Chapter 8 #4
My shoulder bashes Lucy’s, and I place my hand on the small of her back, keeping her closer to us.
It would be intimate, if it wasn’t over her thick coat.
If she notices the touch, she doesn’t acknowledge it.
Not that she should. I’m only doing my job.
It’s not unusual for me to have to touch people; the proximity of it all forces it.
But the image of how my hand seems the right size to fit into the divot of her spine flashes in my head.
I shake it off. Now’s not the time. Far too much to unpack with that one image and I have other things to concentrate on.
‘Cai! Cai! Cai!’ The chants crash over us, making it harder to tune into anything else happening outside our protective bubble. He ducks to avoid a framed picture waiting to be signed, and I swat it away.
‘Stand back,’ I bellow. ‘He’ll sign what he can.’
It takes forever, but we finally meet the last person in the line.
About bloody time. My legs ache, my ears ring from the constant shouting.
Lucy’s flagging under the weight of all the gifts.
She stuffed a lot of it into the tote bag the store assistant carries for her, but her arms are full.
When we get back, she’ll have to sort through it all, work out what’s worth keeping and where to donate the rest. Waste of money – he could buy all his own presents – but it’s not like we can ask them to stop. None of them would listen.
People linger at the end of the metal barriers, but their bags full of shopping give them away. They’ve only recently turned up. They get nothing. Cai scribbles his name on the last photo of himself, leans in for a selfie, and looks to me for his next instruction.
Like he’s done a million times over.
‘Car.’
It has to be fast. The fans could grab him, like rabid creatures, and pull him into their masses to devour him.
I step away and the store’s guards fill the space I’ve left.
The car’s idling at the end of the street, pointing away from the pedestrian area and towards the alleys and side lanes that’ll lead us home.
I yank open the door, and Cai slips into the back seat. Iestyn helps Lucy with all the gifts and with a last salute, we pull away.
‘Okay,’ Lucy says on a breath. I flick my eyes to the side to catch her flushed face, her eyes wide and bright. ‘I underestimated how many people there were. Topaz never had that many fans turn up for him.’
Cai throws his head back against his seat. ‘That’s because I’m a hundred times better than Topaz.’
My attention back on the road, I follow Lucy’s route in reverse and take advantage of a red light at a nearby junction to slip onto the main road.
Adrenaline courses through my body, though my hands don’t shake like they used to.
You get used to it, eventually. ‘You mean you never did anything like that when you were their age, Lucy?’
‘What? No. I would never waste my day sitting on a pavement for something ridiculous.’
‘Oh, gee, thanks,’ Cai whines. I catch his eye in the rearview mirror and fight my smirk. ‘I’m not ridiculous. Thousands – millions, even – benefit from my music. My songs save lives, I’ll have you know.’
She clutches her hands to her mouth. ‘Oh, God. I didn’t mean— I think—’
We lose her words as I catch his grin and we burst out laughing.
Her gaze narrows. ‘You two are mean.’
‘I’m not offended, Lucy. Not this time,’ he tells her.
‘And if it helps, I don’t think I would hang about either.
I adore my fans, love spending time with them, but I’d prefer if they didn’t risk getting hemorrhoids sitting around in the cold all day to wait for me.
Thank you for today, by the way. Both of you. I’m glad you could make it work.’
‘You’re welcome. Anything else on the agenda this evening?’
Fabric rustles, then she pads her fingers over her screen. ‘Nothing else. Cai’s diary is all clear. Is there anything you wanted me to arrange, or—’
‘No!’ Cai cries out. ‘Bethan’s coming over, and I want to—’
‘Oy!’ I cut in, the leather of the steering wheel creaking under my tight grip. ‘Don’t tell me you’re taking advantage of me having a night off to invite my sister around?’
‘Yeah, we’re going to talk.’ Again. ‘There was an interview with the Welsh squad today, and she needed somewhere to stay. I reached out and offered, and she said yes.’
For someone who’s had more than one stalker, he’s starting to act like one. I watch him carefully. The git puts on a massive smile and draws a circle above his head with his pointer finger. An angel? Yeah, fucking right.
‘I promise,’ he adds after a second under my glare, ‘if she told me to fuck off, then off I’d fuck. But she texted me first.’
They said never again after the last time. One of the downsides of being close to both of them is that I know way too much about their relationship. He’s a needy fucker, so I don’t believe she was the one to break the silence. But what can I do about it?
‘All right, mate. But I’m keeping a close eye on you. Being an older brother trumps looking after your skinny arse.’
‘Of course. And I’d let you kick my butt. I’d deserve it.’
I shake my head and retrain my focus on the road. Bloody glad I have something planned this evening, or I’d be drawn into their drama. No thank you. Looking after Cai in a sea of fans is enough for one day.