The girl next to Jack whispered something in his ear. Jack laughed and I gave him a dirty look. It made me a bit worried seeing him with her. It was disloyal to Hannah.
As though he read my mind, he looked at me.
“She's not here, is she? She's out with her boyfriend, probably drinking expensive champagne and letting him touch her up. She's nothing to me.”
The girl reached out and turned his face to hers.
“Who you talking about?” she asked.
“Nobody. Nothing for you to worry about.”
Her hand dropped to his neck.
“Let's go somewhere more exciting. Or a bit more private.” Her fingers slid down his chest.
I hissed at her. I didn't mean to but that hiss just came out before I could help myself.
Jack nodded. “Maybe we should.”
I jumped up.
“You can't do that. You can't take this scrubber home. It's not like ―”
Jack glared at me. I couldn't say anything, could I? It was true what he'd said. She was nothing to him. And she was out with Tamaki. I didn't really understand what was going on between them but it was enough that I couldn't give Jack any shit about this chick he was with. Still, it felt wrong. It felt like I was betraying my friend. My jaw clenched and I swallowed, as though trying to swallow down all the words that I could say, that I wanted to say, but shouldn't.
Eric reached out for my hand and wrapped his fingers around it. I could breathe again.
“You leaving, Jack?” said Spud, finally breaking away from his new friend. “We might go with you.”
Obviously, he couldn't take the chick back to his place. Not when he lived with his parents.
“Why don't we all go back to our place? It'll be more comfortable than here.”
So, it was decided. I debated sending a message to Hannah, letting her know what was going on but maybe that'd just make more trouble than it was worth. If I did, what would she do? It's not like she could leave the fancy party and join us. It'd just make things worse, one way or the other.
Then it all got complicated. We were ready to go but Spud needed to go to the loo so Jack and I lit up cigarettes. Then Spud came back but his chick had decided she had time for another drink and had gone to the bar. So, Eric and I decided to get more drinks. About an hour later, it'd got dark and we were no closer to leaving.
There was a funny tension going on. The two girls blatantly ignored me and I kept giving them dirty looks. One of them was sizing up Eric while Spud went to the bar so I moved in closer to him. He needed protecting. Meanwhile, Jack didn’t seem that interested but did nothing to deter them.
Finally, we headed down to get a cab and Spud pulled a glass out from under his jacket that he'd smuggled out of the bar. The two girls laughed and Spud drank it down. We tried to flag down a cab but there were none around.
“I wish they'd hurry up. I need to pee,” the girl with Spud said.
Spud went to put his arm around her neck but he stumbled and knocked into Jack.
“Watch it, mate. I think you've had enough.”
Spud pushed him. “I'm fine. You can't tell me what to do.”
Jack's eyes flashed dangerously. It was about to be on. I pulled Eric away. I wanted to stay well clear of this.
Next thing, Spud swung a punch. It wasn’t a real punch. It had no weight behind it and I could’ve punched harder myself. Plus, his aim was right off and only grazed Jack’s ear.
But that was enough. Jack retaliated with a punch of his own. The crunch against the bone sent shivers down my shine. That had to hurt.
Spud barreled into Jack, fists flying. He had no control but he rained enough punches that some of them connected. Jack didn’t hold back either.
The both of them ended up on the ground, fists flying.
“Well, I guess this will clear the air,” I said. The two of them squirming on the ground had to be homoerotic enough for Spud to forget the girl he was with.
Eric laughed. It wasn't as if they'd really hurt each other.
A few people had gathered around. More watched from a distance. I noticed Eric's hand was still in mine. Maybe we could just slip off and leave them.
“Shit,” said Eric. “Cops.”
He pointed down the street. There were indeed cops coming our way.
Eric shouted out to them then took off running, dragging me behind him.
We didn't stop to look back at them, we just kept running. Let me tell you, those boots might look fabulous, they might be the most fabulous boots in the world but they were not boots you wanted to run in. I could hear steps behind us, almost catching up. The distance between us was getting smaller. My heart beat like a crazy, pounding machine. A steam engine or something like that. We were going to get busted. I'd be sent to the big house.
I tightened my grip on Eric’s hand. He smiled at me, reassuringly.
A big hand came down on my shoulder and I screamed.
“Well, that was fun.”
Jack grinned at me and flung his arm around Spud’s shoulder. The two girls had been left behind and it seemed as if all the tension between them had been forgotten.
Chapter 25. Hannah
Even though I'd agreed to go to the cocktail party with Tamaki, I didn't realise he'd be introducing me to people as his fiance. I told him to stop doing that but he just ignored me and did it anyway and you can’t really call someone a liar mid-introduction, not without making a fuss. It made me feel creepy and wrong but I also remembered what Dad had said.
When we were alone, I hissed at him to stop with the fiance talk.
He kept his hand on the small of my back and guided me around the room, making sure we talked to everyone that mattered. I hadn't expected to enjoy myself but it wasn't so bad. We posed for photos and got to meet a few celebrities. And they had these cheese ball things that were freaken sensational. They were tiny, so I had to follow the waiter around the room so I could get enough.
After a few glasses of champagne, I felt all fuzzy and rainbow-happy. Meanwhile, Tamaki charmed everyone with funny stories and total charisma. I’d never seen that side of him before.
“We match well together, don’t we,” Tamaki said to me.
At the end of the night, Tamaki came back to my place for a drink. We grabbed a bottle of wine and headed out to the balcony. A gentle breeze fluttered around us. I sat on the bench and Tamaki leaned against the balcony railing.
“You shouldn't lean there like that. What if the railing gave way and you plummeted to your death?”
Tamaki laughed.
“It's not likely.”
“Not likely but possible. I hate heights. I hate the thought of falling.”
Tamaki moved over and sat beside me.
We looked out over the lights.
His leg touched mine. Just a light touch, a tickling of skin on skin. I wasn't sure if he was doing it on purpose or if he even realised we were touching. His scent tickled my nose, the scent that had wafted around me all night. Just a subtle woody scent that I could barely identify. I couldn't help but want him closer to me. Maybe he could drive the thoughts of Jack Colt out of my mind and make me normal again.
He leaned in to talk to me, the vibration of his lips tickling my ears. His arm had moved around my shoulders.
“Hannah, I have something serious to ask you,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “But are you sure you don't want coffee first.” I jumped up and headed to the kitchen.
Tamaki grabbed both my arms.
“I think we should talk.”
I swallowed. I knew what was coming but I didn't want to hear it. If I heard it, I'd have to respond and if I responded with the wrong answer, Dad would have a world of trouble. If I didn't respond with the wrong answer, if I said yes, would that be a bad thing anyway? It's not as though I found being with Tamaki unpleasant. It's not as though it would be a great hardship being with him. It'd make a lot of people happy. It might even make me happy. Whatever h
appened, it wasn't as though I could prevent Tamaki from saying those words.
“Hannah, will you marry me?”
It wasn't as though my heart leapt with joy and my belly did flip-flops. I’d felt more of a stirring in my belly when I thought of leaning against that balcony and plummeting to my death.
Tamaki's eyes sparkled like crazy and he was going to attack me with his killer smile, I knew it. At that moment, I could not think of any compelling reason to say the word “no”. But I couldn't think of any compelling reason to say yes either. I wished it hadn't come up between us.
Tamaki's hands ran down my back. Maybe I should’ve stopped him.
“You are amazing, Hannah. I have never met a woman like you.”
Then he smiled and I smiled back. A little breeze blew strands of hair over my face, tickling against my skin. All the thoughts and issues and worries buzzing around my head seemed to settle down and I relaxed and leaned against him. He cupped my face in his hand and looked me in the eyes.
The sensation mingled with the warmth in my body, his kiss so gentle it was like a fluttering against my lips.
His hands moved down to cup my breasts without him moving his lips from mine. His touch was tender, much more tender than Jack. I pulled him to me, wanting his kiss to become more urgent. If he kissed me, if he kissed me hard, maybe I could erase all the feelings I had for Jack and build new feelings to replace them.
I threaded my fingers though his hair, pressing against him, but his kiss never deepened. I wanted his long, thin fingers touching me. I wanted to see what else he could do to my body but he held back.
“You are so beautiful,” he said and he ran his finger along my chin. “I want to protect you.”
I shuddered with frustration.
His kisses moved from my mouth to my neck, tracing down to my collarbone, still light and playful. Then he stopped.
“I think we should wait until you can honestly answer my question,” he said.
I nodded, even though I wanted him to continue. I didn’t even know what my honest answer would be.
Chapter 26. Hannah
I waited for Angie at the cafe. She'd called to say she'd found an awesome location for a video shoot and that we could go and check it out. I wasn't so sure but Angie's enthusiasm had once again convinced me.
“The last video did so well. We’re getting a shitload of downloads of the new song and the buzz is growing. We have to keep the momentum going. I mean, we have to have something new up for the fans this close to the tour.”
I couldn’t argue with that.
“And this place sounds perfect. Perfect, I tells you. You need to come with me to check it out. Also, I really, really need to do this video as a final piece for my assessment portfolio. My whole career, my whole life depends on this video.”
I had agreed and Angie was late to meet me.
Instead, I saw Jack Colt enter the cafe. I turned my back to the door. I had no reason to talk to him. He sat at the table beside me, also not talking.
Then I received a message.
I can't make it. You'll have to go alone with Jack. I've sent you directions. You need to get the farmer's permission to film so we can get organised.
I shook my head. Then I heard Jack's phone beep, obviously with the same message.
My phone beeped again.
Don't even think of bailing. If we don't get permission today, it will throw out the whole schedule.
As if we couldn't phone him and get permission that way.
Before I could reply, another message came through.
She doesn't have a phone.
Likely story. Angie was just doing this to set us up through some fool scheme of her own. I wasn't stupid. I knew Angie's way of thinking.
This is NOT some fool scheme. I need you to do this.
I caught Jack's gaze without meaning to. I tried to look away but it was too late. He knew I'd seen him and if I pretended not to then it would be like intentionally pretending not to see him. That was so much worse than making it look as though I accidentally didn't see him.
“Do you think she's having us on?” he said.
“Chances are, she is.”
“Should we ignore it?”
I really wanted to say yes. Then I could go home and have a nap well away from Jack Colt and those pesky emotions. But I thought about everything Angie had done for the band. All the work she'd put into the last video filming. I would feel like a right bitch if I said no.
“I want to but there is the chance she's telling the truth. If you think you can handle a day of my company, we can check it out.”
“How far away is it? I have to be back by 3.00.”
I checked the map Angie had sent. It didn't look too far out of town. Maybe an hour's drive.
Another message. Take photos of the site.
I sighed. “I guess we'll have to do it.”
The hour's drive seemed to go forever. What do you do in a car with someone you are barely speaking to? I got out my phone and played Candy Crush. At least it diverted my attention from the closeness of Jack Colt. I needed to not be aware of his thigh muscles straining against the denim of his jeans or the scent of his skin or the way his hair curled around the nape of his neck or those biceps. Oops, I died again.
“Why are you pulling over?” I asked.
“I need to check the map.”
“I told you I would navigate. You don't need to check for yourself.”
“Hannah, you’re the worst navigator ever. I don't trust you for a minute. Remember when we went to that cabin at the beach and you took us to the wrong one. That old man nearly shot us.”
I tried not to look at him. I tried to stop my lips from twitching at the corners. I covered my mouth but, before I could stop myself, the giggles exploded out through my fingers. Jack bit his bottom lip until he had to laugh too. I tried not to look at him but I couldn’t resist and, when our eyes met, we both cracked up, the memory of the angry man and our mistaking that horrible, run-down shack for Frank’s beach house was too funny to resist.
Then I remembered what had come after. That perfect moment, lying in Jack's arms, him stroking my hair and the tender words between us. My heart felt as if it was being shredded by a hell beast when I thought of how we'd had lost it all. If only we could go back in time. Jack's laughter stopped too. I wouldn't look up and meet his eyes and, when he leaned over to smooth the hair from my face, I pulled away. He'd promised so much on that day but it'd all turned into lies.
“It looks like it's not that much further along. We need to turn right at the next intersection.”
I nodded. I picked up my phone to continue my game but the battery was down to 15% and I didn't want to waste it, so I stared out the window at the paddocks of cows and the hills. The country was super boring. Who wanted to see nothing but cows all day?
Not long later, we pulled into a driveway. “I think this is the place,” Jack said.
Nothing special there to make Angie think it an especially good spot for filming. I started taking photos with my phone. I couldn’t believe how cold it’d gotten. After weeks of heat, the day had become cloudy and overcast. Not the best weather for taking photos either.
“Shit, Jack, the batteries nearly dead in my phone. You use your phone for the photos.”
I jumped out of the car and knocked on the farmhouse door. It looked pretty bleak, a deck covered in mud and old engine parts, with gumboots heaped around. The place smelt like diesel and grease and pig shit. I really hoped Angie's plans did not include pigs. Pigs were not what I wanted right then.
I heard someone shuffling around inside. It had to be the pig farmer. It was like a movie I'd seen once where the young couple asked a pig farmer for help and… well, I didn't want to think about that right now. We wouldn't end up as pig food or anything worse. Angie wouldn't send us into something like that.
“G'day,” a gruff yet female voice called from inside. “Are you here to see the dam?”
>
“I guess so,” I replied. Angie hadn't exactly told me what we were there to see. It could be anything.
“You'll need to put some boots on then. There's a heap of spares on the porch.”
I looked around me at the boots. They looked a bit gross and like they'd previously contained sweaty feet. I didn't want to put them on. But then I looked at my shoes and the muddy paddocks around me.
The old lady came out of the house, wiping her hands on her apron.
“I'll show you the way.” She looked at Jack, pacing around taking photos. “He's a bit of a Nancy-boy isn't it? Will he be okay walking around the farm in those tight jeans?”
“He'll have to be, won't he?”
The old lady grinned, showing a missing tooth at the front and pressing her face into a stream of wrinkles.
“Jack, come and get some boots on,” I yelled.
“I'll be fine. I'm wearing cowboy boots.”
“Fancy cowboy boots that never saw a day of hard work, I bet,” the old lady muttered under her breath.
We followed her to a wooden gate that she opened then latched behind us.
“Now mind you don't scare the cows in that fancy getup,” she said to Jack.
I hid my grin and squelched my way through the mud in the boots. Jack looked less confident making his way in his cowboy boots. They'd be covered with mud and he'd have to spend a good few hours cleaning them. Plus, he kept slipping. The thought of Jack stumbling and sliding down the hill on his arse made me regret wasting the battery on my phone. That would be priceless.
“What are you taking photos around here for?” the woman asked. “Aint nothing here but cows and grass. Watch out you don't make the bull angry.”
“Bull! No one said anything about a bull. Is it dangerous? Will it attack?” Jack looked around him as though expecting a bull to come rushing from any direction.
“It won't if you don't be a dick,” the woman said.
I snickered. You could tell by the woman's eyes, she was having a joke. The lines crinkled up around them in a way that made me think she was just waiting for Jack to fall too.
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