Coachella - L.H

4

"He's late"

"It's only been 5 minutes"

"He's late" Becky rolled her eyes.

"Hey, sorry I'm late. Had to drag my friends out of bed"

"Where are they then?"

"They're meeting us here in an hour. They're lazy shits"

"So I have to third wheel until then?" Becky asked.

"Sorry"

"It's not third wheeling. We're not dating. We're strangers"

"Well, I'm gonna go get food. I'll be back"

"Bye, B" I called out but she was already gone. "Where shall we sit?"

"In the corner. I don't want to be in the middle" Everyone was sat on the rugs laid out on the floor. We sat down by a couple of pillows and bean bags they'd also laid out.

"Who out of these people do you know?" I asked him, pointing towards the poster.

"Roy English. He's a good friend of mine"

"How'd you meet him?"

"Work"

"You work in the music industry then?"

"Yeah. What about you?"

"I work in a clothing store. Nothing interesting"

"What's your dream job?"

"I like interior design. I've applied for an internship"

"That's cool" I just nodded.

"We need to get to know each other because currently I'm chilling with a stranger"

"Fine. You first"

"Um, OK. So my name's Madison Marie King. Everyone calls me Maddie. I'm from Inglewood, California. Becky's my best friend. We're basically sisters. I have one older brother, Ben. I don't know what else to say"

"Favourite colour?"

"Blue"

"Favourite artist?"

"Beyoncé without a doubt"

"Favourite song ever?"

"Anything Beyoncé"

"Pick a song"

"Probably Flawless or maybe Countdown"

"Favourite store?"

"PacSun. Also happens to be where I work"

"Favourite restaurant?"

"Does Starbucks count?"

"Proper restaurant"

"Burger restaurant at Huntington Beach"

"Where do you dream of living?"

"Nowhere but LA"

"Place you want to visit?"

"So many places. Europe, Australia. I'd love to go to Iceland. It looked so pretty on Keeping up with the Kardashians"

"You watch that?"

"Best show ever"

"So that's your favourite TV show?"

"Yeah but I love Scandal too"

"Nice. I think that's all"

"Your turn then"

"Right. My full name is Luke Robert Hemmings. I'm Australian. Moved out here with my friends three years ago. I have two brothers, Ben and Jack. I have a dog back home, she's kind of my parents, called Molly and I just got a dog here. She's called Petunia and she's adorable. I like Frank Ocean, Good Charlotte, All Time Low and lovelytheband and bands like that. Good Charlotte was my first concert. My favourite colour is blue and my favourite restaurant is probably this little cafe back home"

"Why'd you move out here?"

"For work" He didn't elaborate further and I wasn't going to push him.

"So are you going to the 5SOS show tonight?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah"

"Do you want to meet there?"

"Sounds good. Becky doesn't like them as much as me. Like she likes them but she's not so into the whole rock style of music"

"You'll have someone who actually likes them to hang out with then" I just nodded. "Give me your number so I can text you later to meet up" We swapped phones and I put my number on his as he did with mine. "So, are you single?"

"100%. Haven't had a boyfriend since just after I graduated high school so like three years"

"Why not?"

"Guys don't like girls like me"

"What do you mean girls like you?"

"I'm not that pretty. I'm just average and ordinary. I'm not really into the whole makeup thing and I'm not into extravagant dates. I'm pretty laid back and I don't get why guys don't want that. I think it's so they can be all gentlemanly and in control. I'm also a bit of a prude I guess as much as I hate to say it. I'm not one that rushes into relationships and I definitely don't rush into sex. Kissing is fine though, I think it helps you see if you really do like someone. I guess I'm too much work for a guy when in reality I'm actually very little work" I finished. "I'm sorry, I went off on a tangent"

"It's fine. I asked. But you're not average or ordinary. You're pretty, so so pretty. Every guy who's ever laid eyes on you is an idiot. And you have a great personality. You're funny and smart and just an all round great person"

"You've known me a day"

"So? I could've met you last night in a bar, known even less about you than I do now and asked you on a date without even knowing you"

"Very true. What about you then?" I turned to face him rather than looking towards the small stage. "Any girlfriends? Or boyfriends if you swing that way. No judgement here"

"Girlfriends" He said. "But no, there aren't any. I was dating a girl, we were together for a year and a half but she cheated on me"

"That's sucks. My high school boyfriend cheated on me. He went to college upstate and fucked some other girl. He said he was drunk and that it comes with being in a frat. I told him to fuck off and never speak to me again"

"She cheated before. I don't know why I thought she wouldn't do it again"

"He'd cheated before too in his last relationship" I told him. "To the cheaters and liars who can rot in hell" I held up the plastic cup that was filled with some sort of beer Luke had brought with him.

"To new friends" He said and I smiled before pressing my cup against his.