My heart hammered against my chest and my life flashed before my eyes as the truck came skidding towards me as I ran and then I was tackled to the ground, landing in snow on the sidewalk. The truck carried on passing through the light, which was red for them, and into the next street. I panted, feeling dizzy, as I rolled over, aware that my knee was throbbing. I looked across at the person who had shoved me out of the way and my heart sank.

'Of course.' I muttered as he got to his feet, brushing snow off of his clothes. Zed held his hand out for me, his deep blue eyes meeting mine.

'Are you okay?' His voice was edged with concern, as was his face.

'I'm fine.' I replied as he pulled me to my feet. I winced. My knee was sore. It was probably bleeding.

'You don't look fine.' He looked down at my knee and I took a step back.

'How did you know I was here?'

'Did you not get my text?'

'I mean how did you know I was in Bryant Park?'

'Ah.' He looked down and looked back up again. 'I may have seen it.'

'Seen it?' It clicked together in my head and I sighed. 'Right. Your ability.' He looked sheepish as I looked across at him. 'Well, er, thanks, but I'm going to get going.' I picked up my now-empty coffee cup and headed over to the trash, throwing it in. I hoped Zed couldn't see me limping as I tried to head back the way I'd came, but I'd lost all of my bearings when a truck had nearly mowed me down. I frowned and pulled out my guidebook.

'Lost?' He appeared at my side like an annoying puppy wanting to play fetch.

'I'm not lost, I'm just looking to see what's good near here.'

'You're lost.' He folded his arms across his chest. 'Come on I'll walk you back.'

'You don't know where I'm staying.'

'West 35th between 7th and 8th?' He said and I widened my eyes. Was he stalking me? 'Not stalking, my apartment is one block across from there. I've been to Luke's apartment before.'

'You have?'

'Sure.' He shrugged. 'Come on, let's get you back.'

We walked back in silence and I was grateful for that. I didn't want to walk back with Zed. I didn't even want to see him. He kept his head down and with his scarf up and hat on, he thankfully wasn't recognisable as the actor on one of the huge billboards in Times Square. We got back to the apartment block as my knee was really starting to throb.

'Ah, good morning Miss Bright. You're up early.' Jackson, the doorman, commented on my arrival. He glanced over at my companion, who looked a little dodgy in all black.

'Thanks for walking me back.' I said to Zed, shuffling awkwardly. 'I'll see you around.'

'I need to make sure you make it upstairs okay.'

'In the elevator? I'll be fine.'

'Sky, your leg is bleeding.'

'Miss Bright, should I fetch a first aider?' Jackson spoke up, now spotting the blood on my knee.

'I'm okay.' I said to both of them and I walked in, aware that Zed was on my heels. I walked to the elevator and pressed the button, hoping it would cut Zed off, but he was too quick. He made it inside and the door closed behind him.

'About Abigail-'

'Do we really need to talk about this?'

'Yes.' His voice was strained. 'Abigail and I are just friends.'

'It didn't look that way in the papers.'

He sighed. 'It was good press to be seen together because it made people think we had this on-screen off-screen romance thing going on.' He pulled off his hat and adjusted his scarf. 'We were never really together. She has a boyfriend she's been with for a year.'

'I know why Luke hates you.' He winced and I narrowed my eyes at him. 'How could you do that to anyone let alone your brother's best friend?'

'I used to drink a lot and it's no excuse but it made me an ass.'

'Used to? You weren't in rehab that long ago.'

He shifted nervously. 'I made a mistake. Something happened with our family and well… it's been pretty hard. Yves had managed to keep calm somehow but I've been a mess and I've spent a lot of time juggling work, studying and visiting my parents.' It explained his absence, sure, and I felt a little bad for him. The door opened on the 10th floor and I stepped out with Zed beside me. 'I'm sorry Sky, I really am. I wanted to talk to you but I shut you out and I shouldn't have. I should have been upfront about everything including Abigail. And I should not have been a dick at Comic Con.' We reached the door and I knocked on it.

Yves answered the door and his eyes flicked over his brother. He stepped out of the door and pulled it close behind him. 'Zed, what are you doing here?'

'I'm in New York for-'

'No, I mean here.' He looked around warily and then he spotted my knee. 'What did you do?'

'I didn't do anything.' He replied with a frown. 'Nice to know you trust me.'

'After everything? Granddad would never have wanted this for you, Zed. You messed up big time and you weren't there when we needed you.'

I swallowed, feeling awkward and emotional. Had their granddad died?

'You need to get out of here before you piss off Luke.' Yves continued.

'I've tried to apologise.' Zed jumped in defensively.

'Well somehow I don't think he's going to forgive you.' He turned to me. 'Come on Sky, let's get you all cleaned up before your knee gets infected.'

I turned back to Zed and sighed. 'Erm, thanks.'

His eyes were filled with sadness as he nodded before stepping back into the elevator.

'How's your leg?' Luke asked as he cleaned it up half an hour later. I sat in my pyjama shorts as he wiped it over with an antiseptic wipe and I tried not to wince at the sting. My jeans were in the washing machine, but I knew there was a good chance the stain wouldn't come out. My knee was pretty grim. He pressed on a large bandaid and wrapped it around with a bandage to hold it in place.

'It's okay.' I replied, although the look on his face said he didn't believe me.

'I can't believe you slipped on the ice.' Tina said between bites of her breakfast bagel Luke had made her. 'Your boots have such a thick tread.'

'I'm just clumsy.' I replied, going along with the lie I'd told them all. I felt bad for it but I knew mentioning Zed was a terrible idea. Yves looked out of the window, away from me, and I knew he didn't want to lie either.

'Well there's no grit or fluff in it so you'll be fine.' Luke told me. 'It'll just sting. The bandage will stop the plaster from falling off when we're out later. Will you be okay walking about?'

'Of course.' I smiled. 'I don't want to be stuck indoors. What's on the schedule for today?'

Luke grinned and stood up, leaving me sprawled across the sofa. 'Well first I'm going to tell you about our plans for New Year's Eve.'

'We have plans?' I fidgeted. 'I thought we were just hanging here. I didn't bring anything to wear.'

'We're going to Bubba Shrimp's New Year's party.'

Nelson burst out laughing. 'You're joking right?'

'It's a real thing.' Yves piped up. 'Luke and I went a few years back. Had a good time.'

'We did. It's right on Times Square so you can pop in and out to watch the performances all evening without standing around all day to get a good view of the ball drop.' Luke explained. 'Plus food and drink is included and there's a DJ and other entertainment. This year's theme is Great Gatsby.'

'Does this mean we have to dress up?' Tina piped up.

'Absolutely.' Luke nodded. 'You girls can dress all sparkly and us guys can dress in a tux.'

'We need to go shopping!' Zoe cooed.

'And so you shall, Cinderella. I thought we can all go shopping this morning for outfits, grab lunch together and then later we can check out the view from Top of the Rock. I booked us in so we're up there for sunset.' Luke smiled proudly. 'Well?'

'What are you all waiting for?' Tina said through a mouthful. 'Shopping in New York, let's go.'

Tina was just as excited when we walked the one block to Macys, bursting through the door of the Christmas-decorated department store. Shopping in the whole store took longer than planned and by the time we emerged from the store with our dresses and headpieces for the party, I was starving and worn out with a huge portion of my Christmas money spent. I sank into the chair in the restaurant we were meeting the guys in, thankful to be sitting down.

'So I hear Zed's in New York.' Tina said, her eyes meeting mine across the table.

'Oh really?'

'It's all over his Instagram.' Zoe said. Both of their eyes fixed on me. 'What even happened with you two?'

'I'm not really sure.' I bit my lip, fiddling with the menu.

'Was it because of Abigail? Because celebrities pretend to be dating all the time for publicity.' Tina said. She picked up her lemonade and took a sip. 'It's nothing uncommon.' She paused. 'It's a shame he ended up going downhill again but I guess bad boys always do.'

'His grandfather died.' Zoe said, confirming my fears. My heart sank. Poor Zed.

'Really?' Tina sounded surprised. 'How awful.'

'I know.' She sighed. 'Yves said his family were pretty shaken up, especially Zed. He turned back to drink and well, you know the rest.' She paused when she spotted the boys coming into the restaurant. 'Oh good, you made it!'

'We made it? We've been ready for ages.' Nelson said, shaking his head. 'You girls were the ones to ask for extra time because you were lost in Macys.'

'We were!' Tina said, dramatically. 'Did you know they still have their original wooden escalators in there?'

'It's cool, huh?' Luke smiled. 'Good ol' New York.'

The Rockefeller Center was just how I'd imagined it would be and it met my expectations from movies. Sure enough, as we walked towards it, we spotted the famous Christmas tree, lit up and sparkling behind the angel-lined path. The ice rink was there too, busy with people skating around like pros, only one or two people hanging onto the side of the ice rink. Wrapped up in our warmest layers, we took the elevator to the Top of the Rock, right to the 67th floor. I was almost blown away by the view as we walked outside onto the observation deck. The city below us looked tiny, like a model city with tiny ant people and mini toy car taxis. The concrete jungle of a city stood tall with skyscrapers reaching down past the Empire State to the World Trade Center. I felt emotional as I looked South, thinking of how the skyline had looked different fifteen years ago, before terrorism. Snow-covered Central Park stood before me as I moved around the deck, looking like icing sugar covering a Christmas cake. The water and snow-covered greenery was a place of peace and haven amongst the city, the city which was surrounded by water.

'Incredible, isn't it?' Luke whispered, appearing at my side as the light was starting to go, the sun starting to disappear for the night.

'It's beautiful.' I smiled. 'This whole city is. It's so inspirational. I wish I'd brought my guitar.'

'I have a piano back at the apartment.' He replied. 'Look down there. That's Radio City Music Hall.'

'Wow,' I breathed. 'So many people have won Grammys, Emmys, and other awards down there. I bet it's a great place to perform.'

'My mom loves performing there.' He nodded. 'It's a dream of mine to be on that stage one day.'

'And mine.' I smiled and he looked surprised. 'What?'

'I thought you hated performing.'

'It scares the crap out of me but I don't hate it. Performing to an empty crowd would be more preferable. Just being in there.' I looked back out at the city in front of us and sighed. 'The world is such a big place, isn't it?'

Luke sucked in a deep breath and nodded. 'It sure is.'

The next day was spent doing some more sightseeing, except this time we headed South. We visited the 9/11 memorial, the museums there and headed over to the Statue of Liberty by a freezing boat journey. We also learnt about the history of the immigrants and It made me feel like I knew a bit more about America than I had before, making me less of a traitor. We finished the day with take-out pizza and beer in the apartment, hanging out together and watching films set in the city.

On the day before New Year's Eve, we all headed to Central Park, where we ended up in an epic snowball fight. Soon, the girls got cold and they retired to a coffee shop with Nelson and Yves, but I was determined to keep on exploring. As Luke and I walked through the winter wonderland, we found ourselves at Central Park's ice rink.

'I feel like I'm Blair Waldorf.' I said with a smile as I watched people twirling and skating across the real ice. The rink looked somewhat surreal in the middle of a park surrounded by skyscrapers.

'Blair Waldorf?' Luke looked puzzled.

'Can we skate?' I said, hopefully. 'I've never been skating before.'

'Okay.'

There was probably a reason I had skated before. I was a terrible skater as I discovered when Luke had to catch me as soon as I got out onto the rink. I clutched the side and he smiled across at me, clearly trying not to laugh.

'Why do people make this look so easy?' I asked him and he teased me by skating off, swerving in and out of people before coming back to me. I shook my head at him. 'You're from LA, how come you can skate?'

'I used to play ice hockey.' He replied. 'Believe it or not, there are a few rinks in LA. Not as scenic as this one though.'

I rolled my eyes and sighed. 'Oh great one, please teach me to skate.'

'You said it.' He smiled and held his hand out for me. I took it and he pulled me away from the side, catching me before I fell over. 'The key is to balance.'

'It's already not looking great for me then. My balance sucks.'

'I'm not going to let you fall.' He said, his voice suddenly full of seriousness. 'Make sure to lean forwards, not back and keep your legs bent. Now, holding onto me, I want you to slide your feet along the ice.' I did as he asked and we moved along together as he held onto me. 'You're doing great, just please don't break my hand.' He laughed as we skated across the ice. He picked up the pace and I tried not to tighten my grip as we glided across the ice, even if my life was flashing before my eyes. If I fell, it would hurt and I'd have more bruises on my legs.

'Please don't let me fall.' I told him and he squeezed my hand in response.

'I'll never let you fall.' He replied, his voice sincere. We reached a lap and then I spotted a familiar face in the crowd; Zed. And he didn't look happy to see Luke and I hand-in-hand, skating together. I lost my balance and, before Luke could stop me, I crashed to the ground.

Sky, are you okay?

I tucked my fingers in, knowing that my fingers could easily be sliced off by the skate blades, and tried to push myself up off the ground. Zed was near me now, leaning over the barrier. 'Push yourself up, Sky.'

'Benedict?' Luke's voice was like venom as he grabbed me under my armpits and hoisted me up. I slid and he grabbed me tighter, wrapping his arm around me. 'What are you doing here?'

'I'm on vacation, just like you. You know how I love New York.' Zed replied, casually and Luke's eyes narrowed. Zed looked at me and his expression softened. 'Sky, are you okay?'

'I'm fine.' I nodded, the shock wearing off. I grabbed the side of the rink, holding myself up. 'One of these days I might get a better balance. '

'Why don't we get a hot chocolate?'

'Sky isn't going anywhere with you.' Luke hissed, grabbing me.

'Get off of her.'

'What is wrong with you two?' I shout-whispered as people looked our way. I hoped they didn't recognise either of the boys. This didn't need to be front page news the next day. 'Yes, I get stuff has happened and you hate each other but are we really doing this right now?'

'Sky let's go.' Jake said, tugging on my hand. I wriggled out of his grip.

'No. I'm out of here.' I made it to the exit of the rink and quickly swapped back my shoes before hurrying off, aware that both boys were probably right behind me. I ducked under a bridge and out of the way and dipped into a coffee shop down a side-street. I sat myself at the back and ordered a hot chocolate before releasing a breath. What the hell was wrong with guys? My phone buzzed; Luke. It buzzed again; Zed. I turned it off and looked around the room at the almost-empty coffee bar I'd ended up in. It was filled with books and instruments, including a guitar and a piano. The hot chocolate appeared in front of me and I looked up at the woman with thick-rimmed glasses who had delivered it to me.

'Thank you.' I smiled.

'You look like you've had a rough day.' She replied in a thick Brooklyn accent.

'A little.' I nodded.

'That's not good. Only one more day to make things right before the new year.'

I glanced at the beautiful vintage piano again, the one which looked like it had been played many times before. 'May I play your piano?'

'That old thing? It hardly gets much use these days.' She replied. 'But if you want to, go ahead.' She shrugged and walked off. I slipped off my coat and walked over to the piano. I ran my fingers over the lid, enjoying the smoothness but also the roughness where things had been carved into the wood, initials and musical notes. I sat down on the bench and opened the lid, revealing some perfectly conditioned keys. And just like that, I started to play. I started with classics I had learnt when I first started learning to play and then I lost myself in the music. I hadn't realised what I'd started to play until I got to the chorus.

'Close, ooh
Oh, so close, ooh
I want you close, ooh
Cause space was just a word made up by someone who's afraid to get close, ooh.'

I stopped playing and looked up, aware that a few customers were watching me. How had I sub-consciously played that song? I closed the lid of the piano and stood up, downing my hot chocolate and hurrying back out into the cold city. When had it got dark? I turned my phone back on, wishing that I had picked up my map or guidebook this morning. I had no idea where I was, only that I was near Central Park. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out to see Zed was calling me.

'Zed?' I answered against my better judgment.

'Sky. I've been calling you for an hour. Where are you? Are you okay?'

'I'm fine.' I replied. 'Although I'm not sure where I am.'

'Look around, what do you see?'

'Lots of skyscrapers.'

'Yeah that's not very helpful.' He said as I crossed the street. 'Can you see the Empire State.'

I turned on the spot and, sure enough, the Empire State building was in the distance. 'I can.'

'Meet me there.' He replied.

The walk towards the Empire State building took longer than I planned and I knew that Luke wasn't pleased I was meeting Zed there. He'd insisted on coming out to find me but I'd told him I'd be back later and that I would be fine. He'd hung up shortly after that. As I walked along the street, passing Tiffanys on Fifth, I watched people walking around the city happily. Why had we not moved to New York? I preferred it to Los Angeles, although I knew that California was nice because of the beaches. New York was more my style though. It was funky and quirky and people seemed friendlier. People smiled when you passed or nodded at you. In Los Angeles, there were too many well-dressed wannabes and lots of women and girls looked the same; long, straight blonde hair, long legs and tans. Here there were so many different kinds of people and it was artier. But then, I realised, if we'd not gone to LA then I wouldn't have met my friends and they were great, they really were and I was very lucky.

'Sky?'

The American accent took me by surprise and I looked up to see Nick Jonas stood in front of me. Boy it was a small world.

'Nick, hi.' I replied, shyly. It had been a while since I'd heard from him and it seemed weird running into him having just been playing his song subconsciously.

'Happy Holidays.' He said cheerfully. 'Did you come up here with Luke?'

'I did.' I nodded.

'So you're going to watch the performances in Times Square tomorrow? I'll look out for you.' He grinned.

'Yeah in amongst all those people, you'll never find me!'

'I'll try though.' He smiled. 'Well I'll let you get on, it's pretty cold out. See you later, Sky.'

'See you later.' I smiled and we parted ways.

I eventually reached the Empire State building, where there was only a small queue next to the members of staff in their burgundy uniforms. Zed stood by a doorman looking cold, his hands in his pocket and his red scarf covering his nose and his mouth. He spotted me and held up a bare hand in greeting, a hand which was red with cold.

'Sorry, I didn't realise how far away I was.' I told him and he moved his scarf down so that I could see the top of his smile.

'It's okay.' He shrugged. 'Shall we?' He signalled to the door and I tilted my head to the side.

'We're going up?'

'We're going up.' He nodded, pulling two tickets out of his pocket.

'But it's dark, we'll hardly see anything.'

'We will.' He smiled. 'And it will take your breath away.' He led me to the line and we showed our tickets before going straight inside. I relaxed in the warmth of the building, unbuttoning my coat as Zed pulled off some of his layers. I slipped off my gloves and flexed my fingers. 'So what have you done in the city the last few days?'

'We went shopping in Macys for New Year's outfits, went up the Rockefeller Center, visited Lady Liberty and the 9/11 memorial.'

'Wow you've been busy.'

'We have.' I nodded. We walked further into the line towards the elevator and a few people turned our way, recognising Zed now that his hat and scarf were off. I tried to ignore the photos they were snapping of him but it wasn't easy. Zed spoke about his Christmas with his family and asked about mine as we continued moving along the queue line. We reached the elevator and the girl working it widened her eyes as she spotted Zed.

'Oh my god.' She whispered as we stepped into the elevator. She watched Zed as the elevator quickly moved up to the 86th floor. She even watched as we passed her on the way out.

'Are you ready?' Zed asked, pulling back on his hat and scarf. I slipped my gloves back on, knowing outside was going to be freezing, especially as there was no longer any sunlight.

We walked out of the door and onto the 86th floor observation deck and my breath caught in my throat, just like Zed had said it would. The wind whipped my hair across my face and I shivered, wishing I'd wrapped up warmer. I walked over to the fence and looked at the view below. Yes, it was nighttime in New York city but it still looked spectacular. The city was lit up, sprinkled with lights stretching out for miles. Times Square stood below us, shining brightly as always, and the World Trade Center was visible in the distance.

'Wow.' Was all I could say as we moved around, taking pictures of the view. A group of girls approached us, but I didn't care. As they snapped selfies with Zed, I watched the world in front of us, the world that was so small yet so big at the same time. Then a flurry of snowflakes fell around me, one landing on my nose. It was perfect. Magical. I was in Sleepless in Seattle, in one of the most romantic scenes ever made. I looked across at Zed as he said goodbye to the fangirls, his eyes not leaving my face. It made me want to melt, to sink. I shivered again, wrapping my arms around myself.

'Want to go up?' He signalled back to the Empire State building.

'Up?'

'The 102nd floor.' He smiled. 'It's not over yet.'

Another elevator took us higher and I was relieved to see that this was inside, away from the cold. We were the only people up there, other than the lift operator, and we made the most of it. I leaned against the window, watching the snowy city below and I sighed.

'Who said manmade things can't be beautiful?'

'Agreed.' He smiled, his gaze intense. I looked away, feeling heat in my cheeks. 'I'm sorry, Sky.' I glanced back at him and his smile had gone. 'I messed up and I wished I hadn't. It's one of my biggest regrets, letting you go.'

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out.

We're going for dinner in 30. Hope you're coming. T xxx

'I have to head to dinner.' I told Zed and he nodded, a sad look on his face. 'But I'll see you soon okay?'

'Okay.'

People started lining up in Times Square to watch the ball drop from midday. As we cut back through Times Square after shopping, the place was already buzzing with people wearing "Happy new year" headpieces and layer upon layer of clothes. We weaved in and out with our souvenirs, and then we returned to pack.

'Packing wasn't how I planned on spending my last day in New York.' Tina grumbled as she rammed in her new hoodie.

'It'll take ten minutes.' I told her.

'Then we need to start getting ready for tonight.' Zoe grinned. 'Great Gatsby style.' I placed my gifts for Sierra, Simon and Sally into the case and shoved in my Victoria's Secret bag, having raided their PINK sale section.

'Sky, you're so lucky your hair is already curly. It'll take ages to have my hair ready for tonight.' Tina groaned, playing with her red hair. I looked down at my nails, which we'd have done professionally in some little salon a few blocks away.

'Sorry.' I apologised and Zoe laughed, zipping her case closed.

'Right,' she clapped her hands together, 'let's start getting ready.'

Two hours later and I was showered, my scabby knee cleaned up and covered with tights, my hair was in a cute curly updo with a sparkly piece of headwear and I was wearing my flapper-girl dress; a cream-coloured embellished dress, which fell just past my knee. I wore black heels and I'd opted for deep red lipstick and sparkly eye make-up. Tina and Zoe also looked great with their updos and sequinned headbands, matching their black sequin dresses.

'We're waving goodbye to the new year in style.' Tina beamed, posing for some selfies with us. We posed together, snapping pictures until there was a knock at the door.

'Are you girls ready yet?' Nelson called out. 'You're missing out on the champagne.'

In the living room, the boys were stood ready in their different-coloured tuxedos looking dapper. They wolf-whistled as we walked out and I blushed as my female friends cheered in response. Tina went to Nelson, planting a kiss on his lips and Luke came towards me, handing me a glass of champagne.

'Here, as we probably won't get away with drinking underage later.' He said, clinking his glass against mine.

'This isn't your mother's champagne is it? Because that was really quite strong.' I smiled and he grinned back at me. 'You're a terrible influence. Simon said no underage drinking.'

'Simon will never know.' He beamed, walking over to the window. The city below was still bustling, more crowds heading towards Times Square. 'Right all, drink up, we'd better head out if we want to be able to get into Times Square.'

Times Square was packed, more so than I expected. Just getting to Bubba Gump Shrimp was a nightmare, squeezing past people and through barriers guarding by the police. We made it there eventually and, looking at the outside, I felt somewhat overdressed in my sparkly dress. Even as we stepped inside, past curtains and decorations they'd used to make it more Great-Gatsby-esque, I still felt a little over-dressed. We were taken to a booth by the window, with a view of the busy Times Square crowd and stage below, and we tucked into our food straight away. As the evening drew on, however, the party atmosphere started to warm-up. A DJ started playing tunes and people got up, forming a conga line around the restaurant. A guy grabbed me on his way past, pulling me into the line and soon we were all dancing off our dinner.

'Having fun?' Luke asked as he twirled me around in a circle.

'Yeah.' I smiled. 'This was a cool idea.'

'DNCE are on next!' Tina called from our window seat. 'Can we go and watch?' We grabbed our coats and scarves, wrapping ourselves up and making our way to the fenced off area just outside Bubba Gump. We found a spot where we could see the stage and screen and soon DNCE came onto the stage. Our dancing moved outside as we watched Joe Jonas and his band move around the stage, all of us singing along. Next was Fifth Harmony and the girls and I did our best impressions as we strutted around in our fenced-off area. Then it was Nick's turn. He came onto the stage in very few layers, despite the fact it was freezing, and went straight into singing his new single Levels. Luke and I sang along as he moved across the stage and then he spotted us, pointing at us and winking. We cheered and a few people looked our way with puzzled expressions. After his three songs, we headed back inside into the warmth, not too fussed about catching the other acts.

As we sat back down at our table with our mocktails, my phone buzzed.

Having fun? Z xx

Yes, you? Xx

Absolutely xx

I wondered what he was doing, whose party he was at. I realised I hadn't asked him the night before when I'd hurried away, leaving him at the bottom of the Empire State building. My stomach flipped and I realised I felt guilty for leaving him like that, but I was afraid. Afraid I'd get sucked in and hurt again. The way he'd looked at me was still in my head.

'Hey party people!' A voice said and squeals filled the air in response as Nick Jonas strolled into Bubba Gump Shrimp, like he was a normal party reveler.

'Nick Jonas!' A woman near me squealed with excitement. He held up a hand in a wave and walked on over to our group.

'Hey guys.' He said cheerily, patting Luke's back in a friendly welcome. 'Nice dance moves out there.'

Tina and Zoe looked like they were about to join the crowd of excited fangirls hovering nearby, so I decided I would speak. 'Nice performance.'

'Thanks Sky.' He smiled. 'I thought I'd come and join the party in here in the warm instead of hanging about in the cold with people I hardly know.'

'Want a drink?' I asked and he revealed a bottle of champagne.

'They gave me this on the way in. Who wants a glass?'

I looked around and the waiters and waitresses didn't seem bothered, so I let him pour us each a glass. One sip told me it was cheap stuff, not as nice as the stuff we'd had at Luke's before heading out. I shrugged out of my feather boa as a song started up and Nick grabbed me, pulling me to the dancefloor. I laughed as he spun me in a circle and he smiled.

'So it's almost January. Is it too soon to ask if you have considered my offer?'

I thought of how I'd found a coffee shop with a piano in it and how that was the song that had come to mind. I thought of how I didn't want to be famous, but somehow I still wanted to play at Radio City Music Hall. And Madison Square Garden. Sally's words and Luke's words about being once in a lifetime rang in my mind, reminding me that if I turned the offer down, that might just be it. But then was I ready to be in papers and followed by press, more so than I had been just for singing with Zed or singing with Nick? I wasn't sure.

'I want to.' I told him and he stopped dancing, sensing my hesitance.

'But…'

'But I don't want fans and paparazzi chasing me down the street.'

'I'll get you a security guard.' He said, his face serious. 'Someone to keep you safe. And we can get you some new hats.' There was a small smile on his lips as he said the latter. 'Is that a yes? You'll sing with me?'

I bit my lip as I looked across at the hopeful face of one of my idols, someone I never thought I'd ever get to sing with. My heart hammered, with nervousness but also with excitement. 'It's a yes.'

He cheered and picked me up, spinning me around and causing everyone in Bubba Gump to stare at us more than normal. Luke raised an eyebrow at me and then smiled when he suddenly realised why his friend was so happy.

'Sky, you're awesome!' Nick grinned, kissing my cheek. 'So awesome.'

'What's going on?' Tina said, appearing at my side. 'What did we miss?'

'Sky has agreed to collab with me.' He beamed, pulling out his phone. 'And it's only ten minutes til midnight. A great end to the year.'

'You made the right decision.' Luke said, squeezing my shoulder.

'Yes you did.' Nick grinned. 'Man this is such good news! Now I can get back to recording the album as soon as I'm back in L.A.'

'Why were you even deciding?' Tina whispered to me. 'Surely it was a simple 'yes'.'

'It's not that simple.' I replied. 'Things are going to change.'

'Yeah, you're going to have a career!'

'Guys, we need to head outside to get ready for the ball drop.' Zoe called from our seats. She was slipping on her coat in preparation. We walked over and grabbed our jackets too, wrapping up for the cold. Outside the crowd was getting excitable, staring at the ball in anticipation. And then, the countdown started and the shining LED ball slowly started to descend. The countdown reached twenty seconds and little fireworks started to come out the ball as people in the crowd counted down together.

'5, 4, 3, 2, 1… HAPPY NEW YEAR!'

The crowd cheered as confetti burst outwards, falling into the crowd and then suddenly a pair of lips were on mine as the roaring continued around us. The lips were cool and familiar and then they were gone, moving back. I opened my eyes to see Zed stood in front of me, looking breathless.

'Happy new year.' He whispered with a smile.

'How did you-'

'Happy new year!' Tina cooed, kissing my cheek as Zoe kissed the other side and we hugged each other. I turned to wish Luke happy new year but I couldn't see him.

'Happy new year partner.' Nick grinned, hugging me and kissing my cheek. I glanced around for Luke but where was he? I turned back to Zed and he smiled at me, his familiar and lopsided smile as the crowd started to sing.

'Start spreading the news
I am leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York.'

I pushed through the crowd, desperate to find Luke and then I spotted the back of his head as he made his way indoors.

'Start spreading the news
I am leaving today
I want to be a part of it
New York, New York.'

I reached him and grabbed him arm, turning him towards me. 'Luke!'

'Why does everyone go after Zed Benedict?' His face looked pained. 'He's a jerk and I thought after everything you would have sided with me, but there you are falling for his bad-boy personality and good looks again Sky.'

'Luke I-'

'I thought you weren't one of those girls. I thought you were better than that.' And with that, Luke, one of my best friends, stormed off through the crowd of millions of people who had gathered to ring in the New Year.