Catfish and the Bottlemen || Imagines

Comeback Story (Part 1) - Van

(A/n: ...hello guys! Been a while eh? Hope you're all doing good my lovelies. Here's a little something I found in the drafts, think of it as an early Christmas gift from me to you!, part 2/3/+ coming real soon x)

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- October 2015-

"Catfish and the Bottlemen are on a seemingly endless high, backing the release of their first studio album, The Balcony, the Llandudno based quartet show no signs of slowing down.
From their venerated frontman's (Van McCann) tantalising lyrics to..."

She clicked off the article. stretching out where she lay. Mobile phone discarded on the coffee table beside her. It was so strange seeing his name written so officially, as if he was just another celebrity on the front page.

Growing up he'd never stopped telling her that one day he would play his music to the masses. 5 years on, there he was, doing just as he'd promised all those years ago. Making headlines and playing venues they had once sat in the audience of themselves.

It was undeniable that he deserved it all entirely: the attention, the money, the girls. Yet something in her had a sneaking suspicion that deep down he wasn't happy, that he never would be.

He'd never be satisfied with anything, because that was the kind of person he was. He worked and he grafted until he achieved what he wanted, then his goals changed and he wanted something else.

He'd always operated like that, when it came down to his love life things weren't any different. He was his own worst enemy at times, many of his relationships crumbling because he'd accidentally forgot to phone for a week, caught up in doing what he did best.

He'd filled her in on the extensive list of reasons why he couldn't be in a successful relationship a few times, usually after he'd broken up with whatever girl it was he was seeing at the time.

And it came as no surprise to her when he'd told her about the one night stands, she supposed that like most rockstars at his age it was to be expected he'd pick a few girls up, after all she couldn't deny he was attractive.

He never went into detail about it, she was just some girl he'd met at the bar they went to that night. Though he was always careful and made sure it was never a fan or anything like that, he'd made it very clear to her that he wasn't interested in that. Felt too unnatural, and to him, it was always about the music.

Which was why normal relationships always failed him, his incessant obsession with his music. One that clouded his every judgment when it came to love, no matter how desperately he chased it.

They'd grown up together in Llandudno, every year at Christmas they'd find themselves in the local pub. And every year they'd be sat at the same table, laughing at the same drunken antics of their loved ones.

In later years after the band got signed, she slowly stopped hearing from him as much as she'd have liked. Occasionally hearing from a proud Bernie about what Van was off doing.

Sporadically they exchanged texts every few months, maybe even a phone call if one of them was drunk enough to initiate it. Other than that she never really saw him or any of the other lads. They were too busy living it up as big name rockstars, playing festivals and touring the world.

She didn't blame them one bit, if she'd been that successful, leaving their small town behind entirely would've been the first thing she did. Not that she hated it particularly, just that it was exhausting after a while. There was only so much of Llandudno a person could take.

Van McCann was no longer a significant part of her life, only really popping up in random conversations, but even that happened rarely. It was to be expected, they both had their own lives after all. She'd never thought he'd keep in contact after they'd been sent to the studio to record The Balcony, but for whatever reason he did.

She didn't normally think about him either, maybe read the odd tweet about his music or saw an announcement about their new headlining gig. Very occasionally she'd fall into a rabbit hole, reading article after article on how they were doing, but apart from that he was history. However, recently with the buzz of their rigours never ending touring, he'd seemed to keep popping up around her, in the most random of places.

The last time she'd been asked about him was the other month, by a boy who'd been in their year at school. They spoke for a while exchanging the usual pleasantries, hearing about each others lives and agreeing that it was mad how much they'd grown up. Then he'd asked her about Van, about what he was doing now, if Catfish were releasing album two anytime soon. She'd shook her head, seeing the visible shock on his face when she told him she wasn't sure, that they hadn't spoken in months which was the truth.

"An there's me thinking you's would be married with kids by now, everyone thought it back in school like," he'd said, a surprised chuckle escaping his lips.

One of those funny little smiles on his face like he didn't quite believe what he was hearing. What looked like genuine shock, when she had shrugged her shoulders and laughed lazily. Told him that she didn't know what Van was up to, that they only really spoke occasionally on the phone.

Her and Van had never been romantically involved like he'd insinuated, she'd never even considered it when they were kids. They'd grown up together, their mother's friends from before they were born. Knowing him first as Mary's son, Ryan from up the road and then as Van. The loud kid from school who always got her in trouble, the same one she'd grown to love for his cheek and sly sense of humour.

The thought of anyone ever assuming they were anything more was disconcerting. It was hard for her to even imagine, so she didn't. Instead she blamed it on Llandudno, shrugged it off as one of those things that get mentioned in passing, another rumour that had done it's rounds with the usual suspects involved in starting it. Allowed all thoughts of it to slip her mind, until a few weeks later when she came across it again.

It was weird considering she'd always thought of him as a best friend, someone who would come to her with his girl troubles and tease her about her own relationships. She'd always been aware that he was attractive, and that they got on like a house on fire but being involved in that way had never crossed her mind.

It was beginning to though.