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“I know you’ll be ok, old friend,” said Will, warmly.
“You look after yourself, Will.” Quint stood up, gathering his things, then made his way to the door before turning back. “Oh, and Will?”
“Yes, my friend?”
“Send me that playlist from the Lurpak guys. I could do with a good workout mix.” Will smiled, and Quint gratefully let the door shut as he left.
ChapterNine
The excitement had been building all week, and the anticipation of fulfilling a lifelong dream was almost too much for Leo. From as far back as he could remember, he’d been a Wrap’d fanboy. Finally, the chance in a lifetime had arrived for him to become a part of the Wrap’d family.
Lying in bed the night before, he kept himself awake, visualising the delectable possibilities of how his life could drastically change for the better. The inspiring people he could meet, the wonderful places he could visit and, most importantly to him, the great music he’d have the opportunity to produce and gift to the world.
Leo bumped into Kai in the middle of the night on his way to the toilet, pogoing excitedly in the hallway as he passed and counted down the hours until they would be on that train. Kai half returned his smile, but he looked pale in the moonlight, looking like he needed to get back into bed and hated how Leo couldn’t find his.
“Get some bloody sleep. You’re like a teenager on a first date.”
Leo waved him off and grinned. “You got any idea how old you sound at times? Anyone would think you’re ninety, not thirty.”
Kai clipped Leo’s head playfully. Leo left Kai to find his way blindly back to bed, but hadn’t been able to sleep. This was it. He was about to sign a recording deal that could change the course of his life, and he was taking his best friend with him on the journey. At first it was only Leo’s dream to have an illustrious music career, but completely by accident, Kai had stowed away for the ride, playing the nonchalant role of the guy who answers Leo’s questions, auto-tuned to a catchy break, skilfully garnishing each tune that Leo concocted.
Morning slowly made an appearance, and Leo was organised for once, having packed his bag the night before. He spent the morning triple-checking the train timetable, monitoring the live travel alerts and making sure they’d definitely bought their tickets for the right day.
“This is it, then,” he said, turning to Kai.
Sat on the sofa, Kai laughed nervously, still looking pale, maybe as nervous as Leo felt. He offered a toast Leo’s way with a solid clink before downing the last of his espresso.
“Uber’s here in four.” Leo checked his phone and grabbed his rucksack from next to Kai off the sofa. He was glued to the line on the Uber app, showing him where his ride was. “Why’s he turning round? No! You’ll get stuck in traffic, you idiot.”
“He’ll be fine. It says four minutes, so he’ll be four minutes. We’ll be grand. Besides, we’ve left this much time on purpose, exactly for situations like this.”
Leo sat biting his nails, catching Kai chuckling slyly at him on his way back out to the kitchen to dump his mug in the sink.
“Two minutes now,” shouted Leo from the lounge.
“See? Fine,” replied Kai.
Leo rallied his wheelie case and rucksack, urgently signalling to Kai to do the same. After checking there was enough food to last Ariella until Margaret next door would be round in the evening to feed her again, they headed for the front door.
Leo ushered Kai out and shook his keys to locate the Chubb key to double lock the flat, then he lit a cigarette outside while they waited for the Uber driver, checking his watch and comparing it to the timing on the Uber app every few seconds.
“Give us a drag on that,” said Kai.
“You don’t smoke.” Leo instinctively cupped it away from him, like some kind of subconscious protection from its danger.
“I know, but you’re making methatnervous,” said Kai. “What’s the reg on the car?”
Leo checked his phone screen, squinting. “Erm… EF22.” He looked up and spied the registration plate at the same time, relief washing over Leo. He bent down to talk to the driver. “For Leo?”
“Yes, boss.” The driver stepped out of the vehicle to help them with their bags.
“It’s okay,” said Leo, almost blocking him from exiting his car, making sure they didn’t lose any time.
The drive was a mix of nervous laughter and animated discussion with the driver about their journey down south. The driver didn’t seem to have heard about Wrap’d records, but out of politeness or just trying to show he knew better, he made out he recognised the names of the artists Leo was naming, yet tripping up over the ones Kai slipped in that had no tie to Wrap’d at all. Leo rolled his eyes at Kai, careful to be out of the view of the driver’s mirror.
As the car eventually pulled into the drop-off zone of the train station, Leo noticed that Kai’s excitement seemed to have been tinged somewhat. His face was paler, with his movements noticeably sluggish as they approached the ticket machine to pick up their pre-paid tickets.
“Hey, are you ok?” asked Leo.
