Unplugged (Blue Phoenix, #3)(47)

The tall girl moves, and the light catches her bright red hair; the man grabs her arm.

The light casts across his face. I last saw him in person the night Liam kissed me almost six years ago, but the wiry figure with long brown curls touching his shoulders is unmistakably Jem.

“Sort this shit out,” he says to the girl.

“I’m f-ucking trying,” she hisses at him.

They’re closer and I’m now privy to a conversation I probably shouldn’t be. “You can’t live like this, Ruby.”

“Sure, oh, wise one, I’ll follow your example, should I?”

“Don’t hide behind that bullshit.”

“Then don’t start now, I’m on stage soon and you’re messing with my f-ucking head.” She attempts to move but Jem’s grip on her remains. “Let me go.”

“The other night…” he starts.

“This is none of your f-ucking business. Stick to worrying about the band.” Her harsh tone breaks. “Jem, you have to back off.”

“There’s so much I want to say to you,” he says and reaches out to touch her cheek. Ruby flinches and Jem grabs her face turning it to him. “Is the bastard hitting you again?”

“Get the f-uck off me!” She struggles against Jem as he wipes at her cheek.

“Everyone sees; you can’t hide it. You said he’s stopped! You f-ucking lied!”

“Because I know you won’t keep out of it and things’ll get worse. Jem, please, leave me alone!” Ruby slumps against the wall and pulls a packet of cigarettes from her pocket with shaking hands.

I can’t move, as if I’m watching a car crash and my body won’t pull me away.

Jem grabs Ruby’s wrist and pulls her to him, rests his head against hers and says something I can’t hear. Ruby’s shoulders drop and she moves her head to look at him. Time to leave before I see something I shouldn’t.

I head back to the Green Room and slip through the door. Another guy has joined the group and he immediately greets me with a hand to shake.

“I’m Jax,” he says. In a huge contrast to Dan, still skulking against the wall, he has a calm, friendly aura, the kind of person you can’t help but smile along with. He has a pierced eyebrow, and a blonde fringe sweeping halfway into sapphire blue eyes. “Lead guitar.”

“Been looking for you,” says Jem, barging into the door behind almost knocking into me. “Where were you?”

“Busy,” he grins.

“It’s a lead guitarist thing,” Bryn whispers loudly to me. “They can’t keep it in their pants.”

“You’re not as funny as you think, Bryn,” says Jem, and then catches sight of me. “Hey, Cerys, forgot you were coming.”

I’m shocked by Jem’s appearance now I see him in the light. Bryn and Liam have a rugged look but Jem’s is one step further. I’m not sure if it’s what’s hidden behind his intense brown eyes, or the gaunter face; but he looks older than his twenty-five years. The edgy attractiveness is there, the angled cheekbones and sensual mouth impossible to ignore, but his years of abuse are clear.

“Hello, Jem.”

Jem doesn’t reply; too preoccupied with organising the band as he turns to Jax, and says something to do with the evening ahead that I have no understanding about.

I sit on the sofa with Liam and attempt to quell the discomfort that entered our evening. I want to get out before Ruby appears, too. Liam touches my knee. “You okay?”

The claustrophobia in the small room grows when Ruby slams open the door and fills it with her attitude. Without looking at anyone, Ruby marches straight to the guitars in the corner.

“Where’ve you been, angel?” asks Dan.

Ruby drags her short fingernails through her hair and hooks the strap of the red guitar around her skinny chest before pointing to her face. “Re-decorating.”

A muscle in Dan’s cheek twitches and he glances at Jem, who’s continuing his intense conversation with Jax. “We’re going straight home tonight,” Dan says to Ruby.

“Yeah, whatever.” She notices me. “Hey.”

No smile, no further small talk.

“Why the f-uck is everyone still sitting here?” she asks. “Tweedledum and Tweedledee, get your asses into gear” She throws an empty water bottle at the brothers, and they stand like kids being admonished by their mum.

Jax snorts at Ruby. “Such a polite girl, our Ruby,” he says and she gives him the middle-finger.

“Is your pre-show f-uck done with?” she shoots back at Jax.

He clutches his chest. “You always think the worst of me, Miss Tuesday.”

“Don’t f-ucking call me that.” She grabs another bottle of water. “Come on!”

Ruby whirls out of the room in much the same way as she did the bar earlier, continuing to swear under her breath. If I thought her boyfriend was edgy, he’s as cool as they come, compared to her. It’s a long time since I’ve hung around with people who use variants of the word ‘f-uck’ as an adjective at every opportunity. I glance at Liam who looks as stunned as me. Bryn winks at me and Jem behaves as if she were never in the room. Dan finally peels himself from his attachment to the wall and follows her. I watch Jem and the anger in his eyes is unmistakable.