'I can't believe you agreed to this, Evie, especially after what they did.' a disdainful Ruth said as she sat cross-legged on her living room floor, looking into the small make-up mirror that sat on the coffee table in front of her as she carefully applied mascara, 'Not to mention dragging me into it in the process.'

Across the evening sun-lit room, Evie fumbled around with a pair of earrings that Ruth had leant her, the damned things refusing to go through her pierced ears, 'Y'know you don't have to go with me if you don't want to.' she reminded her friend.

The red-haired girl's eyes met Evie's, a perplexed look across her face, 'And leave you alone in a room with that pervert?' she screwed the lid of her tube of mascara back on roughly, 'As if.'

Tuesday night had come around and Evie and Ruth were getting ready for the gig at Imperial College. Evie hadn't been sure about going until the night before, wondering whether it was worth the bother and if she should just try and put this whole thing behind her. Simply convincing Ruth to accompany her had been a battle in itself, the red-haired girl having scoffed at the news of Freddie's peace offering, reminding Evie in her colourful words that she 'owed those lads fuck all'. And whilst there was no denying that Ruth was right and she knew her friend was only looking out for her, Evie sort of wanted to give Roger a second chance. If he was as apologetic as Freddie had said, it couldn't hurt to hear him out, right? At least then Evie could return to normal life without a cloud of animosity constantly hanging over her head. With this in mind and Ruth reluctantly onboard, Evie had made up her mind - she'd go and hear what Roger had to say. And if all else failed, the two girls could at least enjoy a night out together, something they'd never done before and was long overdue. The band Freddie and Roger were in - Queen - were supposedly pretty good too.

Having finally gotten Ruth's earrings in, Evie plopped herself down on the couch, letting out a soft sigh as her eyes roamed around the room. Ruth lived in a small flat in Hampstead that she shared with two other girls from Ealing College, Nancy and Jane. According to Ruth, she hardly ever saw them, what with Nancy spending most of her time at her boyfriend's and Jane being a member of nearly every student organisation and club you could think of. This meant Ruth had the flat to herself most of the time.

Evie had to admit she was slightly jealous of her friend. Ruth was under an hour's journey away from Ealing, as opposed to almost two hours Evie had to travel from Poplar. As much as she loved living with her dad, the brown-haired girl often wondered what it would be like to live with others her own age, ideally closer to uni. However, after the disaster in Biba the other day, it looked unlikely Evie would ever be able to move out unless she found a job.

'I'm still raging about it.' Evie unintentionally voiced her thoughts out loud as she lit the end of a cigarette.

'At what - being spied on or what happened at Biba?' Ruth asked as she applied blush to her freckled cheeks.

'Both, I guess,' the brown-haired girl shrugged. She took a drag, exhaling softly, 'I really wanted that job, Ruth. I know the chances of me ever getting it were slim but I've been trying for almost a year now and...I dunno, it just feels like the world's against me.'

Ruth stopped what she was doing and gave her friend a sympathetic smile, 'You'll find something eventually, Evie. It took me almost a year and a half before I got my job at Granny Takes a Trip. Don't lose hope just yet,' she reached for the bottle of wine that sat in front of them on the table, filling up Evie's almost empty glass, 'Here, drink up.'

Smiling, Evie lifted her glass, 'Thanks, Ruthie.'

'Anytime, my lovely,' Ruth replied as she tapped her glass against Evie's in cheers, the two girls each taking a sip of wine. Putting her glass down to finish doing her makeup, Ruth looked up at her friend, 'That dress is stunning, by the way.'

Despite the fact Evie was a fashion design student, you would never be able to tell by the way she dressed. Her everyday outfits consisted primarily of simple blouses, jumpers, thigh-length skirts, jeans, trainers or her dearest Mary-Jane pumps, and she rarely wore the garments she made in public. However, Evie decided that tonight she would be adventurous for a change and wear one of her creations; a dark green long-sleeved mini dress. The dress was a product of several sleepless nights sitting at the sewing machine. A zig-zag pattern adorned the fabric with a built-in belt to bring in the waist. However, because she'd made it while sleep deprived, Evie had made a rookie mistake and misjudged the length of her design.

'Really? You don't think it's a bit short?' Evie stood up and looked down at her outfit worryingly, pulling at the hem of the dress which just covered what it needed to, 'One gust of wind and my backside will be on show for everyone to see.'

The red-haired girl chuckled and waved her hand dismissively, 'Ah, you've got tights on - you'll be fine,' she snapped her blush compact shut and stood up, turning around to face away from Evie, 'Be a darling and give me a hand with my zipper, would you?'

Stepping forward, Evie carefully zipped up the gorgeous cobalt blue jumpsuit that Ruth was wearing, the garment hugging her body perfectly it almost looked like a second skin. It would be an understatement to say that Ruth was anything less than breathtakingly beautiful. From her long red locks to her captivating green eyes, she stood out from the crowd and turned heads almost everywhere she went. Ruth was also a couple of inches taller than Evie, which added to her already model-like figure. Evie had to admit she was rather envious of Ruth's beauty and how she managed to pull off everything she wore, even if the redhead didn't realise it herself.

'It looks amazing on you, Ruth.' Evie complimented her friend's jumpsuit with a smile as she stepped back to admire it.

'Bless you, Evie, you're too kind,' Ruth replied, beaming from ear to ear. She grabbed her purse and coat, 'So, you ready to go?'

Evie picked up her jacket that was draped over the back of the couch and let out an anxious sigh, 'As ready as I'll ever be.'

༻༺

The warm, evening spring air gently combed through Evie's hair as she and Ruth approached the Imperial College building on Exhibition Road.

'How're we doing for time?' Ruth asked.

Evie looked down at her wristwatch, 'It's twenty past eight so we've probably missed the first couple of songs but that's alright. It's not like we're avid fans or anything,' her comment earning a stifled laugh from Ruth.

Due to maintenance on the Underground, the girls were running late. Ruth had said the disruption was a sign to head home, but Evie didn't believe in superstition and persuaded her friend to wait with her at the bus station instead. Eventually, though, they arrived and although she couldn't understand why, Evie felt nervous. Perhaps it was simply the fact she had never been to a gig before and she had no knowledge of etiquette at such events. Or perhaps it was because she was worried about seeing Roger again after what he had done. At the end of the day, she didn't know the guy - what if he tried some other stunt tonight? Evie tried to dismiss these thoughts, seeing no reason to get herself worked up before she'd even spoken to him. Besides Ruth was with her, so what was the worst that could happen?

The girls walked up the steps beneath the grand archway of the main building and opened the doors to head inside. Stepping into the large foyer, the two fashion students stood for a second to take in the towering ceilings and 19th-century architecture that surrounded them. Ahead was a large stone staircase, presumably leading to lecture halls, the library and other parts of the campus.

Ruth whistled in admiration, the sound echoing around the room, 'This place makes Ealing look like a dump.'

'Just a bit,' Evie agreed with her friend. She looked to her right, noticing a doorway leading to another part of the building and the sign above it directing towards the student union, 'I think we're going this way.'

The redhead gestured towards the hallway in question, 'Lead the way, my lovey.'

As the two girls headed down the unfamiliar corridors of Imperial College, the sound of loud rock music could be heard as they got closer and closer to the student union. Evie and Ruth followed the noise until they reached a swinging door leading to a set of stairs to a lower floor. A couple of people loitered outside it, chatting with pints of lager and cigarettes in hand. A notice board on the wall with a Queen poster pinned to it and the blaring music which escaped from behind the door when people opened it indicated that the girls had arrived at their destination.

'We going in?' Ruth walked up to Evie, giving her an encouraging smile.

'Yeah, c'mon,' The brown-haired girl nodded, approaching the swinging doors and pushing them open, 'Let's get this over with.'

Descending the stairs into the room below, Evie and Ruth found themselves inside a small live music venue hidden below the grand university building above. The room itself was dimly lit with a small bar tucked away at the side serving drinks to members of the audience. A thick cloud of cigarette smoke hung from the ceiling, casting a grey haze over the heads of the countless people that filled the room. While she had expected it to be loud in here, Evie could never have predicted the level of volume her eardrums were being subjected to - she could barely hear herself think over the crowd and music combined. However, once her ears adjusted, the fast-paced rock and roll grabbed Evie's full attention. Managing to squeeze past a few people for a better view, the brown-haired girl followed the gaze of the audience and looked towards the back of the room. And sure enough, on top of the small wooden stage beneath shining lights, there they were - the two stall owners from Kensington Market, Freddie and Roger, accompanied by their two bandmates.

'I was told a million times of all the people in my way, how I had to keep on trying and get better every day.'

Singing into a microphone atop a half  broken stand, Freddie prowled elegantly across the stage before his captivated audience, effortlessly commanding the attention of every person in the room. Evie stood in awe as the stall owner sang in what she could only describe as the most incredible voice she'd ever heard. It was powerful yet melodic and combined with his confident body language and persona, what showed on that stage was clearly an artist at work. The brown-haired girl was so transfixed by the lead singer that she hadn't noticed he had stopped singing and Roger was now in the spotlight, performing a short but thundering drum solo. Evie watched him intently, the lights shining down on his long blonde hair as he flicked it out of his face, as not to distract him whilst he struck each drum skin with rhythm and precision. If it hadn't have been Roger up there, Evie would have said that he almost looked angelic. Almost.

'I'm off to the bar to get a drink,' Ruth who was now standing next to Evie shouted in her left ear over the music, 'You want one?'

'Sure, just get me anything, I'm not fussed.' Evie replied absent-mindedly as her friend nodded and wandered off the bar, the brown-haired girl too engrossed by the band to worry about drink preference.

A screaming guitar solo from the band's tall curly-haired guitarist followed Roger's drum solo, the electric guitar he was playing unlike any other Evie had seen before. Their bassist, who looked younger than the rest of the band, seemed more reserved. Nevertheless, he clearly knew what he was doing, his fingers moving up and down the fretboard expertly as he gently swayed in time to the rhythm of the song. Evie couldn't help but crack a small smile - the four of them were brilliant, no, astounding. Feeling a nudge against her arm, Ruth - who had returned from the bar - extended a drink to Evie who took it gratefully.

'I hate to say it but they ain't bad, are they?' Ruth admitted, once again having to shout over the music.

'No,' Evie looked at her friend briefly before bringing her attention back to the band, a small smile still adorning her face, 'Not bad at all.'

The band played a couple more songs before bringing their gig to a close. The audience chanted for an encore, not wanting it to come to an end, however, there was another band waiting to come on after them and they had to let them get set up. After packing away their equipment with some help from a couple of friends, the four musicians made their way over to the bar for a well-earned drink, receiving pats on the back and compliments from audience members on the way. As they moved through the crowd, a familiar face caught Freddie's attention.

'Evie!' the singer beamed, approaching the brown-haired girl and her friend, 'You made it!'

'I did,' Evie smiled back, 'I have to say you guys were brilliant. Your voice, Freddie, its mind-blowing.'

'Aw, thank you, my darling!' Freddie replied with the biggest smile on his face. The stall owner looked over his shoulder, 'John, Brian, get your backsides over here! There's someone I'd like you to meet.'

A few seconds later, the band's bassist and lead guitarist emerged out of the crowd. Their guitarist was even taller up close, standing at least a foot taller than Evie who all of a sudden felt very small indeed.

'Boys, I'd like you to meet Evie and her friend...I'm sorry, my darling, I didn't catch your name?'

The red-haired girl crossed her arms, eyeing the three men up and down with a distrustful look in her eye, 'Ruth.'

Ignoring Ruth's cold tone, Brian, their guitarist smiled, 'Well, it's a pleasure to meet you both. Did you enjoy the gig?'

Evie nodded almost too excitedly, 'Absolutely. You were both fantastic, by the way.'

'Thank you very much, it was John here's first gig with us!' Brian patted his bandmate on the shoulder.

'Well, you were flawless, John, really.' Evie told the young bassist earnestly.

He smiled shyly at the compliment, 'Thank you.'

Before the conversation could continue, it was unfortunately interrupted by the arrival of a familiar blonde stall owner. He squeezed his way through the sea of people, almost stumbling into Ruth who gave him a look that could set someone in stone.

'Are you lot wanting a drink or not?' he asked his bandmates impatiently, not having noticed who they were currently talking to. Freddie gave him a warning glance, gesturing to the two girls standing next to him with a subtle nod of his head. Turning his head to see what his friend was on about, his face dropped when his eyes landed on Evie, who was trying to avoid his gaze, 'Oh...hi, Evie.'

'Roger.' the brown-haired girl replied, her cheerful mood having been dampened slightly.

'So this is him, is it?' Ruth asked her friend, as she looked the drummer up and down. Evie simply nodded, 'You're disgusting, you know that?'

The most awkward silence in history ensued, until Freddie nudged Roger's arm roughly, coaxing him to get on with his apologies.

'Listen, Evie, I'm...I am so, so sorry for what I did that day in Kensington Market,' the blonde stall owner started, 'What I did was inappropriate of the highest standard and I'm ashamed of myself, really I am. I know it's unforgivable, and I completely understand if you never forgive me, but I just want you to know that I'm sorry for any hurt I've caused.'

What followed after was a loud scoff from Ruth, 'Is that the best you can do? Do you have any idea what you did to Evie, how embarrassed and humiliated she was?'

'I know, and that's why I had to apologise,' Roger looked at Evie again, who was stood across from him with her arms crossed, not saying a word, 'Evie...I'm sorry.'

Finally lifting her gaze from the wooden floor to meet Roger's remorseful eyes, the brown-haired girl sighed, fed up with this situation hanging over her any longer, 'It's fine, I forgive you.'

The drummer's expression immediately changed, a small smile adorning his face as he replied sincerely, 'Thank you.'

Shrugging, Evie looked to Ruth who was shaking her head, clearly unimpressed with her friend having forgiven the stall owner so easily.

'Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I am gasping for a drink. To the bar, my lovelies!' Freddie proclaimed, earning several mumbles of agreement from his bandmates before leaping off in the direction of the bar, 'That means you too, ladies!'

Smiling at the lead singer's enthusiasm, Evie followed the band to the bar, tailed behind protectively by Ruth. On their way there, Roger walked up alongside her, 'Let me buy you a drink. My way of saying sorry for...everything.'

'You don't have to do that, Roger.' Evie told him, though appreciative of the sentiment.

'No, no, please I insist, it's the least I can do. Anything you want, it's on me.'

Sighing, Evie thought about it for a moment. She might as well take advantage of the drummer's remorse while it was there and let him make amends for his actions, it would save her money on buying drinks. Smiling at Roger for the first time since they met, she replied, "Alright, you twisted my arm.'

-

hey everyone!

hope you're all well and staying safe! sorry again for the very overdue update, i've been so busy lately with uni, work and just general life stuff. hopefully the wait for the next chapter won't be as long as the wait for this one. i hope you enjoyed it nonetheless!

all my love,
anna x