All You Need Is Now

1.

1980, the Rum Runner

"What can I get for you all?" I asked as I arrived at what seemed to be the last table I didn't have yet. This was already exhausting.
They looked at me as if they had seen a ghost and exchanged some looks. I stood there nervously, waiting for someone to speak up.
"I don't think we've seen you here before, have we?" The tall, dirty-blond spoke up. "We're away for three days and this happens?" The other exclaimed while he raised his hands.
I looked down at my feet and swallowed. "I'm new here. This is my first day at the Rum Runner."
The other bleach blond spoke up and smiled reassuringly. "Can you get us five whiskey? Seems like you're doing well so far. It's incredibly crowded. Can you handle it?"
I wrote down their order and nodded shyly. "Yeah, time goes by quickly like this. So being busy isn't that bad."
The dirty-blond elbowed the red-headed man sitting next to him that hadn't ushered a word. He was sitting there just looking at the table through his long bangs. "Nigel's quiet, aye?" He teased, earning a harsh push from supposedly Nigel. He looked up at me and I felt my knees go weak. Those beautiful brown orbs he had were hiding behind his bangs and I wondered why. He had stunning features, yet it was covered by his hair. He smiled softly and his red cheeks didn't go unnoticed by me. How adorable!
"Are you even old enough to be serving out alcohol?" The tiny, loud one of the group spoke up.
"I'm 17 actually. Turning 18 in three months."
They all nodded and off I went, ready to get their drinks. In a bit, I would have to go back again. Should I ask for their names? Or interact with Nigel? I was clearly interested in him and he seemed to be interested in me too.
"Luella, after you've served out these drinks, you can go home. It's been an exhausting first day for you and you did such a good job. You worked incredibly hard, so take some rest." My boss patted me on the shoulder and pushed me out of the door with the drinks.

"Five whiskey." I announced, placing the glasses on the table the guys were sitting at. I cleared my nervous thoughts and asked, "Is there a place for me to sit? My boss says I'm done working."
They nodded heavily and I was sat down in between Nigel and the bleach blonde. He held out his hand for me and I shook it gladly. Finally I was getting to know their names.
"I'm Nick, that's John, Simon, Andy and Roger. Now what's your name, love?" He spoke and it was clear he was from Birmingham, his voice dripping with a brummie accent.
"Luella." I answered. "Basically everyone calls me Lulu, so I suppose you guys can too." All 10 eyes were on me and I chuckled at their fascination for just me.
"Nice to meet you Lulu!" Simon exclaimed, pushing Nigel, who was apparently now called John, out of the way to press a kiss to my cheek. I blushed furiously and giggled softly. "You're quite a charmer, aren't you, Simon?" I asked as I rubbed my cheek, earning laughter from the other four. Simon didn't enjoy it as much and I guessed he was more or less the leader of the group.
My boss handed me a drink and I swallowed the beverage gladly. I enjoyed these guys and was already so at ease with them.

"So, John, why did Simon call you Nigel earlier?" I asked softly, turning my attention to him while the others were chatting away with each other. He looked up at me through his bangs and smiled nervously. "Well, my real name is Nigel. I'm called Nigel John Taylor. I thought John suited me better so that's why I want to be called by my middle name. Simon teases me a lot with calling me Nigel." I nodded understandingly and unconsiously rested my hand on his knee. I felt him stiffen and shake under my touch and instantly pulled my hand back.
"I'm sorry." I whispered. He shook his head while looking at his feet. "No, I'm sorry. Do it again, I liked it. I'm just not used to it."
I lay my hand on his knee again with some uncertainty but he smiled and after some doubt laid his hand on top of mine. His hand was soft with calloused fingertips. Our touching hands sent a warm feeling through my body and I blushed madly. "D-Do you play guitar?" I stuttered, earning a smile from John, exposing his white teeth.
"Because... your fingertips are calloused. This is odd." I whined, earning a chuckle from Nick behind me.
"He does, he's our bass player. We're a band by the way. We play here a lot."
I turned around to face Nick in an instant. "No way! Tell me all about it!"
Nick chuckled and told me all about them. "We've named ourselves Duran Duran, after doctor Durand Durand from.."
"Barbarella!!" I exclaimed, full of excitement. "I love that!"
Nick smiled, "You know the film? Awesome. Well yeah, we've recorded some songs already. You can come over tomorrow to have a listen? John's going to be there too. He's always around. I'll give you my address." Nick looked for a noteblock and I got up, grabbing pen and paper for him. He wrote down his address and I found out it wasn't too far away from where I lived. "Great, I'll be there. I have to work, though. So it would either be early in the morning or late in the evening. When suits you best?"
Nick chuckled, "Evening. I hate getting up early. Just come by when you're done. John and I are always home, so we'll be there."
"Sounds great! Well, I'm heading home now. I'm exhausted. See you two tomorrow then. And for the rest of the band, hope to see you three soon! Bye!" I grabbed my coat and walked past John, trickling my finger over his back to earn a grin from him. "See ya." I mouthed, to which he waved.