𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

32. Grow a Little Bigger

In the span of sixty seconds, my world turned upside down.

I had started my course in 1971 with little interest in management or pursuing a typical office job. I would have been content with waitressing or any other stereotypical female-dominated occupation. If it weren't for my parents' insistence, I probably wouldn't have even gone to university. The thought of an alternative reality terrified me. Yet, here I was, in early 1973, fully immersed in the world of management and the music industry, relishing in my studies and the influence of the new friends I had made. Those friends whom I would have never met if I hadn't come to Imperial. Despite the weight on my shoulders and increasing discomfort of living with Emma, from an outsider's perspective, my life in February of 1973 was heaven compared to some of the other periods I had experienced. And now, here I stood, face-to-face, eye-to-eye, with the person I had immersed myself in studying. What the fuck is going on?

I'm certain he must have regarded me as a complete idiot as I stood there, my eyes widening and my mouth slightly agape. The sound of the boys erupting into laughter snapped me back to reality, and I quickly blinked my eyes, feeling the heat of embarrassment flood my cheeks. Brian's hand reached around me, pulling me close to him, his touch offering solace. As the laughter subsided, he gently squeezed my side, reassuring me in his own way.

I gazed up at Brian, my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Am I dreaming?" I asked him with a mixture of seriousness and amusement, causing another loud round of laughter to escape from the group. I playfully nudged him with me elbow. "Don't laugh at me!" I whined, snuggling even closer to him, feeling incredibly awkward in that moment.

"I'm sorry, love," Brian chuckled, his arms still wrapped around me.

"You're not dreaming, darling. This is all real. And yes, this is John Reid standing right in front of you," Freddie chimed in, leaning against the wall.

I immediately extended my hand, shaking John's eagerly. "It's so good to meet you, Mr. Reid," I beamed. "This is fucking insane..." I trailed off, unable to contain my thoughts as I withdrew my hand.

John chuckled, clasping his hands together. "Please, call me John. I'm pretty much the same age as all of you. I don't want to be treated like an old man."

I laughed, crossing my arms and suddenly realising I hadn't put my jacket back on. It's fine, he won't notice your arms. There's no reason for him to. He won't see the scars...

"So, um... I still can't believe I'm not dreaming," I said timidly, stealing a glance at Brian.

"It was a surprise for us too. But that's just the nature of being in a professional recording studio. Managers come and go from this place more often than we realise," Deacy explained, his demeanour surprisingly calm. I knew him well enough by this point to understand that he found it difficult to open up to new people, even if those people happened to be John Reid.

"Exactly! I'm always on the lookout for new talent, and I've only been in the business for about four years. If I want to be successful, I have to scout every recording studio in London. That's my tup for anyone interested in this line of work," John added. I had done enough research to know that he was Scottish, but hearing his accent in person was something I wasn't quite prepared for. As he spoke about management, my mind began to race with possibilities. Maybe if I mentioned my studies and interest in management, he would take me under his wing and help me. Perhaps he would like me even more, although there was no real reason to think he didn't already. But before I could say anything, Freddie swooped in, unknowingly coming to my rescue. He practically flew across our little circle, positioning himself on the other side of me and pulling me away from Brian's grasp, effectively shielding me with his presence.