The Middle | Hemmings + Styles AU

23. unforgettable

"No," said Grunge when I told him about my idea. He was carrying a large box of CDs effortlessly, like it weighed little more than a feather.

The words hit me: heavy, final, no. How the heck was I supposed to talk him around? 

"Why not?" I followed him, watching as he cut through the tape to reveal the shipment from Sony. From the top, I swiped an old John Mayer CD. I was in the mood for some heartbreak wrapped in acoustic guitar.

"What do I know about managing a band?"

My eyes rolled, "You're kidding, right? What don't you know? You said it yourself, you took care of everything back in your band days. You know every club owner around here, half of the local labels, almost every studio owner. You know music and you know business. You'd be perfect."

"I don't know anything about all that business stuff."

"We're literally standing in the business that you own and run," I countered.

"Running a store and running a band aren't the same thing," he said but his voice wavered this time. Maybe if I just had to twist his arm a little more. Bring out his band days, I thought. That'll surely do it. Nostalgia could make us do unpredictable things.

"This is your chance to be a part of something big." My boss looked up at me. The Beatles shirt he was wearing had faded so much, it looked like it read he eatles. It was worth a try. I pointed to his t-shirt. "Maybe even as big as that.  You could be the next Brian Epstein."

"You know he died of a drug overdose?" He asked. Of course I knew.

"I've heard your stories from back in the day... if you were going to die of a drug overdose, you would have by now." Grunge raised his eyebrows at me. "Don't think of it as a business. Think of it as a band. You know how to do this."

His hands finally stopped unpacking the box of CDs and he looked at me with a serious frown. "Why don't you do it?"

"Because I need to be here," I told him, and there was no way he could argue with that. The only person who cared about this store as much as Grunge did was me. I was getting closer. He just needed a little push over the edge. "Think about it. You'd get to be back on the road again and help a bunch of kids live out their dream, just like you did in your band days."

Grunge sighed. I knew that look, I'd won this round and if I got my way, I'd win the next one too. Just let me set up a meeting, then you can decide. Okay?"

He gave a heavy nod and held up one of his short fingers. "I'm only agreeing to this because that skinny kid seems to like you a lot, and because he doesn't seem like a complete dickhead."

"Careful," I smiled, crossing my arms across my chest and leaning against the storeroom wall. "You almost sound like you approve."

Grunge frowned, picking up a Foo Fighters album from the cardboard box and pretending to be interested in the track listing on the back. "Don't get ahead of yourself, I said he wasn't a dickhead. Now get back out the front before Louis breaks something."

I laughed, and went back out to the front because Louis had been out there by himself for far too long. To my surprise, he was actually serving a customer and the rest of the store was empty so I sent a group text to Ashton and Luke, telling them to meet me at here at 6pm with Calum and Michael.

-

"I can't believe we have an actual manager," Luke said, leaning down to look at Ringo and Penny Lane, as if he were talking to them and not me. "We're a real band now."

"You guys have been a real band since the groupies arrived on the scene," I laughed, sitting down on the lounge and folding my legs up underneath me. Just quietly, I was feeling pretty proud of myself.

At first, Michael was clearly skeptical of my idea. Calum too. And their skepticism wasn't helping to sway Grunge at all. Until Luke had stepped in, "Hear her out, guys. Stella knows what she's talking about. If she says you're a good fit," he addressed Grunge, "then I say you are too."

It was flattering that Luke had that much trust in me and my opinion. Judging by Calum and Michael's reaction, they had a lot of trust in Luke too. He might as well have been a knight in shining armour at that moment, because it were as if he rescued Michael and Calum from a tower of hesitance and led them into a state of agreement. Ashton's dimples didn't leave his cheeks for the rest of the meeting.

While Grunge talked to the boys about his role as band manager, I stood back trying to decide if I should mention that I asked Harry to get 5SOS onto The Forgotten Kids tour. I'd kept it quiet from Grunge too.

In the end, I decided just to wait until I heard back from Harry. I didn't want to get anyones hopes up, especially Luke's. Who knew if Harry would even come through? I'm sure I was at the end of a very long line of people wanting favours from him.

"You're pretty alright, Stella," Luke said when he sat down next to me. His hand fell onto my knee, perhaps by accident, and then settled there purposely. "Thank you for making this happen."

"No need to thank me," I smiled. "Just don't forget me when you're famous."

His voice lowered a little. "You're kind of unforgettable."

I looked at Luke. His usual quiff no where to be seen, instead his blonde hair sat messy on top of his head. I liked it better this way, it seemed more like Luke than the perfectly styled quiff. "You know, when you first walked into the store, I thought I had you all figured out. I thought you were going to be repulsively cocky and when you introduced yourself to me, I had every intention of forgetting your name ten seconds later."

"And now?"

"And now," I began thoughtfully as Luke's grip tightened on my knee. "I think you're only mildly cocky and well, you're kind of unforgettable too."