A Greek Odyssey - Jason Fic

CHAPTER 30

Lexi was ready for 8pm and waiting in the usual place where she had always waited for Jason, when Josh and Ben drew up in the car. Despite the fact she was missing Jason badly, she'd been looking forward to their night out. She liked both of them a lot - Josh was like a younger, more carefree version of Jason. He had the same dark hair and deep blue eyes, but he was about 4 inches shorter, a little stockier and his features were slightly softer than Jason's. He was also less inclined to think things through deeply, unlike Jason. Ben was similar in nature to Josh, but he was the polar opposite looks-wise. He was blond with hazel eyes and was tall and slim. Neither had really had any long-term relationships as they were happy going out on a Saturday night together, flirting and having the odd short-term relationships here and there.

Lexi ran over to the car, calling out a greeting to the two lads who both jumped out of the car, slamming the doors shut. Josh came towards her and planted a friendly kiss on her cheek and put his arm around her shoulders. 'Ready to go?'

She nodded in agreement and they set off down the narrow road, and down towards the harbour. They walked to the very end of the harbour and settled on a table overlooking the harbour itself, at a taverna called Dionysos. The waiter hurried over with a menu each and reeled off the specials of the day, taking time to explain what they all were as they didn't recognise the Greek names for the dishes. They opted to share starters and ordered a different special each. The waiter brought them over a large carafe of white wine and Ben poured them each a glass. They clinked glasses and said cheers to each other. Lexi breathed a deep sigh of contentment and looked at Josh;

So, tell me about you and Jason as kids then Josh?' Lexi asked, wanting to know all about his childhood memories. She wanted to get to know the Jason that the public didn't see, what made him tick and to find out about the Jason she'd grown to love.

'Well, he's quite a bit older, as you know. I don't remember much from the first time around really. I can remember lots of girls hanging around outside our house calling his name, that's about it. I remember thinking my brother had lots of friends as there were always people hanging around. I didn't realise they weren't his friends they were fans!' Josh chuckled at the memory and how confused he'd felt about seeing girls outside their house. 'The other thing I do remember is fans throwing stones at my window in case it was Jason's bedroom and them being disappointed when I opened the curtains - a skinny 7 year old boy! You should've seen their faces!'

Lexi laughed at the thought of the disappointment on the fans faces as Josh opened the curtains and looked out in his pyjamas.

Josh continued with his memories from their childhood. 'Eventually Jason moved out and I was relieved, as it meant I'd get a decent night's sleep. I did miss him as he was a good laugh to have around, but being quite a bit older than me we didn't have much in common. I used to spend the odd night at his flat in Manchester and when the band split up we got closer as he had more spare time for me.'

'It must have been odd for him when they split up, going from a face millions of people recognised to a nobody?' Lexi asked. She was finding Josh's stories of Jason fascinating.

'At first he seemed like he didn't have a purpose, but you know he's got a sensible head on his shoulders. He did a bit of travelling, then enrolled in college and eventually took up acting. The problem with the acting work was that he'd always find someone would recognise him as Jason Orange ex Take-That member and he wouldn't get the job as they couldn't see past that. It drove him mad!'

Lexi nodded and felt protective towards Jason wanting to put her arms around him for all the rejections he must have gone through when he'd taken up acting.

'When they decided to re-form at first Jason didn't know if he wanted to go through all that adulation again. So, they all sat down and decided it would be on "their terms". They haven't looked back since. They only accept engagements they want to do and they discuss things more in-depth than they ever did before. Jason seems a lot happier and as I've got older we've got closer and closer. I couldn't ask for a better brother really.' Josh smiled with affection as he thought about his big brother back home in London.