Chapter Three

Nina took a sip of her wine and glanced around the sushi restaurant. The chef was preparing dishes at an open hot table nearby and they smelled delicious.

Her phone started to ring with a video call. It was Matt, her friend from Glasgow.

“How’s it going?” he said. “Partying hard?”

She shrugged. “Not really. Turns out I’m a bit of a lightweight when it comes to the dance scene.”

He grinned. “No. Really?”

She smiled. “You could at least pretend to be surprised.”

He laughed. “Where are you?”

“At a sushi restaurant,” Nina said. “It’s at this beach club where Isla’s producer is DJing later. We’re meeting someone from her label here.”

“Sounds very cool,” Matt said. “So, who did the producer turn out to be?”

“Logan Wild.”

Matt’s jaw dropped. “You’re kidding? He’s probably the biggest name out there. How come you didn’t tell me?”

Nina shrugged. “I didn’t know. Isla didn’t mention any names.”

“For goodness’ sakes, all this is lost on you,” he said. “I think Isla should’ve taken me as her PA and you could’ve filled in for me at my lab.”

Nina laughed. “You’re probably right. You would’ve made a better impression.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say the best way to meet a famous producer is not to nearly vomit on him, even if you have met him before.”

Matt raised his eyebrows. “Okay, there’s a lot to unpack there. You vomited on Logan Wild—and also you already know him?”

Nina rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t actually sick on him. Just nearly.”

Matt shook his head. “Oh well, that’s okay then.”

“You’re not making me feel any better, Matt.”

Matt smiled. “And when did you meet him before?”

“At university. I didn’t realise at first because he looks so different.”

“You mean he hasn’t always been that hot?”

“No, he was still attractive, but he’s clearly gone for a more well-honed image now.”

“Sounds like you’re interested. Maybe you should try your luck with him. It’s been a while since you had a man on the scene.”

Nina laughed. “Yeah right. He might be hot but he’s not my type, pretty condescending and materialistic. And he has a super-hot girlfriend who’s an influencer.”

Matt grinned. “Don’t be so judgmental. People love influencers.”

“But what do they even do?”

“Not all jobs have to be exact and evidence-based like ours,” he said. “Sometimes life is about having fun and enjoying yourself.”

“Yeah, I suppose,” she said.

“What’s her name?” Matt said.

“Ash,” said Nina, convinced that he wouldn’t know who she was from that single syllable.

His eyes widened. “Ash Ashton? I didn’t know she was seeing Logan Wild.”

Nina laughed. “Her name is Ash Ashton?”

“For goodness’ sake,” said Matt. “You need to get with the times, woman. Anyway, to change the subject onto something you do know about, there’s going to be a role coming along at my lab. It’d be a step down for you but might be one to consider while you wait for something bigger to come along.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay. Keep me updated.”

“Or,” he said. “You could think about applying for that US-based post I told you about. My friend over there was interested in your CV.”

“I don’t know,” Nina said. “It’s so far away and such a different place to Scotland.”

“How do you know until you try?” he said. “You’re too cautious, Nina. Sometimes you need to take a chance. It’s not like you can never return if it doesn’t work out.”

Nina glanced up to see Isla returning from the restroom and she had a man with her who must be the label guy. “I’ll think about it,” Nina said. “Listen… That’s Isla coming back. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“No worries,” he said. “Give Logan Wild a snog from me.”

She rolled her eyes. “No thanks.”

Matt laughed and closed the call.

Nina stood to greet the label man. He shook her hand. “Hi. I’m Noah.”

She smiled. “Nina.”

Noah sat across from her. “Isla’s told me a lot about you.”

Nina glanced at Isla. “All good I hope?”

Isla smiled, sitting down next to Nina.

“Of course,” Noah said. “I’ve heard all about how you supported her from the start and your role as manager-cum-roadie.”

Nina laughed. “Yeah, lugging that amp around nearly broke my back.”

Isla reached over and squeezed Nina’s hand. Nina flashed her a smile. They still hadn’t had chance to catch up, because when they’d gotten back to the hotel, there hadn’t been much turnaround time to get ready. She made a mental note to make sure they did after the gig because she got a feeling there was an edge to Isla’s behaviour, like she was ruminating over something.

Noah smiled. “I hope you’re having fun so far.” Nina was struck by how young he looked. She’d assumed record label types were middle-aged.

Noah topped up their wineglasses and poured one for himself. “How’s it going with Cam?”

Nina flinched at the sound of his name but luckily Noah didn’t seem to notice.

“Great,” said Isla. “We made some headway yesterday. We’re on the same page with the demo.”

“That’s excellent,” said Noah. He took a sip of his wine. “It’s moving along quickly.”

Nina frowned. Quickly? They sat in a room for six hours with nothing to show for it at the end. She was never going to understand their industry.

Isla nodded. “We’re going to try to get in the studio over the weekend.”

“Okay,” Noah said. “I’ll come over and see what I can do to help.”

The waiter arrived to take their order, and Nina decided to go big. She wanted a good lining for her stomach this time.

After they’d eaten, they headed out to the open-air area by the pool. The support act was finishing, and Cameron’s set would soon start. Noah asked them what they’d like to drink then moved off toward one of the bars to fetch their requests.

“Hey!” a female voice called.

Nina turned. Ash was coming toward them.

“Ugh,” said Isla. “Can we go hide?”

“She’s not that bad,” said Nina.

Ash reached them and gave them each an air kiss. “Guys, you made it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it,” said Nina. “I’ve never seen anything like this.” The stage stood at the back of the pool area, which was lined all around by the apartment blocks of the hotel. There were people dancing on their balconies and a throng gathered in front of the brightly lit stage, awaiting the entrance of Logan Wild, whose name hung above in a dazzling display. There were inflatables being passed through the crowd and dance podiums scattered around, all containing beautiful women.

“You’re gonna love it,” Ash said. “Are you coming to the VIP area?”

“Yeah,” said Isla. “We’re just waiting for Noah from the label.”

Ash tossed her hair over her shoulder. It flowed like liquid, and for a moment, Nina was mesmerised.

“Cool,” said Ash. “I’ll see you in there.” She disappeared into the crowd.

“She’s like some sort of mythical being,” said Nina. “I can’t take my eyes off her. She’s so beautiful.”

Isla shrugged. “Shame there’s not much going on upstairs.”

“Come on,” said Nina. “She’s friendly.”

“She’s exhausting…and only talks about herself,” said Isla.

“She’s just young,” said Nina.

“Not much younger than us.” Isla nibbled her thumbnail. “I don’t know what Zac saw in her.”

“Ah, okay,” said Nina, smiling.

Isla looked at her. “What?”

“You’re jealous.”

Isla frowned. “How am I jealous?”

“You like that Zac guy, and he used to go out with Ash,” said Nina, impressed with her tiny piece of celebrity knowledge.

Isla shook her head.

“Who is Zac, anyway?” said Nina. “Would I know any of his stuff?”

“You must,” Isla said. “He’s one of the biggest male artists around.” She started singing a ballad that was familiar to Nina.

“Yeah, I think I know that one,” said Nina. “What’s his last name?”

Isla shook her head. “He doesn’t have one. He just goes by Zac.”

Nina raised her eyebrows.

Isla laughed. “Get with the times, Nina.”

“Now you sound like Matt,” Nina muttered.

Noah approached, carrying some beers. “Ladies”—he handed them their drinks—“shall we take our places?”

“Absolutely,” said Isla. “Lead the way.”

They followed Noah into the area adjacent to the stage. Isla took in all the faces with a thrilled expression. Intermittently she’d nudge Nina and whisper a name. Nina knew who some were—but not all of them. Celebrities weren’t really her thing.

Before too long the anticipation grew for Cameron’s entrance, and Nina couldn’t help but become caught up in it. The atmosphere was electric. A disembodied voice announced the entrance of Logan Wild to thunderous noise, and he appeared on stage amid a cloud of smoke with laser lights cutting through the haze. He greeted the crowd, who responded enthusiastically with screams and shouts, then he immediately got to work on the decks. Nina had never seen a live DJ before. The most she was used to were the cheesy ones at family weddings, and what he was doing was certainly nothing like that. She craned her neck to watch him. He looked like a different person, clearly hyped at being in front of the crowd who were delighted to be in his presence and not like the reserved and judgmental guy she’d been around earlier on.

Isla grabbed her and they started dancing. Nina may not have been a music buff, but she’d always enjoyed moving. She found herself dancing with various strangers in the crowd until she came upon Ash, who handed her a shot glass and stuck her tongue out, giving her the peace sign. Nina laughed and threw back the shot, despite suspecting she’d hate it. It was kind of nice that Ash had remembered their conversation earlier, even though she hadn’t listened to Nina saying she didn’t like shots. However, to Nina’s surprise, it was quite pleasant. It didn’t taste like alcohol at all.

Nina danced with Ash for a while. At one point she glanced up and thought she caught Cam watching them from the stage. He must be keeping tabs on his girlfriend. Can’t blame him, really.

Eventually Nina realised she hadn’t seen Isla or Noah in a while. She scanned the crowd as she swayed to the music. Noah was up front, talking to a small group. Where was Isla?

She turned and spotted her—on one of the podiums. Isla waved at her and Nina laughed.

“Hey,” Ash said into Nina’s ear, “come to the bathroom with me.”

“Okay,” Nina said, feeling like it’d be rude to say no.

Ash grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd toward the ladies’ room. Once they got there, Ash stumbled into a stall and Nina waited for her.

When she emerged, she rummaged through her handbag and applied some more lipstick. “Hey, I just remembered. I brought you this.” She handed something over and Nina studied it. It was a concealer in exactly Nina’s shade. Normally she found it difficult to match but Ash had done it after one brief meeting.

Nina glanced at her, feeling quite moved. “Thank you.”

“No problem,” said Ash, leading her out of the restroom. “You wanna go score some coke?”

Nina followed along, frowning. “Like, as in, the drink?”

Ash laughed. “You’re so funny.”

“Oh, okay,” Nina said. “No, I’m not into drugs—not the recreational sort anyway.”

Ash raised her eyebrow. “What d’you mean?”

“I work for a drug company,” said Nina. “We design medications.”

Ash’s eyes widened. “That’s so awesome. I’ve never met a scientist.” She took Nina’s arm. “Tell me some science stuff.”

They went back into the VIP area. “Okay,” Nina said, pointing to the dry ice on stage. “That’s carbon dioxide in its solid form.”

“What!” said Ash. “Like, what we breathe out?”

“Exactly,” said Nina.

Ash grabbed her and spun them both around in time to the music. As they came to a standstill, Ash wobbled on her high heels.

“You’re dizzy because the fluid in your inner ear is still moving and giving false signals to your brain,” said Nina.

“You’re so cool,” said Ash, raising her arms and twirling.

Nina laughed. She didn’t tend to get referred to as ‘cool’. She glanced over to the podium to see what Isla was doing, but she was no longer there. She scoured the crowd, however Isla wasn’t around. Nina touched Ash’s arm. “I’m just going to find Isla.”

“No problem,” said Ash as she continued to gyrate to the music.

Nina moved toward the front. Noah was still there among a crowd—but no Isla. She glanced up just as Cam looked down into the VIP zone. Their gazes locked and, for a second, she was rooted to the spot, her pulse throbbing in time to the music as he pressed his headphones to his ear, not seeming in any hurry to take his eyes off her.

There was a tap on her shoulder, and she wrenched her sight off Cameron, expecting to see Isla standing there. Her heart sank when she took in Zac. He flashed his brilliant white smile, complete with dimples. “Hey, are you following me?”

She sighed, though it wasn’t audible above the music. “Nope.”

He continued to grin, seemingly undeterred. “Can I get you that drink?”

Nina glanced back at the stage. Cam was engrossed in the decks again. “No thanks.”

Zac stayed put. He shrugged. “I don’t usually get a no.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yeah, I can tell. But don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.”

He shook his head and turned away. “Look me up and you’ll see what you’re missing.”

As he turned, she put her fingers in her mouth in a mock gag for nobody else’s benefit but her own. Scanning the area, she still couldn’t spot Isla so she approached Noah and tapped his shoulder. “Have you seen Isla?”

He nodded toward the nearest bar. “She went to get a drink.”

“Thanks,” Nina said. She started making her way over, but it was slow going amongst the heavy throng, especially when people kept dancing with her along the way. She liked the spirit of the place.

Nina arrived at the edge of the crowd. Isla was leaning against the bar, talking to Zac. Nina rolled her eyes and started to rescue her but stopped in her tracks because Zac leaned in to kiss Isla and she reciprocated. Nina watched for a moment, unhappy that Isla was going for that guy but realising that she was an adult who could make her own choices. She certainly had seemed pretty infatuated with him.

Nina turned to head back to Noah. The set would finish soon, and she had a compelling desire to watch Cameron for the last segment. She reached the front and leaned against the barrier. Noah nudged her. “Did you find her?”

“Yeah,” said Nina. “She’s with Zac too-cool-to-have-a-surname.”

Noah laughed.

They watched Cam as the climax of the set built. Jets of smoke went into overtime and the laser show intensified to culminate in spurts of fire erupting from the stage. The crowd loved it.

Noah smiled. “Wild by name, wild by nature. He knows how to get them going.”

Nina nodded, mesmerised by Cameron’s movements at the decks. How did he know exactly what to do in order to get everyone riled up? And the nuances of the sound must be so intricate, judging by the array of buttons and dials on the equipment in his basement. She could identify with the fine tweaking of an initiative in order to get the best results. There was a science to Cameron’s art.

The crescendo built and culminated in huge cannons spraying the crowd with a glittering flutter of confetti. Nina reached out to grab a piece. It was the word ‘wild’, adorned in gold.

Cameron waved and walked off stage. Noah turned to Nina. “Are you guys moving on to a club?”

“Not sure,” Nina said. “I don’t want to cramp Isla’s style.”

Noah smiled. “I’m going to call it a night, but I’ll phone Isla tomorrow. We’re all going to meet at the beach. Do you want me to accompany you back to your hotel?”

“That’s okay, thanks. I’ll go see what Isla wants to do.”

“No problem.” Noah waved and headed toward the exit.

Nina went in search of Isla and found her at the back of the crowd, still playing tonsil hockey with Zac. She went over and cleared her throat loudly.

Zac unstuck himself from Isla’s face. “Changed your mind, honey? You’re too late.”

Nina rolled her eyes and looked at Isla. “Okay?”

“Yep,” Isla said, snuggling into Zac.

Nina swallowed hard to suppress the urge to gag. “Are we heading back? I assume we want to be fresh to meet Noah and Cameron tomorrow.”

“Or,” Zac interjected, stroking Isla’s hair from her face, “you can come with me.”

Isla gazed at him for a moment then turned to Nina. “No offence, but his offer is better.”

Nina raised her eyebrows. “Are you sure?” She assessed Isla’s demeanour and, although clearly tipsy, she didn’t appear overtly intoxicated, so any decisions she made must be of sound mind.

“Yep,” said Isla, nodding toward the other side of the area. “You can hang out with your new best friend.”

Nina glanced over at where Ash was chattering away to a group of people. A heavy feeling grew in her stomach and it wasn’t due to the alcohol. She turned back to Isla. “Don’t be like that.”

Isla shrugged. “I’m not being like anything.” She pulled Zac along as she turned to go. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Zac shot her a smug grin over his shoulder. Arsehole. Nina took a deep breath in an attempt to stem the heavy sadness in her chest. She and Isla hadn’t argued in years, especially over something so childish. They were well past jealousy regarding other friendships. In any case, Ash was hardly her friend. She’d only just met her and they didn’t have much in common anyway. There must be something more to it. She hadn’t seen Isla in ages prior to the trip, and they hadn’t gotten chance to have a meaningful conversation since her arrival. Nina sighed. She’d speak to Isla tomorrow and clear the air.

Nina decided to walk back to the hotel. It was only a mile away and she could do with the time to herself.

She was making for the exit when Ash appeared out of a group of people and grabbed her arm. “Are you coming to the club?”

“No thanks. I’m going to leave you to it.”

“Aw, come on.”

“No, really. I’m done in.”

The group Ash was with started to move away. “Okay, I’ll see you later,” she called as she hurried off after them.

Nina went into the foyer. The crowd had really thinned now that most people had emptied to head onto the clubs. She made for the door, but someone tapped her shoulder. She turned and a guy wearing a baseball cap with his hood over it was standing there. It took her a second to realise it was Cameron. He studied her. “All right?”

“Yeah,” she said, taken aback. For a moment she struggled with what else to say. “You?”

“Fine,” he said.

Nina let out a breath. The guy was hard work. And it didn’t help that he had a habit of making her pulse race for some reason. It must be because he irked her. Yes, that’s definitely why.

He adjusted his cap slightly as people walked past. “You seen Ash?”

She nodded. “She left with some others. They were going on to a club.”

He raised his eyebrow and Nina hoped she hadn’t gotten Ash into trouble by saying she’d left without him. She cleared her throat. “I mean, she’s literally only just left. She’s probably waiting for you outside.”

He smiled. “I doubt it. Her style is to act first, think later.” He glanced behind her. “Are you moving on as well?”

“No, I’m calling it a night.”

“Me too.”

“Really? I thought you’d be partying all night every night.”

“Not anymore. I’m a bit past all that now. I leave it up to Ash.”

Nina nodded, feeling awkward again, especially when she found it hard to keep her gaze off his hazel eyes. “Okay, well. I’d better head out.”

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Still recovering from last night?”

For goodness’ sake. He won’t let it lie. She sighed. “Yeah, something like that. I’ll see you later.”

“Hold on. I’ll get you into a taxi.”

“That’s okay. I’m going to walk.”

He frowned. “On your own?”

“Yeah, it’s not far.”

He gestured back into the pool area. “Come on. I’ll walk you back along the beach. It’s quicker.”

He made off through the lobby. Nina shook her head then jogged a few steps to catch up. He kept his head down as they passed the last few stragglers and made their way out of the rear exit onto the beach.

The cool sea breeze grazed Nina’s skin and it was a welcome relief after the heat of the party. She studied Cam’s capped and hooded profile as they walked. “Is this your disguise?”

He smiled. “Something like that.”

“Avoiding the adoring fans?” she asked. Funny… She would’ve thought he’d lap all that up.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate it. I just like a bit of time to myself now and again.”

Nina met his eyes as they continued along the sand. She could relate to that. The intensity of his gaze was unnerving, so she glanced away.

He cleared his throat. “Isla’s gone out then?”

“Yeah,” she said. She was about to mention Zac when she remembered his history with Cam’s girlfriend and thought it better not to. “I thought it best to leave her to it after I overindulged yesterday.” She waited for him to say something disparaging but he didn’t.

He glanced at her. “I thought you might’ve been in Zac’s company this evening.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I saw you with him yesterday and tonight. Usually he’s pretty good at getting what he wants.”

She hesitated, listening to the sea breeze. She didn’t want to drop Isla in it by telling Cam it was her who wanted to keep Zac’s company, but she also didn’t see why she should have to justify her own actions. She was single after all, and the man didn’t even know her. She decided to keep quiet.

He glanced away and they walked in silence for a few seconds. “Sorry,” he said. “I know that’s none of my business. He’s just not my favourite person.”

The steps to the hotel loomed, and Cam took her hand to help her onto the first concrete slab. Her fingers tingled at his touch. Then he let go to follow her up the narrow stairs. They emerged into the gardens at the rear of the hotel and he took out his phone, tapping in the details to order a cab.

Nina led them into the hotel and through the lobby to the front door. “Thanks for walking me back.”

“No problem,” he said. “Feel free to head to bed. My cab won’t be long.”

“Okay,” she said, caught in his gaze again. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

He nodded. “We’re meeting at a beach near the villa. Tell Isla to message me once you guys are ready.” He turned to look back at her as the automatic doors whooshed open. “Night.”

“Night,” she said, and watched him leave.

She headed toward the bank of elevators.

Well, that was weird.