Painted Faces (45 page)

I dig in my bag for a make-up wipe and rub it over my face. It'll have to do as a replacement for washing. I put on a dab of moisturiser, not bothering with make-up because I'm too tired. I quickly change into some clean underwear, a new pair of socks and a dark green cotton dress. Then I grab my toothbrush and toothpaste and crawl out of the tent to go in search of one of those temporary sink units they have at festivals.

After I've brushed my teeth and relieved myself in the cleanest porta-potty I could find (which wasn't very clean at all if you must know) I head back to the camp site.

Everybody is sitting on the grass eating breakfast and soaking up the morning sun, except for Anny, Colm and Eric.

“
Fred, I got you some food,” Nicholas calls and pats the space beside him on the grass.

I sit down and say, “You didn't have to do that,” as he hands me a steaming paper coffee cup and a bacon sandwich. I take them and place them down on my lap. Apart from the small shadows of grey beneath his eyes, he doesn't look like he just spent the night sleeping in a tent. He's got a clean t-shirt on and a pair of low hanging jeans. His hair is neatly combed. I have this strange urge to reach over and mess it up.

He tucks a stray curl that's fallen out of my bun behind my ear, as I take a sip of coffee. I can't stop myself from closing my eyes and savouring his touch.

“
Did you sleep okay?” he asks in a gentle voice, not failing to notice me close my eyes.

I nod and take a bite of the sandwich. It's salty and warm and tastes really good.

“
At least one of us did.”

“
You couldn't sleep?” I question.

“
I slept some, but I wanted to watch you. This could be the last chance I'll get,” he answers, his tone sombre. My gut squeezes.

“
Nicholas...” I trail off then, because Anny interrupts me as she comes crawling out of her tent, moaning loudly about having a thumping headache. I glance over at her to see she's wearing a t-shirt, boy shorts and her Wellington boots.

Nora turns in her seat to see what's going on and I snicker when I see her jaw drop open at the sight of Colm and Eric coming out of the same tent as Anny.

She glances at Richard, her eyes widened as she mouths, “Oh my God.”

Richard smirks and shrugs his shoulders.

“
Well, well, well,” Harry chimes. “What do we have here? Three in a sleeping bag and the little one said roll over, was it?”

Anny scowls and crosses her arms over her chest. “Shut up, Harry.”

Colm and Eric look half embarrassed, half proud of themselves that everyone knows they participated in a threesome last night. Ugh. Colm spots me and gives me a little eyebrow waggle, as if I should be impressed with him or something. I don't bother hiding my disgust.

The three of them get a change of clothes and go to buy some breakfast for themselves. When they get back they sit down with the rest of us and chow down. There's a couple moments of awkwardness, before everyone starts chatting and it disappears as if nothing out of the ordinary happened in Anny's tiny little tent last night.

I'm just finished up with my sandwich when Colm starts talking to me from across the way.

“
Hey Fred, are you planning on flashing some of the bands later on?” he asks with a wink.

I can feel Nicholas instantly tense up beside me at the remark.

I sneer at him. “Why would I do that?”

“
For fun. Just make sure you give me a heads up so I can reserve myself a front row seat.”

I muster my best condescending tone. “Colm, we're at a music festival for yuppies in the countryside, not a cock rock video from the eighties. Oh yeah, and there was something else, what was it again?” I rub at my chin ponderously. “Oh right, that was it, go fuck yourself.”

Everybody laughs. Colm wipes some ketchup from the corner of his mouth and grins, not backing down.

“
I've been trying to get you to fuck me for the last two years. When are you going to do me a favour and put me out of my misery?” he asks.

I think he might still be a little bit drunk from last night. He's normally a dickhead, but not this much of a dickhead.

Nicholas leans forward on his elbows. “Shut your mouth, mate,” he says in a low voice. He sounds threatening.

Colm lets out a big, sputtering laugh and gets to his feet. “What are you gonna do about it if I don't?”

Harry winces and says, “Colm, please just sit down and stop offending people.”

“
No Harry, I want to know what that lady boy thinks he can do to shut me up.”

The irony of Colm calling Nicholas a lady boy in front of his openly gay brother doesn't escape me.

Nicholas raises an eyebrow and casually remarks. “I'm not the one who spent the night having a three way with another dude.”

Colm's jaw drops open and he sputters, “What? No I - I never touched him, we were both only doing shit to her,” he throws an arm in Anny's direction.

“
That's not what I saw,” says Nicholas with a shrug. I glance at him and grin.

“
You saw nothing,” Colm hisses.

Nicholas laughs. I adore that sound. He raises his hands in the air. “All right then mate, I didn't see anything. But if I hear you make another comment like that to Fred I think I might remember that I did see something.”

What did he see? Or is he only trying to spook Colm?

Colm gives Nicholas a look that could kill and then marches off to dispose of his rubbish in the nearest bin. Harry shakes his head at his brother's retreating figure and then carries on with the conversation he'd been having with Nora and Sean.

I lean in to Nicholas and ask, “Did you actually see anything?”

He turns and shifts close to me, placing his hand flat on the grass about a centimetre away from my bottom. “Not really. He's a fuckwit though, and it pissed me off how he spoke to you. Hopefully now he's learned his lesson to shut up and keep his hands to himself.”

I don't mention that Colm never tried to touch me. I suppose the intention was there.

“
I'm grateful to you for sticking up for me and all, but you didn't have to do that.”

He moves his hand and presses it lightly to the base of my spine. “Fred, I will never like the idea of another man touching you or making innuendos about you. In fact, I am very much opposed to it, hate it even.”

“
I hate the idea of another woman touching you,” I whisper in response, unable to hold back.

Nicholas presses his hand harder into my lower back and replies, “Well then, we're both on the same page.”

“
I still need time though,” I say to him quickly. “I'm still not sure...”

He puts a finger to my lips. “Hush. I know. I'm willing to wait until you decide what you want from me. Friends. Lovers. Nothing. It's your decision.” His voice seems to catch when he says the word “nothing”.

“
Thank you,” I reply, moving my mouth against his hand.

It takes him a minute for him to pull his finger away. He watches me as I involuntarily lick my lips after he does so.

“
Spend the day with me?” he asks, his tone unsure.

I hesitate, before nodding. “I think everyone's going to stick in a group today anyway. You can help me to ignore Colm if you like.”

Nicholas' grin lights up his face. “Done and done,” he stands and pulls me up with him.

Once everybody's ready to go we make our way out of the camp site and towards the main stage where there are bands playing. The friendly atmosphere from yesterday isn't as prevalent today. Anny, Colm and Eric are carefully avoiding one another. I don't get why people enjoy having uninhibited, drunken sex when they have to deal with the embarrassment the next day.

Harry is throwing his brother harsh looks every chance he gets after the way he behaved earlier, and Colm is sending negative vibes Nicholas' way by bumping into him and talking over him,
supposedly
unintentionally. Nicholas seems to be making a concerted effort not to punch the guy in the face.

All of this I notice, yet it pales in comparison to my awareness of Nicholas as we stand in a field close to the back of the crowd at the main stage and watch some band called Wild Beasts play. Harry and Sean go to get in a round of drinks for everyone. Nicholas tells them that he'll just have a bottle of water. He must still be trying to stay sober. In a way I'm proud of him, especially now that I know about his past drinking problems. I also feel a little ashamed of my own excessive drinking while in his company.

The grass is a bit more muddy and littered than it had been yesterday, so there aren't as many nice patches to sit on. Richard sits down and Nora perches herself on his lap. Nicholas offers for me to sit on his and I'm not sure whether I should. In the end I shrug and sit down, because I don't want to get my dress dirty. He puts his arms casually around my waist and rests his hands lightly on top of my thighs. We let the music wash over us.

I try to forget the decision I need to make about whether I want us to be friends, or lovers, or nothing. I just soak up the contentment his closeness brings me.

Sean hands me a beer and I ask him what happened to all those oranges from yesterday.

“
All gone I'm afraid,” he says, with a sad little sigh.

“
I'm definitely going to do that trick if we come back next year,” Nora puts in.

“
If we come back next year I'm bringing a watermelon,” Harry announces.

Nicholas' hand on my thigh moves by the tiniest fraction. It's almost nothing, yet I feel it so intensely. I move a little in his lap and take a sip of my beer. I can feel him breathing heavily against the back of my neck.

Everybody's currently having a conversation about what other fruits you could inject alcohol into.

“
What do you think of the band?” I ask Nicholas, turning my head to him a little.

“
Not really paying attention to the band Fred,” he answers, so low I almost don't hear him. His thumb brushes against the fabric of my dress.

I swallow hard. “Well you should, I think they're good. They kind of remind me a little bit of Muse.” I manage.