Grimacing Keely took a sip from her coffee cup, wrinkling her nose in distaste across the table to where Tony had his arm wrapped around the back of Sadie’s chair and was leaning close, whispering something in her ear that was making her giggle.

“Couples are horrible,” she stated, “No wonder no one likes being around them.”

From beside her Joe snorted in laughter into his mug.

Apparently in the past while since Keely had gotten home, Sadie had gotten comfortable with the little situation between her, Keely and Tony since she didn’t even bother pushing him away. The girl just tucked her curly hair behind her ear, sending Keely a knowing look as she replied, “Oh, don’t start.”

Narrowing her eyes, Keely just raised her eyebrows at the girl and slouched back in her seat. “Don’t know what you’re talking about, I could never be that sickeningly cute with anyone.”

“Oh, right,” Sadie answered sarcastically, raising her eyes to the ceiling.

Not quite liking the response because it sent an alarm ringing in the back of her head, Keely’s next words were a little bit sharp for the conversation. “Seriously, I’d never love anyone more than music, I couldn’t act like that.”

“We believe you,” Tony groaned, leaning back in his chair from across the rickety table, but he kept his arm wrapped around the back of Sadie’s still. “So have you got your little show and tell all figured out yet?”

Rolling her eyes, Keely aimed a kick at him under the table, feeling quite smug when he yelped.

“And, yes, actually I have,” she replied with as much dignity as she could possess. If she’d been drinking tea, Keely would have raised her pinky, but then she probably would have dissolved into laughter.

“We’re going to be there,” Sadie assured her.

Frowning, she drained what was left at the bottom of her mug. “You’re skipping class, Sade? I never thought I’d see the day, and just for little old me.”

“Ha, ha,” the girl responded, sending Keely a truly flat look to go with her very unamused words. “No, actually, I’m not skipping class. The invitation was given out to certain people with high enough grades if they wanted to go into the class instead, I have an entire excused block to watch you.”

Giving a half laugh in the back of her throat, she stared down at her hand that was tapping on the top of the table. “Wow, so many people are boycotting their music class that they’re bribing people with a free period so the room is filled up? Don’t I feel special now.”

“Keely,” Sadie said, her voice becoming soft with understanding, “It’s not like that.”

Ignoring the girl completely since she wasn’t in the mood to get into it at that point, she directed her attention at Tony who was staring at his leg with a dumbfounded expression on his face. Apparently he hadn’t expected her to be able to kick that hard, at least that’s what she hoped he was thinking and he wasn’t looking at another piece of his anatomy.

“So are your grades high enough to warrant you privilege to my humiliation?”

His eyes finally flicked up from where he’d been staring beneath the table and he sent her a casual grin. “Nope,” Tony told her calmly, “But since you’re going to request my presence as a groupie, it doesn’t matter.”

“Oh, am I?” she chuckled.

“Definitely.”

“Well, that’s three people and Mr Summers to show up for sure,” Keely joked, “We should start writing names down.”

“Keely–” Sadie started again.

However she cut the other girl off, she just wasn’t in the mood for a morale boosting speech and she was in doubt that Sadie would be able to pull off one for her that would have any effect. After all, it had been pointed out to her many times that her mind didn’t exactly work the same way as most people.

“Do you guys want to go?” she questioned, pushing up from the table without waiting for an answer. No rousing speech for her today indeed. “I promised dad that I’d go out and buy him a battery for his truck, apparently he did watch that interview.”

Quickly, Sadie nodded, standing up. “Yeah, I just need to go to the bathroom. Get me a refill?”

In response to his girlfriend’s request, Tony nodded quickly.

“Do you want another?” Joe asked while Sadie fled away to the bathroom.

Sending him a grateful smile, Keely nodded. “Yeah, thanks, I’ll meet you guys outside. I just need some air.”

It was true, she did need some air, it was rather stifling in the coffee shop.

But there was more, if she’d have let them; Keely knew very well where that conversation would be heading.

It would have gone from the school performance to the day after being her concert in Seattle, and then after. They’d ask what she was planning to do after her concert. Where she was going to go, if she was going to hang around longer, was she going to go back to New York, maybe try out California for a change or maybe decide to stay close?

And she just couldn’t answer. She had no idea what she was going to do when the Seattle show came around. The only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to stay in music. If she was going to go back to New York was in question, because, honestly, she could go anywhere she wanted at the moment, even though she loved the city. UAE had record studios everywhere, one in LA, Chicago, Nashville, London and even Paris. She could take her pick and just go.

Yet she didn’t even have to go to those places. She was supposed to be writing music for her next album already since the tour had ended.

There was a world of possibilities open for her.

Keely knew she should feel as if she had the world laid out at her feet, because she sort of did. However, she couldn’t help the panicked sensation that she experienced every time she thought about the very near future.

She was scared.

Slipping her aviators over her eyes, Keely zipped up her bag before pushing out of the door coffee shop.

The air was muggy from the almost summer sun that seemed to be beating down upon them as if a punishment every time it could. She would have expected this kind of weather in California, but she was in doubt Bellingham had seen a prelude into summer this hot in a very long time. Although she wasn’t complaining, the jean shorts and tees were just fine with her.

Wrapping her arms around her stomach, Keely sighed, letting her head tip back as she closed her eyes, her face pointed at the sky with her hair loose and falling away. Whatever she was going to do, she needed to figure it out fast.

Yet, despite how much she knew and loved to say she was independent, she couldn’t help but feel that she wouldn’t know what she was doing until after the Seattle show. She needed every piece of data before she could make a decision. And though she wasn’t sure what would come of the meeting with her friends and Seth again, she knew it had to happen before she made the next step in her life.

Hearing excited murmurs pass by her, Keely felt her brow furrow from beneath her sunglasses.

The voices were quite close, but making an effort to keep the volume down. She knew what that meant. Pulling in a steadying breath, she readied herself, putting on her game face, so to speak, before she looked back around her.

However she found no excited fans tittering around her in hopes of an introduction or autograph.

Confused she turned her head, finding two girls standing not too far away with excitement written clearly on their faces as they spoke behind their hands. That was what she’d been expecting with the rather blaring exception that they weren’t looking at her.

Now even more bewildered than before, she spun around, wide eyed.

If she’d thought seeing Haley at the school just the day before had felt like a punch in the gut, she hadn’t had a clue what was coming.

Blinking she pulled her sunglasses away from her eyes, to make sure she was seeing right. For all she knew, she could be becoming delusional. But even as her eyes adjusted to the light, she found she wasn’t seeing anything.

Resting the sunglasses on the top of her head, Keely just stayed immobile, covering her mouth with her hand in shock.

Yeah, definitely not seeing things.

“What are you doing here?” she breathed, barely loud enough for anyone to hear.

As if it was the most normal thing in the world to just show up in this little town when he was supposed to be like three thousand miles away, Seth shrugged, sending her that trademark cocky smirk.

“Got a show,” he replied.

Staring at him disbelievingly, Keely dropped her hand, pinching herself in the arm, expecting to wake up. She had been having dreams about him, so she could be in the middle of one now, couldn’t she? But even as her nails pinched painfully at her pale skin, she stayed routed on the spot in front of the little coffee shop not too far from the waterfront.

They were still gaining looks from those standing on the street, she’d stopped being as big news and just to be blunt, she wasn’t as well-known as him. It felt odd, being looked at that way in this town. That wasn’t supposed to happen here.

However, she couldn’t really ponder it, as she too was staring dazedly at him like the other people on the street. To look at what he was wearing, he shouldn’t have stood out. His red and white flannel shirt had the top couple buttons open at his chest and the sleeves folded to his elbows, a pair of perfectly fitting dark jeans, slip on vans, dark wayfarer glasses and his normal roll out of the bed looking hair. Well, he was better looking than the average man walking down the street, but that wasn’t what set him out. He just had that presence that made him seem… better than everyone else standing out there around them.

Although Keely seriously thought that was her own personally biased opinion of him coming out.

As he pulled his leisurely walk to a halt in front of her, she simply let her eyes roam him tipping her chin upwards to look at his face, committing every part of him standing there in the old town to memory. It was like she was frozen in the moment, all those questions she should have been asking not occurring and all the reasons she should be hauling ass away from him not kicking in.

With all these questions about her life starting with the upcoming end of the tour Keely had noticed that she was started to think about little things even more deeply, savouring moments with her friends and family. But none of it compared to this. It felt like she was drinking in every aspect of his appearance.

Pulling the black sunglasses off his face, Seth tucked them in the back pocket of his jeans. At the sight of his eyes, Keely felt herself thaw slightly, seeing that despite the earlier casually confident words, he wasn’t feeling just peachy. His eyes were shadowed, darkening from a lack of sleep that she recognized easily, after all, how many times had she seen him after those sleepless nights? There was no glint of gold highlighting the hazel eyes, but even before she’d left, that light had been smothered slightly, though now it was gone completely.

Hauling in a breath, he ran his hand over his face and ruffled his hair back in the habitual movement that made her heart patter in her chest, breaking their eye contact for the first time. That confident Seth from moments before was long gone.

His hand resting on the back of his neck, his shadowed eyes met hers again. “Rebel, listen,” he began, his voice reminding her so much of the last time they spoke.

The door belonging to the coffee shop behind her swung open, squeaking loudly. But it wasn’t that which interrupted Seth, instead it was a familiar voice.

If it hadn’t been for the use of her name, she probably wouldn’t have even recognized the voice. She was utterly and completely wrapped up in Seth, and if it hadn’t been for his eyes focusing on the person behind her, she wouldn’t have even blinked.

“Hey, Keely, Joe is grabbing Sadie’s coffee for me, but I’ve got yours.”

Letting out a shaky breath when Seth’s eyes trained on Tony coming out the door behind them, she hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath, the breaking of eye contact releasing her.

But she still didn’t even look away from the dark haired boy in front of her for the younger blonde boy she now knew was standing behind her. No, she was doubtful she’d be able to drag her eyes for anything. He was here. He was standing right in front of her. It still felt like it was dream, like if she put her hand out to touch his chest; he’d disintegrate into the air, leaving her once again without him.

Slowly Seth’s eyes glided back towards her, and she absentmindedly bit down on her bottom lip at the unreadable expression he was wearing.

“Hey,” Tony’s voice called out gleefully, though neither of them switched their gaze this time. “I know you; you’re Seth Ryan, right?”

Seth’s eyes didn’t even flicker in his direction nor did he take a step away, maybe giving her a chance to breathe. Silence fell down upon them, and Keely could almost feel Tony’s confused look blaring into her back, but she felt a little too busy in her mode of doing nothing at all to say anything to him.

Yet when the boy behind her coughed obviously, she felt a sigh escape her lips. Although she was unable to break her gaze from Seth’s, she took a step back, separating them slightly as she gestured blindly to her friend. “Seth, this is Tony. Tony, Seth.”

The introduction fell flat with Seth not even glancing towards the boy whom she’d been introducing, but within seconds his eyes had widened almost fractionally before shifting between her and Tony.

“I’ve heard a lot about you,” supplied Tony, juggling the two disposable mugs of coffee in his arms so he could offer a hand to Seth.

Seth stared back at him, wearing an emotionless expression before looking back at Keely. Giving short laugh that sounded far from heart felt, he fell back a step, running both hands over his face and into his hair.

“So, you’re Tony,” he spoke rhetorically, his eyes glued on the tall blonde boy who was only just slightly shorter than he.

Instantly suspicion settled in Keely’s stomach as she looked at the grin Seth was wearing as he began to take a step forward, though he was instead standing in front of Tony. Her eyes narrowed on him.

Tony smiled good-naturedly, apparently thinking that Seth was about to accept his handshake.

However that grin was quickly knocked straight off his face when Seth’s fisted hand collided with his chin without even the slightest of hesitation. The clash of bone meeting bone shattered the air, making Keely wince. Instantly she wished she could look away, but there was no looking away at that point.

At the force of the punch, Tony stumbled back, his feet ramming into the steps up to the coffee shop and sent him sprawling to the ground.

Wide eyed Keely stood there, staring blankly at the sight of her friend on the ground, the coffee cups flying out his hands. She didn’t so much as blink until the spilt coffee made burning contact with her sandal clad feet.

“What the hell?” she gasped, dropping down to her knees beside Tony.

Tentatively she brushed her fingers against his chin, and winced in time with him. “What the hell is wrong with you?” she accused, turning her head up to where Seth was shaking out his hand.

Before she could really start into him, the door behind them swung open again.

“Oh my god,” yelped Sadie, dropping to the ground on the other side of Tony. Instantly Keely withdrew her hands, letting his girlfriend look after him.

Her eyes flickered up to the feet that were so close to her and up towards Joe’s face. He was looking like a fish out of water, his gaze shifting between Tony lying on the ground, she kneeling beside him and a scowling Seth standing above. Joe’s kept opening and closing, at a loss for words.

“Your boyfriend is going to have a real shiner for your prom photos,” Keely pointed out, sending Seth a withering glare before looking towards Sadie.

Just looking at them like that made her heart melt, she couldn’t help it.

Sadie’s madly curling brown hair was pulled over her shoulder, creating a little blockage from the rest of the world for the two, but still allowing Keely sight in. There was a tender look on her face as she ran her fingers softly over her boyfriend’s uninjured cheek, the other one running through his blonde hair. Tony only had eyes for her; they were even a little glazed in amazement as he stared up at the girl who was holding him.

She knew that Seth said he loved her, and Keely knew him well enough to know that he meant the things he said so at the very least he thought he loved her. And she knew she loved him, beyond a shadow of a doubt she loved that boy who apparently punched first and asked questions later. And while she knew she would look at him the exact way that Sadie was looking at Tony at that moment, completely in a private world, would Seth be able to look at her the same way Tony looked at Sadie?

“Her boyfriend?” asked Seth’s voice, sounding surprisingly blank.

Shocked at the sound of his voice, Keely’s head whipped around quickly to send him a look. That scowl was long replaced with a bewildered expression, his hand frozen in mid-air.

Oh, he looked adorable when he was confused. His hazel eyes that held just a hint of gold at the moment were a bit too wide, his mouth hanging just slightly open where he was routed to the ground.

Without a thought, Keely shoved up from the ground and flung her arms around his neck.

A part of her – she was embarrassed to think how large that part was – still thought that she might just pass through him, proving him to never be around after all. But he was most unquestionably there.

His chest was warm against her as she clung tightly, burying her head into the crook of his neck as she stood on her tiptoes. He even smelt the same. Keely didn’t know why that came as a shock to her, that he still smelt the same as she left, but it did and she was just as intoxicated as before.

Against her embrace Seth stood stock still for a moment, his arms limp at his sides. Yet when she didn’t let go – she was unsure if she could or not yet – his arms came up to wrap around her just as tightly as she was clinging to him.

Not willing to let go, she simply stayed still, breathing in his scent and marvelling at the way her skin felt like it was on fire from pressing against his but she felt more comfortable in his embrace than any other person’s. Oh god, she loved him, more than anything. Keely had thought that with the time spent apart, that the feelings would lessen and the need would fade. That when she finally saw him again she wouldn’t feel her heart skip at just a simple look or lust cloud her mind when he was near.

But she was wrong.

Oh, she was so wrong.

Unable to stop herself, Keely let one of her hands play with the dark tendrils of hair at the base of his neck. It was as soft as she remembered.

“Why are you here?” she whispered against his neck, for his ears only.

“I told you,” Seth returned, his voice low and husky, “We have a show.”