Just Might Have Been

Just Might Have Been

Adi

It just might have been the worst day of my life.

It could have been a disastrous day.

It could have been the day that ruined everything;

But it wasn't.

My name is Adi, and I'm 20 years old.

It's been about five months now, since I moved to London, England, from Israel.

Why, you might ask? Well, it really was a tough decision, but I got an offer… to a really good scholarship here, and… it was seriously hard to say no.

So I didn't.

But now I regret it. And if I dare say anything of the sort out loud, I get yelled at that "tons of people would have died for that kind of scholarship!", and I understand that, but it's just not worth it if you're that alone.

It's just isn't.

So, I find myself in a very cloudy day, wondering around some park I have no clue how I got into, crying my eyes out.

Oh, shut up. You would have done the same if you were me.

I miss my family; I miss my friends; I miss my sister…

And though I was sure I would never say that… i miss Israel.

I found a spot on a deserted hill, underneath the shadow of one of the trees. So I sat there, my legs crossed and my hands over my face.

I felt so alone… I needed my friends, more than ever.

"I hate this. I hate this town, and this country, and this continent.

I want home!" I remember thinking that, nearly crying it out with my tears.

And than it happened; the thing that changed my life. For better or worse… you'll have to find out yourself.

I fell asleep.

[No, you idiots, that's not it!]

You know that feeling that someone is looking at you? That's what woke me up. I opened my eyes slowly and saw someone bending over me, his blue eyes watching me. I let out a high pitched yell and sat up straight, which wasn't a very smart thing to do, because I bumped our heads together.

"Ouch!" we said together. I backed away from him at once. I had a hard time looking at him; I was literally seeing stars. When my vision was clearer, I could see him holding his head where I must have hit him.

His hand covered half of his face so I couldn't really see them.

"What were you thinking?!" I yelled at him, my hand on my face myself.

"Sorry." He murmured, heavy accented, his hand still covering his face. His voice was really familiar. Really. "I thought you passed out or something…" he took his hand off eventually, and I nearly fell off my feet. The shock must have shown on my face, cause he smiled slightly.

"What's your name?" he asked me, rubbing his head.

"Kim." I said. I've had it with people interrogating me about my name, so I changed it. Just for now.

"As in short for Kimberly?" he looked at me and my heart jumped to my throat.

As in short for Kimiagarove, I thought but murmured "something like that."

"I'm Harry." Oh, really. I thought. I had no idea!

"Yeah… I know." I nodded. I'm seriously standing in front of Harry Judd?! I nearly fainted thinking that.

"Are you Ok?" he pointed at my head.

"Yeah." I nodded. "Are you?"

"I'll be fine." He smiles. I can feel my cheeks burning up.

"Care for an ice cream?" he asks and points at the van that's just passed by. He has some confidence. He didn't even blink while asking me!

"Sure." I smile and pick my backpack from the grass; we walk towards the van, and he asks me "so… what were you doing here anyway?"

"Oh," I hesitate. "I had a bad day. I just needed somewhere quiet, where I could think..." And cry, I added to myself. I wonder if he noticed earlier that I've cried.

"Oh. I know that feeling." He nods and stares at the tall trees around us and the people walking in the park. We get to the van and he walks over to get our ice-creams.

"Thanks." I tell him with a shy smile when he hands me mine.

"So, what were you doing here? Don't you have like… a photo shoot to go to, or a TV program or something?" I smile when he bursts out laughing.

"No, we always take Mondays free. And Tom," he looks at me to see if I know who he's talking about. It's my turn to laugh. "Yeah, him," He goes on. ", asked me to come and pick him up from around here. He's with his girlfriend or something." I look at him and wonder if he has a girlfriend.

"You have ice-cream-" I laugh in mid sentence and point at my nose.

He gets the clue and wipes it off.

"Don't laugh!" he says with a smile and picks my hand that's holding the ice-cream up until it touches my nose. He laughs and I wipe it off as well.

"Very mature, Harry." I smile and he blushes. "Don't you have to go to pick them up?" I ask after we're quiet for a few moments.

"Yeah…" he checks his watch. "Do you want me to give you a lift home? I have a couple of minutes."

"No, it's Ok, thanks. I live close by." I thought for a second. Oh, what the heck, I won't see him again anyway. "You can walk with me if you'd like." I smiled.

He looked surprised for a few moments but than smiled. "Sure."

We walked and talked all the way to my house. I prayed our way would be longer with every pace we took.

"That's me." I pointed towards one of the buildings. "Umm…" I stopped. "Thanks. It's been great bumping into you and everything." Ambivalently.

"It's been great bumping into you too." he smiles. I walk towards the entrance. "And thanks for the ice cream." I turn around again and look at him.

"You welcome." He waves and I get inside.

I think that in a while I'll think it all was a dream.

It wasn't, wasn't it?

*********

"Kim, table six is waiting!" My boss, Pitter, yells at me.

"I'm on my way!" I yell back and head out from the kitchen towards the restaurant itself.

See, when I'm not studying, I'm a waitress in one of the many restaurants in London.

I get to table six and don't even bother to look at my customer's face- which clearly was a mistake- and began blabbing, the thing I do best.

"Hello, my name is Kim and I'll be your waitress for today." I say my usual sentence.

"Kim?!" I hear this familiar voice again and lift my gaze to look up not only at Harry Judd-but at the whole of McFly.

And only at that moment I truly knew that what had happened at the park wasn't just something my imagination has created.

Thank god.

Harry

Me and the guys went to one of those small restaurants at the center of London.

We have this thing… we just love to disguise ourselves in all kinds of glasses and wigs and hats and all of this.

It gives us a taste of how normal people feel.

Cause I swear to god… I don't really remember what it's like.

Today, I wore a hat and sun glasses; Tom's with a black wig; Dougie's with a fake mustache and gigantic sun glasses; Danny's with a hat that almost covers his eyes and with an overgrown beard.

They look hilarious.

We settled in a table the hostess brought us to, and waited for our waitress.

When I saw Kim from a distance, I wasn't really sure who she was.

I mean… there was something familiar about her smile and the way she walked, but I just couldn't remember where I've seen here before.

Maybe because I was sure until now that what had happened with her wasn't really… real.

She didn't noticed at first who she was talking to, and only when my cry of surprise came out, ("Kim?!") she looked at us and I knew she recognized all of us.

But I thought our costumes work! Damnit.

She tries to hide her surprise, but it's not really working.

"Hey!" she says eventually and smiles. Wow.

Tom, Danny and Dougie don't really know what's going on, and I'm not going to tell them either.

"Guys, this is Kim. Kim-" I look at her and she smiles.

"Seriously. There's no need. I don’t think there's something about you that I don't know." We all laugh.

"Fair enough." I smile. "I never thought I'd see you again." I admit, and my voice comes out dazed.

"Trust me, neither did I." she laughs. "So, what do you want to order?"

We ate pretty fast and after a while the guys wanted to leave. I didn't. Not that they cared or anything…

We called Kim again to get the bill, and she smiled nicely and walked away.

I was really glad the guys didn't notice that idiotic smile all over my face.

She came back with the bill and I wanted to say something so bad, but I just couldn’t. I choked.

Again!

Adi

I come back to clean up the guys' table and notice they're already gone.

A little disappointed, I pick their plates up unto my tray and notice a 100 pound bill underneath one of the glasses. I pick it up and stare at it for a while, but then come to my senses and run out of the restaurant, after them.

When I get to the parking lot, I notice that Harry is the only one who hasn't left yet. I get close to his car and knock on his window a couple of times. He looks surprised and strangely… happy, to see me. He lowers his window and smiles.

"What is this supposed to mean?" I ask and lift the bill up to his eyes.

"Umm… a very generous tip?" he suggests; I want to punch him.

"Why would you leave this?" I ask angrily, and it looks like the skies are as angry as me, because a lightning and a thunder cut throw them.

"Kim, why don't you come inside? It's going to rain." he says calmly.

"No, I will not get inside!" I yell. I pick up his arm, open up the palm of his hand and put the crumpled bill right where it belongs.

"I don't want it." I tell him and a rain drop hits me on the forehead.

"Why not?" he asks, looking innocent.

"Why not? I'll tell you why not! A. because I don't deserve this. I don't want charity; I work hard to earn money for my own! B. if it would have been any other waitress you would have never given the same amount of money. Just because you know me? Thanks, but no thanks." I hardly notice the words slipping out of my mouth.

"Get in and I'll explain." He says and I give him a hard look. "Just get in!" he tells me and the rain gets harder. My curiosity would kill me some day, I swear. So I get inside the car, to the passenger seat, just because I want to hear his invented explanation without getting myself all wet.

"Look, we didn't mean to insult you." He says. I wait for him to say that I'm a great waitress, yada-yada-yada. But he doesn't.

"We… we were testing you." He says quietly and looks at me.

"You were what?! What do you mean?" I'm even more curious.

"This," he says and unfolds the bill, "was a test." He hangs on a moment and than ads with a smile, "Which you passed, of course."

"Why would you test me?" I ask him. I really had no idea, why would he test me?! God, I was such an idiot.

"Because… umm…" he struggles. "We… have our motives." He says and I laugh out loud.

"I should get back inside." I tell him with a little smile. "Sorry for shouting at you." We both laugh.

"It's Ok. I deserved it." He says and I open the car door.

"Kim-" he places a hand on my shoulder but removes it quickly. "Wait."

I look at him and blush instantly; He blushes as well.

"Our recording studio," he says, "is really close to your house. Maybe you'll come by there tomorrow?" he asks.

"Oh. Sure. The universal studios?" I ask, trying to hide my excitement.

"That's the one." He nods.

"Sure, I'll come by. I'll see you tomorrow." I blush again, and before he can say another word I leave the car and head towards the restaurant again, half walking-half skipping.

This was definitely not a dream.

Right?

******

The next day when I finished school, I came back home and after a couple of hours-went to the studios.

I left my house, crossed the street, another ally, and got there quickly.

Apparently, they announced I would be coming, cause the guard at the front door just smiled nicely and let me in. I thanked him and walked inside, loosening my scarf as I walk; even though I was only out on the street for five minutes, I had to wear a scarf, a hat and a very thick jacket.

That's how cold it is in London.

Before I could even ask the secretary at the front desk, Tom showed up.

"Hey, you're here!" he smiled and showed a deep hole in one of his cheeks.

"Yeah, I'm here." I smiled back and blushed a bit. What?! He was very welcoming!

"Come on." He takes me up the stairs a couple of floors and we walk throw a long hallway, until Tom stops abruptly and I nearly bump into him. He opens a door and we enter a wide room.

The first thing you notice when you enter the room, are the very large windows that show an amazing view of the beach and the blue ocean.

When we got inside, I noticed the at lease a dozen guitars around the room, and a drum kit.

On a black leather couch Dougie sat, holding an acoustic guitar in his hands. Danny sat on a stool in front of Dougie. But my eyes searched for Harry… and there he was, next to Danny, smiling. Wow.

And there was a special edition: James Bourne, Busted's refugee, holding a guitar in his hands and playing them a melody.

They stopped whatever they were doing as soon as they saw me, except for James who kept his eyes on the guitar.

They really need to learn manners. They were staring!

"Hey." I blushed. That brought them back to life. James stopped playing. It was his turn to stare.

"Oh, hey." Harry said and got up. That took him long enough!

"Don't stop." I told James and pointed at his guitar.

"No, it's Ok." He smiled nicely. "You're Kim, right? The girl who passed the test?" he laughed.

"Oh god, you heard about the test?" I laugh as well and sit on the edge of the sofa. "I hope you didn’t tell them about the yelling part." I tell Harry. He nods his head with a smile.

"I didn't, actually." Oh, great. Ms. Big-mouth.

"Yelling?" Dougie sat up straight. "That sounds interesting." I laugh again.

"You don’t want to hear that part of the story." I tell him.

"No, I actually think I do." he nods his head and smiles.

"I wouldn’t mind either." Danny laughs and passes his hand in his hair.

"Go ahead." I tell Harry and he tells them the yelling part of the story.

They laughed all along.

"I officially like you." James tells me and I laugh and blush at the same time.

"Do you want something to drink?" Harry asks me.

"Water will be great, thanks." He nods and leaves the room. I scan the room again; I stare at the drum kit.

"I haven't of played in so long." I murmur without noticing.

"You're a drummer to?" Danny asks. "Harry didn't tell us that!"

"I don't think he knows himself." I smile.

"Show us." Tom says.

"I don't think so. It's been like 6 months since I've last played." I blush. Again.

"Come on. Show us." Dougie smiles.

"Is this another test?" I ask them.

"Maybe." Danny pulls me up and drags me to the drum kit.

"Ok, but only if you play with me. And sing." I sit behind it.

"It's a deal." Danny says and comes back to his stool.

"Which song?" James asks me and Danny takes the guitar of Dougie.

"Star girl?" I ask; they nod.

"One, two, three." Danny counts and I start; I try to be exact, and hope its working. It's the first time in six months! I really missed this.

Like other things.

Harry

On my way back to our rehearsal room, I hear the melody of 'Star Girl'.

I wonder why would the guys put this song, but as I get closer to the room I understand it's not recorded, it's live. But… who's playing drums? I walk faster and get inside the room quietly.

I watch James and Danny playing and singing the song, and pass my gaze to the drum kit. Kim is sitting behind it, and she's playing. Perfectly, if I might add.

She's amazing! It sounds so professional; I wonder how she didn’t mention it before. I sit on the couch and let them finish the song. I follow every single one of Kim's movements, but she's flaw less.

I clap with Tom and Dougie when they're done.

"You're amazing!" "You're great!" we all flattered her; she turned red in a second.

"Thanks." She says with a smile.

"And you haven't of played in six months?!" Dougie asked. She nodded.

"Something like that." She gets up. "Umm…Where is the bathroom?" she asks. We direct her and she leaves the room.

"Dude, she's great!" Dougie tells me.

"Yeah, she is." James looks a little dazed. I pick up a pillow and throw it to his head. "Snap out of it." I warn him. He lifts his hands, like he knows that he's stepping inside a territory that's not his.