Henry's girls

Chapter 4

I woke up the following morning fuzzy-headed from all the beer I'd drunk. The sun was streaming into my bedroom, making me squint. I rolled over to check the time on my phone, it was gone ten, later than I'd slept in for years. I swung my legs out of bed and padded through to the kitchen to make a coffee.

As I sipped the hot, black steaming drink, I ruminated on the events of the previous evening, how the girls had all welcomed me into their group, and involved me in all the conversations and chat. I'd discovered that Doc had an on/off boyfriend who worked at the hospital, and was desperate to pin her down into a more serious relationship, one that she wasn't ready for. The Pixie had an unrequited crush on someone called Alex, and a couple of the others were dating. Unfortunately Iris wasn't forthcoming about any suitors on her own particular scene. I'd tried to ask, but she just smiled her serene smile and changed the subject, teasing me about the Hollywood starlets who threw themselves at me.

I shared a few funny stories with the group, recounting some of the lengths that fangurls would go to just to get a selfie with me. "So we're honoured then?" Iris remarked.

"Not really, lumbered more like," I told her, suddenly embarrassed by my earlier comments about women chasing me. In the Hollywood bubble, it was normality for women to chase around after me, but in San Vinco, it sounded bizarre. The girls were way too cool to demand selfies just because I was an actor. It was liberating.

I'd also discovered that Rachelle had a twin sister, who was coming down the following week to stay. The others told me that she was the exact opposite of the softly spoken, demure rehab therapist, being a lead singer in an all girl rock band. "Which band?" I'd asked.

"Vixens," Rachelle had replied coolly, as though it was no big deal. I was floored, the lead singer, Texan, as she was known, was far more famous than I, and was on almost every magazine cover on the stands.

"Texan is your twin?" As soon as I said it, I saw the family resemblance.

"Non identical twins," she clarified, "actually complete opposites, as she's loud, bold and likes rock and roll, but we get along great and we're close. She's been touring for the past few months, so I might have to help her dry out a bit, touring can get a bit wild."

It explained why the group wasn't overly concerned about my movie stardom, although they did tease me about being pretty, even Iris mentioned it, which for some reason pleased me, as it showed that she wasn't immune.

I opened my laptop and googled Texan of the Vixens. As I checked out the images, I saw a wild, untamed version of Rachelle. In one photo, taken at an enormous stadium, Texan's hair was a flaying mass of blonde waves, her eyes black with makeup and her lithe, tanned arms were stretched out towards the audience who were screaming at her. It put my own fame in the shadows. I had people ask for selfies or slip their numbers in my pocket, Texan had people screaming out to her, treating her like the new Messiah. It just wasn't comparable.

I closed the laptop and opened up the doors to the beach, drinking in the beautiful view and sucking in lungfuls of the warm, clean air. I was just debating whether or not it was too hot to go for a run when I spotted Iris walking along. "Hi," I called out, making her jump. She looked as though she was in her own world. I was rewarded with her gorgeous smile.

"Good morning Henry, how are you?"

"A little fuzzy headed. You?"

"The same. Rachelle finished the last of the coffee this morning as she had to go into work. I was just seeing if Janine was home so I could borrow some."

"I have coffee, I'll make you one," I said eagerly. She beamed another smile and followed me into the kitchen.