"Fuck," Niall muttered, yanking his headphones off his face and throwing them to the floor. "Sorry about that."

"'S'alright, mate," I muttered and glance up at Jimmy. "From the top?" I asked

"Hey guys?' August's voice clicked on over the PA. "It's getting round time to break for dinner any way."

"Did you order in?" Ewan asked her.

She shook her head and clicked the mic again. "I thought since we'd be doing overdubs late into the night, we could all use a change of scenery for a few hours."

I sat back on my stool. "I could kiss you," I told her.

She wrinkled her nose and then looked down at her watch. "Clean up and we'll meet outside in ten? I've got a phone call to make real quick."

"Freedom!" Ewan crowed, a la Mel Gibson in Braveheart.

"You're an embarrassment to proud heritage of the Scots," Niall informed him.

Ewan launched himself at Niall, dragging him down in a headlock. It had been a long day and we all had a bunch of steam we needed to blow off. August was a genius for arranging a real dinner break.

"Where're we going?" Hudson wondered.

"As long as there's a lager on tap I don't give a fuck," I sighed rapturously. "That pub we ended up in the other night, that was acceptable." In my mind's eye, I could picture sliding into a booth next to August. She was wearing this skirt and boot combo today that left a tantalizing strip of flesh exposed on her thighs, that I longed to 'accidentally' brush my hand along.

"Has it been ten minutes yet?" I wanted to know.

"Steady, mate," Ewan muttered.

I jumped up from my stool. "You know how she gets about being on-time," I declared. "I just don't want her upset, you know? Hell hath no fury like August Waverly when you fuck with her timetables."

My desperation was naked and pathetic enough that Ewan had to look away from me, embarrassed. "Sure, mate," he drawled. "Let me just finish with my kit." He bent to set his guitar up on the racks and then looked behind him. "Oy, lad, if you don't stop hovering over me like that, I'm going to knock your head off."

"You're slower than my Gran after her hip replacement," I complained, but backed off.

There was a faint dinging sound in the air. "It's been exactly ten minutes, now," Hudson called. He grinned and waved his phone. "I set my timer when August told us to meet her. I wanted to see if you could last the full ten minutes."

I blinked at him as Ewan and Niall fell out laughing. "Hey fuck you," I chided Hudson. "I thought you were the nice one."

"I thought I was being pretty nice," he laughed with a gleam in his eye that was anything but. "Planned on telling you if you went running out there early and making a fool of yourself."

I shook my head in amazement. "Looks like it's time for your first official beating." He laughed and then grunted as I tackled him around the waist. He was stronger than he looked, but I fought dirtier, using an illegal rugby hold to bring him down to his knees.

"Okay! Ow, I give, I give!" Hudson laughed. I stepped back and helped him up.

"You know?" Niall remarked. "I know we've been playing and recording together for a couple months now, but getting tackled by Jules? I think that marks your official initiation into the band." He walked up and slapped Hudson on the back as Hudson massaged his kidney. "Congratulations, you're a complete idiot."

"Hear hear!" Ewan crowed. "I'll drink to that! Let's get to the pub, mates. I'm bloody parched." He eyed me and suddenly bolted for the door, blocking my path.

"You bloody..." I ran after him, laughing, yanking him back by the shirt collar. We tumbled out of the studio into the waning sunset and the rush of cool air made me feel even more alive. I was making music with my best mates and I was about to sit next to the prettiest, smartest, best-smelling girl in the world and work like hell to make her like me. Maybe even make her smile.

Best night of my life, I was convinced of it.

Until I saw Ewan slow down to a confused halt. "Fuck," I heard him say.

I was still too high to understand what I was seeing. Somehow, another person had materialized, someone standing way too near to August. They both turned as the four of us skidded to halt to see them.

Eric raised his hand. "Hey guys!" he called out.

August stepped away from him and shoved her hands in her pockets. Her smile was all different kinds of wrong, bright, brilliant and false. Her eyes fell on me, and then sort of slid guiltily past as she turned to the rest of the band. "Eric did something so nice for us!" she said, a note of agitation in her voice. "He's arranged it with the pub owner that you guys can have complete control of the juke box tonight, isn't that sweet?" She glanced at him and then back at us. "He saw how much you enjoyed it the night we were there last...."

She trailed off and her smile faltered a second before she pinned it back on.

What the hell was she doing?

Hudson was the first one to recover his powers of speech. "Hey, that's great man," he said, noncommittally.

"Anything for my favorite guests," he said, cheerfully slinging his arm over August's shoulder.

"Oy," I muttered. I thought I kept my voice low enough, but August shot me a pleading look.

"So since Eric came by," she went on. "I was going to grab a ride with him, okay? Is one of you able to drive?" She looked embarrassed and sort of shrugged away from under Eric's arm. "Or Eric, you could maybe come in the van with us? Is there enough room?"

"Definitely," I growled. "Because I'm fucking walking."

August's jaw fell open as I turned abruptly on my heel.

As I strode away, I counted my steps. Ten, eleven... twenty... twenty-five.

When I hit thirty, I heard her shout something behind me, and slap of her shoes on the ground. I was too pissed to smile, but I slowed up just a little to let her catch up with me.

"Where the fuck are you going?" she shouted, grabbing me by the arm and whipping me around.

I locked eyes with her deliberately before I spoke. "I'm going somewhere far away from this bullshit."

She planted her feet. She knew. She fucking knew. But we were still playing this game. "What bullshit?" she sneered.

"Cut the shit for once August." I was right up in her face, and she looked shaken but I knew she'd never back down. It's why I was crazy for her in the first place. "We've been playing this game too long and I'm done with it. I'm out."

"Get back to the van, we don't have time for this. This is just a short break and then you have to come back any way. You're looping today," she said, her voice low and smooth. Like I hadn't rattled her at all. Like I wasn't under her skin in the slightest. "You have a job to do."

I moved in closer. "So do you."

Her eyes blazed and I knew I'd hit her where she lived. "I always do my job," she insisted.

"You're not doing it right now," I told her, gesturing to the door. "You're leaving on a date with that tosser."

That proud chin lift again. "I'm single. I'm allowed to date."

"You want to date that loser?"

Her expression wavered. "He's nice."

I stepped closer. "He's not me."

She lifted her eyes to mine. We were so close I could see the flecks of yellow around her pupil. "Yeah," she said deliberately. "Like I said. He's nice."

So much build-up and in the end I just fucking did it.

I kissed her.

I meant for it to be small. A glancing blow across her lips to startle her, nothing more than that. But the instant my lips touched hers, she opened her mouth and the sound that escaped was a groan and a scream and a sob all wrapped together and it was the sexiest fucking thing I'd ever heard in my life. In an instant my tongue was sliding against hers, searching her hot mouth for an answer to the question I hadn't had words to ask until now. I want you. Do you want me?

And the answer I heard in her groan, that I felt in her parted lips and sharp, gasping inhale was Yes.

But the second I pulled back to ask her for real, she sort of staggered backwards, looking stunned. "I can't believe you did that," she gasped.

"You did it too, love," I reminded her.

She darted a look behind her. "No I," she trailed off. "I'm going," she said, turning in a clumsy one-eighty and then freezing in place..

I could still taste her. Her scent was still in my lungs and I didn't dare exhale. "You go," I murmured. "You walk away right now."

"I am."

"Do it then. Make me believe you don't want me."

She stepped to the side. Then straightened, lifting her legs like they were made of lead. Slowly, almost drunkenly, she started making her careful way back to the van. "August!" I called.

She stopped and half-turned.

"It's not working," I called after her. "I don't believe you at all."