Free Black Girls and Bad Boys: Changing his Tune by Neneh J. Gordon Page A

than it had been on previous tours, but Noah
was still looking forward to the look on Angie’s face when she saw their new
home – he’d been teasing her, telling her they were going on a reconditioned
red London bus. She definitely hadn’t believed him to start with, but by the
time he started talking about the alterations for the shower cubicle, she
wasn’t sure what to think.
    “I’ll take that.” He snatched her case out of her hand and
immediately sagged under its weight. “Bloody hell, what did you pack?”
    “It’s not that heavy. It must be the books.”
    “Am I that boring you need to bring half a library with you?” He
stopped himself giving her a friendly nudge. She was nowhere near as jumpy any
more, but she still preferred it if he didn’t touch her. If he could only get
her to open up about it...
    “You’re the one who said there’d be lots of waiting around. You’ll
be too busy to talk to me most of the time.”
    And boredom was a very bad thing for recovering alcoholics. “Oh
well, it’s good exercise for me.” He strode out in front of her to open the
door and watched her face break into a smile when she saw the two-storey coach
waiting for them.
    “I knew you were making it up about the red bus.”
    “No you didn’t.” They walked out into the front garden.
    She stared and stared at the coach. “It’s massive.”
    “It’ll have to be. We’re sharing the bottom with John and a couple
of roadies, the band and the other roadies get the top. Do you want the tour?”
    She nodded, her smile growing even wider. He led her inside, stowing
her bag near the front. “That’s John’s bed.” He pointed to a panel behind the
driver’s seat.
    “Bed?”
    “Here.” When he pressed it in the right spot, the panel clicked back
and he slid it open to reveal a neat little bunk with storage space underneath.
    “Is mine like that?”
    “Yeah, they all are. So you won’t be completely without privacy.”
    It was going to be a culture shock being on the road with ten men
and no other women. She leaned inside and peered around. “It’s a good job I’m
not claustrophobic.”
    “You’ll only be in there to sleep.” He couldn’t help thinking of
some of the things he’d got up to in bunks like that. Sleep had only been
involved at the very end. He imagined climbing in beside Angie and quickly
pushed the picture away. That wasn’t on the cards. This tour was going to be
completely different to all the other ones he’d been on.
    He led the way down the aisle, showing her the table and benches and
the other bunks. “That’s mine, right at the back.” Up until five minutes ago,
it had seemed the most logical thing in the world to have her in the bunk
closest to his. Now he was beginning to wish he’d swapped her with John. No.
It’d be fine – she didn’t think of him like that. He didn’t think about her
like that either. Not really.
    “I’m trying mine out.” She walked back up the coach and slid open
the compartment before boosting herself up onto the bed. “I like it,” she said,
sitting with her legs dangling over the side.
    He fetched her bag to slot in underneath her and came back just in
time to see her rearranging her floaty skirt. He caught a flash of brown skin
and turned away, his cheeks burning.
    Please don’t let me get a crush on her. Not now. But her perfume drifted down to him and he found himself thinking
of that night out in the garden. It seemed like a lifetime ago, but he could
still remember the awkwardness of their embrace. Funny how something so
ungainly could have felt so right.
    Oh no.
    “I’m just going to fetch some more of my stuff.” He rushed off the
coach before his brain threw any more embarrassing thoughts at him.
    Walking back into the house, he forced himself not to look over his
shoulder. He had to get himself under control or this was going to be a
disaster.
    ***
    E verything went ridiculously smoothly – the band turned up early,
John