Page 100 of Tangled Up In You

“Yeah, sure yous were. Bet you were off to have a wank while you’re at it,” Gavin said.

Conor stood up. “Relax, Gav. She’s a pretty girl, but she’s yours. No reason to let this bother you.”

But Conor saw that his entreaty was going nowhere. Gavin had always been possessive with Sophie, so Conor could see how this would bother him. But at the same time, it was just a photograph. She wasn’t giving her actual self to anyone else. He knew that all too well.

Sophie entered the room then, unaware of what she was walking into as she chatted with Randy, Conor’s guitar tech. What timing. Not just coming into the room now, but having just rejoined them on tour once more in time for a copy of this magazine to come out. He knew she’d been nervous for Gavin to see it. Now, he could see trouble was coming but was powerless to stop it.

“Sophie,” Gavin called, motioning curtly for her to join him.

“I’m being beckoned,” Sophie told Randy with a laugh and went to Gavin.

There were a dozen or so people in the room, and they all seemed aware of the tension in the air and kept their conversations low.

“Hey, baby,” Sophie said, smiling at Gavin.

“What the fuck is this?” he asked, holding up the magazine.

She took in the photo as well as Gavin’s attitude. Conor watched her inhale a deep, bracing breath.

“That’s me,” she said lightly. “Guess someone got an early copy?”

“You didn’t tell me you’re doing this kind of shit.”

The whole of the room was now an uncomfortable audience to their conversation. Conor shook his head and silently urged Gavin to get a grip before he went too far.

“Let’s go somewhere else to talk,” Sophie said.

“Why, are you suddenly shy about this?” He held up the magazine again so all could see the cover. “A little late for that.”

“No, I’m not shy about the photograph, Gavin,” she said. “But unlike you, I don’t want an audience right now.” She gestured to the people in the room but Gavin didn’t quit his intense stare at her. “This is why I didn’t tell you before,” she continued, “because I knew you’d have a bad reaction.”

“What do you expect, when this is the way I find out? I just walked in on my so-called friends having at it, because you’ve decided stripping down to nothing is part of your job.”

“Stop this right now,” Sophie told him urgently.

“It’s disgusting, this.”

Conor saw tears fill Sophie’s eyes at the rebuke. “Gavin, that’s enough,” he said sharply. He couldn’t stop himself.

“Stay the fuck out of it,” Gavin returned with a glare.

“I’m done,” Sophie said, turning to go.

“Yeah, you are.”

“You’re a fucking gobshite, Gavin,” Conor said as Sophie hurriedly left the room.

“Can you all get your own fucking lives?” Gavin shouted. He grabbed a bottle of beer from the nearby bar and took it to an adjacent room.

61

SOPHIE

Conor had been the one to come after her, letting her cry on his shoulder outside of the stadium. He was always there when she needed someone to lean on or vent to. This time, he’d tried to dismiss Gavin’s bad behavior as a return of “The Clash,” the mood swings Gavin would get when they were younger, but she sensed there was more to it. Gavin had been drained by this tour with his efforts on stage, but he was also clearly anxious about something. He repeatedly denied anything was bothering him, though.

She hadn’t stayed to watch the show. Instead, she’d retreated to their hotel room, wanting to be alone. Gavin’s reaction had been even worse than she had feared, and it left her angry and confused. He had never fully supported her modeling, but for him to act out like that, in front of an audience no less, was inexcusable.

It was after two in the morning when she heard him letting himself in to their suite. She was lying in bed with her back to the doorway, starring through the open drapes at the leaves in the trees rustling with the breeze. She didn’t react to him, even when the bed shifted under his weight as he joined her.

---