Chapter Fourteen
Question is laughing so hard I can barely hold my own howl.
Vincent is serious, I mean really serious. Not that he is never serious, but not to this level.
‘are you guys going to help me or not?’
I pressed my lips together and turn to Question.
‘dude, I will help you do anything—but what inspired you to come up with this idea?’
‘I want to win my girl back.’ He says simply.
I shake my head and raise an eyebrow at his guitar, ‘I’m still having a hard time understanding what brought this on?’
Vincent shrugs, ‘why does it matter, you guys will be the background singers, you wont even matter if shit goes south.’
‘yes it will because you cant sing bro, and you want to do a solo in front of all these good people who paid flight tickets and lodging money for a good time.’ Question snickers, ‘do any of you know how much is bail for wasting people’s time.’
‘Question, are you in or out?’ Vincent is still calm, that’s what makes this more creepy.
‘why are you singing James Blunt? There are many I’m sorry songs out there?’
‘are you in or out?’
Question heaves a sigh, ‘well its your show, I’ll just be in the background.’
Vincent nods and turns to me, ‘I believe we are on the same page.’
I shake my head, ‘of course, when have I ever let you do anything stupid on your own.’ I almost roll my eyes, this air head.
‘you little--.’ He doesn’t finish his statement because I raise a hand to stop him
‘I have to go, see you later.’
I glimpse the stunned expressions on their faces before I rush out of the room. I have to find July, she has some explaining to do.
JULY
I should convince Nancy to stop packing and stay, well because I did enter a counsel session with Vincent just to see them reconciled.
But alas I am more than ready to run away with her. I should be packing my own bag but I don’t want to return to my room in case I run into… him.
Could I ask Ludo to go pack for me? She will get suspicious and I don’t want to have to explain to her something that I myself do not yet understand.
‘should I say mission accomplished.’ Ludo smiles at Nancy and for a moment I start to question my existence when she smiles back at her while I only see disaster and the epitome of bad life or love choices (not that I am a guru in that field)
‘yes you can, I finally have come to my senses—I am still mad at the way you had to make me come to my senses but I see what you were seeing now.’
Nancy zips the last of her bags and turn to face the both of us with a finality written all over her face, ‘I am ready to go home—you guys can enjoy the rest of the vacation here,’
‘oh we will.’ Ludo grins and I really think she should be holding a glass of champagne right now but the little bow she does covers it and makes up for the lack of celebration trophy.
‘so help me get to the airport will you.’
‘sure.’ Ludo exclaims and I just nod and start for her bags. I do notice the two girls exchange a glance at my sudden silent mode. But I know right now they wont interrogate me because we had a mission 101 to get Nancy out of here before Vincent figures out the little plan.
With my heart in my throat I walk out and there is the waiting taxi. Now I’m not sure what’s making me feel sick, my own issues or the fact that I know that this is a huge mistake and I am still not stopping it.
Ludo and Nancy are chatting quietly behind me as I approach the taxi and in a flash the taxi man is already come to my aid and is loading the luggage into the boot. I flinch a little when he closes it shut before I manage to slip myself into the back seat. I lay my head back on the seat and take a deep breath.
Maybe the oxygen rushes into my brain a bit too fast because I don’t think about it as I pull out my phone and start writing a text to Vincent. I don’t even know how I have his number but it doesn’t matter right now.
JOSHUA
I think I had almost figured out a lot of things about July but being able to hide so well wasn’t one of them. She is just nowhere to be found, and I have just about managed to develop my apprehension and confusion into being thoroughly pissed off when I saw hulk in the form of a furious Vincent marching in my direction. Question right behind him his mouth sealed shut.
Oh boy what now?
‘let’s go,’ he snaps at me before he whistles for a taxi that was about to pass us by. The car screeches to a stop, dude…
I open my mouth to ask where exactly we are going but Question gives me a look that says shut-up-and-just-move.
I do just that and in a flash of a second we are squeezed at the backseat (because we silently agreed to contain Vincent between us in case he decides to jump out of the car)
The taxi rushes off to god knows where, and I still haven’t found July.
JULY
I mean I had to do something. And a false story about my sulking seemed to be working so why not?
‘I just wanted this vacation to be perfect.’ I put on an agonized expression and I’d rather cut my wrists than have them give me that pitiful strange look but oh well I have a mission 101 to accomplish here, ‘but that man ruined everything and that nutty woman.’
I tighten my arms around Nancy’s body until she grunts in suffocation but she is nice enough not to push me away in bewilderment.
‘its okay July we can have a girls outing when you guys get back.’ Nancy is using that voice as if I am five or something. Okay so maybe I am five
‘but its not the same.’ I whine and sniff, ‘I am so upset.’
I can literally feel Ludo lose her patience, ‘oh for the love of all that’s holy get over it Jules—we are running out of time.’
She even pulls me away from Nancy and gives me a stern look, ‘we can do this later.’
‘you are not Nancy, hugging you wont make sense.’
She narrows her eyes at me, ‘you dare try to..’
‘ladies, quit it I have seen enough drama okay?’
‘I know.’ Ludo purses her lips, ‘but its over now, you just need to get out of here.’
Nancy nods, ‘you are right, see you guys soon, be safe and avoid Vincent however you can.’
We nod simultaneously.
Nancy blows us kisses before she walks to sign herself in. I glance at the exit in dismay, Vincent is late.
JOSHUA
I always held Vincent because he was either raging to beat the shit out of someone or well you get the picture. I thought that had been a worse scenario to be seeing in…. but a Vincent looking like a five year old who has just dropped his ice cream and is ready to sue the producer, manufacturer and seller for putting him through this agony, that I have no experience dealing with.
We stood there and watched the plane fly away twenty minutes ago and managed to get him into a chair—we haven’t moved since then. You’d think someone just died by the silence that surrounded the table we sat at.
The last time I saw Vincent like this was when he had just came to live with us right after losing his parents. Since then he has been a tough man on the outside, like a tortoise, protecting his soft underbelly from sudden distraction.
I am still trying to figure out how to tell the boys that we should get back to the lodge when they arrive.
The first clue was the sound of heels then a loud gasp. I raise my head and meet Ludo’s stunned face.
Question does too and his face immediately morph into furry. Ludo stumbles back in shock.
‘Just walk past.’
Ludo quickly brushes off the shock on her face and raises her chin, ‘don’t tell me what to do!’
Question’s eye starts twitching and I decide to step in, I have no idea what is going on between the two but I really don’t want drama here at the airport with Vincent ready to break apart. That can be dangerous, so I have come to learn during my lifetime with him.
‘Ludo please just go, we can’t do this right now.’
She presses her lips together and manages a smug look towards Vincent before she turns to leave. Question reaches for her arm and stops her. Would it be too sissy of me if I face palmed myself?
‘Why are you doing this?’ he bores into her eyes and stills her in the spot. She freezes for a moment before her senses kicks in and she starts to pull her hand but Question holds it firmly and even pull her to him such that his breath was flashing on her face, ‘don’t you care for people’s happiness?’
‘Are you mad? Let go of me!’
‘What is wrong with you such that you don’t want to glimpse any form of happiness?’
Maybe she is thinking or Question has hit a nerve because she freezes for a moment before she releases the tension in her body and gently pulls her hand and he lets her go.
‘don’t judge me, you don’t know anything about me.’
‘I know a sadist when I see one.’
Ludo looks like she has been slapped before she raises her chin again ready to fire at him when July suddenly shows up and places her hands on their chests separating them, hands I remember too well in way that is not appropriate for the situation at hand.
‘okay guys, truce—lets get a break here before all hell breaks lose.’
She glances at both of them and they respond to her with reluctant nods. Question pushes his hands into his pockets and Ludo folds her arms across her chest.
July glances at them again assuring that they were not going to reach out and murder each other and continues, ‘okay now that we are all in our right senses can someone please tell me what on earth--.’
I cant hold it anymore, I am suddenly in her face my hands gripping her shoulders, ‘where the hell have you been?’
She blinks at me the same moment, Vincent raises his face and even in his present state manages to give me a look that said—
What the hell?