Part 5
Eventually things settled down, although it was never what it used to be. The day after my drunken advances on Paul at the Noiseworks concert, all three of us sat in Paul and Rich's kitchen, and over tea we discussed the future of the group. They said they wouldn't be able to carry on in the Allstars if I continued to behave the way I did - in fact, their exact words were "shape up or ship out". I supposed I deserved what I was getting, yet I found that it gave me more determination to have Paul as my own. As rough and vicious as I was with him in the bathroom, I found that I had no real qualms of conscience. But I had to seem as though I was giving up on him or else the group would split, my marriage would be left in tatters and I would be job-hopping again. So I agreed to simmer down, all the while knowing that I would just keep on fighting for him. I don�t think they quite believed me, but they said nothing and the issue was settled.
Over the next month, Rich made it more than clear to me that Paul was his and nobody else's. I could only stand back and watch as their love grew stronger and deeper than anyone thought as possible. By day we worked and performed as a trio, doing our best to convince our audiences that all was happy in the Allstars Land. By night, I would return to my family and they would go home together. Very few people knew by then that they had moved in together, they kept it well hidden. For a while I began to worry that I would no longer have even the smallest window of opportunity open for me to make any more moves. Since their ultimatum, Paul and Rich were inseparable, parting only by extreme force. But I was patient. I waited. I knew my time would come soon enough.
When the month ended, who should knock but Opportunity itself? Problems arose in the Fidler clan and Rich was asked to join his family overnight, to try and calm things down. He asked Paul to stay behind, as he didn�t want to drag him into family disputes.
He was called away right after we'd finished a day's taping for 'DAAS Kapital'. As he gathered his backpack from his dressing room, he warned Paul that he may not get back home until later the next day. I could sense that Paul didn't like the idea of being away from Rich, even simply overnight, but he also didn't want to seem selfish and possessive, so he kept his mouth shut and gave him a reluctant kiss goodbye.
Once Rich was out the door, Paul turned to face me, his arms folded and his eyebrows bowing down in discomfort. He attempted a smile. "This is the first time i've spent a night alone for a while. It's a little frightening. I know it sounds pathetic, but-"
"Nah, nah, it's okay." It took all of my willpower to mask the feelings of jealousy rushing over me. "If I were as much in love as you are, i'd feel like you do. Don't worry, it's not pathetic."
"Really?"
"Sure."
He gave me a grateful smile before asking, a little uncertainly, "Do you want to keep me company?" Upon remembering previous hazardous events, he added, "I'm not inviting you to make a pass at me, so don't get the wrong idea. I'd just like someone to talk to while Rich is gone."
I nodded. "I understand. Yeah, i'll do that."
He reached for his bag. "Well, let's go."
Suddenly, an idea formed in my mind. A dangerous idea, one that could be catastrophic if it failed, but if proved successful, would ensure the end of Paul and Rich's relationship. I amazed myself at how devious and conniving I could be, but now that the idea was in my mind, I couldn't let it sit there.
"Ah, just go out and wait for me in the foyer, Paul. I need to make a phone call."
"Yeah, to let Vic know you'll be home later. Sorry, I didn't think of that. See you in a minute."
As he left the room, I jammed the door and leapt for the phone. Vic wasn't the highest on my priority list. At that moment, there was someone far more important that I needed to contact. Someone who knew more about drugs than anybody else.
++++
"Paul, i'm just going out to the garbage bin, okay?" I called to Paul a few hours later, poised at the back door of Paul's house and carrying two plastic bags full of rubbish. "Get the wine ready!"
"Yes sir! Right away sir!" Paul replied jokingly as he rustled around in the kitchen. I pulled the back door open and casually strode across the paved walkway to the garbage bin, sitting along a wooden fence that made a barrier between his house and the house next door. As I lifted the lid and started pouring the rubbish in, I heard a male voice whispering from the other side of the fence.
"Psst. Tim."
I knew who it was - Druggie Boy, as I affectionately nicknamed him. The man i'd spoken to on the phone earlier. I didn't look up, but started talking to him, trying not to look too suspicious.
"Have you got the stuff?" I asked.
"You owe me one," he replied.
He slipped a tiny, clear packet containing sickly-coloured powder through two pieces of wood. Keeping my eyes on the rubbish bin, I reached out and quickly took the packet from his hands.
"So he'll think i'm Rich?" I asked.
"Yeah, he will. Best of luck to you, mate."
I closed the garbage bin lid and we went our separate ways - Druggie Boy crept out of the next-door-neighbour's backyard while I returned to the house, dusting off my hands. I made my way into the kitchen, where Paul was beginning to pour wine into one of two glasses.
"Here, i'll take over," I volunteered. He moved over and passed the bottle to me without voicing objection. As I poured the wine, I kept my ears alert for the next part of my plan. Sure enough, in just a few seconds, the phone began to ring. Druggie Boy had agreed to pose as a telemarketer while I poured the powder into Paul's wine.
As Paul strode into the next room to answer the phone, I looked around quickly and took the packet from my pocket, tearing a tiny hole into the corner. I tapped a small amount into Paul's glass, then poured a little more in for extra measure. Just as Druggie Boy had promised, the powder disappeared into the wine. I gave the wine a quick sniff, but there was no smell. I hoped there'd be no taste, either, but Druggie Boy had sworn black and blue that there wouldn't be. He'd never given me reason to doubt him, so I didn't bother giving it a quick taste test. I memorized which glass was his - the one with the slight chip.
I couldn't put myself at risk of being caught with the drugs, so I poured the remainder of the powder down the sink and washed it and the packet thoroughly. I disposed of the packet in the garbage, checking it carefully for any traces of drugs, and continued pouring the wine just as Paul re-entered the room.
"Bloody telemarketers," he cursed, taking his glass. "He just wouldn't take no for an answer. Talk about persistent. In the end I just had to hang up on him."
He handed my glass to me and clinked it against his own, grinning. "Here's hoping all telemarketers are tracked down and tossed into a torture chamber."
As we both sipped our wine, I watched him cautiously for any signs of him discovering the powder. Luckily, he made no facial expression telling me so, and I began to relax, glancing at the clock nailed on the wall. Two hours to go.
++++
When Paul went to bed, I stayed around, cleaning up the debris in the kitchen and living room. Being men, we simply tossed things anywhere without bothering to clean them up, but out of courtesy I put everything in its correct place. I had to wait a little while, anyway. Druggie Boy had instructed me on the phone to wait until Paul had been sleeping for half an hour, then go and wake him up.
At 11:30pm on the dot, approximately half an hour after Paul had gone to sleep, I took one more sip of wine for good measure and then made my way towards Paul and Rich's bedroom. I gently pushed the door open, cringing as it briefly squeaked on its hinges. Paul didn't stir. I tiptoed around to the bare side of the bed and gently crawled on, pulling the covers over me. Once settled in, I leant over and placed my hand on his upper arm, putting my face close to his ear.
"Paul?" I whispered, gently rubbing his arm. I felt him stir. "Paul, i'm home."
"Rich," I heard him say, his voice muffled by the pillow. He slowly turned over and faced me fully, and for a brief instant I panicked. What if Druggie Boy had fucked me over? What if the drugs didn't work?
But I didn't have to worry. When he saw my face he looked up at me adoringly, entwining his fingers with mine. "You're home early, baby."
"I know. Everything was sorted out," I said in my best Rich voice. "I couldn't stand being away from you. How were things with Tim?"
He ignored my question and slung an arm around my neck, planting sweet kisses on my lips. "I missed you, Rich."
I eagerly returned his kisses, my hands roaming over his body and caressing him in the right places. He moaned, murmuring Rich's name over and over again.
As we made slow and passionate love, my body felt wonderful but my mind went the opposite. This wasn't what I wanted. Instead of making love to me, he was making love to Rich, or so he thought. He would never sleep with me if it weren't for the drugs. Well, never again.
But I reminded myself that things would change when the morning arrived and Rich returned home. And when everything was over, Rich would be out of the picture, leaving Paul in my arms, where he truly belonged.
Part 6