'Did you come around here just to start a fight? Drop dead.'
Sam's difficulty with relationships stems all the way back to his adolescence. He hasn't had it easy growing up in the Northeast of England but he managed to escape his teens unscathed. Mo...
"Are yer ready?" Emily asked as we paused outside the Island Records headquarters. My dad had been unable to get time off work to travel with me down to London for the meeting that day and so, my aunt had offered to come instead, which was a relief. I think I might have crawled up into a ball and died if I had to do this all myself.
I swallowed down the lump stuck at the back of my throat as I stared nervously at the building. "As I'll ever be," I told her, my voice filled with anxiety.
"It'll be fine, pet," she assured me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me towards the entrance. "Hiya, I'm here with my niece, Aurora Nightingale. She has a meeting."
"Hello," the receptionist greeted us with a wide grin. I only offered her a shy smile and an awkward wave, tucking myself into Emily's side. "It's lovely to meet you! I'll just give Helen a call now if you would like to take a seat."
"Lush, cheers," she beamed, her Geordie accent a stark contrast to the receptionist's London one. She grasped my arm lightly and pulled me towards the seating area. "See, that wasn't bad, was it?"
"That was the easy part," I mumbled, sitting next to her and resting my head on her shoulder. I felt like I was a child all over again, cuddling up to my aunt after a tiring day at the fair, only this time, I was exhausted by my excessive worrying.
"You're worrying over nowt," she huffed, reaching up to brush a lock of blonde hair that had fallen in my face.
"Aurora?"
My head darted up from Emily's shoulder at the sound of my name, my eyes falling on a tall woman with dark brown locks. I felt my heart skip a beat but my anxiety was soon quelled by the warmth in her deep brown eyes. "Hiya," I smiled, pushing myself up from the cushioned seat to greet the woman with a handshake.
"None of that now," she gushed, instead pulling me into a tight hug.
"Oh," I mumbled in surprise but soon melted into her arms, her embrace inviting and motherly.
"I'm Helen," she grinned as we parted.
"Rory," I replied. "Er, this is my aunt, Emily."
"Lovely to you," Helen babbled, allowing Emily to embrace her.
"You too," she beamed.
"If you'd both like to follow me," she instructed, waving us both to follow behind her. "So, you're from Newcastle, right?"
"Just outside actually, town called North Shields," I told her.
"Er, you're actually from South Shields," my aunt scoffed playfully, pushing my shoulder gently.
"Oh, shut up, Emmy," I giggled. "Reet now, I live in North Shields."
"I don't think I've ever heard of it," Helen admitted as she led us into what I assumed was her office.
"It's a small place on the coast," I shrugged. "It's a lush place though, yer should visit sometime."
"Maybe I will," she smiled, perching herself on her chair behind her desk. "Right, so..."
I listened intently as she started delving into the ins and out of the record deal and how things would work. I could feel something bubbling inside me from the moment she opened her mouth, although it wasn't a negative thing. It felt... exciting.
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"It's great to have you on board, Rory!" Helen beamed. "I, for one, can't wait to work with you. You've got a very bright future ahead of you."
"I'm looking forward to working with yer too," I grinned.
Emily and I bid our goodbyes before we departed. I felt the weight of the world lifting from my shoulders the second the cool London air hit me. I couldn't stop the tears from streaming down my face, however.
"Are yer crying? Why are yer crying?" Emily demanded, twirling me towards her and wiping the salt streams from my cheeks gently with the pads of her thumbs.
"I just signed a record deal," I cried, unable to stop the wide grin from spreading across my face.
"Yes, yer did. I'm so proud of ya, pet," she cooed, pulling me into her chest. "How's about we gan get some food, my treat, eh?"
I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, just... let me ring Sam a minute," I smiled.
"Of course," she replied. I dug my phone out of my back pocket and dialled Sam's number, holding the device to my ear as it rang.
"Hiya, darlin'," he greeted me softly.
"Hi, babe," I beamed as I wiped away the remaining tear tracks from my cheeks with the back of my hand.
"How did it go?" he asked.
"Uh, really good," I told him. "Really, really good."
"Did yer sign?" he inquired.
"Yup," I admitted, fighting the urge to let out a loud squeal. I already felt out of place in the middle of London, never mind if I had everyone staring at me because I was screaming.
"That's amazing!" he exclaimed. "My girl's a signed artist."
"What the fuck?" I breathed in disbelief. "Can yer believe it?"
"Of course, I can! I've seen this coming since the whole Heather incident almost four years ago," he teased.
My face darkened at the mention of my embarrassing slip-up almost four years ago now but I soon realised that if I hadn't posted it, a. I wouldn't be with Sam right now and b. I wouldn't have just signed my first record deal.
"Christ, has it really been that long?" I muttered.
"Hmm," he hummed. "Almost four years of me and you."
"How have I put up with yer for so long?" I joked.
"Oi," he protested. I could picture him now with a cute little frown painted across his expression, his bottom lips jutted outwards in a pout.
"I'm teasing," I told him with a quiet giggle. "Reet, I've got to go, me and Emmy are gan for food. I'll speak to yer later."
"Alreet, darlin'," he replied. "Have a lush day, I'll see yer when you get back."
"Cheers, babe," I smiled as I tucked away a stray piece of hair that fell in my face. "I love you."
"I love you too," he declared. There was a pause, a moment of silence that indicated the conversation had come to its natural close but neither of us wanted to end the call. Instead, the two of us stayed on the line for several more seconds before Emily called me, pulling me from my reverie.
"Rory, ceemon," she huffed.
"Reet," I mumbled under my breath, whispering a quick goodbye to Sam and reluctantly ending the call. I shoved my phone back into my pocket and threaded my arm through Emily's, allowing her to pull me in the direction of the nearest food place.
