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“I think I do now, yeah,” said Quint, casting his mind back to his and Leo’s time in theMediunn.
“Anyway, the point is that we’ve got a place to start. His date of birth is the same as my mate Agatha’s. I’ve done a search for you, and I’ve got a document I can forward over to you with all the info. You can pass it on to Cody. Job’s a good ’un, eh?”
He raised his mug.
“Wow, you really came through for me, thanks so much, Harry. Without you, I… well, you know what I’m trying to say.”
Harry grabbed him by the shoulders. “The best things are always left unsaid, brother. Now do me a lemon, son. Pour me another drink.”
ChapterTwenty-Four
Leo stood impatiently in the aisle of the train as it arrived at King’s Cross station, waiting for the passengers in front of them to sift through their luggage so that they could grab their cases and be on their way. Kai shuffled behind him almost like he was in no rush to go anywhere.
They were in town for a studio session and were already running late due to whatever excuse the train company had concocted, much to Leo’s annoyance.
Kai was particularly… off, probably a mixture of it being the first time he’d been to London and the first time meeting this so-called Wrap’d family. He was dressed to make an impression, but it had been a fight to get him here. It softened any of Leo’s reactions because maybe it was now his turn to look after the ‘new kid’ on his first day of school. Kai hadn’t mentioned anything else about Quint, so out of respect, Leo hadn’t either, always keeping their calls private when Quint had called.
Sweat trickled down Leo’s forehead as he led the race for the underground. Panic took over, causing them to somehow take the wrong line, which put an extra fifteen minutes on their already stressful journey.
Leo blamed Kai for his travel advice and vice-versa, then they sat with their arms folded defensively for the final leg of the journey as the District Line carried them slowly to Fulham Broadway.
When they exited the station, Leo grunted that he knew where they were going in an almost Neanderthal manner, revealing each new direction with a curt nod of his head.
As the Wrap’d building came into view, Kai brought Leo to an abrupt halt.
“Okay, look. I’m sorry for being a dick with no sense of direction. I’m not pissed off with you.”
Leo finally cracked a smile too. “Sorry for being a dick with no sense of direction as well. And yeah. I’ve noticed you’re pissed off in general.”
Kai sighed. “Not with you… just myself. C’mon. C’mere.” He held out his arms and they bro-hugged, then turned to look towards the building that was going to provide a home to their music for the next few weeks. They both smiled, and their silence acknowledged that they had arrived at a truly magical milestone of their lives.
When they approached the door, Leo gestured for Kai to ring the bell for reception. He accepted the responsibility with grace, and Leo smiled as he heard him say the words “Kai and Leo from Konshus to see Kris Proud.” It made him want to pinch himself.
The excitement was bubbling as Leo recognised a familiar face on reception. “Hey, Daisy.”
“Leo! Good to see you. And this must be Kai?” She stood and shook Kai’s hand. “It’ssogood to meet you. You’re actually my boyfriend’s favourite. Sorry, Leo.” Daisy blushed Leo’s way.
“Oh, I’m used to it.” Leo had always thought Kai was the better looking. “I got tweeted by a fan only this morning telling me the same thing.”
“You never told me.” Kai smirked his way. “I might have needed the confidence boost.”
“Exactly. I wanted your head to be able to fit through the door here.”
Daisy laughed and offered them a seat while she alerted Kris to their presence.
Leo watched Kai take in his impressive surroundings, recognising that feeling he’d experienced. As Kai shovelled his hand into a large jar ofMaoamson the coffee table, he pulled out a healthy amount to give him enough sugar rushes to get through the morning’s sessions.
True to form, Kris was running late, but eventually turned up in reception to collect them. He hugged Leo and introduced himself to Kai more formally, before bringing him in for a hug too, then he escorted them through to Studio One, where they would be looked after by Carl the mixer and Andy the recording engineer.
Leo was told that the main focus today would be laying down his vocals to some guide tracks they had put together from Leo’s song mixes, which weren’t quite ready for the final mix, but certainly enough to lock the vocals in.
As they walked through the control room door, Leo was wowed by the huge mixing console and plush, sculpted desk that seemed to be moulded around Andy and Carl’s bodies. The whole room was truly a magnificent piece of craftsmanship and Leo pondered how many amazing voices had graced its microphones.
Andy and Carl span round in their Herman Miller chairs to greet them and both stood to offer them some enthusiastic handshakes. They were thrilled to be working with them, which relaxed Leo somewhat.
Leo had always dreamt of working in a studio like this. He was just used to setting up a laptop and a desk in the corner of his bedroom and mixing the tracks on headphones in bed. This was for want of a better word: ‘proper’.
Kris left them all to it as he rushed off to another meeting, whilst Carl rattled off the schedule for the day.
