‘Total bastard,’ is Charlie’s verdict.
‘Yeah.’ I can’t really disagree. My beer comes and it goes down without touching the sides. Nice Paul orders us three more.
‘Shall I leave you ladies to talk?’ he asks. ‘I can make myself scarce.’
I shake my head. ‘No. Stay. You’re an honorary girl.’
He laughs. ‘I think that’s a good thing.’
‘Besides, I don’t really want to waste any more breath on Mason Soames. We’re here to have fun and fun we will bloody well have.’
‘So, what’s the plan?’ Charlie asks.
‘We’ll go to the concert, have a lovely time and give this unpleasant little interlude no more thought.’
‘I have to say you’re taking this remarkably calmly.’
‘Yes,’ I agree. ‘I am.’
‘Perhaps it just says that Mason wasn’t the right man for you, after all.’
‘I think that pretty much sums it up.’
‘You’ll stay here tonight,’ Charlie says. ‘I’ve got a double bed in my room. You can bunk up with me.’
‘Thanks.’ Then, as my second beer arrives, my phone rings. Mason. I let it go to voicemail. Then a text comes in from him.
Where ru? Why has all your stuff gone? I’m sure he’ll work it out. Call me.
So we have many beers and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine. After Mason’s third call, I turn the ringer off on my phone, but it continues to vibrate angrily on the table.
Later, I drop my case into Charlie’s room and she says, ‘The T-shirt looks cool.’
‘Thanks.’ I check myself out in the mirror. I look unhappy, so I make my smile wider, brighter. Mason Soames isn’t going to spoil this evening for anyone.
We take the Metro out to the arena where Take That are playing. The crowds are already streaming in when we arrive and the atmosphere is electric.
‘I’m so excited, I could wee.’ Charlie dances with excitement. ‘In fact, maybe I did.’
‘Take these,’ I say and pull our fancy VIP tickets out of my handbag. ‘You’ll appreciate them more than me.’ If Mason had been a nicer person, he’d have got tickets for all four of us, anyway.
Charlie gapes at me. ‘Seriously?’
‘Give me one of your tickets. You might be able to sell the other one at the door.’ Mason’s certainly not going to be needing it. I did wonder whether he’d come down here and try to meet up with us, but there’s no sign of him.
We swap tickets. Charlie stares at Nice Paul before she does a happy dance on the spot. ‘We’re going to meet Gary!’
‘This is great,’ Nice Paul says. ‘But are you sure you don’t want to go with Charlie?’
‘No. You two enjoy yourselves. I’ll be fine.’
He looks as if he can’t believe his luck. ‘Thanks, Ruby.’
‘I’m glad that something good can come out of this.’ I hug them both. ‘I’ll see you back here afterwards. Hit the free champagne and be sure to give Gary a kiss from me.’
Then we disappear our separate ways – Charlie and Nice Paul going for the VIP experience courtesy of Mason and me heading for the cheap seats by myself.
Chapter Ninety-Five
Charlie and Paul’s seats are up in the gods. I climb a thousand steps and will probably need oxygen by the time I get up there. I think I’ll have to grip the seat in front to stop myself feeling as if I’m falling forwards as this tier is dizzyingly high. The arena is vast and filling quickly. Someone beaming widely comes to sit next to me, so I guess that Charlie managed to sell their spare ticket which is great. I hope that Charlie and Nice Paul are enjoying meeting Gary, Mark and Howard. I feel a pang of envy, but it’s only momentary. They deserve those tickets way more than I do and Mason Shagger Soames deserves to cough up for them.
Then the concert starts and I sing my heart out, jig my feet off, sway along, enjoy the fabulous show – even though the lads look like tiny ants on the stage. The light show is stunning and they’ve got the dance moves down to a tee. They faultlessly and fabulously go through all their old favourites and hits from their new album. Thank goodness I’m word-perfect due to Charlie. I only falter when they sing ‘A Million Love Songs’ and ‘Why Can’t I Wake Up With You’ and then the words stick in my throat and I suddenly feel very alone, despite the joyous crowd, and I have a few tears. That bastard. I vowed that I’d never let another man do this to me. Meanwhile my phone continues to buzz in my pocket like an angry wasp. Well, Mason can ring all he likes, we’re done.
The concert finishes with an encore of ‘Never Forget’ and ‘Rule the World’ and I finally feel like a true fan – a fully fledged Mad Thatter. Over the last few hours, I’ve fallen in love with Take That and perhaps I’ll do as Charlie does and save myself just for Gary Barlow. There are worse things in life.
My ears are ringing when the concert ends from all the screaming around me and, despite my sadness, I feel quite light. This has done me the power of good. I might even get a Take That tattoo. A discreet one.
I stand outside the venue waiting for Charlie and Nice Paul, an earworm of ‘Pray’ going round in my head. I even feel moved to break out the dance moves. Eventually, I spot my friends in the crowd and wave frantically. When Charlie comes towards me I can see that an expression of pure ecstasy is written large on her face. Her hair is plastered to her head with sweat and she’s pink in the cheeks. I also note that she and Nice Paul are holding hands.
‘Was that not completely fabulous?’ Charlie squeals. ‘I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.’
‘It was amazing,’ I agree. ‘They certainly know how to put on a show.’
‘We were right at the front and both Gary and Mark grabbed my hand. Yay! Gary came down to sing to the fans and was jiggling his bum right in front of me! I’m totally in love.’ She shows me video evidence of her close encounter on her phone.
‘Wow.’ Any closer and I think her nose would have been in his nethers. ‘It’s not only his bum that’s jiggling. Has he got any undergrunts on?’
‘Who cares? It was a magical moment. I thought about pulling him on top of me.’ She gazes fondly at her screen. ‘Your seat was OK?’
‘It was great. Perfect.’ In fairness, I can’t say that I got an exceptional view of GB’s testicles or botty, but I was happy enough. ‘And your Meet and Greet?’
‘I got to hug Gary and give him a kiss. He recognised me straight away.’
‘That’s fantastic.’
‘He signed my arm.’ She does a happy dance as she sticks out her arm for my perusal. ‘I’m never going to wash again!’
‘I can see another tattoo heading your way.’
‘God, yes,’ she breathes, ecstatically and gazes fondly at her own arm. ‘It’ll match my other one.’
Nice Paul smiles at her indulgently. ‘I restrained myself to shaking his hand, but it was great. Thanks, Ruby.’
‘My pleasure.’
‘Have you heard from Shagger?’ Charlie asks.
‘Yes. Many times, but I haven’t spoken to him.’
‘Tell me that you won’t.’
‘No way.’
‘You’re a beautiful lady and will find someone nice one day. Someone just like Gary. But neeeeeveeer forget,’ she sings the appropriate words, ‘that I have first dibs on him.’ Happily, Charlie links her arm through mine on one side and Nice Paul’s on the other. They look at each other in a loved-up manner. ‘Let’s go back to the hotel and get absolutely hammered.’
Sounds like a jolly fine idea to me.
Chapter Ninety-Six
The hotel bar is filled with fans all wearing tour T-shirts, raucously enjoying a drink, swapping stories of the concert and showing each other the merchandise they’ve bought at ludicrously inflated prices. The hotel is worn, a bit grubby, the sort of place that caters for budget coach parties. This lot don’t care at all. They’re just happy to be here in the Take That stratosphere.
Charlie and I find a sofa on the edge of the m
elee. While she and Nice Paul chat away to the other fans, I sit and enjoy a large glass of restorative red wine and wonder what Mason’s doing now. Valerie. That’s probably what he’s doing now. On my phone there are dozens of missed calls and a stream of increasingly apologetic texts.
The last text says, Forgive me, Brown. I’m a knob.
Finally, I text him back. At least we agree on one thing.
It wouldn’t be too difficult for him to work out where I am and, if it really mattered to him, he’d be down here looking for me. But he’s not.
When Nice Paul nips back to his room, I lean in to Charlie and say, ‘You two are looking very cosy.’ They haven’t put each other down since they got back from the concert.
Charlie does a silent squee. ‘I don’t know what happened,’ she says. ‘I hugged Gary and kissed him, then I turned to Paul and did the same. He didn’t seem to mind at all.’
I grin at her. ‘Certainly looks that way.’
‘I know you’ve been saying it all along, but he is a really nice bloke.’ Then she looks a bit sheepish. ‘I sort of said that I’d spend the night with him.’
‘Tart!’
‘I know. I hadn’t really noticed him until now – not properly. You’ve got to seize the chance when you can, right?’
‘I’m with you on that one.’
‘There’s just one snag.’ She grimaces at me. ‘He’s got a single bed in his room and I’ve got a double.’
‘What you’re not so subtly trying to say is that you’re blowing out your best mate for Nice Paul.’
‘Yeah,’ she agrees. ‘Is that awful of me? You don’t mind?’
I hug her. ‘Of course I don’t. Have a fab night.’
‘I intend to.’
‘Don’t call out “Gary” at the wrong moment or there’ll be trouble.’ We both snarf at that. ‘I know it isn’t very romantic, but you have condoms?’
‘I haven’t. It’s been a very long time since I needed those.’
‘I’ve got some in my bag.’ I fish around and, surreptitiously, hand them over.
‘How very modern of you,’ she says. ‘But thanks.’ Charlie looks anxiously at the packets in her hand. ‘I hope I’ve got enough. He’s so going to get it.’
We are still guffawing guiltily when Nice Paul comes back.
‘Good to see you happy, ladies.’
‘I’ve just been discussing our sleeping arrangements with Ruby,’ she admits when she’s got her giggles under control. I think that I might even see her blush. ‘She’s OK about taking your room.’
‘Thanks, Ruby,’ he says. ‘As long as it’s not putting you out.’
‘No problem.’ Given my previous history, they could have asked me for a threesome. ‘I’m going to head up there now, if you don’t mind.’
So Paul gives me his key and I pull him to one side. ‘Be nice to her,’ I whisper. ‘I don’t want to see her hurt.’
‘It’s the last thing on my mind,’ he promises. ‘I really like her. I have for a long time.’
‘I think you two would make a great couple. Your mutual adoration of Take That has to be a great foundation for a relationship.’
‘To be honest,’ he murmurs back. ‘Even though I do love them, the reason I travel all over the place to gigs is really to see Charlie.’
‘Seriously?’ I laugh at that.
‘Don’t tell her,’ he says. ‘Not yet, anyway.’
‘My lips are sealed.’ What a turn up for the book. I never realised that Nice Paul is more of a Charlie fanboy than a Take That devotee. I’m pleased though.
So I kiss them both goodnight then I leave the hardcore fans to their partying and head up to my room to lick my wounds.
In the cramped room with a view of a brick wall, I undress and take a quick shower. The tepid water drips out of an ancient tap. The bed’s lumpy, the linen threadbare. I don’t like to think of who’s slept in here before. I lie on the bed, reluctant to get under the covers. Besides, the night is warm, clammy and there’s no air-conditioning. Thoughts of Mason, Joe, my ex and even Gary Barlow swirl in my head, making sleep impossible. After a while, I abandon all hope of rest and get up again. I dress and head downstairs. It’s late and there are just a few stragglers left in the bar. Of Charlie and Nice Paul there’s no sign.
In the wee small hours of the night, I hit the streets of Paris. The restaurants round here are closed up now, the cobbled streets all but deserted. It’s nice, soothing. I walk without really knowing where I’m heading, just taking in the sights, the night. I put my earphones in and listen to Take That as I meander through the streets, passing the odd party of drunken revellers – many of them middle-aged women in Take That T-shirts.
I find myself on the Champs-Élysées once more and turn towards the Eiffel Tower. I’d like to see more of this beautiful city. It has so much to offer and a dozen weekend trips wouldn’t even scratch the surface. I’d like to do it properly one day. Then I think that I have nothing to go back for. There’s no one waiting for me at home. Mason has our train tickets and I’ve no intention of travelling back with him by my side, so I’d have to buy another one for myself anyway.
I look at the magnificent monument ahead of me, illuminated against the night sky. It looks like a beacon of hope. What if I didn’t go home? Who would care? It would mean losing my job, but I can hardly work for Mason now, can I? I could do this. I could stay here for a few days, a few weeks, a few months even. However long it takes. I have nothing to go back for.
I get a thrill of excitement in my stomach as I contemplate the logistics of it. Is it even possible? Yet the more I think about it, the more I want to do it.
Chapter Ninety-Seven
I spend the rest of the night plotting and planning, thinking how this might work and arrive back at the hotel in time to see the coach arrive to take the Take That fan club home.
Charlie’s pacing the pavement. ‘I’ve been out of my tiny mind,’ she says when she sees me. ‘I came along to your room to get you for brekkie, but there was no one there. You’re not answering your phone either, you muppet.’
‘Oh. I turned it off so that I couldn’t hear Mason calling me.’
She tuts. ‘Where have you been?’
‘Just walking,’ I say. ‘And thinking.’
‘Oh, God. Not that again.’
I laugh. ‘I’m going to stay in Paris.’
‘What?’
‘I’m not coming home. Not yet. I’m going to stay here for a while and get to know the place.’
My friend looks horrified, as if I’ve told her that I’m not really mild-mannered Ruby Brown, but a mass murderer. ‘For how long?’
‘I don’t know. As long as it takes. Until my money runs out.’
‘You can’t,’ she wails at me. ‘It’s probably illegal or something.’
‘I really want to and I’m not planning to be here for ever. Just until I get my head straight.’
‘Come home,’ she begs. ‘We can get your head straight on cheap wine and chick-flicks. What will I do without you?’
‘You’ll be fine.’
‘Plan this properly,’ she says. ‘Paris will still be here in a few months.’
‘I want to stay,’ I assure her. ‘It’s an adventure.’
‘This is because of Mason, isn’t it?’
‘Partly,’ I admit. ‘But I have no ties, no commitments. I’ve never done anything wildly spontaneous in my life. There’s a bit of spare money in my bank account. If I don’t do this now, when else will I be able to?’
‘Have you told that shagging shit?’
I shake my head. That’s one call I can’t make. If I never speak to Mason again it will be too soon.
‘What shall I tell him?’ Charlie asks.
‘Tell him to fuck himself,’ I suggest.
She shrugs. ‘OK.’
I hug Charlie to me. ‘I’ll be fine. We’ll FaceTime every day. You’ll hardly notice I’m gone.’
‘I’m going to have to l
eave the Butcher’s Arms too, aren’t I?’
‘Don’t rush into anything. You like that job.’
‘I’ll want to punch Shagger Soames every time I see him. I knew no good would come of this.’
‘I should have listened to my bestie.’ Then I check my watch. ‘Your coach will be leaving soon.’
‘I’d better go and help Paul. He’s gone to get our luggage to bring it down to reception.’
‘How did it go with him?’
She waggles her eyebrows mischievously. ‘No condoms left.’
‘None?’ Charlie flushes. ‘Wow. Good girl. Did you close your eyes and think of Gary Barlow?’ I tease.
‘No. I didn’t.’ She sounds surprised at her own admission. ‘We had a great night. He’s very caring.’ A little sparkle comes to her eyes when she speaks about him. It’s nice to see her happy and glowing. ‘I like him, Ruby. Really like him. Do you think there’s a chance it will work out for us?’
‘I think you’re lovely together. He doesn’t even mind competing with Gary Barlow.’
‘I know.’ Then her eyes fill with tears. ‘I’m frightened to let him close, Ruby.’
I take her by the arms. ‘I fully understand why, my love, but give it a chance. He seems like one of the good guys.’
‘He does.’ She brushes away her tears. ‘Come home soon. I’ll miss you too much.’
I hug her again. ‘I’ll be back as soon as the money runs out.’
‘Take That are playing the Albert Hall for Christmas. I’ve got gold circle tickets for us as a surprise pressie. You can’t be away for that.’
‘It sounds fantastic.’ I kiss her cheek. ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’
‘You’d better not,’ she warns.
Then Nice Paul arrives, struggling with all of their luggage. So we take some of the bags from him and Charlie say, ‘She’s not coming back with us.’
‘Wow,’ Paul says.
‘Long story. Charlie will explain.’ I walk with Charlie down to the coach and hug her again. She cries a bit more. ‘Look after her,’ I say to Nice Paul.