"Lean for me, and I'll fall back
You'll fit so nicely, you'll keep me intact
Paint me in trust
I'll be your best friend
Call me the one
This night just can't end"
We jumped up from our seats and hurried over to the instruments. Frankie picked up her dark blue electric guitar, and plugged it into an amp, plucking each string gently to check the tuning. Noah grabbed his bass guitar and Connor sat at the drum kit. With a quick nod between us, the music started.
Frankie started with the iconic guitar riff, then Connor joined in with the drums and Noah the bass, and then it was my turn.
Cross my heart and hope to die
Burn my lungs and curse my eyes
I've lost control and I don't want it back
I'm going numb, I've been hijacked
It's a fucking drag
When I started singing, it was almost like I was a different person. Any shyness and awkwardness that was there had left me.
I taste you on my lips and I can't get rid of you
So I say damn your kiss and the awful things you do
You're worse than nicotine
You're worse than nicotine
But that's because when I sing, I feel like I'm no longer me at all. I can pretend I'm a famous singer in front of a crowd of thousands all belting the song along with me!
It's better to burn than to fade away
It's better to leave than to be replaced
I'm losing to you, baby, I'm no match
I'm going numb, I've been hijacked
It's a fucking drag
I taste you on my lips and I can't get rid of you
So I say damn your kiss and the awful things you do
You're worse than nicotine
You're worse than nicotine
At this point, I wouldn't have known if I was just singing in front of millions of people or just one, it didn't even matter to me. I hadn't realised how much I'd missed singing, and singing with friends just makes it even better.
Just one more hit and then we're through
'Cause you could never love me back
Cut every tie I have to you
'Cause your love's a fucking drag
But I need it so bad
Your love's a fucking drag
But I need it so bad
You're worse than nicotine
You're worse than nicotine
As the song finished, we all started laughing, and our audience (well Sophie) burst into enthusiastic applause.
"That was amazing!" Frankie said, grinning. I nodded in agreement, slightly out of breath, but smiling ear to ear.
"I think we can all agree that you are officially the next member of Now and Never?" Conner chipped in enthusiastically.
"Of course!" Noah agreed. "You wanna come over again tomorrow? We can teach you some more songs and prepare for a gig in a week or two!"
"A gig? Already?" I was excited, but now, being normal old Belle again, the nerves were surfacing again.
"Trust me, if you sing like that, you'll be absolutely fine girl!" Frankie reassured me. After putting down instruments and sorting out practise dates, Sophie and I had to leave before it became dark.
"Oh my gosh, this is perfect! I can't believe you got this lucky!" Sophie almost seemed more excited than me somehow, and I couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm.
"It doesn't even seem real!" I was smiling, scuffing my feet along the pavement through the puddles from the rain earlier on.
We arrived home as the sun was setting and the sky was on fire with bright orange and red hues framing the city skyline. I was still somewhat in disbelief about what had happened and I could tell you for certain that I hadn't stopped smiling one bit since I started singing. Somehow life was finally going my way!
I went to the rehearsal the next day had such a great time. We were just jamming out to great songs, and luckily, I had a similar music taste to the songs the band played so I already knew them!
Over the week, I went to three band rehearsals as we desperately tried to polish some songs for the gig, which happened to be next week. I could already tell I had made three brilliant best friends, and was so greatful that fate somehow pushed us together, if fate even exists.
But ever since the party, I had basically been texting Dodie nonstop. We had been video calling at any opportunity, although there weren't many as Dodie was a very busy person, but we somehow managed to squeeze them in, and we had decided to revisit the cute cafe we went to last time.
As I left the house, the sun was shining brightly, and the sparse cotton ball clouds floated along without a care in the world. That was, until, thick navy storm clouds loomed in the distance, threatening a downpour at any moment.
Its funny how foreigners think we always talk about the weather, and, to be honest, we probably do. Somehow, by the time I had got off the tube, the sunny skies were just a distant thought as clouds as thick and dark as soot blocked out any memories that the sun once shone there. From the shelter of the station I watched the clouds empty it's water to the world below, the rain coming down in tear sized drops and creating mirrors in the dull black tarmac, reflecting the world above them.
Praying for the rain to stop as quickly as it started, I didn't have to wait long for Dodie as my gray, rainy daydreams were interrupted by a pair of arms pulling me into a tight hug from behind me, a familiar feeling of warmth and sunshine even when the weather outside was quite the opposite.
"Dodie!" I squealed happily as we embraced eachother properly.
"Belle! I'm sorry we couldn't meet up sooner! I've been working on so much exciting stuff. Strictly, I'm not meant to tell anyone, but I'll tell you only if you promise not to tell anyone else!" She spoke so fast with excitement that if she said it any quicker, I would have struggled to understand it at all.
"I promise!"
"Pinky swear?"
"Of course!"
We linked our little fingers like schoolgirls in playgrounds, and then decided to brave the rain outside.
"Are you ready?" She asked, her jumper pulled over her hair like an umbrella, not that it would do very much!
"Ok!" At this point, I had accepted my fate and that I would just look like a drowned ginger rat.
"Three, two, one, GO!" we sprinted through the streets of London, weaving between hasty businessmen with briefcases muttering into phones and excited children jumping in puddles and disapproving parents desperately trying to stop them and eventually reached the cafe.
We stumbled in, out of breath, to find it packed full of people, also trying to escape the downpour. We managed to find a free table tucked away in the corner of the cafe. It was one of the tables with a long, sofa like chair on one side which covered many tables, and normal chairs on the other side, you know the one, but, with a lack of the single chair, we both squeezed onto the booth seat, huddled together, our body heat keeping eachother warm.
We both ordered tea, as it was clearly not the weather for ice coffee again, and I watched Dodie put a ridiculous amount of sugar in hers again, and just as everything seemed to be going so well, something was suddenly off.
"Dodes? What's up?" I felt her suddenly tense up, her hands clenched tightly around the hem of her skirt, knuckles white, her eyes staring directly forward intently. Gently, I unraveled one of her hands and held it in mine, but she continued staring directly forwards, eyes almost glazed over. Suddenly, she snapped out of her daze, and her hazel eyes met mine.
"What's -" I started, but she cut me off.
"Bels I'm sorry, but just please just go with this, I will explain everything." She pleaded hastily, and before I even had a chance to comprehend her words, she brought her hand up to caress my cheek and brought her lips up to meet mine.
A/n - well that was a pretty long chapter! I just wanted to include that last part! Anyway, what do you think has happened? I may or may not have stolen the idea from the last bit from a certain adorable rom com (which might not be obvious until next chapter) but all will be clear soon (well next chapter lol)
~dawn :)