Chapter 4: A Familiar Face
I strode up to the revolving door right outside the studio. I took another deep breath and went in. It was not exactly how I pictured it, but close. It was very stylish, in fact it looked more like a modern spa than a recording studio. The walls were white with a blue tint and the floor was made of dark, polished wood. There was a zen fountain in the center and right in front of it was the receptionist who seemed to be in her early twenties. On either side of her there was a shrub, trimmed in the shape of a cone. Other than that, there wasn't much besides a couple of white, leather couches, placed symmetrically in the room. I walked up to the secretary who hadn't seemed to notice me come in.
"Okay, I'll send your call through to her, please hold." She was busily typing away at her computer.
I cleared my throat to get her attention, and apparently it worked. She looked up. I put a smile on my face and introduced myself.
"Hi, I'm Jude Harrison. It's my first day recording here."
I held out my hand to her. She looked at it and then just ignored it.
"Jude!" an enthusiastic voice called. It wasn't coming from the receptionist.
I turned to my right to see Nicolette elegantly making her way towards me.
"You're right on time, thank you. I see you've met our secretary, Gwen."
I nodded and took a quick glance at the girl who's name I'd just learnt. She didn't seem to acknowledge me and just kept her eyes on her computer.
"Come Jude, I want you to meet the rest of the staff. Especially your producer."
My producer, crap. I wasn't sure if I wanted to. What Tommy and I had was different from what other artists had. I didn't know if the songs I was going to write would be just as good as all the others.
"Sure, let's go," I replied.
Nicolette led me down a hallway and stopped at a door made out of the same type of wood as the floor. There was a nameplate on it that read "Jude Harrison." She opened the door and I walked in.
There was the studio that I've always dreamed of. It was spacious, trendy (but in a rock kind of way,) and just overall flawless.
"Wow. I-It's...perfect," I exclaimed.
"I'm glad you like it. Take a seat, he'll be here soon."
"Who?"
"Your producer, Jude. Don't forget about him. He's a big part of your career."
"Oh, okay."
I collapsed onto a bean bag and sighed.
"Can I get you some coffee?"
"Oh, no thank you."
"I'll check on you later then."
Nicolette left the room, leaving me to face this alone. What if he was a molestor or an assassin? Ugh, Jude, stop being melodramatic. Just then, there was a knock on my door.
I hesitated, but then managed to say, "Come in."
Finally, the moment I've been dreading.
He came in.
Emotions flooded my brain.
More than anything, I was surprised.
It wasn't a blood-thirsty killer who entered my room, it was a familiar face.
"Welcome to London, Jude!"
I felt a grin spread across my face as I rose to my feet.
It was Chaz Blackburn.
Who would have thought that he would be my producer?
(A/N: If you don't remember Chaz, watch the episode "All Apologies." He was Tommy's old boy band "friend" I guess you could say.)
In fact, it was really ironic.
Another Ex-Boyz Attack Member as my producer?
"Chaz?" I choked out.
"Yup, that's right Jude. Here I am."
"That's...unexpected?"
"Ha, yeah. When I found out that you were coming here to record, I convinced Nicky to let me be your producer. We have a lot to catch up on."
"Definitely. Where should we start?"
"Let's start by celebrating!"
I hadn't noticed it before, but his hands were behind his back. When he brought them into sight, they were holding a bottle of champagne and two glasses.
"Haha, that's great Chaz, but I'm not old enough to drink."
"Jude, it's London, who cares?"
"True, True."
He poured the champagne and gave me a glass.
"To London!"
"To London."
We clinked glasses and took a sip.
"So, I guess I should start by saying that your hair looks beautiful when it's blond. How's your family?," he questioned.
"Well, since the last time we talked, I guess you could say that they're not in one piece."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, it's fine. That happened a while ago. How's the solo thing working out for you?"
"Eh. I decided to cut the solo act and just focus on other people's music."
"That's great. Taking time out of your life to help others."
"Yeah, it's enjoyable. So, how's Tommy?"
I froze. Ugh, I was so stupid. Of course he would ask me, but I wasn't prepared. I finally managed to say.
"I don't know. Things didn't work out so well between us."
"I don't mean to be invasive, but may I ask what happened?"
"Well... our relationship's been going on and off for a while now... After I told him about my record deal here, he... p-proposed to me."
Chaz looked confused as he listened to me.
"At first, I said yes, but at the last minute, I changed my mind and b-broke his h--"
That was it. I couldn't handle it. This was the first time I'd talked about my break-up with Tommy with anyone else. It was too much for me to deal with and so I broke down in tears and sobs. I tried to force them back in, but it didn't work. It made it worse. Usually I didn't cry like this, but I couldn't help it.
The rest of the world just seemed so irrelevant, but when the next thing happened, I almost didn't anticipate it.
A/N: This chapter wasn't that long, but I think it said a lot. I hope you're excited about what happens next.
