Little Favours

Chapter 1

Nothing made Alisa drop everything faster than a Thomas Kingsley post on TikTok. Her hand darted for her phone, nearly knocking over her sewing kit as she tapped to open the video.

Tom—musician, campus royalty, and entirely too charismatic for his own good—had that effect on people. She told herself it was casual interest, but in truth, she'd convinced herself that keeping up with his every social media update was ... well, essential research.

The video loaded, and there he was, strumming his electric guitar with that trademark focus that made her heart do ridiculous somersaults. His band was playing in some dimly lit building on-campus, all raw energy and rhythm, clearly gearing up for the big festival ahead. Alisa bit her lip, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she watched him laugh and playfully nudge his bassist mid-song.

"Alisa!" a voice cut through her reverie, snapping her back to reality. She blinked up to find her classmate Maya waving a handful of fabric scraps in her direction.

"Well? Are you going to keep drooling over Rockstar Romeo, or are you actually going to help sew these sleeves?"

Alisa flushed, clutching her phone to her chest as if she'd been caught red-handed. "I was not drooling," she protested, setting the phone down (reluctantly) and grabbing a needle and thread. "I was just ... researching the competition. You know, staying informed."

Maya snorted, exchanging knowing looks with the others gathered around the floor. "Right, because watching Tom Kingsley rock out is totally crucial to stitching these dresses for the fashion show."

Alisa rolled her eyes, threading her needle with exaggerated concentration. "Fine, maybe I was ... appreciating the artistry."

Yep. "Appreciating the artistry," Alisa repeated under her breath, trying to keep a straight face as her friends snickered around her. They weren't entirely wrong, though. If anyone knew how much "artistry" Tom Kingsley brought to the table, it was her.

She'd been there since the beginning, back when his band, Midnight Vinyl, was just a rough-around-the-edges group of guys jamming in Tom's garage. She'd stumbled on their very first TikTok post over a year ago while scrolling one late night. At the time, the video barely had a hundred views, with a following countable in only one hand, and they looked more like a bunch of lost art students than future rockstars. But Tom's voice—deep, steady, and way too magnetic for someone in an oversized flannel—had immediately grabbed her attention. She'd followed them right then and there, almost like she could see their potential before anyone else did.

A year later, today, Midnight Vinyl had become a campus legend. No, that would be an understatement since they're known across the entire region, their concerts pulling in crowds from neighbouring schools and beyond.

And Alisa Dumont, a 21-year-old fashion and garment design student, had somehow become their biggest fan, even though her friends would tease her relentlessly if they knew the extent of it.

Okay, maybe they'd guessed already, she thought, glancing at Maya, who was still watching her with a sly smirk.

Sure, there were plenty of reasons to love Midnight Vinyl—the songs, the vibe, even the way their videos felt like watching a group of friends living their dream. But if she were being honest, her devotion had a lot to do with Tom himself. The way he commanded the stage, his easy confidence, his wry smile—it was hard not to fall for all that. And clearly, she wasn't alone.

As the lead singer, he is indeed the most popular among his band mates. He was center stage. Everyone and their grandma desired him. However, he was notorious for being "too cold" towards his fans, if that's ever a thing. He never followed anyone back on his socials, save for his band mates, and never liked one of the hundreds of comments he gets daily.