Love in Music

“Jewel Alignment.”

“No!”

“Sweet Audience.”

“No!”

“Blistered Meeting and The Burden.” There was a pause after Frankie’s words.

“I’m sorry but what the fuck? We’re a girl group not a heavy metal band that might want to eat kids.” Luce shot down Frankie’s idea for a group name.

“I feel like using the band name generator is cheating.” I piped up from where I was sprawled across the couch in Tony’s sound room.

“Well we’re all out of ideas so it’s really the best we got.” Gracie peered over Frankie’s shoulder at her phone that we had been using to Google group names.

“Maybe we should ask people working here, they’re creative right?” Kate peered over towards the door like someone was going to burst through and tell us what to do.

“It really shouldn’t be this hard.” I grumbled, placing a hand over my eyes and pressing down until small stars appeared under my palm.

“I’ve been trying but you guys keep knocking down my ideas.” Frankie said. I could just imagine her pout.

“They’re crap.” I muttered again in reply, I could feel the start of a headache beginning to throb at the back of my head.

“Purity!” Lucinda announced loudly, I winced as the throbbing got harsher but I moved the hand away from my eyes to look at her. “What do you guys think about Purity?”

“I think we’ve all discussed that you, Kate and Frankie are not pure.” I smirked at her. She rolled her eyes while Frankie flipped me off.

“No Purity as in something that’s clean, fresh and new.” Her eyes widened considerably as she looked around at us all. I shrugged slightly; I didn’t mind the name. It was different but still simple.

“Purity.” Kate said quietly like she was trying the name out. I exchanged a look with Grace who smiled softly.

“I’m down!” Frankie said throwing her phone across the couch she was taking over. Lucinda turned to me and I nodded in response.

“I like it.” Gracie put her hand up like we were taking a physical vote.

“Purity it is.” Kate said slapping her hand down on the coffee table like she had a gavel.

There was a pause for a moment as I stared at where Kate’s hand had slapped down on the table.

“Holy fuck.” Frankie whispered out, her eyes strained on the roof as she laid back. I laughed as Lucinda jumped onto Frankie with a thump.

“Purity.” She yelled, Gracie laughed and climbed onto Frankie’s legs. I shared a look with Kate before we both scrambled forward and piled on top of Frankie.

“This is unfair!” She squealed as I ran my finger underneath her kneecap making her squirm.

“Why are you trying to kill Frankie?” I turned to the door to see Tony standing watching us all, amusement playing across his features.

“We have a name!” Frankie announced dramatically, Tony was obviously confused.

“For our group.” Gracie piped up, smiling at him widely. I shook my head at her.

“Well let’s hear it then.” He motioned for us to announce it.

“Ooh wait let’s do it like One Direction announce theirs.” Frankie sat up as best she could with Lucinda and I still sitting on her. “On the count of three okay? One Two Three…”

“Hi, we’re Purity.” We all chorused together, slightly out of time with each other, before falling into sets of giggles. I could hear Tony release a few chuckles.

“Purity? I like it!” He said nodding. “You should go tell Jen.”

“Yes.” I nodded jumping up; the excitement was spreading through me after taking all day to figure out a name.

“Don’t think we don’t realise you’re just kicking us out of your room.” Frankie called after her as I hopped trying to put my shoes back on, leaving the laces half untied.

“Come on Belle.” Frankie tugged on my hand and ran towards the elevator, I could hear the other girls laughing behind us. We all piled into the, thankfully, empty elevator before we burst out again on the floor above and dodged people on the way down the corridor towards Jen’s office.

Frankie piled through the door before I could stop her, she tugged on my hand and I tripped over a shoelace and tumbled into her, dragging us both down to the ground.

“Really.” She groaned from underneath me. I lifted myself off her and pulled my feet around to tie the shoes before I caused any more accidents.

“Girls.” Jen’s voice made me wince I could clearly hear the disapproving tone. I looked up and immediately looked back down when my eyes met Simon Cowell’s.

“Oh, hope we weren’t interrupting anything.” Frankie’s voice was as suggestive as she could make it. I was embarrassed on Jen’s behalf.

“Honestly you girls.” Jen sighed and I watched as she fell down into her chair, Simon watched us amused from behind her. I wondered what they had been doing in here; there wasn’t any papers spread out on her desk that they may have been discussing. Her desk was as tidy as it always was even down to the last blue pen lined perfectly with the stapler. “Did you all need something? Was there an emergency?”

“We thought of a name.” Lucinda stepped over me and took a place on the couch, Gracie and Kate followed her; I finished tying my shoelaces before crawling out of the doorway to sit against Kate’s legs next to Frankie.

“Well don’t hold for dramatic pause.” Jen rolled her eyes. I looked at her shocked for a moment, I felt like she was getting snarkier every day we were with her. I blamed Frankie.

“Purity.” Lucinda smiled happily at them. I watched Jen for a reaction first, knowing she would be the easiest one to impress.

“Purity, okay. That could work.” She nodded before angling her chair to look at Simon. His face remained impassive as he watched us all for a moment. I shifted in my spot feeling the awkward tension from the stare.

“You girl’s have thought about this? Properly? Once you have your name we’re not going to change it.” I bit my lip, considering that we had probably through of the name all of ten minutes ago, we probably hadn’t thought enough for Simon’s liking. But I liked the name, we all did. It was the first name we could all agree on.

“Yes.” Kate said firmly surprising us all. I held my breath as Simon waited a moment. If anything he was the one clearly planning the dramatics.

“I’ll ring it past the marketing team but I’m okay with it so they will be too.” He smiled at us as Frankie let off a cheer and fist bumped Lucinda. I laughed; high five-ing Gracie and Kate.

“I think we can do the recording today.” Simon announced over our cheers making us all quiet. “We’ll send you down to Mia and Johnson and get you set for your styles and then Jen will take you up to the advertising team who will be ready to record your opening scene that we will attach to the rest of the video montage we’ve been making for you five.”

I sighed and rested my head back; of course the hardest part of today was not going to be deciding on our name.

-

“I’m hungry.” I whined as Mia tugged my long brown hair out of the curlers; the tension in my head dwindled as each curler came out.

“There’s food over there.” Frankie gestured to the table on the opposite side of the room. I glared at her through the mirror we were both sitting at as Johnson curled the pink ends of Frankie’s blonde hair.

“Gracie.” I called; her hair had been finished first since it was the shortest. Her black hair had a braid along the front with the rest of the hair sitting up high and bouncy. She looked up from her phone as I gestured towards the table. “Food, please.”

She smiled and walked over filling up a plate. I smiled brightly. Gracie was always the nicest.

“Have you ever dyed your hair?” Luce leant against the counter in front of me, staring as Mia began assembling my hair however she wanted to. Luce’s own hair had taken Mia awhile to do, the red hair sitting in tight ringlets that flared out around her head. It looks wild, like it had a mind of it’s own definitely suiting Lucinda.

“Nope.” I popped the p and grabbed the first cake sitting on top of the plate that Gracie handed me.

“We should totally dye it, something crazy.” She reached out to grab a curl but Mia slapped her hands away. I laughed at the wild look in her eye.

“You girls don’t get to do anything wild or crazy with your hair until you run it through either of us.” Johnson lectured us while teasing the top of Frankie’s hair before staring at her intently in the mirror. She pulled a face back at him, Lucinda pouted.

There was a knock at the door that Frankie screamed at to come in. Harry opened the door and stepped through, smiling at us all.

“Hello Purity.” He had a twinkle in his eyes. I would have made a remark but my eyes fell to Louis who stepped in behind Harry. He looked directly at me through the mirror.

“Done.” Mia said smiling at me in the mirror and shooing me out of the chair so Kate could sit down next. I stood up and began to move towards Gracie who was sitting on the couch again. Louis stepped forward and made me stop.

“Could I talk to you outside?” He asked me softly even though everyone could hear. I wanted to reply with sarcasm but I held it back and just nodded at him. I was his height now that I was wearing the heels Lucinda had insisted I climb into.

Before Louis shut the door I heard Harry’s voice.

“So, honestly, how pure are all of you?” His innuendo was plain as day, there was a crash and I assumed someone threw something before Louis shut the door.

I leaned against the wall opposite the door and stared away from him. I tried not to be nervous but my stomach was already fluttering. I was supposed to be angry with him.

“Are you nervous?” He asked quietly, I looked at him wondering what he would be saying that I had to be nervous about. “About recording the video.” He elaborated.

“I guess,” I shrugged at him, “the girls kind of help with keeping your mind off of it and knowing that they’re going to be there with me is a big help.”

Louis nodded and ruffled a hand through his hair; he looked around the hallway before stepping forward. I straightened up and he stepped into my space, his toes almost touching my toes.

“Purity is a cool name.”

“Thanks.” I accepted his compliment and kept my eyes trained on our shoes. Louis was shifting slightly from foot to foot.

“I’m sorry.” Louis blurted out. I glanced up at him and saw him looking sheepishly back.

“For what?” I asked him expectantly. He paused for a moment, he obviously hadn’t thought of the answer to this. He shrugged awkwardly.

“Louis.” I growled at him, glaring. He took half a step back, looking like he wanted to take more but he stopped. Staring right back at me.

“I thought you should have some time, to think.” He mumbled quietly. I could feel my anger bubble up and start to spill.

“To think.” I said slowly, before taking a deep breath. “I don’t know what to think Louis!” He flinched as my voice rose. I paused and waited to see what he would say but he stayed silent.

“You’ve done nothing but want to hang out with me. You called me at Christmas, you freaking cuddle with me on the couch. You even asked me to spend the day with your sisters and I do and I thought we had a great time. I love your sisters but then afterwards you barely talk to me and we’re still this,” I gestures wildly between us. “and I don’t know what you want!”

“What do you want?” He asked without missing a beat. He took a step closer again, our feet still not quite touching.

“What do you want?” I repeated his words. I needed him to say it first; he was the one who pushed away. I wasn’t going to put myself out there after that.

“I want, I want.” He paused and stared straight at me, his face completely serious as he took a breath and continued. “I want this, us, you! I want us to be together!”

I stayed silent for a moment as I let his rushed words fall over me. The butterflies in my stomach intensified until it was almost painful.

“Okay. I want us too.” I replied softly, glancing down at our shoes before looking back up at him.

“Okay.” He responded as we just stared at each other. “Are you calm now?”

I glared at him before nodding.

“Can I hug you?” I laughed as a smile slid across his face.

“Yeah.” I nodded at him. He stepped forward and immediately wrapped his arms around my waist, his nose buried in my neck. He was warm and smelled like expensive cologne. His sweater itched slightly at my skin; I brought my arms up and around his neck.

“They’re so cute.”

“HARRY!”