Chapter 38
“You haven’t got a drink in your hand!” Paul shouted out, bounding towards Mel rather like an over enthusiastic spring lamb.
“I know,” Mel replied, letting Paul take her hand and drag her over to the bar.
“Well we cant have that, this is an end of tour party, therefore there has to be end of tour drinking.”
Mel grinned at him, Paul was great – no matter what happened in the world Paul would always be Paul.
“Well, if you insist I’ll have a Smirnoff ice please.”
“Wait!” a voice yelled and Mark caught up with them, followed closely by Christian. “Mel do you really think you should be drinking that?” he asked.
“You my mother Mark?” she retorted back and Paul laughed.
“Seriously Mel,” Mark continued, “you shouldn’t be drinking that.”
“OK,” she sighed, “hold on the drink Paul, I’ll just have an OJ.”
Paul turned and looked at her like she was completely mad but followed instructions and gave Mel the orange and joined Ben back on the dance floor. Mark had also left, him and Chris were having a heated conversation in the corner of the room – she couldn’t quite hear what they were saying, but it seemed like something pretty serious.
She sat herself down on the bar stool and took a sip of the cool liquid. Not quite Smirnoff Ice, but nice all the same. It was nice to put her feet up for a few minutes after all the dancing, it had been a pretty hectic night, she had spent most of it with Paul and Ben, dancing all her cares away.
On the other side of the room Christian was following Mark around, not letting him out of sight until he had said all that he needed to.
“Can’t you go back to Ella?” Mark asked in exasperation.
“She’s off dancing somewhere,” Chris replied, “anyway I’d rather be talking to you.”
“Why?”
“Just want to know what’s going on with you and Mel that’s all.”
“Why on earth does it matter? We’ve had this conversation.”
“So something is going on?” he asked.
“No, we’re just mates,” Mark replied, “not that its any of your business at all.”
“Yeah right, it’s obvious you are seeing each other.”
“Fine, think what you like,” Mark retorted, trying yet again to storm off, but slamming to a halt as Chris stood in front of him, blocking his path.
“What was all the lecturing about the drinking about?”
“Eh?”
“Well you are obviously her boyfriend aren’t you? You were doing that whole over protective thing.”
“Stop talking shit Chris,” Mark replied, turning his back on.
Chris ran round to face him again, “I’m not, I know you are involved.”
“Why on earth does it matter so much?” Mark asked.
“Just think you should be careful that’s all,” Chris said.
“Fine, I’ll be careful,” Mark replied, hoping that would finish the conversation.
“Good,” Christian said, “because she is trouble.”
“She is is she?” Mark asked, beginning to get a little irritated.
“Yep.”
“So would you say that she deserves everything she gets?”
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing, doesn’t matter,” Mark said, walking quickly away before he said something he would later regret.
“What are you on about?” Chris asked, running after him, “something is going on isn’t it?”
“Open your eyes Chris,” he snapped in response, “it’s all around you and it’s so obvious.”
“What?”
“The girl loves you.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“She does.”
“She can’t, she understands the way things are, it was a one night thing, we are friends – love was never mentioned.” He was confused now.
“Well she does love you.”
“Oh.”
“Is that all you’ve got to say?” Mark asked, “an amazing beautiful woman loves you and you just say oh.”
“I don’t feel the same for her,” Chris said, “I love Ella.”
“Don’t worry she knows that,” Mark confirmed.
“Well no problem then,” Chris smiled.
“That’s not quite the end of it though.”
“It isn’t?” Chris wrinkled his nose up in confusion, sometimes he admitted he was slow with things, the language barrier got to him sometimes, but this was different – he really didn’t have a clue what Mark was talking about.
“No, there’s more,” Mark continued, “she’s pregnant.”
Chris stopped in his tracks, examining Mark’s face carefully before replying, “congratulations.”
“It’s not mine you idiot.”
“It’s not?”
“Its yours.”
Christian paused again, taking a careful thought out moment before he replied.
“How can that be?”
“Don’t they teach you sex ed in Norway Chris?” Mark asked in exasperation, “please don’t tell me I have to explain the birds and the bees to you.”
“I don’t understand.”
“Its simple, Mel loves you and she’s carrying your baby.”
Suddenly they heard a sob break out from behind them.
They both spun around to see Ella stood behind them, her face pale with shock and her eyes streaming with tears.
“You bastard!”
And with that she turned and ran away as fast as she could.