Beyond the Lens Read online

  “That’s different, isn’t it?” Ryan snapped.

  “These ones are well looked after before they’re killed,” Dylan retorted. “That’s about the only difference I can see.”

  “He’s right,” Matt said. “Matilda had a nice life. Who’s coming for a swim?”

  Kelly and Margaret were left to console Ryan, when Dylan bagged the hammock and I submerged myself in the pool with Chrissie and Matt. I looked over at Adam, but he was focused on the camera. I was happy he was filming Ryan and the girls while one of the other cameramen covered the pool area. My mind raced as I swam lengths. I couldn’t believe I’d kissed Adam. And he kissed me back! My stomach did a flip at the thought of it. I would never normally do something like that, but when I’d been so close to him I couldn’t resist.

  “You’re energetic today,” Matt commented, floating next to me on an inflatable armchair.

  “Yeah, but that’s enough exercise for one day. I’m going to lie in the sun again.”

  “Good – you were making me feel really lazy.”

  Refreshed by the pool, I made myself comfortable lying face down on a sun lounger. I caught Adam’s eye and he gave me a quick smile before I closed my eyes.

  Seconds later a shadow fell over me and I looked up. “Hi,” I said to Kelly, who was pulling another sun lounger next to me.

  “Hi,” she whispered, lying down beside me, facing me. “I saw you kissing Adam!”

  I smiled widely at her, and opened my mouth to say something – but all that came out was a laugh. Being in Spain, surrounded by cameras was very surreal. And I’d just kissed a cameraman in a cupboard! Kelly laughed too and it took us a minute to calm down again. “Well?” she demanded. “Tell me everything!”

  “There’s nothing to tell,” I whispered, trying not to move my lips when I spoke. Carl was nearby. “I just kissed him in the cupboard and then you came in.” I put a hand over my face in embarrassment.

  “I’ve seen you looking at him all week,” she told me. “You really like him, don’t you?”

  “You’ve seen me looking at him? That’s embarrassing. Am I that obvious?”

  “No, not really. I don’t think anyone else has noticed.”

  “I really like him,” I told her, so quietly I wasn’t sure it was even audible.

  “Thought so!” she said, glancing in his direction. “He’s really cute. And I’ve seen him looking at you too, by the way.”

  “Really?” I needed some reassurance that this wasn’t just infatuation on my part.

  “Yep. He definitely likes you.”

  Silence settled over us. Kelly had just closed her eyes. Then I felt myself getting emotional. “Kelly,” I whispered, and waited for her to look at me. “I don’t want to go home.”

  “It’s nice here, isn’t it?” She pushed my hair behind my ear and laid her hand over mine.

  “It’s the best holiday I’ve ever had,” I told her. “I can’t believe we’ve only got one more day.”

  “We can all meet up and hang out when we’re back home,” she told me.

  “I hope so.” That was what was bothering me, really. It wasn’t the place or lying in the sun all day; it was the people I was going to miss. I had never expected to get so close to them in such a short time.

  “Who needs cooling off?” Matt suddenly loomed over us, dripping wet.

  “No thanks!” Kelly told him before seeing the mischief in his eyes and getting up to run away. He chased her, finally catching her and wrapping his arms around her, shaking his head like a wet dog, sending drips flying everywhere.

  He moved towards me. “I don’t know what you’re laughing at!”

  I ignored him and closed my eyes to continue sunbathing. Suddenly, his wet body covered mine and I squealed when he lay on top of me.

  “Get off,” I shouted through my laughter. “I can’t breathe!”

  He rubbed his wet hair over my face and I wriggled out from under him, shoving him onto the ground as I went.

  “You’re stronger than you look,” he said. I walked quickly to the magic fridge and grabbed a bottle of Coke before heading back to Matt, shaking it as I went.

  “No!” He shook his head wildly when I approached him. I ignored his protests and opened the lid slightly, spraying him with Coke and chasing him around the pool. He finally gave up trying to escape and stood still while I poured the dregs over his head. He sprayed me by blowing a raspberry while the Coke ran down his face. “That was a bit naughty,” he told me flatly, taking my hand and falling backwards into the pool, pulling me with him.

  “You’re an idiot!” I told him, spluttering in the shallow end. “I’m going to get showered before dinner,” I announced, pulling myself out of the pool and smiling at the array of amused faces. Adam’s expression was blank when I passed him, which annoyed me, though I wasn’t quite sure why. He followed me upstairs and I completely forgot about the camera. As soon as we were in the upstairs living room and away from everyone, I turned to him.

  “Adam, I—” The look of panic on his face stopped me in my tracks, and I suddenly remembered that the little piece of equipment by his face was recording my every move. And my every word. I stared at him for a moment and he shook his head almost imperceptibly. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to say to him, anyway. Hastily, I walked away and into my room, closing the door behind me and lying on the bed to stare at the ceiling.

  I turned to the door, and thought of Adam at the other side of it. I think getting so comfortable with the cameras had also made me forget he was working. I’d found myself getting irritated by his lack of communication and by the fact that sometimes he didn’t even acknowledge me. It annoyed me that every time I turned around he was there, watching me. Sometimes it felt like he was judging me. I even felt guilty for playing around with Matt. It was such a bizarre situation, I felt like I was going mad.

  The sound of static from Adam’s walkie-talkie broke into my thoughts. I heard a muffled voice, then the door opened and he walked in. I really wanted to be on my own but I knew I didn’t have much choice in the matter. Why couldn’t Carl or one of the others have followed me?

  I stared at the ceiling, my attempt to blink back tears futile. Adam took a seat on Chrissie’s bed and faced me. “You okay?” he whispered.

  “Yeah,” I managed, and felt a tear roll down my face. He looked concerned and I felt pathetic. I wasn’t even sure why I was upset. “I need a shower,” I told him, standing up. He kept the camera aimed at the bed, and took my hand when I moved past him, squeezing it for the briefest moment before standing and moving the camera back to me.

  ***

  “Come on,” Dylan coaxed Ryan when Maria brought chicken and chips to the table at dinnertime. “We can’t let Matilda die in vain.”

  “I might turn vegetarian,” Ryan declared as he wandered over to us and piled some delicious garlic chips on his plate.

  “Here’s to Matilda,” Matt said, raising his glass. “The happiest chicken I’ve ever known. She had a great life and a quick death. She’ll live on in our memories.”

  I couldn’t help myself. When I went to drink in honour of Matilda I choked on a giggle. “Sorry,” I said through a cough. My body shook while I tried my best to contain my laughter. I’d given myself a little pep talk in the shower, telling myself to stop being weird about Adam and focus on enjoying the rest of the holiday, but enjoying myself had meant drinking wine with the girls before dinner – and it had gone straight to my head.

  “It’s not really a laughing matter, Lucy,” Matt said. “I didn’t have you down as being so cold-hearted.”

  “Sorry.” I tried to maintain my composure, but when I reached for a chicken leg I had to give in to my laughter. “Sorry, Ryan,” I spluttered and looked up to find everyone smiling and laughing while they tucked into the chicken.

  It was another beautiful evening. We sat around drinking and chatting as the sky darkened and filled with stars. I’d slowed down on the alcohol but still fe
lt fairly tipsy when I went to lie on the lawn.

  “It’s amazing, isn’t it?” Dylan commented when he joined me. The others came too and I was perfectly content as I lay in the silence with my new friends, looking up at the brilliant star-studded blanket stretching out above us.

  Chapter 20

  “Oh no!” I heard Chrissie groan as I woke and turned over in bed to face her. “It’s the last day.” She pouted.

  “Why did you have to remind me? Let’s just pretend it’s not the last day, okay?”

  “Good plan! I really don’t want to go home.”

  “Shush!”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry. I really have to do some studying today, though …”

  “Yeah, right!” I threw my pillow at her, then stood up and headed for the bathroom. I was amused to find Chrissie had laid clothes out for me when I returned.

  “What are you going to do when you’ve not got me around to help you get dressed?” she asked with a cheeky grin.

  “Are you going to make depressing comments all day? I thought we were going to pretend we’re not going home tomorrow …”

  “I know. I’m not doing very well, am I? I can’t get it out of my mind.”

  “Hot pants?” I asked, ignoring her and holding up the tiny shorts.

  “Just try them!” she told me as she skipped off to the bathroom.

  We went through the usual routine of getting breakfast and having a morning chat with Maria, in which neither of us understood the other party. When we first arrived I found it uncomfortable, but now it seemed normal and even quite comforting. I could have told her all my secrets – if there hadn’t been a camera in the room.

  We were outside eating breakfast when I registered Adam’s absence. Most mornings he’d been the one to silently greet me when I opened the bedroom door, but this morning it had been someone else. I didn’t think much about it, but everyone had arrived down for breakfast and there was still no sign of him. I glanced around, stupidly checking I’d not missed him somewhere, but he was definitely nowhere to be seen. Maybe he got some time off, I thought.

  I didn’t recognise one of the cameramen at all. Maybe he was one of the ones who had food poisoning and was giving the others a break now he was well again. It seemed strange, though, that he would appear on the last day. I didn’t like the idea of not seeing Adam all day, and I was uncomfortable with the thought of spending the day waiting to see if he turned up.

  “Where’s Adam?” I whispered to Carl, who was standing just behind me.

  “Ask Matt.”

  I looked at Matt, who was merrily eating his cooked breakfast. I saw the guilt on his face as soon as Carl mentioned his name.

  “Where’s Adam?” I asked him.

  “Aww. Are you missing him?” he asked, deflecting the question. I glared at him until he kept talking. “Okay! Ryan and I did a few shots after everyone had gone to bed last night. Adam might have got drunk with us and be sleeping off a killer hangover.”

  “Really?” It seemed unlikely. Adam could have a laugh with us, but I didn’t think he’d get drunk while he was working. Carl cleared his throat loudly and I turned to see him raising his eyebrows at Matt.

  “Okay, maybe he wasn’t drunk,” Matt corrected himself. “But I was, and it was an accident. Just bear that in mind. Plus I heard there’s no lasting damage, so let’s not all freak out.”

  “What did you do?” Chrissie asked sternly.

  “Are we talking about Adam?” Ryan came over, dripping wet from the pool. “Matt stabbed him!”

  “What?” I shrieked as everyone gathered around to listen.

  “I didn’t stab him,” Matt rolled his eyes at Ryan. “Don’t be so dramatic.”

  We all glared at Matt and he pushed his plate away, leaning back against the couch. “I accidentally slashed him with a sword,” Matt told us slowly. “It’s not as bad as it sounds, though …”

  “He was pretending to be a Samurai!” Ryan jumped in.

  “Shut up!” Matt snapped before continuing. “As I said, I was a bit drunk and I was looking at those swords that were hanging in the big dining room …” Dylan nodded but the rest of us looked blank. I guess it was a guy thing. There were so many random ornaments and decorations around the place that I hadn’t registered a sword.

  “So I took them off the wall and was pretending to be a Samurai … but I honestly had no idea those things are sharp, and I think Adam moved at the wrong moment … and I just cut the back of his hand a little bit …”

  “Slashed it open!” Ryan elaborated. “Blood everywhere!”

  “Stop being dramatic,” Matt glared at him. “He’ll be fine. Won’t he?” He looked to Carl for reassurance and the rest of us did the same.

  “He’ll survive,” Carl agreed reluctantly.

  “Poor Adam,” Margaret commented.

  “I can’t believe you stabbed him!” Kelly swatted the back of Matt’s head when she walked past and headed for the pool with Margaret.

  “Ouch,” Matt rubbed the back of his head. I stared at him while Dylan moved away to sunbathe and Ryan headed inside to get more breakfast.

  “Don’t look at me like that,” Matt said to me.

  “You really stabbed him?” Chrissie asked.

  “Yes! Slashed him really, but whatever. Can we stop going on about it? I feel bad enough without you two giving me evil looks … and him.” He pointed at Carl. “I honestly didn’t know they were sharp, or I wouldn’t have been messing about with them. I feel terrible.” His bravado had disappeared now that everyone had gone, and he looked genuinely concerned.

  “He is okay, though, isn’t he?” I asked.

  “Yeah. There was a lot of blood, but he was still trying to take a swing at me with the other hand, so that was a good sign! He had to go to the hospital to get stitches but they said he’ll be fine. He might have a small scar. Shit, I feel really bad.” I watched Matt turn pale, and felt sick myself. I really wanted to see Adam and check he was okay. I was also panicking at not knowing when I would see him. Maybe they would fly him home and I’d never see him again. I tried to push the thought from my mind, and resisted the urge to march up into the rooms above the kitchen to find him.

  Everyone gathered around the couches when Chelsea arrived, but there was no challenge for us. Instead we were being treated to dinner in a traditional Majorcan restaurant. Chelsea told us to be ready at 7.30pm and left before I had a chance to ask her about Adam. Truthfully, I hadn’t dared ask her in front of everyone. They would definitely tease me, and I was feeling too emotionally fragile to deal with it.

  I couldn’t relax, and spent the morning flitting between sunbathing, swimming and nervously wandering the house. I pushed my pasta salad around my plate at lunchtime and decided I would just have to ask Carl what was going on. Then Adam appeared outside just when I’d plucked up the courage to approach Carl. He smiled at me, but then the rest of the gang noticed him and rushed over to surround him.

  “It’s fine,” I heard him say as I got nearer to him. “Back off, will you? I’m supposed to be working.” Everyone was talking at once, asking him if he was okay and making sympathetic noises. “Honestly, it’s just a scratch,” he insisted before looking at Matt. “Just don’t let this clown near any sharp objects!”

  “Sorry, mate,” Matt told him sincerely, holding out a hand to him as the others dispersed. Adam laughed and waved his bandaged hand, the other hand holding the camera.

  “Shit, sorry!” Matt frowned.

  “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Adam assured him. “Getting stabbed is pretty much an occupational hazard.” He raised his eyebrows and flashed a sly smile.

  “If it’s any consolation,” Matt smirked and glanced at me. “Lucy said she’d kiss it better for you …”

  “Go away!” I told Matt, unable to suppress a blush. “Is it really okay?” I asked once Matt had wandered off. I moved closer to Adam and felt those wild horses set off around my chest again.

  “Yeah,” h
e told me softly. “It’s okay.”

  “Good,” I replied awkwardly, resisting the urge to fling my arms around him.

  “Can you believe they’re still making me work?” he asked with a boyish smile.

  “I’m glad they did,” I told him before heading to the nearest sun lounger and settling down to a peaceful nap.

  I smiled at Adam when I woke up and he quickly jumped up from his seat on the wall and mouthed an apology at me. I laughed. Checking the time, I was annoyed to find I’d slept for two hours. I felt like I’d missed out on precious time on our last day. Matt handed me a beer and I moved to the couches to spend a couple more hours enjoying the company of my new friends in a beautiful setting. I couldn’t believe it was our last evening together.

  Chapter 21

  The restaurant was half an hour’s drive from the finca. It was a beautiful old building, full of charm. The terracotta walls and marble pillars lent an air of elegance to the quaint building, which overlooked the crystal clear waters of the Mediterranean.

  We were led to a terrace at the back of the building, the focal point of which was a water feature consisting of a woman holding a jug. Water trickled out of the jug and over her body, making an eye-catching piece. Wrought iron tables were set simply with white tablecloths and tea lights.

  Our table was situated away from the other diners. A waiter poured water when we took our seats, and there was silence as we took in our tranquil surroundings. White lanterns hung from the trees around us. The setting was stunning.

  I caught sight of Adam standing opposite me, and butterflies took flight in my stomach. I reached for a menu to hide behind while memories of kissing him danced in my head, making me blush.

  “Don’t tell us you’re a wine connoisseur now?” Matt gave me a cheeky look from his place opposite me.

  “I might be,” I told him, realising I was holding the wine list. “I’ve drunk more wine this week than the entire rest of my life.”

  “It’s been fun, hasn’t it?” Chrissie sighed. She was sitting next to Matt. I couldn’t see, but I guessed they were holding hands under the table.