So a lot of stories have popped up lately about Lucy and Ian and I find them a little bizarre? I don't know. I think several are very well-written and I like the stories themselves but I find that people can be a little mean about Lucy's relationship with Chris Zylka and I don't get it. She seems happy to me. Anyways, when I'm reading them, I always wonder how the actors would feel if they read them so I wrote this. It's weird and you can hate it but I wrote it in about twenty minutes for fun. I'm not judging anyone who writes these stories about Lucy and Ian because even though I can't get into the mindset of writing one, I love them. Particularly "Distance" by .soprano. It's so well-done.

Disclaimer: I don't know any of these people and I wrote this for fun.


Ian knocked on Lucy's dressing room door and stuck his head inside. "Tyler said you were looking for me?"

"Yeah, come in here," she demanded without looking up from her computer. "Did you know this exists?"

He sat down beside her on her couch and looked at the screen. "Fan fiction? Sure, Sarah showed it to me a long time ago."

"No, no," she shook her head. "There are dozens of stories devoted to writing about our real lives."

"What?" he asked, looking closer. "Can they do that?"

"Well, technically, they can't, but no one seems to be telling them to remove them so they do it," she explained. "And some of these are hysterical. There are some stories about Shay and Keegan and some about Shay and Ashley but most of them are about you and I, my friend."

Ian laughed. "You're kidding?"

"I'm not," she denied. "There is a large fan base that thinks we're destined to be together and man, they are mean about Chris."

"No offense, I love you, Goose, but no, thanks," he denied. "I spend dozens of hours a week with you at work so when I'm at home, I'd like to explore my options."

"And I'm perfectly happy with my boyfriend," she assured him. "God, it's no wonder he feels like all my fans hate him; apparently, they do!" She frowned. "Do you think he's awful?"

"I do not," Ian shook his head. "I'm not going to be best friends with the guy but he's good to you and that's what I care about. I want you to be happy but I don't really want it to be with me."

Lucy nudged him. "Thanks, Harding."

"Can we read one of these bad boys?" Ian wanted to know.

"Of course," Lucy nodded. She scrolled down on the 'Pretty Little Liars' page of the site. "Um, here's one by PLLFreak87—solid name—called 'That Should Be Me.' Ooh, I wonder if it's based on the Justin Bieber-Rascal Flatts song?" She opened the story. "It is!"

Ian leaned forward to read. "Okay, an author's note. I should start this story by stating it is totally fictional and I know nothing of the personal lives of Lucy Hale and Ian Harding. But, in my mind, they are the perfect couple and Chris Zylka is only a menacing speed bump in their way. He's awful, right? With the smoking and the creep factor? Lucy needs to wake up and see what's right in front of her—the beautiful Ian Harding. Okay, enough ranting. This is my first fanfic so go easy on me, please. I'd love reviews to hear your thoughts. Thanks. Jillian." Ian stopped reading. "We haven't even started the story and I already have so many questions. Why are we the perfect couple? Because we play characters who are in a relationship? Because we have good on-screen chemistry? People don't seem too upset that Ashley and Tyler aren't dating in real-life and they do, too.

"How do you think I feel?" Lucy interrupted. "They're practically calling me out for dating Chris, a guy they've probably never met and know very little about. That's hurtful."

"I mean, I agree in their declaration of my beauty, of course, but I find this all very surreal," he said. "Let's continue."

For nearly thirty minutes, they took turns reading the story out loud, a tale of Ian watching in the corner while Lucy dates Chris before finally manning up at the end to declare his love so they can ride off into the sunset together.

"Wow," Lucy whispered when they finished. "They really make Chris out to be a monster, don't they? I don't even know what to say. I love my fans more than anything in the world but this is a little much."

"I guess I just don't understand why your fans don't just want you to be happy?" he wondered. "I mean, they assume Chris is only using you and is very controlling but the guy is like a giant puppy. He's so nice. And you're so happy with him."

"I am," she confirmed. "He's my best friend but apparently, saying that is bad."

Ian shut the computer and put it back on the coffee table. "Don't worry about it. Your fans love you and they aren't going to abandon you because of this. I wouldn't freak out about something you can't control. If Chris makes you feel good, he makes you feel good. And if they need these stories to feel better, I don't care. It's both flattering and bizarre but I'm not going to lose any sleep over it."

"You're right," Lucy sighed. "I'm in love with him and if they can't see that, I'll live."

Ian gasped and stood up dramatically. "You love him? How can you say that to me right now? Lucy, I love you! Pick me, choose me, love me!" He threw his arms up in mock distress.

"Okay, Meredith Grey," she teased, kicking him away. "God, I never should've showed you these stories."

"Anytime I need to boost my self-esteem, I'm reading one," he decided, heading for the door. "The authors think I'm great and I think I'm great so we have that in common."

She rolled her eyes. "Go away."

Ian opened the door but turned back to her once more. "You're gonna realize you love me someday, Lucy Hale, and I just hope it isn't too late."

Lucy threw a pen and laughed. "Out!"