The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

22. i like music

What was his deal? I wondered. Not so long ago we found ourselves in a similar position to this and I had enough courage to kiss him. He'd practically run out of the store afterwards. What had changed? I wondered... I could only think of one possible answer.

"Is this about Luke?" 

Harry stepped back slightly, his hands dropping to his sides. "Because, honestly, I'm not one of those girls who finds jealousy a favourable trait. It's not a good look on anyone." Not even you, Mr Green Eyes. 

He laughed boyishly. "I am not jealous." It was a rare moment where he actually looked like a 21 year old and not like the ghost of an 80s rockstar. 

"The last time I kissed you, you bolted out of here like a scared possum. What makes you think I would ever want to kiss you again?" 

"A possum?" he murmured with amusement, dodging my question. "I've been called a lot of things in my time, Stella, but... a possum?" 

My hands flew up in the air. "Seriously, can you just leave?" He made me want to rip my hair out, and I don't mean metaphorically. "I can't believe yesterday I was honestly considering asking you for a favour because you just can't help being - " 

Harry head titled to the side. "What favour?"

"It doesn't matter now," I crossed my arms. No way was I asking Harry to get 5SOS onto The Forgotten Kids tour. I didn't want to have to owe him anything. 

"Tell me."

"No." 

"Don't be stubborn," he said gently. "What's the favour?" 

Through my internal screaming, I thought of Luke. Just swallow your pride. Do this for Luke. "You should put 5SOS on as the supporting act for The Forgotten Kids tour." 

An entertained smile crossed Harry's pink lips. "You want me to put your boyfriend's band on to support the band that you said would be nothing but - and I quote - basic riffs, terrible lyrics and ear-bleeding vocals?" 

If I didn't want this so much for the boys, I'd have slapped Harry and sent him out of the store. You're doing this for Luke, I chanted silently, and with a bright smile I said, "Yes." I ignored the sour taste of succumbing and said in the most monotonous tone I could, "I was wrong. You were right. The Forgotten Kids were - are - good. And again, Luke is not my boyfriend." 

Harry let out that boyish laugh again. "I expected you to put up more of a fight, Stella." 

My body was frozen with frustration. If I moved a muscle, I'd either kiss him or slap him, and I didn't know which one I wanted to do more.

"But," his tongue coated his lips, "it's a good idea. I'll see what I can do." 

With one last smile, Harry turned away, his back muscles visible through his thin grey t-shirt as he pulled the door open.  "That's it?" I called out. I'd expected more of a fight from him. 

"For now," he smirked. "Goodbye Stella." 

When his long legs had taken him completely out of eye sight, I slid down the wall and sat on the floor, my hands shaking beside me. How was it possible to find someone so utterly attractive, and be so completely, incurably, annoyed with them at the very same time? 

Despite myself, I began making a mental list of the differences between him and Luke. Green eyes to blue eyes. Dark, long hair to short and light. The ability to make me scream versus the ability to make me laugh. Maybe Harry had gotten under my skin but I knew that I liked Luke. That was more than I could say for Harry, right? I mean - 

"Stella?" 

I screamed at the sound of my name. I'd completely forgotten that I was at work, and groaned when I looked up to see Ashton peering over the counter at me. Standing up, I grumbled, "Where are all of the actual customers?" 

Ashton's dimples dented his cheeks as he smiled, obviously not phased by my bad mood at all. "Bad day?" 

"Something like that," I tried to smile. Ashton seemed like the kind of guy who never had bad days. "Did you come in here to buy something or are you here to ask for a favour?" 

His hazel eyes panicked. "Um... both?" 

A smile broke out across my face. No wonder Ashton didn't have bad days, it was hard to be mad with those dimples around. "What do you need?" 

''We need a manager." 

He ran his hand through his long hair, the same way Luke often did. The four boys were entirely different but I'd noticed they had a lot of the same mannerisms and gestures. I guess that's what happened when you spent so much time with the same people. 

Now that was a frightening thought, I startled. Did I have the same mannerisms as Aunty Peg? God, I hoped not. 

Ashton was still standing there, expectedly, as he waited for my reply. "Oh, right. Look, I'm sorry if I freaked Luke out the other night, I know he gets kind of intense with important band stuff. I honestly just figured you guys already had a manager, but... I was wrong." That seemed to be a common theme today.

 The drummer laughed, "He calmed down eventually but the reason I'm here is because Luke thought - we all thought, actually - that you should be our manager." 

"What?" I laughed this time. His hazel eyes looked at me earnestly. "Wait, you're serious?" 

"You'd be great at it," he smiled again, all dimples and teeth. I wondered if he had a girlfriend. Him and Olivia would be kind of cute together. Once she gets bored of Oliver - which is inevitable. 

"Ashton," I began honestly. "I work in a CD store. I know nothing about managing a band." 

"But you love music," he argued. "And I know you want to open your own record label one day," he looked guilty for a moment and I realised that Luke must have let that slip. "You'd be good at this."

Deep down, I knew I would be good at it. Over the years, I'd befriended plenty of club owners. Grunge had all kinds of connections in the local music scene, and if Harry actually managed to get 5SOS on that tour, then that would all thanks to my genius idea. 

But still, I cared about Luke and I liked him, a lot. Maybe things between us were just casual but there was no dancing around that rule of mixing business and pleasure. 

I groaned when I remembered that was one of Harry's rules. Still, maybe this was the one thing we could actually agree on, because if I failed, I wouldn't just be letting the band down. I'd be letting Luke down. I didn't know if I could do that.

"I don't know... What if I screw it all up?"

"Then you'll get us all jobs here at the store," Ashton laughed again. "When Luke called that emergency band meeting you were the first and only name that came up." 

"I'll think about it," I lied, because there was no way I was going to be their manager. No way. 

What I didn't tell Ashton is that I knew someone else, equally - if not more - qualified, who would be perfect for the job. And I was going to make that happen.