How You Lost The Girl (HYGTG #2)

Chapter 1

Taylor P.O.V.

I flashed the guard my pass and he let me in the backstage area. I had been here before when a few of the smaller artists I worked with had chosen to perform here. The thing with art, with my art, was that fane didn't matter to me, I would write songs for people like Ariana Grande, a huge influential artist with an enormous fanbase, and for people who were just starting out. I would have agreed to write Demi Lovato's most recent chart-smasher as eagerly as I would have written a debut single for the poor young guitar player on the next street corner.

The Heavyweight wasn't too big of a café, but it was well renowned among new-yorkers for hosting some of the best indie concerts. So whenever you could get a ticket to see someone play at the Heavyweight, it was bound to be one of the best nights of your life.  The backstage was cramped for a band, but it was just fitting for Nina's tiny team and her friends who had insisted on being here for her - me included.

Her manager Vicky, whom I had met during a recording session about a year ago, was talking on her phone when I entered. She smiled and waved at me, then pointed me to a small table where a bunch of loud people were sitting. Even from a distance, I spotted an all too familiar ginger head at the very far corner of the table.

"Ed!" I shrieked as his head snapped up and the widest of smiles spread over his face.

"Kittens!" He called back at me and I found myself in awe. Nobody had called me Kittens in the years since I had left London. I felt like cringing, but I smiled because I knew he had always liked to call me that, for reasons unknown to me.

"How've you been?" I asked him as he came to envelope me in a tight hug. His arms circled my torso and he squeezed all of the air out of me. "Hey, Teddy," I gasped and he slightly loosened his grip. "I know a long time has gone by, but please try not to kill me," I laughed at him and he tore away from me completely.

"So, how've you been, Kittens?" He said again and I lightly slapped him over the arm.

"Will you stop calling me that?" I asked and he started giggling.

"How are Meredith and Olivia?" He asked as he went to sit back down on his destined chair. He patted the one right next to him as if to say "come on, this one's yours". I went to sit down beside him.

"They're great as a matter of fact," I giggled and everybody at the table looked my way. I could see recognition in some people's eyes, admiration in other's and complete ignorance in the rest.

"So, Taylor, have you met The Vamps yet?" He asked and I took a closer look at the four men surrounding us. They were indeed The Vamps, the English band. I liked their music and listened to it from time to time, but not all the time. My eyes lit up. Lately, I particularly enjoyed meeting new people, despite my natural shyness. I mean, without meeting new people, how would we be able to meet the ones we need to have in our lives?

"Taylor," I stoop up to shake their hands. I knew their faces, but I didn't really associate them with names.

"Brad," the small cute, baby-faced one said. I smiled at him. He was a lot smaller than me, with a big mess of curly dark hair atop his head. He was smiling and he even winked at me which made me go all giggly.

"Connor," the other small one said as he grabbed my hand and pulled me over the table for a hug. He had a weirdly coloured quiff that he kept running his hands through.

"Tristan," the tall, awkward one said and I remembered him from that time Nina took me to one of their concerts. I had felt so weird watching him on stage, he was even weirder than me.

"Hey, Teffy," the last one said and I laughed.

"Hi, James," I said and pulled him in a tight hug. "It's been too long a time," I said and he nodded.