I'm With The Band (Catfish & The Bottlemen/Sam Fender)

Part 2

"So... you're not actually in this band then?"

Larry and I are sitting on the balcony in my room sipping on bottles of beer whilst he's filling me in on his life in the past ten years.

"No... like I say I just string Van's guitars and... you know... help them with their kit and stuff."

"So you're just a roadie?" I question him.

Larry looks slightly annoyed. "No..."

I'm enjoying winding him up. "Oh... so you're like the band's bitch then?"

I'm giggling at the look on his face but he doesn't stay annoyed for long when he realises that I'm teasing. "So what the hell do you do for a living then? I suppose mummy and daddy just let you live off them now they're loaded eh?"

I don't try to deny it. I'm unashamedly a bit of a princess and I'm proud of it.

"I tried a few jobs but it didn't really fit around my lifestyle..." I say, aware that I sound like a completely spoilt bitch.

Larry doesn't look particularly impressed but I don't care. I'm feeling a little bored of this already. Although it's actually been quite nice to catch up with him I can't imagine the next two months in this little seaside town which boasts a few pubs and one nightclub which looked like a complete dive online. I'm restless.

"So... when are we going out then?" I say, glancing at my watch, imagining what my friends at home are doing now.

"Well... we've got to wait for Bondy first..."

"Who's Bondy?" I say, draining my beer, reaching out for another which Larry passes to me.

"Johnny Bond. He's the new guitarist. He lives in Newcastle so he's coming to stay for a few days until the tour starts up."

"He's staying here?" I ask, ears pricking up at the prospect of a young male in the house. "You got a picture of him?" I nod at his phone.

"You won't need a picture, he's turning up literally any moment," Larry says, and as if on cue his phone buzzes and he takes a call.

"Bondy mate! Yeah that's right, number 52. The last house on the road. Great... I'll come down and let you in."

Larry's off and I stay sitting in my spot on the balcony, legs stretched out in front of me on another chair, enjoying the warm late afternoon sun on my skin. It really is a sun trap here. I'll have to take advantage of this. I hitch up my dress slightly, hoping to catch some rays.

"And this is my little cousin, Arabella. She's staying with us for the summer." I hear Larry say.

I glance up at the tall figure who's looming over me, squinting against the glare of the sun, my hand shielding my eyes.

Hmm... things suddenly got a little more interesting round here...

Bondy smiles down at me, he's got a warm, lazy kind of smile and a handsome face covered with stubble. His scruffy brown curls spill out from underneath the black cap perched on his head.

"Hey Bondy," I say smiling back up at him. "Or do you prefer Johnny?"

He holds out a hand to me and I reciprocate, expecting him to shake mine, but instead he stoops down and plants a little kiss on the back of mine. "You can call me whatever you like darlin."

Larry clears his throat and I'm aware that me and Johnny had definitely let our eyes linger on each other's for a lot longer than was probably appropriate for a first meeting. I smile to myself as I finally turn away, taking another sip of my beer.

Johnny takes a seat opposite me, and him and Larry immediately launch into talking about band stuff. I'm only half listening, catching snippets of conversation, hearing names. Van's name comes up a lot but I also hear the names Bob and Benji. Now I've seen Johnny I'm all of a sudden eager to see the other band members. Apart from Van of course. That little prick was the bane of my life throughout my childhood summers.

I pop my sunglasses back on, leaning back, stretching out my bare legs. I notice Johnny glancing over, completely unaware that I'm closely watching him through my dark lenses. He really is pretty sexy. And he's staying here... I wonder which bedroom he's going to be staying in.

After a while Larry announces that he's going inside to fetch more beers and Johnny shifts in his seat, turning to face me.

"So Arabella... how come you're staying at Larry's then for the summer?"

I pull my sunglasses down to the tip of my nose, peering at Johnny over the top as I reply. "Well my parents are in New York on business so they sent me here. They didn't want me staying at home alone. Apparently I can't be trusted..."

"Oh... so you're not to be trusted then? I'll have to remember that!" He laughs softly.

I take off my sunglasses again so I can look him in the eye better. "My dad says trouble always seems to find me."

"Is that so?" Johnny says, but then Larry reappears with the beers, distracting him.

The boys resume their conversation and I slip off to shower, returning 20 minutes later in nothing but a small towel wrapped around me, barely covering my modesty.

"Christ Bells! Put some clothes on would ya?" Larry cries as I smirk at him, leaning down to pick up the bottle of beer off the table I was drinking before.

"Well... you are in my room..."

Johnny's eyes go slightly wide and he looks away, but not before I've clocked his gaze running the full length of my body. That was the desired effect of course.

"Come on Bondy, I'll show you where you're staying." Larry motions for Johnny to follow him, then he turns to me. "We're going pub in half an hour. Are you gonna be ready?"

"I'll be ready!" I smile sweetly at Larry, then he turns his back to leave the room.

Johnny glances back just before I shut the door and I catch his eye. There's definitely a little spark there. I smile to myself as I start to get ready for the night out.