A Strange Escape 2/14

[charminglygawky.livejournal.com]

Title – A Strange Escape.
Chapter – 2/14
Author – Charminglygawky
Pairing - Ryan/Colin – eventually!
Rating – for the most part about a 15 for swearing. That may change. - er probably will... later.
Disclaimer – I own nothing but a very disturbed mind.
Feedback – Adored 
 
Part 2 of my insane fic - key point is Colin is English - did I mention that I have a deranged imagination?
 

As ever thanks to jerluvsdean for her help and encouragement.  XD 

 
A/N – Colin is dissatisfied with life, does Greg hold the key? 

“Gregory Everett Proops.”

Stretching out I forced myself to relax into the sinfully uncomfortable chez longue in Alice’s drawing room. I had been subjected to one of her worse glares upon entering and I had, of course, tendered my deepest and almost sincere apologies for ‘abandoning her and making her look a fool in front of her friends’ to use her own words. I decided not to point out that my attendance was hardly obligatory, we were merely friends, but that would be cruel. I’m not cruel; mores the pity, life would be so much more fun. I bet Greg would have been crueller to her.

 She had forgiven me quickly of course, normally she would have sulked, but she knew that that would drive me away and she wanted to talk. So talk she had, normally that would have driven me away too, but I did feel a bit guilty so I stayed to listen. After all, she must have felt something when she saw me leave.

I’d do it again in a heartbeat.

She had been talking at me for well over an hour and I had long since ceased to listen, even my pretence at listening was wearing thin, I’d been replaying the previous and vastly more enjoyable evening in my head, after all I was still thinking about the period of time she was talking about, just not the same place. So it probably took me a little bit too long to work out that there was something wrong. It was far too quiet.

She’d stopped talking and was instead blinking slowly at me. Damn, what had I done? I tried to replay the last things I had heard from her for clues but came up blank. So instead I just blinked slowly back at her and waited for her to let me know, she always did.

“Who?”

That hadn’t helped. “I’m sorry?”

“Gregory Everett Proops – who’s that?”

Shit.

Shit.Shit.Shit. I hadn’t realised that I’d said that out loud, damage limitation time.

“Oh, it was the guy – the guy who dragged me away so early last night.”

“Oh.”

I panicked, had that sounded weird? Had the initial name speaking sounded weird? Did I sound... did I sound gay? I had always wondered if that was the cause of my devil may care attitude towards Alice but... but...  Taking a deep breath I focused back onto damage limitation “I was just thinking, it’s an interesting name isn’t it? I mean how often do you meet an Everett?”

She giggled and I relaxed, that was a good save; even if I do say so myself.

“Oh Greg we had an Avery at the party last night and you wonder about an Everett? That’s just his middle name.”

I smiled slightly, she was right, Avery did outdo Everett, and that just didn’t seem right somehow. She was still talking though.

“I mean we have an Avery just out there in the garden. Only ours is full of birds!”

“Well he certainly gets his fill of birds!” I quipped back at her.

Her tinkling laugh rang out high and clear, but I flinched, it was almost grating. It had been a terrible joke and I could well imagine what his response to it would have been, the way his eyebrow would have quirked sarcastically. The picture in my mind was so clear that I actually smiled, which luckily went along with Alice’s laughter.

“Oh Colin, you are wicked!” she gasped out.

I think it was the word wicked that did it. That little word, simply because of a slightly off colour joke. And this was her reaction?

It was just so... so... fake.

I had to get out, the room was so claustrophobic with its lace curtains and it’s expensive but talentless artwork and its cloying scent of lilies, I hate lilies, I hate lace and I needed to breathe. I had to get out.

“Colin, where are you going?”

I turned back to look at her, slightly surprised at finding myself in the doorway of the room, apparently my need for escape was fast becoming a reality. Good.

“I’m sorry Alice. I need to get out. I just... I just have to.”

Then I turned and fled, actually running out of the house, her concerned but irritated calls ringing in my ears. Leaping into my car I headed for Greg’s house, I knew where it was, I had driven him home just that morning after spending a mostly sleepless night waiting to see if he would stray from the side of the bed that I had assigned to him. He hadn’t and I was not sure if that was a fact I was glad about or not. For the time being however, I needed to escape my life. And Greg somehow held the key to that.

Screeching to halt outside his house I left the car double parked on double yellows, it may get towed but it was more likely to merely annoy the people I’d blocked in, serve them right for parking on double yellows then! Racing up his path I hammered on the door, and didn’t stop till the door opened.

“Do you fucking mind? I...” Was Greg’s rightfully indignant speech on opening his door, then he saw who it was. “Shit, Colin. Are you alright man, you look a...”

I didn’t give him a chance to finish that sentence either as I barged past him and down the hall calling out as I charged into his front room “Hi Greg, can I come in?”

“Why hello there Colin, would you care to step inside?” I heard him intone sarcastically to the empty doorway as I paced the lounge, I didn’t care how much sarcasm he used, I knew he’d help me in the end. The front door shut and I heard him continue to talk to his phantom but polite guest as he headed down the hall. I continued to pace. He paused in the doorway and leant against the frame just watching me pace.

“You were right.”

“I usually am.” He responded calmly. “But do enlighten me, what was I right about this time?”

“My life is a fucking lie.”

His eyebrows rose slightly. “Did I say that? I do apologi...”

“No, but you left it unsaid and you were right.”

“How so?”

“I’m planning to marry a girl I don’t even particularly like that much let alone love because it is expected of me, I don’t think that I’ve done a thing in my life that wasn’t orchestrated or at least bankrolled by my parents and I live in a world where everyone is so far up themselves they forget what they even think anymore.”

I slumped down on his much more comfortable sofa and put my head in my hands, exhausted from my very uncharacteristic outburst. I didn’t hear him approach but I felt when he sat next to me. He didn’t touch me though.

“Do you want to come to America with me?”

“Yes.”

“Thought you might.” I could hear the smirk in his voice and it had a magical affect on my mood. “Good, now stop moping and move your car before it gets towed, I’m friends with the local traffic warden, so my car’s safe but he doesn’t know yours. Besides, we have to go shopping.”

I got up and pulled my car keys out of my pocket. “Shopping?”

“Shopping.” He affirmed.

“Let’s go then.”

It turned out that his idea of shopping was to kit me out with clothes that had Alice seen me in she would have had a heart attack. They were also sinfully comfortable, after we had spent what seemed like a ridiculously small amount of money for the number of clothes purchased Greg accompanied me home where he proceeded to go through my wardrobes.

“Greg, what are you doing?”

“Packing.”

“But I can pack for myself.”

“No you can’t.”

“Why not?”

“You don’t know where you are going.”

The truth of his statement was undeniable “Okay, so what can I do?”

“Book your flight, see if you can get on the same flight as me, the details are on my ticket which is in my coat pocket.”

I meekly did as I was directed, luckily there was room on the flight, but only in first class whilst Greg had a standard class ticket, I asked the nice lady to hold for a moment and leant into the hallway to yell.

“Greg?”

“Yeah?”

“You flying with anyone else?”

“No, why?”

“No room in standard class, you’ve just been upgraded!”

“Bitchin!”

Smiling I pressed the hold button again and made the arrangements, it cost an arm and a leg but hey, that’s what family money is for right?  When I rejoined Greg in my bedroom he was seated on a packed suitcase on my bed swinging his legs, “Packed?” I queried.

“Packed.” He affirmed.

“I thought you said that we were going to America.”

“We are.”

“I just booked a ticket to Vancouver.”

“That’s where we’re meeting the guys. After that it’s a road trip of the West Coast.”

“What guys?”

“Couple of mates, we’re going on tour.”

“What like a band?”

“No, drama, we do improv. Its comedy, bit like stand up but without a script.”

“So what am I, a groupie?”

“Yeah, or you could even join in!”

“What onstage?”

“Why not, you’d be a natural.”

“Thanks.”

“What for?”

“Believing in me.”

He left soon after and left me to check his packing, I added one or two creature comforts like a wash bag, but he’d remembered most things. Then I phoned Alice and apologised for running out on her, I also told her that I would be going away for a while, and didn’t know how long.

“But Colin, darling, where are you going?”

“America, mostly.”

“But...”

“I booked the ticket to Vancouver a few hours ago.”

“But that’s in Canada.”

“That’s why I said mostly.”

After Alice I had to phone my parents, they fought me more than Alice had, even threatened to cut my money off. But after I pointed out that I had enough cash in the safe hidden in the lounge to pay for my ticket, and that I was going no matter what they said they seemed to come around a bit. Apparently the idea of their only son travelling America penniless was scarier than the idea of him travelling with the ability to check into the snobbiest hotels. If I must travel then I was to travel in style!

Strangely enough though, I was to be travelling if not penniless at least as close as I had ever gotten before. As he had left Greg had made me promise to take with me only five hundred pounds in cash that could be exchanged for dollars at the airport. Other than that apparently I was to earn my way like the others. I had snuck a credit card into my bag, just in case, but even so I had no intention of using it. I was following my mentor; I had no idea what I was letting myself in for, I was taking very little money and I was terrified.

It was wonderful.