Bon Voyage

by Michelle Betham

  Aimee looked at him. ‘So?’

  ‘So… did you see him?’

  Aimee stared straight ahead of her as the automatic doors opened, leading them out onto the busy Lido Deck, every table taken up with people enjoying their breakfast out in the sun.

  ‘He said hello.’

  ‘That explains why you look the way you do then,’ Bob said, squinting slightly as he tried to find Barbara.

  Aimee looked at him. ‘What do you mean? That explains the way I look? How do I look?’

  ‘Like you’ve got a million things on your mind,’ Bob replied as Barbara started waving frantically at him with a copy of one of Marcie’s books. ‘Will you look at ‘er. She looks like she’s trying to guide a chuffing ‘plane in. Calm down woman, I’ve seen ye!’

  ‘Hang on… Bob! I have not got a million things on my mind.’

  He stopped for a second, turning to face her. ‘Haven’t you?’ Then he strode off to deliver Barbara her tray of croissants and jam, leaving Aimee in that now perpetual state of confusion. She didn’t have a million things on her mind. Far from it. The only things she had on her mind were her wedding plans to Robbie, what outfit she was going to wear that night – and Danny Johnson. Shit!

  *

  ‘Leave it, Davina. I’m not in the mood,’ Danny said, turning over and facing away from her, staring at the alarm clock on the bedside table.

  ‘Jesus, Danny, come on. It was your idea to come back to bed, not mine. I had plans to lie on a lounger by the pool all day and top up my tan. We could have had sex any time.’

  But he’d wanted sex now. He’d wanted sex purely for one reason and one reason only – to forget that he’d seen Aimee. That was all. And, quite honestly, it could have been sex with anyone, it didn’t have to be Davina. In fact, he’d rather it hadn’t been with Davina but he hadn’t really had much choice at such short notice. He’d just wanted something to take his mind off what was going on in his head, he’d wanted a few minutes of forgetting that he didn’t have what he really wanted, but if she didn’t want him then what was he supposed to do? Bang his wife until it all went away? Well, that hadn’t exactly worked, had it? Because he couldn’t even get it up now, it just wasn’t happening.

  ‘Are you not even going to talk to me?’ Davina whined, sitting up in bed, folding her arms. ‘I mean, how do you think I feel? That has never happened to me before, a man not being able to perform when he’s in bed with me.’

  Danny turned over, propping himself up on his elbows. ‘And exactly how many men have you actually been to bed with lately, Davina? I mean, we’ve been married for almost fourteen years, so what numbers are we talking about here?’

  She flung the covers back and slipped out of bed, Danny’s eyes following her as her naked, and admittedly rather incredible body padded across the cabin to retrieve her robe.

  ‘I had a life before you, y’know,’ she huffed, wrapping her robe around herself and tying it tight. ‘I’m going to get a shower, then I’m hitting the pool. You can do what you like.’

  Danny flung himself back down on the bed, flinging his arms above his head as he stared at the ceiling, exhaling loudly. He felt like crap. All that enthusiasm and power he’d built up over the last week had just evaporated, gone; disappeared. And no matter how hard he tried he just couldn’t summon up the energy to find it again. Seeing Aimee this morning hadn’t helped either because all that had done was remind him of how happy he’d been when he’d been around her. How calm and relaxed and happy. Now he was on edge and fed up again. Great. Life was a real bitch sometimes, wasn’t it?

  With another loud sigh he pushed himself up off the bed and began throwing on his clothes, walking over to the mirror, running his hands through his unruly dark hair. Jesus! Not only did he feel like crap but he looked like it too. He looked tired, worn out. He looked like somebody who couldn’t be bothered, which was handy, because that’s exactly how he felt.

  Looking at his watch, he realised he should have met the rest of the lads ten minutes ago for another day of filming. Shit! Just what he needed today, all of that lot on his back too, but what choice did he have? He had to tow the line, no matter how much he didn’t really feel like it anymore. He had a job to do. And hopefully, if he tried hard enough, it might just take his mind off everything he was trying to forget.

  3:30pm

  Casablanca was hot and humid but Aimee had been fascinated by its sights and sounds, and now, as they walked slowly around the Central Market, she was adding smells to that list. The whole place was a feast for almost every sense, from the many flower stalls at the market’s entrance with sellers trying to thrust roses at every woman that walked past them, to the fruit and vegetable stalls with their pyramid displays of colourful and exotic wares. And then there were the spice stalls which seemed to draw you towards them with their heady, sometimes pungent aromas of everything from turmeric to cinnamon, the colours and smells almost breathtaking.

  ‘Have we ever used any of these in our curries?’ Jemma asked as they stopped to take in the fascinating display of spices laid out in colour palettes of everything from bright yellow to pale brown, a patchwork display of incredible ingredients that was starting to make Aimee feel quite hungry.

  ‘Not unless any of them are in a jar of Tesco’s finest curry paste,’ Aimee smiled, leaning forward to breathe in more of the amazing smells, closing her eyes for a second. This was what she was going to remember about Morocco – the smells of this market; the colours and the bustling atmosphere they’d experienced as they’d walked up and down the many aisles, marvelling at the produce on offer, some of which neither Aimee nor Jemma had even heard of.

  ‘Do you see that turmeric there?’ Jemma said, pointing out the bright yellow spice. ‘I quite fancy decorating our hallway that colour. What do you think?’

  Aimee laughed, glad that she’d taken the decision to come out with Jemma today. It had really helped blow the cobwebs away and make her forget – just for a little while – the confusing situation she was in. Even though she was still trying to convince herself that it wasn’t confusing at all – she was just making it feel that way. She was back with Robbie, they were engaged (again) and she was finally going to get her happy-ever-after with the man she was in love with. What was confusing about that?

  ‘Come on,’ Jemma smiled, linking her arm through Aimee’s. ‘We’d better get back to the coach otherwise Laugh-A-Minute-Lydia’ll be sending out a search party.’

  Aimee sighed and Jemma looked at her, stopping for a second.

  ‘What was that for?’

  ‘What was what for?’ Aimee asked, returning Jemma’s look.

  ‘That sigh. We’re going back to the boat, I thought you’d be happy. You can go find Robbie and continue to get re-acquainted, can’t you?’

  ‘I think we’re re-acquainted enough, thank you,’ Aimee said as they continued to walk through the market, back to their coach.

  ‘Oh yeah? The honeymoon period over already, is it?’

  ‘You don’t have to sound quite so hopeful,’ Aimee said, looking at Jemma out of the corner of her eye. ‘And no, the honeymoon period is not over. It’s just that, well, him turning up like this, getting engaged… it’s still sinking in. It’s a lot to get my head round, y’know?’

  ‘Yeah. I know,’ Jemma smiled, hugging her friend’s arm tight as they walked. ‘Aimee… are you still sure this is what you really want?’

  Aimee said nothing for a second, looking around at the crowds of people bustling about beside the many stalls and stands, letting the noise of the market distract her for a little while. ‘Yeah. It’s what I want.’ She looked at Jemma, smiling at her as they headed towards the street outside. ‘Why wouldn’t it be?’

  Yeah. Why wouldn’t it be?

  9:35pm

  Vegas Show Lounge

  Danny hoped beyond anything that she was going to be there tonight, sitting at her usual table, smiling at him the way she’d smiled at him during almost every
show they’d performed on this cruise so far. It wouldn’t feel right if she wasn’t there tonight, even though he knew things were very different now.

  ‘Something on your mind?’ Andy asked, watching as Danny absent-mindedly fiddled with his watch.

  Danny looked at Andy, sticking his hands in his pockets. ‘Now, what could I possibly have on my mind, Andy? Huh? The fact my wife has just turned up out of the blue at a time when I can really do without that kind of crap happening? The fact I’m in the middle of this frigging Bon Voyage comeback? Or the fact I might just have lost a woman I was really starting to feel things for? Do you want to take your pick? Eh?’

  Andy sat down next to Danny, the buzz of the crowd out in the Vegas Show Lounge filtering through to the backstage area. ‘I guess there’s a lot to take in, huh? Davina being back and everything.’

  Danny continued to look at Andy, narrowing his eyes. ‘You don’t sound all that surprised to find her here.’

  Andy gave a little laugh, briefly turning away from Danny before looking him straight in the eyes again. ‘Of course I’m surprised, but I think it’s great that she thinks enough of you to come all this way and fight for you. Don’t you?’

  Danny didn’t want to break the stare because he didn’t feel entirely comfortable with the vibes he was getting from Andy Crabtree right now.

  ‘I think it’s a fucking waste of time, if you must know.’

  Andy broke the stare, looking down at his boots. ‘You’re talking to her though, aren’t you?’

  ‘What’s that got to do with you? I’m talking to her, yeah. But not about calling off the divorce.’

  ‘Jesus, Danny…’

  ‘Jesus, Danny, what? For Christ’s sake, Andy. Since when did my marriage suddenly become band business? Back off, will you?’ He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. ‘Look, I don’t want to create any trouble, and I can’t really be arsed with the frigging headache starting on Davina while we’re stuck on a ship in the middle of the Mediterranean would cause so, for the next few days, yeah, I’m talking to her. Okay? I’ll be civil, I’ll be polite, I might even put up a united front for the sake of the frigging TV cameras but when we get back home, she’s history. And I’ll tell her that. As soon as we’re back in Britain.’

  Andy looked at Danny again. Okay, so maybe that hadn’t exactly been the reaction he’d ideally wanted, but it represented a glimmer of hope as far as Andy was concerned, no matter how small. And anyway, Andy had every faith in Davina. If anyone could turn Danny around to their way of thinking, it was her. She could be a very persuasive woman, when she wanted to be, as Andy was fast finding out. Yeah. He was happy. Not ecstatic, but happy.

  ‘Danny… look, maybe we… maybe we need to sort a few things out. You and me.’

  ‘Like what?’ Danny asked, standing up and peeking outside at the gathering crowd taking their seats for another night of cruise ship entertainment.

  ‘You know what, Dan. Come on. Let’s get this out in the open once and for all, mate. Let’s get this sorted then maybe we can all move on, huh?’

  Danny couldn’t see her. Anywhere. And he felt his heart sink like a lead weight, the disappointment overwhelming.

  He turned back to face Andy, shoving his hands in his pockets. ‘Get what sorted exactly?’

  Andy stared right into Danny’s eyes, ready for whatever he was going to say. He was ready to finally see just what it was Danny thought he knew. ‘Come on, mate. Let’s do this, okay? For the sake of the band.’

  Danny stared right back at Andy for a few long seconds. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he said finally, before walking out of the room. Why make things easy for Andy Crabtree? When Danny was ready he’d let him know just what he really thought of him but, right now, he had way more important things on his mind.

  *

  ‘My mother wants a joint engagement party,’ Aimee sighed as her and Jemma sat down at the bar in the Vegas Show Lounge, sipping their freshly made Cocktail’s of the Day – Mai Tais. ‘Here. On the boat, so it’s not like I can exactly avoid it, can I? It’s going to be held in the Clipper Bar on our last night on board, apparently. Of course, the first I heard of it was when Ricardo cornered me outside the cinema and asked me whether I thought sausage rolls an appropriate finger food… Jemma? Are you listening to me?’

  ‘That’ll be nice,’ Jemma said, stirring her cocktail with a huge sparkly straw as she stared straight ahead of her.

  ‘Nice? Jemma, did you actually hear what I said just there?’

  ‘Something about an engagement party, wasn’t it?’

  Aimee looked at her friend, waving a hand in front of her face. ‘Earth to Jemma. Have you listened to anything I’ve said tonight?’

  Jemma smiled, a silly, soppy smile and Aimee threw her head back and sighed. She knew that smile only too well, because it wasn’t one Jemma exhibited all that often. When it came to men Jemma Jordan could be extremely picky, to say the least, so that smile meant one thing and one thing only.

  ‘I think I’m in love, Aimee,’ Jemma breathed, a dream-like expression on her face.

  ‘With who?’

  ‘What do you mean, with who? Who do you think?’

  Aimee grinned, poking her tongue out at Jemma. ‘Just teasing. You’re so easy to wind up when you’re like this.’

  Jemma nudged her friend, laughing. ‘Cow! Oh, Aimee. If anyone had told me that I’d find the man of my dreams – and, I mean, literally the man of my dreams – on this cruise I’d have laughed in their faces…’ She stopped talking when she saw Aimee stare down into her drink, her expression clouding over. ‘Listen, Aimee – Cal says Danny…’

  Aimee shook her head. ‘I don’t want to know, Jem. Danny’s got Davina now and I’ve got Robbie so…’ She stopped to take a sip of her cocktail, suddenly feeling the need for a big alcohol hit. Just to take the edge off. ‘Well, it would’ve been nice if me and Danny… It would’ve been nice, that’s all.’

  ‘Why don’t you talk to him, Aimee?’

  ‘What’s the point, Jemma? He doesn’t want me, so…’

  ‘You could still be friends. I mean, if I’m going to be seeing Cal, he’s best friends with Danny, isn’t he?’

  Aimee shrugged, looking over towards the back of the room as the lights dimmed and dry ice started flooding out of the bottom of the stage, the strains of one of Bon Voyage’s biggest hits, Make Me the One, filling the room. A Bon Voyage song that had Danny on lead vocals. A Bon Voyage song that Aimee had always loved. She’d used to sing it to her life-sized poster of Danny many a time during her teenage years.

  ‘Do you want to go and join Robbie in the casino?’ Jemma asked, reaching out to squeeze Aimee’s hand. ‘It’s not like we haven’t seen this show before, is it?’

  Aimee shook her head, smiling at Jemma. ‘No. I’m fine. Really, I’m okay. I’m over him, Jem. Not that there was ever really anything to get over in the first place, y’know? It was probably just all in my head… Anyway, I’ve got Robbie back now and, believe me, I’m so happy about that. I really am, it’s just… it’s just I thought Danny and I… I thought we could’ve had something, that’s all.’ She shook her head again. ‘I’m just being stupid.’

  Jemma squeezed Aimee’s hand. ‘I’m going to keep asking you this, because I just want to make sure that it’s what you really want, but, you and Robbie – you can see a future there, can you? After everything that happened? He’s still the one you want?’

  Aimee looked over towards the stage, past the Barmy Bon Voyager’s who were throwing themselves over their pushed-together rows of tables, waving old Bon Voyage tour scarves that were tied round their wrists, screaming like it was 1994 all over again, over to where Danny was singing into his headpiece, those beautiful blue eyes closed as his voice belted out around the Show Lounge.

  ‘Yeah,’ Aimee smiled, not taking her eyes off Danny. ‘He’s still the one I want.’

  CRUISE DAY 12

  Gibraltar

  9:4
5am

  ‘You on your own?’

  Aimee looked up from her magazine, straight into the eyes of Danny Johnson who stood by her table outside on the Lido Deck dressed in black combat shorts, baseball boots and a black T-shirt, his dark, almost black hair pushed back off his tanned face. Aimee had to take a deep breath before she could say anything, pushing her sunglasses down over her eyes before she spoke.

  ‘Well, unless I’m sitting at a table full of people wearing invisibility cloaks then, yeah. I’m on my own.’ She was being flippant, but it was her way of dealing with the situation.

  ‘Can I sit down?’ Danny indicated to the empty seat opposite her and Aimee shrugged, looking back down at her magazine.

  ‘If you like.’

  Danny sat down, clasping his hands together on the table in front of him, not taking his eyes off Aimee, despite the fact she seemed to be doing her utmost to ignore him.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked.

  Aimee slowly lifted her head up from her magazine, although she didn’t remove her sunglasses. ‘I’m fine. You?’

  ‘I’m fine too. But I’m not really in the mood for small talk, kidda.’

  Aimee bent her head back down over her magazine, although she didn’t actually have a clue what she was supposed to be reading about. The page in front of her was nothing but a blur.

  ‘Where’s your fiancé then?’ Danny asked, briefly looking out at the main harbour of Gibraltar, where The Atlantica was docked for the day.

  Aimee looked up at Danny again, who’d turned back to face her, those ice-blue eyes of his boring right into her, despite the fact she was wearing dark glasses. ‘He’s still in bed. Why?’

  Danny shrugged, signalling to a passing waiter to bring him a cup of coffee. ‘Just wondered why you never really seem to be together, that’s all.’