Chapter Five

"Oh my god, that was amazing!" Michelle squealed as the lights went down at the end of the show. Kirstie, Michelle and Kathleen pulled one another into a hug, the three of them so happy that they'd been able to share this moment together. As soon as they'd found out that they were invited to a gig, they had been beside themselves with excitement, but none of them were prepared for the surprise announcement on stage that their favourite childhood band were now officially back together and would soon be touring.

"I thought I was going to pee myself; I was so excited when they came on." Kirstie admitted as they made their way backstage to say goodbye to Matt and Chloe, Flashing their security passes at the guard on the way past.

"You were pretty beside yourself when Ben threw that rose and you caught it." Kathleen laughed.

"I know, he's just so gorgeous." Kirstie giggled, her cheeks colouring.

"We know, you've mentioned a few times over the years." Michelle laughed.

Kirstie laughed and elbowed her in the ribs.

As soon as the three of them walked into the dressing room, Matt and Chloe stopped talking and turned to face them.

"Hey, we just came to say goodbye and thanks again for allowing us to come along." Kirstie said, giving Matt a quick hug.

"Why are you saying goodbye?" Matt asked, a cheeky twinkle in his eye.

Kirstie frowned in confusion and waited for him to continue.

"I was just discussing with Chloe that we are having a little celebration tonight at a hotel, the record label has paid for a private function, free food, free drinks and a lot of fun. I could get the three of you in as my guests, if you're interested?" he smiled, turning to face Kathleen, Kirstie and Michelle.

"Are you serious?!" Kathleen exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement.

"So, we'll be rubbing shoulders with all the celebs?!" Michelle added.

Matt nodded, smiling at their reaction.

"I'd prefer it if there was no rubbing though." he chuckled.

"Are you going to be joining us Chloe?" Kirstie asked.

"Of course, she is, she's part of the company." Matt answered, before Chloe had a chance to respond.

"Yes, but like I explained, I don't have anything to wear. I can't exactly go dressed like this." she stated, gesturing down at her work clothes which consisted of leggings and a hoodie.

"Well, I already thought of that." Matt smiled, handing her a small key.

"Wait, is that what I think it is?" Chloe gasped.

"Yep, help yourself." Matt beamed. Everyone jumped as Matt's phone began to ring and he left the room to take the call.

Chloe's eyes lit up as she gazed down at the key in her hand.

"What is it?" Kirstie asked.

"The key to the storeroom where all the dancer's outfits are stored." Chloe explained as she walked over to the cupboard, quickly turning the lock.

"Wow." Kirstie breathed when she saw the large selection of stunning outfits.

Chloe nodded, slightly speechless that she was being given the opportunity to wear something that she could never hope to afford. As she scanned the rails, she finally found something suitable, rather than the other ridiculously short outfits.

Michelle and Kathleen sat down on the chairs and began to touch up their makeup. Kirstie joined them as Chloe left the room to go and get changed.

"She is so odd." Michelle announced as soon as Chloe left the room.

Kathleen nodded her agreement.

"I don't get why you are being so nice to her after she hasn't bothered with us for over a year and hasn't even bothered in the last two weeks since the reunion. She clearly isn't a good friend." Michelle pointed out.

"I'm just doing what Matt asked and cutting her a bit of slack, she doesn't seem herself." Kirstie told them.

"She's not your problem though. I'm just trying to be a good friend and protect you from being inevitably dropped again." Michelle stated.

"Also, that's another thing, do you think something is going on with her and Matt?" Kathleen added thoughtfully.

"No, I don't think so, but they work together so he probably knows more about whatever her situation is." Kirstie sighed, feeling a little bit disappointed that Michelle wasn't being more sympathetic towards Chloe.

They all instantly stopped talking as they heard Chloe's voice as she walked down the hall towards them.

"I don't know to be honest; I know Matt said something about staying in London for a while and doing a few shows here." she explained to someone.

They didn't hear the response as at that moment Chloe walked into the room closely followed by Ben from Saga.

"Well, I don't think it's a bad idea." Ben replied.

"It'll be easier than travelling all over the place anyway, I think I have the dates here somewhere." Chloe said, rummaging in her backpack for a few moments, before finally finding the piece of paper that she was looking for and handed it to Ben.

"Thank you." Ben smiled at her. Chloe smiled back at him and glanced at herself in the mirror. It had been so long since she'd worn something like this that she barely recognised herself. She'd chosen tight leather trousers with a white fitted corset style top that laced up at front and finished off the look with a leather jacket and black suede heels. She couldn't help but smile at how confident the clothes made her feel. Kathleen and Michelle glanced at her as she sat next to them and quickly began to apply her makeup, she decided on a subtle smoky eye look as that was her forte. She didn't have time to do anything with her hair, so she simply removed the hair band and brushed it through, feeling a sense of relief when her wavy hair sat just right.

"You look amazing Chloe." Kathleen smiled at her, feeling slightly envious of Chloe's amazing figure.

"I wish I had the confidence to pull off an outfit like that." Michelle admitted.

"We would have worn things like that a few years ago." Kathleen said.

"I am ten years younger than you guys remember." Chloe pointed out. They nodded at her thoughtfully. They quite often forgot that Chloe was so much younger than them. Kirstie, Kathleen and Michelle were older when they went to University and only met Chloe in their final year.

The three of them turned to face Kirstie when they suddenly realised that she hadn't said anything for a while. Michelle burst out laughing when she saw that Kirstie had turned in her chair and was watching Ben who was sitting at the table on the other side of the room, frowning at the paperwork Chloe had given to him. Kirstie's eyes were transfixed on Ben, like she was in some kind of trance. She opened her mouth to speak to him, but she was frozen. She'd adored this man since she was fifteen and here, he was sitting in front of her, it was like her teenage dream was finally coming true.

"Hey Ben, have you met my friend Kirstie?" Chloe called out to him, wanting to make sure that Kirstie got her moment with him.

"No, I don't believe I have." Ben smiled, as he stood up and walked towards the group.

Kirstie slowly stood up and shook his outstretched hand.

"Hey, aren't you the girl I threw the rose too?" he frowned.

"Yes, I still have it." Kirstie told him, finally finding her voice.

"I have been a fan for so long, I can't believe I'm finally meeting you." Kirstie admitted, suddenly feeling a little bit emotional. Ben smiled and quickly pulled her into a tight hug. Kirstie sighed and relaxed into him; she couldn't help but notice how amazing he smelt. Now that she was finally standing in front of him, she couldn't quite believe how good looking he was, the posters didn't quite do him justice. She found herself a little disappointed when he finally let go of her.

"Are you going to the party?" Ben said quietly.

Kirstie nodded, not quite trusting her voice.

"Perfect, save me a dance then." he whispered in her ear, gently tucking her hair behind her ear as he said it.

He quickly stepped back as Matt walked back into the room, followed by Lee and Nathan. Lee froze as soon as he laid eyes on Chloe who was happily laughing about something with Kathleen.

"She looks stunning." Lee whispered under his breath to Nathan. Kirstie glanced at him and in that moment, he knew that she had heard him.

"Chloe!" Lee called out, quickly recovering himself and going on the defensive again.

She turned to face him, the smile quickly fading from her face. Chloe quickly gathered up some items and walked over to Lee.

"Keys, phone, itinerary for tomorrow and the London show dates." she listed matter of factly as she handed him each item.

Lee stared at her, completely taken aback by how beautiful she looked as she innocently stood in front of him, gazing at the floor, as she always did when he was around. He opened his mouth to say something, but Matt quickly cut him off:

"Don't Lee, this is on her own time." he said firmly.

"Oh Chloe, I have some good news. The phone call earlier, was that company you applied too. They were calling me for a reference and don't worry I gave you a glowing one." Matt told her happily.

"Really, thank you so much Matt!" Chloe cried, throwing her arms around Matt. Matt glanced at Lee over the top of Chloe's head and raised his eyebrow at him. He knew from the pale expression on Lee's face that he'd heard the conversation, which is exactly what Matt had intended. The last thing Matt wanted was to lose a talented stylist and assistant like Chloe. Maybe it would be the motivation Lee needed to start treating her better.