(Leve
dromet i Norge)
July 2003
Monday
11:30 a.m., London
“I told you that car was rubbish.” Chloe said as her and Ben rushed through the sliding doors of Heathrow airport.
“It got us here, didn’t it?” Ben said, lugging a big suitcase behind him.
“What have you got in here – bricks?!”
“Ben, the number plate fell off!”
“It’s old!”
“But why is it old? You earn enough money to buy a decent car!”
“I like it!” Ben protested, knowing that he was going to lose no matter what he said.
“Despite the fact that it’s falling apart?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.” Chloe said with a slight smile. “Bit like how I feel about you, then.”
Ben looked confused. “I’m not falling apart!”
“Did you remember to pick up your passport?” Chloe asked casually.
Ben gasped and dropped the suitcase with a loud clatter.
Chloe smiled and pulled the offending passport out of her pocket. “Hi, my name’s Chloe and I shall be your brain for today.”
Ben just stared at Chloe.
“No it’s fine, don’t thank me! Come on, let’s get checked in, preferably before the flight leaves.” She said, handing the suitcase back to Ben and leading him further into the airport.
They joined the queue of excited holidaymakers and waited to be checked in. After a couple of curious looks from young girls, Ben pulled a pair of shiny sunglasses from his pocket and slipped them over his eyes.
“And you think they make you look less conspicuous, do you?” Chloe asked in amusement, looking at her boyfriend.
“They do!” Ben said.
“Here my mockery is two-fold.” Chloe said with a grin.
“Go on then.”
“One- nobody wears sunglasses inside an airport because there is no sun. Two- nobody wears sunglasses so obviously designer and expensive. You could not look more like a celebrity, in fact.”
“Ah, but you can’t tell who I am, can you? Can’t see my eyes, can’t tell which celebrity I am, can’t come up and ask for my autograph.” Ben said, annoyingly – and surprisingly - logically.
There was a pause while Chloe contemplated this.
“Did you just win that one?” she asked slowly.
“Of course! I’m the brains behind this relationship.” Ben said with a cheeky grin. “Is anyone here yet?”
Chloe looked past Ben towards the currency exchange and row of random shops.
She shook her head. “Can’t see anyone. They’re probably all here, though. We are late.”
“Not loads late, though.”
“Fairly late.”
“But we’ve got plenty of time, haven’t we?”
Chloe looked up at the TV screen showing times of departures and gate numbers. “Probably.” She said, distractedly.
“We’re not gonna miss it, are we?”
“Probably not.”
“Probably isn’t entirely comforting.” Ben said, looking around him. “Did we arrange to meet them anywhere?”
“I don’t know, Ben.”
“Well I don’t.”
“I thought you were sorting that out.”
“Was I? I don’t think I did.”
“Why not?” Chloe asked, checking their passports on the computer printout.
“Because a dinosaur but both my arms off and fed them to a giant mosquito while we were sitting in a traffic jam on the way here.” Ben said, slipping his arms around Chloe’s waist from behind. “Stop getting so stressed.” he said, kissing her cheek. “It’s just a holiday, not a single-handedly coordinated invasion of the world.”
“If I wasn’t stressed who would have remembered the passports and important things like that?” Chloe asked, turning round and kissing Ben properly. “I’m not really stressed, anyway, just-”
“A neurotic control freak?” Paul finished, appearing next to them, a wide grin on his face and a bag on his back.
“Hi!” Chloe exclaimed, breaking away from Ben and giving Paul a long hug. “When did you get here? You look very tanned! Oh my God, I haven’t seen you for ages!”
“Only just got here.” Paul said, hugging her back, but letting go as he caught a disapproving look from Ben over her shoulder. “Mark’s just paying the taxi.”
“See - taxi.” Chloe said, looking pointedly at Ben.
“Is Mark bringing the rest of the bags?” Ben asked.
“He’s bringing his, yeah. Got mine.” Paul said, patting the rucksack on his back.
“Is that all you’re taking?” Chloe asked.
“Yep.”
“Are you taking it on the plane as hand luggage?”
“Yeah, ‘spect so. I don’t trust the luggage guys. What are we queuing for?”
“Check-in.”
“Oh, cool.”
“Got your passport?”
“Think so!”
“You’re doing better than Ben, then.” Chloe said. “He’d have been going home right about now if I hadn’t picked it up for him.”
“Well that’s what you do, Clo, you organise everyone! The world would fall apart without you.”
Chloe smiled. “Why are you so brown, anyway? Have you been on holiday?”
“Nah, I’ve just been in Spain for a couple of months.” Paul said. “Recuperation.”
“What are you recuperating from?” Ben asked.
“a1, man! Stressful stuff!”
“You left the band nine months ago – shouldn’t you have recuperated before that?” Ben asked.
“I did! But I’m still having flashbacks.” Paul said with a grin.
Ben shook his head, bemused.
“Is anyone else here yet?” Paul asked.
“We don’t know.” Chloe said. “We only just got here ourselves.”
“Christian and Kate have probably been here for the last two days.” Ben joked.
“Still early for everything?” Paul asked.
“Still Christian.”
“Ohh I haven’t seen you guys for ages!” Paul said. “It’s good to be back in the gang: I’ve missed you all!”
“You have not.” Chloe said. “You’ve been sunning yourself and sleeping until the afternoon!”
“You been spying on me?”
“I don’t need to! I know you, Paul!”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been doing work, actually.”
“Percentage?”
“5 percent of the time.” Paul said quietly.
“I rest my case.”
“Thank God.”
“Anyway, I’m sure we’ll find everyone else. They’ll be in the departure lounge somewhere.” Chloe said, looking at her watch. “We’re meeting Rose there, at least.”
“Who?” Paul asked.
“Rose! You know Rose! She used to hang out with us all the time!”
“Mark’s ex.” Ben said.
“Ohh, that Rose.” Paul said. “Why’s she coming?”
“Coz I wanted us all to be together again; I thought it’d be nice, and she’s my friend!”
“I wouldn’t have thought she’d want to spend a week with Mark after all that.”
“Here’s the clever bit.” Ben said.
“She doesn’t know he’s coming.” Chloe admitted.
“Why?”
“Because she probably wouldn’t have come if she did, okay?”
“Right.”
“Oh shut up, it’ll be fine!” Chloe said, looking worried.
“Course it will, babe.” Ben said, grinning at Paul. “You just concentrate on us getting checked in.
“Does Mark know she’s coming?” Paul asked.
“Nope.” Ben said. “Hope you brought a video camera for the showdown.”
“It won’t be like that!” Chloe exclaimed.
“How long is it since they’ve seen each other?” Paul asked.
“Not long…”
“A year.” Ben said.
“A year?!” Paul repeated. “Chloe, she’s gonna kill you! He’s gonna kill you! They are both going to kill you.”
“No, no, it’ll be fine!”
“Yeah, okay.” Paul said sarcastically. “When are you going to tell them?”
“Before we get on the flight?” Chloe suggested.
“Oooh, this is going to be good.” Ben teased. “Ow.” He said as Chloe hit him.
“Mark won’t mind, anyway.” She said.
“No, coz he’s still moping over his lost love.” Paul said, looking over his shoulder and seeing the man in question coming through the doors. “Mark! Over here!”
Mark looked up and headed towards the group, pulling a small suitcase behind him.
“Hello you!” Chloe said, giving him a hug.
“Hey!” Mark said. “You look good, Clo, how’ve you been?”
“Yeah, great! God, I can’t believe how long it’s been since I’ve seen everyone!”
“You see me every day.” Ben said, pulling Chloe gently back into his arms.
“That’s because I live with you. I meant everyone else.”
“It has been a while, actually.” Mark mused.
“Do you remember how we all used to see each other all the time?” Chloe said, smiling as Ben kissed her hair. “Especially after I moved down to London - we used to see each other every week!”
“You were only 15 then.” Ben said fondly.
“Cradle snatcher.” Chloe said.
“I certainly was. But with good reason.”
Chloe made a face. “I don’t know what you saw in me. I was just a little kid! I can’t even imagine being like that now!”
“I never saw you like that.” Ben said. “All I saw was you getting more beautiful every day.”
Chloe smiled. “Shut up.” She said lovingly.
“Things are different now.” Mark said.
“Oww, I miss how it used to be. I miss us all being one big gang.” Chloe said.
“We only saw each other that much because of a1. Now we’re all over the place it doesn’t really work.” Paul said, surveying the partnership between Chloe and Ben with a sadness long left over from times gone by.
“Yeah, Christian’s always in Norway, so it’s kinda difficult to hang out so much.” Ben said.
Mark smiled. “And no-one knows where you are half the time.” He said to Paul. “How are things with you, anyway?”
Paul nodded. “Not bad, mate.”
“Sun, sea and sleeping.” Chloe said.
“Sounds good.”
“It is! You should come over sometime, you all should.”
Chloe laughed. “The original a1 gang reunited for the first time in over a year with a tour of their home towns.”
“We should, we should do that!” Mark enthused. “All come to Kingston for a weekend! Colin’s moved out now so there’s plenty of room!”
Chloe gasped. “Colin’s moved out?!”
“Yeah, he’s 29 and he’s only just moved out of home!”
“Whereas you’re 24 and you still live there.” Ben pointed out.
“Why has he moved out? When did he move out? He can’t have moved out!” Chloe exclaimed.
Mark laughed. “He’s not gone very far. He still lives in London.”
“Owww, everything’s changing.” Chloe moaned.
“Things are gonna change!” Ben and Mark sang, laughing at each other.
“What?” Paul asked, not getting the significance.
“Christian’s new song, man!” Ben said.
“Have you not heard it?”
Paul shook his head. “I didn’t even know he had solo stuff out!”
“Two number ones in Norway, which no doubt he will tell you at least three times over the course of this next week.”
“Shame on you, Paul. You can’t be in our fan club.” Mark said.
“Yeah, we’re Christian’s biggest fans!” Ben said.
“Follow him everywhere.”
Paul laughed. “I’ll try harder in the future.”
“Please don’t.” Chloe said. “Stay sane!”
“Too late for that!” Ben said, smiling. “Ah, this is good – I forgot what it was like with all of us.”
“Not all of us.” Paul said.
“Well no, Christian isn’t here, but-”
“I was thinking more of Rose.” Paul said, looking at Mark.
Mark stopped laughing suddenly.
“Remember Rose, Mark?”
“Of course I do.” He said quietly.
“I think Chloe’s got something she wants to tell you, in that case.”
“Paul…” Chloe said crossly.
“What?” Mark asked, looking at Chloe urgently.
“Umm, well… I kinda invited Rose to come with us.” she said apologetically, looking to Mark for forgiveness.
But far from being angry or annoyed, Mark’s eyes lit up at this news.
“Rose is coming to Norway?” he asked incredulously.
“Um, yeah.”
“Oh my God!” Mark said. “Oh my God.”