Solstice

Chapter Eighteen

Ricky couldn't hide his hurt when he arrived at Paddington Station. He had it all worked out in his head that he would tell Elizabeth that he loved her and that she would go back to Sunset Ferry with him. He never expected the reaction that he got. But he knew that Elizabeth had been hurt. From what the paper had said, she had been hurt badly and that kind of hurt was hard to forgive. Thinking about it, Ricky thought that it was probably stupid of him to even think that Elizabeth would leave the lifestyle she had for someone who was always on the road, not having what you could call a real home. He accepted the fact that he was probably just the rebound fling. Like he had been many times.

Ricky sat on one of the benches near the tracks at the station. His placed his bag pack at his side and leaned back onto the bench and stared up at the glass dome. There was no break in the cloud. It was grey and there was a probable chance of rain. Ricky was only slightly thankful that he was going back to Sunset Ferry. He had sent a text message to Nathan to tell him that he would be there soon. Seven hours in fact. He knew that this wouldn't be enough time to get ready to perform so Nathan had said that he would pull a few strings to try and get an extra day out of the Festival. Ricky would await the slanging match with glee.

A group of screaming fans caused Ricky to seek refuge in the coffee shop around the corner. He had only just started to relax when he was jolted from his seat but a loud scream of his name. At first, his crushed heart and mind thought it may have been Elizabeth but when he looked up all he saw were five teenagers all wearing Avalanche t-shirts. He begged the waitress behind the counter not to let them in if they tried to follow him, which after a promise of an autograph, she did. Ricky sat in a quiet blind spot of the coffee shop with a steaming coffee perched on the table in front of him. He smiled as he thought of the last time he had coffee in front of him, only it was in the sunshine with Elizabeth sat opposite him, head back, sunglasses on soaking up the seaside rays. He let Elizabeth's image fill his head once again as he sat back and drank the hot caffeinated liquid whilst he waited patiently for the train.

"I don't know if I can do this." Elizabeth said to the conductor of the Orchestra who was sat on the edge of the stage next to her. He was a young man with rich dark hair. He reminded her slightly of Ricky only in a more sophisticated way. And in her opinion she preferred the slightly scruffy one. Thankfully Elizabeth didn't have another Martin on her hands.

"Don't you think it might just be first night nerves?" he said gently trying to reassure her.

"No." Elizabeth shook her head. "It's something more than that."

"Maybe you need another coffee." The Conductor said again.

"Robert, honestly if I have any more coffee I am going to sick." Elizabeth continued finally using his name for the first time that day. Robert sighed placing his hand gently on her back.

"I hate to ask this but has it got anything to with that young man that was here earlier?" Robert asked. Elizabeth looked at him shocked. Ricky had been in the dressing room for no more than five minutes, no one apart from Taz could have possibly known that he was there. Robert sensed Elizabeth's shock and confused and smiled.

"The front of house staff aren't exactly discrete." He said. "I can only imagine that assistant of yours is throwing her into The Tower as we speak." He giggled in a vain attempt to try and make the singer feel better.

"Oh God." Elizabeth said putting her head in her hands. "I didn't want this. I just want my life back to normal."

"It will be." Robert said. "You just need a little time."

"Time is something that she hasn't got at the moment." Taz said as she suddenly reappeared into the auditorium. "Robert if you could bugger off and go and polish your baton for five minutes please, I would be very grateful." Robert didn't argue, he quietly squeezed Elizabeth's hands, got up and walked out of the theatre.