A.N. On the right we have a bit of Slade for ya and also a picture of Jane Fonda who I would have cast as Angie. Is she how you pictured her? :D
My eyes trailed off of my boyfriend’s face and locked onto the acoustic guitar that Brian was twiddling around with. It was mesmerising to watch his fingers skitter up and down the neck with such speed yet with such tenderness that I found it all slightly breath taking. Jack leapt a step backwards as he strutted about doing his weird peacock/chicken dance which always made me chuckle. My eyes locked back onto him as he pouted and jerked his arms and legs about before sashaying back up to the microphone and started singing once more.
“That’s Brian isn’t it?” Angie breathed into my ear as she tried to sway me along to the music. I mumbled a little distractedly, nodding. “I like his hat. He always wears groovy hats. I think I might try and steal it from him.”
I laughed and stepped away from her dangerous allure so I could grin at her, “You can’t steal his hat!”
She raised a shoulder, “I could do a lot worse.” And with that she laced her fingers through mine and waggled her hips like a professional seductress as she lured me onto the dance floor which was rapidly starting to fill up with other couples. “C’mon,” she giggled as she tossed her head back, her blonde hair flicking out around her lavishly. “I’ve seen you dancing in your bedroom! You can dance better than this.”
I gave her a sort of pleading look but she refused to give up, “I can’t!”
“No such word as can’t,” she stuck her tongue out playfully and stepped forward and with perfect ease held our hands up in the air so she could spin me. As I spun to face her she caught me and whispered in my ear, “Dance like nobody’s watching.”
“You mean my striptease song?” I joked and Angie nodded vigorously before cracking up as well. So I let her twirl me about and eventually she twirled my nerves and self consciousness right out of me and I found myself laughing, mimicking her moves as we danced away pretending that there was no one else in the room.
“That’s it,” Angie wiped a tear of laughter away from her eye as I danced outrageously. “You’ve got it! You’ve got it!”
After a couple of songs mum permitted Brian and Jack to grab themselves a drink before continuing. In that time she stumbled drunkenly up onto the stage where I watched slightly embarrassed as she beckoned for Charlie to join her. Mum couldn’t sing to save her life and her duets with Charlie weren’t particularly much to brag about either…At all in fact. Charlie slung his guitar strap over his shoulder so I decided to interviene and protect both of their reputations when Angie grabbed my hand tightly and yanked me back to her side.
“Oh no you don’t,” her eyes twinkled with mischief although I pulled a face. “Don’t give me that look Rubes, you’re mum’s the bride and the bride gets what the bride wants.”
“She’ll look like an idiot,” I raised an eyebrow cutting straight to the chase. Angie laughed and clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Even more reason to let her carry on.”
“Well you can watch her but I’m going out to get some fresh air. It’s so stuffy I feel slightly sick,” I muttered trying to hide up the fact that hearing and watching my mum make a complete fool out of herself was too humiliating to bare but Angie shrugged and went to get a drink.
Lighting up a cigarette I headed outside and was surprised to see how much time had passed. The sun was already beginning to set casting long, dark shadows over everything. I went and sat down on the second bottom step and gazed out at the long gardens stretched out before me. Mum couldn’t have picked a more picturesque place to have got hitched.
I was marvelling the success of the day when with a small sigh someone sat down beside me, his shoulder bumping into mine. I grinned expecting it to be Jack but faltered when I saw the side of Brian’s face as he stared at almost sadly at the gardens. The sadness in his eye was too much for me to hold so I adverted my gaze straight away.
I waited for Brian to say something but we just sat together in complete silence while the noise of the party carried on joyously in the faint distance. I felt as though I was inhaling his heavy heart. Without a noise I hesitantly held out my cigarette. He left me hanging for what felt like an age before he took it and I heard him take a deep drag. Sitting there as peacefully as we were I wasn’t sure if I actually liked his company or not. He had such an innocent face but the air around him felt dark and unsettled and I could tell that there was something…disturbed about Brian. In that moment I felt on the brink of spilling my heart out about what happened with Toby.
Thankfully he spoke up before I could speak, “Your mum’s a dreadful singer.”
I blinked and listened hard and in the background I could hear a nasty sound so wincing I tried to shake my hearing away from that direction. Poor woman. “Uh I know. I tried to stop her but Angie pulled me back. I swear she was a cat in a past life, she loves playing around with people.”
I felt Brian’s gaze settle only momentarily on my face before making a soft chuckling sound he stared off into the darkening distance once again. I wondered vaguely where Jack was, he couldn’t have gone far. Brian offered the cigarette back and with a small smile I took it before taking a puff. “Do you love Jack?”
I smiled as I thought of the beautiful face, blue eyes and floppy brown hair with those unforgettable tantalising lips. Then there was his voice and brains, the jokes he came out with and the way he liked to hold me after we’d made love. “Yes,” my voice came out so softly it was like talking through clouds.
“I’m not a very nice person,” Brian mumbled and when I looked over at him his head was bent and his shoulders hunched as the sadness overwhelmed his body. I frowned unsure what I should do. Did I put my arm around him? Go find Jack to sort him out? It was naïve but I never thought that rock stars would have problems. I really did believe they were next to the Gods so why would they be anything other than floating on cloud nine in their invincible drug proof ways?
“I’m sure that’s not true,” I began but he shook his head until I stopped talking. Slowly he took his fancy hat off in a way that was like he suddenly found it all ridiculous and over the top. As if he had come back to reality and realised that he was still wearing his costume.
“I’m a very bad person, I’m sure Keith or Anita has told you.” He spoke their names bitterly yet I tried my best to remain impartial, trying not to look too keen for information. When he caught me shaking my head he let out a sigh once more and got to his feet and glanced down at his hat before looking at me.
“I have to go back inside,” he mumbled and for some insane reason I leapt to my feet, reaching a hand out as if I was about to cling to his arm. He smiled thinly at me but he looked exhausted as he turned on his heel and made his way back into the manor.
I stared after him perplexed until I snapped out of it and flicked my cigarette butt away from me and stooped down to pick his hat up. I wasn’t sure why he had left it down there but I was taking it as a gift anyway. Feeling the peacock feather gently I followed after him to find Angie.
“Hey,” Angie slurred ferociously as I bounded up to her. She grabbed my shoulder to keep her balance and her face lit up like a supernova when she saw Brian’s hat in my hand. “Who’s the thief now?” She raised her eyebrow before snatching it off of me. “Thanks chick!”
I felt completely out of it as she tried to drag me back onto the dance floor while jabbering away about mum and Charlie’s awful duet. Going from a desperately unhappy person to someone hopping around on cloud nine was disorientating to say the least.
“-then your mum nearly fell off the stage!” She shrieked with hysterics causing the surrounding guests to glance at her disapprovingly. Angie probably didn’t even realise they existed.
Putting the hat on her head Angie tried to bump up against me before cracking up laughing and unabashedly wrapped her long arms around my neck. Giggling I tried to disentangle myself but she held fast. “We have to dance,” she ordered like a demanding three year old.
“Angie I don’t really feel like-”
“We’re soul mates aren’t we?” She blurted out as she attempted at a serious expression. Staring at her wide eyed I made no move. “Aren’t we?” She questioned a lot louder. “That’s what you said all those months ago at your house remember? I remember! I remember!”
I licked my lips nervously and struggled against her hold but she just gripped my arms tighter. “Angie!” I hissed as she dragged me to the side of the room out of everyone’s immediate eye line. “Let go!”
“Did you just lie to me?” She pouted as her face became crestfallen. “I thought we were sisters.”
“You’re getting all worked up because I don’t want to dance,” I told her in an exasperated voice before trying to laugh but her eyes were flat with all trace of humour evidently gone. “We are sisters; we’re soul mates just like I said. I do remember see. I do and we’ll always be sisters I’m just-just tired of dancing.”
Angie stared at me for a few more seconds before she let go of me forcefully and skipped back a step, “Well aren’t you boring Ruby?” She kind of sang. “Boring Ruby who gets the dream life.”
My heart began to race as I stared at my best friend imploringly, silently begging her to not get so worked up. I swear she was on something. “Ange,” I began but her expression cut me off. Fighting back the sob I took a step toward her which she countered. “Angie stop it we’re meant to be best friends.”
“You are my best friend,” she frowned.
“Then why are you acting all-oh never mind,” I threw myself at her, wrapping my arms tightly around her neck and Angie laced her arms around my torso as she gripped me with all her life. She was drunk. What could I expect?
I insisted to Angie that she was staying with Jack and me at my mum’s home that night. There was no way I was going to allow her to attempt to go back to London at some stupid time in the morning. The idea was preposterous. Angie didn’t mind that much although when it was time to leave she did stare a little too lustfully at the journalist who winked and then snapped a picture of us. It wouldn’t be a very nice photograph as I had my eyes narrowed at him.
Jack, Brian and I were squished horrendously in the back while Angie sat in the front beside the driver as he escorted us home. At least Jack was sat in the middle although to my slight embarrassment his hands kept wandering all over me. I gave him pointed looks; I didn’t want to be felt up in the middle of public!
“Well that seemed like a success,” Jack yawned, resting his head against my shoulder. His hair was tickling my neck and jaw but he was too cute like that for me to want to do anything about it. “Quite a nice small affair.”
“No screaming girls for once,” Brian chuckled from his other side.
Jack snorted, “Yeah that’s true mate. Although,” he raised his head so he could briefly make eye contact with me before resting his head back on my shoulder, “I’m not sure I’ll be able to say the same thing when we get back home.”
Angie practically screamed with laughter making everyone including the driver jump out of our skins. The car veered sideways before he corrected himself sharply and snapped something very rude at her which she ignored. “You wish,” then with an enormous grin Angie turned around in her seat to watch the three of us, “You’re not called Mr Flash for nothing! In out,” she clicked her fingers at him, “Done.”
I cringed at her, I’d forgotten all about them sharing a bed first and the thought of it was not pleasant. “That aint true!” Jack protested as Brian sniggered away on his right.
“Trust me darling,” she nodded grimly at him as if it was such a horrible thing she was explaining rather than the fact that Angie was actually revelling in it. “I would know.”
“When in London Angie is the greatest lover in the city,” I told him earnestly before bursting out laughing and staring out of the window.
“Well she wasn’t all that,” Jack mumbled reproachfully, “And I’ve been with most women in London so I would know.”
Angie wasn’t as hurt by the snub as he was so she faced the front still giggling to herself. I frowned down at my boyfriend wondering if that was really true. It was Jack Flash, it probably was true.
When we got back I sat Angie at the island in the kitchen and went to pour her a glass of water. “Is that a vodka tap?” She asked nodding toward the sink. Frowning I shook my head slowly. “Then I don’t want that!” She flicked the glass.
“You’ll be thankful you had it in the morning,” I warned as I went to pour another two for Jack and Brian who had crashed out on the sofa in the lounge. Glancing over my shoulder at my best friend I saw her flicking the peacock feather.
“Here you go,” I smiled at Jack and Brian as I handed them their glasses. I felt like some boring old housewife after her children had gone out for a night of partying and mayhem. This was my mother’s wedding, shouldn’t I have gotten the drunkest?
Jack grunted and stroked my arm as I walked past while Brian muttered his thanks almost shyly. Sorting my dress out I went to hover over Angie until she begrudgingly drank her water. Not before she had squirted some out of her mouth into my face.
I narrowed my eyes but she simply batted her pretty eyelashes and told me that I loved her really. “Be cool Rubes, be cool.” I set Angie up in the spare bedroom while despite trying to offer Brian my bed or my mum’s bed he insisted that he’d be much happier sleeping on the sofa and so I fetched him down a duvet and he curled up underneath it straight away looking like an adorable five year old, so sweet and innocent.
Then, finally, I went to bed with my boyfriend.