Oxygen (Catfish And The Bottlemen/1975)

Van

I sat back smirking as Fliss giggled away with the radio presenter, whose name had slipped my mind the moment I'd seen fliss idling away, hands behind her back in the producers studio.

"So the story we're running with here, its that you two, Van and Johnny, that you stumbled upon Honeymoons at a gig and fell in love with them..."

"You say that as if its not entirely believable..." chuckled Bondy dropping me in it with a smirk. In truth we'd decided upon the white lie to deflect the media from hyping any sightings of us together way out of proportion, however I was beginning to realise that we could definitely have done with thinking up a better lie.

Fliss scrunched her face up at me and smirked, "I mean, I believe it," she said drawing a laugh from me as she shrugged her shoulders and took a swig of water.

"So it is true then, its just that Huw Stephens says..."

"Oh you can't trust owt he says, hes a windup int he," I grinned one hand on Fliss's hip to steady her as she giggled along.

"I heard yous can't trust a word he says,"

"So what about this then, you're at all the same festivals as each other, you've even got them supporting you across America in the Winter... you must have really loved the band Bondy..." there was something in the interviewers almost sarcastic tone, the way she kept smirking at Bondy and Bob, as if they knew something the rest of us didnt that had me a little on edge. As if there was some big joke that only me and perhaps fliss were unaware of.

I was just glad Katie wasn't here too, because the tension in my stomach as it twisted at the thought that someone was about to drop me in it and make my obvious attraction to Fliss apparent was getting to be a little too much. If there was one thing I wasn't in the mood to think about, it was my feelings for fliss. They were so mixed up of late because she was a different league to any of the girls I'd ever met and I wanted nothing more than to give her everything she deserved. But just like the rest of the lads I was aware of what a risk I'd be taking if I ever admitted my feelings for her. She was younger, a little round the corner from 18 and though it wasnt many years difference, it would be enough for anyone looking to pick holes and there'd be a lot of people trying to pick holes.
I was never usually bothered by the things people say, I wasn't one to read my own press, but it wasn't me I was worried about. It was the reputation that would surround the girls if anything were to happen between me and her.
I could picture the scene, "oh shes only famous cause shes fucking van mccann," "she just got lucky," "theyre not even that talented, they just attracted the right band..." those kind of comments would drive me insane.

"So this collaboration then..." I mused snapping out of my thoughts as Fliss fell about laughing at something Bondy had said.

"Well we figured you'd know what to do, you being the big shot musicians..."

"Yeah Van, you should know..." teased Fliss with a little smile almost forgetting to talk into the microphone when she turned to face me.

"Ah you can shut it lass," I grinned shrugging her off, "youre the one studying somet creative, be creative fliss, god," I smirked back, the others wearing identical smiles alluding to something I wasn't sure I could let slide.

For a little while longer we talked, the interviewer finally choosing to focus on the band and the festivals we'd be playing that summer as opposed to who we'd be playing them with.
I relaxed a little finding it a easier to talk with the limelight placed firmly on which songs we wanted to play and who we'd be going to see and I didn't feel uncomfortable when Fliss leant forward chatting into the microphone sparkling as her and bondy 'crimped' and laughed trying to wind each other up. It was almost uncanny how quickly she'd melted into her surroundings, perfectly at home in the studio.