Since I Saw Him Last: A Gary Barlow Fanfic

Chapter Sixty

The last show of the tour was outstanding. You could tell that Gary, Mark and Howard were saving all their energy for the finale. They sang the best they'd ever sang, they interacted more intimately with the crowd and they veered off their carefully rehearsed script to joke more with the audience too. This is it. The tour is over. Gary beamed a wide smile in my direction as he left the stage. I smiled back just as wide but I could feel my heart sink as soon as the lights went up. I hope I've used this precious time with Gary wisely. Life will resume as normal tomorrow. I won't have the luxury of seeing him every day. My body shivered at the thought.

"Tasha?" I could feel a hand throttle my shoulder. I looked up to Charlotte. Her face was fraught with concern, "Tasha? You okay?" I nodded, "Yeah, course. I just can't believe that's it." I said in a daze as I looked straight through her. "Come on. Snap out of it. There's a party waiting to happen backstage and we're missing out." I nodded unconvincingly as I followed her and the rest of the girls backstage. "I can't believe it. That was just amazing!" Victoria screamed as we strutted down the corridor. "Not as amazing as my shows." Robbie looked at Victoria smugly and winked. He'd joined us as soon as the show started and the lights went down. "Oh, of course not honey." She winked back. He slapped her behind and she squealed. "Not now." She whispered. We arrived at the dimly lit VIP room. A few tables were dotted around the room. A DJ played music to the left of us and a crowd were buying drinks at the bar in the far corner. Someone tapped me on the shoulder, I whizzed around to see Jason with his arm wrapped around Sophia. "Jason!" I leapt forward to give him a hug. I looked over at Sophia who smiled sweetly, "I was wondering where you both were. I knew you were coming later Jay but didn't see Sophia for the entire gig." I said animatedly. "I almost missed the start of the show. My brother isn't too well at the moment so, you know. We were seated up a bit. Good view though. Great show. It feels weird not being part of it but I'm dead chuffed for those lads, really. They deserve all the praise they get." I felt a hand touch my waist lightly. "Hello Jay." Gary's hand slipped from my waist as he stepped forward to hug Jason. Gary's touch is electric tonight. I wanted his hand back where it belonged. "I'm good Gaz. Really good. Brilliant show tonight. So proud of you three, honest, I really am." Jay smiled his perfect set of teeth whilst exhibiting his beautifully chiselled cheekbones. "It's not the same without you mate but it still feels good out there. I'm buzzing right now. I can't keep still." Gary said emphatically. "I think you should settle those nerves with a drink." Jason winked. "Right you are." Gary nodded. "See you later Jay." "See you Gaz." Gary interlocked my fingers with his as he lead me to the bar. The bar looked a lot less hectic now. "What'll you be having?" Gary looked at me blankly. I shrugged. The corner of Gary's mouth rose and his right eyebrow followed suit before rolling his eyes. "Two brandy's please. On the rocks." The barman nodded at Gary. "So." Gary said as he pulled me close. "How are you feeling?" Gary planted a soft kiss on my forehead. I cleared my throat, "Yeah, good." I looked up into his green eyes and bit my lip involuntarily. Gary tilted his head slightly, "You gotta be kidding me. I know when you're not okay. Come on, what's up?" He squeezed me. "I don't want to rain on your parade Gary. You deserve this. A night to celebrate the end of a tour that you've put so much effort into. This is your moment not mine." I looked down towards the arms that were holding me tight. "Come off it. My moment? How many moments do I need?" He chuckled. I shrugged, "Your life and career is more important than mine." "Natasha, you know that's crap. You are important. And I'd like to be told when you're not feeling quite yourself." I shrugged again, "I dunno." I sighed heavily before continuing, "After you left the stage tonight, my bubble burst and I'm feeling a little blue, that's all. I'll get over it." "Right. We're leaving. Down your drink." He handed me a glass of brandy that was waiting on the bar. "Gary, you can't go just yet. This is your party." I stressed. "Yeah, but we don't have to stay." He released me from his clutch. "Gary, you have to stay. You can't just disappear." My eyes widened. He can't leave just because I'm being pathetic! "Okay, we'll stay. But just for one drink." Gary ordered another glass of brandy for himself. After we'd been served, Gary leant forward, hovered his face over my right ear and whispered, "After we finish this drink, I'm taking you back to the hotel so we can be alone. I want to show you just how important you are." I could feel my pulse start to race and I tingled down below. Gary moved away from me and walked in Robbie's direction. My eyes followed Gary as he strolled. I rolled my eyes, "Here we go."

I walked over and stood next to Gary as he greeted Robbie. He then put his arm around my waist without taking his eyes off him. "Great show Gaz. Great show." Robbie said as he took a swig from the bottle in his hand. "Thanks mate. I can't believe it's all over. This is the hardest we've worked on a tour so we're glad it's paid off." Gary took a sip of his brandy. "So how are you two? Looking very loved up I see." Robbie averted his gaze from Gary to wink at me. I smiled sheepishly, "She's amazing this one." Gary nodded his head in my direction. I'm flattered by how open he's being with his feelings for me in front of others. Something in him has changed. He seems more carefree. "From what I've heard, she's definitely a keeper." Robbie nodded at me knowingly. At this point, Victoria sauntered over with a bottle of beer in her hand and a fluorescent orange cocktail. "There you are honey." She handed Robbie the bottle as he discarded the empty one. "Guess what Rob's sprung on me?" Victoria's face lit up as she sipped her cocktail. Gary chuckled. I looked over at him before looking back at Victoria and shrugged, "I dunno." "You can be such a killjoy at times. Guess!" Victoria teased. "Go on. Just tell me." I said with indifference. "Rob's going over to Las Vegas for a month's residency and he's taking me with him! Can you believe it?" I mustered a smile, "That's fab news Vicky. But what about work?" Robbie piped up, "What about work? She's stuffing in her job to come with." I tried to hide the shock on my face. Dropping everything for Rob? How foolish is that? "We're all going out clubbing later. Fancy it Tash? Gaz?" Victoria was tipsy already. "Who's we?" I asked with an unamused expression. Robbie answered, "Jay, Sophia, Howard, Zoe and Charlie." "What about Markie?" Gary asked. "Markie won't be going. That's what he said anyway." Robbie answered. "He likes to zone out after a gig. But I'm surprised Charlie is going?" Gary questioned. "Yeah, well. You know Charlie. She never wants to miss out on anything." I rolled my eyes. Robbie insisted, "You game then?" Gary shook his head. "Nah, we'll pass. We're going to make a move now actually. Natasha's not feeling so good." Robbie mimed a sad face as Victoria frowned. "Oh no Tash, give me a hug." She pulled me forward. "We'll message tomorrow. But I probably won't see you as we're off to Las Vegas this weekend. Take care of yourself hun." I smiled appreciatively. "Thanks Vicky. Have a blast, won't you?" I felt guilty appearing so disinterested earlier. We waved them off before sliding out the exit as discretely as possible.

"Would you pull up just outside the hotel's drive? We'll take a walk." Gary asked the driver. I looked over at Gary with a quizzical expression. Gary smiled one of those cheeky smiles. "Is here okay?" The driver asked. "Yeah, that's grand. Come on you, hop out." I slid out of the car as Gary thanked the driver. The car turned around and sped off back in the direction of the venue. Gary grabbed my hand as we started to walk up the drive. The hotel grounds were expanse so I could only assume Gary wanted to take a romantic stroll before heading up to our room. We walked in silence for a while. I feel so calm just walking hand in hand with Gary. It makes a change from how chaotic the tour was. I'm so at peace in this moment.

Gary disturbed our silence after some time, "Let's go over to that large tree over there." There was a beautiful oak tree stood at the northernmost edge of the grounds. We sat on a bench parked in front of it. Gary moved closer and kissed me softly. "Mmm." He sounded as he moved his head away from mine. My eyes were starting to adjust in the darkness and they started to make out his face. "Natasha, I don't want to spend a moment away from you." Gary moved his hand to my face and tucked my hair behind my ear. "I've loved every second you've been with me. I want more. I want you. All day. Everyday." He paused to lick his upper lip. "I feel the same way Gary. I'm going to miss you when you're not with me." I hung my head a little. "You might have realised I'm not quite finished with you yet." I looked up at Gary and giggled. "So you have realised." He chuckled. "Usually after a tour, I go away somewhere to unwind. Just zone out of this showbiz world for a few days. How do you fancy joining me?" He stared intently waiting for my reaction. "Sure, I guess it depends when it'll be because I'll have to go back to work." I was curious as to what he had in mind. "Forget about work. We'll head off tomorrow and spend the weekend together. Maybe Monday too. Just the two of us. We can pass by our places on our way if we need to pick up anything." Gary seemed reluctant to tell me where we were going. "Great planning Gary. But where are we going?" I asked insistently. "It might not be your thing. But I enjoy it. We're going to live amongst the wilderness and sleep underneath the stars for a few days." Gary smirked as my mouth dropped open a little. "Stop being poetic. It's camping, isn't it?" I scowled a little. "What's wrong with camping?" Gary teased. "It's just not really my thing." Gary laughed at my response. "Maybe not, but I know what is."