Page 119 of All Right No

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13thFebruary, Vienna, Austria.

“Ginny. Ginny… Wake up. Your goddamned phone.” Dani pawed at the device as it vibrated against the bedside table between the beds in the twin standard the two women were sharing. “Deal with it, will you?” She batted at the phone until it flew toward Ginny and landed on her pillow. “For heaven’s sake. It’s 3 o’clock. Why is someone calling you?”

“Hello,” Ginny said, having wiggled the phone between her ear and the pillow, only to then realise that the blaring melody was alerting her to a text message, not an incoming call.

She squinted blearily at the back-lit screen.

A: Do you have fishnets on?

Nope. A pair of plain cotton boy shorts and a candy striped crop-top. She was sleeping, and sharing a room with someone who didn’t appreciate her flaunting her assets.

G: I could be.

A: Send me a picture.

G: Of my legs.

A: And other things.

He probably didn’t mean of the alarm clock, she was now squinting at.

G: You do know it’s 3AM.

A: It’s only 2AMfor you.

She checked. It was definitely three, but of course Ash was assuming she was in England, not continental Europe.

G: If I send you a pic, what will you do with it?

Hopefully not leak it to some tabloid, or use it to shame her on the internet.

A: Depends on the quality of the pic.

Ginny crawled out of bed and dragged her carry-on case into the bathroom. She took two photographs of her reflection in the large mirror. One in her sleepwear blinking dazedly, and a second poised under the shower in her fishnet stockings and a microscopic scarlet thong.

A: You’re killing me.

A: Give me a close up?

G: Only in person, buster. If you want intimate, we’re gonna have to do this face to face.

Ash didn’t immediately reply, leaving Ginny blinking expectantly at the phone screen. As the minutes passed, she curled up in the bottom of the bathtub with a towel wrapped around her, and rested her head against her make-up bag. Presumably, the mention of meeting had been a step too far.

The chirping of her phone woke her again thirty minutes later.

RG: Did you have to? Some of us are trying to sleep.

Ginny yawned.Yes, her among them.

G: I’m not sure what I’ve done.

RG: Don’t play innocent with me. It’ll be your fault if we have to cancel the gig tomorrow due to wrist strain.

G: Are you sure he’s not just dreaming?

RG: Oh, he’s dreaming all right. LOUDLY.

RG: FFS, now he’s set Xane and Luthor off. I hate you, and I’m going to burn all your lingerie.

He claimed that, yet she could hear the humour in his words. Right now, on the tour bus, Rock Giant was probably bellowing at his travelling companions, telling them all to fucking well get off quietly or he’d come and sever appendages so that they couldn’t fuck at all.

The notion made her smile and gave her hope. If Ash’s best friends were prepared to reach out to her, and Ash himself was clearly showing interest, then perhaps he might actually come to forgive her. Perhaps the time had arrived to make that final push to win back her man.