Page 61 of Wish You Knew
She hit the nail absolutely on the head. I would have come up with every excuse under the sun not to show up if I’d known. But seeing him somehow cemented my feelings. They grew dangerously out of control when I was close to him. If only I felt the same in the presence of Bas or Andy.
Either of them would make a better choice, a safer option.
But I didn’t want better or safe.
I wanted Scott.
“You should talk to him, Rosie.” Vivian patted my arm. “It’s been a while since you saw each other. Things may have changed.”
I doubted it very much. In the time since I’d fled the country house, Scott had plenty of opportunities to contact me, suggest meeting up, talking things through. His radio silence spoke volumes.
“Tonight probably isn’t the right time.” I gestured to the other tables and hundreds of people.
“It’s exactly the right time. People are in a good mood because they are doing their bit for charity, they’re with friends and family, food and drink is flowing freely.”
“Peoplemight be in a good mood, but Scott looks like he’s chewing a wasp.” Greedily, I downed my whole glass of champagne. Despite everything, I was determined to enjoy myself as Vivian suggested.
“You wait, he’ll cheer up later.”
“Why? What’s happening later?”
“Wait and see, my dear, wait and see.” The always enigmatic Vivian touched her nose a couple of times. “I promise, it’s worth waiting for.”
I screwed up my face, wondering what lay in store for the rest of the evening.
31
Scott
Ifucking hated events like these. The stupid monkey suit choked me. I couldn’t wait to change out of it later. When Vivian called and asked me to perform an acoustic set, I couldn’t turn her down. She’d always supported me throughout my career, not to mention my life, so I owed it to her to return the favour. Trash Gun wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but toning it down and doing softer songs always worked. I’m sure I’d have the middle-aged women creaming their panties and throwing money at the stage. All for a good cause, obviously.
“Did you know Rosie was coming tonight?” I demanded of Bas the moment we were out of earshot of our table. She looked absolutely fucking amazing in that gold sequinned number. It wasn’t lost on me that from the front, it covered everything yet from behind exposed smooth, creamy acres of skin. I longed to run my fingers down her spine, watching the way her lips would part.
“Sworn to secrecy, buddy. Don’t think I didn’t want to warn you, but I didn’t want to risk the wrath of my mother. Not for anyone, not even Rosie Tatton.” Bas held up his hands.
I raked a hand through my hair. “You could have given me a clue. Although the way you’re flirting with her tonight makes me think I shouldn’t be here.”
“Er, I think you’ll find it’s the other way around. She was the one flirting with me.”
“Didn’t seem like you were doing much to discourage her,” I grunted, leaning my elbows on the bar.
“Have you tried stopping Rosie in mid-flirt?” challenged Bas. “No, I didn’t think so.”
It felt like eons ago since I had actually been flirting with Rosie. Happier times, before everything had become so messed up between us. Before I’d caught feelings.
“I need a proper drink,” I declared. “Can I have a double whisky on the rocks?” I asked the barman.
Bas shook his head. “Like that’s going to help.”
“If it gets me through this evening, it’ll help.”
Before we went back to the table with the wine, I downed a second double. The heat burned through my body, giving a pleasant buzz, calming the nervous energy. Despite the compulsion for getting obliterated, I had to honour my commitment to Vivian and get through the set. It was three songs. Even I couldn’t fuck it up.
An hour later, Saff and I were in one of the conference rooms which had been set up for us as a dressing room. My electric acoustic sat waiting. At times like this, I wished Declan were here. He was much the better guitar player and the nerves were starting to kick in. The three songs we had planned includedWasted By My Side, which was why Saff was here. We’d spent an afternoon together earlier in the week going through it to make sure we knew what we were doing. As an acoustic number, it was slower, we wanted to ensure the cadence was right. I also planned to debutAdjust My Reality, the song I’d written at the house when Rosie was there. It was for her, about her, and it meant everything. It was the most nervous I’d been about debuting a new track, particularly when the person who inspired it was in the room. The last one was a cover of the Buzzcocks’Ever Fallen in Love,which I hoped at least some of the people in the room would have heard of.The lyrics resonated as much as ones I’d written myself. Then once those songs were done, I could escape.
“You didn’t tell Rosie I was going to be here, did you?” I asked Saff, as I pulled off the suit jacket and loosened my tie.
“She wouldn’t have come if I had.” She bit her lip. “What’s going on with you two?”
