HEALED

chapter four | break a leg

~FLEUR~

On Sunday morning, Fleur woke with a headache. They hadn't had that much to drink, so she was sure it was a combination of the loud music and her run-in with Matty Healy last night. Matty Healy. Matty fucking Healy. What even happened?

Everything was such a blur. One minute she was in total awe of him and the next she despised him. How could she continue to report them professionally when she now had a huge cloud hanging over her judgement? She pulled herself out of bed and began playing the 'This is Queen' playlist on Spotify as she ran a shower. The steam and hot water had cleared her head but as she walked through to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, she heard a familiar sound.

It was one of the songs they'd heard at the show last night, the one that had made her, and what seemed like everyone else, cry.

"Seriously?" She asked Sophie as she flicked the kettle on.

"What? It's beautiful!" She protested as she bit into her toast.

"Yeah, I got that. But I've just literally managed to stop thinking about him and now I'm hearing his voice!"

"Well you're gonna have to get used to that!" Before adding, "He really pissed you off that bad, huh?"

"Apparently so." Although, she couldn't work out whether or not she couldn't get him out of her head because of what happened, or whether it was because she was borderline infatuated with him.

"I think you need to try and forget about it.. You can't let it, or him, affect your work... I mean, if the column is shit they'll fire you!"

Fleur had noticed this about Soph, she was always very.. 'to-the-point' about everything. No beating about the bush, just telling it like it is. "I know, I will.. It's just a bit fresh that's all. And it's not... It's not what I expected him to be like."

"Oh.. You mean, you watched him on stage and idolised his talent for a couple of hours and therefore assumed he was nice as pie?" She stared, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep. It looks like I did just that." Fleur started to notice her own foolishness.

"Look, most guys in his position are naturally assholes, I wouldn't take it personally.. Just enjoy the music, get on with your job and leave."

"Ugh. Yeah, fine.. I'll just pretend it didn't even happen, like I imagined it or something."

"Aaaaand employee of the month goes to..." Soph announced while in the middle of a 'drum-roll' on the kitchen counter.

"You're hilarious! I'd better actually get on with work then, otherwise that won't be achievable at all!"

But as Fleur actually sat down to her laptop at her small desk, she realised she had barely any words at all. It was like last night all over again, all the words caught up in her throat, only this time they were stuck at her fingertips.

----

It had been four days since Fleur saw the show and three days since she was given the tour itinerary, tickets and hotel information. The first show that she was attending on the list was in Manchester and her train left in an hour. The whole thing rode on whether or not her report on Monday was good enough for Mark. It took him all day to decide whether it was or not, but she knew when she'd received the itinerary from Alex with no further words, that it was approved. It had taken her all of Sunday to write, so the relief was unreal.