The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

8. what i like about you

Aunty Peg took a sip of her tea. "So tell me about that band last night."

We were out to breakfast, enjoying an actual nutritious meal of eggs, bacon and vegetable breakfast fritters. Don't worry, I snapped plenty of photo evidence to send to my parents in tomorrow's email.

"They were great," I nodded, cutting into my poached egg. "They were actually a girl band which was cool. There's not a lot of them around here. There was also this boy there, well, he is more of a man I guess..."

"The musician that's been visiting you at the store?"

"A different one," I said, ignoring Aunty Peg's raised eyebrows. "And don't look at me like that," I added, thinking about the other day when I was sitting on the counter at work and thought Luke might kiss me. "I haven't even kissed either of them yet."

"Yet," she said under her breath and I glared at her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded, making a mental note that Aunty Peg was even less well-behaved in the mornings than she usually was.

"Nothing," she smiled, "It was just an interesting choice of word. Tell me more about this boy, or man." She suddenly frowned like it dawned on her that I was only eighteen. "Wait, when you say man, you mean like..."

"Oh," I waved my hand dismissively. "I mean, I haven't asked him his age but at a guess I would say late thirties. Possibly early fourties - he might just use a really good anti-wrinkle cream. You know, I could ask him for the name of it for you - "

Aunty Peg spat her tea out, "Stella Margaret Ashford. You better be playing with me or I'll - "

"Or you'll what?" I smiled sweetly. She started laughing, figuring out I was just joking and then mopped up the spilled tea with a napkin.

"He'd only be a few years older than me, and he's British. I can't believe I'm about to say this but his accent is so... dreamy." I shuddered at how ridiculous I sounded. "There is no other way to describe it."

My aunt nodded, "I know the kind."

She didn't say anything more and I knew she must be burning to spill the details. "Come on, you've never been one to be vague. Don't start now. His name was..."

"Samuel Swanson," Aunty Peg smiled softly to herself, the way she did when she was recalling former flames. "His accent drove me wild from the very first time we met. Every time he spoke I was torn between wanting to cry from how beautiful he was and wanting to push him against the wall to French-kiss him roughly."

I laughed out loud, "No one says french kiss anymore, Aunty Peg. And as much as I love you, you can leave those kind of parts out of your stories, please."

"Just be happy I didn't say Australian kiss," she smirked - yes smirked, and let me tell you that it was very disturbing.

I dared to ask. "Australian kiss?"

"Yes," she nodded, taking a sip of her tea. Her slightly-weathered features didn't even falter as she looked up from her teacup and in the most blunt voice said: "Like a French kiss, but down under."

I burst into laughter, pushing the plate of leftover fritters away from me. "And I've officially lost my appetite."

-

I briefly considered not attending the 5SOS show that night because I knew I couldn't drag Olivia to two shows in a row and Louis already had other plans. Aunty Peg practically begged to come along, curious to meet the blue-eyed boy that I'd mentioned to her but there was no way that was happening. I'd learnt my lesson last time.

A few months ago, Louis had bailed on me so I took my middle-aged Aunt along to a Hilltop Hoods show, thinking that she could be well-behaved. Within half an hour, she was drunk and trying to rap along to the words. She was so obvious that right before Nosebleed Section, Suffa pointed to her and gave her a wink.

The entire car trip home consisted of her gushing about how great Australian Hip-Hop was and wondering aloud if she still had what it took to be a groupie. I told her that 60 was far too old to be a groupie and then she tortured me by telling me about the musician's she had slept with back in her day. Hashtag Lesson Learned.

Even though I preferred not to attend gigs alone, I wanted to see 5 Seconds of Summer perform again. That's right, the entire band, not just the particularly hot lead-singer who had a penchant for biting his damn lip.

Tonight's show was at the same venue as their previous one. There were more people than the last time so rather than sticking to the back, I got myself a vodka soda and moved towards the front, near the stage.

The first thing I noticed when they took the stage was that Michael's hair was now dyed blonde. Okay, I lied. That was the second thing. The first was that Luke was wearing a Nirvana shirt. It reminded me of the first time he came into the store. Very predictable, quiff boy.

"Hey guys, we're 5 Seconds of Summer and we're going to kick this off with a little song we like to call 18."

A few girls in front of me screamed at Luke's introduction and he returned their protests of adoration with one of his all-perfect-teeth smiles. The following two songs were rather upbeat and I quickly finished my drink and began dancing my little heart out.

None of the boys spoke again until the fourth song, when Ashton thanked the crowd for coming out tonight. When I stood on my toes, I could just see his smiling face over his drum set. His hair was less curly than the time he'd come into the store due to the sweat and humidity.

Their acoustic ballad began with Calum singing the first verse. Everyone instinctively swayed gently, with a few people holding up the their phones to project a dancing sea of light. The entire bar was connected, feeling the bond between the band, the music and one another. It was one of those moments that you felt grateful to be a part of.

And then Luke's part started.

The same group of girls in front of me screamed, and I knew exactly why. His voice in that moment was so deep and unguarded, and full of emotion.

"And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them, like every single wish we ever made."

Soft harmonies created by people I gathered were regulars at their shows chimed in to help sing the chorus and I looked at all four boys, watching their eyes light up in reaction to the crowd. Their crowd.

"Cause I'm really not fine at all," Luke finished the song, and everyone clapped and screamed. Myself included.

"What do we have next, Calum?"

"I don't actually know, Ashton," the brown-eyed boy laughed, turning slightly away from the crowd to face Ashton. "It must be time for a cover, yeah?"

"I think you're right, Calum. Boys and girls, this is What I Like About You."

Everyone screamed again and the boys began jumping around the small stage. Michael seemed to be able to cross from one side of the stage to the other with two single steps. Dancing by myself, my arms flew up into the air and I closed my eyes, breathing in the energy of the music as if it were the only oxygen that could keep me alive.

My wrist was taken hostage by a hand and I snapped my eyes open to see Harry and his intense gaze. His mostly unbuttoned shirt revealed a sweaty chest and his mouth curled up on one side into a beautiful, crooked smile.

"Dance with me."