Her Song

23 - Lounging Around

**Van**

"This is fucking outstanding!"

Josh flopped down into an armchair, beer in one hand a plate of salt and pepper squid in the other. He shoved a handful of squid in his mouth and grinned broadly around the table as he chewed. Gray threw a balled up napkin at him. "You're fucking disgusting you dickweed." Josh gave him an unrepentant smirk as he took a bite out of another squid curl.

On the couch beside me Kim shuddered. "I think I'm going to be ill." I glanced at her in concern. Overall she'd managed to remain morning sickness free but every so often out of the blue a wave of nausea would hit her. Her colour seemed fine with none of the paleness that seemed to be attached to her infrequent bouts of sickness. She gave me a wry look. "Honestly he's disgusting. I don't know how you got through even one night of sharing a room with him."

I had to hope my relief didn't show on my face. Other than Lucy and me no-one else on tour knew that Kim was pregnant. Initially she hadn't decided what she wanted to do and now the decision had been made she didn't want anyone fussing over her. Easier said than done.

"Seriously mate, you're a fucking animal. I don't know how the hell Kim got us in here but I for one don't want to get kicked out because you're a disgusting prick." Ace sat down and took a sip of the luridly pink cocktail he was clutching. He set it down on the table in front of him and dug a spoon into what looked to be an individual trifle in a cup.

Josh's mouth dropped open as he watched him, fortunately it was empty of squid. "What's that?" he gestured with his fork at Ace's drink.

Ace paused, a spoonful of custard and Jell-O hovering in front of his mouth, "Cosmopolitan," he grinned before closing his mouth over his spoon and humming in delight.

Josh glanced around in excitement. "They have those here?" He went to stand up.

Gray clamped a hand down on Josh's shoulder. "Calm your jets. Our flight isn't for another couple of hours, plenty of time for you to get your Sex and the City on."

"But...but...but..." Josh protested.

Kim leaned forward. "Trust me Josh, they won't run out. Even with that lot carrying on as if they're Carrie Bradshaw and crew." She nodded in the direction of a group of improbably blonde reality TV celebrities clutching cocktail glasses between their talons. As a group we turned to look at them. They were too preoccupied with being 'seen' in the lounge to notice us.

"Shit," Gray said. "That's Melinda Delaney." He swung back around in his seat and took a gulp of red wine.

"No kidding, I'm pretty sure half the people in here have realised it as well. If they watch vile shows about plastic blondes in bikinis sucking back cocktails and trying to pick up perma-tanned meatheads with shnecks on tropical islands." Kim frowned at him.

"So hardly anyone here then," Ace cracked. He was pretty much on the money, almost everyone else in the room looked as though they'd rather gouge out their eyes than watch that type of reality television.

There was only one important question in my mind. "What's a shneck?"

"Huh?" Kim turned to me.

"What. Is. A. Shneck?" I enunciated in case she hadn't heard me clearly. Unless, shit, I hadn't heard her clearly. Maybe she hadn't said shneck at all. I was pretty sure she had though because the other guys were all waiting for her answer as well.

"Oh," Kim's brow cleared, "it's when a gym bro lifts so many weights that his neck and shoulders become one entity." We all thought about it for a minute until as one there was a murmur of understanding.