Page 57 of Replay
Whatever the reason, it didn’t seem all that important right now.Ronnie had managed to say a few words, but not many.Marshall kept on jumping in, presenting Ronnie with another question, or elaborating over a point that had barely been made.At least so far the questions had all been pretty vacuous stuff—talking about his sudden explosion onto the charts and the world stage.Where he’d come from?What his route to stardom had been and where he expected it to take him?Advice for those out there who also wrote and played about how to get their music out there?
It was inevitable that the conversation would eventually reach Black Halo.How could it not?They were the headlining act, and one of them had almost broken the interviewer’s nose a week earlier.
“How did you get involved with Black Halo?It’s pretty unusual, isn’t it, for a big, well-known band like that to work with a newcomer?”
“Maybe.I guess,” Ronnie muttered.His skin was flushed, his head down, gaze concentrated on his fingers, which were still doing their tap, tap, tapping on his knees, like he was concentrating on the melody he was playing in favour of the other noises around him.“I attended their recent gig in Monte Carlo, and we got talking, but there weren’t any plans for us to play together.That happened last night, as their usual guy wasn’t able to make the gig.”That was a polite way of putting it.“So they asked if I’d step in.”
“That’s exceedingly short notice, isn’t it?Do you think you’re familiar enough with one another to put on the sort of performance fans expect from Black Halo?It’s a huge crowd expected before the main stage tomorrow night.How big is the biggest crowd you’ve played to so far?”
“Your brother’s a fucking crap interviewer,” Ginny said into Alle’s ear.“He really needs to button it for a second and let Ronnie answer the first question before he bombards him with a half-dozen others.”
Marshall certainly didn’t seem to have noticed his guest’s discomfort at being talked over, and interrupted.Or maybe he had and didn’t fucking care.He was pushing for details about the band and their dynamics now.Who was friendly with whom?Whether there was still residing tension over past issues?How Elspeth’s departure had impacted their music.All things that Ronnie had zero chance of answering with any authority.Then again, he no longer appeared to be listening to Marshall.Any minute he was probably going to ask why the hell Spook had punched him.
“What’s Ronnie doing?”Ginny asked.
Alle shook her head.“I don’t know.He really doesn’t look comfortable.Chauncey ought to step in and stop this.Get them to agree to take five.”
Marshall leaned into Ronnie, and Alle cursed him under her breath.Her brother was behaving like an ass.He was talking about Spook now, hedging around the issues of his sexuality, and whether it was true that mister notoriously unavailable was in a relationship.Like Marshall didn’t know that for a fact already.Pig.
Normally, one of Ronnie’s favourite topics was celebrity sex lives, but maybe the Black Halo guys or Chauncey had warned him off the subject, because he seemed deeply hesitant about opening his mouth.Then again, it could’ve just been the Marshall effect.
“So, has Spook’s chastity buckled to the impact of a special woman, or has it been a ruse all along?A ward he put up to maintain some privacy?It’s long been considered an impossibility that a guy such as him could have resisted all temptation for so long.And of course, we’ve all read Elspeth’s Shriik’s testaments—revealed exclusively toBang!last summer—that interpersonal relationships between various members of Black Halo are complex and far from platonic.Also, we’ve seen these reports by various women…”
Rather than answering, Ronnie slid backwards along the sofa.It only seemed as if he was resettling himself, but then he did it again, and again, Marshall following him.It was like that clip of those dignitaries that had done the rounds on social media a few years back.The one where they appeared to dance around the room as the one attempted to put a more socially acceptable degree of distance between them.
The cameraman had to adjust the shot.
Sooner or later Ronnie was going to hit the edge of the sofa.And then what?There’d be nowhere left to go.Would he literally fall off the end?
“Go on, you can tell us,” Marshall encouraged, throwing an elbow nudge at Ronnie as a gesture of camaraderie.
Ronnie’s mouth opened, but it wasn’t a reply that came out, rather a low, keening moan.“Not sure… not sure… not supposed to talk about this.”He stood abruptly.
Marshall followed him onto his feet.
“What aren’t you supposed to talk about?Who told you not to speak?Xane?Was it Xane?Someone from their management?”
Ronnie rambled off a series of letters, which Marshall was obviously trying to follow, perhaps imagining that Ronnie was spelling something out, but that wasn’t it.His fingers were weaving through the air.He was playing air keyboards, Alle realised.Retreating from reality and escaping into music.Music that was right in the forefront of his mind at present.Lies?No.It was a Black Halo track.
Ronnie’s amber gaze was downcast away from both Marshall and the camera, though he’d also begun to throw darting glances left and right with increasing frequency.For a moment, it seemed he was looking right at her.But as quickly, she realised he hadn’t seen her.He was seeking an escape route.
“Then, this….”Dispensing with letters, he hummed the actual notes this time.
“But Spook Mortensen?”Marshall prodded.“You must know something.His girlfriend, you’ve met her, right?”
“Why the hell hasn’t Chauncey stopped this?”Ginny wondered aloud.“He’s a ruddy crap PR manager if he thinks this is going to help Ronnie’s career.”
Agreed.Also, she was going to murder her own brother later.How dare Marshall do this?Not just to Ronnie, but to her?Scrofulous, malodorous, perfidious bastard of a brother!
“The stupid bugger’s not paying attention.”Ginny pointed out Chauncey, who appeared to be playing a game on his phone.A swarm of people, all eager to observe the occurring road wreck had crowded in front of him, blocking his immediate view of his charge.“He needs booting for this.”
He did, but that was a problem for later.“Ginny, we need to help.We have to get Ronnie out of there.”
It was hateful seeing him like this.Usually he was such a cheerful person.A positive whirlwind of excitable, exuberant delight.Admittedly, sometimes that was hard work, but better that than a man collapsing in on himself, who looked like he might reach some sort of critical threshold in the near future and burst apart.
A nod of the head confirmed Ginny’s agreement.
“Spook’s part goes…”
