Living In The Shallows (UK Crush #1)

Chapter Two

I opened my eyes and stretched luxuriously with the blissful feeling that only comes from the hedonistic pleasure of a daytime nap. I turned away from the sunlight streaming in through the window to find my Benetton Boys seated in a row, staring at me. I screamed and sat up, nearly knocking my coffee cup off the table between us.

"Holy fuck!" My hands flew up to my mouth. Dear god, had I said that out loud? Judging by how they all sat back with shock, I guess I had. It was just so intimate, having strangers watch me sleep. Multiple strangers. "Sorry," I said in a small voice.

Gethin laughed, and the others joined in, breaking the tension. "No apologies necessary," he said in his sing-song voice. "It's just a bit of a surprise coming from someone so small and young looking. You sure you're twenty-two?"

I nodded, too relieved to talk.

"We only ask because when we have a translator, it's a man, and he's, um, usually much older than you, I mean, us, I mean, we, are." Matty stopped in embarrassment. Apparently, my age was the cause of their unease.

"But you're really twenty-two?" Theo asked. I nodded. "And you speak Japanese? Really?" I nodded again. "And you're prepared to spend the next five weeks with us lot? Be at our beck and call? Follow us around, keep us out of trouble?" This last with a dimpled smile. I nodded again. "And you're feeling better now? You looked quite off there for a minute." I nodded again, putting as much reassurance as I could into the gesture. I was used to these kinds of questions, at least. I was constantly being asked to confirm my age at clubs, bars, even the supermarket.

He rose off the couch, took my old coffee to the sideboard and returned with a fresh cup and a napkin. He wiped up the spill as he handed me the cup. I murmured a grateful thank you and took it from him. He returned to the couch, crossing his long legs at the ankles. "You'll have to pardon our staring," he said with a grin. "Our translators are usually middle aged men who are going bald and have bad breath. We're not used to having translators who are so young and pretty."

"He's the flirty one, in case you haven't guessed," said Ronan with a jerk of his thumb, shaking his head. "Right, so back to it, you honestly don't know who we are?" he asked. I shook my head. He shook his head in disbelief. "You have to understand, it's probably five years since we had to introduce ourselves to anyone." He glanced at the other boys, who gestured for him to continue. "Okay, here goes. We're UK Crush. The band? You have heard of us, I hope?" He put his hand over his heart in a gesture of mock pain.

UK Crush? The boy band? I thought I was coming to work for actors? Had anyone actually said actors to me? I thought back, but couldn't remember. UK Crush would explain the secrecy and security. They were the biggest thing on the planet right now. I didn't know what they looked like, but their music was everywhere. I even had some of it on my iPod. I knew they'd been formed in England a few years ago and had defied boy band odds by staying together for so long. They definitely weren't boys anymore; they had to be about my age, maybe even a bit older. So Betsey being a tour manager made more sense.

I realized I'd been staring at them, and they were waiting for me to say something. "Of course I've heard of you, I haven't been living under a rock! I just didn't know what you looked like. I even have some of your music on my iPhone, I just never really looked at the album art. Um, 'Summer Days' and 'Pictures in the Snow'?" They grinned, and Matty and Gethin fist-bumped each other.

"Those two wrote those songs," Theo explained.

I nodded. I noticed the sun again, which had awakened me. "I have a question. How long did I sleep?"

Theo checked his watch. "Um, about an hour and a half?" I gasped, and he put his hands up in a defensive gesture. "No, no, we didn't just sit here and stare at you the whole time! We went in the hall and took turns to watch the door so no one would come in and disturb you, honest! We came back in when you started moving around and it seemed like you were waking up. We wouldn't just sit and watch you sleep, truly we wouldn't!" He looked to the others for support, and they all nodded vigorously.