A Dreamers Dream

Conflicted. Los Angeles, California. USA.

Knock Knock.

Ah, perfect timing! A rush of adrenaline starts to pump through my veins as I once again untangle my limbs from beneath me and pull myself up off the rug, being more mindful of the glass of water this time, and make my way over to the door, swinging it open gleefully and throwing myself into the arms of the person on the other side without so much as bothering to say hello.

"Good to see you too, sis." Michaels deep, warm voice sang to me as he dropped the bag he was carrying to the floor with a dull thud and wrapped his arms around my waist, lifting me a couple of inches off the floor as he hugged me tightly to his chest.

After the last few weeks of utter madness, I decided that the one thing that I needed more than anything in the world was a familiar face, and thankfully, my loving big brother was more than happy to use my misery as a good excuse to take a few days off work and fly out to see the city of angels.

"I missed you! Thank you so much for coming. How was your flight? I really wouldn't have minded coming to meet you at the airport, you know." I blurt out in one long tirade, not allowing Michael to get a word in as I usher him into my room and close the door behind us. He tosses his bag down and surveys the small hotel room as he answers me.

"Flight was fine, food was shit though. And believe me, I got that from the ten times you offered to on the phone yesterday, but it would have been utterly pointless for you to have paid out for a taxi to the airport just to turn around and come back again. And I'm the elder sibling remember? I am quite capable of taking care of myself. Unlike you..." He chuckles, mussing my hair with one of his overly large hands and suddenly making me feel six years old again.

"I know I know," I say, shrugging out of the way of his hand and flopping back down onto the rug in amongst the various notepads and my guitar. Not the fancy new one that Harry bought me in Nashville, which is still sat in its case at the back of the hotel wardrobe as I just can't bring myself to play it, but my old trusty pink one that's been to hell and back with me over the years.

"So this is where you're living now, huh?" Michael asks, gesturing around the room. "I see you've not gotten any tidier in your old age." he teases me as his gaze falls on the various items of dirty laundry scattered around the place.

"If I'm old, what does that make you BIG brother?" I ask him, eyebrows raised in mock sincerity. "And yes, this is home, for now. Not for much longer, though. I actually have some rather bloody awesome news."

"OK..." Michael says, leaning forwards slightly, bony elbows digging into slightly more sturdy knees as he looks at me intently. "Care to share? Or are you going to make me guess?"

"Well, this morning I had a meeting, finally, with Deans dad. We played him a couple of the tracks that we've been working on and guess what? He wants to sign me! ME! Officially being signed to an actual record label! Ahh!!" I half screamed. Jumping to my feet again and throwing myself at Michael who, thankfully, has very fast reflexes and managed to rise out of his chair and grab me before I collapsed on top of him.

"Maddie that is fucking fantastic news! I'm so proud of you! My little sister, a bona fide pop star." he almost whispered. The awe in his voice clear, and at that moment, I must admit, I felt just a little bit proud of me too.

We spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on all the gossip that I had missed from home whilst I'd been swanning about the planet, Michael filled me in on how Mum and Dad are doing, his job and the renovations he is making to his flat, before working me into a fit of uncontrollable giggles with his theatrical retelling of a particularly heated argument he'd witnessed between our obnoxious cousin Lillie and her downtrodden Husband Phillip, who apparently has finally grown some balls and stopped putting up with her shit.