Page 33 of When We Fell Again
“Fuck off. She wasn’t that old.” Jude had a thing for the older woman and had made the mistake on one occasion of sleeping with mother and daughter within a few days of each other. It hadn’t made for a good introduction at breakfast.
While we traded insults, drank tea and coffee, and had a good laugh, it struck me how long it had been since we’d done that. No pressures, no stresses, just four mates hanging out together.
Good times.
When Kelvin’s message came in, we were in the pub. After breakfast, we’d had a mooch around the shopping centre, Robbie lugging his new bass because he didn’t want to take it straight back to the hotel. I bought more boxers, hoping Levi wouldn’t cotton on, put two and two together and come up with the exact right answer.
“Kelvin’s coming to the gig tonight,” I said.
A chorus of sighs and boos met my announcement.
“Really? Why?” asked Levi.
“Probably to see how fucking amazing we’ve been on tour.” I grinned. “He wants to meet us before the support act goes on, so we’ll need to be there early.”
Jude checked the time. “Then we’d better get our arses in gear. It’s nearly five already.”
I grinned and stood up. “Time for a couple more pints, though?”
While I waited to be served at the bar, I messaged Lex to see if she’d heard about Kelvin’s arrival. Usually, she replied straight away, but even after I’d ordered, paid, and got back to the table, there was still nothing.
Sipping on my fresh beer, my mind started overthinking.
The night before had been a reminder of what we’d had back in the day. Knowing Lex could be open to us being something again gave me hope. It gave me something positive to focus on outside of the band.
I hadn’t heard back from her by the time we got to the university. Eric and Angus were already there, setting up Jude’s drum kit right at the back of the stage, making sure to leave room for the support act’s kit in front of it. This had been the setup wherever we’d played. Having two kits already in place made it easier and quicker to switch between bands, and with the short attention span of audiences these days, every second counted.
Kelvin stood front and centre of the stage, deep in conversation with someone. As soon as he spotted us, he cut the chat short and headed in our direction.
“Jordan, how are you?” He spread his hands wide, gesturing to who he’d just been speaking with. “Looks like tonight’s gig is a sell-out. Granted, the support is one of the most popular local bands instead of a uni act, but that can only be a good thing.”
This approach contradicted all the other gigs we’d played so far, but if it meant a sell-out audience then I wasn’t about to complain.
“Was there something you wanted to talk to us about?” Knowing he wasn’t there to make small talk, I cut right to the chase.
“Actually, there is.” Kelvin’s tone became serious, which immediately concerned me. “Follow me.”
The four of us trooped behind him into the foyer area, where there were some comfy sofas.
“Take a seat,” he said.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Levi hissed into my ear. “Do you think he’s going to tell us the rest of the tour is cancelled?”
The same thought had occurred to me, but I wasn’t about to let Levi know. “Let’s hear him out.”
Kelvin started by saying how well the tour had been going, and how more people were coming to see the gigs, both from inside and outside the universities. The increased social media presence had been well received, thanks to Claudia, and we had more of a following than ever before.
“In addition, I have it on good authority that the new music you’ve been playing has been going down a storm,” he said. “And I know you weren’t expecting it this soon, but I’ve booked you into a studio right after the tour finishes to record it.”
It took a moment or two for his words to sink in. We’d thrown in a few new songs for good measure, knowing they wouldn’t have been why the audience came to see us. Even though no one knew the words yet, people had seemed to enjoy them.
Levi nudged me in the ribs, and I clocked the grins on Jude and Robbie’s faces.
“Are you serious?” I took on the role of spokesman. “We can really go and record the new stuff?”
“The record company has agreed and signed it off.” He paused. “If I’m honest, had the tour not been such a success, they may have thought about dropping you. So, for your sake as well as mine, I’m glad it’s working out.”
“Where’s the studio?” asked Levi. “Rockfield would be amazing.”
