(Leve
DrØmet i Norge)
Monday
5:15 p.m., Oslo
“Ohhh I’m tired.” Chloe said, unpacking the last of her stuff and flopping down on the double bed in the corner of her and Ben’s hotel room.
“Ah well, only another seven days of holiday and you can go home and relax.” Ben said with a grin, putting some of his clothes into a drawer. “Think you’ll last?”
“Mmm, maybe.” Chloe said, closing her eyes and lying back. “Come here and give me a kiss.”
“Certainly madam.” Ben said, joining her on the bed, leaning over her and planting a kiss on her lips.” “Satisfactory?”
“Very, thank you.” Chloe said, smiling and cuddling up to Ben as he lay down next to her.
They were silent for a moment until their tranquillity was shattered by Paul banging loudly on the door.
“Stop shagging! We wanna go out!” he shouted.
Ben sighed. “Are we going to get any time to ourselves this week?” he asked Chloe.
She smiled at him. “I doubt it.”
Ben just shook his head and got off the bed, going over to the door and opening it.
“We weren’t doing anything.” He said to Paul.
Paul peered into the room and saw Chloe lying on the bed. “Just about to?” he asked.
“No.”
“Just finished?”
“No! Paul!” Chloe said, getting off the bed and joining Ben by the door.
“Oh, well we’re all gonna go and have a look around in a minute. Are you two coming?”
Ben looked at Chloe. “Feel up to it?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go and explore.”
“Everyone’s meeting down in the lobby. I think Kate and Christian are already down there.”
“Typical.” Ben said. “Is it still good weather out there? I don’t need a jacket, do I?”
“No, and you don’t need those, either.” Paul said, spotting the sunglasses in Ben’s pocket.
“But if it’s sunny…”
“No no no no no. I am not going anywhere with you wearing those.” Paul said.
“They’re cool!”
“They are not cool! And,” Paul said, reaching out a grabbing them in one swift movement. “I am confiscating them for the remainder of the holiday.
“Hey!”
Chloe smiled. “You two go on down and meet the others. I’ll be with you in a minute.” She said.
“Okay.” Ben said, giving her a kiss and leaving down the corridor with Paul.
Chloe nipped back into the room and grabbed her “day bag” complete with camera and purse, and then pulled the door shut behind her, walking up the corridor a few paces in the opposite direction from Ben and Paul, stopping in front of a door and knocking on it.
“Come in.”
Chloe opened the door and stepped into the room where Mark was sitting on the bed, looking at a leaflet. He smiled when he saw her.
“Hi!”
“You alright?” Chloe asked, sitting next to him.
“Yeah, just about.”
“We’re all going out; are you coming?”
“Is Rose going?”
“I don’t know. I expect so.”
Mark made a face. “Nah, I think I’ll just stay here.”
“Oh, no, Mark, come on! Don’t let her spoil your holiday!” Chloe said, putting her hand on his arm.
“She’s not spoiling it – I love being around her. I love her.” He said miserably.
“Oh, that rings bells.” Chloe said.
“What?”
“You won’t tell Ben?”
“No, of course not.”
“On the plane earlier, Paul told me he was still in love with me.” Chloe confessed, looking torn.
“Oh.” Mark said in surprise. “I didn’t know he was ever in love with you. I thought it was just-”
“Yeah, I know.” Chloe said, cutting him off. “It was a whole lot more complicated than anyone realised. Even Ben didn’t really know. Well, we don’t talk about it, anyway.”
Mark nodded. “I know the feeling.”
“I thought he’d have got over it by now.”
“Paul?”
“Yeah. I thought it was all like, done and forgotten about.”
“So is it awkward now between you two?”
“No, not really. Paul’s very good at hiding it, but argh, I wish he hadn’t told me. I don’t know why he did!”
Mark smiled and put his arm around Chloe. “Everyone seems to be wanting what they can’t have at the moment.”
“Apart from Kate and Christian.”
“Yeah, I’m really glad they haven’t caught the doomed relationships curse!”
“Me too.”
“And then there’s you and Ben of course.” Mark added.
“Yeah.”
“Things still okay with that?”
Chloe nodded and smiled. “Never better. I just hope that this whole stupid Paul thing doesn’t mess that up. God knows I’ve already managed to do it once.”
“You know that wasn’t your fault.” Mark said sympathetically. “And you were ever-so young.”
“Exactly! I was 15! What the hell was I doing with Paul?!”
“Not playing by the rules?”
“Yeah, in a big way.”
“Ah, there’s nothing wrong with that. Things have turned out okay in the end, haven’t they?”
“Yeah, but I just feel so… embarrassed about it all still! I mean, I shouldn’t have even been doing things like that – I can’t even imagine what people must have thought of me. Probably something along the lines of, ‘What a little slut’.”
“I never thought that.” Mark said. “I thought you were a scared, confused little girl with no-one to turn to when things went wrong, not helped by the irresponsible, selfish people around you.”
“I had Paul to turn to. Or at least, I thought I did.” Chloe said regretfully.
“I think Paul and Ben were a lot more to blame than you were. They were both old enough to know better.”
Chloe smiled wryly. “I thought I was so grown up: look at me, look at my famous older boyfriend, look at the life I have now and how amazing everything is.”
“You are different now.”
“I’m glad! I’m nearly 18– nearly a proper grown-up!”
Mark smiled. “You can do whatever you like, then.”
“No more hassle.”
“Nope.”
“It’ll make a change.” Chloe sighed, standing up. “I’m really sorry about inviting Rose. I did think it’d be okay.”
“I know you did.” Mark said. “And it is fine, we’re just gonna have to keep out of each other’s way.”
“Are you coming for the guided tour of Oslo, then?”
“Oh, why not?” Mark said, giving in and standing up as well.
“That’s the spirit! We’ll have a good time, just… separately.”
“That sounds alright to me.” Mark said, walking with Chloe out into the corridor and closing the door of his room behind him.
“No,” Rose said to Paul as they stood in the hotel lobby with Ben, Christian and Kate. “Greenday are way better than stupid freaky Marilyn Manson!”
“They are not!” Paul said indignantly. “They’re just a bunch of grungy losers that no-one’s heard of!”
“They are so not! At least they don’t wear make-up.”
“Well maybe they should! At least Marilyn Manson has originality!”
“Greenday do!”
“Oh, yeah, just like Feeder and Travis and Starsailor and Supergrass…”
“Shut up!” Rose exclaimed, playfully pushing Paul.
“Oh, so we’re resorting to the pushing again, are we?”
“Yeah.” Rose said bolshily.
“Right then. I hope you’re prepared to lose pathetically.”
“You think you can take me?”
Paul grinned wickedly. “I think I’d definitely like to.”
Rose grinned back, tuning into Paul’s wavelength. “Is that so?”
“Well, play your cards right… Stranger things have happened.” Paul said with a wink.
“Have you seen those two?” Ben asked Christian and Kate, observing the exchange between Rose and Paul.
“What?” Christian asked.
“Those two! Flirting!”
“Ohhh, yeah.”
“Well…!!” Ben said, gesturing emphatically to illustrate how surprised he was.
“She’s only doing it to get to Mark.” Kate said.
“Yeah, and Paul’s only doing it because of Chloe.” Christian said without thinking.
“What?” Ben asked, a warning tone in his voice.
“You know, because of what-” Christian stopped talking as Kate shoved him discreetly in the side. “Nothing.”
Ben frowned, trying to pretend he hadn’t heard.
“Don’t you think we should warn Paul that Rose is just using him?” he asked.
“Warn Paul that he’s being used to make someone else jealous?” Kate asked. “I don’t think he’s really gonna question the motives behind no-ties sex with a pretty girl, do you?”
“What?!” Ben exclaimed, horrified.
“I think he probably knows, anyway.” Christian said with a smile. “But Paul’s not the type to complain.”
“No no no, hang on a minute – what do you mean, ‘no-ties sex’?!”
Kate just looked at Ben questioningly before turning to Christian.
“Dammit Christian, we totally forgot to explain the birds and the bees to little Benjie!” she said with a smile.
Ben shot her a look of disdain. “Thank you Kate, I think I’m alright on that subject, actually.”
“But you seem so confused! I was only trying to help!” she teased.
“I meant, what do you mean Rose and Paul are going to have sex?”
“Oh come on! Look at them! The sexual tension is running around them in florescent circles, screaming the words to Take On Me! I bet you any amount of money that they’ll be waking up in the same bed tomorrow.”
“That is so wrong.” Ben said, shaking his head. “Things like that shouldn’t be allowed to happen.”
“Oh give them a break – they’re on holiday, they’re both single…! It’s a holiday romance!”
“But it’s Rose and Paul!”
“And they’ll probably regret it for the rest of the holiday and things will be unbelievably awkward between them, but why shouldn’t they have a bit of fun? They’re both adults; it’s their decision!” Kate said.
“Still wrong.” Ben said, clearly very disturbed, but perking up as he saw Chloe and Mark walk into the lobby. “Thank God you two are here! I’m being emotionally traumatised by Rose and Paul.”
“Why?” Chloe asked, looking over at the two.
“They’re pre-shag.” Kate explained succinctly, trying not to laugh at the look she got from Christian.
“Ohhhh it’s not riiiight.” Ben moaned.
“They’re what?” Chloe asked.
“Leave them alone, they’re alright.” Kate said. “They’ve just gotta get it out of their systems!”
“Rose and Paul?” Mark asked quietly, the pain in his eyes apparent as he followed Chloe’s gaze.
“Oh, Mark, I’m sorry.” Ben said, realising what he’d been saying. “I didn’t mean to-”
“No, it’s okay.” Mark said. “But I think I’m gonna give going out a miss this time, actually.”
“You’re gonna stay here?” Chloe asked in understanding.
“Yeah, I think so. I don’t really wanna see…” he trailed off.
“Are you sure?”
Mark nodded. “I don’t wanna bring down the mood by being miserable.”
“Well why don’t I stay and keep you company?” Chloe asked.
“No, don’t be silly, you don’t have to.” Mark said. “You should go out and have a good time!”
“It’s fine, really. I’m tired anyway, and we’ve got quite some catching up to do!” Chloe said. “That okay with you, babe?” she asked Ben.
He nodded. “Course it is. I’ll just traipse around with this lot until I miss you too much, then I’ll come back and we can spend some time together as well.”
Chloe smiled. “Okay.” She said, leaning in to kiss Ben. “We’ll see you lot later, then. Have a good time, and don’t eat ice cream without us.”
Mark and Chloe watched Ben, Christian, Kate, Paul and Rose leave the hotel and turned and headed back towards the lift.
“Right you,” Chloe said as they walked. “We’ve got some serious talking to do.”