#loveluke

Chapter One - Bumping in to an old stranger

Jamie POV - 

I buttoned up the top layer of my thick,black winters jacket. The wool on the inside hugged my cold body and I thoughtfully thanked my Dad for buying me the jacket five years ago. Paving the streets of Sligo, a town based in the West Coast of Ireland, I gladly thought back to growing up here. I grew really fond of the town in my first three months of living here. It was this town that was always busy, people bustling around the place,always having things to do. But while they carried on with their lives, they added this character to the town that didn’t seem to be present anywhere else. I loved everything about this place,the beaches,small alley ways,the old characteristics. It broke my heart when my Dad decided we were moving out of Sligo, I had to leave everything I loved behind. I was only eight.

Over ten years later, I walk the same streets alone as I wait for my mum to finish up working for a family friend. I usually loved going back here,revisiting all my favourite childhood places,Kate’s Kitchen a small Deli shop run by my Dad’s friend. When I was small we would visit the store every Saturday and I would get free chocolate. Looking at the deli now, everything changed except the name. The layout of the store was now modern, no deli counter, just a chocolate station and shelves filled with different bottles of drinks. Kate had sold her share four years ago, old age forcing her to give up her love of her store, but thankfully the new owners hadn’t changed the name..yet.

I walked up the remainder of Castle Street, past the Kates Kitchen and up to the new Spar. I never really accepted it as Spar. To me it would always be Filans Chipper, also known as The Carlton Cafe. It was run by Mr and Mrs Filan, their son being Shane Filan, the lead singer of the Irish Band Westlife. It was like a religion to me, I loved the band growing up and I remember the day my mother took me in to the cafe one late evening after school, Shanes mother Mae stood behind the counter,beaming her warm friendly smile. I remember she stood speaking to my mum and I was shocked that she seemed to know her. Smiling, I looked at the buildings new make over. Spar, a local connivance store now stood in its place. It was run by the Filan family still,but it would always be Carltons Cafe in my heart. Pushing the door open, I studied the surroundings. No table and chairs, no smell of greasy chips and fries. The store was clean and bright, fully stocked with every day products. I smiled at Finbar, Shanes brother as I wandered around the store. I had no money and needed nothing,nothing but the sense of familiarity. As I circled the store and made my way back to the counter, I noticed a short man with black hair styled in a quiff. He joked and laughed with Finbar, I knew that laugh anywhere. It was the laugh I use to swoon over as a child. It was Shane Filan. The man that when I was younger I dreamed I would marry him.

Slowly, I walked up to him..trying not to awkwardly interrupt the conversation he was having with his brother. Finbar looked at me and shifted his head in my direction. Shane stopped talking and turned his head towards me, beaming a warm smile at me. I smiled back awkwardly…”Hi Shane” I mumbled as I looked in to his dark brown eyes. The creases formed around his eyes, signs of old age.He was no longer young and ravishing to me. “Hiya” he replied,shifting towards me. Disappointment hit me, he didnt recognize me. But of course he wouldn’t, the last time I saw him I must have been about twelve or thirteen and chubby. I was now twenty,thin and less child like. ” Hi..um you don’t remember me..I am Jamie Murray, David Murray’s daughter?” I said embarrassed at my idiotic moment. Shane’s eyes lit up “little Jamie!” he gasped as he looked me up and down. A smile of accomplishment blushed my face. He did remember me, how could me not?. I spent every weekend for a year at the building of his house in Sligo. My Dad was his Architect and as a loving father he brought me to meet Shane whenever he was home. He was very fond of me, but I soon became to nervous to meet him anymore, regardless of the countless hours we spent together, him trying to show me his dreams for his house. So, when it came to Dad bringing me to see him, I would say no and sit at home. Over time the house was finished and we lost contact and my hours spent walking around his land,looking at the concrete shell that would one day turn in to a fairy tale house ended.

Shane pulled me in for a warm hug, I beamed as we both pulled away. “God, you have grown up so much!” he complimented me as he smiled and introduced me to his brother.Finbar nodded in recognition of who I was. This was a typical male Irish thing to do. “Thanks..how have you been?” I questioned,curious as to how he was coping with his money struggles after Westlife ending. Shane was now bank rupt in Ireland and England, his fairy tale home was engulfed by the bank,in a form was payment. He was now living in England and visited as often as possible. Hearing the news he was struggling, it broke my heart. No matter how old I got, I always had a soft spot for him..you could call it a childhood crush. Shane’s face became shameful, “Yeah, Gilian and the kids are grand, so am I. Its been tough but things are looking up. How about you?” he asked as he led to towards the back room, taking our conversation to somewhere more private. I was touched he wanted to catch up, it made me feel that I meant something to him. I was directed in to a medium sized lounge, a small table and chairs in the centre of the white room. Notice boards filled with orders and notices for employees. “I am great, back in Sligo for the day.” I smiled as he handed me a cup of tea, this was also compulsory in Ireland. A cuppa tea and a chat. Shane nodded, his eyes light and happy. “Hows your Dad and Mum?” he asked curious. We chatted normally for what seemed a long time, filling in the missing years and catching up.”I am actually going to England soon, Louis wants me as a judge this year on The X Factor” he smiled, raising his eyes. I laughed lightly at his silliness. Louis always respected Shanes opinions when it came to music. Of course he was, Shane was blessed with talent, God kissed his throat when he was born. “So..what are you doing with yourself?” he asked curious. I thought for  a second, that question I asked myself a lot lately. What was I doing with my life?. “I just finished college and I am looking for a job in photography, something to do with tv. So if you know anyone looking to be snapped, you know where to find me” I laughed, jokingly.

Shane looked away from me, thinking hard. “Actually…” he muttered as he planned something in his head. My heart picked up, no bloody way could he find me a job!. I had spent months on end sitting at home with my parents nagging at me to get a job. I had gotten to the point where I would clean toilets to get them off my case. ” I think I have a job for you..it would involve leaving here for a bit though..”he cut off.  I nodded, encouraging him to continue. The idea of travelling..god it was something I craved for! like a pregnant woman who had cravings for food. “Well.. The X Factor needs someone to take shots of contestants while they are at the judges houses..well Louis’s in particular, but if you do a good job you could make it to live shows” he stated as he took out his phone. “Omg..yeah!” I beamed as I watched him fiddle in a number. He was on the phone in seconds. “Louis..yeah Shane here. I have a friend of mine, she offered to do the photography for the judges house…yeah I know her well. No I haven’t seen her work but I have known her years…ok fine. I can have her email some of her shots to you..” Shane looked at me questioning his statement he just made. I nodded to confirm, biting my lip with excitement. My portfolio was mostly people and landscapes, it was based over five years and I was sure he would find something decent in it. “Yeah ok grand Louis, yeah I will call later. Ok Bye” he said as he hung up. “Is that ok with you?” he asked, trying to confirm that I was up for it. I smiled, “Jesus, yeah Shane!. Thanks a million!” I thanked him as I played with my empty mug of tea. Shane jotted down Louis’s email and added in his number and Louis’s. “Just call one of us when your ready and I will call you and tell you if Loius likes your stuff” he smiled as he handed me the piece of paper. 

I thanked Shane, telling him I owed him and headed back in to the street, feeling like I had accomplished so much over a cup of tea.I searched my gallery on my phone, I always uploaded my snaps on to it, just to show anyone interested. I opened my email and typed in Louis’s email. I attached my shots and added a message :

Hi Louis,

My name is Jamie Murray, I am a friend of Shane Filan’s. He told you I offered to do the shots for XFactor this year. Here is my portfolio, hope you find something you like. Talk to you later

Heading back towards Mums office, I was bursting to tell her the news. She would be so proud and of course Dad would be happy to know I had been on contact with Shane. As I opened the door to the surgery my phone pinged. I hurried to check my emails and there was one from Louis.

Hi Jamie.

Great shots. I was talking to Shane and we both agreed you have great potential. I would love to have you on the team. If you are up for it I will email you the date and time of the auditions. I will arrange travel for you. We start in two days. See you then.

I looked at the email, my eyes bursting out of my sockets!. “YES! I AM NOT UNEMPLOYED ANYMORE!! Hello pay roll!” I shouted as I ran to mum in the office. After filling mum and dad in,we sat down and went through my job role and travel. They were happy I was employed and would be making a decent wage, but unhappy I was leaving. I rolled my eyes ” you both will never be happy” I moaned as I ran off to back. Louis emailed me later that evening, I had to travel to Dublin with Shane tomorrow at 7am to meet up with him and the team. We would be getting a early flight toSt Tropez in France. The thought of just going to France, it had me on cloud nine, but to be working topped it off. I packed my Summer clothes that I had thrown in the back of my ward rope..no need for them with the irish weather. We barely had a Summer. 

The next morning, I met Shane outside my house and climbed in to the black mini bus that waited to take us away to the bright sun. “How are you this morning, excited?” he laughed as he clapped his hands. He seemed for excited than me. “Yeah! Just nervous” I laughed as I fidgeted with my camera. “Don’t be, I seem your portfolio you sent Louis..your very talented Jamie” he once again complemented me. All I could do was smile back at him, it was 7.30 in the morning, I was in no mood for conversation, all I wanted to do was recline the seat and sleep. I spent most of the trip to Dublin asleep, dreaming of the hot sun, short shorts, tank tops and sunglasses. I never once dreamed of a contestant or any famous celeb I might come across on Louis panel. Fact was, a weird one at that, I never watched the X Factor this year..it seemed quite shite in my opinion. 

When I awoke, we were just pulling in to a row of tall offices of Ballsbridge.” Oh good your awake, I was just about to wake you. We’re here” Shane smiled as he looked at my sleepy expression. I peeked out the window and the tall buildings..wow!.We made our way in to the tallest building and Louis stood waiting for us with  a wide smile. “Hi guys!” he beamed. I fought to laugh, he was tiny!. “Hi you must be Jamie” he smiled as he shook my hand. I nodded, “Hi Louis, thanks for the job I really appreciate it” I smiled back as we continued to talk and walk in to a large glass meeting room. Three males sat, all in sharp suits and looked weirdly at me. I was dressed in black skinny jeans and a pink tank top. I felt some what..under dressed. Shane put his arm around my shoulder “Don’t let them intimidate you, just stare back” he whispered in a laugh. I nodded and followed him towards the black leather chairs. The meeting dragged on for what seemed forever, my only part was to listen and give some of my input regarding shots of the contestants..it was simple really. I spent most of the meeting once again, day dreaming of St Tropez, cocktails and the sun kissing my skin. “Well that was great” Louis beamed as we headed back to the mini bus. I nodded, still day dreaming of France and practicing my French, absently. We headed back to a posh hotel, full of modern furniture, bus boys and fancy fittings. Something you would expect for celebrities, modern fittings. I could feel my anxiety kick in, I wasn’t use to this at all. I was out of my debt.

Lying on the bed in my gigantic hotel room, full of crazy fittings and modern technology that if was broke, you would spend the rest of your life paying for it. The bed sheets were crisp white linen, no smell of starch, not rough to touch. I decided to do some research on the contestants, Louis had the boys, so I typed their names in to Youtube on my phone. I had gotten through Nicholas Mc Donald, Sam Callahan, Giles Potter, Paul Alister, Ryan Mathie. I was just about to search Luke Friend when my phone went dead. I hopped off the bed and searched for it in my bag. “FUCK NO!” I yelled as I emptied the bag, finding no charger. I sat on the floor and sighed, mam had lectured me all last night “Remember pack your charger” she ranted on.Shaking my head, I climbed in to bed. I would have to be up early, no point fussing over a charger. I lay thinking about the contestants, I wasn’t crazy about any of them, yeah they were all pretty good..but none of them made me fan girl. S

Slipping to sleep quickly, I didn’t dream, instead I worried about tomorrow and if I would be good enough. I was dreading that I would fuck up, that no one would like my work. I slept restless, tossing and turning, waking up in cold sweats and wishing I had brought my charger, I needed to call home. I needed to hear my mothers voice and have her tell me not to be scared, that I was good enough. The next morning, I woke at 5 am, bags packed and ready for the day that lay ahead of me. I met Louis and Shane down in the dining area for breakfast. When I arrived they were deep in conversation, from what I grasped, it was about the boys category that Louis had gotten, he was very passionate about the group of boys and was adamant there was a winner amongst them. “Morning, how did you sleep?” Shane asked as I sat down and began picking at the grape fruit segments I had gotten. “Meh” I laughed, he knew I was nervous. Louis smiled at me “You will be great” he encouraged me and then returned to his chat with Shane. Louis was adamant that this Luke guy was the best, he was 17 and had an amazing voice. I nodded and agreed with their conversation, I was still feeling sick with panic and I was in no mood to really give my opinion on the matters. I just wanted to get there and get started.

We arrived in France in the early hours, stepping off the plane, I was hit by the humid heat. Thankfully I wore shorts and plenty of deodorant, but the heat was gladly welcomed as I soaked in the Vitamin D into my skin. We headed my private car to the Villa. It was a massive mansion on the beach. The french president being the neighbours, how lavish! It was white stone villa, surrounded by pruned green scrubs and long walk ways. Inside was open spaced, dark brown wooden floors. A large pool out the back on the patio with a seating area. I walked around in amazement, it was so incredibly beautiful. The hustle and bustle of staff though, it brought me back to reality that I was here to work,not to lie by the pool and sun bath. Shane and Louis wandered off  and left me to have my own adventure. The first place I wandered to was outside, I walked through the large pillars and admired the view of the sea,the waves kissing the shore and retrieving once rejected. I took a view shots, content I wandered in towards the house. I could hear laughter and banter from male voices. Following the banter,  I found myself in a room full of boys. I recognized most of their faces from the video’s I watched last night, but one face I didn’t ..this must have been Luke. He was tall, wire like hair sticking out in all directions, his skin was slightly tanned, deep dark brown eyes and the widest smile I had ever seen. The boys were jumping on top of each other, playing like boys would. I decided this would be my opportunity to start work. I stepped back around the corner and leaned around and snapped a sneaky shot of them piled up on each other. Suddenly, everyone froze, I never expected the flash..stupidity. Six faces looked at me in shock and confusion. I froze and my cheeks burnt with embarrassment of being caught in my dirty act. I heard a Scottish accent whisper “Who’s that?” to one of the boys. For the life of me I couldn’t remember any of their names.

My eyes instantly met Lukes, the only boy’s name I could remember, probably because Louis and Shanes conversation this morning. ” Come on in love” another tall, sandy blond hair boy yelled at me. Nervously, I walked in to the room, grasping my camera for support. All six eyes were fixed on me, but Lukes were the most intense. I gulped and exhaled. “Sorry..about that..I’m Jamie..the new photographer” I whispered,still looking at Luke. He didn’t take his eyes off me and I couldn’t understand why. Was he mad I snapped him?. “Awh..well if you wanna take pictures..take some of me. They come out the best when I am in them” the sandy haired boy boasted. “I’m Sam” he smiled as he stepped towards me. I laughed and shot a picture of him walking towards me. The rest of the boys seemed to follow, but Luke stood frozen. They all introduced themselves as I took their profile. Nicholas, aka Nick was last,then smiled his best smile and then turned to Luke. “Lukey..you not getting your picture?” he  questioned. Luke smiled, still looking at me. “Yeah sure” he beamed, showing his pearly white teeth. His smile was so wide, so warm and inviting. He stood alone, hands in his pockets and smiled straight in to the lens. I snapped him and smiled back at him “thanks”. He nodded “sure” and returned to the boys. I quickly escaped and went in search of my room. I was in the end wing. My room was once again lavish, just like the hotel room. But this time I had a balcony and it was open space. Plugging in my laptop, I uploaded the shots and labeled each one. I looked at my dead phone on the table..I needed a charger badly. Someone in this house had to have the same make of phone as me. I left the room in search of a charger. I found the group of crew men, setting the stage for the auditions tomorrow. None of them had one that fitted my phone. I searched the house and it hit me, the boys!.