Fix You (2 page)

He didn’t understand any of this talk. He found it hard to
even decipher the accent, let alone comprehend exactly what it was these
English people were trying to say.

“Richard.” Claire spotted him when he was about a yard away.
Richard stepped forward and kissed his stepmother on the cheek. She smelled of
lavender and roses. She reached out and touched his lapel. “You always look so
handsome in a tux. And so much older.”

“And you look spectacular as always, Claire,” he replied.
She smoothed down her dress and gave him a huge grin.

“You charmer. You’re getting more and more like your father
every day.”

In his peripheral vision, he spotted someone approaching
their little group. Whoever it was, they were dressed in black and white. He
assumed it was one of the waiting staff.

“Can I offer you a Cumberland chipolata, blanketed in choux
pastry, with a honey and mustard dip?” Richard recognized the girl. He’d seen
her standing in the hall earlier. Her dark hair and pale skin were hard to
miss.

“It looks like a sausage roll to me.” Claire smiled at the
girl. They seemed way too familiar with each other for a waitress and her
employer. “Hanna Vincent, please let me introduce you to my husband, Steven
Larsen, and my stepson, Richard.”

“I’ve heard so much about you, Hanna.” His father spoke
first. “Claire seems to think that I should make you a mix tape.”

Richard’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. How the heck
did they know this girl? She didn’t look like the sort of girl that hung around
at parties like this. She was like a bundle of unkempt energy, seemingly
without a vocal filter.

“Maybe I’ll make
you
one.” Hanna grinned.

“I’d like that. I don’t think I’ve ever been given a mix
tape by such a beautiful young lady before.” Steven was full of smiles and
natural charm. His innocent flirting made Hanna blush. Richard watched with
fascination as the warm blood filled her cheeks, making her skin glow.

Hanna turned to Claire. “Just how much Champagne has he been
drinking?”

She had the English affliction of excessive modesty, too.
Richard wanted to see her flustered again. “Hanna Vincent, it’s delightful to
meet you.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips, expecting a shiver, a
sigh. Anything.

Nothing. She just stared back at him, eyes dancing with
amusement, as he released her hand.

“You too, Prep Boy. I almost didn’t recognize you in black
tie. It ages you.”

Prep boy? His tux aged him? How did his father get the coy
looks and blushes, while he got biting ripostes?

“Well, Goth Girl, I apologize for bewildering you with my
attire.” He drawled his words on purpose, knowing sarcasm was the lowest form
of wit.

Hanna turned to give him a grin. “It was a pleasure to meet
you all. I really must go and ply the rest of your guests with pig innards
stuffed in pastry.” With that she was gone, moving toward the group in the
other corner of the room. Richard watched as she walked away, admiring the way
her tight, black skirt clung to her round behind.

Steven had one eyebrow raised. A speculative expression
covered his handsome face as he stared back at his son. Richard said nothing,
just shook his head and grinned.

After midnight arrived and they’d sung “Auld Lang Syne,”
Richard wandered out into the entrance hall and was thinking about going to
bed. He spotted Hanna sitting at the top of the stairs, next to a tiny form
that bore a striking resemblance to his sister.

He and Ruby were close, despite living in separate
countries. He found himself worrying about her constantly. She wasn’t a typical
pink-loving, shopaholic ten-year-old. She was quirky and funny, read books like
there was no tomorrow, and loved to draw whatever she laid her eyes on. She was
different, and that made her a target. He knew she hated school, and being
looked down on by the other girls. Even here, in London, she was treated like a
pariah.

Tiptoeing up the stairs, he decided to eavesdrop on their
conversation, before alerting them to his presence. From what he could hear,
Ruby was doing most of the talking. It was unusual.

“…no, I kinda liked the Spice Girls. I hate Britney Spears,
though, and Christina Aguilera sucks big ones. I mean, they were Mouseketeers
for God’s sake.”

“What’s a Mouseketeer?” Hanna’s voice was gentle and amused.
Only a few steps farther and he would be able to see her face.

“From the Mickey Mouse Show. They do stupid dances and
sketches and stuff. It’s so dumb.” Ruby’s voice was low, as if she knew that
she shouldn’t be out of bed talking to a stranger at the top of the marble
staircase.

“Sounds like hell on earth. Thank God you got out of America
while you could.”

Ruby giggled. “I prefer Nine Inch Nails. Trent Reznor is the
man.”

This time, Hanna joined in the laughter. “I can’t believe a
ten-year-old likes Nine Inch Nails. I blame your father. Claire tells me he’s a
huge Marilyn Manson fan.”

“Oh. My. God. No, no, no. He keeps getting confused between
Marilyn Manson and Marilyn Monroe. He’s a fan of the blonde bimbo, not the
singer. He’s such an embarrassment.”

Richard barked out a laugh in response to Ruby’s words.
Steven was always trying to keep up with the latest trends, and usually made a
complete ass of himself in the process. Not that he ever minded; the ability to
laugh at himself was one of his father’s best attributes.

“Is that you, Richard? Are you sneaking around again?” Ruby’s
voice rang out clearly. He climbed up the last few steps, seeing his sister
sitting next to Hanna, leaning on her as they talked.  Hanna’s legs were
propped up, her knees hugged to her chest. He was finding it hard not to stare
at her calves.

Hanna glanced up at him. “You caught us. Now are you going
to be a good Prep Boy and keep our secret, or do we have to gag you?”

Richard felt the urge to respond with a dirty comment. He
bit back his retort, reminding himself that his sister was sitting nearby.

 “What are you doing up here, Squirt? I thought you didn’t
want to come to the party?” He smiled at Ruby indulgently. If he’d known she
wanted to join in, he would have happily escorted her.

“I wanted to watch the midnight celebrations. I’d hate for
anybody to ask me what I was doing when the new millennium arrived, only to
hear that I was hiding in my bed like a social misfit.”

Richard winced. Sometimes she was so grown up, and
over-perceptive. He hated that she felt like a freak.

“I’m sleepy now, though,” Ruby continued. “Hanna, would you
take me to bed?” She held up her arms and looked like a child again.

“Let me help you, Hanna,” he breathed, suddenly liking how
her name felt on his tongue. Turning to Ruby, he scooped her up. “Your carriage
awaits, milady.”

Ruby giggled as he carried her along the hallway, putting
her hand up to muffle the sound so the guests below wouldn’t notice her
presence. Hanna followed closely behind them, making Richard hyper-aware of her
close presence.

Feeling docile, Ruby nuzzled her head into her big brother’s
tuxedoed shoulder.

“Thanks Richard. You make a great big brother.”

“Better than Nathan?” Richard carried Ruby into her bedroom,
twisting slightly so that he could angle her legs through the doorway.

“Nathan isn’t a brother, he’s an animal. Every time I see
him, he throws me up in the air. I’m always scared he isn’t going to catch me.”
Ruby’s voice was slurred with sleep. Laying her down on the bed, he pulled the
covers back over her. Hanna was standing at the door, watching them. Smiling at
her, he could feel the flesh at the corners of his eyes crinkling. When she
returned his smile, her plump lips curling up at the corners, he felt something
in his stomach drop.

“Well, Squirt, I can promise I’ll always be there to catch
you,” Richard whispered, kissing his sister’s forehead. Ruby was already
asleep, her short, soft breaths coming out in a gentle rhythm.

“Your sister is very sweet,” Hanna said, as he met her at
the door. “She’s the opposite of my evil sisters. You’re very lucky.”

“You have sisters?”

“Half-sisters,” she replied. “I like to remind myself we are
only half-related. They’re the devil in the guise of eleven-year-old twins.
They already think I’m their social inferior.”

“They sound delightful.” He drawled his words again.
Something flickered in Hanna’s eyes.

“They’re a real treat. We can swap, if you like.” That made
him smile. Her sisters sounded like just the sort of kids who would treat Ruby
like crap.

“What are you doing up here, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to
be stuffing canapés down unsuspecting guests’ throats?” It was funny how
light-hearted he felt, upstairs with Hanna, away from the party and the crowds.

“I’m on a break. I have…” Hanna glanced at her watch, “fifteen
minutes left.”

“Wow, all the things you could do with those fifteen
minutes. Endless possibilities.” He grinned, his body brushing against hers as
he walked through the door on the way to the hall. “Would you like to come to
my room?”

“Bloody hell! You don’t waste any time do you?” Hanna
exclaimed, making Richard re-examine exactly what it was he’d said.

“Oh shit, I didn’t mean it like that.” He twisted his hands
nervously. “Seriously, it wasn’t a proposition, not that you aren’t cute or
anything. What I meant was…I have a new PlayStation, a Tony Hawke game, and two
controllers with our names on them. Would you like to join me?” He was
flustered now, taken aback by his own obtuseness and her vocal response.

“In that case, how could I say no? I have to warn you,
though, I’m absolutely useless at computer games.”

While Richard set up the PlayStation in his bedroom, Hanna
stood next to his shelves, looking at the CDs, like she was trying to gauge
what sort of music he was into. He smiled when he saw her perplexed frown. His
taste was eclectic; it was hard to categorize him when his CDs ranged from
Puccini to the Prodigy.

“You have some good music. I hate to think how much your
collection is worth.” She ran her fingers over the plastic spines of the CDs.
Richard suppressed a smile, deciding that it would be foolish to tell her that
this was just a small part of his collection, that he had thousands more CDs
back in Manhattan.

“Do you want to have the first go?” His eyes met hers. He
sat down on the carpet, leaning back against the edge of his bed with his legs
bent in front of him. Hanna walked over and sat down beside him, refusing the
proffered controller with a small shake of her head.

“You go first, I’ll watch and learn.”

Three aerials, two flips and a grind later, his ‘special
meter’ was up and running. He was able to execute more special moves, showing
off a little for Hanna’s benefit.

“You make it look so easy,” she complained.

“Everything is easy when you know how. And I don’t sleep
well, so I’ve had a lot of practice. It’s your turn.”

Hanna took the controller and looked with grim determination
at the TV screen. The skater moved slowly along the rail before bailing off the
edge. Taking another try, her face screwed up in frustration as exactly the same
thing happened again.

“I’m so shit at this.” Her voice was thin and whiny as she
stared at the screen.

“Come here, let me help you.” Richard gestured to the floor,
indicating where Hanna should sit. He was almost shocked when she crawled
straight over to him, shimmying herself between his legs and leaning her back
on his chest. Circling her with his arms, he put his fingers on top of hers as
she held the controller and showed her which buttons to press in order to
execute an aerial flip.

The sensation of her back rubbing against his chest, and her
behind wriggling against his crotch, made him instantly hard. His erection was
pressing into her spine. With only two thin pieces of material between his skin
and hers, he knew for sure that she could feel it.

Hanna turned around and amusement danced across her face.
She raised her brow quizzically. “Wow, you must really like this game.”          

“Don’t take it personally. I get hard-ons just from watching
the National Geographic channel.”

She burst out laughing, shaking her head. His hands were
still on top of hers, and he showed her how to combine an aerial and a grind.

“Jesus! I’ve got special points. I’m da man. I. Am. Da. Man.”
Hanna squirmed in happiness at having scored something other than a bail. As
she moved, her body ground against his erection, making him wince at the
painful pleasure her movement caused.

Glancing at his watch, Richard was almost relieved to see
that her break was over.

Two

July 19
^th
2000

H
anna pulled at her thin vest, the material
momentarily sticking to her skin before giving way, allowing the cool air to
circulate around her damp flesh. Even for July the weather was unusually hot;
the heavy Goth clothing she had packed in her suitcase remained neatly folded
and forgotten, like a maiden aunt at a stag party.

Ruby Larsen lay on a hammock next to her.
They were reading aloud to each other from
Harry Potter and the Goblet of
Fire
, having bought the new book from the small shop in town the previous
day.

“Do you think Hermione would like me if we
met?” Ruby asked, passing the book over to Hanna.

“She’d bloody love you. What’s not to love?
You’re clever, you’re funny, and you’d beat the hell out of the boys in potions
class.”

They had been at the Larsen’s country
cottage in the west of England for a week. Claire Larsen had asked Hanna to
take on the job of being Ruby’s paid companion for the summer while she
travelled back to the States to look after her sick mother. Hanna had agreed
readily. It beat working at Safeway.

“Sometimes I wish I could go to Hogwarts.
It sounds so much nicer than St. Nicholas’s.” Ruby picked at the small silver
sequins attached to her T-shirt.

“There are mean people everywhere, Ruby.
Just remember what an asshole Draco Malfoy was to Harry,” Hanna replied
wistfully. “Anyway, it’s the school holidays. We’re not supposed to be thinking
about lessons, or uniform, or homework. We should be having F.U.N.”

“You don’t ever have to think about school
again,” Ruby complained. “You’re so lucky.”

Hanna dropped her head back on to the
hammock, remembering her last day of school. After a long spring of exams,
coursework, and nightmares about
Jude the Obscure
, it was nice to
finally breathe without wondering when on earth she was going to fit in her
next assignment.

She’d been Ruby’s regular babysitter since
they met at New Year. It didn’t really feel like work—although she was always
grateful for the money—because the two of them always managed to have fun.
Hanna enjoyed spending time with Claire and Steven as well; only eight months
after their initial meeting, the Larsens already felt like her second family.

“School days are supposed to be the best
days of your life.”

“I think we both know that that’s a lie.”
Ruby kicked at Hanna’s hammock, sending her swinging wildly.

In the distance, they heard the French
doors slam. Hanna looked up to see a tall man with light-blond hair walking
toward them. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she could see it was Tom McLean,
waving a piece of paper in his large, tan hand.

“Hi Tom,” Ruby shouted, falling out of her
hammock and running to give him a high five. He was the grandson of Mary, their
cleaner. He had been in and out of the cottage all week doing small
jobs. Hanna suspected Ruby had formed a tiny crush on the blond teenager.

“Hey, little Rube. How’re you doing?” He
winked at the small girl, then looked up at Hanna, his lips unfurling into a
slow, lazy grin. “You look a little too comfortable right now.”

With that, he reached out and grabbed Hanna’s
arm, catching her easily as she tumbled off the hammock. Her book crashed into
the dirt below.

“Tom!” she shouted crossly. “Put me down.
And if you’ve ruined my book, you will pay with your life.” She swatted at his
arm, hand meeting flesh with a resounding ‘thwack’.

“Hey! Mind my guitar-playing arm. I haven’t
insured it yet.” He looked at her with a mock-injured expression. “I only came
over to invite the prettiest ladies in town to our gig tonight.”

Hanna snatched the flyer from his hands.
“It’s at a pub, Tom. I can’t take Ruby to a pub. Her parents would kill me.”

At the same moment, Ruby piped up. “Please
can we go? I’ve never seen a band play before.”

“There’ll be loads of kids there. At least
five of my nieces and nephews are coming. Come on, I’ll even treat you to a
coke.” Tom put on his best puppy-dog expression.

“With an offer like that, how can we
refuse?” Hanna replied dryly, and an expression of delight formed on Ruby’s
face.

At least she’d managed to keep somebody
happy.

THE CROWDED PUB echoed to the sound of
clashing chords and deep vocals. On the stage, Tom glanced up through his
eyelashes and smiled directly at Hanna. She found herself biting her lip in an
effort not to smile back. She wasn’t sure how she felt about the attention he was
giving her. From the moment they met, Tom had flirted with her outrageously. He
told her how much he loved her style. Hanna rolled her eyes in response. When
he asked her out for a drink, she used Ruby as an excuse to refuse his offer.
Now, surrounded by local groupies and a couple of A&R men from record
labels, it seemed he only had eyes for her.

“Do you want another coke?” Hanna asked.

“Yes please. Can I have a straw, too?”
Ruby’s mid-Atlantic accent sounded strangely out of place in an English country
pub.

“Of course, milady.” Hanna gave a mock
curtsey, made her way up to the bar, and placed her order. When she came back,
the band had moved on to a cover of Coldplay’s
Yellow
. Tom began to
strum the soft introductory chords on his electric guitar, and leaned toward
the microphone, his bright, blue eyes firmly fixed on Hanna’s.

His voice was deep and gravelly, perfect
for the song. She watched as his sandy hair fell into his eyes, and his lips
curled into a smile. A few heads in the room turned to follow his intense
stare, some of them looking surprised when they saw him gazing at the petite
girl sitting in the corner with her young friend.

Ruby, oblivious to his blatant staring,
continued to sip at her coke.

“This is our final song. I’d like to
dedicate it to the beautiful girl with the perfect smile. This one’s for
Hanna.”

She felt her face heat up as blood flooded
her cheeks. Tom flashed her a brief smile, and then winked when he noticed her
blush.

“Do you and Ruby spend a lot of time in the
pub?” Hanna’s attention was drawn to the deep voice to her left. Spitting out
her mouthful of cider in surprise, she looked up with horror as Richard Larsen
walked toward her.

“Richard.” Ruby jumped off the bench,
nearly spilling the remnants of her Coke bottle in her haste to greet
him. 

As he held his sister tightly to him,
Richard’s eyes met Hanna’s.

She stood up straight, placing her hands on
her hips, and looked him over for the first time since New Year’s Eve. He was
smartly dressed in tailored black pants, the sleeves of his pale blue shirt
rolled up to his elbows. She tried not to look too closely at his muscled
forearms; skin stretched over tight tendons, and covered with a dusting of dark
brown hair.

He looked out of place in the pub, among
the jeans, the cargo shorts and the band t-shirts. Like a Renoir hanging on a
wall of lurid graffiti.

“I couldn’t find you at the cottage, so I
called Mary McLean. She told me that her grandson had invited you out on a
date.” Richard’s nose turned up as he finished his sentence.

“I didn’t know you were coming to England.”
She decided to ignore the date jibe.

“I’ve been in Europe for a few days. I’m
working for my stepfather over the summer. He’s got a few things going down in
Paris.” Richard smiled at her for the first time. His lopsided grin reminded
her how much she’d liked him at New Year.

“You should have called us. What if we
hadn’t been here?”

“It’s only a couple of hours by train,
Hanna.”

The way he said her name made her feel warm
inside. She glanced over at the stage in the corner of the pub, noticing Tom
looking over at them, his forehead wrinkled with curiosity.

“Did you bring me a present?” Ruby was
almost jumping up and down with excitement. Her enthusiasm made Hanna smile.

“At least she’s not materialistic,” Richard
whispered to her, in a mock-aside. “I’d hate to think she only loves me for my
money.”

Ruby grinned and hung on to her brother’s
shirt with her grubby fingers. “You know I love you. So what did you bring me?”

“I’ll show you when we get back to the
cottage, Squirt,” he replied, then turned to look at Hanna. “Are you ready to
go?”

“I’ll let Tom know we’re leaving.” Ignoring
Richard’s frown, Hanna left him standing with his sister. She walked over to
Tom, ready to take her leave. His face lit up with a smile.

“What did you think?” He pulled her toward
him, putting his hand on her waist in a proprietary gesture. His familiarity
unsettled her, especially when she could feel a pair of narrowed eyes watching
her every move.

“You were great. Ruby and I loved the
songs.” She pulled away. “We have to go home now, though.”

“You’re leaving so soon? Who is that guy,
anyway?”

“Ruby’s brother.”

“Oh.” Tom’s face fell.

“He’s come to see Ruby,” she blurted out.

Tom’s smile returned almost
instantaneously. “Does that mean you have a babysitter available?”

“
I’m
the babysitter, remember?”
Hanna replied dryly.

“That’s a shame. I guess I’ll just have to
take up residence under your window and serenade you with love songs.” He
winked at her.

“Feel free, I wear ear plugs. I’m sure the
local cats will enjoy it, though.”

“Are you ready, Hanna?” Richard and Ruby
went to join them.

Hanna could feel the heat flood her cheeks
again. “Richard, this is Tom McLean. He’s with the band.” And she was a loser.
Jesus, could she sound any lamer?

“Pleased to meet you.” Richard shook Tom’s
hand firmly. For two guys of a similar age, their differences couldn’t be more
apparent. Next to the unkempt, slightly disheveled singer, Richard looked older
and much more sophisticated. And totally out of her league.

“Can we go?” Ruby tugged at her arm,
desperate to get home and open her promised gift.

“Okay, okay, we’re leaving.” Hanna tried to
swallow a laugh at Ruby’s desperation. She wasn’t successful.

Tom leaned forward to kiss her cheek, just
as Hanna turned her head to look at him. She was still mid laugh, and her open
mouth clashed against his. She felt him gasp as they touched. The blood rushed
to her lips, and she felt his mouth start to move slowly against hers, the tip
of his tongue running a wet line along her plump skin.

She quickly pulled away, her face heating
in humiliation as she saw Richard raise his eyebrow at her, his lips pulled
back into a thin, straight line.

The night just kept getting better and
better.

FOR FIVE DAYS, Richard joined in their
routine; reading aloud with them as they finished Harry Potter, and choosing
his favorite character as they acted out scenes from the book. Without the suit
and tie on, it seemed like Richard Larsen was a different person.

In the evenings, after putting Ruby to bed,
they sat together and watched TV. A new program had started on one of the
channels, some sort of reality-based experiment. Ten people were forced to live
together in a closed house. Hanna found it fascinating.

“It’s not really like 1984 though is it?”
Richard mused, offering her another chocolate cookie from the packet they were
sharing. “I mean, Big Brother would make them stand to attention and swear
loyalty to him. Not let them laze around in the yard, talking to chickens.”

When the adverts came on, Hanna made her
way to the kitchen. Opening the fridge, she took out two bottles of Becks,
prising the lids off with a bottle opener as she walked back to the living
room. Looking over at Richard, she noticed his eyes darken almost imperceptibly
as he stared directly at her bare legs. The intensity of his gaze made her
breath hitch.