Strings (40 page)

             
‘Luke, Happy Birthday. I hope you enjoy every second. Things have been tough, and we still have a long way to go, but we can do it. I am so proud of you. I still feel so guilty every day for not believing in you when it mattered most. I will always be here for you. I love you more every day, although those three words don't seem enough. If I could write as well as you I would write you a song, but for now just know that I have so much love for you, I sometimes don’t have enough room in my heart to hold it all. You are my soul mate. The One. I promise I will never doubt you again, EVER! Liss XXXXX’

             
‘You don't have to feel guilty, or keep apologising,’ he said, as he wiped away a tear that was threatening to slide down her cheek. She couldn't help it. The whole nasty episode still haunted her. Luke clearly loved the card, and he put it on the coffee table. Then she handed him the last package. She was very excited as he ripped off the paper to reveal a black and white gift box. Inside the box was all the paperwork that Carl had couriered over to her. Luke read through it while Melissa watched for his expression to change as it sunk in that she had effectively given him his own eagle. His smile grew into a huge grin as he read it again.

             
‘I love her,’ he said then placing the paperwork carefully back in the box he picked Melissa up and spun her around. ‘You got me my own eagle! That’s the best present I’ve ever had! When can I meet her?’ he asked, looking just like a kid. She told him that a date hadn't been set yet, but all he needed to do was call Carl to arrange it.

             
‘She is amazing, and so are you.’

             
‘Happy Birthday babe…you deserve it.’

             
He carried her to their room, kissing her and placing her on the bed, where they stayed for the rest of his birthday.

Stay Calm

October 10
th
2014

‘Melissa!’ ‘Luke!’

              The flashes and the yelling came at them from all angles, and Melissa clung to Luke while trying to keep the smile on her face and avoid tripping over in front of hundreds of people. Fans lined the carpet, and the sound was deafening. They had been invited to attend the premiere of Diana Sweeney's new horror film,
Ward 7.
Luke and the boys were wearing black suits and they looked good, even if they hated being dressed like penguins, as Toby put it. Melissa wore a beautiful silver Armani gown with her hair in a low plaited chignon, with silver bands entwined in it. Luke kept hold of her as they moved away from the flashes, and Beth and Dale took their place. 

             
‘Melissa … Luke, please!’ The fans screamed. Luke walked over to a group of girls while she hung back a little, trying not to get in the way. But after a few minutes Luke waved her over. She crossed the red carpet and grabbed his outstretched hand. The girls were almost crying at seeing her, and Melissa noticed that they were the girls who ran her fan website – the page that had cheered her up during the scandal. Melissa was thrilled to meet them and thanked them, telling them how their words of support had really helped her.

After posing for photos with Luke
, and calling Beth over to meet them, Melissa moved along the red carpet. Once the guys were free from the sea of adoring fans, Ray steered them through the line of reporters. They charmed their way through the throng, apart from one very awkward moment when Luke was asked how things were with Melissa since the scandal.

             
Luke wasn’t in the mood for personal questions. ‘Are you blind?’

             
‘Are you back with Melissa for good?’

             
‘No, I just bring along my ex-partners for a laugh,’ he snapped.

             
‘How are things with you both?’

             
‘None of your fu—’

             
Ray grabbed Luke’s arm, and dragged him away before he got himself into trouble, trying to keep him calm while calling Melissa over for extra back-up. Luke was clearly irritated.

             
‘They like to push their luck sometimes - there’s always one moron,’ Ray reminded him, patting him on the back and keeping him moving forward towards the sanctuary of the cinema.

             
Beth and Jo-Jo were causing their own stir, further along the red carpet. Beth was wearing a red cocktail dress and Jo-Jo a yellow and black dress. Both were in heels to match their dresses and were posing for anyone and everyone with a camera.

Those who were there were sorry that
the rest of Echo hadn’t been invited, and that Megan had fallen ill that morning with a bug. It would have been nice to have the whole gang there.

             
They were nearly at the theatre entrance, when Melissa made one last stop to sign a poster. A flash of chocolate brown caught her eye and she looked up, nearly choking as, through the crowd, those unmistakable steel-coloured eyes bore into her. She froze as Amber raised her hand, doing a throat cutting motion with her finger, then pointed at her. She had an expression of pure hatred on her face. Melissa desperately called out for Luke, and she stumbled backwards as her heel caught on her dress. A member of security was there quickly to help her up, and Luke was back by her side in seconds. He thought she had just fallen, until he saw her terrified face.

             
‘What's wrong?’

             
Melissa pointed to the crowd, but she was gone.

‘Amber!’
Melissa gasped. 

             
Ray jumped into action, and more security guards quickly arrived and they searched the crowds for Amber. But as usual, she had vanished without a trace. Luke was shocked, and furious. Yet again Amber had managed to ruin something good.

             
Melissa was taken inside, shaken but angry with herself for reacting as she did. Why hadn’t she jumped the barrier and taken her down? The truth was that Amber really scared her. And this had just proved how much.

             
‘She’s gone. Damn, that girl is fast,’ Ray said on his return. There were beads of sweat on his forehead and he looked worried.

             
Beth was hovering next to Melissa, like a viper ready to strike, and Luke had his arm protectively around her trying to calm her down. Tom and Jo-Jo were talking to security, to find out if anyone saw Amber. Dale watched his best friend closely. He could see the anger bubbling, and he knew that if anyone made the wrong move or said the wrong thing, Luke would flip. They were both on edge again. Toby stood like a wall on the other side of Melissa, eyeing anyone who came anywhere near her, trusting nobody.

The police were informed, but as she hadn't actually done anything
, there wasn't much they could do without witnesses. Conveniently for Amber, with all the excitement and noise, nobody had noticed her little performance. 

             
‘Ray, I want that bitch found. Enough of this shit,’ Luke raged. Amber didn't give out warnings. She just struck and clawed at their lives whenever she pleased, and they were helpless to do anything about it.

             
Melissa was messing with the bottom of her dress and cried as she saw the rip where her heels had caught the hem. There were flecks of blood along the bottom and she noticed a scrape on her ankle caused by her heel catching her as she fell. To add to it all, there would be hundreds of pictures doing the rounds of her sprawled on the red carpet.

*****

‘Lock the doors, I won’t be late,’ Luke said as he put Melissa in the car. Ray was taking her home. Amber had ruined her evening, and she had a stress headache. ‘Walk her to the door and don’t leave until you hear the door lock behind you,’ Luke instructed his manager. He had to mingle for a few more hours before he could go home. ‘I’ll call when I’m outside.’ He kissed her quickly before shutting the door and heading back inside to the after party.

             
‘Beer?’ Dale shouted over the buzz of the crowded venue, and handed one to him without waiting for an answer.

*****

Melissa kicked off her shoes once she had securely locked herself in. She heard Ray’s footsteps going down the hall, and the sound of the lift doors opening. She changed into her comfy nightwear, took some painkillers for her headache, and had a cigarette while calling Luke to say she was home safely.

Irritated that Amber had ruined her evening
, she went to bed. She cursed as she tripped over Chloe, left on the floor of their room by Luke, and put her back in the studio. She cursed again as she tripped over his loop pedal.

‘Luke, how many times have I told you to move it,’ she muttered to herself before crawling into bed where she was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

*****

‘Boring bastard!’
Dale mocked Luke as he said his goodbyes just before 1.30, keen to get home to Melissa after Amber’s little performance earlier. Melissa had been so excited about the premiere. She’d looked so beautiful and happy as they’d left home and Luke was annoyed that yet again that girl had ruined it. After one last drink, he left to find the car that had returned to the venue after taking Melissa home.

*****

Melissa woke hours later, feeling very thirsty. The apartment was quiet and she checked the time, and frowned when she saw it had just gone five. She got up and checked to see if Luke had fallen asleep on the sofa, but it became clear that he wasn't home. She assumed that he’d crashed at Dale and Beth's but was annoyed he hadn't even bothered to tell her. He wasn't answering his phone either, which irritated her even more. By around 6.30, she started to worry. Knowing that she was probably going to have her head bitten off, she called Beth to ask where he was, just to put her mind at rest.

             
‘I'm sorry to wake you so early,’ she said as soon as she heard Beth's sleepy voice.

Beth said there had better be a good reason as she’d only been in bed two hours and wasn’t available for early morning wake-up calls. Melissa could hear Dale complaining in the background. Beth told her that Luke wasn't with them and that he’d left around one-thirty saying he was going home.

              ‘He isn’t here. Are you sure he said he was coming home?’ she checked. Beth confirmed that was definitely what he said, and he was in a relatively good mood despite Amber. Melissa started to panic.

             
‘Stay calm. Maybe he got talking to someone after leaving us and went on somewhere else,’ Beth said, trying to reassure her. But Melissa had a horrible feeling in her stomach. She knew he wouldn’t just wander off in the middle of the night. He wouldn’t do that to her after everything they’d been through. Not without at least letting her know.

             
Dale took the phone from Beth and told Melissa they were due at the studio at ten. Luke never missed studio time, and when he saw him he would make sure he called her. 

*****

But Luke didn't show, and the studio time was cancelled. All calls were going to his voice mail, and at around midday, his phone was switched off.

             
‘He’s been hurt, I know it,’ Melissa cried. She had called the police but they couldn’t file him as a missing person until he’d been AWOL for twenty-four hours.

             
Beth watched as Melissa paced up and down, lighting yet another cigarette. ‘Liss, you have to eat. You’ll collapse soon…’

             
Melissa shook her head. She couldn't eat now. She looked at Beth while she tried calling him again.

‘Luke, where are you? Please call me. If something’s happened then talk to me. We can work through anything. Don't worry if it's the drugs. I promised I would stand by you. Just call me, please, baby
, I’m worried.’

S
he hoped there would be a simple explanation. Maybe he’d relapsed with the cocaine and was hiding, because he felt bad. She knew it wasn't another woman, and he hadn't left her.

             
‘I hope he’s not gone on a bender. He was doing so well,’ Dale said, but he knew it wasn't that. Even if it was, he wouldn't just go off radar like this, because he knew Melissa would support him. Luke had left the party and just vanished. Dale picked up a sobbing Melissa from the sofa and hugged her.

‘He will turn up, don't worry
.’ But deep down he wasn't convinced.

             
The hours dragged by slowly, with no news. Melissa called his phone every hour but it was useless, and hearing his voice mail was just upsetting her even more. Ray called every few hours to check on her, and her parents and Luke’s were calling frequently.