
“Nothing. I just wish you and AJ to be as happy as Razor and I are. With all that entails.”
“Whoa! Hold up there missy. We’ve only just got back together, and with our track record, that won’t be for long. Besides, I’m not sure I want to be married again. Once bitten, twice shy.”
