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She more than liked it too, but for some reason she’s lost the ability to speak.
‘Chloe?’
‘What?’
‘Do you like salad with your bolognese.’
She laughs and digs him gently in the ribs. ‘No, thank you.’
‘Thank fuck. I haven’t got any.’ He kisses her on the neck then climbs off, holding out his hand to help her. ‘C’mon. Our table should be about ready.’
∞
Their table turns out to be the couch with their plates balancing on their knees, but Chloe has no complaints. Never in a million years did she think she’d be so relaxed here, but she is. How can he turn her on so much yet make her feel so comfortable at the same time? He’s so chilled out it’s difficult not to be the same.
His house cost more than she could ever make no matter how hard she worked, but inside it was homely. You could tell it was expensive, but he didn’t have any frills or unnecessary gadgets in every corner. There was no airs or graces, just like with Tate himself.
‘You were right.’
He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and frowns. ‘About what?’
‘That was a killer bolognese.’
Tate laughs and reaches over to take her plate. ‘I wouldn’t get too excited. It’s the only thing I can cook. Well, apart from a bacon butty. We take it in turns to cook when we’re touring. That’s my contribution.’
‘You don’t eat out all the time?’
He slips the dishes into the dishwasher and grabs another bottle of water. ‘At first sure, but eating out all the time gets old real fast. We usually do self-catering when we’re away. Gives us more privacy.’
‘I thought you’d be living it up in posh hotels. That’s killed that image for me.’
He refills her glass and sits beside her, a little closer than he was before. He drapes his arm across the back of the couch, but unfortunately doesn’t actually touch her. ‘Sorry about that. I’m sure others do it that way, but we’ve never been much into that side of things. The crew stay in a hotel but we prefer to rent a house together.’
‘But what about all your adoring fans waiting for you in the lobby?’
‘We do meet and greets with them, but no ambushes in hotel lobbies. Our bus will be at the hotel, but we’ll be squirrelled away somewhere else eating, sleeping, and practising. It’s not as glamorous as people think.’
‘But you enjoy it.’
His face lights up and she can’t help but be jealous. It must be amazing to love your job so much. ‘Every second. This is going to sound big-headed, but when you’re on stage and there’s a crowd of strangers in front of you singing a song you wrote... I can’t describe it. Each and every one of those people have paid their hard earned money to come and see us. It makes all the hard work, all the knock backs worth it.’ He turns to face her and tucks one leg under the other. ‘When I perform, that’s all that exists. Jesus, that sounds crap.’
‘It’s just you, the band and your fans.’
He nods. ‘Yes. That sounded a hell of a lot less corny. Have you been to a concert or live performance?’
‘Of course.’
‘You know what it’s like when you’re in that moment, watching, dancing, and singing along. It doesn’t matter what else is going on in your life. During that hour or two or whatever, there’s nothing else.’
She knows exactly what he’s talking about. ‘Is it like that for you every time you perform?’
‘Every single time. It doesn’t matter if I’ve sung the same songs three or four times a week for months, that feeling is new every time I get on stage.’
‘You’re lucky to have that.’
‘I know. What about you? Have you ever thought about doing something more with your art?’
Chloe laughs and shakes her head. ‘Eh no. That’s purely a hobby for me. It’s never going to pay the bills. Besides, I’m really looking forward to teaching. And I will get to do art with them, although it may be more crafting than art, but I can’t wait either way. It’s about time I finally settled into a job that may actually have a future.’
