Chapter 4 #2
Angelia did as requested, and within moments Meghan arrived holding a pile of newspapers and wearing a worried frown.
‘Something needs to be done about this. It’s getting ridiculous,’ Meghan insisted.
‘Why do reporters think that just because people work closely together they’re sleeping together too?
It’s like they’re trying to recreate the Fleetwood Mac drama in every single band, all over again. ’
She slammed one of the papers, The Headliner, which specialised in gossip relating to pop and rock stars, down on the dining table and jabbed a finger at the headline.
HAS ANGEL FINALLY FALLEN… FOR HER DRUMMER?
This was accompanied by a photo of Josh and Angelia hugging by the tour bus and a caption that read:
Angel and the Fallen’s lead vocalist Angel MacAuley and drummer Josh Baron get cosy while on tour, sparking new rumours as to the reasons for Dane Bakker split.
The photo had been snapped from a distance and had been taken completely out of context. Meghan went on to read the article aloud.
A source close to the band told The Headliner that the pair have always had a ‘strong connection’ and that it was only a matter of time before the inevitable happened.
They also confirmed that MacAuley and Baron have been spending time alone together at her Hampstead apartment.
Meanwhile Miss MacAuley’s jilted lover Dane Bakker, who has recently been spotted out with actress Lucille Delgado, has declined to comment, stating he wishes ‘to keep his private life private’.
Another close contact who wished to remain anonymous claimed that Josh’s long-time girlfriend Nancy Carey is in the process of moving out of the home she shared with the drummer in West London.
Angelia pulled her lips into a line and shook her head. ‘Why do these people insist on lying like this when they know full well it could cause irreparable damage?’
There had been speculation, not too long after Angelia had joined the band, that she was having an affair with Heath.
It had, of course, been completely unfounded, and Den and the management team had done everything they could to stop the rumour mill from turning.
Then a new batch of gossip had spread that Angelia was secretly having an affair with Dom, this was the most ridiculous rumour as Dom was very much gay and out publicly, but the rumours claimed that his relationship with a professional male tour dancer for Taylor Swift, Rio Morales, was a cover-up for the affair with Angelia.
The band had laughed these things off and everything had gone quiet for a few years, until a year earlier when Josh and Angelia had been under the microscope.
Every photo of them together had been accompanied by speculation and regardless of the fact that the whole band had denied these false claims, they had got to the point where the tabloids were using versions of the Queen Gertrude line from Hamlet: ‘The lady doth protest too much, methinks.’ The band had, therefore, given up reacting.
Angelia had found it exhausting. She had confessed to Fiona and Ed that she was worried Nancy, Agda and Rio must think of her as a serial man chaser.
‘I mean you know what they say about smoke and fire,’ she had said on one of their regular video calls.
‘Angelia, we know you better than anyone and we know you’re not that kind of person, honey. It’s just rumours,’ Fiona had assured her.
‘Yeah, and if they weren’t blabbering about you it’d be someone else. They must be having a slow news day. Load of bollocks and they know it,’ Ed had added.
Thankfully, when she approached each of the partners in question, backstage at one of the shows, they had all shrugged off the rumours as crazy and had reassured her they were used to such nonsense and simply ignored anything printed in the tabloids.
‘I hope Nancy hasn’t seen all these,’ Meghan stated, pointing at the papers with a scrunched nose as if they were emitting some foul odour.
Josh sighed deeply, rubbed his hands over his hair and then picked up his phone. ‘I’ll message her. Although I know what she’ll say.’
‘What will she say this time?’ Meghan asked, a hint of exasperation to her voice. ‘The more it happens, the more suspicious she must get.’
Josh smiled and shook his head. ‘Nah, she knows me and Angel are good friends. She knows we’ve never even come remotely close to crossing any lines.’
Angelia felt her face warming. She knew it was only a matter of years ago that her crush on Josh was still raging beneath her skin.
It had been a sort of distraction from the devastatingly unrequited feelings she’d had for Ed.
‘I’ve always seen Josh as the big brother I never had,’ Angelia said, hoping she sounded convincing, even though she knew there was a time she would’ve done anything to just kiss him.
Meghan huffed. ‘Well, I still think we need to get Den onto The Headliner and get them to retract this article. They need to publish an apology. And what does Dane think he’s doing, “declining to comment”?
’ She made inverted commas in the air. ‘He could’ve put this rumour to bed with one sentence.
He bloody dumped you for Lucille Delgado, for goodness’ sake. ’
Angelia gasped. ‘He did? I thought he had got together with her after.’
Meghan’s face coloured cerise and her eyes widened.
‘Shit. I mean—’ She closed her eyes briefly.
‘Oh God, you were going to find out at some point, but I didn’t mean for this to be the way.
’ She chewed her lip as Angelia stared at her, waiting for an explanation.
‘I was chatting with his PR assistant last week and she told me he started seeing the actress behind your back while you were on the Canadian leg of the tour. I’m so sorry, Angel.
I really didn’t mean to blurt it out like that.
’ She flopped onto the couch and Scrappy jumped into her lap.
‘Don’t cuddle me, Scrappy, I’m a traitor. ’ She huffed and lowered her head.
The truth stung but Angelia knew it wasn’t the messenger’s fault.
‘It’s fine, Meghan, honestly. I’m actually surprised I hadn’t heard sooner.
And yes, in that case he could’ve helped stop the rumour, but why would he do that?
This way he not only gets sympathy but a mention in The Headliner.
All publicity is good publicity as far as he’s concerned. ’
She turned to face Josh. ‘Put yourself in Nancy’s shoes though, Josh. She sees all these articles questioning our relationship. How must that make her feel? She must be sick of it by now.’
He lifted his hands and let them drop heavily back to his sides.
‘What can I say to convince you that you really don’t need to worry, Angel?
Nancy knows how close we are, and she understands.
And we’ve done nothing wrong. You and I have never even had a drunken kiss, let alone slept together.
It’s not like we’re actually having the affair the media is constantly accusing us of having. ’
Angelia closed her eyes briefly. ‘No, but… maybe we should keep our distance for a while. Just until they’ve moved onto someone else.’
Anger crumpled Josh’s brow and he stood. ‘Why should we do that? It just makes us look guilty, don’t you think so, Meghan?’
Meghan sighed. ‘Honestly, I have no clue what to even suggest at the moment. I’ll speak to Den this afternoon.’
Josh turned to Angelia again. ‘Like I said, you’re my best friend.’ Pain was evident in his strained tone and downturned expression. ‘I need you in my life, not just as my bandmate. I don’t see why we should let people stomp all over our relationship and dictate what we do.’
She walked back across the room to where he sat. ‘But you love Nancy. You’re in love with her and regardless of what she says it must be a strain on her to keep listening to people speculate about how faithful you are. In her shoes, I know I’d certainly wonder.’
‘So, you’re saying we shouldn’t be friends now? Just because of some dickhead reporter who’s got nothing better to do with his time?’ Josh asked with a scoff of disbelief.
‘I’m not saying that at all. But I’d hate to be part of the reason she gave up on you.
And maybe this whole situation isn’t helping me either.
I’ve been dumped more times than I’d like to admit, and I do wonder, after this latest revelation, if perhaps I need to have some time away.
If the men I’ve had in my life can’t get past the bond you and I have then I’m never going to find someone, am I?
And I would so love to find someone for myself, Josh.
Someone who’d actually stick around for the right reasons.
’ Ed’s face sprang to mind and she shook her head to dislodge the unhelpful image.
Josh remained silent and Meghan looked like she might cry. ‘I’m so sorry, guys, I can’t help feeling I’ve opened a ginormous can of worms.’
‘No, Meghan, this isn’t your fault. It’s not even yours or mine, Josh.
But we have to stop the rumour mill. It’s not fair on anyone, least of all Nancy.
We need to have some distance. Maybe it would be better if you stopped coming here alone.
Maybe we need some time apart… Like properly apart, you know?
Some real time and distance. Maybe that would help. ’
He laughed lightly. ‘You’re talking like you’re thinking of quitting the band or something.
’ When she didn’t reply, the colour drained from his face and he swallowed hard.
‘You’re not…’ He turned to Meghan and gestured towards Angelia.
‘She’s not leaving the band…’ He turned to Angelia again.
‘Are you? I mean, I know you’ve been having some vocal issues, but you just need rest. We’re not playing again until next month so… ’
She smiled, picked up the cloth napkin that sat beside her unfinished bagel and whacked him with it. ‘You can’t get rid of me that easily.’
He heaved a sigh, and she watched the pinkish hue rapidly return to his cheeks as he ran his hands back through his dark brown shaggy hair.
‘Don’t scare me like that again.’ He glanced at his phone.
‘Look, I’d better get going, Austin’s messaged to say he’s waiting with Nancy.
’ Austin, the band’s personal driver in the UK, was a huge wall of a man.
He had served in the navy and feared nothing.
Except wasps. Angelia recalled a time they were backstage at Wembley Stadium and Austin had come along with his daughter who was a fan of the band, and a rogue yellowjacket had found its way in, somehow, and made a beeline (pardon the pun) for Austin.
He had squealed like a total wuss and run around, frantically waving his hands, screaming, ‘Get it away from me! Get it away from me!’ his deep London accent sounding rather high-pitched and completely out of character with his imposing frame. Angelia smiled at the memory.
‘Oh, and just to put your mind at ease,’ Josh added, ‘Nancy has messaged to say she’s seen the latest articles at the salon and has told the people who she overheard talking about it that it’s a load of bullshit.
But she’s finished at the salon now and has a dress to pick up for the film premiere tonight. ’
Angelia tried to smile. ‘That’s good to know. Anyway, which premiere are you going to again?’
‘It’s the new Florence Pugh one. I can’t believe you’re not going too. She’s a huge fan of the band. She’ll be gutted if you’re not there.’
She scrunched her nose. ‘Nah, like you said, I need to rest. And anyway, I might take the opportunity to get some work done on that song I’m writing for the new album.’
He smiled. ‘The revenge one? Brilliant.’ He bent to scratch Scrappy’s belly. ‘Bye-bye, fuzzy butt. I’ll see you soon.’
Angelia laughed. ‘I hope you weren’t referring to me as fuzzy butt.’
He winked. ‘You may never know.’ He grabbed his jacket from the cream leather couch and walked over to where she stood. He pulled her into a hug and said, ‘Take care of you.’
She nodded. ‘Likewise.’
Josh turned to Meghan. ‘Bye, Meghan. Let me know what Den says about the article.’
Meghan nodded. ‘Will do. I’ll walk down with you.’ She hugged Angelia. ‘I’m really sorry, Angel,’ she said again.
And with that, Angelia watched her assistant and Josh, his tall frame clad in his signature black, exit the apartment.
* * *
In the silence that now surrounded her, she walked across the open-plan living area with its white walls, adorned with modern art chosen by her former interior designer – extortionately expensive artwork she now hated – to her grand piano, and sat.
She played the first few bars of the song she was writing, not the revenge song about Dane, however, instead this was a song no one would ever hear because it was about her first love, Ed.
She sang the first two lines: ‘I look to the stars and wonder if you’re wishing on them, too, although it hurts so much to know I can never be with you…
’ She shook her head and rolled her eyes.
She turned in her seat and called over to Scrappy, ‘I definitely need to meet someone, Scraps. I’m turning into a reincarnated Emily Dickinson with my sad lyrics, and that won’t do at all. ’
She huffed and stood again. ‘I suppose I should clean up, eh?’ The dog sat and, with a tilted head, watched her retrieve the plate with the unfinished bagel on from the dining table, and he gave a single bark.
‘Oh, you want this?’ she asked, pointing at the plate with a wry smile.
‘It’s pastrami, I’m not sure you like it.
’ The dog barked again. Pastrami was his absolute favourite.
She giggled. ‘Oh, you’ll eat it, anyway?
Just to help me out?’ Another bark, his tail now wagging frantically.
She placed a hand over her heart. ‘Okay then, I appreciate your sacrifice.’ She pulled the meat from the bread and tore it into small pieces before feeding it to her four-legged companion who relished every bite.
She thought back to when it had been freshly made, and she had attempted to eat it.
She recalled that, in addition to struggling to swallow, she had found chewing quite difficult too.
It had been strange. Disconcerting even.
But she told herself it was merely exhaustion. Touring was gruelling, after all.