Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Gavin
I’d been in a weird mood yesterday, and today by the looks of it was going to be no different.
I needed to snap out of it. Rolling from my bed, I had a piss and quickly pulled on shorts.
As I left the bedroom and started down the hallway, voices filtered up the staircase.
I looked at the time and saw it was only nine.
I would’ve stayed in bed longer, but damn I needed coffee and food.
I was starving, as the grumbling noises my stomach made reminded me.
As I stepped down the last step, my hand threaded through my hair trying to tidy my bed head.
First port of call - coffee. As I poured from the fresh pot that had been made by Roman’s housekeeper, and left to stay warm, I stood on the patio and enjoyed the peace for a moment.
At least until the caffeine had managed to get into my system anyway.
I wasn’t quite ready for Nikki and her snide comments, I’d slept like shit but right now something was bugging me and I wasn’t sure what it was. I was just in a shit mood.
After I’d inhaled some not-so-fresh, humid air into my lungs, I took a gulp of my coffee and headed back inside.
Fresh air is UK - home, you don’t get that kind of air here.
I wandered back inside and found pastries on a plate.
I grabbed one and bit into it, as I went looking to see who was around.
I probably should have got dressed before I came down, but there was nothing official on the books for today so, fuck it.
As I walked down the hallway, the voices got louder.
Female voices. I peered around the doorway and saw Nikki, Paisley and, oh look at that, the photographer.
I plastered a smile to my face, my pastry in one hand, and coffee in the other.
Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was dressed even more casually than Sunday.
Black leggings covered lean thighs and a hoodie drowned her small frame.
“Morning ladies. And Nikki.” I chuckled to myself as I nodded her way, she was way too easy to fuck with.
“Screw you, Gavin.” Her eyes met mine.
Karen looked between us before she focused her wide eyes on me, a hint of a smile played on her lips, and her gaze flickered to my bare chest again, before swiftly shifting it back to my eyes.
I sat myself down on the sofa and leaned back.
They oohed and ahhed at some photos. Fucking photos.
There was way too much oestrogen in this room.
“What we looking at then?” I called out, trying to get involved.
“Photos from the shoot.” Paisley said, her brows pinched, like I should really know. I did know, obviously, because the pretty little photographer’s here. I’m not that stupid, just thought I’d make conversation.
“Okay. So, where’s Rome?”
“On the phone to his agent.” Paisley’s answers were in short supply.
“Well, as his publicist, shouldn’t you be there.” I asked innocently. It was my turn to frown.
“No, it’s pretty straightforward. He can let me know what she said later.
” I didn’t say a word, instead I drank my coffee and scoffed the rest of my pastry.
It didn’t have the same effect as a full English though, but the bacon here is weird.
It’s not like ours back home. Just then, my stomach rumbled.
That’s what thinking about proper bacon did to me.
I even had the smell stuck up my nose, I wanted it that badly.
Maybe I could ask Kevin to bring some back with him next time.
I drained the rest of my cup and got back up.
“Well, I’ll leave you ladies to coo over a few photos, I’m going for a swim. ”
I didn’t get a response as I walked out of the door. To be honest I wasn’t really expecting one. You’d think it was a baby they were admiring; we all knew what women were like with those things.
Thinking about that, in just a few weeks Paisley and Roman were going to have their own.
Maybe it was time to cut the apron strings and find an apartment.
It’s not like I didn't have the money to pay for it, Roman paid us well. The debt I owed Roman had gone now, and if I have something else to occupy my time, and something else to spend my money on, then just maybe gambling would take a back seat. After the other night… I wasn’t too sure. I’d got the bug again.
All these maybe’s, I thought as I changed into swim shorts then headed back down.
The girls were still cackling as I passed the lounge.
I left them to their girly shit and headed for the pool.
I dropped my towel on the lounger closest to the edge and pulled off my T-shirt.
The sun was warm on my back, it was going to be a hot one today, I thought as I moved towards the edge, positioned my body into the diving position and nosedived in.
The water wasn’t that cold as I went under, then as I broke the surface, I set about doing some laps.
When we were back home, exercise was the furthest thing from my mind.
I was lazy, I knew that. The drugs never helped.
I wasn’t bad, whatever bad was, you know, it’s not like I needed rehab or anything.
I could stop when I wanted, but they did make me a paranoid bastard.
I tried to keep it as far away from Roman as I could, but he always knew.
So, when we came out here, and he got this place, I’d promised him, no more.
After what he’d done to help get me back on the straight and narrow, it was the least I could do.
So, then I’d turned to swimming to pass the time away.
I came up for air, gasping as I pushed through the burning of my lungs, and swam to the other side. I stopped for a minute or so to get my breath, once my lungs were clear enough to breathe easily, I started again. Slower though this time, down to a casual pace as I did another length.
“Sexual tension, buddy?” Roman stood at the side, his arms folded across his chest, and grinned widely as I grabbed for the side.
My heartbeat was erratic against my chest as I controlled my breathing back to a normal rhythm again.
I gave him the finger as I dipped my head back under the water, and pushed my hair back on my head, then folded my arms on the stone side.
“What do you mean?” I asked, my breaths still quite heavy as I squinted up at him.
“You and exercise do not mix, mate. Unless it’s fucking, and then it could be an Olympic sport.” He grinned.
As I gripped the edge of the poolside I smirked, “So have you come out here to bust my balls or was there actually a reason?”
“I saw you out here, thought it’d be better joining you than having to go over images of myself. I can leave that to Paisley.”
His leg swung over the sun lounger, and he sat down with his elbows settled on his knees.
I briefly looked toward the sliding windows and back again.
I knew I needed to broach the idea of me getting somewhere else to live, but I wasn’t sure how he'd take it at all. It wasn’t that he wouldn’t want me to live in my own place, I just wasn’t sure he trusted me to do the right thing.
“Hey, Rome,” His head lifted slightly as he looked over, his chin lifted in acknowledgement. “I’ve been thinking,”
His mouth pulled into a grin, ‘Not too hard, I hope.”
I ignored his need to take the piss, and sighed heavily before I carried on, “I thought that maybe it was time I found a place to live.” He sat up straighter, and the smirk fell from his lips. “You know I’ve been here for six months; it was supposed to be temporary, remember.”
“Yeah, but Nikki’s here all the time. Rhys is here all the time.”
“Rhys has to be. He’s security. Nikki, well she doesn’t like to miss anything, and spends more time here than she does her own apartment, but that’s up to her. I'm a lodger.”
“Gav, don’t start. You’re more than a lodger you’re my best mate. I told you when we came out here, you’d stay with us.
“It’s not that I don’t appreciate that, I do. I more than appreciate everything you have done for me in the past, and what you're doing now.”
“But…? I know there’s one coming.” Roman questioned, his eyes wide as he waited for an answer.
“But I need my space, and so do you and Pais.” I nibbled on the inside of my mouth.
“How far will you go?” His brow furrowed as he asked the question,
“I’m not gonna fall back into old habits, I promise.” I looked him in the eye, “But at the end of the day, Rome, you're not my babysitter. You’re my mate, and you’ve babysat me for way too long.”
His hand brushed at his hair and his teeth ground together. “I know that. I just… I just don’t want to see you back that way.”
“We’re friends yeah, have been since high school?” He nodded but confusion swam in his eyes, “then you have to trust me, because friends trust one another. And anyway, very soon the baby will be here. You guys need some time alone. You’re going to be a family.”
“You’ll always be my family.” Roman added sullenly.
With my hands flat on the side of the pool, I pulled myself up and sat on the edge. I swung my eyes around to his as my hand wiped the water from my face, “Then trust me to do this.”
Roman lifted himself up from the lounger and came over, crouched down at the side of where I sat and dug his elbows into the top of his knees, his hands clasped together between his parted knees, his determined gaze found mine as he nodded slightly, “I do trust you, Gav.”
I shook the excess water from my hand and held it out for him.
‘We going to shake on it?” He smiled, and this time his eyes rolled, a loud exhale left his lips as he clapped my hand and gripped it, his fingers were tight as he held my hand.
I gave him the same grip back and we shook, but I tugged sharply.
He swayed a little, rocked on his toes that he was balanced on.
“Don’t you fucking dare…” Too late I thought as I tugged harder.
He’d hit the water headfirst before he could utter another word.
A loud laugh broke from me as I watched him break the surface, gasping to let out the breath he had to suck in before he went under.
“Cockhead.” Roman spluttered.
“Just all fun and games, ain’t it. And anyway, you’re getting too serious. I don't like it.”
It’s not like he’s ready for a shoot or anything, or even suited up for a meeting, that would’ve been even funnier.
He was only in jersey shorts, and a T-shirt, oh and sliders.
He grabbed his shoe and chucked it over onto the side as he yanked his T-shirt off; he threw that too, as it joined his shoe, he swam into the corner of the pool, stretched his arms out along each side of him, and his head fell back so he could soak up some rays.
The life of a Hollywood star.