Chapter Nineteen #2
“So coming up after the break… yes, you guessed it… the uber-talented guys from Recoil. Not one, not two, but all four of them are here, waiting in this very studio to take your calls. Right after this break.” Some music plays, followed by the radio station’s theme, then it goes into ads as Gregson takes off his headphones.
The light turns green, and the station manager opens the door, gesturing for us to walk in.
“Go in, guys, and take the seats around the desk in front of the microphones. Ladies and Oliver, you can sit on the sofa by the wall,” the station manager tells us.
I squeeze Tillie’s hand as she winks at me, mouthing, Good luck!
Grabbing a seat, I pull it up next to Gregson, who nods to me while the others take their seats and the station manager leaves.
“Well, hey, guys, we don’t have long before the break is over, but I’m going to start by asking a couple of questions, then I’m going to open it up to phone calls. You all good with that?”
Danger seems more alert now that Lunar isn’t in his presence, so I look over at him.
“Yeah, I’m good,” Danger replies.
“Me too,” Matt agrees.
“Whatever,” Nate adds.
I roll my eyes at Nate as Gregson raises an eyebrow. I shake my head slightly while taking a deep breath. Gregson gestures to the headphones on the desk in front of us, so we each pick them up and put them on. I hear someone talking, but I can’t see them as they count us in from the ad break.
“And, we’re back in five, four, three, two…” It goes quiet as the theme song plays, and then Gregson comes in, knowing exactly when, like the pro he is.
“Welcome back, listeners, and do we have a treat for you. I have with me the four members of the hottest band of the moment. Recoil is here. Say hi, guys!”
“Hi,” we all say in unison.
“That’s right, ladies. Fan your fluffies ’cause I’m sitting here right now staring at Danger, Ryan, Nate, and Matt. And I have to tell you, even my heart’s a little jittery.”
I can’t help but laugh.
“Oh, Gregson, you liar,” Danger quips.
He laughs. “No, really, but it might just be my angina.”
Now we’re all laughing.
“Yeah, now the truth is coming out,” I tease.
He laughs. “Okay, let’s get to the truth then, Ryan, shall we?”
“Oh God.” I groan.
He laughs quite loudly. “Yoga? Is it really as easy as you make it look?”
I glance over at Tillie. “It is when you have a good teacher like Lara, and also someone pushing you like Tillie. I wasn’t up for the challenge at first, but it’s actually been a good experience for me, and if you get a chance to have a go at it, I’d recommend it for sure.”
“Good to know. Now, Danger, I’m going to ask the question everyone wants to know.”
“Ah-huh…” Danger shifts in his seat.
“You and Lunar have been together for quite a while, and people…” He nods his head. “The paps and I right now have spotted a rather large ring on Lunar’s ring finger. Anything you wanna tell the world?”
Danger looks over to Tillie with his eyes wide.
They haven’t gotten around to doing a press release regarding their engagement.
Tillie smiles and nods in that unflappable way she has.
“Okay, well… a scoop for you, Gregson. I actually asked the beautiful Lunar to marry me, and she said yes. How’s that for an exclusive?”
“Well, you heard it here first, folks. Danger from Recoil is officially off the market. Hearts are breaking all over the world tonight. Congratulations, guys.”
“Thank you, we are very happy.”
“When can we expect the wedding invites?”
“Urgh, that I don’t know. We haven’t even thought about that yet. So don’t expect anything too soon, people.”
“What about the pitter-patter of tiny little feet? Any chance of that?”
Danger shifts uncomfortably in his seat this time, and I smile, watching him squirm.
“Okay, time to talk about something else,” Danger murmurs while Lunar giggles in the background.
“Right! I think it’s time to take some callers. We have our first one on the line. Caller, what’s your name and question?”
“Hi, I’m Zoe. I love you guys. I’m a huge fan. I have all your albums, and I listen to all your songs on repeat, like all the time. I like to kiss your posters on the wall before I go to bed and—”
“TMI, Zoe, do you have an actual question?” Gregson interrupts.
“Oh, right, sorry, I get carried away. My question is to the twins, where was the weirdest place you last had sex?”
Everyone laughs as Gregson rolls his eyes.
“On the band’s jet,” the brothers both answer in unison. They look at each other and high-five as we all break out in laughter.
Tillie shakes her head, and I know she’s thinking this could turn into a PR nightmare if anything is said wrong. But so far, everything is going okay.
“Wait, who did you have sex with on the jet?” Nate asks.
“Who did you have sex with?” Matt asks in return.
“Ava.” They both say her name at the same time, and the room fills with laughter as they groan and shove at each other.
“Fuck, dude, I saw her first,” Nate says.
“Yeah, how do you know? When did you have sex with her?” Matt asks.
“Who’s the sloppy seconds?” Gregson quips, and Tillie puts her head in her hands.
“Wednesday,” Nate says.
“Tuesday,” Matt replies with a giant smirk, and Nate throws his hands in the air.
“Fucking hell, always coming second.” Nate groans.
All but Nate is carrying on, joking around as he sits, no doubt brooding.
“Gotta love live radio,” Gregson says. “We have another caller. Caller, what’s your name and question?”
“Hi, I’m Alana, just wondering if you guys normally share girls? ’Cause, I’m down.”
Gregson hangs up the call while we all laugh. “How about one more. Caller, what’s your name and question?”
“H-hi. My name is Cadence, and my question is for Ryan.” There’s a shuffling down the line before she clears her throat and says, “I knew it was fate. You did remember me, after all. What I need to know is why that woman has been seen with you so many times.”
The guys all look at me, and my gaze immediately falls on Tillie, my eyes narrowed in confusion. No way could it be the same fan as earlier. I have no idea how to proceed.
“Okay, maybe no more calls,” Gregson says, shaking his head, thankfully ending the call before I can come up with a suitable reply.
The rest of the interview went without a hitch, and the creepiness from the last caller was all but forgotten.
The interview was actually quite funny, with lots of laughter, and, more importantly, the ratings were high, as the studio executives informed us afterward.
I have to admit, for our first radio interview, it went really well, and as we noisily head down the hall toward the penthouse, it’s obvious we’re all happy with how it went down. Well, except for Nate, who’s still arguing with Matt.
My fingers link with Tillie’s as she cuddles into my side.
Oliver steps up beside us as we all watch Matt and Nate in amusement.
“Those two will be at each other’s throats for hours, you know that, right?” I say to Oliver.
He rolls his eyes and grunts. “I’ve already fired Ava and found another flight attendant to fill her shoes.”
I nod. “Good idea. Nate’s already a bitch. We don’t need Matt being one too.”
“So true,” Tillie says with a slight giggle. “So true.”