something better. | calum hood

4 : headspace

CALUM
February 2022

Whatever extra minutes of sleep he hoped to squeeze in on the drive over were quickly thwarted by Michael's rhythmic drumming on the steering wheel.

They'd brought their stuff over the previous night — now was the part where they ran through songs, knocking things and adding things to the setlist as they saw fit until they found something that worked. It's also the part where they meet their opening act. They didn't hear much from her manager after that initial meeting. He spoke almost exclusively through Ben and even then words were few and far between. Calum just assumed it was because Ben was handling most of it anyway, and it would be easier if they just weren't in the way.

Fine by him, he'd followed her on Instagram and that was the end of that. She followed him back a few hours later. All of which to say, they still haven't spoken and Calum isn't especially sure why that fact makes him nervous.

Michael pulls into the lot of their rehearsal space and a couple cars are already there when they clamber out of the car to head inside. They step inside and—

"Oh, fuck me," Calum hears someone hiss, all types of annoyed as he walks in. He and Ashton exchange a look before curiosity gets the best of them and they follow the sound down the hall towards the back entrance.

A girl with red-hair is trying to finagle her way inside — foot holding open the door while she tries to push an amp on wheels through the doorway with little success.

"Ah, lemme get that for you," Ashton immediately volunteers himself, jogging forward a bit to hold the door open.

"Tha—" she lifts her head — her eyes are big and round and bright green. She smiles, or rather smirks. "Thanks, boss," She hums, pulling the amp inside as Ashton lets out a small laugh. "Or... boss's boss, I guess." She extends a perfectly manicured hand and Ash shakes it.

"Ash is fine, uh..."

"Julia," she finishes, then goes to shake Calum's hand. "Or Jules, if you're feeling friendly." Her smirk grows as she eyes them both, then lets go of his hand — moving towards one of the rooms where Calum can only now hear the clamor of activity.

He and Ashton share a look, then follow suit.

Once again Ashton gets the door and Julia says something like such a gentleman, as she steps inside. Calum pokes his head in — a guy with dark curly hair sits at a sizable drum kit, and there's someone with blue hair riffing on the bass and bobbing their head.

The blue-haired one notices them first, lifts up their hands and greets the two of them with a loud and enthusiastic "Heeeey!"

Julia's plugging an amp into a wall, lifts her head up and points.

"That's Remi, and the broody one in the corner there is Marco." The "broody" one, Marco, Calum reminds himself, gives Julia a narrow-eyed look.

"You didn't lose her, did you?"

"No, I didn't lose her. She had to take a call!"

"Uh huh, right."

"Don't give me that look—"

Ashton wiggles past Calum to step inside, and Calum finds himself stepping away from the doorway. It'd be best to scope out Michael and Luke to say their hellos, but Ashton was already wrapping himself up in conversation with the drummer and—

A barely there bump up against him has him turning his head, although he might've missed it were it not for the apology that accompanied it.

"Ah! Sorry, I didn't—"