Illusions of Love (13 page)

Everything had seemed so good between them at first, but beneath the surface it was quite obvious that
India
had never been able to love him the way she should have loved him.
 
And that was sad – for both her
and
JJ.

Kenny looked over at Layla, who was still staring into her coffee, and suddenly he just wanted to reach out and take her hand.
 
She looked so beaten, and Kenny didn’t think she deserved to be that down.
 
Even though she’d entered into a relationship with Michael with her eyes wide open and the knowledge that he would never love her as much as he loved
India
, she still didn’t deserve any of this.
 
It was all such a mess.
 
India
and JJ divorcing, and Michael and Layla’s relationship on the edge of breakdown, for a reason so clear to everyone.
 
Michael just couldn’t put
India
behind him, even if
she
was happy to forget
him
.
 
Layla knew that.
 
Everybody knew that.
 
It was just harder for those more closely involved to handle the reality.

Layla looked up at him.
 
‘It all seems such a waste, Kenny.’

He put his coffee down and reached out for her, pulling her into his arms as she started to cry, holding her tight as all the frustration finally spilled out of her.
 
She’d really loved Michael, although Kenny couldn’t for the life of him understand why, but she had – she still did.
 
And once again that man was hurting people.
 
Even if, in reality, Layla had always known this day would come.

‘How about we go out tonight, huh?’ Kenny smiled, stroking her baby-blond hair from her eyes, gently wiping her tears away.
 
‘I know some great places where we can just hang out and not be disturbed.
 
Let’s try and forget all the shit that’s going on.
 
You with me?’

She smiled too, even though he could still see the sadness in her eyes.
 
‘Yeah.
 
I’m with you.
 
Why not?’

He pulled her into his arms again, just letting her hold onto him.
 
They needed each other, him and Layla, because both of them were trying to put behind them the two people who’d put the pair of them in this situation – Michael and India Walsh.
 
So, for Kenny and Layla, maybe together that job of forgetting would be a whole lot easier.

***

Dominic lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, his hands clasped over his chest.
 
He had too many things on his mind, so many things to think about, because this plan of his was starting to veer slightly off-course.
 
Things were happening that he hadn’t banked on; things were going on in his head that he hadn’t expected to feel, and, if he wasn’t careful, it could all get in the way of what it was he was really here to do.
 

He sat up and pushed a hand through his hair, throwing his head back, sighing heavily.
 
A few days.
 
He’d known India Walsh a few days and she was messing with his head already.
 
What was it with that woman?
 
He had to knock these feelings out of himself; he had to forget they were there because none of this was going to work if he let them take over.

He had a point to prove, that was all; a point to prove to himself more than anybody.
 
That he could get one over on Michael Walsh, that he could take something from him that most people thought impossible.
 
Most had even stopped trying.
 
Even JJ Foster had failed, and everyone had thought he and
India
were solid, after everything that had happened.
 
So this wasn’t going to be easy.
 
But Dominic had to succeed.
 
And only then could he finally tell everyone the truth.

***

Vince watched from the sidelines as Michael directed
India
in a movie she was fast making her own.
 
He loved watching her work.
 
She was the ultimate professional but with an air of fun about her whenever she was on set.
 
She was always smiling, always willing to talk to anyone, and the crew loved her.
 
After every movie she’d made in recent years she’d always rewarded everyone with gifts, making sure they all knew how grateful she was to them for everything they’d done, and that’s why everyone loved her.

But no-one loved her as much as Michael, Vince could see that now.
 
Michael was the ultimate professional too, when he was working.
 
But, as Vince watched closely, watched the way Michael looked at
India
, the way he watched her on set, it was obvious there was more to their relationship than just actress and director.
 
Oh, he knew
India
had no intention of revisiting the past, she’d made that perfectly clear to anyone who asked, but it didn’t seem to be stopping Michael from still loving her the way he always had.
 
And that was what made Vince nervous.
 
Because it was becoming increasingly obvious to a lot of people working on this movie that a new relationship could be on the cards, and it was the last thing Vince knew Michael would want to see.

His eyes moved over to catch a glimpse of Dominic MacDonald, who was standing on the other side of the set, arms folded, dark glasses pushed down, disguising eyes that were quite obviously looking at one person and one person only –
India
.

In a way Vince almost felt sorry for him, because fighting Michael over anything concerning
India
– well, unless you were one hell of a person that was going to be one pretty tough, full-on battle.
 
And Vince wasn’t sure if Dominic was ready for that.
 
Or if he even knew exactly what he might be getting himself into.
 
Vince just hoped that he knew what he was doing because, if he didn’t, there could be one hell of a mess to clear up.

***

‘Okay, everybody!
 
Take half an hour while we set up for the next scene.
 
Back here at ten past!’
 
Michael turned to
India
, who was loosening her hair from a particularly uncomfortable ponytail.
 
‘Shall we let Ethan watch this afternoon?
 
It’s all pretty harmless stuff going on after lunch…’

‘No mummy kissing strange men, you mean,’
India
smiled.

Michael couldn’t help smiling back, even though the thought of her kissing Dominic MacDonald wasn’t one he wanted to linger over.
 
Even if it
was
just for the cameras.
 
‘No.
 
No mommy kissing strange men.’
 
He couldn’t help but throw a quick glance over towards Dominic, who was still leaning against the wall, dark glasses covering eyes that Michael knew were staring straight at his ex-wife.
 
It wasn’t his intention to miss a thing, and Dominic needed to know that.
 
He turned back to
India
.
 
‘So, what do you say?
 
Shall we let the little guy on set this afternoon?’

India
shook out her hair and looked at her ex-husband.
 
‘That’s up to you.
 
You’re the director.
 
Just don’t forget, he’s only seven-years-old and his attention span isn’t all that great.
 
Not to mention the fact he’s still over-excited at having his mum and dad in the same place for more than five minutes.
 
And I’m still not so sure we should be encouraging that, to be honest.’

‘Encouraging what?’ Michael asked, looking at her as she stood up and stretched out, trying not to stare at this still-so-beautiful woman.
 

‘Oh, I don’t know.
 
Seeing you and me together, it might be confusing for him.’

‘In what way?’

India
looked straight at Michael.
 
‘He’s seven-years-old, Michael.
 
And, yeah, he might be used to the fact that his mum and dad have never been together for the majority of his lifetime, but that doesn’t mean to say that he wouldn’t love us to get back together.
 
And I don’t want to give him any false hope.’

Michael looked down at the ground, his hands in his pockets.
 
‘False hope, huh?’

‘It isn’t happening, Michael.
 
I meant what I said, and if you can’t deal with that…’

He looked up at her.
 
‘And what about Dominic?’

India
stared back at him.
 
‘What about him?
 
He’s a dream to work with, he’s an incredible actor…’

‘Don’t play games,
India
.’

She couldn’t help laughing, shaking her head as she continued to stare at her ex-husband.
 
Sometimes he made her realise that the decision she’d made to walk away from him had – beyond any doubt – been the right one.
 
And yet, at other times, he made her wonder if second chances really were something she should have taken a risk on.
 
‘I don’t play games anymore, Michael.
 
But it seems
you
still do, but, let me tell you one thing, okay?
 
There is nothing going on between me and Dominic, but even if there was, it would have nothing to do with you.
 
I’m going to find our son.’

He grabbed her arm, swinging her round, and she stared at him.

‘Whatever you thought was going to happen when you asked me to do this movie, Michael, forget it.
 
I never gave you any reason to believe there could be some kind of hope so I don’t want you to spend any more time thinking it could ever go back to the way it was.
 
You got that?
 
It’s over.’

‘Is it?’

His blue eyes bored right into her and no matter how much she wanted to break that stare, she couldn’t.
 
She couldn’t even get the words out that she wanted to say to him because her mouth had gone dry, so it was time to dig out that strength she’d worked so hard to build up and make him realise how she really felt.
 
Although, that wasn’t all that easy when she wasn’t entirely sure how she really felt herself.
 
‘It’s been over for a long time, Michael, so please, let it go.
 
Because the only person you’re going to end up hurting is yourself, and I really don’t want that to happen.’

‘I still care about you, baby.
 
I always will, can’t you see that?’

She looked at him for a few seconds more, staring into those piercing blue eyes, trying to believe that every decision she’d made had been the right one.
 
Because it had.
 
Hadn’t it?
 
‘Just leave it alone, Michael.
 
Please.’

He let her go, watching as she walked away, watching as Dominic MacDonald stopped her in her tracks and the smile she gave him almost broke Michael’s heart, because it was the smile she’d used to give
him
.
 
The smile that said she wanted to be near you, she wanted to spend time with you.
 
Michael hadn’t had that smile from her in so long.

He wanted back all those times when they’d been so close nothing could tear them apart.
 
The days when their lives had revolved around each other.
 
But then, his life had never really stopped revolving around her.
 
Never.
 
And he couldn’t see a day when that would ever change.

***

Dominic watched
India
talking to Michael, watched their exchange with interest as the expression on Michael’s face changed the longer his ex-wife spoke to him.
 
That relationship was so one-sided; only an idiot would think otherwise.
 

Sliding his dark glasses up onto his head Dominic knew he’d seen enough.
 
He’d gauged just how high the stakes were and now he was ready to play hard.
 
Michael Walsh hated surprises, he knew that much.
 
But he’d better be ready for what Dominic had in store, because, as far as surprises went, this one would floor him.
 
And nothing he could do would stop it from happening.

***

‘Callie!
 
Your model, sweetheart, where is she?
 
She needs to be ready in five minutes…
 
Alan, you’re next – Alan!
 
Come on, quickly!
 
This is it, it’s finale time now guys, move it, move it, move it!’