Solstice

Chapter Fifteen

Tim and Tarquin did appear that day and managed to successfully evade everyone as they snuck back into the Hotel, giggling and very obviously drunk. They fell through their room door and ended up in a heap on the floor, giggling and crawling their way over to their beds. They were both carrying the newspaper that they had managed to pick up during one of their rare sober moments and somehow it made it onto the bed in one piece. Tarquin was the first to crawl onto his bed and sat there laughing hysterically as Tim grabbed the sheets and then fell backwards with the bed sheets still in his hand.

"Oh man Nathan is going to kill us!" Tarquin giggled as he fell back onto the bed. "We are a dead bassist and a dead drummer."

"Well if he does at least we'll go out with a bang." Tim slurred as he finally managed to get onto his bed. "Come on then, open it up." He continued pointing to the paper. "Let's see what the world is going to see."

"Ok man, what page did she say it was?" Tarquin asked as he started flicking the pages.

"Centrefold baby." Tim said as he leaned over the bed and started searching around for a stray can of beer. "What does it say?"

"Oh man look at that picture!" Tarquin said holding the paper up. "Its huge and we look damn good bro!"

"That we do!" Tim answered finally finding what he was looking for. "So do we rip the crap out of each other or does it say that we will die for the band etc."

"Nah, not much." Tarquin answered as he continued flicking through the pages. "Just some crap about the actual show and Ricky. Nothing much really." Tarquin turned over to the next page and his eyes froze.

"Oh my God..."he said with his hand hovering over the page. "It can't be.... can it?"

"What can't who be?"Tim asked he lay back on the bed and took a swig from his can, trying not to spill his beer.

"It's Elizabeth." Tarquin said holding the paper above Tim's head.

"What?" Tim asked sitting up slightly, can still in hand and his head hitting the paper.

"Elizabeth that Ricky's been hanging around with." Tarquin said flicking the paper. "She's in the fucking paper dude!"

"Why?" Tim asked. "She ain't famous. Is she"?

"Read it bro." Tarquin said placing the paper carefully down on Tim's bed. Tim sighed and leaned forward and glanced over the page. There is was. Elizabeth's picture in black and white, her eyes gazing sadly into the camera as she stood on the stage at The Royal Albert Hall. The article told of how Elizabeth disappeared from London soon after the concert amidst rumours of a break up and indeed and a breakdown. Tim couldn't believe what he was reading and wondered immediately if Ricky actually knew. He looked up at Tarquin with an open mouth and wide eyes.

"Oh Jesus!" he finally said. "Honestly do you think that Rick knows about this?"

"Well if he does then he was keeping it quiet." Tarquin replied, sobering up slightly. "And if he doesn't..."

"Dude he really needs to know about this don't you think?" Tim said taking pride in the fact that he was the more sensible of the brothers.

"No!" Tarquin said rather more abruptly than he intended. "We can't tell him dude. That would not be cool. Let's leave her do the talking ok."

"What if she never does"? Tim said getting slightly more concerned.

"Then she never does, Ricky will find out and be crushed. But that is for him to find out not for us to tell him ok." Tarquin said realising that he sounding more like his brother which in turn confused Tim. "Although, if the paper is left around and Ricky happens to pick it up then..."