I spent the rest of the time there watching the end of the game, and keeping entirely to myself while I ate my new plate of store bought chicken in silence. I was even careful to sit in the floor in front of the coffee table with my back against the couch so that I wouldn't be too tempted to get drawn into Jess and Hunter's conversation again.

When it was time for us to head back home, Hunter offered me his hand to help me up but I shook my head and got up on my own just like I've been doing for nineteen years. I smiled a little though so it wouldn't come off as bitchy. He walked us to the door, holding Jess's hand the whole way and as soon as we were in the breezeway I waved quickly. "Nice to meet you," I told him quickly, "and thanks again for the tickets." I added as I walked away in a hurry. I knew Jess would just assume I was giving them some goodbye privacy, which I was, but I was also just ready to be away from Hunter in general. Something about him makes me feel uneasy. Like my blood won't stop buzzing and my heart is jammed up into my throat every time he'd look at me. It was weird. I also didn't like how he brought up memories of Clint. I loved my brother, but for me, it's much easier to block off those memories than to deal with the pain they come with.

I walked to the car and pulled the handle, only to find that for what was probably the first time in her whole life, Jess had locked her car. I sighed and leaned back against the door, pulling out my phone to scroll aimlessly through my Facebook newsfeed. As soon as I opened the app, I got a new friend request notification. I clicked on it, only to find a picture of a gorgeous guy with a strong jaw, dimpled chin, sandy blonde hair, indigo eyes, and a lopsided grin. My heart beat picked up as I stared at the picture of Hunter Quaid on my phone.

A friend request?

He sent me a Facebook friend request?

I glanced up and saw that he and Jess had moved out to where I could see them now. Hunter and I both looked at each other at the same time and I caught that annoying smile before I had the chance to look away.

"Later, Kit Kat!" He called and I looked back up as he walked back into his apartment and Jessica made an OMG face at me as she tried to walk coolly over to the car.

She beeped the doors and I climbed in and tried to ignore the feeling that we were still being watched.

"I'm dying he is so perfect." Jessica started gushing before her butt was even in her seat. "He's literally so nice, and funny, and god, his freaking face." She bit into her bottom lip. "Did you see his face?" She asked, turning her body to face me.

I couldn't hold back my laughter. "Yes, Jess, I saw his face."

"Freaking beautiful." She groaned, throwing her head back.

I continued to smile at her while she fumbled with her keys and then flew out of the parking spot. She turned up the radio and danced in her seat. Jessica is usually pretty spirited, but it has been a while since I've seen her be so happy. Though she'd never admit it, I know that Garrison really did break her heart when he broke up with her. However, I don't ever push her to talk about it, that only leads to her bringing up Seth.

Even thinking his name in the confines of my own brain is enough to make my stomach feel queasy sometimes. The girls push me to find myself a new boyfriend because it's been so long, but I just can't bring myself to put myself back into a position where I will ever be hurt like that again. I thought I'd had an idea of what heartbreak was, but that was long before the real heartbreak came. There were times I thought I'd never get over it, and even now, I'm not one hundred percent sure if I am, or if I've finally just gotten good enough at pretending that I am that I've convinced everyone else and myself.

Jessica yelled over the music every time she thought of something new to say about Hunter, but they all pretty much alluded to the fact that she was pretty certain that he was the perfect guy and that she wanted to marry him and have his perfect looking children.

I turned my phone over and over in my lap and Jessica looked over at me, swerving into the wrong lane slightly. "You ok?" She asked, turning down the music.

I straightened up in my seat and gave her the best smile I could muster. "Yeah, I'm good." I told her. "Excited about tonight." I clapped my hands in front of me, dropping my phone and trying not to think about the friend request that I haven't decided what to do about yet.

"Oh. My. God." She said with growing excitement with each word. "Can you believe how sweet that was? And now we get to go to the concert, I mean honestly Hunter is literally like the most perfect guy I've ever met. He's amazing." She smiled, her face bright and her cheeks still a little pink. "Now we both get to go and I will have my first official actual date with him tonight!" She cheered.

I felt the buzz of excitement reaching me now too. "Ed Sheeran!" I muttered, shaking my head. "I can't believe it."

Jessica's phone went off and she ducked down to grab it from where it had fallen into the floorboard and I had to jerk the steering wheel back to keep us from drifting off into the guard rails. "Sorry," She mumbled as she pulled up her phone and took back control of the car. "can you read it to me?"

She passed it over and I held up the phone. "It's from Germany." I giggled. "Must have left quite the impression if you haven't even been gone ten minutes and he's already texting you."

"Oh god, what does it say?" She demanded with a smile.

I opened up the message and read it aloud for her. "Was greet seeing you again. Have a good time tonight with your friend and I'll be waiting to take you out after."

Jessica took the exit and turned off the music as we sped towards the gas station to get my car. "You see?" She asked. "He's too perfect, Tayler. I feel like I'm going to mess everything up or he's going to realize he could be doing so much better than me. Like I seriously wonder why he's even still single. He's got too much going for him, there has to be something wrong, right?"

I rolled my eyes. "Jess he'd be an idiot to think he can do better than you." I told her and she smiled. "As far as the other stuff, don't shoot someone down just because they're too perfect. That would be stupid." I pointed out.

"So you agree?" She asked. "You think he's pretty great, right?"

"Yeah." I told her. "He seems like he is. You should just get to know him some more."

She winked as we pulled into the parking lot. "Oh, I plan to." She joked. She pulled around the small gas station and parked right next to my car. Jessica turned and put her hand out on my knee, the same spot where Hunter had put his. "Thank you so much for going with me." She said sincerely. "I so wouldn't have had the nerve if you hadn't."

"I'd say 'anytime', but I don't actually like doing that, but I'm glad you had a good time, and Germany really does seem to be a good guy." I admitted.

You'd think I'd complimented her and not him by the way her smile stretched across her face. "You're the best." She laughed. "See you in a few hours." She checked the time. "I'm supposed to be having dinner with my parents in like ten minutes."

I hopped out of her car and quickly unlocked mine. "Good luck making it home in time." I laughed and she floored it out of the parking lot and back out onto the busy highway.

When I got home the apartment was still empty. Whatever Macy was doing with the lacrosse player must be going well. I dropped my purse on the small table inside the door and walked into the back bedroom and dug through my hectic closet. You'd think by looking at it that I have a lot of clothes, but in all actuality there are just a few things that I actually wear, and at the moment, they were all dirty and lying on the closet floor waiting for me to gather the inspiration to actually throw a load into the washer.

However, now wasn't that moment.

I dug into the back of the closet and pulled out my black sheer shirt with the deep V neck and my too-tight-to-breathe-eat-drink-or-sit-pants. I wanted to look cute tonight. I'd had what my outfit to this concert would be planned for weeks now. In the back of my mind I had kept hoping that somehow or another there'd be a miracle and I'd get to go, and in a way, there had been. Just a much better looking miracle than I'd expected.

I jumped in the shower and then dressed quickly, glad I hadn't eaten much today or I might not have been able to get my ass into my pants. I'm pretty slimly built, but these have always been my favorite pants because they give me at least the allusion that I have some curves working for me. I paired my sheer shirt with a little green camisole and my best push up bra, easily sending my B's into the C's zone. I ran the straightener through my thin shoulder length hair and threw on some makeup and then headed back to my room to stare at my shoe options.

I knew that my black pumps would look way cuter with this, but at the same time, I knew that wearing heals to a concert was a bad idea. My feet would be killing me within the first few minutes and I don't want to be miserable, so I yanked on my black converse with the green laces to match my undershirt and I smiled in the mirror at the finished product.

I could hear my phone buzzing from the other room.

I ran into the bathroom and answered the call with only a second to spare before it would have gone to voicemail. "Hey." I said happily, seeing Jess's picture pop up.

"Hey," She said with far less enthusiasm. "I've got bad news."

I sank down to sit on the side of the tub, my excitement deflating from me like the air from a balloon. "What?" I asked, already having a feeling.

"I can't go to the concert tonight." She huffed, her voice rough like she'd been crying already. "My dumb parents were pissed I was late to dinner and then they decided we need to go see my grandmother tonight because she's been sick, and I tried to explain to them that I had plans...BIG plans that I couldn't cancel and they pulled the whole 'as long as you live under my roof' bullshit." She whined. "I'm so pissed. What do I even say to Hunter?"

I tried not to let my own disappointment show through because I could hear how upset she already was. "Just tell him what you just told me." I told her. "I'm sure he'd understand."

"Tayler, don't be stupid." She sighed. "I can't tell him my parent won't let me go. He'll think I'm a joke. He's twenty three."

I rolled my eyes. "Then tell him you got sick."

"You think?"

"Yes," I sighed. "Reschedule to meet up tomorrow instead."

"Ok." She sighed. "I still hate it though. I know how badly you wanted to go to the concert too. Maybe you can find someone to go with you still."

"Maybe." I shrugged.

"Anyway, I've got to go."

I felt bad that her big night was ruined. "Sorry, Jess."

I put the phone on the counter and thought about what I should do. I wouldn't feel right inviting someone else to go to the concert with me, it isn't even like they were my tickets to begin with. Before I had totally thought it through I picked my phone back up and accepted Hunter's request, then typed out a quick message.

Tayler: Hey, just letting you know that I'm going to leave the tickets you gave me for you at the gate since Jess can't go. You should go, you might find you actually really like Ed. Thanks again for being so nice.

I sent the message before I could chicken out. He read the message almost instantly, but to my relief there was no typing bubble popping up.

I dug through my drawer to find my makeup removers but my phone started to ring. I didn't recognize the number, but it was from around here so I answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"Hey," A deep guy's voice rang through. "You're not bailing on the concert."

My throat went dry. "Hunter?" I asked. "H-h-how did you get my number."

He laughed heartily. "It's listed on your profile, if you don't want strange guys calling you, you should change that." He pointed out. "But like I said, no bailing for you."

"I'm not going without Jessica."

I heard him shuffling the phone and I sounded like I was on speaker. "I already told you." He mumbled. "Jessica texted me that she's sick, but that doesn't mean you can't go. I'll take the other ticket, but you're still going."

"No way."

"Yes way."

I bit into my lip, staring at my big round eyes in the mirror. "I'm serious, that would be weird to go with you."

"It's only weird if you make it weird, which you are right now." He laughed. "I'm not trying to take you on a date or anything Kit, I'm just saying go to the damn concert. Have fun. Maybe let lose a little. I'll just happen to be there in the seat next to you. And so will Dave, so it isn't just the two of us. You don't even have to tell Jessica you went. Now get ready, and let's go to the concert."

I looked at myself in the mirror, dressed in my favorite outfit, my eyeliner even winged out perfectly on both eyes tonight. Plus, it's Ed freaking Sheeran.

"I'm already ready." I said softly.

"Good girl." I could practically hear the sideways smile. "I'll meet you there."

"Ok."