Just Play Along

Chapter 1 - One & Two

Chapter One

PART ONE

*Aston's POV*

I sat in another meeting room, twiddling a pen in my hand as I stared at the wall opposite, only half an ear on the conversation at hand. Our manager was briefing us on an event we’d been invited to. It was very high society, black-tie, the works. Something for a new charity that was being launched through the Prince’s Trust. To be honest it was an honor to be invited to the event, it sounded like the guest list was going to be one of the most star-studded of any event I’d ever been to, the royals might even be there! But at the end of the day, it was just another event.

“Since this is such an important dinner, you’ll all need a plus one,” our manager said to us.

“What?” I spluttered, looking at the other boys. Marvin gave me a smug look. He’d always been telling me that insisting on singledom was going to bite me in the ass at some point. Guess this was it.

“It’s common courtesy to bring a date to something like this Aston,” My manager said, giving me a slight eye roll. “You’ve got two weeks to give us the name of the girl you’re bringing along,” our manager added, still looking directly at me as he said this. To be honest I had no idea who I was going to take, “And obviously, you can’t bring your mum’s as your date.”

“Course not,” I said awkwardly. That is exactly the thought that had passed my mind in that moment.

We were dismissed from the meeting after that, us boys heading to a van waiting to take us across town for dance rehearsals.

“So what you gonna do Ast?” JB asked me as soon as we’d set off.

“No idea,” I sighed, “Reesh?”

“I know who I’m asking,” he said confidently.

“Who?” I questioned.

“Laurel…” he said sheepishly, referring to a girl he’d met at a club two weeks prior.

“What? You saw her again?” I asked, turning around in my seat to give him the stare down.

“Um yeah… multiple times,” he said.

“So I’m the only one here that is stuck?” I asked.

“What if you ask one of your female friends?” Marvin suggested.

“But we’re doing red carpet and being papped and all of that. I don’t want to take one of my friends down that and be all up in the papers,” I replied with a deep sigh, “It’ll make hanging out in the future kind of a pain because they’ll just assume that we’re a couple. And then things will get awkward. Don’t’ really want to do that to any of my friends.”

“I guess…” Marvin trailed off, thinking.

“I’m screwed unless I meet someone in the next two weeks!” I breathed out in frustration. I really didn’t know who I could ask.

“So how about we help you?” Marvin asked slowly.

“How?”

“We set you up on some blind dates?” he shrugged. I looked around the car to see the other boys perking up at this idea.

“I don’t need to speed date to find someone to take to this thing,” I snapped.

“No, they’ll be proper dates,” Marvin insisted. “We’ll each find someone and set you up with them. We’ll sort the reservations and everything… You just need to show up on their doorstep at the right time.”