Here we go lovely people, another chapter of LTD for yooooooou! Hope you like, this is one of my fave chapters I think! xxx

 Chapter Fifteen

 “No Tim, it’s not alright. In fact, it’s pretty damn far from alright! Never mind the fact that suddenly you’re dictating what we can and can’t do, why the hell didn’t you tell me about it? I thought we were meant to be a partnership.” Ben said into his mobile phone as he walked down his street. “I don’t care about that! We’ve done as well as we’re gonna do with it. It’s been four months now. That’s long enough.”

Ben hailed a taxi as he listened to the reply. He got in and told the driver Christian’s road name.

“We’ve got plenty… so? Who cares? It’s just new stuff, it doesn’t have to be final… yeah but at least they’ll be talking about us. Way things are at the moment we’ll be off the scene before we’ve even started… it’s not an exaggeration and you know it… look, can we not at least do one… so people will have heard it, big deal… why is it such a problem?”

The cab pulled up a short distance from Christian’s house and Ben paid the driver and got out.

“Tim, I can’t talk about this now, we’re supposed to be rehearsing at Chris’s place this morning… I dunno, however long it takes I guess… I’ll talk to you later okay… yeah, see ya.”

Ben hung up crossly and walked through the gates surrounding the collection of buildings where Chris lived. Looking at his watch as he walked up the steps he saw that it was already 11:30.

“Damn.” He said under his breath.

He knocked on the door and Chris answered.

“You’re late.” He said.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Ben apologised, following Christian through to the kitchen-studio.

“What was it this time? Traffic? Alarm clock?” Chris mocked Ben.

“Shut up Chris, you should know I’m always late by now. Tell me to get here half an hour early or something.”

Chris laughed. “Not a bad idea. Why the annoyed face?”

“Oh, I’ve just been talking to, or rather arguing with Tim about not being allowed to do our new stuff yet.”

“Oh. What did he say?”

“What Mark said really about selling more of The A-List and it not being ready, that sort of thing.”

They went over to where Mark and Paul were arranged around the keyboard.

“Yeah that’s really good.” Paul was saying.

They looked up as Ben and Chris approached.

“Listen to this.” Paul told them. “Go on Mark, play it again.”

Mark obliged and played a short sequence of notes.

“What was that?” Ben asked.

“You know that song we were talking about the other day?”

“The one that we couldn’t get the music to?”

“Yeah. Well this could be the chorus.”

“Play it again.” Said Ben.

Mark did, and this time he added words.

“I’ve made up my mind, everything’s fine. We’re gonna make it through the night. I’ve made up my mind, everything’s fine. We’re gonna make it through the night.” He sang.

“Yeah, that’s good. How did you come up with that?”

“I was lying in bed last night and I was just about to drop off to sleep when it came to me. And I had to get up and try it out and then write it down, and when I finally got back to bed it took me an hour to get to sleep because I was so excited about having maybe got the chorus!”

Ben laughed. “You’re mad.” He said.

“But only in the insane genius way.” Mark joked.

“Yeah right, whatever.” Ben said.

“Are we gonna do this rehearsal then?” Paul asked. “I’ve got to go at 1.”

“Yeah, let’s do it.” Ben enthused. “Sorry I was late by the way guys.” He said to Mark and Paul.

“Oh that’s alright. I’m sure there was a perfectly good reason for it. Like… you couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed…” Paul teased him.

Ben didn’t bother to respond. He just gave him a look and turned to the rest of the group. “Everybody ready?” he asked.

“Oh, hang on.” Chris picked up his guitar. “Okay, ready.”

“In your own time then Chris.”

“Okay, one, two, three, four…”

Chris started playing the opening guitar bit of ‘Same Old Brand New You’ and a1 started rehearsing.

Meanwhile, back in the Forest of Dean, Chloe and Rose weren’t that far behind Ben.

“Can we watch it again?” Rose asked as Chloe climbed down the ladder from her bed.

“Give me a minute, I’ve only just got up!” Chloe scolded her.

“Yeah but I wanna see it!”

“We’ve already watched it a million times.”

“Don’t you want to see it?”

“I didn’t say that!” Chloe said with a grin, turning on her VCR and television and rewinding the video already in there back ten minutes. “Okay, ready?” she asked.

Rose nodded eagerly.

“Go!”

Chloe and Rose sat wide-eyed and grinning as they watched a1’s most recent appearance on GMTV for at least the 11^th time.

“Can you believe it?” Chloe asked as they watched. “I mean, really believe it?”

“What?”

“Oh what. I dunno, do the words going out with and Mark ring any bells?” Chloe teased.

Rose grinned. “Shut up. You could have meant anything, I don’t know.”

“Obviously not. So can you believe it?”

“Kind of, but not really. I mean, it’s really really cool and like what we always thought so that’s where the kind of comes in, but then hello? This is Mark from a1 we’re talking about so AHHHHH!!!!!”

“That’ll be the not really then.” Chloe observed, picking up on the fact that Rose’s brain had just about shut down due to an overload of Markness by the fact that her last sentence had made absolutely no sense at all.

“Yes.” Rose said.

Chloe was silent and suddenly looked very subdued.

“What?” Rose asked.

Chloe shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Aw…”

“What?”

“You miss Ben!”

Chloe smiled. “This is so much harder than I thought.” She admitted. “I thought the novelty of going out with him would be enough but I love him so much and… Now I know I can be with him, I just want to be all the time.”

“Aww.” Rose said sympathetically. “Why don’t you ring him?”

“Now?”

“Yeah.”

“No, I can’t!”

“Why not?” Rose asked.

“Because I’ve already phoned him loads. He’ll think I’m bugging him.”

“No he won’t. He told you that you could phone him whenever you wanted to. He’d want you to.”

Chloe looked almost convinced and so Rose went over to Chloe’s bedside table and picked up the phone.

“Phone him.” She said, handing it to her.

“I don’t think…”

“Do it…” Rose threatened, reading Ben’s mobile number off the wall and punching it into the phone.

“Rose, I…”

“Oh look, it’s ringing! I shall be leaving you now. Goodbye!” Rose said, leaving the room as the phone rang in Chloe’s hand.

Chloe put the phone to her ear just as Ben answered.

“Clo?”

“Hi.” She said quietly, already feeling better.

“Are you okay, babe?” Ben asked, voice full of concern.

“Yeah I’m…” Chloe’s voice wavered. “Kind of. Sorry to keep phoning you, I know you’re probably busy but Rose made me. She said you wouldn’t mind.”

“Of course I don’t mind, I’m only at Chris’s house.” Ben said. “What’s up?”

“Nothing really, you’ll think I’m stupid.”

“I would never think that. What is it?”

“I just really miss you.” Chloe said.

Ben laughed. “I miss you too.”

“Do you?”

“Of course I do! Loads. More that that. Loads and loads!”

Chloe giggled. “I can’t wait for this weekend.”

“Yeah, me too, it’s gonna be wicked. Are you still alright to come down on the train?”

“Yeah. I love trains! Best way to travel.”

“Ah, well you obviously haven’t ever been in a helicopter then.” Ben said.

“Well surprisingly enough I haven’t. Why? Is it cool?”

“It’s very cool. Unless it’s windy. Then it’s very scary. One day I’ll take you…” Ben coughed. “somewhere in a helicopter. Then you can see for yourself how cool it is.”

“Really? Wow! Going out with a pop star does have its benefits!” Chloe joked.

“Well I do my best. Apart from missing me, you’re okay yeah?” Ben asked.

“Yeah. I think I just needed to hear your voice.”

“Well you can phone me whenever you need to and I’ll say hello and you can put the phone down, better for having heard my voice. I’ll call it Ben’s voice service!”

Chloe laughed. “You’re so stupid.” She said.

“What do you expect? It’s my job! Being a pop star’s just a little side line I have to pay the bills.” Ben said, totally seriously.

“Oh shut up!” Chloe said, smiling.

“Well fine, if you don’t want to talk to me any more…”

“You know I’d talk to you all day if I was allowed to. But if I’m on the phone much longer, I won’t be alive when mum sees the phone bill!”

“I better go anyway. We’re meant to be rehearsing and I’m getting evil looks from the other guys. I need you to protect me from them!”

“I’m sure you can look after yourself.”

“I can’t! Coz I’m the youngest, they think they can beat me up whenever they want! I’m a human punch bag. That’s my only role in the band.”

“You know that’s not true!”

“Okay, that and being the one who can’t mime.”

“Well that is true actually.”

Ben laughed. “I’ll phone you tonight okay, just to check everything’s still alright for tomorrow.”

“Okay, cool. I shall look forward to it.”

“I should think so too!”

“Yes, it’ll be the highlight of my whole day.” Chloe said sarcastically.

“Good. I’ll talk to you tonight then.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

“You are always on the phone to her!” Mark said as Ben put his phone on Chris’s kitchen table.

“No I’m not.”

“Yes you are. Always!”

“Well I like talking to her. And I’m allowed to, leave me alone!”

“You just wait until she comes up to see him. You won’t be able to separate them. In fact, we’ll be lucky if he even gets to CD:UK on Saturday morning.” Mark said to Paul and Chris.

Paul raised one eyebrow. “Oh really?”

Ben glared at Mark. “No! Mark, you are so annoying!”

Mark grinned. “Did you know they spent the whole night together on Tuesday?” he said knowingly to the other two.

“Ben, you stud you.” Paul said.

“Mark!” Ben said in exasperation.

Marked smiled at Ben. “Yes Ben?” He loved winding him up.

“You know perfectly well that nothing happened.”

“Well, that’s what you said…”

“Ben, I’m shocked! How irresponsible of you.” Chris said, with a smile.

“Argh! You’re all so immature!” Ben said.

“Oh come on Ben, I can’t believe nothing happened. This is you we’re talking about here.” Paul said.

“Well believe it, coz nothing did. Honestly!”

“Whatever you say Ben.” Chris said.

“Yeah, if you don’t want to talk about it…”

“There is nothing to talk about and even if there was I wouldn’t tell you.” Ben said.

“Why not?” Paul asked.

“Coz it’s none of your business, that’s why.”

“I bet Chloe would tell her friends.”

“I bet she wouldn’t. Anyway, how do you know? You haven’t even met her yet!”

“That’s what girls do.”

“Oh and I suppose you know everything there is to know about girls do you Paul?”

“I know more than you.”

“Fine, okay, if you had a girlfriend,” Ben said pointedly. “Would you tell us about all the things you got up to?” Ben asked.

“Depends who it was.”

“God Paul, you’re so disrespectful!” Ben said.

“Just how it is.”

“Oh whatever. Well anyway, nothing happened between me and Chloe and when it does, you will not be told, okay?”

“Fine, I don’t wanna know anyway.” Paul said sulkily.

“Good!”

“Okay children have we finished arguing now?” Mark asked with amusement.

“I don’t know what you’re so smug about, you started it!” Ben said.

“Don’t have a go at me, I’m on your side!” Mark protested.

“God you’re all so boring!” Paul complained.

“No Paul, you’re just sick. It’s a big difference.” Ben said.

“Oh shut up Mr. I’m such a good little boy. I’m no worse than you and you know it.”

“Guys!” Chris intercepted.

“Dunno why she’d wanna sleep with him anyway.” Paul muttered. “He’s so ugly.”

“Well she obviously likes me better than you!” Ben retorted having heard Paul’s last comment.

“You don’t know that. Like you said, she hasn’t met me yet. She’s probably using you to get to me.”

“Don’t slag off my girlfriend.” Ben warned.

“Oh that won’t be the only thing I’ll be doing after we meet. Coincidentally, it kinda sounds a bit like slagging…”

“Paul!” Mark reprimanded.

“You’re asking for a smack in the face, Paul.” Ben threatened.

“Oh yeah, bring it on! I could take you any day.”

“In your dreams.”

“Sorry, they’re reserved for your girlfriend.”

“Paul stop it.” Chris said.

“I’ll kill him.” Ben said, looking absolutely furious.

“Leave it Ben. Come on, come with me.” Mark said calmly, taking Ben by the arm and leading him out the room.

“Paul, that was out of order.” Chris said crossly.

“He was asking for it.”

“What is wrong with you?!”

“Nothing.” Paul said shortly.

“Well there obviously is for you to say things like that to one of your closest friends.”

“He provoked me.”

Mark came back into the room having left Ben in Christian’s front room.

“What the hell was all that about?” he asked.

Paul didn’t answer.

“To be honest Paul, I’m surprised he didn’t hit you. You deserved it. You can’t say things like that!”

“Well I didn’t mean him to take it as seriously as he did.”

“How did you expect him to take it? Have you forgotten a small incident with a certain girl that happened not so long ago that almost destroyed Ben?!” Mark was shouting now. “Joke or not, how can you even think about saying things like that? You know how sensitive he is about that. Do you even have a heart? Or do you just not care? You’re not bothered about hurting your friend? Is that it?”

“Arrrrrgh!!! This is a bad bad day.” Paul said. “I’ll go and talk to him.”

Paul walked out of the kitchen and went down the hall into Christian’s living room. As he entered the room, Ben turned round.

“That’s not the most welcoming look you could have given me.” Paul said.

“Well what do you expect?” Ben said with surprise.

“Look Ben, I’m really sorry mate. I shouldn’t have said what I did. I’m just not having a very good day.”

“Well neither am I but as far as I can remember I haven’t slagged off anyone yet.” Ben looked away.

He still looked really angry.

“Okay, you want the truth?” Paul asked.

“I dunno, is it gonna hurt my feelings or make my girlfriend sound like a slut?” Ben asked cuttingly.

Paul sighed. “No.”

“Well I guess that’s a start.”

Paul sat down on Chris’s sofa. “I know I shouldn’t have said what I did. I didn’t mean any of it, you know I didn’t, I was just joking around…”

“Oh and it was so funny.” Ben turned to look at Paul.

“But,” Paul said. “I realise I took it too far and I should have just shut up. I guess the reason that I did say what I did, apart from the fact that I love winding you up,” Paul caught Ben’s eye and grinned at him. “is coz I’m jealous of you and Chloe.”

“What?”

Paul shrugged. “Believe me, I feel as stupid as it sounds.”

Ben’s expression softened. “Why are you jealous?”

“Oh lots of reasons. You just remind me of what it was like with Carla. What Mark was saying about you always being on the phone to Chloe, about you being inseparable, it just brings it all back. How happy we were, how happy I’m not now… y’know.” Paul shook his head. “Things just never seem to work out right.”

Ben sat down next to Paul.

“We’re a right hopeless bunch aren’t we?” he said, with a rueful grin.

“We really are. We get all the bad luck in relationships.”

“We should write a book. Call it ‘How not to be lucky in love’ by the a1 guys.”

“Well you can’t write it.”

“Why not?”

“Coz you are in love.”

Ben smiled. “Yeah.”

“Oh, but not just you, Mark can’t do the book either. He is with girlfriend.”

“Yeah, that’s true.”

“You’ve met Rose, how do you think she’s gonna react to the whole Sam thing?” Paul asked.

“How would anyone react?”

“It’s a tough situation isn’t it?”

“It’s not fair. I mean, he’s only just got over Sam and he’s having enough problems with his relationship with Rose without this added on top of everything.” Ben said.

“Problems?”

“Well, not problems exactly but I know he’s fighting with his conscience a bit over the age thing. I don’t think he’s got anything to worry about but you know what Mark’s like.”

“Yeah. It is a shame.”

“What?”

“Everything. The timing totally sucks, but I guess you can’t plan these things.” Paul mused.

“No…”

“Do you think he’s doing the right thing?”

“Not getting back with her?”

“Yeah.”

“Has he definitely decided that’s what he’s gonna do?” Ben asked.

“Yeah, I think so. That’s what he told me after he went to see her anyway.”

“Oh. Well, yeah, I think that’s the right thing to do. For him anyway. I’m not sure what I’d do, but we’re very different people so…”

“Yeah.” Paul agreed. “Same here.”

“I wouldn’t like to be in his shoes though.”