She's With the Band

Exit Wounds

"You gave the hospital quite a show," Gale began with a small smile. He was picking at the edges of his coffee cup as he watched Valerie warily under the dim hospital light. They were seated in the hospital's dining place, a quiet area with only two more late diners, eating sullenly. With their grey uniforms and their sombre looks, the diners faded into the dull background of the room easily. Not Valerie, though.

To Gale, Valerie stood out, as if surrounded by lights at a ring toss, flashing and ridiculously bright. Secretly, he admired her tenacity and his eyes betrayed him in that admiration. They were perplexed as they surveyed her levelled expression: her eyes were neutrally looking at her own coffee cup, her eyebrows knitted together in a slight scowl, and her lips pursed firmly into a thin line. Her hair was dishevelled by the events of the day and the first few buttons of her blouse were messily open, which gave her an exhausted look, yet Gale's eyes were still intrigued.

"Yeah," Valerie took a long sip from her coffee, her eyes wandering everywhere but to his curious ones, "I'm a bit embarrassed."

Gale put down his cup immediately, "Don't be. He got what he deserved." He was conscious of withholding his temper, despite the flaring heat he felt. He recalled the man's firm grasp on Valerie's elbow as she struggled against him. The sight had stirred him, his instincts urged him to break out the man's hold by force and punch him square in the face. However, his plans were thwarted the minute Valerie took charge and yanked the man's arms away.

"Huh," Valerie let out a small sigh of resignation, "he deserved more, that son of a bitch."

"So, that was your ex, I assume?" Gale couldn't hide his curiosity.

"Xavier," Valerie spoke with bile in her throat, "we were together for three years. I caught him in bed with his secretary a month ago...." Valerie stopped herself from carrying on with her sob story; she didn't know Gale very well and she doubted he was interested in hearing her history with Xavier. She didn't want to come off as vain—yet in his eyes, she saw a warm welcome. They were looking back at her, carefully following her every motion and gauging her every expression. She saw an encouraging gaze about them, as if affirming their interest in anything she had to say.

Valerie took a breath and began explaining her bitter history with Xavier while Gale listened intently. She told him about the hotel and how they met, the shameless flirting she was oblivious to, what an idiot she was to think Xavier faithful, and how she never wanted to set foot in any hotel again. Gale mimicked her expressions; he laughed when her eyebrows arched humorously, he scrunched his face in a deep scowl when her own was overcome with anguish, and his eyebrows knitted into a fierce arch when hers were angry.

By the time Valerie finished, her coffee had gone cold and the diners were long gone.

"You should have punched him," Gale offered at last, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips, "it would have been a sight to see."

"I should have," Valerie agreed with a high-pitched laugh, its humour infectious enough to have Gale joining in her amusement. "But I doubt you're here just to see me insult Xavier. What made you come?"

"Yes, well," Gale sat up in his seat, adjusting himself and spoke courtly, "I came to let you know that we're going to face Daniels in court. We're looking at a billion-dollar lawsuit, or, at least that's what the lawyer tells us."

"Phew," Valerie whistled at the large sum and her eyes widened, "I read news of the lawsuit from today's headlines, but I didn't realize it was that much."

"We're trying to navigate through this together, as a band," Gale's smile has long since disappeared; instead it was replaced by a grim-looking grimace, "it's highly publicized and it's putting a strain on the band. We need solid management, now more than ever... which is the real reason I came here."

Gale looked up suddenly to gauge Valerie's reaction. He wasn't sure exactly how to phrase his question, especially considering that both his bandmates, Dylan and Michael, weren't entirely aware of his intentions.

"Valerie, the position for band manager is still vacant, and I think you're a suitable candidate," Gale tried to keep a professional tone but feared he sounded too ridiculous for his own ears.

"I-I don't understand," Valerie's confusion was evident on her face, her eyebrows pulled together in a knitted line, burying her eyes beneath them.

"We want to interview you; you'd be excellent for the job," Gale lightened his tone and dropped the professionalism; it never suited him anyways.

"But I'm not qualified enough; I-I don't have any experience in the music industry," Valerie gulped loudly, her eyes still pronounced her disbelief, "it's new territory for me."

Gale smiled at her stuttering words; he had expected a similar reaction. He began with the resignation to put her at ease, "Daniels was an old friend before he became our manager. He didn't have any experience either, save for listening to our first demos. We took him on as manager at first because we didn't know anyone else. He learned quick, and stuck with us until the scandal."

"But—" Valerie began in protest, but she wasn't sure what she was against, exactly.

"Listen, you were the HR manager of a 4-star hotel, for god's sake. Managing a band is no different; you'll settle any disputes, devise prospective plans, manage our media-relations and things like that. Besides, you said it yourself: you're tired of the hotel industry."

"Yes, but...."

"You're more than qualified, trust me."

Valerie adopted a quiet thinking stance, her eyes calculative. She had been unemployed for a month and none of the prospective employers called her back. Maybe she should blame the declining economy or her wrecked nerves. Or maybe, she was uninspired in her interviews because she desired something other than a desk job. But maybe, just maybe, Gale was offering her what she craved on a silver platter with a wide smile. She sighed at last and looked up at his expecting eyes. She had nothing to lose, after all.

"When and where?" her face transformed with excitement and her eyes were lit with the fire of the unknown.

Gale caught on, "How about we meet you over a business dinner? It'll give us a chance to professionally discuss your qualifications and ask you some questions."

Valerie was amused, "A business dinner, all at once?"

"We're not conventional people," Gale defended the band with humour, "But yes, a business dinner. Do you have any plans for Saturday evening?"

Valerie's head was spinning with how quickly things had escalated over the span of an hour. Their conversation shifted from Xavier and his infidelity to a job interview, which still caught her by surprise. "No, not at all."

"Then, how does the Chapter One Restaurant at eight sound like?"

"Delightful."