Ellie Devine Rock Star

•i f*cked up•

She waved his offer away, watching Daniel fetch crystal glasses from another cabinet.

"Everything all right, Dan?" Bob asked, glugging two glasses full of white wine out of the bottle and waving one at Daniel.

Before Daniel had a chance to speak, Janice returned to the kitchen, followed by Kim and Meg, pink-cheeked, clutching baskets of fresh strawberries to their chests. After berating Bob for leaving the berries outside, Janice ordered him to pour more wine for everyone while the dog left Ellie alone, bored with her lack of cuddles and slipped away under the table.

Ellie tuned out of the bustle of the homely kitchen around her. Kim and Meg made themselves useful, helping Janice serve the steaming golden roast chicken that was the source of all those luscious smells. They laid out overflowing platters of roast veggies, and buttered slices of thick white bread, chattering amongst themselves. All the while Ellie worried about Daniel.

As Bob poured more wine, and tossed titbits of chicken to the dogs under the table, she tried to catch Daniel's eye. But he busied himself with the tasks Janice directed at him, concentrating on polishing and wiping up as each utensil or pot was thrown in the sink, warming the plates in the oven for a few minutes, stirring the gravy.

At last, with everyone finally settled around the table, eyes agog at the mountain of fragrant goodies in front of them, Bob lifted his glass, and held it aloft. "To Dan and Ellie. A most talented and rather lovely couple."

Ellie's hand wobbled where she held up her glass of water and Daniel stared down at his plate.

"Uh..." Meg raised her glass higher, flicking her eyes between Daniel and Ellie. "To roast dinner and fresh strawbs and Bob and Jan for being total fuckin' legends. Shit. Sorry!"

Kim and Bob cheered while Janice coughed and Ellie and Daniel stayed quiet.

"Everything okay, Dan?" Janice demanded, passing the roast potatoes down the table to Kim. She turned to Ellie and shook her head. "He went out quite early this morning, perfectly happy, and now, look at him. He's been down in the dumps ever since he got back."

Ellie lowered her eyes and filled her mouth with bread.

"I'm fine, mum," Daniel mumbled, ducking his head. "Stop worrying."

"You know, Ellie, when he was younger, we couldn't shut him up." Bob pointed his knife at Daniel, immediately lowering his hand when Janice glowered at him. "Teachers would ring us up and tell me we had to find a way to stop him chit-chattering in class."

Meg let out a guffaw. "I reckon my parent's had the same phone call! School totally sucked eggs. It was so boring, right Dan? Did you wag school as much as I did?"

Daniel lifted his tired eyes to Meg, but didn't say anything.

"I'm sure you didn't wag school, did you, darling?" Janice asked Daniel, her voice stern.

"I remember, when we lived in London," Bob winked at Ellie, "quite a few times I'd go and pick up the mail in my van during school hours and I'd see Dan strolling along the cycle path near the pub with Gav—"

Daniel dropped his fork onto his plate and slid his chair back. He looked across at Janice and then Bob. "I'm sorry, I don't seem to have the appetite for this."

He stood, pushed his chair in, and left the room, one of the dogs pit-pattering out after him.

Ellie swallowed her mouthful, tears stinging at the edges of her eyes. She went to stand up, needing to go with him, wanting him to be okay.

When she saw everyone watching her, her cheeks turned pink as she held in what she thought might be a maniacal sob. "I...I'll go and see if he's okay..."

She hopped across to where Bob had rested her crutches on the wall, and in the silence, feeling more un-rock-star-like than she'd ever felt in her life, launched herself out of the kitchen. She hoped to hell Daniel hadn't gone up that tiny staircase because by the time she got up there, he might've decided to come down again.

"He'll be upstairs, love," Bob called.

Shit.

"Need a hand?" Kim called.

"No," Ellie called, her voice a choke of angst. She hustled herself as quickly as she could back through the lounge and into the hallway.

Balanced on her crutches, she stared up into the dark stairway knowing there was no way in hell she would be able to get herself up there.

But she had to.

The dark cavity of the stairwell loomed down at her and the deep pulse in her ankle thudded like an impatient crowd stamping on the floor, urging the band to come back for an encore.

But this was no encore.

This was the main event.