Page 10 of When We Were Young
Will had been lying in bed for hours but sleep would not come.
The events of that night were stuck on repeat in his head: Mitch dropping them in it, Reu throwing up, that final round of applause.
But the image of Aidan with Emily was the most persistent.
How long had they been seeing each other? What were they doing right now?
He switched on the bedside lamp, reached for his jeans, and felt in the pockets. He panicked for a moment thinking he’d lost it but there it was in the last pocket he checked.
A business card:
Richard Eason
A&R Co-ordinator
Island Records
When the Space Junkies came off stage, Will bought them a drink to thank them for lending their kit. Their set had been great. It was no surprise they had A&R interest. Even though the Space Junkies bought their fair share of drinks, Will still ended up spending a fortune.
When they were packing up their gear, a guy in a leather biker jacket came up to Will and, pressing the card into Will’s hand, said, ‘Let me know when you’re playing again.’ He left before Will had a chance to respond.
Matty and Reu had gawped at the card when he’d shown them. The realisation of what it meant sent them into a wild, whooping frenzy until the bouncer recognised Reu from earlier and kicked them out because he was underage.
Will held the card in his hand now, turning it over and over, his thoughts still jumping around as the sun came up. They needed a decent gig in London if they wanted to invite Richard Eason along. And they needed a drummer. Oh, and a van.
He’d spent the last of his Greece savings last night. He was officially skint, so he also needed a job.
At 6:30 a.m., he gave up trying to sleep. He got up and went to the newsagent to pick up the local paper. Walking back up the path to the house, he checked Aidan’s bedroom window. The curtains were closed. Was Aidan in there? Was he alone? He’d been staying out a lot lately. Will knew why now.
Inside, he combed the job section while the kettle boiled. By the time he drank his coffee he’d circled three jobs – all involved driving a van. He waited until office hours opened to make the calls. By 10 a.m. he’d secured an interview at a local printing company.
The interview was with a man called Nigel, who took a hands-on approach to every aspect of his printing business. Once Nigel confirmed personal use of the company van was allowed, Will agreed to a three-month trial starting Monday.
Will lay soaking in the bath on Monday evening, his muscles complaining about all the lifting he’d done on his first day in the job. He must have nodded off because he awoke with a start to thumping on the bathroom door. He squeaked upright.
‘Oi! Stop hogging the bathroom, you selfish git!’ came Aidan’s voice through the door. ‘Some of us have places to go!’
Will sank back into the tepid water. ‘Twat.’
He hadn’t seen Aidan since the Mean Fiddler gig, so despite not wanting to vacate the bathroom for him, he hauled himself out of the tub. He wanted to talk to him before he disappeared again.
Wrapped in a towel, with what he hoped was a nonchalant air, he leant against Aidan’s bedroom doorframe and said, ‘Emily seems nice.’
‘Yeah, gorgeous, isn’t she?’ Aidan was forming a pile of dirty clothes on the floor, no doubt to give to their mum.
‘Is she that barmaid from the pub?’
Aidan threw a sock onto the pile. ‘Yeah, she’s a student. She works there two nights a week.’
‘How long have you been seeing her?’
‘Dunno. A while.’
‘So, you called her straight after that night at the pub?’
Aidan picked up a t-shirt, smelt the armpits. ‘Pretty much. What’s this, twenty questions?’
‘Just making conversation.’
‘Stop being so bloody nosy,’ said Aidan. ‘Listen, I just told Mum, I’m moving out.’
‘Really? When?’ Was he moving in with her?
‘Rob and I are renting a flat in Cowley.’
Will breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Poor Rob.’
Will remembered Aidan teaching him the alphabet from the top bunk bed in this room. Will thrusting his feet into the mattress above to the rhythm of their chanting, wobbling Aidan with every letter. It was the end of an era.