Authors: Stella White
Celia stood in the shallow water and looked at him. ''Let me be the judge of that,''
''You're not the kind of girl I fuck,'' he said as she walked out of the pool.
*****
''That was a hell of a concert,'' Vance said when they were backstage. ''Is that the biggest crowd we've ever had?''
''Yes, sixty-three thousand,'' Rufus said about to pop open a bottle of champagne.
''What do you think of that then?'' Kerry said to the two blondes who were sitting on his knee. They both giggled and wiggled their boobs at him. ''Rufus a glass each for the ladies, please. It'll give them a bit of
energy, they
're
gonna
need it soon,'' he added.
Celia was sitting on a chair at the back of the room watching. She'd spent the evening taking photos at the first concert of the new tour.
''Hi, I'm Jimmy,'' a tall young man said. He had dreadlocks and a tattoo of a snake running up his arm.
''Celia,'' she replied.
''Do you mind if I sit next to you?''
''No, go ahead.''
''I'm a roadie. I do the lighting and lift the heavy equipment around.''
''Have you been doing it long?'' she asked noticing how blue his eyes were.
''Six months. When I finished at law
school,
I decided to take some time off to enjoy myself.''
''You don't look like a lawyer,'' she said. He noticed she was looking at his hair.
''No, that's the worst part, when I start work as a lawyer, I'll have to cut all this off.'
There was a lot of giggling from the girls around Kerry. ''Lucky guy,'' Jimmy said.
''He's screwed up,'' Celia replied.
''Do you know what? That's what I thought, but he's a
really
nice guy under all that pretense. When he heard my mom had passed away, do you know what he did?'' Celia shook her head. ''He paid to have my sister and all her friends flown to Rio de Janeiro to watch them in concert. Then he paid for a two-week vacation for them.''
''Listen, Jimmy, my work is done, do you fancy getting out of here?'' she asked.
''Sure, we've got another concert here
tomorrow,
so there's nothing for me to do.''
Kerry looked across the room and watched as Celia and Jimmy walked trough the double doors that led to the stage door.
''Fuck me,'' he said throwing his head back in frustration. ''Rufus, send Jimmy to see me tomorrow will you?'' Rufus put his thumbs up and continued his conversation with a man in a pair of pink pants. ''Will you two please get the fuck off me,'' Kerry suddenly told the two blonde women.
''But Kerry, we thought you'd like us to come to your room,'' one of the blonde women said.
''Fuck off before I drag you out by the hair,' Kerry said.
''Well, fuck you,'' the taller woman said as they tottered across the floor in ridiculously high heels.
“What's up Kerry? Lost your appetite?'' Joe said. He had his arm around a very leggy brunette.
Kerry ignored him, got up and left the stadium.
''Jesus, what's wrong with him?'' Vance said. ''No drinking, no screwing. Is he ill?''
''Fuck knows, but he didn't play all that well this evening either. Rufus maybe you can have a word with him, find out what's eating him,'' Joe said.
''I'm glad you drew attention to his playing. I thought it was me, but he was behind a
couple
time wasn't he,'' Vance said.
''Yes, he was,'' Silas agreed.
Kerry spent the evening curled up on his bed thinking about Celia. It was the first time he hadn't taken a woman back to his room after a concert. He lay on his bed until he heard the front door close and the sound of women's shoes clicking along the landing.
He jumped up and opened his bedroom door. ''Where have you been all this time?'' he asked.
''Out. What's it got to do with you?'' Celia said.
''Did you fuck him?'' he asked.
''Who?''
''Jimmy, did you fuck him?''
''What the hell do you take me for Kerry? You fuck whoever you
want,
and as soon as I come in
late,
you demand to know something that is none of your business. I'm not the kind of girl you fuck, remember?''
''Then you did fuck him.''
''Jesus. Grow up.'' Celia turned away from him and went into her
own
room.
*****
''Where's Celia?'' Kerry asked just before they were due to leave for the sound check.
''Ah, in all the commotion, I forgot to tell you. She's had to go home,'' Rufus said.
''What?'' Kerry exclaimed.
''I don't know, but she gave me some bullshit excuse early this morning and left,'' Rufus said.
''But she can't just fuck off like that,'' Kerry said.
''She doesn't work for us, so she can do what she wants. Did you fuck her or touch her up?'' Rufus asked.
''Fuck off, you fat git. It's not my fault.
The band traveled to the concert venue and prepared to do the sound check for the
evening’s
concert.
''Hey, Jimmy. Get your ugly ass over here,'' Kerry shouted just before they began. Jimmy unaware anything was wrong walked over to Kerry. Kerry took him by the throat and pushed him against the wall next to his drum kit. ''What did you do to her?''
''Who?''
''Don't fuck with me. Celia?''
Jimmy tried to break free, but he wasn't a match for
Kerry,
who easily held him in place.
''We had a drink.''
''Did you touch her?''
''A kiss on the cheek. To say goodnight.''
''Is that all?''
''Yes, Kerry you're hurting me. Let me go.''
Kerry shoved him away. ''If you lay a finger on her, I'll kick you so hard up the ass you won't know what day it is.'' Jimmy scowled and went back to what he was doing.
The sound check
started,
and the band played three songs. All of which Kerry failed to keep
up with
.
''Rufus, it's getting serious now. Kerry's not performing at all well. We can't afford mistakes. He made two at the last concert and the way he was playing
today, he
'll do it again tonight. Speak to him, will you?'' Vance said.
''Okay, I will.''
That evening just before the concert Rufus pulled Kerry to one side.
''Kerry, this is a bit
difficult
, but the boys have noticed you're making a few mistakes in your playing. What's wrong?''
''It's all your fucking fault. You brought her here.''
''What are you talking about?''
''Celia, the photographer.''
''What about her.''
''Jesus, I fucking hate feeling like this,'' Kerry said.
''Like what? Kerry unless you tell me, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about.''
''I fucking love her. If it hadn't been for you stopping me, I would have screwed her and tossed her on the heap where all the others are. But I wasn't allowed. And now I've fallen in love with her.''
Rufus put his hand to his mouth in
a limp
kind of way and began to laugh. ''Is the alpha male, hard drinking, hard fucking, drummer of Deadly Heroes, telling me that he's fallen for some middle-class girl from the East?''
''Stop laughing,
you
pompous prick. It's not funny.''
Rufus couldn't stop giggling. When he eventually managed to
speak,
he did so with as much seriousness as he could muster. ''Then what are you going to do about it?''
''I dunno, she's gone.''
''Try calling her. Tell her you love her.''
''Are you fucking
completely mad
? I can't do that.''
''Why?''
''Well,....'' Kerry couldn't think of a reason except he'd didn't do that kind of thing.
''Listen Kerry. The boys are worried about the quality of your playing. It's
being affected
by whatever is happening in that brain of yours. We are the best band in the
world, we
can't accept second best.''
''Okay. Understand. I'll be great tonight okay?'' Rufus patted him on the back and left Kerry to ponder what he'd just said.
*****
''Back to his absolute best,'' Vance exclaimed as a champagne cork flew through the air. ''I was worried about you for a minute,'' he added as he put his arm around Kerry.
''If you don't mind I'm
gonna
give the party a miss,'' Kerry said.
''He's in love, that's what's wrong with him,'' Joe said.
''Rufus, you big mouthed asshole,'' Kerry said.
''I didn't say anything,'' Rufus exclaimed.
''I worked it out for myself. You haven't been yourself ever since that photographer left. You're in love with her,'' Joe said.
''That explains the
shit
playing,'' Silas exclaimed.
''Imagine it, Kerry in love with
a posh
girl,'' Vance said. ''So, you aren't
gonna
stay here have a few glasses and fuck a few chicks as usual?''
''No. I don't feel like it.''
''Fuck a duck,'' he's
really bad
, Rufus said throwing his arms in the air.
Back at the house, Kerry lay on the sofa and listened to soft music. Get your fucking head together, he said to himself. They're starting to laugh at you. He then decided to go through all the options. What was the worst that could happen to him if he called her? She could tell him to fuck off, on the other hand, she might be pleased to hear from him. But chasing women wasn't his way, they always came to him, what would happen to his reputation as a hell-raiser if he were seen to be chasing a posh chick?
''Rufus, get me onto a chat show. I don't care which one as long as
it's
prime time and seen by a hell of a lot of people,'' he shouted over the loud music that was coming down the phone.
''I can hardly hear you, bloody music, it's deafening,'' Rufus said.
''I said, get me onto a chat show, a well watched one, as soon as possible.''
''Okay. I'll let you know.''
Kerry hung up, closed his eyes and fell asleep on the sofa.
*****
''Celia, my God I'm sorry I haven't been to see you before now,'' Sandy said. She sat on the sofa in the conservatory and looked at Celia. ''So what happened? Why did you come home so early?''
''Because I wasn't happy.''
''Why. It was a hell of an opportunity. It seems
like a pity
to throw it away.''
''Okay, I'll tell you. It was emotionally
difficult
.''
''Why?''
''Because, I fell in love with the drummer, Kerry, and he didn't feel the same.''
''Oh. That's a bit awkward.''
''Yes, a bit. Do you know what he told me? He told me I wasn't the kind of woman he fucked.''
''What an asshole. What kind of man is he?''
''That's the problem.
He is so hot and so sensitive, but he's got this self-fulfilling lifestyle.''
Sandy noticed how Celia seemed to be staring into space. ''He thinks he has to be a rocker and screw women and the more
he
believes it, the more he does it. It's a bit pathetic to see.
But he's so lovely, in so many other ways.
Shit, I'm going to cry in a minute.''
''There's plenty more fish in the sea, don't worry yourself.''
''Yes, your right, but he's very special,'' Celia sniffed. ''Do you want to stay the night? I'd quite like the company. Mom's gone to Carl's because Dad's gone to London.''
''Okay,
so long
as you've got wine and a good movie,'' she joked.
Celia went to fetch another bottle of wine and some chips, leaving Sandy to turn on the TV and put a DVD in the player.
''Shit, I'll be
dammed
. Celia,'' she shouted when she'd turned the TV on.
''What?'' Celia said after she's rushed back into the room. She followed Sandy's outstretched arm and the finger that pointed to the TV.
''Oh my God, no I can't bear it. Turn it off,'' tears began to flow over Celia's face.
''Really? Go back to the kitchen and wait. It's Johnny Jefferson's chat show. Kerry won't be on for
long, they
usually have a lot of guests. I want to see what's he's like.''