The City of Angels.

I arrived at the recording studio just after 8pm. There were a lot of kids around the ages of 17 or 18 stood around outside the studio. They all looked hopefully at me as I walked in averting their burning gazes. I found Tadhg and he led me to the studio we were recording in.

"Thanks again for doing this!" Tadhg said as he motioned for me to go in through a heavy wooden door.
"Why was I being x-rayed by those kids outside?" I asked Tadhg, not able to focus on anything else.
"Oh there's a band recording here for the next few weeks. They're quite a big deal I guess!" Tadhg said and I didn't ask anymore questions on the issue.
"So what am I singing?" I asked Tadhg, getting more and more excited about returning to the world of recording. It had been about 6 months since I was last in a vocal booth and I hadn't realised how much I had missed it until right now.
"Anything you feel particularly comfortable doing really! Just not something I have to put too much reverb on please? We all remember the 7 hour Florence and the Machine cover stint last Christmas!" Tadhg said as we both laughed at the memory.
"I wouldn't mind giving 'Daydreaming' by Paramore a whack. I've been listening to it a lot lately!" I said with excitement.
"Alright friendship, you got it! Let me just go tell the band and see what kind of magic we can make!" Tadhg said, about to run off.
"There's a band?" I asked with my eyebrow raised.
"Fiona, why would I record you over a backing track? If that were the case I wouldn't need you here at all. I could put any monkey in there and auto-tune them!" Tadhg answered, looking at me as if I had come from another planet.
"Okay engi-nazi!" I said back to him as he ushered me to his office to get warmed up.

After spending some time warming up Tadhg led me to a huge studio. It was occupied by a sound desk that looked like it cost more than all my friends college fees put together, a few sofas, a computer and an enormous open window looking out to where the band were gathered, probably discussing the song they were about to play. Tadhg called to them and once introductions were made the band went back to their booth as I jumped into the vocal booth to begin practicing with the band before we actually recorded the song.

We had sang through the song a few times. During our first attempt I had barely made it to the end as I became emotional. Classic girly hormones. After another few attempts we settled on an arrangement everyone was happy with and Tadhg gave us the go ahead to start recording.

We played through the song just twice when I saw a large man barging through the door, red faced and shouting at the top of his lungs at Tadhg. Due to the booth being sound proof I couldn't hear a thing but it looked pretty heated so I innocently walked outside to see what was happening.

"I know, I know but you wouldn't give me a chance and I wanted to show you that I'm good at what I do and that you'd benefit by having me as an engineer in your studio. I'm sick and tired of coffee runs and untangling wires. You don't even let me set up the mics or drums before recording. And I'm better than all of this. If you don't work me now, you'll regret it." Tadhg finished at a super speed while everyone looked at him.
"Do you think you're the first and only 24 year old engineer in LA that has been treated like this in a studio? I did coffee runs until I was 29 and if you want to work here you'll do the same until I say so!" The big man spat back at Tadhg. "Were you in on this too?" The guy shouted towards me.
"Uh-I-Wha-..." Good job on the words, Fiona.
"No. Even the band didn't know what I was doing." Tadhg said with his head hung low. "I just wanted a chance." He added.

I noticed some movement from where I was stood looking in through the window earlier. There were 5 guys looking confused and just as uncomfortable as the rest of us felt. 2 of them were heavily tattooed. 1 of which I hadn't stopped looking at since I turned my head. Thanks to, who I assume to be his band mates, waving their hands in front of his face and nudging him in the side, I realised he hadn't looked away from me either. We were locked. I was sure I recognised him but I could be sure how.

Once I broke myself away from the eyes of my familiar stranger I looked to Tadhg to shed some light on what was going on.

"Steve told me he was taking the band out to dinner and to switch around some wires for when they were to get back. He said they'd be two hours so I figured I could get you all in and out before then with a solid recording of one song!" He finished, looking ashamed.

I wasn't angry. I knew how much this meant to him. If only the same could be said for the producer now purple in the face as he looked at Tadhg.

"Uh Steve, can we have a quick word?" One of the guys from the band called over the in-studio microphone.
"Don't move!" He said to Tadhg before walking away.

Tadhg lifted his head to me to gauge my reaction. I stifled a giggle.

"I'm not mad Tadhg. I'm actually a little impressed to tell you the truth. I don't think I've ever seen you so driven!" I said as his face returned to its natural shade.
"Thanks Fi!" He said with a small smile.

Steve the terrifying producer returned to our side with a bashful look on his face.

"The band outside want you as their co-producer." He said quickly and quietly and then walked away visibly disgusted.

Tadhg and I looked at each other then at the band, then at each other again and we burst into laughter. As I saw the band leaving the front of the studio, the heavily tattooed familiar man watched me with every step he took almost as if he was trying to speak to me with his eyes. I didn't dare break the stare. Who was he? Where did I know him from? And why couldn't I take my eyes off of him?

Notes

Hiya boysss :)
What do you think? X