Hello You

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

That evening, after declaring it had been an incredibly stressful day, Alex decided to have one of his luxurious bubble baths. He had been spending money online, buying all his favourite colognes and shampoos and bath oils, and anyone walking into Miles' bathroom, at first glance, would stereotypically think he was now living with a woman. But Miles weirdly liked it. Alex brought out some strange primitive urge in him to indulge him and pander to his whims. He found joy in Alex's occasional bouts of vanity, like spending nearly five hundred pounds on a hairdryer, and asking Miles to give him a trim whenever he thought his hair was getting too shaggy. Then there were all his different face creams, some to stop him breaking out in spots, others just to make him glow. Being beautiful didn't come cheap, but Miles loved it. Sometimes it made him feel like a tough guy from one of his favourite gangster films, with his gorgeous trophy wife. Except his trophy wife was a mega rich, mega famous, male rock star!

Knowing Alex was going to be in the bathroom for ages, Miles decided to do something very risk, and when Alex found out about it, he would go spare. But Miles couldn't relax or fully look to the future until he'd done it...

It had to be done from Alex's laptop to avoid suspicion, so he sneaked it from the spare room and took it down to the dining room, shutting the door behind him. He set the laptop up on the table, and before he called, he lit a fag and had a glass of whiskey. But that just made his heart beat faster.

When he'd calmed himself down, he went into Zoom and dialled her number.

It rang five times, and he was just about to give up when the screen sprang to life. Even now it jarred him to see her. But she looked different to how she had at the gig in La Cigale, or the pap pics he'd seen. With her hair tied back and glasses on, she looked quite ordinary.

"Alex?" she was only partly looking at the screen, she was distracted by something to her left...

"No."

She looked fully at the screen.

"I might have known he was with you," she sighed.

"Long time no see, Louise."

"What do you want, Miles? I take it you want me to speak in English?"

"Speak in whatever you like....I can speak a little French, you know."

"What do you want?"

"To talk about Alex."

"Where is he?"

"In the bath, he doesn't know I'm calling you."

"So, why are you?" She picked up a packet of Gauloises and lit one.

"I want to know if it is really over between you."

"Over? No."

Miles felt the blood freeze in his veins. Had he stopped breathing? He wasn't sure.

"He told me...."

"We're not allowed to be over. Has he told you that?"

"The contract?"

She actually did a Gallic shrug. It was like talk to a stereotype!

"Oui...sorry....yes."

"Why did you sign it? I know why he did, but why did you do it?"

"Because I liked him, he's easy company....well, he was at first. My career wasn't really going too well. I needed to start again."

"So you latched onto Alex to further your career."