The Only One Who Needs to Know

Rachel was waiting for Cali outside the restaurant when she got there.

“Finally, I thought you and Gates had started again.” she replied turning and walking straight over to the buffet table and picking up a plate.

“Are you ok? You seam pretty cranky this morning. Or are you just hungry?” Cali asked as she followed Rachel around the table with a plate of her own. Rachel sighed as she placed a third strip of bacon on her plate.

“Not all of us have the luck to spend the night fucking rock stars!” she mumbled with an aggravated tone. Cali looked up at her with a look of confusion. Rachel caught her look and rolled her eyes.

“I’ll explain once we’re eating.” She said quietly.

“Are you ready to tell me now?” Cali asked half way through her breakfast. The pair had eaten in silence until then. After finishing what she had in her mouth and taking a deep breath Rachel began to explain.

“Ok, so we were kissing and stuff on his bed, getting ready to you know, do a bit more when he suddenly jumps up from the bed and runs to the bathroom, where he spent like half and hour being sick!” she said.

“Oh dear, so you two didn’t…” Cali replied taking a sip of her juice.

“NO, because once he was done being sick he came back into the bedroom and passed out! And he was still asleep this morning when I left.” She replied. “So I’ve been sat in the room, listening to him snore while you had amazing sex with Brian!” she added sounding bitter.

“Sorry Hun, if I’d have known I would have left sooner.” Cali said with an unconvincing smile.

“No you wouldn’t. Don’t lie, you would have stayed and fucked Brian. And don’t say you wouldn’t have because I know you, and I would have done the same.” She replied with a smirk which Cali returned.

“Yeah, you’re right; I would have stayed even if you were being rushed to hospital.” She said trying to keep a straight face as she took a bite out of her toast.

“Charming! I’ll remember that Cali Hetfield! So tell me all about your night with Mr Sexy Gates then.” She replied with another smirk.

Cali smiled back and began to give Rachel the details of the previous night as they finished their breakfast.

“So will you be seeing him when we get to California?” Rachel asked as they rode in the taxi back to their apartment.

“Yeah, but only as friends.” Cali replied taking money out of her purse ready to pay the driver.

“Will you be able to do that?” Rachel asked as they pulled up outside the apartment building. Cali didn’t answer as she passed the driver the money. She stepped out of the black cab and let them into the building.

“You don’t think you will do you?” Rachel said knowingly, breaking the silence. Cali shrugged.

“I really don’t know. He has been one of my major crushes for almost ten years now, only Billie Joe has lasted longer, never in a million years did I ever think that something would happen between us.” Cali began as they stood in the elevator as it took them to their floor.

“But it has…” Rachel said as they stopped outside their apartment door as Cali searched her purse for her keys. She shrug her shoulders and nodded as placed the key into the lock and let them into the apartment.

“We get on really well, and there’s a huge sexual attraction between us, but we both agreed back in Berlin that it was only going to be a one off thing…” she paused when she caught Rachel looking at her with raised eyebrows.

“Ok, so it turned into a two time thing, and I’m pretty sure that if we met up again in a different state to Michelle, it would happen again, but it can’t, not when we’re in California. He’s never cheated on Michelle before me.” she replied as they both collapsed on the sofa with their feet up on the coffee table.

“Do you think he’ll be able to stay just friends?” Rachel asked turning her head along the top of the couch to look at Cali.

“I don’t know, I hope so, I really don’t want to come between him and Michelle.” She replied.

“You may not see him once we get to Huntington.” Rachel said trying to provide some optimism. Eloise rolled her eyes.

“Rach, we’re going to be living around the corner from Zack and Jimmy has got my cell number and has promised to call me to find out when our house warming party is.” Cali sighed. “Shit Rachie, why do I always have to make my life difficult?”

“Sorry chick, that’s one I can’t answer.” Rachel replied. “But Rachie needs her beauty sleep me thinks.” She said through a yawn as she pushed herself off the couch.

“Yeah, I didn’t exactly get much sleep last night.” Cali replied also pushing herself off the couch. “We’ve got a lot of packing to do before and heading towards her bedroom.

*****

Cali removed her seatbelt and grabbed her carry-on bag, taking out her copy of the Deathly Hallows and finding the page she had dog-eared. She’d barely read a page when, out of the corner of her eye she could see Rachel getting restless. With a small sigh she marked the page, removed the ear buds of her iPod and turned to her best friend.

“What’s the matter Rachie?” she asked seeing the look on her face; she was obviously thinking about something, either worrying about it or trying to work it out.

“You know when we get to California?” she asked. Cali rolled her eyes; by the tone of Rachel’s voice this was going to be one of her ‘blonde’ questions.

“Yeah.” Cali replied with a smile, wondering where this was going.

“Well, is it like what you see on the telly, like in Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives?” she asked, causing Cali to chuckle.

“It’s not exactly like that.” She replied watching Rachel’s expression. Her eyebrows still knotted together in either confusion or concentration for another thought.

“Do you think they’ll be able to understand me? You know with my accent?” she asked.

“Babes, I can understand you, well, most of the time.” Cali replied. “If anything I bet you they all love your accent, Johnny did.”

“Did he?” Rachel asked excitedly as her eyes widened.

“Yeah, he actually thought it was sexy.” She replied.

“When did he say this? I mean you were pretty pre-occupied with Brian most of the night.” Rachel said accusingly.

“Rach, you should know me well enough by now, I’m pretty good at multitasking. Just because I was sat on Brian’s lap for most of the night doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening to what was being said around Me.” she replied grinning.

“So Johnny thinks my Ebbw accent is sexy hey?” Rachel mused, more to herself than to Cali, who rolled her eyes and returned to reading her book, happy knowing that Rachel would be happy with that little piece of information for a while at least. She’d managed to read a whole chapter before she saw Rachel getting restless again.

“Go on…” Cali said once she’d again removed her ear buds.

“No, it’s ok, it’s just me being blonde again.” Rachel replied. Cali rolled her eyes.

“Rach, just ask me.” Cali said.

“Ok, I know you’ve told me this like a million times but dollars and pounds…”

“It works out roughly double so if something costs ten dollars then that’s about five pounds.” Cali replied.

“Cool.” Rachel said with a satisfactory nod.

“Anything else now?”

“No, no, you go back to your book, I’m sorry for being a pain.” She replied with a pout.

“Rachie, you’re never a pain, you’re just entertaining.” Cali said returning again to her book and iPod. Rachel sat quietly for a moment before reaching into her bag for her own iPod.
Out of the corner of her eye, Cali watched her put her ear buds in and rest her head back onto the headrest. She glanced across to see her closing her eyes and quickly turned back to her book. She didn’t get far before a strange yet familiar sound reached her ears over the sound of her own iPod. Realising immediately what it was she instantly blushed before nudging Rachel gently in the side, glancing around to see the passengers around them turning to query the sound.

“Rach!” Cali hissed again under her breath as her friends eyes shot open.

“What? Oh shit was I singing again?!” she asked glancing around to see the people who’d been watching quickly turn away as Cali nodded.

“Sorry babes, I’ll try not to.” She said with an innocent smile. Cali nodded and once again returned her attention back to her book.

“This is going to be the longest eleven hour flight I’ve ever been on.” She muttered.
Rachel was almost silent for the next couple of hours, apart from when she got excited as the in-flight meal was placed down in front of her, eagerly watching Cali as she ate hers hoping for the left overs.

“Dream on Rachie, I’m starving too.” had been Cali’s only reply.

Finally though, with Rachel asleep for most of the remainder of the flight, the passengers were being asked to put on their seatbelts to prepare for landing.