Chapter 24
As soon as I step through the door of Voices, it feels like home. I survey the quiet bar. There are cleaners sweeping the wooden floors, wiping down tables and polishing glasses behind the long bar at the back. There are huge posters advertising the tribute acts. The family’s son, Jolly Murs is performing tonight as our warm-up act. Fond memories flood back of how sweet and talented he is. I see posters for P!nk, Howz Trix, Ted Sheeran, by far the most popular - shame about his wired up chin, and The Rolling Bones who are about a hundred years old but still very popular. The bar is huge with small, round wooden tables and chairs surrounding a large circular stage in the centre. It has been home to my many recent good and appalling performances. I gawp at a life size poster plastered across the back wall.
‘Cool, isn’t it?’ says a friendly voice. I swing round to see Jolly Murs grinning as he makes his way through the tables towards me. ‘I only get a tiny poster while you and The Dollz get that massive one.’
I tear my eyes away from the sight of me surrounded by The Dollz. We are standing with our legs apart. We have our fists in the air. We are wearing what can only be described as full-on bondage gear. Our hair is massive. Our faces are skilfully painted. We ooze sex appeal on every level. It has been majorly touched up to give us the Hollywood treatment. Say what you like about Nancy, but she is an expert agent. ‘Where’s that family nepotism when you need it?’ I laugh as we hug and exchange pleasantries.
‘Speaking of which, Mum left you the keys to the flat and said make yourself at home. It’s all made up, and she’s left some bits in the fridge as we weren’t sure what your plans were before the show tonight. Do you need help with anything?’
I point to the massive pile of suitcases that Jorge helped me heave to the bar entrance before he looked like he was about to collapse. Jolly Murs, real name Dan, strides over and picks up two cases as though they weigh nothing at all.
‘Thank you,’ I gush. ‘I’m expecting a call any second now from… well, an important call and… OH MY GOD… my phone is about to die!’
‘No problem. You go up there now,’ he says, throwing me a set of keys. ‘And I’ll follow you up later with the rest of the bags.’
‘Lifesaver!’ I yell over my shoulder as I bolt up the stairs to the apartment two at a time carrying some of my luggage. I fumble at the door with the keys because my bags are getting in the way. I drop one of them to the floor and push the key into the lock. It won’t open. I take it out and inspect the small bunch of keys. It’s the wrong key. OH MY GOD I’m going to miss his call again!
Don’t panic. Do not panic.
I’m halfway down the stairs when I remember. It’s the other key. Of course. There’s the apartment key. The front door key. And there’s a cupboard to all the music equipment key.
The apartment is the middle key.
I hurry back up the stairs and burst through the door just as Matteo video calls me.
I’m so out of breath and in a hurry to find my charger, I click accept and bellow, ‘I’M ON ONE PERCENT!’
Matteo is visibly startled.
I prop the phone up on the sofa and drop to the floor to hurriedly unzip my bag.
Without looking at him, I remember my manners. ‘SORRY. I MEAN HELLO. HOW ARE YOU? GREAT TO SEE YOU.’ I flap wildly about, blowing hair from my face as I rummage roughly through my bag, searching for my charger, in an increasing panic. ‘IT’S HERE SOMEWHERE.’
‘How was the end of the tour? Everything go okay?’
‘GOT IT!’ I say yanking the charger out by the lead. ‘SHIT! THE ADAPTER PLUG!’ I dive back in.
Matteo watches me fling things out of the holdall. ‘Connie. Wait. It’s fine,’ he says in that calm, soothing voice of his. ‘Look at me.’
I promptly stop what I’m doing, and take a deep breath in. I brace for the emotional tsunami as our eyes meet. I blink slowly as his dark, kind gaze takes me in. My heart swells at the sight of him. His slightly overgrown hair that he casually pushes back from his forehead makes my pelvis immediately twang. His lovely smile that lights up his face draws me enticingly in. I’ve missed him. I’ve missed him a lot. It’s a few seconds before either of us can speak.
‘If we don’t have much time, then I need to tell you something before I head back into the studio,’ he says.
I nod. ‘I really need to tell you something.’
We stare at each other. I’m feeling all the feels. Matteo’s face softens and I see him blush slightly. He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it again, no words forthcoming. I feel my own cheeks heat. Even on screen, from opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, the chemistry is palpable.
I’m the first to start giggling. It’s ridiculous that we have this effect on one another. We continue smiling like love-struck idiots before he finds his words.
‘I can’t believe how much I’ve missed you,’ he says.
I nod. ‘Me too.’
‘I’m really looking forward to you coming over. This project has been pretty full-on. Sorry, I haven’t been able to keep in touch. We’ve only been outside the studio once. And unfortunately, we’ve got to quickly redo a whole section of it, so I doubt I’ll be able to talk much over the next couple of days.’
‘That’s okay. It’s been pretty full-on here too.’
‘What did you want to tell me?’ he asks. We are still grinning at each other. He fancies me so much. It’s written all over his face.
I find his attraction to me still so utterly overwhelming that my mind is a complete blank. ‘What did you want to tell me?’
I’m basically just copying whatever he says because I am so entranced by his gorgeous face that I have lost the power to articulate. Plus, I just can’t bear to disappoint him with the news that everyone I know will be invading Las Vegas alongside me.
‘It’s not great, which is why I didn’t want to just leave a message.’
‘Sorry?’ Maybe I misheard.
He shrugs sheepishly, and he’s just about to tell me when my phone dies.
‘SHIT!’ I yell at my dead phone. I pick up the holdall and empty everything out onto the floor. I spot the adapter immediately and race over to the plug socket with my phone and charger, ramming it into the wall. I see the circle tell me that I’m good to go with 1%. Now 2%. ‘COME ON!’ I yell, my pulse racing. At 4% I make the swift decision to ring matteo back. After a calming breath, I brace for impact.
Matteo’s phone instantly clicks to his out-of-office. ‘The person you have reached cannot take your call right now. Please hang up and try again later.’
I manage to unpack a few things, go for a run and get changed for the evening performance, all in a bit of a daze. Matteo’s words have really thrown me.
‘It could be anything. I wouldn’t worry, babes,’ Tash says, just before The Dollz are about to go on stage. We are all enjoying Jolly Murs prancing around on stage. He has the crowd totally warmed up and in the mood for some excellent entertainment.
‘This prosecco tastes off to me,’ says Cherry. ‘You know I’m better at dancing when I’ve had my two prosecco chasers.’
It takes nothing for them to stray off topic.
‘And you don’t think the something not great was Vegas or me related?’ I press, watching them all down their drinks and limber up.
‘He probably just wanted to tell you that he couldn’t get us all tix to see Kylie backstage,’ says Big Sue dropping into a lunge. ‘Me and Mandeep have first dibs if he could only get two.’
‘Imagine being that close to her?’ Big Mand says, lighting up.
Oh, Christ.They are going to be so disappointed when I break the news that these fake memories of promises being made by me, aren’t going to be kept.
‘No!’ cries Liam. ‘You don’t think that’s it, do you?’
‘We’ll be gutted,’ says Ged. ‘So gutted. Any celebrity will do.’
Any celebrity will most certainly not do. I’ve seen their list of acceptable celebrity selfies. As I’ve said, Ged is a famous micromanager. I need to lower their expectations immediately. ‘We’ll still have a great time even if we don’t get invited to any VIP parties or front row seats. It’s Vegas. There are endless ways to have a great time. There’s kayaking on the… the what’s it called? And ziplining through the erm, shopping mall at the… you know the, erm…’
Frosty unimpressed silence.
‘Anyway, we’ll be working for most of it, so chances are we won’t get time to meet any celebrities…’ Cherry drops casually into the conversation. The expression of horror on my best friend’s face tells me to pivot.
‘She means we’ll be mostly doing other exciting pre-moon stuff.’
‘And birthday stuff,’ adds Tash, squinting up from squatting as she swishes her knees open and closed.
‘If he hasn’t bothered to get us VIP tix to any shows, maybe Matteo’s not that into you,’ says Liberty meanly. ‘He might be calling to lay the groundwork for a split.’
‘Surely, he’d just tell her not to fly over,’ says Tash.
‘Not if she’s already paid for the flight,’ Liberty is surmising. ‘Or he wants to do it face to face. He did say he didn’t want to leave a message.’
‘True,’ concedes Tash, straightening up.
Oh, my God. Why are they even going down that road?
‘It’s definitely not that,’ I say forcefully. ‘He’s very much still into me. I guess I’ll find out when I go over.’
‘Ahem. When we go over,’ says Ged. ‘Don’t forget the whole reason we’re going is for our pre-moon spree. Don’t get distracted.’
‘And for Sister Kevin’s BIG birthday,’ adds Tash, causing Liam and Ged to yet again exchange pinched looks.
‘And for my recovery and well-being,’ says Liberty.
This is news to us. We all regard her suspiciously.
‘The whole Luke thing has thrown me,’ she says. ‘None of you have shown me any support, and it’s affected my mental health. I might have residual generalised anxiety disorder.’
‘Oh, get over yourself, Libs. You didn’t even shag him. You barely had one dance with him,’ says Tash sharply.
‘You’re forgetting I am a therapist,’ says Liberty. ‘I have a PhD in Psychology. Don’t try to explain my own feelings to me.’
‘You have a degree in Mood Management,’ Tash reminds her. ‘It’s not the same thing.’
This appears to be the touch paper to igniting The Dollz as they erupt in a blaze of bickering.
‘This is about Las Vegas,’ Big Sue booms. ‘Stay on topic.’
‘Yes. It’s about our pre-moon,’ agrees Ged.
‘And Sister Kev’s surprise unplanned pregnancy nightmare, don’t forget,’ says Liberty cattily. ‘We’ll all need to pick up the pieces when the baby bomb goes off.’
Oh, my God. We’ve come full circle.
‘Listen. Can everyone stop hijacking my romantic break, please?’ I shout. ‘If you remember. This whole bloody trip is about me and Matteo!’
It does not go down very well.
‘Cherry, why are you so quiet?’ booms Big Mand. ‘You’re usually the first to have an opinion, pet.’
Cherry’s eyes widen with alarm, but before she can explain, Nacho appears.
‘Hola, chicas,’ he treats us all to his film star smile. ‘I think they are calling for you.’ He points to the stage where Jolly Murs is trying to welcome The Dollz on stage. One swift glance around informs me that the entire audience is listening in to our squabble. All eyes on us.
Jolly Murs confirms my suspicions. ‘Ladies, as interesting as this all is, I mean I’m desperate to know what Matteo could have meant as much as the next man, but if you can just stop arguing for two minutes,’ he says. ‘We’d all like to hear some more singing.’
The crowd cheer.
‘Christ Almighty,’ yells Big Sue as though she’s only just noticed we are surrounded by paying customers, and there’s a job to do. She is army-trained, in a loose sense (she spends a lot of time wearing cargo pants) and, therefore, meticulous about timekeeping. ‘Showtime!’
As The Dollz flick their internal switches to perform mode, I just have time to see Nacho give Cherry a shy smile. Her lip quivers in response, but instead of swooning like she usually does, she bursts into tears again.
Nacho, clearly horrified, reaches out to comfort her. She pushes him away and runs over to the stage. Liberty then throws up her arms in exasperation and yells, ‘I don’t fucking believe this!’ and gives Nacho an angry look before stomping away.
He spins round to face me with a bewildered expression.
I shrug. I have no idea what is going on with either of them. Last time we were here, they wanted to know the ins and outs of how big his cock was, along with the rest of us, I mean them, the rest of them. Poor Cherry. How is she going to get through this show?
Then Cherry astounds us even more by leaping onto stage, not a tear in sight, as though she is in a big Vegas hotel doing her two-hundredth back-to-back show and, like a pro, yells, ‘One, two, one, two, three, four!’ and launches into the opening routine, the girls falling swiftly in behind her.
‘And we’re off,’ says Ged, settling back down into his seat. ‘Nacho, care to join us?’
‘We’re one big happy dysfunctional family at the moment,’ Liam tells him, pulling him down to sit between them. ‘You wouldn’t believe the drama. Did Connie tell you we are going to Las Vegas for our pre-wedding celebration?’
Nacho shakes his head as he takes a seat next to us. ‘No, she has not told me. You are not going to meet my brother?’
‘Yes,’ I say quickly. ‘Yes, I am. I just haven’t told him that…’ I make circles with my finger as I point to Ged and Liam and then The Dollz. ‘… that we’re all going.’
Nacho looks suitably mystified. As do we all. How have I not told Matteo? How?
‘But I will. As soon as he is finished in the studio. He’s locked in again.’ I deliberately avoid meeting Ged’s annoyed glare. ‘He is working with a very important client.’
Nacho lights up. ‘Yes. He says it is one of the biggest pop singers he has worked with.’
Ged and Liam both perk up at this. ‘Who? Nacho, who is it? Harry Styles?’
Nacho laughs. ‘Maybe. I don’t know. Matteo cannot say me. It is big secret, but you know he works with French producer? She works with all the famous stars. She is very beautiful.’
I bristle. ‘Yes. Yes, she is.’
This causes Nacho to laugh more. ‘Don’t worry. My brother only has the eyes for you.’
I smile tightly. Let’s hope that is true. I turn my attention back to the stage where for some reason, Liberty is glaring at me in an unfriendly way. What now? What is her problem?
I’m vaguely aware of Nacho leaning across to yell in my ear. ‘Matteo has no interest in Birdie. He would never date her again. Not after last time.’
What the actual… !