A Different Class - 17

Chapter 17

Bec needed to keep herself busy, otherwise her over active mind started to panic at the fact that she was spending most of her time in Nate's flat, so she arranged to catch up with Johnny and Lyle, she hadn’t seen them since she’d been away. So Thursday evening straight from work she met them in the Boars Head, their local. 

After a few beers and lots of reminiscing, they moved on to their favourite curry house for food, when they were just finishing Lyle received a text, his friend could get them in to  band night at a local club, free.  There were a few bands playing live, and live music was a passion to them all, so it was a no brainer!

The club was dark and dingy, but the beer was cheap and the music was good.

“Who are these?” Bec asked as four men came on stage and started to play some fairly good rock.

Johnny shrugged, “these can’t be the headliners it’s only ten o'clock, I presume this will go in til one at least.”

Lyle studied the flyer they’d got earlier in the pub, “Deadly Assassin I presume, the headliners are Future Kings.”

“I’ve seen them, “Johnny offered, “and this is not them!”

The band were ok, but it was the headliners they were interested, so they headed to the bar.

As Johnny fought into the five deep queue, a voice whispered in her ear, “well if it isn’t my favourite ‘commoner’!”

Bec turned to see Patrick stood directly in front of her. Smiling she returned the hug he offered, “How are you? And what are you doing here?”

He grinned, "I'm great! My band are headlining. Quite a big thing for us! You know the first real gig!”

She smiled, “congratulations. How cool is that? You must be so proud!”

He nodded enthusiastically, “Is the boy not here?” he asked as Johnny handed a pint over to her.

“In New York,  all weekend! So I’m here with a couple of mates.”

Introducing the three men, she almost laughed out loud at the way they checked each other out. 

“Well you need to bring the boy to one of these nights soon.” He offered hopefully.

“I definitely will Patrick, it's all part of my big plan to modernise him! I wanted to thank you again for your support the other week.”

He shrugged, “I quite like the dashing Prince persona, pity I wasn't at the Hunt Ball! Now I need to go and sort out the lads, they don't behave if I'm not backstage cracking my whip! Give my love to the boy, and we must do something soon, I need to quiz you more about your intentions!”

She laughed, “I look forward to it!”

 

Patrick's band and the subsequent ones were good and it was the early hours when she made her way back to Nate’s flat.

As she was locking the door behind her the phone was ringing, she rushed to find his phone, and was breathless when she managed a “Hello?”

“Becca? Are you ok?” Nate sounded frantic.

“Fine thanks, I was just about to call you!” She slumped into a seat.

He let out a sigh, “I’ve been thinking all sorts. I’ve been calling you all evening, there was no answer on your mobile or here, I even phoned your home!”

“Sorry, I told you I was meeting Johnny and Lyle, we ended up going to a gig. You’ll never guess who I saw there?”

“I have no idea.” She could hear the humour in his voice.

“Patrick, his band were playing! I promised I’d take you next time!”

He laughed, “that’s nice, and I'm sure you won't rest until I'm 'grunged' up! But can you please answer your phone next time? I was imaging all sorts of grim endings!”

“I’m sorry! How was your day? Did you sort out the problems?” He’d called her when he'd arrived in the New York offices to say they were mid crisis and he didn't know how long it'd take to sort things out. 

She could hear the exhaustion in his voice, “not everything no. But we are closer to completion.....but I may be here until later on Saturday. We’re so behind schedule.” He sighed, "I hate being away."

  “I’ll still be here,” the warmth in her voice did lighten his mood.

“Good, I'm glad. Now it’s very late, I’m back into the meeting now, and you need your sleep. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she gave an elaborate, “mwah!” Then hung up the phone before he could acknowledge the comment. 

As she was climbing into the huge bed, her phone beeped to signal a text, smiling she knew who it would be from, 'I know you do, but it is so wonderful to hear you actually say the words, sleep well, x'

Nate was home by ten the following evening, he was coming back earlier than he'd hoped as he had to return on Monday for another week of sorting things out. Rebecca was waiting for him at his flat. She was dancing to Pearl Jam, or rather LOUD Pearl Jam, cooking a meal for them both when the door burst open. Nate stood there chuckling, and looking exhausted.

"You ok?" She asked turning down the music and rushing across to him. 

He pulled her close and just breathed in the scent of her, "I am now. I don't think I've ever walked in to such a vision!"

"Did you sort everything?" she asked helping him slide off his jacket. 

Running his fingers through his hair, he shook his head, "not really. There have been some big issues with the portfolio of one of out biggest clients, and then there's some rogue trading going on...it's all a mess. But I had to come home. I needed a break. I may have to fly back Monday."

She groaned, "I move in and you're alnmost moving out!" She knew it was a selfish comment, but she felt sad at the thought of him being away again. "Sorry! Go get a shower, ok?"

Refreshed and feeling much better, he'd slid into some pyjamas, when he headed back to join her. As she entered the lounge from the kitchen he was stood next to the phone listening to the answer phone messages, she'd not touched them as it was not her phone, after a message from Antonio regarding a new suit, as though he didn't have enough, she immediately spotted the tension rise in his shoulders as his fathers’ voice boomed into the room.

“Nathaniel! I presume you’re back from New York. I want to speak to you as soon as you get home. I cannot believe the way you ruined such a prestigious charity event. I won’t let this get brushed under the carpet. If you don’t call me tomorrow, I’ll come to your house. This is very important!”

He turned slowly, and she knew he was praying that she was still in the kitchen, spared from that message.

“I don’t care if you don’t!” she offered with bravado she didn’t feel.

He came across the room and pulled him into his arms. “I don’t care!” He kissed her nose, “ about his fragile ego that is, but I do care if he hurts you, other than that I only care that you are here, happy and in love with me!”

She smiled, “You know that! Now come on! Let’s eat.”

Nate didn’t mention the show down with his father, and tactfully she avoided the issue for the rest of the weekend.

The next day was the annual barbeque at Johnny and Lyle’s house. They had one every summer, and there was usually thirty of more people there, so Rebecca knew that the attention on Nate would be diluted. It was the perfect situation to mix her friends and her lover again.

 Nate was pacing, his jetlag meant he'd not slept well, so he was keen to get out and be active...before he fella sleep. He found Bec in the bathroom, carefully applying mascara.

“Come on, we’re going to be late!” He paused to look at her. “You look terrified!”

She shrugged, “this means a lot to me. I really want you and the boys to be mates.”

“We’re never going to be best mates, because they're your friends not mine, but if they love you half as much as I do, then they will accept me.”

She looked at him for an age, “you look stunning!”

He was wearing a “Strokes” t-shirt, the only band he’d admitted to liking from her CD collection, and a pair of combat shorts.

“Thrown on!” he laughed, but they both knew it wasn’t.

He’d wanted to take a decent present to the party, but Rebecca had reassured him that too grand a gesture would look over the top. So he had bought a crate of beer and two bottle of spirits, enough to make an effort and more than anyone else would bring, but not too much to be obscene.

They arrived later than planned, and were greeted at the door by Smithy. “Come in guys, you must be Nate?”

He nodded, “I am.” They shook hands before Nate asked, “where do you want all this?”

“Flipping heck! You can come again!”

Nate laughed and gestured at Bec, “Well the amount this one puts away we had to bring a fair bit!”

Smithy clapped him on the back, “that she does mate, that she does!! Never known a bird like her!”

Shaking her head in disbelief she followed Nate and Smithy through to the garden, Johnny, the life and soul of any party was stood behind the huge barbeque, dressed in an apron, gesticulating widely to a blond woman the other side of the garden.

Lyle, spotting Bec in the doorway shouted in relief, “thank god you’re here! Very few people can silence this man Bec! He is currently reliving the fire drama of 2004!”

She shook her head, “this story gets dragged out at EVERY barbeque! Johnny, you caused the fire, and ran away, you had nothing whatsoever to do with putting it out, or even facing the music.” She turned to Lyle, “how much did the new trellis cost in the garden?”

He choked on his pint in laughter, “fifty pound for trellis, two hundred for fence panels! And then there was next door's prize honeysuckle...priceless apparently. Yet HE still tries to use his version to his advantage!”

Bec nodded, "and we had to move because of the animosity, remember Mrs Porter next door hitting him with her handbag three weeks later?"

The crowd gathered shrieked in laughter. Johnny now looking rather pinker ducked back behind the grill.

Lyle turned back to them and offered a hand, “nice to see you again Nate.”

“You too,” Nate accepted the handshake, “thanks for inviting us! You’ve picked a great day for it!”

“We always have the first Saturday in August as the season starts around the second Saturday!”

“So it’s all about timing!”

He nodded, “and luck! Do you follow a team?”

Nate shrugged, “football's not a game I was brought up with, I’m an avid cricket fan! But I have to say I’ve always watched for the Reading result being nearest home. Though it often isn't the most inspiring thing!”

Lyle laughed, “I know exactly what you mean, and respect to you for sticking by your roots!” He turned to Bec, “drinks?”

“We’ll have a couple of beers if that’s ok?” Nate asked.

Bec felt tears behind her eyes at the effort he had already made to both fit in, and support her.

Johnny was rather more sheepish when he came over to join them after a while. Bec had brought him down to earth with a bang. She pulled him into her arms, “hey did I make you look like a tit?”

He tried to maintain a face of hurt and sadness but started laughing within moments, “I don’t need that sort of bravado to pull those women!” he nodded towards a few women giggling at the end of the garden. “They’re even showing interest in Smithy, so it’s not a problem!” The last comment was whispered but followed by a high five to first Lyle and then surprisingly Nate. Next thing the three of them were embroiled in a conversation about their worst chat up lines and lowest effort conquests.

Bec excused herself from the group and headed over to the food table, she was famished, so she picked at some crisps. Stood there in a world of her own, she was daydreaming when Tara came rushing home to see her.  Since the argument earlier in the summer she’d seen a bit of the boys, but Tara and Jase had gone travelling for almost eight weeks and they had hardly seen each other. They sat on the back wall, the stolen bowl of crisps between them and talked, properly. 

It was almost an hour before she saw Nate again, him and Lyle were giggling like children as they emerged from the kitchen.

“What are you two up to?

Lyle nodded back towards the house, “just Johnny’s golden tongue failing again!”

Nate laughed, “he thought he was onto a sure thing, but he had one hell of a put down!” Again the two men high fived.

They all ate, drank and circulated for the next few hours as the evening grew dark. It was almost midnight when they realised most people had left. Only Bec, Nate, Tara, Jase and the boys remained.

“Shall I get some more drinks?” Nate offered standing up.

They all nodded before Bec added, “this’ll be the last one, we’re heading home after this. I’m knackered!”

He mock saluted before heading back into the house.

“He’s ok!” Lyle offered, sliding his arm around her shoulder. “Will you accept that we were all a bit rash?”

She nodded, “I can accept that, after all I was exactly the same when I met him.”

Johnny smiled, “he’s actually really cool. I like him!”

Later as they headed home in a taxi the same conservation happened between Bec and Nate in the taxi.

“I really enjoyed tonight, and I thought it’d be hard work, but it was fun!”

She leaned across and kissed him deeply, “and it meant everything to me. You know that don’t you?”

He nodded, “and that’s the most important thing!”

Sunday was quiet, she missed another Sunday lunch, but that was in order to relax at home with Nate. He was flying back to New York the following morning. That was the only down point of a wonderful weekend. Rebecca was growing in confidence, more certain of Nate's devotion she was relaxing and enjoying her time with him, and the new bridges built between her friends and him, the fact that they didn't just accept each other, they liked each other was the icing on the cake. 

She just wished he wasn't flying back to the States.

Rebecca had a new project in work, which meant spending a few days in Rochester working with the tourist office there, with late evenings and early starts, it was hard work, but she rectified everything she needed in a few days. 

Nate had had to travel to DC and Philadelphia to try and wheedle out the rogue trader that was causing his bank chaos, he was hoping to be home Friday but on Thursday afternoon she received a text from him telling her he had a meeting Saturday morning. She was gutted, it was only a day more, but at that moment it seemed like another week.

Friday morning she was morose in work, she was waiting on a meeting with the new client before lunch, but at ten am her boss informed her that it was all being delayed to the following week. His throwaway comment of, "take the day off!" was extremely out of character, but also very welcome. As she stepped out of the office, she had a sudden thought, and calling the airport she managed to get a seat on the four pm flight to JFK that got her in at eight pm local time. She’d surprise him.