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16
DYLAN
I filea complaint with the police.
Nothing happens.
Apparently sending a picture album of my life over the last three years isn’t an arrestable offence. The fact this girl accused me of rape earlier this year doesn’t help my cause.
Sky asked to be alone after she lost her shit and walked around the estate. I watched her from the window, her figure hunched against the winter cold, and anger gripped deep in the pit of my stomach. When Sky returned she’d closed down and returned to her ‘do I give a crap?’ attitude. The longer I know Sky, the harder this is for her to hide from me. She’s an expert at protecting her emotions behind sarcasm and humour, but that doesn’t work with me anymore.
The powerlessness pisses me off. I don’t cope if something interferes with my need to protect Sky from everything the world throws at us, and there’s little I can do right now. I arrange for all mail to be redirected to the PR offices. A lot already was, we’ve intercepted a few ‘Sky c/o Blue Phoenix’ to avoid weird things reaching her, but something was likely to slip through the net eventually.
I step up security on the property and short of an armed guard patrolling the perimeter, which I half consider, there’s little else we can do. Lily hasn’t threatened us. We refuse to have our life dictated by fear, and Sky insists we live as normal and write this off the way we did the strange card she sent following our return from Europe.
I’ve dealt with crazy fans a lot over the last few years, including the occasional obsessed girl and more marriage proposals than I can count, but I don’t understand Lily’s game. First she attempts to have me arrested, and then this “gift.”
Blue Phoenix is due to leave for Europe at the end of January, and Sky isn’t keen on joining me for every date. This worries me. I don’t want to her left alone. I understand why and I’m hoping if Lily continues her stalking, she’ll target me because I’ll be easier to locate. Tour security will deal with her if she does. I half want her to find me. One threat against either of us and I’ll hit Lily with a restraining order, which won’t let her in the same bloody country.
* * *
In the weeksleading up to the tour, the band are hauled back to London to rehearse. The last time we played together was nine months ago, but we slip into our natural rhythm with each other as always. There’s a weird vibe though. The normally laid-back Bryn is currently the edgiest, and Jem’s behaving like a normal person again. Well, semi-normal. Jem smiles which hasn’t happened much in recent months, or years.
He’s back with Ruby, and as Ruby Riot rehearse nearby, they’re often huddled together in our breaks. The happiness I promised he’d find, that he denied he ever would, radiates from the couple, and I hold hope for him. Liam’s well... he’s Liam, never one for drama unless it seeks him out. Lucky bastard has managed to take himself, Cerys, and her kid out of the public eye and play happy families.
Bryn. No idea what the fuck is going on with him, but he’s a moody bastard. I catch up with Bryn at the end of the day when he remains in the rehearsal studio taking out whatever frustrating shit is happening in his life on his drums. I hang while Bryn finishes his assault on my ears until he notices me.
“You okay, man?” I ask.
Perspiration glistens on his forehead, T-shirt soaked across his chest and back from his exertion. He drops the drumsticks and pushes his damp curls from his face with both hands. “Yeah.”
“Uh huh.” I pass him a bottle of water, which he slugs.
Bryn finishes and dumps the bottle on the floor next to him. “Just out of practice. Wanna sound good, yeah?”
The look passes. The one warning me not to push the issue, warning me to shut up.
I sit on the plastic chair nearby and grasp at a topic change. “Bloody Jax was hanging round before, asking a million questions. Again.”
“He’s excited. Don’t you remember your first big tour?”
“I guess. But he’s intense. At least the twins aren’t as full on. I can’t stand him in my face all the time.”
Bryn laughs. “They’re too busy living the dream, Dylan.”
“You been out with them?”
“A few times. No point asking you boring bastards, not like you can bring your girls, and Jem... yeah.”
“Been enjoying yourself living the dream too?” I tease. “Who’s the girl I saw you with?”
“Which one?”
“Which one? You have a selection?” I point at his boots. “Saw you ice-skating. Dude, what’s with that? New place to pick up girls? I’ll give you points for originality.”
“Nah, me and Avery went together.”
“Like on a date.” I pinch his cheek. “Aww, you big old romantic.”
