London, April 1971

Evie Bright stood on the platform inside the busy tube station, waiting for her delayed train to arrive. Around her were frustrated looking commuters, their Monday morning made worse by the notoriously unpredictable London Underground. Evie leant against the brick wall behind her, book in one hand and cigarette in the other as she squinted her eyes in light of the dimly lit platform, immersed in the history of Christian Dior's revolutionary 'New Look'. Scanning over the pages, she was in her own little world; and had it not been for the sudden sea of people spilling out onto the platform she almost missed her train when it finally arrived. Quickly putting her book away and extinguishing her cigarette on the ground, Evie held her garment bag under her arm and made her way towards the train. Jumping on board, the small girl managing to squeeze herself into a gap in the overcrowded carriage without drawing attention to herself before the doors slid shut slowly behind her.

As the train sped off into the tunnels under the streets of London, Evie sighed quietly. She didn't care much for the Underground, despite having lived in the city her whole life. There was something about being compacted into a deafening box under the surface of the earth with people you didn't know that had never sat right with her...

'Oi, miss. You ain't got a spare 3 pence for the bus down to Brentford, do you?' a rather rough looking, middle-aged bloke suddenly appeared in front of her.

And it looked like Evie was about to have a reason why.

The dark-haired girl swallowed thickly, her heart already thumping in her chest as she pulled the garment bag in her arms closer to her, 'No, sorry.'

Rolling his eyes, the man grunted before brushing past her and staggering off into the crowd again, probably to ask someone else the same question. Evie exhaled in relief - taking the tube was never a relaxing journey. She'd lost count of how many times she'd been pick-pocketed or harassed since she'd started using it more frequently. But regardless of its downsides, she knew it was the quickest way across London, especially during the morning rush hour when she needed to be at her destination on time.

Minutes later the train came screeching to a halt at the station Evie was disembarking at. As soon as the doors opened, she stepped out onto the platform along with several dozen other commuters and made her way to the escalators which would take her above ground. Standing patiently on the moving staircase, the sound of traffic and people became louder as Evie got nearer to the entrance of the station. Once she was at the top, she checked her wristwatch before walking out onto the sunlit streets again to catch her last bus that would take her to university.

Evie was a third-year Fashion Design student at Ealing Art College. The fashion industry was the only industry she'd ever seen herself with a career in, and this course was another step closer to making her dream of being a successful designer a reality. She'd learnt a lot since she began studying at Ealing, but actually making and repairing clothes was a skill she'd taught herself long before university, starting out as more of a necessity rather than a hobby.

It was safe to say Evie hadn't had the easiest of childhoods. Growing up in south-east London, life was tough to begin with, but it was when Evie's mother walked out on her and her father when she was eleven years old that her family faced their hardest times. With her dad often having to work seven days a week to make ends meet, Evie quickly became 'the woman of the household', teaching herself how to cook, clean and most importantly - sew. Evie and her dad couldn't afford new clothes, so using her mum's old sewing kit, Evie would mend her school uniforms and sew buttons back onto her father's shirts. Although these small tasks seemed like a chore, slowly but surely Evie's love for clothes started to grow, just as London was becoming the epicentre of British fashion and the birthplace of the 'Swinging Sixties' revolution.

She'd heard all about the popular boutiques and the colourful people that visited them, though had never seen them herself. So during the school holidays, Evie would take day trips to Carnaby Street and King's Road to see what everyone was talking about. Sure enough, shops selling vibrant and stylish clothing aimed at the young generation were popping up left, right and centre. Girls wearing Quant miniskirts and go-go boots and men wearing printed blazers and colourful trousers would pass Evie in the street, the confidence and sense of identity which these new clothes gave them unlike anything she'd seen before.

Although affordable to the average middle-class person, Evie could only ogle at clothes in the windows of the stylish boutiques, but this didn't matter. Inspired by what she saw around her, Evie soon began to design her own clothes with the intention of eventually putting those drawings onto fabric. She kept a sketchbook, filled with ideas for both men and women, ranging from skirts, to suit jackets, dresses and trousers, all influenced by the styles of the day. Having heard of her granddaughter's new interest and seeing her ideas, Evie's grandmother urged Evie to hone her skills and turn her sketches into real garments, but to do that she would have to learn how to use a sewing machine.

Donating her old Singer machine to her granddaughter, Evie's gran taught her everything she knew; making sewing patterns, hemming dresses, stitching techniques, you name it. And pretty soon - once she'd gotten the hang of it - Evie was making items of clothing for both herself and her dad on her own. Nothing compared to the pride she felt seeing the smile on her dad's face after making him a new shirt - one which the buttons hadn't fallen off a hundred times before  - and how a small thing made such a massive difference during a time of struggle. By her mid-to-late teens, Evie had mastered the art of sewing and on leaving school applied to Ealing Art College to study Fashion Design, one of the top places to study the subject in London. Evie knew what she wanted to do, to create clothes unique and affordable for everyone, no matter what their background or social class but also leave an impact as well.

Now it was just a matter of getting there.

Despite the delays in the Underground, Evie arrived at college only a few minutes late and managed to slip into the large workroom without so much as a glance from her fellow classmates. Hurrying over to her bench at the back of the room, she dropped her satchel on the floor and lay the garment bag carefully on the desk, whilst the sound of sewing machines and chatting filled the room. Unzipping the protective cover, Evie gently pulled out her latest creation; a black velvet blazer with white flower embroidery. She'd painstakingly sewn the flowers by hand, the process taking hours of patience and yet she still had the back of the blazer to go. Evie had made a pair of trousers to match, though had yet to finish the embroidery on them either.

The designs were a part of her final yearly assessment. She had to create three outfits, one of which she'd already finished - a black evening gown with lace detailing. The theme she'd chosen was 'Black and White' but Evie still had this and another outfit to make, the latter just a drawing in her sketchbook so far. And with the deadline only a month and a half away, she was really starting to feel the pressure. If she got them all done in time it would be a bloody miracle.

Laying the blazer down on the table, Evie took out the sewing kit from her bag and sat at her workbench. The morning sun shone down on her through the huge classroom windows as she began hand stitching away with a needle and thread, her face full of concentration. However she'd only sewn about five stitches before she was approached by one of her classmates.

'That's coming along nicely.' a cheery female voice rang in Evie's ears.

She looked up to see the beaming face of Ruth Davis, a friendly girl from Hounslow and one of the few people her class that she actually spoke to. Evie wasn't the best in social situations. As much as she wished she was more confident, she was naturally shy and found it was easier keeping to herself rather than trying to initiate conversations with others, which was why she never really made much of an attempt to get to know her classmates. Ruth, however, was the complete opposite of Evie and from their very first day of university had made a point of speaking to the quiet girl at the back of the workroom, not wanting her to feel like an outsider. Evie was surprised by her kindness but more than that she was grateful; it was hard for her to make the first move when speaking to people she didn't know. That and it was just nice to have someone to chat to whilst she was in college.

'Well, it's getting there,' Evie replied meekly, putting down her needle and thread, 'I'm a bit behind, though. I've still to finish the trousers for this outfit and I haven't even drawn the patterns for the other one.'

Ruth chuckled and shook her head, 'Evie, you're so far ahead of everybody else, you've got nothing to worry about. I haven't even finished my first outfit, never mind the second,' she gestured to the half-finished jumpsuit on the mannequin next to her bench, 'Some of this lot haven't even looked at a sewing machine yet, they're still designing.'

'Oh,' the dark-haired girl said, a relieved smile appearing on her face, 'Guess I'm not as far behind as I thought.'

'No, you're not,' Ruth assured her, leaning against her bench, 'Besides, you could miss the deadline by weeks and you'd still be top of the class, ain't that right, Teacher's Pet?'

'Oi, I ain't the teacher's pet,' Evie gave the red-haired girl who was now giggling a warning glance, although she knew she was only poking fun at her. She looked around the room quizzically, 'Where is Irene anyway?'

'Nursing a hangover probably,' Ruth told her honestly, 'Viv saw her last night with some friends at a bar in Covent Garden. Apparently she was steaming. Can you imagine Irene drunk? I would've given my right arm to have seen that!' she laughed.

Their tutor Irene was a respectable woman in her late forties. Reserved and dignified, the last place Evie would have imagined Irene spending her weekend would be a bar in Covent Garden. Even Evie couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.

'Anyways,' Ruth waved her hand dismissively, 'What are you doing later?'

Surprised by her question, Evie paused for a moment to think before shrugging, 'Uh, nothing really. I was just gonna head home. Why?'

'Well, I was planning on popping over to Kensington to get more fabric for my outfits. I'm running out and there's some brilliant fabric shops on the high street I wanna have a look around,' She was right, Kensington High Street was a fashion students' eutopia, 'I just wondered if you fancied coming along? I could use the second opinion.'

Evie looked down at her unfinished blazer. She really should go home and get her second outfit done and out the way, but she'd already stayed up late the night before working on it and to be honest, she was sick of the sight of it. And after hearing what stage everyone else in the class was at, she could afford to take the rest of the day off.

Looking up at the red-haired girl, Evie smiled and picked up her needle and thread again, 'As long as we have lunch before we go. I ain't going nowhere on an empty stomach.'

Ruth just chuckled in amusement, having become all too familiar with Evie's never-ceasing hunger, 'I'm sure we can fit that in.'

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Once they'd finished their classes for the day, made a quick stop at the college's canteen to fill Evie's stomach and had a quick smoke, the two girls walked to the tube station and jumped on a train that would take them into town. After a short bus journey, Evie and Ruth arrived at Kensington High Street and despite being a Monday afternoon, as always the place was swarming with people. The smell of exhaust fumes was strong and the sound of traffic was clamorous as queues of lorries and cars rolled along one of the busiest roads in London, blaring their horns at one another in pointless frustration. The girls had to weave their way through the crowds of people walking along the pavements, making sure not to bump into people who suddenly stopped to look in a shop window or those who were walking in the other direction. It was chaotic to say the least, but Evie wasn't bothered. She was used to it; it was just part-and-parcel of living in the capital.

Managing to escape the crowd in one piece, Evie and Ruth took refuge inside the first fabric shop they came across called Silver Linings. It was a fairly big store, with shelves upon shelves of every type fabric you could think of. Evie casually strolled around the room looking at what they had whilst Ruth tried to pull out massive rolls of viscose rayon off a shelf, almost unravelling them all in the process.

Evie quickly intervened before things got out of hand, 'Careful, you'll get us kicked out.'

'Hardly,' Ruth rolled her eyes jokingly, 'I'm trying to reach that roll here but it's underneath all of these.'

'Well, I'll lift these up whilst you pull that one out.' Evie suggested, which was exactly what they did.

With a little teamwork, the roll of rayon that Ruth was after was now in her arms, sporting a gaudy, peacock feather pattern.

Having noticed the face the dark-haired girl was pulling, Ruth asked her, 'What, don't you like it? I was thinking maybe a blouse, or a kaftan or something like that.'

Giving her a baffled smile, Evie just shook her head and replied, 'You really do have a 'unique' sense of colour, don't you Ruth?'

'Hey!' the red-haired girl gave Evie a light shove, making her laugh, 'Cheeky mare.'

'You said you wanted a second opinion.' Evie noted between giggles.

Ruth couldn't help but smile as she looked down at the fabric, 'Y'know what?' she said, 'It does look a bit shit.'

With the decision on the peacock feather rayon made, the two girls left Silver Linings empty handed and continued their search, whilst getting slightly sidetracked and having a nose around the odd boutique on the way. They'd visited all of the shops on the high street that sold fabric; Evie suggested they just go back to one of the shops they'd been to before. But Ruth was certain there were more inside Kensington Market, a several-storey indoor market just a short walk from where they were. As she too was a penniless student, Ruth wanted to see if there were stalls selling fabric for less than the shops on the high street so, after some persuasion, her and Evie started making their way there to hopefully find what Ruth was searching for.

As soon as you walked through the doors of Kensington Market, you felt like you'd entered another world. A mecca for artists, musicians and fashion lovers, the stalls here catered largely to bohemian culture and was undoubtedly one of the hippest places in London. There were stalls for everything you could think of; books, shoes, paintings, records; there was even a clockmaker. But its biggest draw was its eccentric clothes stalls selling some of the most unusual and eye-catching garments around - you never knew what you might walk out with.

The girls walked along the ground floor corridor of the market, looking around for these supposed fabric stalls. Ruth strode ahead on a mission to find them, whilst Evie ambled behind, getting distracted by almost everything she saw. Most of the stalls were inside quaint little shops, their windows displaying some of their wares. Two items that really caught Evie's attention were a pair of ornate owls made out of porcelain. They were beautifully painted in an array of colours, the attention to detail truly breathtaking.

'Ruth, you've got to see these. They're so sweet,' Evie smiled fondly at the ornaments. She didn't receive a reply, 'Ruth?'

Looking up at the sea of shoppers, the red-haired girl was nowhere to be seen. Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Evie carried on walking along the corridor, taking a quick look inside each of the stalls she passed in hope of finding Ruth. Having checked everywhere on the ground floor, it occurred to Evie that she could be upstairs so headed towards the stairs to the second floor in hope of locating her friend.

Once she made it upstairs, Evie walked along the long corridor, 'Ruth?'

No reply. Stopping in her tracks, Evie cursed under her breath. This was probably one of the worst places you could lose someone - a busy shopping spot with countless shops inside a maze of corridors. Ruth was most likely wandering around wondering where she was too. Sighing, Evie reckoned the best plan would be to stay in one place in hope that Ruth would show up. Looking around her as she waited, she noticed what looked like another clothes stall opposite her. A chalkboard sign sat outside it with the words 'Vintage Clothes Inside' and a giant arrow pointing towards the door scrawled below it. Intrigued, Evie made her way towards the stall and although she knew she should stay outside where Ruth could see her if she appeared, decided to have a quick nose around.

A small bell rang above the door as Evie entered the shop. It was small, comprising of just the main shop and a storage room in the back. Almost every inch of the floor was filled with racks and tables overflowing with clothes, which made it look all the more chaotic. There were posters of Jimi Hendrix on the wall, a stack of paintings with price tags on them and a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It was an unusual place, but what was most peculiar about it was that Evie seemed to be alone, making her wonder if she should even be in here in the first place.

'Hello?' she called out shyly, hoping someone would answer.

Silence.

Confused, she turned to look at the door. There was no sign to say whether or not the stall was open, perhaps whoever it belonged to were in the storage room and just didn't hear her come in? No matter, Evie wasn't doing anything wrong so she decided to stay and browse around what they were selling. Sure enough, most of the clothes on the racks were vintage, mainly 1920s, 30s and 40s but there were some older Edwardian pieces in there as well. There was some nice stuff and most of it was in pretty good condition, however the prices on some of them were laughable.

Evie picked up and unfolded a sleeveless blouse, the hem was fraying and moths had definitely had a go at it. She turned over the price tag - £5. Evie scoffed in bewilderment. Whoever ran this stall seemed to think they could get away with charging second-hand clothes as the price of new ones. That or they didn't know the first thing about retail.

Evie shook her head and folded the blouse up, putting it back where it was, before noticing some dresses on the rack in front of her and going to investigate. However, just as she picked one off the rail, she heard the bell above the door chime and voices chatting, making her turn around and meet the gaze of two lads who'd stopped in their tracks and were now staring at her in confusion...

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hey guys, long time no see!

i hope you're all doing wonderfully. so as you can see, this is the first chapter of my new book! this first chapter has been a long time coming, i've been working on it since not long after i finished roommates so that's almost five months ago. i went through a period of pretty bad writers block and only in the last few days have i actually made any progress so sorry for my inactivity. i really missed writing and you guys so i'm glad to be back :)

i know you're probably miffed that the queen bois haven't appeared yet after reading such a long chapter but as you've just read two of them will definitely be appearing in the next part (i wonder who lmao). nevertheless i hope you liked this first chapter, i've decided to try my hand at writing in third person for this book which was probably another reason why i found this difficult to write but i'll get used to it haha.

this story, although a roger fic, will be a centred around the band a bit more this time as i live for fics where there's banter between the boys so i hope i'll be able to capture that in this book and that you guys will enjoy it as well! oh also this story is a slow burn (apologies) so just be prepared for that if you continue reading. anyway, please let me know what you think of this bc i'm really interested to hear your feedback (i promise the story will get more interesting as it progresses i hope i didn't bore you to death lol).

thank you sm!
anna x