"Ooo I can’t wait to go out there!" Ben cried. "Just think – in a couple of minutes, everyone out there will be watching us! Listening to us! It’s gonna be amazing! I love this…"

"Ye…ah…" Paul mumbled, looking above.

"You’re nervous!" Ben proclaimed, glancing at Paul.

"What? Me? No. Nooo." He tried convincing with a smile when really those nerves were eating away at him inside like some raw apple.

"Yes you are." Ben said, this time more gently. "What’s wrong? What you so nervous about?"

"What… what if I mess up Ben?" Paul asked, looking directly at him. "What if I forget my verse and what if I do something wrong? What if…"

"OK, calm it Paul!" Ben told. "Jeez, you need to calm down. Ok, number one, you’re not gonna mess up. You were born for this performing stuff so how can you? Secondly, you won’t forget your verse because you helped write these songs. If anyone knows them better, its you. And as for messing up – well that you might, but just pull it off like you always do!" He laughed. "Just think of this as… as you impressing as many women as you can with the tambourine and you’ll do great…"

"Thanks Ben." Paul grinned, pulling down his sleeves and taking a deep breath. "I’m gonna do fine… I’m gonna do fine…"

Trying as hard as he could, poking his head around the covering, just like Ben, so he could steal a glance at Louise, he saw her sitting at the table they left her at, looking as if she was eagerly awaiting the performance. Mark smiled to himself and soon resumed his position, causing Christian to worry and those concerning thoughts to take over.

"Isn’t Louise just the best?" Mark beamed, bouncing slightly as the anticipation for getting on stage began settling in.

"Yeah… yeah she’s great." Christian tried smiling.

"Really Chris? You really think so?" Mark asked, seeking some sort of approval.

"Does it really matter what I think?" Christian questioned, looking towards Mark.

"Well yeah… yeah it does. Sounds a bit… weird I suppose but if anyone knows more about women then its you." Mark said honestly. "So…"

"Mark… I… I think Louise is a great girl. Really nice, friendly…"

"But?" Mark intervened, a frown forming.

"But…" Christian began uneasily. "But… be careful."

"Careful? Oh come on Chris, she’s not some kung fu fighting champion like in the games I always beat you at!" Mark laughed.

"I know… I don’t mean that." Christian tried smiling, seeing the happiness in Mark. "But… but you’ve got to remember Mark, Louise is engaged. Engaged to someone she must have some sort of feelings for otherwise she wouldn’t have done in the first place." He told.

"So, are you saying I shouldn’t like her…?" Mark queried, a sea of blue washing over him.

This was the first girl Mark had liked in ages, the first girl he felt he could really talk to, get on with. Being engaged was an obstacle in his pathway, but if he truly felt that it was worth it, then he was just going to step over it. So far, he had avoided that obstacle, that stone, but as Christian brought it up, the fear of loosing what he might have, worried him.

"No, no I’m not saying that all." Christian said forcefully. "I mean, there’s definitely something between you two, it’s just you have to be careful Mark. Getting involved with someone, who is already… well involved, could end up badly. Someone could get hurt; you could get hurt… especially when involving people like them. Just be careful ok."

"Chris…" Mark trailed off.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks." Mark smiled. "It’s nice to know that if I was doing something wrong, there’s someone to care about it in the first place."

"No probs Mark. Just remember what I said…" Christian reminded.

As Mark and Christian both fell into a thinking moment, the audience also grew very quiet, as it was nearing the time they would be ready on stage. All grinning as the buzz of such hype attacked them all, the men setting up the instruments slowly trailed off stage, giving room for that buzz to finally kick in.

"So you really like her?" Mark asked, as they were called on stage.

"Yeah, yeah I do. She’s really… really cool." Christian grinned, heading over to where his guitar was situated, passing Ben and Paul on the way.

Hearing the sound of hands create a welcoming for them, Paul grinned, glancing at Ben while he smiled too, looking across the meadow of smiles that he had always wanted to run through. Christian smiled happily, as he picked up his guitar and as Mark fixed his sights on Louise in the crowd, she grinned too, as the fifteen minutes she had been anticipating had finally arrived.

"Hi, how you all doing." Mark beamed, leaning down slightly to speak into the mic. "We’re a1 and tonight, we’re gonna play a few songs for you, that we wrote ourselves… one, two, three…" He finished, throwing his hand in the air while the other rested on the keyboard notes.

Music began to blend together and stream through the club, and as the lights dimmed down on the audience, the glow of white that settled on the stage, made Louise stand out even more to Mark.

Riffs from the guitar strung the main piece of the music together, and as Paul started to sing, those immediate smiles on the crowds faces, grew bigger, making the meadow Ben had always wished for, look even more pleasing. Louise already instantly liked the sound they were producing, the performance they were giving, and as she swayed along softly in her mind, that grin on her face brightened as Mark began to sing.

Feeling as if she was sinking into the seat as the soothing melodies of the song and his voice sent her to some paradise island, she was soon hauled back out by a sudden shot of realisation that cracked her golden sand.

Thinking contiguously of Anton brought a cloud over her evening, and as she continued to stare at Mark, smile and somehow melt, those lyrics she felt were a warning, a sign somewhat to what she was doing and who she was with. Should she be here? Is this really where she belonged? And was she doing the right thing?

Soon, song by song, followed, leaving more and more thoughts in her head. Were they really trying to tell her something or was she just being paranoid?

Although the words didn’t come directly from Mark’s mouth, the way he looked at her when harmonising with Christian, she couldn’t help but feel he meant what he was saying. As his voice echoed, more strongly towards the end, Louise glistened inside, twinkling as she seemed to be sprinkled with the glitter, that brought that spark in the first place. Something was there, in the song, in her mind, inside, and it was this that brought that smile to its ultimate gleam.

Clapping as they headed off stage, Louise reached for her drink before placing it back on the table, waiting for the others to return. Sitting comfortably, a young man strolled over, soon placing himself next to Louise, making her eyes crouch in confusion, her head spin in thought.

"Hi…" He smiled shyly, placing his glass on the table.

"Er, hi…" Louise said back as she still continued to think.

"You… ok?"

"Fine…" Louise trailed off warily.

"What did ya think of that band? Quite good weren’t they?" He commented.

"Yeah… very good…" Louise answered, shuffling over slightly.

"So… you… you on your own?" He questioned.

"Erm… well…"

"Hey, Lou!" Mark beamed, sliding right up close to her, placing an arm round her back, causing the guy to edge away slightly. "What did you think?"

"You were great!" She smiled as Mark winked and moved closer. "Oh you were great, great babe!"

"I knew you would like." He grinned, kissing her cheek softly as she played along and rubbed his leg.

"You know him?" Mark asked happily.

"Oh well… this gentleman here just suddenly came over and…"

"Sorry to erm… well y’know… have a great night." The man said, leaving quickly with his glass, while Louise and Mark’s faces broke slowly into smiles.

"I can’t believe you just did that!" Louise exclaimed, laughing as she trembled inside, his arm still around her.

"Did what? Got rid of that creep didn’t it?" Mark chuckled.

"Posing as my boyfriend… god Mark!" Louise chortled, reaching for her drink again.

"What’s up? Not good enough for you?" Mark joked, removing his arm to tickle her.

"Mark! Don’t! Don’t!" Louise begged, laughing in between. "I’ll… I’ll spill my drink!"

"Ey, ey children. We’ll have less of that please…" Paul mocked in a teacher’s tone. "Save that to later," he winked, sitting down.

Blushing as they both resumed the normal, expected position, Mark took hold of his drink, and finished what was left in his glass.

"So what did you think?" Ben asked, as he came and sat down, Christian following.

"I thought you were brilliant! I can see some of those tracks in the charts some time. You’re really gonna go far." She replied.

"Thanks. It’s really nice that you think that." Christian smiled.

"Well its true. You are great." Louise told solemnly.

You are great… she thought, glancing at Mark. Great, great, great…