It wasn't like she had feelings for Pia or anything. She had even desperately gone on one date with a very nice man who had proclaimed that he didn’t like pho as they were sitting down to eat pho.
What kind of monster didn’t like pho?
Maybe she was projecting the nerves from creating a new album onto a safer problem.
She was not a lesbian; she would never date Pia Marino.
So, then, it wasn't as though it posed any real risk to her life to have a tiny bit of a crush, right?
"Hmm," Micah said simply, grabbing a cupcake off of the table. "Need some sugar?"
Zoey shook her head. She envisioned all of the dresses she'd have to fit into for upcoming promotional photo shoots. Not only that, she needed to look calm and collected when seeing Pia again for the first time.
She returned to her seat beside Meg, who was happily snoring away. Meg's pink hair peeked out from the edge of the hood of her jacket.
"You'll be fine," Billie said.
Zoey hadn't even realized she had overheard the conversation. "Uh, thanks," she said, trying to keep her head clear.
The last thing she needed was to psych herself out unnecessarily.
She went through the details of the day's appearance in her mind, as she always did before a big event.
They were going to perform ‘Kaleidoscope’. Then, they were going to have a brief interview.
Pia was really giving them a ton of airtime, and she was grateful.
She knew that both Sabrina and Vero had connections to Pia, but it felt almost personal, the way that they were getting the star treatment without exactly being the Jonas Brothers or Lady Gaga.
Still, hadn't Pia said that The Shrikes were her favorite band?
Or was she just flirting with Zoey in order to steal a kiss?
A knock sounded on the door, and Zoey glanced up to see which producer was going to pop in. They had met three just that morning.
Instead, she was shocked to see that it was Pia. The woman looked radiant, even though it was only around 7am. She was wearing a blue blazer and jeans that skimmed her slim hips. She looked simultaneously like the boss and a brunch date.
Zoey mentally cursed at the fact that she hadn't even been to hair and makeup yet.
Wait, why did that matter?
She pushed aside the thought.
Seeing Pia now brought back a wave of attraction and awe and intrigue.
"I just wanted to come by and say hello," Pia said, stepping into the room.
Zoey reached and shook Meg awake.
Meg made a confused noise, wiping at drool on her chin.
Micah stepped up first. "We wanted to thank you so much for having us. We're all huge fans, and it means a lot for you to welcome us so warmly," she said diplomatically.
"We're so excited to debut the first single here," Billie said, standing next to Micah.
Vero stood and gave Pia a warm hug.
Sabrina walked over and gave Pia a quick hug. Domino followed close behind.
Zoey was paralyzed on the couch, and before she knew it, she was the only one not standing politely to talk to Pia.
Her mouth went dry. She realized she was clutching the arm of the couch.
A producer popped her head in. "We're five minutes away from needing the band for a final soundcheck and run through," she said.
Pia nodded, turning back to the group. "I really am a huge fan, and I'm so sorry that I can't spend more time with you this morning, but I did want to invite you all out to the ranch for dinner tonight," she said.
Billie quickly looked over at Micah, as though to ask if their schedules would allow it.
Pia winked at Micah, who smiled. "I think we can fit it in," she said.
Ah, so Micah had already known about the invitation, but wanted Pia to invite them in person. Crafty.
Zoey immediately wanted to come up with an excuse to bail out of it. Should she fake a stomach ache? A headache? A broken ankle? The last one would take some serious commitment.
Pia turned and looked at her, almost surprised to see her still sitting. Pia reached out a hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you," she said.
Zoey shook her hand, no longer positive she could communicate in the English language. Instead, she nodded. "Yeah," she finally said.
She wanted to kick herself. Yeah?
"Thank you for having us," she added quickly.
"It's a shame y'all aren't playing ‘Midnight’. I love ‘Kaleidoscope’, but ‘Midnight’ is my favorite from that review copy you so generously sent over after my relentless begging. Oh, but I also really like ‘Jealous Heart’. It's hard not to pick them all. It's a fantastic album. But I do think ‘Midnight’ is my favorite," Pia said, looking around at the rest of the band, like she didn't know damn well that ‘Midnight’ was about her.
Billie smiled warmly. "That's Zoey's song. We're so proud to incorporate more of Zoey and Meg's unique and beautiful voices into the album," she said officially, as if quoting a press release.
Pia nodded, then turned to Zoey again with a grin. "Gorgeous work."
The producer knocked again and opened the door. "Alright, sound check and run through, then off to styling," she said, flipping a page on a clipboard.
"See you out there," Pia said, giving a wave and bowing out of the room.
Six pairs of eyes instantly landed on Zoey.
"Oooh, her favorite," Domino teased.
Sabrina laughed. "I think someone has a little crush," she said.
"What? I do not," Zoey snapped.
Sabrina laughed harder, as though she was surprised.
Domino tilted her head. "I think she meant Pia, straight girl."
Zoey rolled her eyes. "Sorry, that was so weird," she said, wiping her clammy palms on her jeans.
She noticed both Meg and Vero were giving her interested looks, but Domino, Sabrina, and Billie were in their own world, laughing about something Zoey hadn't heard.
"It's good to have friends in high places," Micah said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Now get out there, my little fledglings," she said, pushing them out through the door and following close behind.
Zoey would never get used to how bright studio lights were. When she was watching television, she'd have never guessed that literally everyone on stage had the shining power of a thousand suns bearing down on them.
She tried not to squint as they sat on the sofa, giving their interview.
"Why the long break between albums?" Pia asked, but her tone was good-natured.
"We wanted to make sure we were growing as people as well as musicians. Our world had been turned upside down quickly after Heart's Content, and so we took some time to reacquaint ourselves with the reason we make music," Billie said with a picture-perfect smile.
Domino added, "We wanted the new album to be a reflection of who we are as artists, and it turns out, that takes a little bit of time. Our fans are honestly the best fans in the world, so we prayed that they'd stick with us, and it kind of looks like they have." She looked out at the audience with a shy wave, which made everyone laugh.
They were so natural at this, and even though Zoey had so much more experience, she was so off her game in front of Pia that it was embarrassing.
"Meg, I'm so curious to know where all of this lyrical talent came from," Pia said.