Say Hello, Wave Goodbye

Chapter 14

After the less than comfortable day in the studio, we spent another evening at the band's normal haunt, with them putting away drink after drink, and me barely keeping up. I wondered how they managed to do this night after night, as they'd been doing ever since I arrived; I knew it wouldn't work out well for them in the future, but why the hell would they listen to me? Earlier in the day, I'd already suggested some ridiculous things and they'd laughed them off (understandably, what normal person would believe them?), so it'd be pointless suggesting to them to reign it in a little. Instead, I joined in, and we all crawled up to bed sometime in the early hours of the morning. John and I were too tired to do anything.

The rest of the week continued like this, although with some earlier and more exciting nights, with the band recording the last of their songs and me acting as a stand-in technician turned tea maker - the number of times I boiled the kettle in those couple of days was unbelievable - until John decided he'd had enough of working. With some of the profits he'd just earned from their first single, he booked a night away from the others in London. I was ecstatic! So far, where I'd expected glitz, glamour and travel, I'd been let down significantly. The Rum Runner was amazing but I knew there was more excitement to be had out there.

After packing quickly that night, we were on the train early the next morning, luggage in hand, chatting eagerly about what we'd do there.

"This is just a holiday so we can shag in private, isn't it, John?" I laughed as his cheeks went a little flushed.

"Well, aren't you glad to be away from the other guys for a night? We'll have as much time as we want. And we won't have to be quiet either, will we?"

At the end of his sentence, John's voice dropped lower, and I felt it in my stomach - if he'd been holding back before, what the hell was tonight going to be like? I felt my cheeks turning red, too. The only reply I could manage was a small sound of agreement.

"Wow, I've never met somebody so easy to tease!" he laughed suddenly.

"That's because you're sexy."

He threw his head back laughing at that, grasping the handrail at the side of his seat to steady himself.

"Don't laugh!" I scolded, through my own laughter, "you are!"

"Well... I'll take whatever I can get." He replied, shooting another one of those winning grins back my way.

Playfully, I just nudged him back.

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Later, as the train pulled into the station, I scanned the map as John collected the luggage from beneath the seat, bemoaning the loss of the phone that I would've been able to use if we were here in my time. Though, I certainly wouldn't have been there with him...

When we got off the train, it was so busy that we could barely move, completely hemmed in on all sides by the sea of commuters hellbent on travelling. I grasped John's arm in an effort not to get separated. We were knocked about in the tide, but the exit loomed in the distance like dry land, and it wasn't long before we emerged into the sunlight and pulled ourselves from the sea.

Already, London was much more glamorous than Birmingham. Like trees in a great glass forest, the skyscrapers rose high above our heads, half-heartedly twinkling in the weak February sun. It reminded me to pull my coat tighter against the unforgiving breeze. A glance at John told me he'd grossly misjudged the weather and was half freezing in his thin shirt and blazer. In fact, I could feel him shivering when I took his hand. We made eye contact for a second.

"What?"

"We're here to shop during the day, aren't we?" I asked John, and he nodded, "so why don't we start out by finding you a warmer jacket?"