We tucked into our food and just listened to everyone around us. There was such good, familiar banter, with everyone taking the piss out of each other, or asking which family members were turning up tonight. I’d never thought about that.
"So who have you got coming tonight?" I asked Noah. I had Freya at my left hand side and Noah was sitting next to her. "Just my friend, Mya. My mum lives abroad. Stacey and I don't really have family. Not in a conventional sense."
"Harley's looking forward to catching up with everyone." Stacey said.
"Harley Davies?" Freya queried.
"Yeah. She'll be at tonight's show. She's coming along with her younger sister."
"Wow. And we will be in the VIP section with everyone?" Freya double checked.
"Yep, you sure will." Stacey looked skyward for a few moments. "You know. This is all still really new to us all, and we're not used to it. We've fallen into the routines of touring and it's so busy that I guess you just get on with it. But when I stop, like now… when I hear you two talking about it like, wowing about being here and meeting Harley, it's strange because I don't feel any different to the woman who was gigging a few months back."
"Well, you are different, Stacey." I told her. "You're an absolute superstar. The press can't get enough of you, even more so since you married Noah."
"She's definitely different." Donna added. "Since Noah turned her into—"
"Mrs Granger." Stacey said loudly. "Yes, since Noah turned me into Mrs Granger."
"So what kind of thing will you be looking at for your fan club?" Donna asked. "Like a proper behind the scenes, or gossip and scandal?"
"Behind the scenes." I said. "It would be great if I could get any exclusives of course, but I'm not here for scandal."
"Even though you could sell the story and make shitloads of cash?"
"I've signed an NDA. There will be no selling of stories."
Donna sighed. "It's a shame you aren't doing The Seven as well. I could tell you my exclusive about when I was possessed with the spirit of Dan Trent at the final."
There was silence at the table as the bandmates all looked at each other.
"Just joking." Donna said and the chatter cautiously started up again.
"She's a frikking weird one." Freya whispered to me.
Throughout lunch my gaze had wandered over to Zak, but he'd never once looked my way. In fact, at one point I noticed he'd fallen asleep at the table.
Stacey and Freya both went to the loos together like women do, and Noah moved into Stacey's seat. I looked up at him. "Erica. Don't take this the wrong way, but did you only come here for the fan club?"
I sighed. "Is it that obvious? I still like Zak. I can't help it. But I did come for the fan club stuff… as well."
"Oh dear." Noah's head tilted to one side. "I told you about Zak before. He's complicated."
"I know he sleeps with stacks of women, but I just feel he hasn't met the right one yet." I sounded pathetic even to my own ears.
"I agree with you. He hasn't. But, well, Zak has another job he has to do outside of the band and that and his work with the band take all his effort."
"Another job? Why does he need another job?" I'd not come across any rumour of another job in all the info I'd dug up on Zak, this was news to me.
"It's complicated but he had a previous contract in a service industry and he still has to meet the terms of his contract."
"And how long is this contract?"
"Not sure, but for the foreseeable future. Now please don't speak of this outside of us two, not even to Freya."
"Oh. Okay. Sure, I won't. Thanks for warning me about him again, Noah, but the thing is… and I know this is going to sound silly… but a woman told me to follow my heart and not give up on my dreams of love, and I think that means Zak."
Noah's eyes widened.
"Oh I know I sound crazy. Sorry, I shouldn't have said that out loud."
"No, that's not it. It's just… a similar thing happened to Stacey in the restaurant where she works." He shouted over to her. "Come here, Stace, and listen to this."
I repeated my story to Stacey and she looked at Noah. "It's the same woman. Mine was almost three years ago now but she told me it was my destiny to enter Britain's Best New Band."
"That's so weird." I said.
"She's probably a crazy stalker." Freya added. "I mean fortune tellers aren't legit, are they? People can't really tell your future."
"Freya doesn't believe in anything 'other' like ghosts or psychics." I said.
"And you do?"
I nodded. "I've never seen any, but I do think there's more to life than what we see."
"I'm a witch." Donna shouted across the table. "So's Stacey and the other two women in the band."
"Oh, erm, right…" I looked from Donna to Stacey for explanation as I was beginning to wonder if Donna was having a side of hallucinogenics with her lunch.
"We don't ride broomsticks. We just respect our goddess and the earth." Stacey attempted to explain.
"Yeah, but you're not going around turning people into frogs, are you like in story books?" Freya reasoned.
"No. No, we're not. Anyway, back to your story, Erica. So you believe following your dreams will lead to love?"
"I kind of hope it does, more than I actually believe it."
"She thinks it means Zak." Noah explained.
At that point the person sitting next to Rex got up so Freya moved at lightning speed to sit next to him, leaving me with Noah and Stacey.
"It wouldn't hurt to spend time with Zak this week and see where it goes." Stacey said encouragingly.
"You think I should try? He didn't even know who I was when I turned up earlier."
"Then you need to make sure he knows exactly who you are, girl. Don't let him get away with it." Stacey lowered her voice. "Zak can get almost any woman he wants. The thing that drives him mad is when he can't, so maybe you just need to keep his interest by playing hard to get."
"He has to realise I exist before I can play hard to get." I whined.
"Oh, I'll help you with all that."
"Are you seriously saying that I should try to make a move on Zak Jones?" I double-checked.
"I entered Britain's Best New Band and my destiny was definitely there. I think you should try. And maybe it's not Zak. Maybe it's someone else."
I thought about Tobias.
"Okay, I'm going to follow my heart like the woman said."
Noah put a hand on Stacey's arm. "You know that thing you did with the female band members. Can you do that with Freya and Erica?"
"What?" I said and then I noticed that Zak was awake and Freya was hanging onto his every word once more.
"Oh, it's just a few hair care tips. Everyday styling can be drying for the hair." She said.
Something felt off. Why would Noah ask Stacey to advise us about hair care? But Stacey had been nothing but kind since we'd arrived, so I pushed it to the back of my mind, and pushed getting Zak's attention to the front.