Chapter 17
‘FUCK!’ I say standing, a bit too quickly as all the beer plunges suddenly to my feet and they don’t move as I intend them. Brain catches me as I sway.
‘FUCK,’ agrees Liza.
‘FUCK,’ Brain chimes in. ‘What are you going to do?’
‘On it,’ Brain confirms and leaves in search of the Spaniard.
‘You go and start packing. You have 30 minutes. Leave shit behind you don’t need. Make sure you have your passport,’ she directs. ‘Don’t just stand there for fucks sake,’ she raises her voice to snap me out of my robotic nodding. ‘You’ve got 29 minutes… GO!’
As I run to my cabin, Liza heads to the cook tent to fill in Monica, Tim and Tara. Before I know it, Tara is by my side helping me stuff clothes and photo frames into my tatty suitcase.
‘Where’s your passport?’ Tara asks.
‘I don’t know?’ I feel my blood pressure rising. ‘I haven’t needed it since I arrived here in April. Drawers?’ I ask, as she rummages, throwing clothes out to me at the same time.
‘No. Under the mattress?’ She asks, lifting my mattress up to check, just in case.
‘Fuck. Where is it?’ I panic, glancing at my watch. 6.45 pm. ‘Oh, I know. I gave it to reception to put in the safe. What time do they close?’
‘I’ll go,’ Tara offers, and she’s off in a flash. She returns in a few minutes, brandishing my red European Union passport. ‘They were just closing up! Right, are you ready to go to your destiny?’
‘Am I doing the right thing?’ I ask, a shiver of panic going through my body.
‘Yes. Of course you are, now let’s go,’ Tara orders, handing me the passport and taking charge of my stuffed-to-bursting suitcase. I take one last look around the small cabin that has been my home and step out the door.
‘What are you all doing here?’ I ask Monica, Tim, and Liza after Brain puts my suitcase safely in the locker and I board the coach.
‘You don’t think we’re going to miss this, do you?’ Monica replies .
‘What about dinner?’ I enquire.
‘We put it out for them, told them where the ice cream is and said we’ll be back later to tidy up. You need us with you, Bella,’ Tim smiles.
‘Thanks, guys,’ I blush as I take a seat in the front row. Tara squeezes past to sit beside me at the window.
‘Everyone ready?’ Brain asks.
‘Yip,’ I breathe deeply. ‘Let’s do this.’
‘Can I go on the motorway?’ Brain asks.
‘YES,’ we all shout in unison.
7.45 pm
‘I’ve never come into Monaco on the motorway,’ Brain mutters, looking nervously out the windscreen for inspiration. ‘Which way do I go now?’
‘Just follow your nose, Brain, down towards the water,’ Tara counsels.
‘Once you get to Avenue d’Ostende, turn right.
Then at the roundabout, you are going to go in at 6, out at 7 and onto Avenue J.
F Kennedy. First break in the road, double back on yourself onto de la Piscine.
You should be able to park by the swimming pool. ’
‘How the fuck do you know this?’ I ask, astounded.
‘I’ve been studying the map just in case,’ Tara blushes.
‘Just in case what?’ Tim enquires.
‘Just in case… just in case…’ Tara is unsure whether to say what she wants to say, ‘just in case Bella left and I got her job.’
‘Great work, Tara,’ Monica beams like a proud mother.
‘Can we all just remember that I haven’t actually gone anywhere.’ I snap; the nerves coursing through my body are making me anxious.
Brain slows the coach and stops outside the swimming pool and across the road from Quai Jules Soccal, where the Rock Star is moored at one end, and more importantly, where our seat perches with its view out over Port Hercule.
‘We’re here, I think,’ Brain states the obvious.
I take a deep breath, ‘How do I look?’ I run my hands nervously through my unruly auburn mop. Maybe I should have thought about doing something with it during the drive. Too late now.
‘You look great, babe,’ Monica reassures me. ‘Now go get your burning hunk of Scottish spunk.
I shoot Monica a quick smile. ‘Don’t leave yet, will you?’ I plead. ‘My suitcase is still in the lockers, you know, just in case.’
‘Don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere yet! No go!’ Tim pulls my hand, dragging me out of my seat and into the aisle of the coach.
After I navigate crossing the busy road, I walk slowly, cautiously down the quai.
Our bench comes into focus, and on it I see the back of a dark-haired man in a leather jacket.
He’s hunched over, and I can hear the faint strains of guitar music and singing.
He’s there! I glance back over my shoulder.
My friends have also crossed the road and are lined up, watching my progress.
When I get closer, the music and singing become audible. I pause and listen. Jock is playing an acoustic guitar and singing, his voice raw with emotion.
You were a girl with hair like flames
I was just a boy tryin’ to hide all the fame
No crowd, no sound, just your laugh and the breeze
And I thought maybe, just maybe, you’d see the real me
We talked like we’d known each other for years
No cameras, lots of questions, you were all ear s
But truth has a way of breakin’ in
Now I’m scared I won’t see you again
‘Cause I’m more than the music, more than the noise
More than the posters and manufactured poise
You saw the real me, no one else gets to see
The one who still walks the fields in bare feet
And if I lost you for being who I was before
Then I’ll trade the stage - I won’t need it anymore
There’s a song in the silence, a peace in the tide
But none of it matters if you’re not by my side
Yeah, I’m more than the music, more than the show
Just a boy from Rhu who wanted you to know
You were the only thing that ever felt right
And I’d give up the spotlight to hold you tonight
Jock stops strumming. He looks at his watch. His shoulders slump. Slowly, he stands, holding his guitar by the neck, and he takes a step towards the Rock Star.
‘Jock,’ I say, my voice hoarse. ‘That was beautiful.’
Slowly, he turns around, like he can’t believe I’m actually there. He places his guitar on the bench and moves quickly towards me, wrapping me tightly with his arms.
‘Oh God, Bella,’ he breathes into my hair.
‘I didn’t think you were coming.’ He releases his grip, moves his hands to my shoulders and pushes me back a little so he can look at me.
‘I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you the truth straight away.
I promise I will NEVER lie to you again.
’ He lowers his lips to my forehead, placing a gentle kiss, then a kiss on each side of my face before he moves tentatively, questioningly towards my mouth.
He grazes his lips from the corner of my own to the middle, where he stops.
I open my mouth a little to accept his kiss, the feeling shooting zings of electricity to every extremity of my body.
‘Oh, Jock,’ I whisper against his mouth when the seal of the kiss releases. ‘I’ve missed you.’
A loud cheer goes up from the end of the quai. ‘That better not be the fucking paparazzi again,’ Jock growls.
I laugh, ‘Since when do the paparazzi cheer? No, that’s my support crew.’ We turn to see Tim, Brain, Monica and Tara all jumping up and down, cheering and high-fiving each other. ‘Come,’ I drag him by the hand towards them.
‘Everyone,’ I say when I meet my tribe, ’this is Jock. The real Jock. Jock, this is Tim, Brain, Monica and Tara.’
‘It’s really nice to meet you… again,’ Jock smiles warmly. ‘Sorry, I was such a dick before.’
‘Yeah, you kinda were,’ Tim jibes.
‘I’m a massive fan of Dreams,treet,’ Tara swoons. ‘I can’t believe I’m actually meeting one of the band. Oh, sorry,’ she shakes herself, remembering why she’s here, ‘I mean, it’s nice to meet you, Bella’s boyfriend.’
‘It’s nice to meet you too, Tara. Maybe the next time we have a concert, I could get you all backstage passes?’ Jock offers.
‘So, what’s your plan here, Jock?’ Mother Monica pipes up, not letting his grand gesture distract from her concern for my welfare. ‘You’re swooping Bella away on a fancy yacht and then what?’
Jock turns to me nervously. ‘Well, obviously, Bella and I haven’t had time to discuss any future plans.
Which is why I thought a couple of weeks on the Rock Star sailing back to the Gare Loch will give us time to work it out.
Give us time to really get to know each other and time away from prying eyes.
But I meant what I said in the song,’ Jock looks at me earnestly, ‘I’d give it all up for you. ’
‘And do what? Be a painter?’ I ask.
‘Oh, about that,’ Jock replies.