Excess All Areas (19 page)

Freya was sat on the edge of the bed, holding on to a dressing she was pressing over the wound.

‘
You OK?’ Nicholas asked her.

‘
I’m tired. But I’m sure feeling drained of energy is natural when your dirty laundry’s been washed in public,’ Freya answered.

‘
So what’s the deal with you two?’ Nicholas asked her, running his hands through his hair.

‘
What d’you mean?’ Freya replied.

‘
Well is it really over between you? Or are fights like tonight normal practice and it’s all going to be forgotten tomorrow?’ Nicholas queried.

‘
Is it really over?! He’s slept with my mother for God’s sake! Of course it’s over,’ Freya told him.

‘
He did what?!’ Nicholas exclaimed in horror.

‘
Look, it’s really over between me and Russell. But given tonight’s performance, I would understand if you want to retract the intention of another date with me,’ Freya spoke, swallowing a lump of regret that had formed in her throat.

Nicholas sighed and sat down in the chair next to the bed.

‘
I’m sorry you got involved. I had no idea he was going to turn up,’ Freya spoke sincerely.

‘
It’s OK,’ Nicholas insisted.

‘
But you’re having second thoughts about me. It’s alright, I completely understand,’ Freya said with a nod.

‘
I’m not having second thoughts. If you tell me it’s over then I believe you,’ Nicholas responded, looking up at her.

‘
What he wants to talk to me about - it isn’t like you think,’ Freya spoke, her voice faltering slightly.

‘
Listen, we all have a past and I don’t want you to feel that you have to tell me anything you’re uncomfortable with right now. If there are things you need to sort out with Russell then that’s fine, but I won’t have him threatening you like tonight. Unless you tell me it’s none of my business and then I’ll butt out completely,’ Nicholas told her seriously.

‘
No, I want it to be your business. Well, you know, I - I don’t want to lose the start of something - with you,’ Freya told him.

‘
Good, because what I’d really like to do is spend some time with you. Time where we can get to know each other without anything else getting in the way, like my fame and your ex and the past. I’m only interested in the present and the future - the here and the now. I’d like us to just try and be two ordinary people for the next couple of weeks and see where we go from there,’ Nicholas told her.

Freya reached for his hand with her good arm and softly brushed his fingers with hers.

‘
I would really like that too,’ she admitted.

Nicholas looked at her and Freya could sense the tension in the moment. She reached up and touched his cheek with her hand, drawing his face towards hers. Nicholas leaned forward in the chair and then hurriedly retreated as the door of the room was flung open and a nurse carrying a suture kit came in.

‘
This would never happen in the movies,’ Freya remarked with a smile.

‘
You’re kidding me. It happens in at least five of my movies,’ Nicholas replied.

‘
And in what scene do you usually get to kiss the girl?’ Freya wanted to know.

‘
Rarely before the end,’ he answered.

‘
I am not waiting that long,’ Freya told him.

Just under an hour later they were back in the car beginning the return journey to Kassiopi.

‘
So does this qualify as our second date?’ Freya asked.

‘
Yes, but I have to say it’s probably the lousiest second date I’ve been on. You get injured, I eject someone from a restaurant and we spend three hours driving to and from the hospital,’ Nicholas spoke.

‘
It’s romantic in a strange way. A bit like something that would happen in an episode of
Moonlighting
,’ Freya told him.

‘
Jeez Freya, you and Bruce have some long term thing going on. I think I feel more threatened by him than I do by Russell,’ Nicholas remarked.

‘
Well isn’t it better that you know about Bruce and I now, rather than finding out later?’ Freya replied.

‘
He’s actually a really nice guy,’ Nicholas told her.

‘
So you do know him! Oh my God Nick, you really are famous!’ Freya announced.

‘
But not that famous - I don’t have his number in my cell phone,’ Nicholas spoke.

‘
True, I forgot about that - and you really don’t have to feel threatened by Russell – oww,’ Freya yelped as the car hit a bump in the road.

‘
You OK?’ Nicholas asked, steadying her.

‘
Yeah, stupid, bloody Russell. I managed to get to thirty and not have any stitches at all and now, a few days in, I have three of them. You had any before?’ Freya enquired.

‘
Any what?’

‘
Stitches. You look like someone who probably fell out of a few trees when he was growing up,’ Freya spoke.

‘
I’ve had a few,’ Nicholas answered.

‘
Ooo where? Do you have any good scars? I bet you have some great scars,’ Freya spoke.

‘
Not really, sorry to disappoint,’ Nicholas replied.

‘
Well maybe you could show them to me sometime,’ Freya suggested.

‘
Maybe,’ he agreed with a smile.

The car pulled up outside the Calypso Apartments.

‘
Well, it’s been an interesting evening,’ Freya remarked with half a smile.

‘
You could say that. I’m beginning to think that every second with you is destined for drama,’ Nicholas responded.

‘
I’m sorry,’ Freya answered, dropping her head.

‘
I was just kidding. It’s OK, I told you, starting now, we’ll forget all about everything else and just have some time getting to know each other,’ Nicholas spoke. He took some of her hair that had fallen out of the bulldog clip, into his fingers and gently tucked it behind her ear.

Freya felt herself shiver at his touch.

‘
Listen, are you going to be OK here on your own?’ Nicholas asked her.

‘
Yes, I’ll be fine,’ Freya insisted.

‘
I don’t want to rush things you know and spoil it,’ Nicholas stated seriously.

‘
You mean you don’t want to come up to my room and make out in synch with the couple in the room above,’ Freya translated.

‘
Well, it would be kind of like being at an orgy,’ Nicholas agreed.

‘
And you would know? I knew those Hollywood parties were wild,’ Freya replied.

‘
You’d better believe it,’ Nicholas said with a grin.

‘
So are we still going out tomorrow? Freya asked him.

‘
I hope so. Are you telling me you haven’t organised things yet?’ Nicholas asked her.

‘
As it happens I have and where we’re going there shouldn’t be a photographer for miles - apart from me of course,’ Freya told him.

‘
Which is a good idea seeing as tonight’s fracas is going to be all over the papers tomorrow,’ Nicholas said with a sigh.

‘
Well I do hope they captured my punch, because it was infinitely better than your shove,’ Freya remarked.

‘
I can’t deny it. You’ve obviously had a lot more practice.’

‘
I am going off you Mr Kaden and I was just beginning to like you,’ Freya told him.

‘
You were?’ Nicholas asked, edging closer towards her.

‘
Yes.’

She could see his breathing had quickened and her heart was in absolute overdrive. She was looking at him, he was looking at her. She leant forward and then Mike the driver spoke through the intercom.

‘
I’m sorry Mr Kaden but I just thought I would mention there are now a dozen or so photographers with their lenses trained on the car.’

The moment had been interrupted again.

‘
Have you seen
Notting Hill
? Well Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts get to kiss in the very first scene. You should do more films like that - the timing might rub off,’ Freya told him with a sigh.

‘
OK Mikey, we’re just leaving,’ Nicholas spoke.

‘
Meet me tomorrow, outside Harry’s Place, about ten. I’ll pick you up from there,’ Freya told him.

‘
OK, well, I’ll see you tomorrow,’ Nicholas said.

He leant forward and kissed her cheek, stroking the hair at the back of her head.

‘
Bye,’ Freya responded, squeezing his hands.

She got out of the car and shut the door behind her. Flashes started going off immediately but she stood her ground and watched the car drive away up the road.

‘
Freya! Freya! How’s your arm? Did you need stitches? Is it true you were engaged to Mr Buchanan?’ one of the reporters shouted.

Freya turned away from them, unspeaking and began to walk into the Calypso Apartments complex. All she was glad about was that they were still calling her Freya.

Twenty One

For the second time since she’d arrived in Corfu, the shagging pair in room three two zero didn’t wake her. This time though, it was because she was awake before them. Her arm had been painful in the night. It had been hard to get comfortable and eventually, having managed only three hours sleep, she had got up at 5.00am.

It was still dark so she made a cup of tea and put the light on on the balcony. The air was fresh and there was a mist over the mountains in the distance that suggested another warm, humid day ahead. Freya sat down and rubbed her sore eyes. So much had happened in the past few days, it was hard to get her head around it.

Her and Russell finishing, Emma being pregnant and her meeting Nicholas. Especially her meeting Nicholas. She knew she shouldn’t be attracted to him, for lots of reasons. The ridiculous bet that had started it all, the timing, Nicholas’ lifestyle - particularly his lifestyle. She loathed the excessiveness of it all and the desperation of the people in his world, their drive to have more and more of everything and anything, just because they could. It was wasteful, it was unnecessary and it was everything she had given up.

But she knew it wasn’t the lifestyle that made him attractive to her - it was the way he was with her. He listened to her, he voiced his own opinions but he didn’t shout hers down. He was compassionate, he shared her sense of humour and he seemed to have a free spirit, just like she did.

Russell turning up had been a shock. She hadn’t expected him to be bothered enough by her ending things to turn up. Little had she known that the only reason he
had
turned up was because he didn’t want to lose her now he’d discovered she might be some sort of meal ticket. He knew about her now and he had obviously kept it to himself for at least six weeks. But Freya knew that wouldn’t last, no matter what he wanted to discuss with her. It was a ticking time-bomb she could do nothing about. She would just have to wait and see if it all blew up in her face or not. She knew if she and Nicholas were to have a chance of a relationship she needed to tell him the truth. But she wasn’t sure she could.

She found it so hard. She had only told one man about it. He had been the only man to meet her family and it had ultimately led to her downfall. Now her two worlds had collided again in spectacular fashion. She hated her parents, they disgusted her. All they had ever cared about was money and status, the very things that mattered least to her.

‘
I didn’t wake you did I?’ Freya asked when she called Emma on her mobile phone later that morning.

It was now 8.00am and Freya had showered and dressed in three-quarter length jeans and a navy blue vest top.

‘
No, I’ve been washing tablecloths since half past six. How are you? How’s your arm? Yiannis told me everything. I can’t believe I missed it. It’s probably the most excitement the restaurant’s seen since I’ve been working there and where am I? In bed asleep,’ Emma stated, disappointedly.

‘
The arm is sore and I didn’t get a lot of rest,’ Freya spoke.

‘
I’m not surprised with all that happening. Yiannis said Mrs P was having a hissy fit about the broken glasses up until most of the customers from last night booked again for tonight, hoping for a repeat performance,’ Emma spoke.

‘
I must go and see her later and apologise,’ Freya remarked.

‘
I wouldn’t worry. She’s seeing the Euro signs in the situation,’ Emma assured her.

‘
So what exactly did Yiannis tell you?’ Freya enquired.

‘
That that creep Russell has been sleeping with your mother. Did he get that right?’ Emma asked.

‘
Yes, he did, it’s true. So you were right about him seeing someone else. Albeit you didn’t guess it would be one of my close relations,’ Freya answered.

‘
Oh God. I was sure he must have misheard. How awful,’ Emma said.

‘
I know, I’ve scrubbed myself raw in the shower. It kind of feels like I’ve slept with her myself,’ Freya remarked.

‘
Oh Freya, I don’t know what to say,’ Emma admitted.