Chapter 15
“Kimberley! Let me past – I’m gonna wee myself!” screamed Cheryl as Kimberley fiddled with the front door.
It opened and Cheryl ran past Kimberley and up the stairs, two at a time, struggling up the last few as her balance started to go, so she grabbed the banister and pulled herself up to the top, hitching her dress up as she went.
Kimberley laughed to herself as she locked the door. Cheryl had been desperate for the toilet on the way back and at one point Kimberley thought there might appear an embarrassing story in the newspapers the next day about Cheryl wetting herself in a cab.
Kimberley made her way into the kitchen, resting her handbag on the counter as she continued to the door – letting herself out and standing on the edge of the terrace. It was completely dark - the only light coming out of the kitchen, and as she looked out at the sea, the only way she knew it was actually there was because she could hear the sound of the waves gently hitting the rocks on the beach below, and she could feel the light sea breeze against her face.
The familiar smell of the sea reminded her of Cheryl’s villa in France where they had spent a week filming the judges’ houses stage of the X Factor. Nobody had known then that they were a couple, and they had snatched precious moments together when the cameras weren’t around.
Cheryl had been given the Over 25s category to mentor, and she had been so stressed beforehand because Simon had been teasing her about it being the weakest category. To everyone else she maintained a strong, positive attitude about it, telling Simon she could deal with any category she was given, and putting on a brave face for the press. In private she confided in Kimberley about how worried she was, and frequently went into a state of panic that she might fail, and lose all of her acts in the first weeks.
After each interview she would lock herself away with Kimberley and let all her worries out. It wasn’t about her ego and losing face on tv – she was worried that people older than her were putting their last chance at success in her hands, and she was overwhelmed at the thought of letting them down.
Kimberley lost track of the times Cheryl would fall asleep on the sofa, head on Kimberley’s knee as Kimberley stroked her hair and reassured her that she was going to be great, and she would find a way to bring out the potential in each of them – giving them a shot at winning. Together they would discuss song choices, wardrobe ideas, and even what Cheryl was going to wear for filming. Most of the time they were Cheryl’s ideas – Kimberley was just acting as a soundboard while the younger girl made her mind up. But somehow Kimberley’s reassurance seemed to help Cheryl, and Kimberley loved being part of the whole process.
More importantly, it allowed her to spend even more time with Cheryl, during a really busy period for her, and at the time nobody found it suspicious that they should be spending so much time together.
But now of course, their relationship was public knowledge, and the speculation continued as to how long they had actually been together. Before they came to LA the press had reprinted photos of them at Cheryl’s villa during filming, and suggested that the hugs, and the “innocent” placing of a hand on a thigh may have been a hint of something more significant. Kimberley smiled to herself as she remembered how long they had actually been able to keep things to themselves, snatching precious moments here and there when nobody was looking…
Suddenly she felt Cheryl’s arms around her waist, and she snapped out of her own thoughts, putting her hands over Cheryl’s and leaning back into the younger girl.
Cheryl rested her head on Kimberley’s shoulder and let out a long satisfied sigh.
“Better now?” asked Kimberley, giggling.
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