“Ah, hell. Maybe Jack will be at rehearsal still and won't even know. Anyway, you hate Jack. You never want to have anything more to do with him. Remember all that? What better way to prove that than to show up with a hot guy.”
“Yeah, but I don't want to look like I’m sneaking around. I’m still the manager. If personal shit gets dragged into that, it’s going to be a huge mess.”
We stared at each other, both trying to think of a solution.
“Tell him you have changed your mind. You'll get your stuff later. Then you can have some time to explain things to Jack just in case they meet. It's got to be the best way. You don't even have to move in here today. Tomorrow is soon enough and you can get Jack to bring your stuff over.”
Hannah nodded.
“I guess that's the best solution.”
“Yeah, and maybe we can get Tamaki to take us out for food in the meantime. He's really cute. You didn't tell me he was so cute. Those cheekbones, and that jawline. Woooh. Are you sure you don't want to marry him?”
“You marry him if you like him so much. I'm sure you'd do just as well as me. Plus, I think he's gay.”
“No way. That is not possible.”
“He loves One Direction.”
I shook my head. It couldn't possibly be true. He’d seemed so perfect for the whole five minutes that I’d known him too. Now it was all over.
Chapter 14. Hannah
“Are you sure about this?” asked Tamaki when we explained things to him. He'd pulled up in a fancy car outside the apartment, a silver BMW convertible. We'd both jumped in.
“Yes,” we said in unison.
“It's better if I move in tomorrow. Trust me. Also we need to eat. With all the running around today, I'm famished.”
“Me too,” added Angie, poking her head between the two front seats. “Wow, this is a great car. Will you let me drive it one day? I don't actually have a license or anything but I'm sure you could teach me to drive.”
“Where do you want to go?” Tamaki asked.
I turned to Angie. Obviously, we couldn't go anywhere we might be seen by the band.
“Let's just drive around until we find somewhere,” said Angie. “Maybe somewhere down by the bay. That would be nice, since it's such sunny day.”
Good plan. The last place the guys would be was the upmarket tourist places around the bay. If anything, I'd be more likely to run into one of my old friends. I didn't want to run into them either, after the recent scandal that had been all over the papers but, if I had to pick, I'd take that.
We found a fish place and circled the restaurant but all the parking was filled. Angie made a face at me to say it looked expensive. Not the sort of place that Angie ever went to.
“Are you paying for this fancy place?” she asked Tamaki.
“Of course, it's my treat.”
“Well, turn left, down that laneway. I bet there's parking down there,” she said. “If I'm getting fancy fish out of this, I'll sure as hell find you some parking.
We headed down the narrow laneway. Tamaki seemed apprehensive about driving down there but we found a parking spot.
“Will my car be okay, parked down this alleyway?” Tamaki asked.
I thought about it. “I guess it will have to be, won't it. It's not like there is any other parking.”
“Yeah and you have insurance, don't you.” Angie grinned.
We were walking down the cobblestone street toward the water when we heard the yelping of a dog.
“That dog's in trouble,” said Angie. She cocked her head, trying to work out where the noise was coming from.
“It probably just wants dinner, right,” I said. I didn't know anything about dogs other than they wanted to eat all the time.
“It doesn't sound like its hungry. You might be right. It's in trouble. Where is the sound coming from?” Tamaki frowned.
“This direction,” said Angie.
Tamaki and Angie took off and I trailed behind them. I wasn't sure about their ability as a dog rescue team but they both seemed anxious to do something to help. It wasn't as if they'd listen to me anyway.
We turned the corner and saw a group of boys. They looked like thugs but couldn't have been more than 15 or 16 years old.
The yelping of the dog got louder.
“What are you doing?” Tamaki called.
“Fuck off.”
“You are hurting that dog.”
“We said fuck off.” A chunky boy fronted up to Tamaki, his pants hanging low on his hips and his face covered in acne. “Are you a moron? Get out of here.”
“What the hell do you think you are doing?” Angie moved in close. “We can hear the dog howling and you are just a little shit with no brains. Now scram buddy or you'll have to deal with me.”
“And me,” added Tamaki.
The kid looked at his friends. Angie shoved him in the shoulder.
“Don't even think about it, just get home. You don't want to see me mad.”
I remembered the first time I’d met Angie, how Angie had rescued me from the creepy, smelly homeless guy. Angie might be small but she could fight like a demon. If I were that kid, I’d scram for my life. I wasn't so sure about Tamaki though. He looked a bit too pretty to get into a fight. The kid stared at Angie for a minute, sizing her up, but he could see the anger in her eyes and obviously decided he didn't want to tempt that.
Angie grinned as the kid turned to walk off but, in a split second, Tamaki flew through the air, hurling himself at one of the other kids. He grabbed him by the collar and pinned him to the wall, his arm across the kid's throat.
“Drop it,” he said.
I wondered what the kid should drop. I'd been so focused on Angie, I'd not seen what the other little thugs were doing. The boy struggled to get away from Tamaki but the more he struggled, the more Tamaki's arm choked him. The other boys had run off, not bothering to stop and help their friend.
I froze. Tamaki wasn't playing around. The kid made a guttural moaning noise, a sound that seemed stuck in his throat.
The boy dropped the rock in his hand. As it hit the ground, Tamaki loosened his grip. The little thug stared at him for a minute then struggled free and ran off.
When they'd gone, a little beagle puppy ran over to sniff Angie's foot.
“He's so cute,” she said. “How did you know that kid was going to throw a rock?”
“Lightning reflexes,” he answered.
He picked the puppy up and cradled it in his arms. As the puppy licked his face, he cooed over it. His body relaxed and he changed completely within seconds. He bit his bottom lip at the cuteness of the puppy as it climbed up to his neck.
“What are we going to do with the puppy?” I asked. It was the cutest puppy I'd ever seen. It peeped at me around the side of Tamaki's neck and I reached over and scratched it behind the ears.
“I'll look after it,” Tamaki said.
“Yeah, but you are only here for a month.”
“We should door knock to see where it came from. It must belong to someone. It's one helluva cute puppy and it's not a stray, even if it isn't wearing a collar. Let me take him, you'll get dog hair all over your good suit.”
Angie put her hands out to take the dog from Tamaki.
“That's okay,” Tamaki said. “I can get it dry cleaned but this little fellow needs comforting.”
A softness I'd not seen before came into Tamaki's face.
We walked around the neighbourhood, trying to locate the owners but not many people were home in the middle of the day. He had to have come from somewhere close by because his little puppy legs wouldn't have moved that fast. We knocked on door after door but most people weren’t at home and the few that were knew nothing about the puppy.
After a while, the puppy started whining.
“He wants food,” said Angie. “Poor little hungry thing.”
She sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Tamaki had held onto puppy the whole time we’d been walking ar
ound.
“Maybe he needs to run around for a little while too.”
“We'll have to put signs up. I'll take photos and make the signs tonight,” Angie said. “And I'll post on Twitter.”
“Who would leave a poor little puppy like this at home alone? It's wrong. Maybe he shouldn't go back to them.”
“You can't keep it,” I said. “You can't take it home with you.”
“Well, no fancy fish place for us then,” said Angie. “Let's just get fish and chips and take puppy for a run on the beach.”
***
Tamaki dropped me off at Jack's apartment. We'd swung by a pet store and bought a whole heap of things for the puppy. “Vicious” was what Angie had named him, Sid Vicious. I thought that was a pretty dumb name but couldn't think of anything better.
I’d actually been about to ask him to drop me around the corner so Jack wouldn’t see us but then stopped myself and told him to park outside.
Vicious sat up in his crate on the back seat of the convertible, wearing his studded collar. Angie's choice. She'd actually wanted one the same for herself. She'd also wanted to buy the complete punk outfit for Vicious but both Tamaki and I had said no.
“You are really okay with the arrangement? I mean with me living next door. I didn't realise it would be a problem but you looked horrified when you saw me.”
“Yeah, I think it will be okay and it will mean that I can see Vicious every day.”
When I got inside, Eric and Jack weren't home. I assumed they were still at rehearsal. They hadn't said what time they'd get back. Our breakfast dishes were still in drying on the rack. It seemed so long since the morning, with all the excitement of the apartment then with the puppy. I'd have to find time to tell Jack about moving and maybe prepare him for Tamaki being around. I didn't owe him any explanation but that kind of logic didn't seem to matter with Jack and I didn't want to look like I was sneaking around.
I put away the dishes then slumped on the couch watching TV. I thought about making dinner but I didn't know what time the guys would get home and I wasn't that hungry myself after our feast on the beach.
I must have dozed off because the beeping of my phone startled me and suddenly it was dark outside.
I checked. Eric had sent a message saying they'd be late and to help myself to anything I wanted out of the fridge. There were heaps of leftovers from the welcome home party.
It was weird being alone in their warehouse. I could go snoop through their stuff if I wanted but I didn't think I'd find much that I didn't already know about. Maybe I'd even find stuff I didn't want to know about. I knew Jack did drugs and even Eric did occasionally but I'd rather turn a blind eye to that than blatantly know.
They still weren't home when I went to bed.
During the night, I heard a noise. I figured they'd gotten back from rehearsal. I tried to get back to sleep but I couldn't. I hadn't heard Eric come upstairs so figured the two of them must be talking, maybe even getting a snack. If they were still buzzing after a great rehearsal and Eric was with Jack, it'd be the perfect time to talk to him. Also, I was really hungry after skipping dinner.
As I walked down the stairs, I noticed only the kitchen light was on and there was no noise. Last time I'd disturbed Jack in the night, he'd been in a dream and had tried to attack me. I thought maybe I should go back to bed. But then he couldn't be asleep if Eric wasn't in bed.
I was walking through the main room to the kitchen when I heard a scream.
A hand wrapped around my waist and I stood stock still, as though that would protect me. I couldn’t scream or move. It was as if I’d gone blank inside. The only part of me that worked was my heart, bashing to get out.
Before my brain could unfreeze, I was hurled across the room. Crashing, then a blinding pain throbbing in my head.
This was it. A psychopath had gotten in the house and I was going to die.
Then I looked up at Jack.
He had no recognition of me in his eyes. Nothing there at all. His pupils were massive and his gaze unfocussed. He mumbled something but I couldn't understand what it was. Just words being repeated. His face was drenched with sweat, so that his hair was plastered down and I could hear his rapid, panting breath.
I tried to get up but my head throbbed with a world of pain. I was sure it’d been cut open. I must have hit the side of the kitchen bench when I fell. I reached up but I couldn't feel blood, just a huge lump.
Jack fell back onto the couch and I wasn't sure whether to wake him completely or to just let him go back to sleep. He probably had no idea what had happened. It wasn't him. It was like he was not there, in his head. Something else had taken over.
I couldn’t stay in the house with him. Not in that state. If something had taken over Jack’s body, I didn’t want to be with that something.
I got up but my legs weren’t steady. I could hear something in the kitchen but I didn’t want to check what it was. I held my breath.
Obviously, Eric hadn't come home and Jack was not Jack. I tiptoed back up the stairs, trying not to make a noise. Every creak or groan had me terrified that he’d come after me.
I tried to get some air into my lungs and wondered if I should call Angie. But he’d hear me on the phone. He’d even hear me texting. The house had gone an unholy type of silent.
I didn’t think Jack would want me to tell Angie about this anyway.
I tried to remember what Eric had told me last time this had happened but all he’d said was that they left Jack alone.
I grabbed my clothes and tried to dress as quietly as I could. I threw some other things into a small bag. I focused on doing what I had to do. I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to let my mind dwell on any of the possibilities.
Then I crept back downstairs, staying close to the walls so he couldn't sneak back up behind me. I slowly turned the handle on the front door, holding my breath, scared that even the sound of my breathing would wake him again. I didn't know why he acted like that or what triggered it but I sure as hell never wanted to deal with him like that again.
A strange rumbling noise made me jump and pressed myself into the space near the door, trying to make myself invisible. After a minute, the noise still continued but nothing had attacked me.
I looked over and realised Jack was on the couch, snoring in his sleep. What was in that man’s head that made him act like that? It had to have been something major that scrambled up his brains.
Part of me wanted to go over and soothe him somehow but I wasn’t sure what I could do.
Once I got safely outside, I got out my phone and called for a taxi. I had the keys to the new apartment in my bag and everything I needed there. I could come back later for the rest of my stuff.
Chapter 15. Hannah
I couldn’t sleep at the new apartment. I checked the time. Again. Then I put down my phone. I couldn't spend all night watching the minutes tick over in front of my Jack Colt wallpaper. Erk, that pic was so crappy. I needed to change it so I didn't have to see his face every time I used my phone.
Angie had snapped the photo during my homecoming party and set it as the wallpaper on my phone. Then she'd done the same to Jack. At the time, I had been secretly pleased. I would never have been able to bring myself to suggest something so cheesy but it was okay when Angie did it. She could do that kind of thing and make it a joke, yet real at the same time.
I didn't even need the phone because I had a clock beside my bed, noisily ticking off each second. I turned my phone off to avoid the temptation of looking at that photo.
When daylight crept through the gap in my curtains, I figured I might as well get up and do something productive.
I thought about ringing Angie and getting her to come over. We could get coffee and bitch about Jack. But Angie would ask questions and have opinions. I didn't feel like coping with that right then. Instead, I decided to have a shower then run down to the shops to get some necessities.
From the street outside, I could
see all the way down to the docks, a sparkle of water framed by the towering buildings. I hadn't noticed that when we'd come to look at the apartment but then, maybe it couldn't be seen in the bustle of people and traffic during the workday. Now, the only thing moving was a garbage truck I could hear rumbling in the distance and a couple of eager suits rushing to their offices in the dawn light.
I liked that feeling, as though I was the only person alive, even though it was probably only about half an hour until the morning rush started.
Most of the cafes hadn't opened yet. I wandered to the end of the street, grumbling at their darkened windows until I saw a guy in black setting up tables.
“You open?”
The guy nodded.
“Awesome.”
The warmth of early morning baking engulfed me as I walked in. I needed more than coffee. I needed delicious bakery treats. I picked up a muffin to have with my coffee and some emergency back-up cookies for later. I'd definitely add this place to my list of regulars.
I headed home, pleased with my morning outing.
As I got out of the elevator in my building, I heard a whining noise. It had to be Vicious. I'd totally forgotten about Vicious but that's what I needed right now. A warm, cuddly puppy to comfort me.
“Hannah!” Tamaki opened his door. “I heard someone out here and I hoped it was you. Can you help me with Vicious? He's been crying all night. I can't get him to settle down.”
Vicious ran out the door, between Tamaki's legs and I handed Tamaki my coffee before scooping the puppy up in my arms. His apartment must be really soundproof because I hadn’t heard a thing.
“Poor little thing. It must be hard for him. He had those bullies being mean to him and now he's home with strange people.”
“I tried everything, even singing to him and nothing has settled him.”
I remembered Tamaki's singing from the karaoke and wondered if it'd just made Vicious worse.
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