- Alison Moyet, Is this Love -

https://open.spotify.com/track/4comY70fwmoRVgJC1z5LSy

- August-

We were gathered in Mr. Summers office again to go through our schedule for the next six months.

I looked at the stapled stack of paper feeling slightly overwhelmed by the sheer amount of commitments we had.
At my side, Selma was already at work with coloured highlighters and a pencil, colour coding interviews, photo sessions, live appearances and travels in different colours. She was jotting down missing information as she went.
When she looked up, I sent her a grateful smile. Hiring Selma to be our personal assistant was the best thing we'd ever done.

"When are we supposed to write new songs?" Ethan asked.

"Or practice them?" Simon continued.

"It looks like a busy six months, but you actually have quite a lot of downtime," Selma said, looking at her rainbow of colours.

"Most of it is travel time," Ethan said with a look to her system.

"Yep. And Izzy has five more stylist appointments and photo sessions than the rest of you," Selma smiled.

"No... I didn't want that!" I huffed.

"Thing is, Izzy... You will be marketed as front figure. You're pretty and you're a girl," Penelope said as she entered with Mr. Summers.

"Yeah, but we're four people in this band," I protested.

"And the guys have each got separate portrait and promo stuff," Penelope grinned.

"Trust us on this," Mr. Summers said.

"Besides there is a certain brand of boots that are interested in using 'Dark Days' in a campaign. And they want your face, or feet, on the posters," Penelope grinned.

"What?" I shrieked.

"It means a couple of days in a photo studio, unlimited choice of boots in all colours for you. And Obstruction is heard in ad breaks on TV all over the world," Penny explained.

"And the guys?" I asked.

"They will be in Doc.Martens boots too for the campaign, but they want you front and centre," Penelope said.

I felt awed. We weren't even known yet, but one of the largest brand of shoes in the world wanted us.

"Look. To them it's good economy. They will have to pay more for your time once you're famous so they are investing. If you don't break the charts, they will still be sat with a rocking campaign," Penny shrugged.

The conversation moved on to the actual schedule, going through each month to prepare us for what the various engagements entailed. Some were self explanatory, such as photo sessions and a whole two weeks set aside for filming a music video. Other appointments were more random and someone had made an effort to put regular exercise into my schedule. I looked over to see my work outs matching up with Ethan's but starting half an hour later.

"Do we have a personal trainer?" Simon asked.

"Yes. He will work out a plan for each of you," Mr. Summers grinned.

"I run anyway," Ethan muttered.

"As long as you don't run away," I giggled and saw him shake his head with a quiet laugh at my daft joke.

Before anyone could say anything else, Dylan came in with a smile and a memory stick.

"Who wants to see some photo-poos?" He chirped.

"Only if you camp it down a notch," Penny huffed.

"But its so much fun!" Dylan laughed sticking his hip out in an exaggerated stance.

"These guys don't give a shit. Just be normal!" Penny berated.

Dylan sat down next to Simon and giggled to himself.

"I love winding her up," he chuckled and plugged the memory stick into a computer connected to a projector in the ceiling. A white wall suddenly lit up with pictures from our session in the old church.

"So.. these are the ones that have been edited and chosen for your first promotional package. But I must say. You guys scrub up good. There were so many great photos we had trouble choosing," Dylan gushed and started flipping through the photos.

There was one of me from a low angle in my angel costume. I was stood sideways with the sword held towards the ground and the instruments behind me.
They had picked one of Ethan in the high-backed chair. He was caught with a little smile and a mix of shyness and naughtiness in his eyes.
Oddball looked amazing in his elf costume, aiming the bow and arrow at the viewer with a cheeky little smile going on.
And predictably, Simon looked seductive in his warrior outfit. I heard Selma laugh next to me.

"What?" Simon asked.

"I just realised that you're the group bimbo," she grinned.

"When it's a guy it's himbo," Simon replied with a smirk.

Selma stared at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter.

"You are so fucking cheezy," she laughed.

Our group photos were really cool too. Some were photoshopped from our solo pictures, others were posed. I loved one series of us in jeans and our logo t-shirts. We were stood in a V formation. One with Simon standing, arms crossed, wide legged at the front with me and Oddball stood to one side and Ethan on the other had that vibe I had hoped for. We looked fierce and like a real rock band.

After agreeing to use the photos we had been shown, we returned to the schedule and what we were expected to do at each town.

Ethan nudged me and pointed to a date on the schedule.

"We're stopping in Vienna," he whispered softly.

"You wanna see the conservatory?" I asked.

"Maybe..." he said with a mischievous smirk.

I registered the mix og humor and naughty mischief in his eyes as I remembered our first date.

"Or just leave the windows open? It's for November. Good chance of cold weather," he whispered into my ear.

I didn't try to fight the goosebumps running along my spine.

"Great!" Simon laughed at us and picked up a pen.

"Memo to self. In Vienna, stay far away from the sex monkeys," Simon grinned as he wrote (I+E=request different floor in hotel) on the Vienna date.

"We have an appearance at the conservatory," I said pointing to our Vienna dates.

"Yes. With Ethan almost studying there it seemed logical to do a press thing of you getting a tour of the place," Penelope nodded.

"How often do we get to go home? I see a few weekends and days with no plans..." Oddball asked carefully.

There was a rare worry on his face.

"We have left a few openings for unplanned events and maybes. You may not see your families as often as you'd like," Mr. Summers explained and lifted five smallish boxes up on the table.

"We have your first confirmed endorsement deal," Penelope said.

"One phone for each of you plus Selma. Private numbers. So you can stay in touch with family and friends. All other contact goes through us. If you spot paparazzi, or are at press conferences, you might want to pick your phone up and make it visible to the cameras as this brand of phones will be paying for your air travel for the next six months," Mr. Summers explained and handed us our ready set up phones with each other's number pre-programmed.

I looked through and saw Selma, Mr. Summers and a few other key people in our team were in my contacts. Including a guy called Trevor who had a picture of a muscled torso as his contact photo.

"Trevor is your personal trainer. He'll get in touch," Penny explained.

"Izzy!" Simon said from the other side of the table.

I looked up and heard a click as he took my photo.

"For my contacts," he grinned.

"In case you forget what I look like?" I asked.

"That's right. Selma?" He asked with a grin.

Selma's face turned slowly towards Simon with a sceptical smile as he lifted the phone towards her.

"Please don't. I look like shit!" She said.

"No, you don't," Simon replied and took her photo.

Next to me Ethan was fiddling with the sound settings. He had, of course,  found a way to reprogram the ringtones.
Oddball was still studying the schedule with a serious look on his face.
I heard a click next to me as Selma was taking a photo of Simon for her contacts.

"Hey. I wasn't ready," Simon exclaimed.

"Okay. Give me one of those funky smiles then," she replied, holding the phone up.

I leaned back and saw Simon on Selma's screen as he tilted his head and looked at her. Suddenly his lip curled up and I spotted the mischievous wrinkle on his nose.

"You just want another photo of me, don't you," he smirked.

Slowly, Selma's phone was lowered.

"Yes, Simon... I want to stare at you all day! Now let me get this photo," she delivered in a deadpan voice, but without looking straight at him.

She tried but couldn't hide the upturned curling of her mouth as her phone lifted again and she snapped a photo of Simon wearing the closest thing to a charmer smile I had seen for a while.
His eyes lingered on Selma for just a little bit longer than they had to while she saved the photo.
I spotted a tiny little self satisfied smirk on his face and narrowed my eyes towards him. He gave me a little smile back before his eyes flickered over to Selma again.

"So am I gonna get another photo of you then?" He asked her.

Selma looked at him through her bangs without actually lifting her face.

"No!" She replied.

"Unfair! You took two of me," he grinned.

"Stop flirting with my sister!" Ethan grumbled with a small smirk.

There was a heavy exhale next to me as Selma pinched the bridge of her nose. I looked at her to see a blush carefully hidden behind her hand. Simon was definitely getting to her. There was a weird little smile on Simon's face as he returned his attention to the schedule.

I realised that Oddball was sat there without even a small smile at Simon's antics and I wondered what was going through his mind.

Two days later we were in the studio, recording the last of the sounds for one of our songs.
We had almost finished recording the five song promo to be sent out to radio stations across the continent.
Mr. Summers was still working on his bosses to get an album made, and we were told to record all our original stuff plus a few covers. Because, as Mr. Summers said, if they were recorded and done he'd have another argument for the full album.
'Story of us' and 'Dark days' had been chosen as singles to be released in September and November, with Elsie's song as a bonus single for our charity.

I was going to get a drink from the break room at the studio when I spotted Oddball huddled up on a chair. He was sat with his elbows on his knees and face in his hands. On the table in front of him was the schedule and his phone.

"What happened?" I asked and ran over as I realised he was crying.

Something had made him unusually quiet and serious over the last few days.

"I just broke up with Evan," he muttered as I sat on the edge of the table in front of him.

"Why?" I asked.

"Have you seen this schedule, Izzy? I can't ask him to hang around in case I might get a chance to see him for five minutes," he spat with venom towards the papers next to me.

"Don't you think that's his choice? If he thinks you're worth it, he'll want to figure it out," I asked.

"It's not fair to ask him to wait. And you heard Penny. We are to be marketed as single. Even you and Ethan," he muttered.

"And?" I asked.

"I can't ask Evan to just sit there when I can't be with him," Odd sniffed.

"It's still Evan's choice if he wants to be your unofficial or not," I replied quietly.

"Yeah, well... too late. I've told him we're over," Oddball shrugged and wiped the back of his hand under his nose.

"You idiot!" I muttered and lay my arms around his neck.

"He deserves better than to be left behind like that," Oddball whispered.

"But you love him," I stated. There was no need for a question.

Oddball nodded.

"Okay," I said and twisted to pick up Oddball's phone.
To my surprise the screen was active and I saw there was a call still going.

I slowly lifted it to my ear and heard faint sniffing on the other end before I lowered it again.

"Odd. Did you break up with Evan over the phone?" I asked.

Oddball nodded shamefully.

"Why?" I asked.

"I won't be able to say it face to face," he muttered.

"Because you love him and you don't really mean it," I stated.

"Yeah. Because if I see him I wouldn't be able to let him go," Odd sighed.

The smile widened on my face as I lifted the phone back up to my ear.

"Evan? Did you hear that?" I asked into the phone watching Oddball's face go horrified when he realised he'd not ended the call.

"Yeah. I heard," Evan replied into my ear. His voice sounded as broken as Oddball's.

"How soon can you be at the studio?" I asked.

"Depends on buses," Evan said cautiously.

"Screw that. Get a taxi. Just get here, okay?" I said firmly.

Oddball was shaking his head in panic.

"Break ups over the phone don't count," I grinned.

"I can't put him through this!" Oddball said firmly and tapped the schedule with his finger.

"Is he on about that pesky schedule  again?" Evan asked into my ear.

"Yeah. Something about leaving you waiting," I replied.

"Tell him to stop being stupid. I'll be there in a jiffy," Evan said and hung up.

Oddball sat there staring at me.

"What the fuck, Izzy?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna let you let go of your heart, Odd," I shrugged.

Half an hour later I opened the street door to a smiling Evan. He immediately threw his arms around me.

"Thanks Izzy!" He murmured.

"No problem!" I said as I led him to the break room.

I hardly opened the door before Evan burst past me and whacked Oddball's chest.

"Don't you dare break up with me!"  He said firmly.

"I don't want to. But look at this!" Oddball said and waved the schedule in front of Evan.

"We've been through this, numbscull! I don't care about the fucking schedule. I don't give a shit about your official single status or being your dirty little secret!" Evan said softly.

Oddball ran a hand across his face.

"I'll be here. Waiting. Because I want to!" Evan told Oddball with a sweet little smile.

The moment Oddball broke down, I left the room and shut the door behind me.

There are some things I had no need to see.
Simon rounded the corner with an empty coffee mug but stopped as I shook my head.

"Odds and Evens," I shrugged with a thumb towards the break room.

"But... coffee!" Simon exclaimed with a disappointed shake of his mug.

"Give them half an hour?" I asked.

"Fuck that!" Simon chuckled and walked up to the door before knocking heavily.

"Oddball! Are you decent? I need coffee!" He yelled.

There were scrambling noises before Oddball, with messy hair, opened the door. Evan was stood behind him with equally messy hair and a happy grin.

"Private room?" Simon asked.

"Still a romantic," I huffed.

"What's romantic about chewing each other's faces?" Simon asked neutrally.

"Ah... you just wait... one day someone is gonna come along and make your heart beat faster," I laughed.

There was a slight smirk on Odd's face as Simon went in and casually filled his coffee.

"Nope... heart of steel that one. All hormones and hook-ups," Oddball grinned.

"I'm not so sure... Is there a beating heart in there somewhere, Tinman?" I asked.

Simon turned to look at me.

"If it turns me into a mushy pile of pudding, I don't want it," Simon replied with a nod towards the studio where we could hear Ethan working on recording.

"I'd rather be a mushy pile of pudding," Evan laughed as he put his arms around Oddball.

"Oh, screw it!" Oddball mumbled and pulled Evan into a sloppy kiss.

"Aww... ain't it cute," Simon muttered and left with his coffee and a grin that contradicted the sarcasm in his voice.

With no desire to watch the make out session I left the room, door open. I entered the studio to see a sweaty Ethan come out of the sound booth with red indents on his face from the headphones, shaking his hands out after playing for an hour straight.
My hands found his fingers and I gently stroked his fingertips, warm from the playing. Feeling the callouses on my own skin felt calming and safe.
He shook his hair out of his eyes and leaned in to rub his nose on mine.

"Where did you go?" He asked.

"To save Oddball from self destruction," I shrugged.

"Yeah. Don't go to the break room," Simon muttered.

"Evan?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah," I replied.

"Well... we kinda need him," the sound tech said nodding to the soundbooth.

"I'm here," Oddball laughed from the hallway as he came in with Evan in tow and a happy smile.

Evan came over and gave me another hug while Oddball sat down at the drums in the soundbooth to get the rhythm right.

"Thank you," Evan said.

"Can't have a moping drummer. Our tunes are mostly up tempo," I shrugged.

"So, what now? You doing long distance?" Ethan asked with his arm around my waist.

"We'll see how it pans out," Evan said.

"Memo to self. Room away from Oddball to avoid hearing phone sex," Simon grinned.

"Why is it always about sex in your brain?" I asked.

"Because nobody has taught him what his heart is for," Ethan smiled at me.

"One day, Simon..." I grinned.

"It's gonna hit him like a bucket of concrete," Ethan muttered.

"Like it did with you? Walking around like a zombie? No thanks!" Simon laughed.

"I did not!" Ethan grumbled.

"Oh, Izzy...that G chord is a bit off. You need to move your fingers. I will show you by touching you in a feeble hope that your clothes will spontaneously disappear," Simon laughed in a high pitched imitation of Ethan's voice while wiggling his fingers in my direction.

Ethan shot him a murderous look.

At that moment Selma walked in with her arms full of sandwiches for lunch. As if on reflex, Simon jumped towards her and started taking things off the pile to help her carry it all into the break room.
I exchanged a look with Ethan and we both started laughing.

"You were saying?" Ethan asked with an eyebrow raised.

Simon stopped what he was doing, looked at Selma before a blush spread across his neck.

"It's food!" Simon muttered defensively.

"And I need some," Ethan grinned and grabbed a sandwich from the pile.

I shook my head and turned to grab Evan as we trooped out of the studio, back into the break room.

"I really hope you're prepared to be a permanent part of this mayhem," I said.

"One big happy family?" Evan asked.

"Dysfunctional, chaotic and anarchistic...." Simon nodded.

"Professional," Selma suggested.

"Nooo! Never professional!" Ethan laughed and winked at me.
I smiled back at him.

"Okay, Evan. As part of the family. Music preference?" Simon asked.

"Anything goes. Depending on my mood, the weather and what I'm doing," Evan shrugged.

"No favourites?" Ethan asked.

"Well... Obstruction, obviously... but no other actual favourite bands no," Evan chuckled.

"But if you had to dedicate a song to Oddball...?" Simon asked.

Evan broke into a wide smile.

"He'd kill me, but... Alison Moyet..." he laughed.

"Is this love?" I asked.

"Yep. Pure 80ies fluff, but the lyrics are really sweet," Evan shrugged and from his slight blush, I could tell he'd actually thought about this.

"Not a bad song," Ethan muttered.

"We could grunge it up," Simon shrugged.

"I'll get Penny on copyrights," Selma said and left the room muttering about random ideas.

"What just happened?" Evan asked, looking confused.

"We need a known song that nobody has covered before in our genre. We were thinking about possibly doing Jimi Hendrix's 'Little wing' but it's not right for our market so we're a bit stuck," I explained.

"So now you wanna do 'Is this love'?" Evan asked.

"Yep," Simon grinned.

"Because I said it?" Evan asked.

"Because we need an Oddball and Evan song, and because you chose it," I shrugged.

Evan looked at us with a surprised look on his face.

"You are so random," he laughed.

"Life is random," Ethan said as he removed a slice of tomato from my sandwich and put it into his before handing me the tomato free one.
Simon followed the action with his eyes before he looked at me with a smirk.

"You got him trained?" Simon teased.

"Izzy's not keen on tomatoes," Ethan shrugged.

"I know that, you moron. Who do you think has been eating all of Izzy's tomatoes for the last 18 years?" Simon chuckled.

"Well? Do you want them?" Ethan smirked and held out his sandwich to Simon.

"Nah, dude. You're the one who's gonna marry her at some point. You may as well just get into the habit," Simon laughed.

I sent him a mystified look.

"He's got about ten years. Our deal at 30 still stands," Simon winked at me.

"Unless Oddball decides to cash in on his claim when you're 25," Ethan grinned.

"Choose me over Evan? Not happening," I laughed and nudged Evan.

"Don't worry. I'll have you tied to me somehow," Ethan grinned at me, looking very clever.

Simon's face was twitching in an attempt to avoid an outburst of pure inappropriate amusement. I twirled my hand to him to make him just spit it out.

"C'mon, dirt boy," I said dryly.

"I bet he's already planned it all out. Down to the first dance and the flavour of the cake," Simon grinned in my direction.

I twirled my finger again to get his actual amusement out there.

"And if he wants you tied up, there's a shop up an alleyway two blocks away. I bet they have some fluffy handcuffs," Simon said and laughed heartily at his own wit.