34. JACK
34
JACK
K ate and I are standing at the back of Nico’s party venue. The enormous ballroom is empty, aside from the band and Elly, up on the stage. There are a couple of lighting and sound technicians flitting around, making sure everything is perfect for tonight.
“You know, I never thought you and Elly would be a thing that worked.” Kate doesn’t look up at me as she runs a pen down the side of a clipboard, ticking off items on her party to-do list. She taps the pen twice when she reaches the bottom and finally looks at me. “Is she going to stay with you after her lease ends?”
Unease wriggles up my spine. I haven’t thought about what happens after. “Are you going to bring this up every time you see me? We’ve been together for a month and I’m already sick of hearing it.”
“Maybe. It blows my mind.” She sighs and glances at Elly, who’s dominating the stage, singing her heart out during her sound check. I can’t believe I’m sleeping with that goddess . “She sounds really good. How’s she getting on with all the other stuff?”
“She’s been putting out social media content consistently, which is a step in the right direction. Derek’s helping her out and people are actually listening to her music. The reception has been good so far. I think that helps, but she’s nervous about tonight.”
“She’ll be fine,” Kate announces confidently.
I really hope so.
“Those videos are really good, by the way. One of them is getting loads of views,” Kate says, tucking her clipboard under one arm and pulling her phone from her pocket to bring up one of Elly’s videos. It’s simple; just her strumming the guitar and singing, but Derek’s done some clever editing which adds an edge of glamour to it.
“Shit, that is loads,” I say, noticing the viewer count in the corner. It’s nearly fifty thousand. I refresh it and the number jumps. “Derek’s uploading the best ones tonight. They might catch the momentum.”
“Good idea. People love her sound too. Look.” Kate scrolls to the comments then frowns.
“What? What is it?”
Kate’s frowns deepens. “Trolls.”
I snatch the phone and look myself. There are loads of great comments, but there’s a barrage calling Elly a slut. An ugly whore. And others saying she can’t sing, which is patently untrue. “Has Elly seen this?”
Kate flips one hand palm upwards. “I have no idea.”
“Shit.” I hand Kate back her phone, pull my own from my pocket, and dial Derek. “Mate, quick favour,” I say when he answers. Kate’s quietly watching me. Potentially judging, but I ignore her. “Can you log into Elly’s account and delete those comments? Yeah? About halfway down. Block the users. You’re supposed to be watching this shit.” I wait as Derek tells me he’s doing it.
“That’s all done,” he says, when he finishes, “But there is something odd about some of this stuff coming through.”
“Oh yeah?” A chill prickles its way down my spine. Kate’s still watching me, intrigued.
“It looks like a lot of it is the same person, or a group of people. Deliberately going after her account.”
Bizarre . Who would do that? “Block them all. Look, I’ve got to go. Can you keep your eye on it? Tonight is a big night for Elly. I don’t want any distractions.”
Derek agrees, and I hang up, although there’s an unpleasant feeling lingering in my gut.
Kate squints at me. “You’ve got him censoring the comments? I can’t work out if that’s fucked up or thoughtful. How long has he been doing that?”
“A few weeks. He has all her login details. He posts most of the videos and all that shit. I don’t think she’d do it otherwise.”
Kate levels a serious look my way. “You can’t fix everything for her. You won’t be able to protect her from that stuff forever. And you’re going behind her back to hide it.”
“I don’t want her to be discouraged. Not yet, anyway. It’s early days.” I look over to where Elly is strutting across the stage. “She makes it look easy, but this is a big deal for her.”
I think of Elly in the kitchen that day, so upset at the idea of people attacking her online. If it’s not perfect, everyone will tear me apart.
Kate frowns, and her lips part as though she’s about to say something else when her phone rings. She stares at it for a second before turning it so I can see. ‘Mum’ is visible on the screen. I reach out and swipe my finger to decline the call.
Kate shakes her head and puts the phone away. “She keeps calling. Says you still won’t answer.”
“I’m not interested in speaking to her.”
“She won’t stop. She thinks she’s losing you. It’s breaking her heart, and she’s holding Elly accountable.”
What a nightmare. “She needs to apologise. Is she calling to apologise?”
Kate’s lips draw tight. That’s a no, then.
I curse under my breath . “Mum has all these ideas about who’s right for me and who’s wrong, but it’s a load of bullshit.” We stare at one another for a moment, and the understanding in Kate’s gaze is so palpable I can’t ignore it. I dip my head to run a hand through my hair. “Fuck. I had no idea what it was like to be on the receiving end of Mum’s crap.” Her brow crumples as though I’ve hit a nerve. “You’ve put up with so much over the years, and I wasn’t there for you—”
“You were.”
“No. Not really. Not enough. I want you to know I’m sorry. I get it now. I didn’t before.”
Kate clutches her clipboard to her chest. “That’s because you’re the Golden Child. You’ve always done everything she needed you to do. Made her look good. But for some inexplicable reason, you dating Elly isn’t what she wants.”
“I don’t care what Mum thinks. I like Elly. Really fucking like her. In fact, I—”
“I know.”
I eye my sister with suspicion. “What do you know?”
“I know this is different for you. You wouldn’t be culling the comments on her social media channels if you didn’t care. You wouldn’t have Derek working on her stuff, and you wouldn't have sorted out her recording all her songs. And you’ve never cut Mum out before. You’ve called her every Sunday night since you were at boarding school, but she’s mean to Elly, and you bring the shutters down.” Kate swipes a hand through the air as though this is all plain as day. “But you’ll have to talk to her eventually.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s our mum. And she’ll be at Nico’s party tonight.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.”
Kate shrugs. “Just a heads up. You’ll have to face her then. But don’t expect an apology.”
Elly’s singing stops, and there’s a booming sound as she taps the microphone. “I need a break,” she announces.
She speaks to the band, then hops off the stage and comes towards us, and my heart swells with every step she takes towards me.
“You’re sounding fab,” Kate says, pulling Elly into a side-hug.
Elly looks ecstatic, but a little insecure as she asks, “It’s good, right?”
The hesitation in her question makes me want to hug her too. “It’s good,” I confirm.
We chat for a few moments longer and then Kate excuses herself, running her pen down her clipboard as she walks away from us.
“I’m so nervous,” Elly says, wringing her hands.
I put my hand over hers to stop them moving. “You don’t look it.” I take my phone from my pocket with my other hand and pass it to her. “You’re taking off. Some of your videos are getting loads of hits.”
Elly pushes my phone away. “I don’t want to see. I can’t take it. All those comments… all those people out there. I don’t need to know.”
I slip my phone back into my pocket. “I know what will help you relax.” I pull her against me, giving a gentle thrust of my hips so there’s no doubt what I’m talking about.
She leans into me and moans against my chest . “I can’t have sex now,” she mumbles. “I’m too stressed.”
“You sure I can’t tempt you?”
She shifts against me, and heat pools in my groin. It takes so little with Elly to turn me on.
“Not now. After. When I’ve finished my set.”
I tuck a wayward curl behind her ear. “Fine. I’ll wait. But I’m coming to find you as soon as you’re done.”
I slide my hand down the waistband of her skirt and cup her arse, giving it a hard squeeze that makes her squeal. She pushes me off, laughing, and a contented warmth floods my heart.
But then, almost instantly, it cools as I recall the comments on her social media.
She stiffens in my arms, tilting her head back to catch my eye. “What?”
I don’t want to scare her, or make this into a bigger deal than it is. After all, it could be nothing. And if she’s going to keep growing her presence online, this stuff is only going to get worse. She’ll have to get used to it.
But I want to know if she has any idea who might be behind the comments. Perhaps there’s some bitter ex in her past, or some girlfriend she fell out with. Or maybe it’s normal, in terms of social media and celebrity. Maybe I don’t need to worry, but even if that is the case, I don’t feel good about it.
I inhale deeply through my nose. “There isn’t anyone who’d want to… you know…”
“Want to what?”
Fuck. I can’t do this to her right before her big performance. “Nothing.” I sigh. “I’m just checking I have all your attention.”
“You do.” She presses a kiss to my lips. “I’m entirely yours.”
And even though it’s exactly what I need to hear, I don’t feel any better.