I giggle, “Okay, if you think so.”
“You always were a bit of a brainiac, so it’s not a surprise.”
“Was I?” I’m flattered he thinks so, but my grades were average.
“Definitely. Why do you think—” Ash stops abruptly, before adding, “Scott had such a crush on you. He had a thing for smart girls.”
“Ugh, that boy. I’m sorry Ash, I know he was your friend, but just his name brings me out in a rash.” I give him the side-eye.
“I’ve apologised for him, remember?”
I smile resignedly then he asks, “So are you back home all summer or doing any travelling?”
“We’re staying here, taking some time out. How about you? What have you been up to since school?”
“Same, but unlike you, I took a gap year, travelled around Europe then came home. I decided to take my degree at Braebeach University when I got back. It's a shorter course than yours, but I’ve got another year to go, that’s if I don’t cut loose to concentrate on our band.”
“You have a band? That’s so cool. What kind of music do you play? Not covers, I guess.”
“No, I leave those for the day job,” he runs his fingers through his messy hair, perhaps trying to hide the redness to his cheeks. He looks up, giving me a sideways glance. “I call it rock with Brit-pop attitude. I don’t know what you’d class it as.”
I shake my head. “Why did I not know this already? You didn’t mention it the other night and we were together for hours.”
“Subject never came up.”
“We listened and talked about music all night, Ash. You could have said something then.”
“Sorry. It wasn’t intentional.”
“Wow,” I shake my head again. “And you write the songs?” I ask him, genuinely interested. I've been obsessed with music since I was a little girl. In my eyes, if you can write music, you have an incredible gift.
“I write the lyrics, but the music I write with our guitarist, Max.”
I'm slightly in awe. “Wow. Elton and Bernie eat your heart out.” I giggle, making light of it. His smiling reply emphasises his shy side, although you couldn't tell while he was singing on the street.
“I wish,” he continues.
“What’s your band’s name, in case I’ve heard of you.”
“Koolum Law”
It’s a name Angie seems to instantly recognise. “Hold on, I’ve seen a few posters for your band around town.”
“You’re playing locally?” I ask him.
He beams back at me as if he’s won the lottery, “Yeah, in fact, we’ve got a gig at The Dunbar Saturday night if you’re interested. Why don’t you come down and we can grab a drink once we’re done?”
“Just try stopping me,” I reply so quickly, and with more than a touch of eager, even Angie is shocked by my response.
I had no idea about Ashton’s music, but really it shouldn’t be a surprise. He played a few instruments at school.
“Don’t get too excited, I mean it’s a small set.”
“Hey, any gig is cool. Don’t knock it.”
His mouth turns up in one corner, a gentle sigh leaves his lips. “You can give me your honest opinion.”
“It sounds like you don’t need it. You must be doing something right to land The Dunbar. You know who has played there?” I ask him. I’m a bit of music history geek.
