I awoke to the sound of hammering in my hotel room feeling very disorientated. Squinting through half closed eyes to look about, I realised that the hammering was in my own head. Strange I thought. I've never had a hangover before and my limbs felt strangely heavy and lethargic. With a groan I rolled over and connected with a body, slowly I sneaked a hand out and felt it touch naked skin.
I sat bolt upright in bed, heedless of my thumping head and aching limbs, letting the sheet slip off my shoulder exposing my breasts.
How the hell did this happen, and who was that beside me? Taking a deep breath I leaned over to see whom it was that slept beside me. The hazy memories of the night before slowly dawned on me. I took note of the dark head beside me and the penny dropped, Kevin. God how did we end up here?
Scrubbing my face to wake me up, something caught at my cheek. I looked in horror at the gold band on the ring finger of my left hand.
'Shit,' I said. 'Shit, no way. No way that belongs there.' Scrambling across the bed I grabbed hold of a sleeping Kevin's hand. My heart stopped, there on his left hand was a matching gold band.
'Oh god.' I whispered, frantically trying to recall the events of last night. Kevin groaned and rolled over. I grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him awake.
'Kevin, wake up damn it.'
'Huh? What?'
'Wake up Kevin. Shit will you please wake up.' I shook him for all I was worth.
'Hey, what's wrong, shit is there a fire or something? Christ my head hurts.' He rolled up onto his elbow and with bleary, bloodshot eyes looked up at me.
'No, no fire, but there might just be a storm. Do you recollect this?' I waved my left hand in front of him pointedly.
'Um, that's a ring.' He said confused.
'Clever boy, it wasn't there before last night, and I bet your's wasn't either.' I said with a humourless smile.
Dragging himself up slowly, he looked at his left hand. 'Oh fuck.'
'Yeah, we probably did that as well, Jesus.' I said sarcastically, I moved to climb out of bed, but his hand stopped me. I turned around to face him. His face was serious but his green eyes were full of hurt.
'Jac, please don't, would you have hated it that much if we had? I thought we liked one another.' he said huskily as he sat up. He blinked his eyes against the light and was trying to focus his thoughts. My anger drained away, I knew I wouldn't have hated making love to him. Biting my lip I sighed. 'Kevin if it was just shagging you no, I wouldn't have hated it. Well if I could remember it maybe I would have.' I gave him a half smile and saw a glimmer of a smile in his eyes at my weak attempt at trying to lighten the mood, then I sighed again 'Look Kev, whatever the media say about me, I'm not easy. I don't sleep with every man I'm seen with. I'll not deny I was….am attracted to you. But still that doesn't explain this.' I waved my ring finger ' We must have been absolutely shit faced.'
'We must have been. Maybe the rings are not for real, maybe they're just a joke. God I can't think, my head hurts.' He let out a deep breath and screwed up his face as if trying to remember the events of the night before.
I leaned over and found the robe provided by the hotel, at least we weren't in some dive, this room was quite expensive, and the movie's production company were footing the bill. Pulling on the robe I set about gathering my clothes together. There were champagne glasses and a couple of empty bottles, and there on the table apiece of paper caught my eye. Picking it up I turned to Kevin. My voice was shaky ' Oh shit Kevin this is no joke, here is the marriage license.' With a shaking hand I gave it to him. He read it through and paled. 'Jesus, what did we do last night?'
I sank down on the bed. 'What are we going to do Kevin?' Do you think anyone knows?'
' I dunno Jac, We'll work something out don't worry.' He placed a comforting hand on my arm, ' Maybe we can get the marriage annulled.'
Before I could answer him my cell phone rang. Picking it up, there was my father on the line, and he wasn't too pleased ' My god Jacqueline, what's all this nonsense splashed all over the front of the newspapers. This is more than enough. You've over stepped the mark this time my girl, dragging our family name through the mud, how dare you. How dare you do this to us, to the family name.'
Biting my lip I grimaced at Kevin, holding the phone away from me I said to him 'Don't hold out hope that this can be kept quiet, this is my father and he's in a towering rage.
'What's all over the newspapers Daddy? My marriage, oh that. Oh come on, it's not the end of the world. Don't be so archaic Daddy, this isn't the dark ages. What a lot of rubbish. There is nothing to sort out, look Daddy I'll have to ring you back. I need to do something, yes I promise. Not right now ok, I'll call you as soon as I can, bye.' I turned to Kevin.
'Shit Kevin, it's all over the London papers, what are we going to do'. While I was speaking with my father, Kevin had got up and dressed. He looked terribly hungover, eyes bloodshot and his hair was all over the place, but I suspected I didn't look any better. Kevin walked to the door and opened it, in front of the door were a pile of newspapers, picking them up he sat back down onto the bed and unfolded them. With a groan he looked up at me. 'You're right, there's no keeping this quite, look.'
'Oh my god Kevin. I'm so sorry.' I sank down beside him. I read the papers, letting the headlines sink in slowly.
Socialite Actress Weds Pop
Star in Impromptu Ceremony.
Peer's Daughter in Pop Star
Marriage.
Backstreet Marriage. Pop
Star weds Actress
'There were two of us there Jac, not just you. It's not your fault.' He looked up from the newspapers, a frown on his face. He ran his hands through his already messy hair.
'But it is Kevin. See I have this wild streak in me, and I do these crazy things. But this time I've got someone else involved. I've dragged you into my mess. Oh why do I do these things.' I got up and paced the room, only stopping when Kevin reached out and grabbed me, pulling me down beside him.
'Sit Jac. Sit and be calm. Like I said we did this together.' He empathised the point slowly. 'We need to think about what we are going to do.'
I breathed deeply. 'I need some coffee, strong black coffee. God Kevin, I've never had a hangover before, my head is thumping. I don't know if I can think.'
'Yeah I know what you mean, I could do with a pot of it myself, and some aspirin.' He smiled slightly and I smiled back. I flopped back on the bed with a groan.
'God this stunt surpasses all my others.'
Kevin flopped back along side me, leaning on his elbow he chewed his lip as he thought. 'I say we brazen it out for the moment.'
I rolled over to look at him leaning on my elbow so we were eye to eye. 'You mean go through with it like we meant it.'
He shrugged 'I guess so, till the dust settles down.' He started to laugh. 'I'm gonna be so dead, management will totally freak, and god what will the guys say. I'm supposed to be the older respectable, responsible Backstreet boy. '
I giggled as the funny side of things hit me. 'Oh shit Kev, Kez and Sue will kill me. My father want's to disown me. I bet my brother's having a hissy fit, I'm the black sheep of the family you might have guessed. Oh Jesus the publicity will be horrible.' I sobered up as another thought hit me. 'The press will hound us if we take this course you know. I mean they are constantly on my back as it is. We won't get a moment's peace from them. Look lets get Kez here. She's got a cool head and she's a bloody good manager, she might think of something.'
He nodded 'Ok sounds a plan, then I say we order some breakfast and a whole lot of coffee. At least with some food and caffeine in us we might be able to think a bit straighter. So I'll call Brian, you call Kerry. Oh and Jac do you have any aspirin?'
' It's in the bathroom Kev, bring the packet out here for me will you, I think this headache is about to get worse.'