“It gets worse,” I whisper.
They both look at me. “I don’t think your dad has AB blood.”
Joshua frowns. “Why do you say that?” Joshua asks.
“Because Mum told me he has O Positive, but I’m not sure if she really knows.”
Cameron frowns. “That’s my blood type.”
I nod. “I think everything your mother has told me is a lie. I don’t know even what’s true,” I whisper.
“Fuck,” Joshua whispers as he puts his head in his hands. My heart sinks… what a terrible nightmarish situation.
I sit at the airport, waiting for our flight, with my eyes fixed firmly on Joshua. I have hardly seen him alone this morning since the damning information came out. He packed in silence and the only words he said to me were when I asked why he had a suit in his bag and he replied, “Because we will be photographed when we get to LA.”
No anger, no animosity. No nothing. As if he didn’t know me. I know he has a lot going on in his head at the moment so I am just leaving him alone, but this is not exactly how I wanted to end our beautiful trip.
“Do you want coffee?” Abbie asks.
Abbie, Bridget and I are on the seats near the window. Adrian is deep in conversation with Cameron at the back of the airport, no doubt being filled in on this morning’s events and Joshua is sitting with the guards and Ben. He is still and silent. My eyes keep flicking to him.
“Yes please.” I smile. I am so very grateful my two best friends are in this with me. I would hate to be facing LA on my own.
Abbie rises and goes in search of coffee and my eyes flick to Bridget. Something is wrong with her.
“What’s wrong Didge?” I ask.
She smiles and takes my hand gently in hers as she looks around nervously. “Ben and I hooked up last night,” she whispers.
My eyes widen. “What, really!?
?? I look around and see Ben watching us with a serious look on his face so I quickly look away. “Busted,” I whisper.
“What happened?” I ask. Ben’s hot, I can’t imagine he would be anything but amazing.
She shakes her head. “Christ, this is a nightmare,” she whispers.
“What do you mean?” I frown. “Oh shit, did you sleep with him?” I reply.
She screws up her face in disgust. “God no, what do you think I am?”
I wince. “Sorry, I didn’t mean… what’s the problem then?”
We are interrupted by Adrian. “We can board ladies.” He smiles down sympathetically at me and I know he knows and that Cameron has probably been whinging about me for the last hour.
I give him an awkward smile as Abbie returns without coffee. “What happened to our coffee?” I ask.
“Oh they told me we were boarding so I just went to the bathroom.”
“Oh ok,” I reply. I needed that damn caffeine fix.
Joshua comes over to us and holds out his hand. “Come on presh.” My heart skips a beat and I smile up at him. I don’t think I have ever in my life been so grateful for him calling me presh. I stand immediately and take his hand and he leads me onto the plane. We take our seats in silence and Joshua fusses about putting my handbag in the overhead bin. He then sits next to me and takes my hand in his. He is painfully quiet and I know he doesn’t want to talk. I just have to wait for him to open up to me. If I try to bring this up he is just going to close off—that’s Joshua’s way. What is going on in that head of his anyway? I put my hand over his and sit still, staring out the window as I go over this morning’s events in my head. What have you done Margaret?
Six hours into the flight Joshua goes to the bathroom and on his return slumps into the seat next to Cameron who is diagonally across the aisle from us. Adrian and Abbie are in the middle of the plane and Bridget is a couple of seats behind us on her own. Ben and the guards are at the back of the plane playing cards.
“What’s the next move?” I hear Cameron whisper to Joshua. Shit. I strain my ears to hear Joshua’s reply.
Bridget flops into the seat next to me. Oh damn it, I want to listen to what they are saying.