Helplessly Aware

By Charlie burton

Chapter 4

AFTER changing into something more comfortable Grace returned to the guys’ room and headed towards the noise, which roared from behind a closed door. Grace opened it, slightly cautious in her movements, and peeped around the wooden frame.

“Hey there, you coming to watch Ghost with us?” Lance enquired seeing Grace’s deep eyes.

“Sure, sounds good to me.”

“Ha-ha! I love your pyjamas!” JC exclaimed, his eyes lighting up when she entered the room.

She smiled a little and glanced down at her stripy cotton brief bottoms and a white top with a picture of Scooby Doo asleep on it.

“They rock!” he added, moving over so she could join him on the large bed.

“You like?” she asked.

“That’s taste,” JC said grinning at her cheekily.

Joey climbed onto the bed next to her and offered the large tub. “You want some popcorn?”

“No thanks. You’re gonna be up all night if you eat that much.”

“Hey, I should be out clubbing, not stuck in here watching movies,” he complained.

JC reminded, “More work tomorrow, Joe, remember?”

Joey sighed and stuffed a few more pieces of caramel glazed popcorn into his mouth, chewing slowly. “But we got this party in Orlando on Friday, right?”

“Yeah, but that would include work – performing,” Lance said.

“Oooh-ooh!” Joey shrieked, grabbing the remote and switching channels before moving back to his comfy armchair.

“Joey!” Chris cried.

“Now we’re not gonna know what happened.”

“Its boring jus’ staying on one channel, there’s so many to chose from!”

“Let’s jus’ watch the movie, right?” Justin asked, looking up from under a baby blue bush hat.

Grace’s face broke into a huge smile at the sight of his innocent eyes gazing up at her. She lay down on her stomach, her elbows resting on the end of the bed next to Justin who was slouched in a rather large beanbag.

“Yo,” she murmured quietly. “You okay?”

“Just exhausted,” he replied, leaning his head back against the bed and closing his eyes lightly.

“It’s showing, can’t they jus’ give you some slack? Let you sleep in one morning a week? Saturday’s?”

“Nah, that would be nice, we’ve gotta work.”

“Aw well, no one gets me outta bed on a Saturday morning until at least eleven o’clock, no earlier. I’m a grouch before then.”

“I’m envious of you.”

“Come lie on the bed and you can sleep if you want. It’s really taking its toll on you, you’re eyes are all bloodshot.”

“This is why technology has produced air brushing so that we can all have pearly white eyes however tired we are,” Justin mumbled, pulling himself out of the beanbag and collapsing onto the bed beside her.

The lights switched off and everyone turned to see Joey standing up. “What?” he asked innocently. “What d’I do?”

Chris laughed a little, “Never mind Joe, never mind.”

“What?! I like the lights off when I watch a movie,” he protested, sitting back down in his chair. “No ones got any complaints about it bein’ dark, have they? No one’s scared of the dark are they? Grace? JC?”

“Hey! Why me?!” JC exclaimed. “Is it pick-on-JC day or something? First I’m getting the groove on with Grace, and now I’m scared of the dark. Thanks dudes.”

“Chill out man,” Joey replied, glancing at Grace who was gently running the back of her hand down Justin’s cheek, his eyes closed peacefully but his weariness showing even in the darkness. “Get yourself a girl, have a little fun.”

“What’s that got to do with anything?” JC queried, turning to look at Joey with confused eyes.

He tried defending himself, “Hey, it’s late – like I know what I’m talking about?”

“He has got a point there,” Lance said.

JC laughed deeply and shook his head.

“Movies starting, everyone be quiet,” Chris announced.

“Ooh, ooh!” Lance cooed.

“Ssshh!” Grace hissed.

The movie wound to a close, fading to midnight blackness, dark as the room but still glowing. A song began to play and the credits rolled, an exhausted sigh rumbling around the room, person to person. Lance yawned, pulling back his sleeve to examine his watch.

“Well, I’m off to bed,” he grumbled. “I feel like I’ve got lead weights resting on my eyelids.”

“C’ya in the morning,” JC replied. “Everyone’s going to sleep now, it’s late and we’ve got a long day again tomorrow.”

“What’s happenin’? Is it a radio appearance?” Chris asked.

“Uh-huh,” JC said, a yawn escaping his mouth.

Joey looked about. “Howz about another movie, JC?”

JC’s voice was solid and firm, “Bed, everyone is gonna get some sleep.”

“I s’ppose so,” Joey moaned, following Chris out of the room. “C’ya bright and early.”

“Yeah. You awake Curly?”

“Moving – not fast, but moving,” he mumbled, rolling onto his side and dragging his body into a sitting position. “You comin’ Grace?”

There was no response and both guys looked at her, waiting for an answer, a tired mumble or movement. But Grace was lying on the bed peacefully sleeping; her chest rose and fell with her quiet breathing and her lashes quivered occasionally as she entered her dreamland.

“Guess she really was tired,” JC murmured.

“Tryin’ to look after us as usual,” Justin whispered back so as not to wake her.

“Let her sleep here, I’ll take the couch or something.”

“Nah, jus’ sleep on the bed, it’s big enough. Just as long as the press don’t get any pictures you’ll be fine,” he joked.

JC smiled wearily and let out a deep breath. “You sure she won’t mind?”

“Of course not, you know that. Look, I’m heading off to bed, I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“Okay. Me too.”

Justin left the room dragging his feet along and closing the door behind him, his head hung low and yawning. JC turned back to the sleeping Grace. Her face and body were completely relaxed, her fingers were curled lightly above her head and golden locks rippled out around her face. Carefully he slid his arms underneath her and scooped her up in his strong embrace, cradling her safely as he moved her round and laid her head down on the soft pillow.

She stirred slightly, moaning a little as she slid into a more contented position and her eyelashes fluttered with the elegance of a butterfly’s wings. He pulled the comforter up over her body and made sure she was snug, placing a sensitive kiss on her cheek. Then he walked around to the other side of the bed and climbed under the comforter, sinking into the pure bliss of the welcoming mattress and warm covers. Everything seemed to soothe his throbbing muscles and energy-less body. Pure bliss.

* * *

They were stood in the lobby of the hotel; it’s plush furnishings and tropical plants standing solitary. A few of the production crew were mingling around including Meg, three of security posse and Billy from the band.

“So, you’re coming back soon?” Lance asked, giving Grace a hug and a small kiss on the cheek.

“You can’t keep me away,” she replied, pushing the strap of her bag further onto her shoulder. Grace stepped back and dug her hands into the pockets of her torn-off Jean shorts. Around her neck hung a leather cord with beads and a single brown feather that she’d picked up from an Indian Trade station a few years back.

“Oh Gracie babe, I can’t believe you’re missing this party in Orlando! It’s gonna be wild!” Joey exclaimed, planting another kiss on her cheek, he just couldn’t seem to stop. “Jeez, you’re so tasty! I can’t get enough of you.”

“You’re gonna have to be satisfied with that,” Grace giggled, trying to prize herself from Joey’s adoring lips.

Chris gazed around. “These plants are really cool…”

JC laughed a little. “You sure you’re gonna be okay travelling all the way back to California alone?”

She smiled and replied softly, “I’ll be fine. I’m picking up a friend from College who’s visiting their family in Blythe, so from there on I won’t be alone. A big strong male to protect me, right?”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Someone pinched her sides gently, Grace shrieked in laughter. “Justin!”

“Take care Gracie, I’m gonna miss you.” His clear eyes sparkled, but there was a look of loneliness somewhere deep inside them.

She reached up and slowly kissed his cheek, her lips lingering on his soft skin. “I’m gonna miss you too. You know there’s never a moment when I don’t think about any of you guys,” she murmured. Grace pushed him playfully, and said on a lighter note, “Hey, you guys are gonna be so busy with promotion and other stuff for the new tour and album that time is gonna fly by. Sadly I’ll be back in no time, you’ll be praying for the day I leave!”

“No, I’d never pray for that,” Justin replied.

“I betta be going,” Grace said, glancing at her watch. “I wanna get to Blythe by this evening, I was jus’ gonna take my time and maybe stop off at one of the reservations or wilderness areas. Get some history in.”

“You sure you guys need a fifth member? I’d give anything to join you for a walk through a national park right now, forget everything else for just and hour or so,” JC remarked, sighing at the thought.

Her mom hugged her tight. “See ya soon honey. Write.”

“Will do. Well, thanks for all having me, I’ve had a great stay and I’m sad to head back to a pile of work and the big city.” Grace picked up her suitcase and headed towards the huge glass entrance doors.

“Email,” Justin called.

She looked over her shoulder, Justin taking in her long hair as it tumbled down her back and the few strands that curled under her cheek. “I will.” Grace pushed the doors open and headed out towards the parking lot.

It was quiet in the lobby as they watched Grace leave. Lance ran a hand through his blond hair and ruffled it up with JC beside him who stood motionless for a moment, his eyes fixed on the floor. Then his head shot up as though he’d thought somebody was watching him, and he joined in with Chris and Joey’s bouncing. Justin sighed again and rubbed his eyes, heading off towards Meg who was watching him.