Page 50 of Replay
They were due to dock mid-morning, and she’d slept late, so after a breakfast consisting of coffee and a hastily grabbed lemon muffin, she packed up the things in her cabin.The band’s private lounge stood empty.Only a collection of empty crisp packets, folded into a series of neat triangles, betrayed the fact that anyone had been there.She wasn’t close enough to any of the guys to bang on their doors to enquire if they knew where Spook was, and probably, the lack of bodies meant they were all together somewhere having a meeting, or having photographs taken.Maybe there was another meet and greet with the fans going on.No one had made her privy to the band’s itinerary.The one person who might know something, Flynn, she had no desire to seek out.
After a few laps of the lounge, with nothing better to do, Alle wedged herself into a corner seat with the intention of reading.She had that spring’s blockbuster novel with her, and had yet to crack the spine.Cardigan wedged beneath her as extra padding between the stiff padded leather and her tender rear, she balanced the garish paperback on her knees.She opened the book, but got no further than the first paragraph, some pontification by the protagonist about the uncertainties of life.
Her muscles ached.They weren’t hideously,ouch-ouchsore, more used and hence wobbly.She could feel parts of herself that she hadn’t felt in a while, protesting the work they’d done.Having mad sex did that to you.It made you feel, in places you didn’t usually think about.But if her body was sore, then her mind was equally pensive.
What damage had last night’s spontaneity done to her relationship with Spook?Was the damage—if it existed—irreparable?Where was Spook?What if he was regretting it all now?Rock Giant, her, their months of friendship, punching her brother, ever setting eyes on one another to begin with?What if he couldn’t handle it, and had jumped overboard?It might sound far-fetched, but he’d been celibate a long time, and the reasons behind that were still absolute mysteries to her.
“This is where you’re hiding yourself.”Ronnie’s stringy form penetrated the doorway.“The guys are all having pictures taken on deck.I’ve posed and posted a few.See,” —he dug his oversized phone from the back pocket of his skinny fit black jeans and showed her the evidence— “I’m being a good boy, and keeping my social media accounts live like my rep insists.”
Alle didn’t recall ever implying otherwise.As far as she knew, Ronnie had never once stepped out of line.He obeyed his advisors to the letter.
The pictures were dorky, and very Ronnie-esque, but they’d managed to capture his best side, and make him cute and endearing.The fact Black Halo were in the background certainly wouldn’t do him any harm.There was nothing in the cult of celebrity like a cameo by another celebrity.The one of him and Rock Giant pulling goofy faces would no doubt be viral by late afternoon.
She felt her cheeks heating as she looked at the bassist’s spiky multi-coloured hair and handed Ronnie his phone back.
“How come you’re in here alone?”he asked.
“I wasn’t sure where anyone was.Hey, have you looked at your numbers yet?”
The reminder that his new single had debuted yesterday made Ronnie suck his elastic mouth into a Tequila pout.He made the sign of the cross at her.“Haven’t.Don’t tell me.Show me.I’m not listening.”He stuck his fingers in his ears andlah-lah-lahed.
“I was asking because I don’t know, and I thought you might.”
“La, la-la-la-la-la-lah.”His voice rose up and down the musical scales.
“Stop being so dramatic.I’m going to look it up.”
“No.”His hand shot out to grasp her wrist.“It’s bad enough Chauncey keeps calling me every fifteen minutes to try and give me an update, or something.”The ‘or something’ she gathered meant he hadn’t answered, and therefore didn’t actually know what the call was about.Potentially anything.“I haven’t even been able to check out my news sites this morning in case they’re running stuff about it.I know they’re probably not, but they might be.”
“I can’t believe you’re sticking your head in the sand over this.The Ronnie Bush I know has more guts.He isn’t afraid of a few statistics.”
“The Ronnie Bush you know isn’t here.He’s living in a nice Black Halo bubble, and not giving it up without a fight.”
“Are you saying you’re not going to look until after the festival?What if it’s massive, and you get mobbed by fans and reporters when you get there?Did you think of that?What if you get on stage with Black Halo and the crowd demand you includeLies in the Makingin the set?”
“Oh!Oh, right.”His expression turned unusually serious.“Do you think that they would?I don’t think I can ask the guys to do that.It’s not their usual genre.It’d be too cheeky.”That didn’t normally stop him.In fact, asking them if they’d mind including his new release in the set list would be a relatively normal thing to ask under the circumstances, and certainly less cheeky than, ‘Is it true you’ve gone down on two hundred and four women?’, which she’d overheard him ask Ash last night.
“They’re not your usual genre either, but the gig last night was awesome.Also, it’s you who is doing them the favour.Remember that.”
“I am, aren’t I?”
“You are.And, you should ask.Liescould be cool with a bit of a Black Halo make over.”
He laughed, and finally collapsed onto the long banquette style seating beside her.“You’re right.”The chirp of his phone silenced with a finger swipe, he shoved it deep into a pocket.“I’m still not answering that, though.”Barely a second later he was on his feet again, bouncing towards the door.“I need snacks.”
More of them.Alle wasn’t so certain.“Aren’t you buzzing enough already?”
“No.Nope.Not possible.”
Handily, there was a vending machine right outside the room.Ronnie returned with a large yellow packet.
“Jelly Babies?”
He tossed the packet over.“Love you lots—”Alle managed to snatch it from the air right before it hit her in the face.“—like Jelly Tots” he quoted the old slogan.She’d not seen them in years, and now here she was seeing a second helping of them in less than twenty-four hours.
“If you eat all these, they’re going to have to weigh an anchor around your leg to stop you floating off.”
Undeterred by that possibility, Ronnie tore the corner off the bag with his teeth.A rainbow of sugary drops flowed into his open mouth as he tipped the bag up.
