The Neighbors

2.8 The First Single

A few weeks had passed, the kids had started school and we were beginning to get settled in the new house. I had managed to form a "safe" routine with Zayn being around all the time. I basically tried to make sure we weren't alone in the same room for extended periods of time and I tried to keep our conversations business-oriented rather than sharing about our personal lives.

The pass-through wall for the dining room was almost finished, and I loved it. I couldn't thank Zayn enough for suggesting it. He was getting toward the end of the renovations on the siding, and there were still a few projects that I wanted him to work on inside, including my surprise for Harry in the basement. I was planning to create a home recording studio for him and reveal it for his 23rd birthday in December.

I really had no idea how to begin with recording equipment, so I called Urbane Records and tried to get in touch with Liam Payne, since I knew that he and Harry were becoming close. Liam didn't answer the phone right away, so I left a message. I just hoped that Liam wouldn't say anything to Harry about my call.

It wasn't long before I received a call back and I was nervous as hell. I mean, this was a record company executive and in spite of the fact that he was also Harry's friend, I wondered if it was unprofessional for me to call him about this idea.

Well, it was too late now as I said, "Hello, Mr. Payne, how are you?"

"Fine, thank you," he chuckled. "But please call me Liam."

"Thank you, Liam. Listen, can I, um, ask your advice about a gift that I'm planning for Harry's birthday. Would that be okay with you?"

"Sure." He said the word slowly and hesitantly, so I knew it must have seemed like an odd request.

"I'm planning to build a home recording studio for him in our basement, and I have no idea what kind of equipment he should have."

"Oh, so are you planning on taking him away from Urbane Records?" Liam asked lightheartedly.

"No, not at all! I just wanted him to have his own space at home, you know? I didn't mean anything by-"

"I'm just kidding, Lise, it's fine. I think that's a very thoughtful plan. Let me give it some thought and I will email you some ideas, okay?"

"Sure," I answered. "But please don't mention this to Harry, of course. It's a surprise and his birthday isn't until December."

"Oh, of course. Mum's the word," he said. I could tell that he was more than okay with my asking his opinion by the tone of his voice. "But," he added, "if you haven't started any work on the room yet, you might want to think about installing acoustic tiles. You want him to have the best sound when he's recording."

"Yes, thank you! I would never have thought of the condition of the walls themselves. I will check with our contractor," I told him. "Thank you so much."

"You're welcome, Lise. Take care," he said and ended the call.

As soon as we hung up, I took to the internet to search for acoustic tiles. I found several different varieties, but I still had no idea what I was looking for. I printed out a few pages and I went in search of Zayn.

I found him up on the scaffolding at the front of the house. I stepped up close to the corner, right by a stack of roofing shingles and I waited to get his attention until I was sure I wouldn't knock him off the scaffolding by surprising him. Instead, he happened to look down and said, "Oh, I didn't see you there."

"I wanted to ask you about something," I said. "But we can talk later if this isn't a good time."

"No, it's great. I was just going to take a break from the siding anyway." He climbed down the side carefully and strode over to where I had spread the papers out on the scaffolding.