Nineteen

by E. S. Carter

  I do not stiffen from the contact, in fact it feels quite comforting, kind of like home. I stifle my giggles and look over at him.

  ‘Jules? Why on earth would you think my name is Jules?’

  He gasps in mock horror ‘You did not just quote Jules Winnfield at me and not know his name, that my love, is just blasphemy!’

  The penny drops and I smile brightly ‘Ahhh the Pulp Fiction tirade, sorry I know the words and the movie but I am not that much of a geek that I know the names of the characters.’

  ‘Well shit Jules, now you are calling me a geek, a guy could get offended you know.’ He looks down at me, with only the hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth.

  ‘OK you win, I’ll shout you a gelato but no more trying to pinch my phone.’ The sentence barely leaves my lips before he replies ‘Deal, c’mon Jules I know just the place.’

  I find out that Liam is the same age as me and has been travelling across the globe for the last 12 months, we hit it off straight away after the whole ‘mugging’ debacle as he is a very hard person not to like.

  From that day forth we became firm friends. Liam is hilariously funny, generous, laid back, a bit of a geek when it comes to all things Comic Book or Movie related and in all honesty, the best part of my trip so far is meeting him. That has to be saying something because this trip has been amazing.

  He’s even travelling with me to Ibiza in a few days, as he plans to catch up with some friends and family while he’s there, before heading back home to Britain for good and continuing his studies.

  Our friendship has grown quickly, our similarities bonding us in a way that I have not had with another person for such a long time. We like the same foods, have the same eclectic taste in music and films and although we’ve never said it, I think we have found an affinity in each other by not having established where we belong in the world yet.

  Although we know loads about each other, through spending days travelling and talking about anything and everything, we’ve never shared personal details like surnames, what city we are from, what we want to do when we grow up, those kinds of things. I think for both of us it feels like this friendship belongs to us and us only, by bringing in the real world it might sully it in some way.

  Our last day in Italy before heading to Ibiza is spent idly browsing a local market, goofing around with touristy knick knacks and generally laughing about everything.

  We stumble upon an English bar, which is quite a rare find in Italy and decide some Fish and Chips would make a good lunch.

  Walking in through the doors almost feels like being home, the inside is that of a typical British pub, serving draft ales and showing Premier League football on a big screen while The Kooks ‘Ooh La’ blasts out from the jukebox.

  Liam is singing above the noise of the bar, pulling me in tight to his side as we walk up to place our order before finding a seat.

  I check out our surroundings, humming along to the music while he gets the barman’s attention. A sharp tug on my arm has me spinning back in his direction.

  ‘Can you turn that up please mate?’ he motions at the TV screen behind the bar. It’s an entertainment news show and I find it funny that it has him so interested.

  ‘Well fucking hell.’ He smiles towards the screen, nodding his head for me to look at what has caught his attention. I can’t hear the words being spoken but get the gist that it has something to do with the E.S. Carter books TV adaptation. The Kooks are still blasting from the sound system, the familiar lyrics continue to wash over me ‘Love your man and love him twice, go to Hollywood and pay the price.’ The programme zooms in on the small picture they have displayed in the top right hand corner of the screen, it comes into focus and the bluest eyes I have ever seen stare out at me from the TV.

  I am vaguely aware of Liam shaking me and pointing excitedly at the screen before everything becomes muffled, my vision blurs at the edges and my legs feel like they are holding up an elephant.

  I know him, oh god I know him!

  I can feel my eyelids flicker, the haze consumes my vision completely before darkness envelopes me.

  I wake up on the cold, hard, floor of the bar, my head propped up on an arm and worried hazel eyes are staring down at me.

  ‘Shit Jules, are you OK? Do you feel sick? Have you hit your head? Do you need a drink?’

  It feels like my body has been completely taken over by pins and needles, the sensation buzzing under my skin, causing me to shake slightly.

  ‘No, no I’m ok honest’ I shake my head lightly and lick my dry lips before trying to swallow past the thickness in my throat. ‘Actually some water would be great thanks Liam, I think I’ve had too much sun.’

  The look on his face tells me he isn’t buying my excuse but he turns his head to the side and calls over to the barman for some iced water.

  ‘Can you stand or maybe sit up a little?’ his brow is furrowed in concern, his hazel eyes scanning every detail of my face for the cause of my little episode.

  ‘Yes I think so, can we get a seat and rest for a while?’ I attempt a small smile, wanting to allay his fears.

  ‘Sure, go steady and hold on tight, let me do all the work, just don’t let go OK?’ he gently but firmly pulls me up from the floor, placing me down lightly on a chair.

  The barman comes over with my water and asks if everything is ok. Liam thanks him and then returns his attention to me.

  ‘What the hell happened then Jules? I mean you looked like you’d seen a ghost and then you passed out, crumpling to the floor in a split second, I had no chance of catching you and it really did sound like you’d hit your head on the way down.’ he gives me another worried look.

  ‘I glance down at the glass in front of me, running the tips of my fingers over the beads of condensation on the outside.

  ‘It’s nothing honest, I just felt a bit light headed for a second, it must be because I’m starving and you’ve had me walking the hot streets all day.’ I risk making eye contact and give him a small smile.

  ‘I call Bullshit on that answer Jules, you were fine seconds before. If you don’t tell me I can’t help you and I want to help you.’

  This sweet, funny, boy sitting in front of me wants to know me, all of me.

  Would it be so hard to share my story with him? My head says yes, while my heart says no and my heart always wins out.

  ‘Last year I was attacked…’

  Six months later…

  Life is good, different but amazingly good.

  I have not had chance to breathe, the last few months have been a complete whirlwind.

  I have spent my days on set, working with an amazing cast and crew, an eccentric but exceptional director and the most brilliant script I could ever have asked for.

  The afternoons are filled with photo shoots, interviews and publicity and the evenings have been filled with . . . well they have been filled with an endless supply of hot, eager and downright filthy women.

  I’ve been fucking so much that I have to schedule nights off to catch up on sleep or else all this screwing around will be the death of me.

  But fuck me, what a way to go!

  I have already got myself a reputation with the press for being a playboy or ‘man whore’ as Nate keeps calling me. Funny that, Nate the now respectably settled down, former man whore himself has the balls to throw that in my face. Oh how the mighty have crumbled.

  The press on the other hand have been lapping it up. I get daily phone calls from my new publicist asking me for confirmation of the previous night’s fling.

  I never confirm or deny anything. I still pride myself on never kissing and telling or in my case, fucking and telling.

  As bad boy Cole Creed I get to play up to this image and it has done my success rates no harm at all.

  In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if it was written into my contract for next season that I had to keep shagging around.

  Anticipation for the TV premiere of Vampire’s Bite is at feve
r pitch and my nocturnal escapades are not hurting that one bit.

  Vince Capriati treats me like his own son, he loves to brag to all and sundry about how he found this unknown, rough diamond and turned me into a star. I am happy for him to do so, in fact he can legally adopt me if he so wishes, the man has done so much for me that I owe him my first born and then some.

  Filming wrapped up a week ago, I have yet to return home as I am enjoying the post-production side of things, getting to see how they will turn what’s on film into what will be released.

  Plus I haven’t worn out my Canadian welcome yet, so many beautiful women, so little time but the game has to end sometime and I have promised Nate I will be in Ibiza in two days time for the grand opening of his newest venture, the super club Accede.

  All our family will be going over to support him and celebrate his huge achievement. Three clubs in the UK, a super club on the party isle of Ibiza and he has yet to turn 30 years old. In fact we will celebrate his birthday with him, the day after opening night.

  Do I still harbour slight feelings of jealousy about Nate’s success? Not at all, he deserves it and more, besides life cannot get any better for me at the moment.

  I am living the dream, well my dream anyway.

  My final few days in Canada fly by, I do not even have time to go out and get laid.

  My publicist fills my days with countless interviews for radio, TV and magazines. I’m not sure how many times I have answered the same questions, the number one being ‘Is there a special lady/gent/person in your life Jake?’ My answer is always the same, ‘No but if there was, you’d be the first to know.’

  The night before I fly out H calls me.

  ‘Hey Superstar, how many chicks you bang this week?’ his opening line is accompanied by a resounding slap from what I assume is Bella, unhappy with his choice of question.

  ‘Ah H you do not want to know, it would be like rubbing salt in the wound. Talking of pain, say Hi to Bella for me.’ Shit I loved to rile that bitch up, truth is she is good for H but I resent not having my friend in my life as much as I once did.

  ‘Easy J, I’ll ignore that for a moment so you can fill me in on all the details, I love living my life vicariously through you.’ his grin can be heard over the phone line.

  ‘I’ll give you an in depth run down when you fly out to meet me.’ The line goes silent for a few seconds.

  ‘What do you mean, I can’t go swanning off to Ibiza J, I’ve got a job and my woman to take care of, I told you this last time you asked.’ Now it’s my turn to grin over the phone line.

  ‘Calm down big man, I’ve booked and paid for your flight and Okayed it with Princess Bella, you get to spend three days with me on the sinful isle of Ibiza, no expenses spared. Now please tell me that you are not gonna turn that offer down?’

  Stunned, I’ve actually stunned him. It takes him a full sixty seconds to reply and when he does I have to pull the phone from my ear as he is screeching like a fucking girl.

  I can’t help but laugh ‘Bloody hell H, calm yourself down, you’ll have a heart attack before you even get on the plane at this rate!’

  A loud guffaw resonates in my ear drum ‘Fucking hell Jake I bloody love you!’ hearing Bella scold him for his language sets me off, I belly laugh like I haven’t for a long time, tears pooling in the corners of my eyes from the strain. All the while H whoops down the phone while trying to placate a pissed off Bella in the background.

  God I’ve missed this bloke, a few days relaxing with H before the circus surrounding me gets any crazier, is exactly what I need.

  The airport is packed, the fact that I am already getting recognised by VB fans makes, what should be a simple departure, an absolute nightmare.

  Airport security can see the fans and paparazzi getting out of control and usher me quickly into the first class lounge.

  I wonder if it will be just as crazy when I get to Europe, I am not used to this amount of attention and it is quite a culture shock.

  Taking a seat in the luxurious surroundings of first class, I order a coffee and ask for a copy of a British newspaper. The waiter brings me a copy of The Sun and sets it down next to my steaming cup of Espresso.

  There on the front page is my face with the headline ‘Jake Fox, Britain’s Newest Bad Boy’.

  The story tells of me being plucked from the unknown and touted as the next big player on the celebrity scene.

  Well shit, there go my hopes of going unrecognised for a while longer.

  Ibiza – The White Island, where players play, partier’s party and I have just landed.

  Having spilled my guts to Liam about the last few months of my life, I feel strangely lighter.

  I never understood the phrase ‘Carry the weight of the world on your shoulders’ but in unburdening my tale, my chest felt less tight, my back straighter and my head clearer. Almost as though I physically carried the weight of my feelings around with me and in sharing them with Liam, they now float away from my skin like the seeds of a dandelion in a warm breeze.

  Liam’s initial reaction was one of silence. He listened to my pitying tale, never tearing his eyes from mine, with no emotions passing over his face. I guess he was trying to process my words and come up with an acceptable answer but really, in this situation, when a girl you’ve only known for a few weeks, pours out her horror story, what reaction can ever be a good one?

  Closing his eyes for a few seconds, his face filled with a myriad of emotions, one after the other. Sympathy, anger, compassion, shock, even a touch of anger but when he composed himself enough, he reached for my hand, giving it a light squeeze and simply said ‘Thank You for trusting me.’

  And that was it. We never spoke again about what happened, I never explained how the blue eyes that stared out of the TV were what caused me to flake out, never told him I still do not know the face of my attacker.

  What good would it do to share these kinds of details with him? He is behind bars for at least five years, maybe more. My reaction to the face on the screen was a fluke, maybe my subconscious found some similarities and my brain twisted them into a mini mindfuck.

  Besides the guy on the TV is obviously an actor and has something to do with the TV production of the E.S. Carter books, books I have devoured and obsessed about, just like a high percentage of the rest of the free world.

  Yes it is my head playing tricks on me, nothing more, nothing less.

  ‘So you never did tell me what this big job is that brings you to Ibiza in the first place.’

  Liam is sat, leaning back, in a low wicker tub chair, on the terrace of the apartment that Nate has set me up in as part of my job. ‘Plus this place is really nice Jules, so it must be something impressive.’

  I place a cold bottle of beer on the table in front of him and take a seat in the chair opposite, tucking my legs underneath me.

  ‘You know you could call me Emma, it is my name after all.’ I poke my tongue out at him before taking a sip from my beer.

  ‘I could but I’m not going to, you’ll always be my Jules.’ He winks and downs almost half his bottle in one gulp. ‘So C’mon, spill it, what’s the big job?’

  ‘It’s not a big secret Liam, I am working for my best mates boyfriend, running the day area of his new club. The club opens from 9pm and goes right through until 2pm the next day. The main club closes at 4am and customers can then move over to the day bar to watch the sun come up on the amazing open terraces he’s had built, that look out over the ocean. It really looks amazing from the pictures he’s sent me.’ I take another sip of my beer and Liam sits there quietly with a funny look on his face.

  ‘What?’ I ask, perplexed by his reaction.

  ‘Emma you are not going to believe this but I think your boss is my brother.’

  Before he’s finishes his sentence I butt in with ‘Way to go Liam, you finally used my name! ….. Hang on did you just say Nate is your brother?’ my brow furrows in confusion.

  ‘Well I’m just gues
sing but my eldest brother’s name is Nate and he’s opening up a club here tomorrow, so my bet is it’s not a coincidence. The only thing that doesn’t ring true is the girlfriend part. Nate is a player, he’s not the girlfriend type but I have been away for a while, so things have obviously changed.’

  He looks over at me and then laughs at the grimace on my face.

  ‘Stop frowning Jules, remember I’ve told you before you’ll get ugly old wrinkles before your time.’

  ‘Bloody hell, Nate is your brother?’ My voice is small and disbelieving. ‘What are the odds that I’d bump into you, you’d try and steal my phone and I’d end up connected to you by your brother? This shit is kinda freaky don’t you think?’

  His trademark grin spreads across his face ‘Not freaky Jules, Fate. While we are on the subject, if you tell everyone we met while I tried to rob your phone and I’ll tell them all how I saw your My Little Pony knickers when you did that swan dive over the top of me.’ If possible his grin gets even bigger.

  ‘Don’t you bloody dare Liam, beside My Little Pony is retro, no shame in that at all.’ I try and keep the smile from my lips and turn my head to gaze out over the terrace, to the beautiful infinity style pool below.

  God I’m so lucky to have got this job and Liam is right, this apartment is amazing. It is situated ten minutes away from the club, in a small development of similar properties that all share an amazing pool, with views of the stunning beach below.

  Suddenly panic grips my thoughts. Shit! If Liam is Nate’s brother that means he’s Jake’s brother too.

  Jake…… thoughts of Jake and what he did for me have never really left me. I dream of him often but I can never picture his face. I look over at Liam who has now got his head back, eyes closed and is totally oblivious to my stare. I wonder if Jake looks like his brothers.