Page 31 of Musical Games
‘Er.’
‘Do you really think they’re going to assume we’ve been at it like rabbits all night, and now you’re so knackered I have to feed you up so you can get your strength back for round two?’
Fuck the cold shower or the loch. Now he needed a one-way ticket to the North Pole.
She sighed. ‘The two of us know our relationship is purely professional. And I would never push myself on anyone who so clearly didn’t want me that way.’
Misery seeped into his every cell.
‘Except Brad Bauer, of course.’ She winked. It felt like the slamming of another door between them. ‘So, breakfast in fifteen minutes? Give you time to have a shower?’
She didn’t wait for a reply, but left, closing the door behind her.
Fifteen minuteslater he was eating another perfectly cooked breakfast and reminding himself that none of this was going to last beyond the next week. Sam was sitting across from him, her scrawled notes in front of her, gnawing on the end of a pencil and frowning.
‘There’s a pet shop in Inverness. We could get you a chew toy if you want?’ he suggested.
She glanced at the savaged end of the pencil. ‘I’ve used a baby’s teething ring in the past. It’s better than smoking or gum.’
‘What’s the problem?’
‘It’s this line. I can’t get it to work.’ She turned the paper around so he could read. Scanning her notes, he couldn’t think of anything but the truth burning inside him.
‘The only thing I can offer is my heart and my life. I love you.’
The pounding of his heart filled the silence. For a moment he thought her expression changed, then she grabbed the paper and scribbled the lyrics down.
‘That’s perfect. You should be writing these, not me. I can’t believe you came up with that so quickly.’ She pointed the end of her pencil at him, her eyes narrowing. ‘Have you ever said that line to a woman?’
He hesitated. ‘Once.’
‘Ooh! Who was the lucky lady?’
‘None of your business.’
She rolled her eyes. ‘Oh yes, I forgot. You don’ttrust me.’ She dropped her pencil to lift her hands and put ‘trust me’ in quotation marks.
He held her gaze, outwardly impassive, but inwardly calling her name, over and over again. The kitchen door opened and his mother bustled in, holding a small padded envelope. She looked around suspiciously.
‘It arrived for you, love. Do you want me to put it anywhere?’
Sam took it from her. ‘Thanks, Morag, I’ll keep it in the fridge for now. I was wondering if you had a pair of boots I could borrow and maybe a waterproof? I thought we might go out later and try to find some inspiration.’
‘Aye, of course. Just come and grab me when you’re ready.’ She glanced around the kitchen one last time, nodded at Jamie and left.
Sam opened the fridge door and put the envelope inside.
‘What’s that?’ he asked.
‘None of your business,’ she replied in a perfect and sullen imitation of his voice. ‘I don’t trust you.’
After he’d eaten,Jamie loaded the dishwasher and they went back to his room. Part of him knew there was no reason for them to be there. Morag was in the post office and the house was empty. But having her there had now become more of a thrill than a discomfort. It was starting to feel familiar. Sam settled herself at his desk and he sat on the edge of his bed. He’d never written music so fast in his life, but Sam seemed dissatisfied as if only the unattainable was good enough. They had the shape of many songs but only ‘The Heart of Scotland’ was finished. Sam encouraged him to be reckless, to try anything, and her energy and drive appeared limitless. She constantly kicked him out of his comfort zone and after a couple of hours they had two more songs they were happy with.
She walked to the window. ‘There’s something very wrong with the sky.’
He got up and stood next to her, his body yearning to close the gap between them.
‘It’s this strange, uniform blue colour,’ she continued. ‘And there’s this blinding light up there.’ She pointed with one hand, using the other to shield her eyes. ‘I think it’s time to duck and cover. It’s either nuclear Armageddon or aliens are landing. Whatever the case, it’s the end of the world.’
