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The studio had entrusted Andie with a fair amount of money to find Joe a bass to practice with. Joe had rented a car for his stay in Los Angeles, so he and Andie set out to get what they needed. After looking on google to see where the closest shop was, Andie texted Jefferson and told him where she was going. He replied with a simple- okay.
Joe began questioning her right away, wanting to know every bit of information he could in the relatively short time they had together.
"So what was it like growing up?" Joe asked as he started the car, Andie had barely gotten her seatbelt on before the question was asked.
"Fairly normal, Freddie died when I was nine so that was kind of rough for dad and I both, and Brian and Roger of course," she played with the studded band around her wrist as she talked, "I was in the studio a lot, I always wanted to go an see the band. If I wasn't with the band I was at home practicing bass or piano. Freddie taught me the basics."
"So you two were pretty close?" Joe asked, glancing occasionally at her fidgety hands as he drove.
"Yeah," Andie smiled sadly, "he told me I was his favorite 'niece' any chance he got. It probably made my brothers and sister jealous, but they weren't the types to show it."
"How many siblings do you have?" Joe asked with raised eyebrows.
"Six!" Andie exclaimed, "I swear dad couldn't get off mom when he came home from tour! I'm sorry for being so blunt, but it's true." She gave an exasperated sigh and Joe laughed loudly. "There's Robert, Laura, Michael, then me, Joshua, Luke, and Cameron."
"That's a lot of kids," Joe mused with a smile.
"Let's just say the house was never quiet," Andie smiled, remembering nights where Luke or Cameron would run out of their bedrooms in protest of bedtime. She and Laura would try to help their mom corral them back into bed, but they wouldn't have it. "I think it'd be nice though, to have as many children as they did. You'd never get lonely."
Joe shook his head, "You'd just get headaches and sleep deprivation," he joked.
Andie shrugged as they pulled into the parking lot of the music store, "True, but it'd pay off in the long run." There was a moment of comfortable silence, "Well, Mazzello, lets get you a bass!" Andie was out of the car and at the storefront in less than a minute, she bounced excitedly on the balls of her feet.
"Okay, Deacon, lead the way," Joe said, opening the shop door for her. She thanked him as she made her way inside.
The two immediately went over to the wall where the basses hung on display. Joe watched Andie's eyes as they gazed dreamily at the wall, "Aren't they just beautiful?" She asked him, taking her eyes off the rows of basses for a moment to look at him.
Joe snapped out of his daze, clearing his throat as he shifted on his feet, "Yeah, they are."
Andie smiled giddily as a sales associate approached the two of them, "Can I help you guys with anything?" The man asked, he was an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair.
Andie nodded, "Yes, well it'd probably be best to get you one he actually played, right?" She more so told Joe than asked him, causing the man's eyes to widen.
"No, we can just get a cheaper one," Joe shook his head.
Andie gave him a look, before turning back to the associate, "Do you have Music Man's stingray bass? Oh, and we'll need a small amp as well."
"I do believe we have a couple in the back, what color would you prefer?" The associate asked Andie, and she looked to Joe.
"Uhh, black?" Joe asked the associate, unsure of what he was talking about.
"I'll go get that for you," He told the two of them.
They went back to browsing the basses, "Dad played the stingray in the eighties," she explained, "it's fairly easy to learn on."
"Thanks," Joe smiled. He paused for a moment as Andie brushed it off, saying it was nothing, "no really, thank you. I was so scared I wouldn't have anyone to go off of, like Gwilym and Ben. So, thank you for helping me out."
Andie blushed, his thanks tugging lightly at her heartstrings, "I don't even know what to say to that," she stared at her feet, "Thank you for giving me a reason to get out of the house."
The sweet moment was interrupted by another employee, this one was younger than the previous one, probably around their age, "So, you gonna to teach your girlfriend how to play the bass?" He asked Joe, completely disregarding Andie.
"Uh, we aren't dating," Joe said, glancing at Andie as he showed his discomfort, "and actually, she's teaching me."
The man sent Andie a glance of disbelief, "Are you sure you don't want an actual teacher?"
"I beg your pardon," Andie spoke up, her eyes narrowing into a death glare, "what makes you think I don't know what I'm doing?"
The guy scoffed, "I mean look at you," the guy gestured at her with his hand, "female bassists are practically unheard of."
Andie blinked at his stupidity, she was glad that the older gentleman had come back to the register with their bass and amp or she would've cried out in frustration. She approached the man at the counter, "Thank you." She told him as he began to ring up the transaction, she was trying to hold back her angry tears. She hated crying when she was angry, it made her feel weak.
"Deacon, we don't have to buy from here, there's plenty of other music stores," Joe whispered to her, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"No, I just want to get out of here," she whispered back, the anger evident in her voice.
"Deacon?" The old man pondered, "isn't that the name of Queen's bassist?"
"Yes," Andie laughed.
The man pointed at Joe after Andie handed him the money for the bass, "you know, if you shaved you'd look a lot like him."
Joe rubbed the back of his neck with a knowing look, "I've been told that."
Andie grabbed the handle of the heavy case and then handed it to Joe, who was shocked at the weight, "Yeah, they're heavy," Andie giggled, as she picked up the amp "you'll get used to it, but your shoulder will hurt like hell the first month or two."
Andie turned back to the smiling man behind the counter, "Thank you sir, you were wonderful," Andie put an emphasis on the you, "But I can't speak for your other employee." She said slightly louder so the other man could hear, making Joe stifle a laugh.
The two left the store in laughter, Joe putting his new bass in the trunk next to Andie's. "So where's your apartment at? I'll drop you off." Joe asked her as he shut the trunk, she gave him the address and he suddenly broke out in a grin, "No kidding? I'm staying in that building too. So is Gwilym."
Andie "It looks like we're gonna be spending a lot of time together, Mazzello."
