Chapter Six

Chapter Six



Halle heard the unfamiliar ringtone as she turned the shower off. Grabbing her towel, she flicked it around herself and ran to answer it before it stopped. Noticing the caller I.D she took a deep breath .



"Um...hello."



Jon was relieved that he had contact but was still wary. This could turn into a media circus if he wasn't careful. They could really do with out any scandals during the tour.



"Hi and who is this?" Jon asked.



Dave and Tico exchanged looks. Dave held back a snicker while Tico just smiled. The King was back in the swing and they both hoped he would be in a better mood for a change.



On the other end of the line Halle was panicking. She didn't even give a thought to how misconstrued the whole situation could look. 'Well that and the sexy fricken voice on the other end of the line.' "My name's Halle...Halle Anderson."



"Hi Halle, I'm Jon, I was looking for..."



"Richie?" she cut in.



"Yeah Richie" Jon smiled at her enthusiasm "Is he around?"



"He's still passed out in the guest room."



"Passed out? Guest room?" Jon repeated.



Dave and Tico started chuckling, maybe the King hadn't returned after all.


Halle immediately got her defences up. "Yes, my guest room, I'm not a conquest if that's what you were thinking."



Jon's brow rose quickly "woah darlin' I didn't mean to imply anything".



"I'll have you know, he was at the bar i was working in last night and well...let's just say he was extremely under the weather. I had to try and stop him from driving" Halle lowered her voice and let her anger subside.



"Well, thanks for looking after him. We appreciate it. Are you able to wake him?" Jon asked still quite shocked at the way she tore into him.



Halle walked downstairs to where Richie was still sleeping. Shaking his shoulder she started in a low even tone "Richie...wake up". Having gotten no response at all she dialled up the voice "Richieeeee...wakey wakey! Get up!" still nothing. She pulled the phone back to her ear "Jon he's not even stirring".



Jon could hear her beginning to panic "it's ok darlin' he sleeps like the dead even when he's not...under the weather. Do you mind if i send someone to get him?".



"Sure, but he has a car here so send someone to drive it."



After writing down the address, Jon hung up then looked up at Dave and Tico who were looking expectantly at him.



"Well?" Dave stood, tapping his foot "Is the King back?"



"Aah, I don't think so, actually she nearly tore me a new one when i assumed something i shouldn't have" Jon chuckled, she certainly had spunk. As for his friend, Jon thought he might just tear him a new one. "He got himself hammered last night and this woman...Halle, thought she would get him outta the public eye. I tell ya what, I'm gonna kill him" Jon ranted to the amusement of Dave and Tico who sat back watching Jon pace around the room.



After giving Jon her address, she dropped the phone on the couch and ran upstairs to get dressed. Pulling on white shorts and a blue t-shirt, she pulled her long hair into a lose ponytail and left the room.



Downstairs, Richie was beginning to stir. Opening his eyes he tried to focus 'fuck me,what train hit me last night?and where the hell am I?' Lifting his head while trying to ignore the pounding, he slowly looked around the room. There was no one in bed beside him and he was still dressed, so he obviously didn't pick up. The room was dark but as his eyes adjusted he focused on a huge picture on the wall. A portrait of John Lennon. Nodding his approval, he continued surveying the room. He found the aspirin and water on the nightstand, silently blessing whoever had left them, he downed three aspirin and swallowed half a bottle of water. He sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees, his head cradled in his hands. He wasn't sure what he was gonna find outside the room but hauled himself off the bed anyway and went to explore.



Halle was in the kitchen when Richie emerged, turning to him, she smiled widely. 'Jeez, this guy even makes a hangover look good'. "Good morning sunshine" Halle said brightly. Richie was pleasantly surprised at who he found. Walking further into the kitchen and looking around wary of who else could be in the room. "Good morning, aren't we chirpy?" a sheepish grin on his face. He felt a little uncomfortable that he had no recollection of the previous night.



Noticing his awkwardness Halle wiped her hands on a towel then held one out toward Richie "I'm Halle".



Richie stepped forward and took her hand "Richie". Her hand was small and felt soft inside his and her warmth quickly spread through his body.



Halle was taken by surprise at the sensation his innocent handshake was generating. She let out a small gasp and pulled her hand quickly from his. Composing herself she smiled again "feel like coffee and breakfast cowboy?"



Richie smirked at her reaction but dismissed it 'probably just a fan' he thought. "Well as long as you're offering." He sat at the table in the middle of the kitchen and while Halle busied herself with the task at hand, Richie took the opportunity of taking in her features. Her hair was long, even tied back it still hung more than half way down her back. His gaze travelled down, her petite figure was accentuated by the tight t-shirt that happened to be the same colour as her eyes and her cute ass was making his crotch stir as she moved around the kitchen. She obviously worked out, her legs looked firm and strong and her stomach was perfectly flat. As she reached for something in a top cupboard Richie caught sight of some ink at the base of her spine but didn't get a chance to make out what it was.



"So..." Richie stalled, not quite sure what to say.



"So?" Halle repeated and turned to look his way. "How did you end up here?"



Running his hand through his hair and looking down at the table, Richie felt rather sheepish "well, yeah, I don't remember too much about last night". He remembered well enough the phone call that sent him off into the streets to calm down, and then the small bar that had been welcoming with the lack of crowd, but after that things got a little hazy.



"Well let's just say that you were in no condition to drive and after I knocked you on your ass, you passed out. We had no idea where you were staying, your phone was locked and i didn't think it would be wise to leave you to attract attention. So i figured, knowing who you were, I should be safe enough to let you crash here."



Richie was staring blankly at her "You knocked me on my ass?"



"Well I wasn't about to let you loose on the roads, and besides, you were being a smug bastard and I needed to put you in your place." She thought that she would keep to herself the little fact that she actually fell on him, what he don't know won't hurt him.



"Well thanks...I guess" Richie replied rather embarassed.



Helle began laughing as she served up his breakfast.



"So now you're laughing at me?" Richie asked, a pained look on his face, but his eyes were sparkling with amusement.



Halle laughed louder "I'm sorry" was all she could say before she lost it, tears streaming down her face.



Shaking his head at her, Richie popped a piece of bacon in his mouth and turned when he heard the doorbell.



Halle was still laughing as she went through to open the door. She guessed that it would be someone to pick Richie up, but her laughter came to a sputtering stop when she opened the door and she immediately found herself without breath.