Page 34 of Wish You Once More
“I’m Ellie,” she said.
“Bree. Nice to meet you.”
“And you. How do you know Mat?”
She was only making polite conversation, but I couldn’t answer her question honestly without there being further fallout. Scott knew mine and Mat’s history intimately. I had no idea if he’d told Rosie. They were a way behind us, so were unlikely to overhear anything I said. Stretching the truth would be the best plan right now.
“We’re friends from way back. We both grew up here and then went to uni in Manchester.” Stock answer, nothing controversial, nothing to arouse any suspicion. “How long have you and Mat been together?” I couldn’t not ask; desperate to know the situation between them, to know if what Mat had done last night could jeopardise his relationship.
Ellie giggled. “Oh, we’re not. Well, at least not yet. We’ve been out a few times and enjoy spending time with each other.” She glanced behind us in Rosie’s direction. “She thought coming away this weekend would give us the opportunity to take things to the next level, but I’ve barely seen Mat. He was meant to be coming over to where we’re staying last night, but he never showed.”
Because he was kissing me.
The knowledge they weren’t a couple sparked a tiny pinprick of hope in me. The more I thought about Mat’s explanation from last night, the more I thought I might have overreacted all those years ago.
But even now, his life wasn’t here.
“Ah, Bree, does this mean you’re feeling better?”
Of course, we had to bump into Darla.
“Yeah, a little. I think the break did me good.” I gestured behind me to Scott and Rosie. “Plus, they asked me if I’d like to watch The JRs with them.”
Darla crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, I suppose you did play a part in making sure Mat Redmond got here.” She gestured with her chin. “I’ll see you back at the information point once they’ve finished.”
Ellie released my arm. “Did you really make sure Mat played?”
“Oh, it was nothing.” I lifted my shoulders. “Darla knew we were friends, so she asked me to keep in touch with him.”
“That’s why he was being so shady when we went out the other night!” Ellie slapped her fingers to her forehead. “He was messaging someone. I thought I had competition, but it was only you.”
She had no idea.
Fifteen minutes later, Scott, Rosie, Ellie and I stood at the front of the stage to the right - Mat’s side - singing along to the tunes The JRs played.
It had been years since I’d seen Mat play live. From his confident performance, it was crystal clear he was the one who played stages every night. He prowled around, owning the bass lines of each of the songs, even though they weren’t his. He and his brother riffed off each other, drawing the audience in and playing to them. If I closed my eyes, I could roll back the years. Back to when we were together, when I followed them to pubs in the arse end of nowhere, drinking lukewarm white wine, just to watch the band and spend time with Mat.
When my eyelids fluttered open again, Mat stared right into the core of me. He winked, then blew a kiss in my direction.
“Oh, how sweet!” Ellie squealed, then blew a kiss back.
Mat didn’t respond, just whirled away back towards his brother and into the centre of the stage.
I winced. Of course it hadn’t been aimed at me.
“Have you seen Mat play with Trash Gun?” I asked, trying to make polite conversation.
“Yes. They did a secret gig the night before Mat came down here.” She beamed, trying not to tear her gaze away from him for too long. “Some of the new music is amazing.”
“Right.” Hearing Ellie had been party to something secret reminded me of when that used to happen in the early days of the band. We’d sneak off to a club in the city or drive over to Liverpool and they’d play a basement venue there. Guerrilla gigs, Mat called them.
“He’s so good on stage,” sighed Ellie.
“Don’t let Scott hear you say that.” Rosie materialised on my left-hand side. “Thankfully, he’s gone to get some drinks. Says he can’t bear to watch Mat lowering himself to a covers band.”
Suddenly, I felt protective of The JRs. Sure, they might have been a covers band, but it was how Mat had got into music and where he was today. I opened my mouth to speak, but a screech from Jonny’s microphone stopped me. Scott shoved a pint of beer into my hand, then passed some to Rosie and Ellie.
“Thanks for coming along this weekend,” Jonny began. “The Dart Sundowner has a special place in my heart, and this year’s all the more special because my little brother is here with me.” He gestured towards Mat. “Ladies and gents, give it up for the imminently more famous Redmond brother, Mat from Trash Gun!”
