Inked Chaos (4 page)

Jen
tells us, how Steve had told her I had left.  She was going to follow me back
to the room, but Razor had persuaded her to stay.  Boy is she glad she did.  

We plan
that after breakfast, Davy and I will go back to our room, grab our gear and
check out.  While Jen heads off to meet Razor and Steve to make their final
arrangements.

As the
sun is shining, Davy and I will load up the cars, then sit and wait for Jen on
one of the benches outside the front of the hotel.

This
however, proves to be a bad idea, because as we are enjoying the sunshine,
whilst mulling over the previous night’s total bummer of an outcome.  Who should
walk out of the hotel surrounded by bodyguards, but the one and only AJ Lewis.  

As the
bench I’m sitting on is facing him side on, I have an uninterrupted view of the
commotion playing out in front of me.

Ignoring
the elbow jabbed into my side by Davy, and grateful that I have my shades on,
so my eyes are hidden; I watch as he glances behind him.  He’s obviously
impatient, and the reason emerges a few moments later as Melody Forrester
strolls out; seemingly taking all the time in the world as she talks on her
mobile phone.  Although it has to be said, she doesn’t appear too happy either.

I sit
there silently, not making a move, unwilling to draw attention to myself.  I
just want them to climb into their car, and disappear as quickly as possible.  I
watch as she climbs into the back of the car, as AJ turns his head and leans in
to listen to Tiny, the guard from the corridor last night.  It then becomes
clear, that although AJ might not have seen me, Tiny had.  No sooner has Tiny finished
speaking, than AJ swings his head in my direction.  He stares at me for a
moment, then lifts his chin in the kind of greeting men do.

As for
me, do I acknowledge him? Do I heck.  I just sit there and watch as he then
climbs into the car and they drive off.   I can’t for one minute understand why
he acknowledged me.  Maybe it’s because he knows Jen and Razor are connected
now.  Well, I’ll never know, and I don’t much care.  I’ll file it away in my
brain as a learning curve/experience and leave it at that.

A few
minutes later, Jen appears with Razor as another car pulls up in front of the
hotel.  They have a quick frantic conversation, and I watch as Razor gently
puts his hand to the side of Jens face, whispers close to her lips, presses his
lips to hers, then turns away and climbs into the car.  Jen waves as they drive
off, then turns to us, a smile on her face, but tears in her eyes, as she walks
towards Davy and I.

“Oh boy
you’ve got it bad haven’t you?” I state.  She wipes her eyes and smiling says.

“Yep, come on I’ll fill you in on the drive home.”

I’m sitting on my suitcase,
valiantly trying to fasten the zip and failing miserably.  It’s no good, as
much as I huff and puff my way through it, all I’m achieving is breathlessness,
aching arms and a still open suitcase.  I’ll just have to take some stuff out.  It’s
hard when you’re trying to pack for every eventuality, and Jen had said “pack
for every eventuality.” So that’s what I am trying to do.

It’s been six months since Jen moved to LA.
 What started out as a “play it by ear, don’t know when I’ll be back” visit has
turned into a permanent move.  They’re happy, and madly in love.  It’s working
for them and I’m truly happy for Jen.

For me it has been a tough six months.  I’ve
lost my best buddy to an American bass player, and Davy and I were left
devastated when we unexpectedly lost our mother to a stroke.

The call came after her friend had arrived
for a prearranged visit.  Receiving no reply when she knocked on the door, she
contacted Davy, and they had found she had passed away in her sleep.

It had taken us several weeks to sort out
her estate.  The house had been left to Davy and I as a bolthole/holiday home;
and after much persuading from Davy, it was decided that I would move back
home, as we didn’t want the house left empty.

So that’s what I did, with Davy promising
to come and stay whenever she could, even though she doesn’t live that far away.
 It was her childhood home too, and I didn’t want her feeling she was imposing
on what would then be my home.

Sizeable trust funds had been set up for
the upkeep of the house, as well as for both Davy and I.  It appears that our
father had made some very sound investments; and over the years, our mother had
kept up with them, with the help and advice from her solicitor and old family
friend Derek.

He told us she was always telling him how
proud of us she was.  He also said that she had told him, she wished I would
concentrate more on my writing.  This was something I already knew.  She was
always encouraging me to take it more seriously.  So, with my trust fund,
that’s what I’ve done.  I resigned from work so I have more time to write, and I
relocated back to Cornwall.  It wasn’t an easy decision for me to make.  My
self-doubts were always there nagging at me, chipping away at my confidence,
but it has been worth it.  My manuscript has been provisionally accepted by a
well-known publishing house.  I only have to tweak a few things, and it will
hopefully soon be published.  So I’m off to LA, to visit Jen and finish my
book.

Jen and Razor kindly invited me to stay
with them, but I decided I would prefer to rent an apartment.  That way I can
get a feel of the place, have a little freedom, and I wouldn’t feel like I was
infringing upon their hospitality.

Jen was not at all happy about my decision,
but when I threatened not to come at all, she soon capitulated.  What I didn’t
tell her, was that I was concerned that if I stayed with them, there might be a
chance of my running into AJ.  Which is something I definitely don’t wish to
do.

I am still struggling
with my suitcase when Davy rings.

“Hey Boo are you packed?”

With a groan, I inform her of the battle of
the zip, and she laughs at me.

“For heaven’s sake Boo, just take the stuff
you love the best and buy the rest out there, simple.”  

I never thought of that, so I start sorting
and repacking my suitcase.

Oh well! I think to
myself, there’s the added bonus of new clothes.

By the time I have
finished, I observe the small pile of clothes I am leaving behind, and wonder
why I was taking them in the first place.

Sorted.  Now to sort my handbag.

*****

The flight has been long, really long.  I’m
not a good flyer, and I can’t hide the fact that I’m not a good flyer.  I find
it distressing and frightening; with the take-off and landing being by far the
worst part of the whole experience.  At least I can try to forget I’m on a
plane if I’m watching a film, or sleeping through it.

Just as distressing, had been the farewell
phone call from Davy whilst I was waiting to board the plane.  Anyone would
think I was leaving permanently, instead of for a few short weeks.

So I had boarded the plane a wreck, and
left the plane a wreck.  I feel awful, wrung out and exhausted.

Jen had said she would send a car to pick
me up and take me to the apartment, which I greatly appreciated.  The thought
of trying to hail a taxi, and struggle with my bags was not a pleasant one.

As I come through the airport concourse,
and into the arrivals hall, I spy Jen waiting for me, and after being delayed
in passport control, I have never been so happy to see a familiar face.

The moment she spots me, she starts jumping
up and down like a five year old.

It all becomes too much.  I am so happy to
see her, I leave my luggage trolley and run into her arms.  We are both crying,
and I can only imagine the stares we must be receiving.

Standing back, she gazes at me from arm’s
length.

“Oh Boo, I have missed you.  Come on
sweetie, you look exhausted.  I know what you’re like with planes.  Ross will
grab your luggage and we’ll take you to your apartment.  You can have a nap,
gather your wits and we’ll pick you up later for dinner.”  

“That sounds like
heaven.” I sigh “Who’s Ross?”  

“That would be me, Miss Morgan.” a deep
voice answers, and I turn around to see Tiny standing a few steps away.

“Hi Ross.  Please call me Jorgi.” I reply
as I make a mental note to myself, that I must remember not to slip up and call
him Tiny by mistake.

He gives his head a nod, and gathers all my
luggage without any sign of effort at all.  With Jen and I linking arms, we
turn towards the exit, with Jen talking ten to the dozen.

“I’ve got so much planned, but don’t worry,
you’ll have plenty of time to write and do your thing, honest.” she informs me.

Somehow I don’t believe a word she says.  Knowing
Jen, she will have every minute of my spare time allocated.

She starts chatting away as we travel
through the streets of LA.  The scenery passes by in a whirl, and all I notice
are signs about the freeways, as I listen to all her news.  We used to talk
almost every day; but since she moved to LA, it’s only been once a week or so. 
So we have so much to catch up on.

She informs me that she has arranged a
little party in a couple of days’ time, “just a quiet get-together, for a few
friends to welcome you”.  I almost groan out loud.  Firstly, because I just didn’t
want her to go to any trouble while I was here.  Secondly, because a party
means the band will probably be there.  That means AJ will be there, and
although I know I’m going to run into him at some stage, I was hoping for a few
more days grace before I did.

“I can read your thoughts Boo.  Your
expression is giving them away.” She leans towards me and quietly whispers
close to my ear. “Don’t worry, he won’t be here.  He’ll be in New York doing a chat
show.  That’s why I arranged it for then.  I knew you’d be apprehensive.”

I smile at her and mouth “Thank you.”

Leaning back in my seat, I listen to Jen as
she tells me all about the joys of living in LA, with the man you love.  Things
are really good between them.  It might have been a whirlwind romance, but it
seems that’s its really working.  Jen is so happy and content.  It sounds like
Razor is definitely the man of her dreams, and for this if nothing else, I’m
glad she and Davy made me go to that party.

As we pull up outside, I look out of the
window at the apartment complex.  First impressions are good, as we walk up to
the entrance.  Second even better, as I open the door and walk inside.  The
floors are all dark polished wood which complements the white walls perfectly.  The
furniture is all contemporary white and dark oak, which makes the feel of the
place very open and spacious.  I stroll through, observing each of the rooms,
noticing the well-appointed kitchen with all the facilities you could wish for,
and the two bedrooms each with an en-suite.  Best of all, is the small garden
that can be reached through the French patio doors in the lounge.  Oh yes! I’m
looking forward to sitting out there in the sun, writing to my heart’s content.

The only problem is, that this is not the
apartment I rented.  I know it and as I glance at Jen, I can see she knows I
know it.  

“Jen…?” I question.

“Don’t
start.” She says in a rush, holding her hands up. “I went and checked out that
apartment you were going to rent, and it was the pits.  Razor said no way in
hell were you staying there, and as you were so adamant you wouldn’t stay with
us, we rented this one.”

The
words tumble from her mouth and I’m disconcerted.  I have no choice other than
booking into a hotel, or going to stay with her, so I give in gracefully.  For
now anyway.

“Okay.” I
say as I give her a hug.  

“What!
No argument? Hell!  You must be tired.” she laughs. “I’ll leave you to settle
in and unpack, and I will pick you up about seven.  Is that okay?”

“Fine.”
I confirm, thinking that gives me a good few hours to unpack and have a nap.

Jen
walks towards the door and at the last minute swings round.

“Oh, by
the way, there’s a pool and a fitness room if you feel energetic later.  It’s
all included, so go for it.” She smiles, gives me a hug and walks down the
path.

I close the
door and lean against it, suddenly feeling elated and excited.

Hell!
I’m in LA!

I
quickly move through to the bedroom where Tiny has put my suitcase, deciding to
unpack, phone Davy, and let her know I’ve arrived safely.  Then maybe I’ll
check out the pool.

*****

We’re
sitting in a sushi bar, and at last I’m totally relaxed, after running around
in a panic.  All my plans had gone askew, due to the fact that after unpacking,
I didn’t make it down to the pool.  No! I fell asleep, and woke up several
hours later.  So I then had limited time to get myself ready for when Jen
showed up.  This meant that I quickly had to choose what to wear, and throw it
all on in a hurry.  That’s why I’m wearing my skin tight black jeans, with a
kick ass black belt with a plain white T-shirt, and high heeled ankle boots.  Yep,
smart casual, that’s me all over.  That will teach me a lesson to ‘just have a
quick nap’.

We’ve
caught up on all our news, and I informed Jen of my wish to reimburse her for
the apartment rental.  Jen being Jen, told me where I could stuff the money,
and believe me, it wasn’t a pleasant suggestion.  So I’ve given up gracefully
and let her win that one.  For now.

Jen
informs me Razor hadn’t come for the meal as he doesn’t like sushi, and that he
wanted to give us some time alone, to catch up on our gossip anyway.

“By the
way,” Jen announces, “AJ was really pissed about that party.  Razor said that
Melody wasn’t supposed to be there.  She was supposed to be in the South of
France filming.  In fact, they don’t understand why she turned up at all.  She
and AJ had broken up a couple of weeks before the tour started.  Razor said,
that rather than cause a scene, AJ put up with her shit to keep the peace.  Apparently,
they took her to the airport, and she got another flight back to France.  So
the only thing I can guess, is that she was trying to get back with him.  I’ve
seen her since at a couple of functions we’ve been to, but apart from
acknowledging her, AJ has stayed well clear.”

“And
you’re telling me this why?” I enquire.

“Look Boo,
all I’m saying, is that he didn’t give you the brush off or anything like that.
 Razor said, if Melody ever saw him looking at another woman, never mind
talking to one, she would have a hissy fit.  He probably stayed away so that
wouldn’t happen.  In fact, Razor and I are damn sure it was.  Razor thinks AJ
was all up for meeting up with you.”  

I look
at Jen with an amused expression.

“Sweetie,
I understand you have good intentions here, but seriously, it’s not going to
happen.  Don’t get me wrong, I still love the band.  I still think AJ is sex on
legs walking, but let us be realistic here.  He knows I’m your friend; if he had
really wanted to speak to me, he could have asked you for my number at any time
over the last few months.  It’s all water under the bridge as far as I’m
concerned.  I’d feel a little strange meeting up with him now anyway, so let’s
just not go there okay?”  

I watch,
as Jen pulls the pug face she always pulls when she doesn’t get her own way,
but she gives in anyway.

“Oh,
alright,” she sighs.

“Good.”
I reply and change the subject “Now tell me all the things you have planned for
us while I’m here.”

I
breathe a sigh of relief, as Jen smiles and starts filling me in, ticking them
off on her fingers as she goes.  Crisis averted.  For now anyway.