Erica Clifford - Completed

Twenty

This café had become a great place to work when the office was busy. I could actually knuckle down and really get into it. No one popping in to double check something. Just me with my earphones in ploughing through my ever growing list of jobs to do.

My days consisted of meetings with Oscar, the planning team, Margot then dad. Then I'd sit and do some of the admin pieces, look at the songs I'd written for the album, making sure they aligned up together, emailing ideas with the graphic designers, signing off on things if they were perfect. 

Then after everyone had gone home at 5, I could finally do somethings for anyone else that needed me. I'd somehow managed to write a song for Melody so I needed to book a session in with her. I had no idea how I was going to do that but I'd have to make it work. 

It had been over a week since I'd spent the morning on the roof with Levi. And yet again things were too busy for us to talk in too much detail. Getting into the office at 8am and finishing at 10 or 11pm was starting to get exhausting. 

Brooke had been coming to the office on a Friday night so we could keep up the girls night I promised her. It wasn't ideal but it was better than not seeing me. We were only a month into the whole album thing and it was about to get busier. 

Once we started production I'd have all the usual stuff plus editing, photoshoots, tour planning, media organisation. 

Ugh. 

Headache. 

Grabbing my phone off the table and unlocking it to see a couple of texts from Levi and Brooke. 

Hey! What's the plan this weekend? I can come to the office Friday after I finish work if you want? 

I was actually thinking of taking the weekend off. I've been so full on this month I think I'm going to have a breakdown if I don't take a breath lol.
Night out???

I came out the text going to Levi's next. The placid smile pulling at my lips was evident of how speaking to him made me feel. 

Hey
It's been a while since we spoke. 
You okay?

Hey! Yeah I know. I can't even explain how busy it is right now. I'm pulling like 15 hour days just to stay on top of it. I'm exhausted. 
How are you?

I hit send and as I did Brooke's name appeared on my screen. I answered and put the phone on the table, returning to typing away. 

"Hey." 

"Are you serious?" 

"What?" 

"You're actually asking to go out? Are you okay?" She sounded exasperated. 

"No. I'm tired." I chuckled slightly. "I'm even working now. I don't think I've eaten at home in like 3 weeks. I barely remember what Sonny's bark sounds like." 

"Oh god you're going mad." She laughed at me. A slightly concerned laugh like she was worried if she didn't make light of the situation I'd break down. "What about if we go out Saturday. You take the full day off and we do something Saturday afternoon before we hit town Saturday night? We can invite the Isaac and the boys?" 

"Sounds good." I tried to remain nonchalant about the thought of having a full night with Levi when everyone else would be too busy to know what's going on. Besides if anyone saw anything, I can blame it on the alcohol and stress and the whole 4 year thing. No one would have to know it was happening anyway. 

Can you even class it as happening if you only have time to see each other for 5 minutes once a week if you're lucky? Was anything even happening? We'd kissed twice. I don't think you can class that as anything right? 

"Okay. I'll let you go. I'll come to yours Saturday like 1pm ish?" 

"Okay sure. I'll see you then." She hung up and my music resumed for just a second before the device buzzed. 

I'm good. 
Where are you? 

Working in a café down the road where no one can find
 me and ask me more questions or give me more work.

Fancy some company? 

Depends who the company is. 

Me. 

Just you? 

Can be. 

Then yeah.

The normal café? 

Yeah. 

2 minutes x

My heart was already pounding in my chest at the thought of him. I don't think getting this excited was normal. The smile on my face whenever I thought of him was really really hard to control.

I had to distract myself. Keep myself busy before I embarrassed myself beyond belief. 

I typed a quick email to Margot, asking her to book a recording session in for me and Melody on Monday morning. Then I could be between her and the boys in 2 studios. I don't know how it would work. I guess we will work it out Monday. 

"Hey." I looked up as Levi stood on the other side of the table, hands in his pockets and subtle smile on his cheeks. 

"Hey." I tilted my head at him slightly, mimicking his face subconsciously. " Give me 2 seconds, I'm just emailing Marg." 

"About what?" He sat down slowly. 

"Um-" I typed and looked up at him. "Sorry I can't do two things at once. Let me finish this and you can have my full attention." I raised an eyebrow at myself, a giggle in my tone. 

He said something to the waitress as I continued the email, asking if it was possible for the studios to be next door to each other so I might have some chance of managing it. I ticked it off my to do list and closed the laptop and book before looking up at him again. 

His eyes were staring at me and it made me wonder how long he had been watching me. Was he just watching me as I typed. That's weird right? Typing wasn't exactly the most attractive thing in the world. Never mind sending an email. It's so tedious. Surely not. 

"Okay. I'm good."