Jess's POV
Today, we went back to the Art Institute. Walking around all the exhibits, we saw pieces both beautiful and weird. I stopped at each piece, reading the little description plaques. Ryder seemed less interested in the art as he kept zoning out. I'd nudge him and ask if he liked a piece and he'd just nod. Eventually, I realized that this just wasn't his thing so I took him to the next stop: 360 Chicago. Basically, it is this huge skyscraper where you go up like 50 floors and then look out at the city below. Sure, I'm afraid of heights, but we were closed in so it's not like anyone could drop me. Still, Ryder held my hand tightly as we walked by the windows. It was actually quite beautiful outside. I had someone take a picture for us and this time Ryder actually smiled towards the camera. We stayed up there for maybe 30 minutes, getting drinks from the bar. Ryder got a beer, while I got a cocktail. Being as immature as he as, he laughed when I ordered it: a "Fuzzy Naval". I rolled my eyes, paying for the drinks and then clinking my glass against his: "Cheers, Silly." He smiled at me, leaning in and kissing my cheek before taking a swig of beer.
Once we were done with our drinks, we walked over to the Ghirardelli Store, where we shared a huge peanut butter sundae. After a few quick bites, I felt the brain freeze coming so I decided to distract myself with conversation. "Hey, Lynn?" I asked, holing my head. He looked at me worriedly, "You ok, Jess?" I nodded, "Brain freeze- just talk about something. Anything." He chuckled, "Hmmm… What do you think Liz is going to do when we get back?" I chuckled, "Oh gosh, she'll probably tackle us and ask when the wedding is gonna be." He chuckled, taking another scoop into his mouth. "Keep going!" I whined. He made an 'oh, right' face and dropped his spoon, "What else do you have planned for today?" I took my phone out, looking at my schedule, and shrugged: "We have some time to chill before the concert." His eyebrows furrowed, "Wait- what concert?" I smirked, "Cher." He let out a groan jokingly and then winked at me: "Kidding- but seriously, if she sings 'Fernando,' I am going to laugh my ass off." I shook my head, wanting to hit him, but stopping myself. You need to stop that. "I hope she sings it just so I can serenade you again." He smiled at me, taking another scoop of the ice cream and then looking up at me, "Is the brain freeze gone?" I nodded, smiling at him and then taking a few more bites- slower this time, obviously.
As we walked out, it started snowing. We were about to call a Lyft, but then I saw a few protesters near a bridge across from Trump Tower. I smiled, running over tot them- Ryder following closer behind me. Their signs said things like "No Human is Illegal on Stolen Land" and "All Our Kids Matter." I smiled, cheering them on and taking a picture with them. They invited me to join them and I looked over at Ryder, who was a little uncomfortable. I turned back to them, declining respectfully and then walking Ryder to the street again. "Sorry, I just thought they were cool for doing that," I said, holding his hand. He nodded, looking at the ground, "Ya, but I don't trust strangers. Especially angry ones." I nodded, nudging him, "Well, we can go to the park or we can go to the hotel and chill before the concert." He looked over at me and smirked, "We both know that if we go to the hotel, we'll fall asleep and miss the concert." I giggled, "Ok, true. Then the park it is. Wanna walk or take the Lyft?" He shrugged so I just had us walk the rest of the way. It actually wasn't that far, but the weather didn't help. "Ok, forget this, let's go inside somewhere and get a real meal," Ryder grumbled. I nodded, pulling him into a random diner. We were seated right away by a lovely old lady name Brenda. She got us our table, handing us our menus and then ran to go get some waters. Ryder stared at me, "Ok, how is this the best service we've had so far?" I shrugged, giggling quietly, "All I know is, I hope they don't cook alligator."
Ryder's POV
Once we finished eating, Jess said it would be best for us to get to the concert early- so we ended up getting in a Lyft. The ride was about 20 minutes long but, of course, Jess made friends with the driver. I swear she is the sweetest. The guy started checking her out from the rearview mirror and I held her hand tighter. She looked over at me, smirking, and then whispered, "Calm down, I'm yours." I sighed in relief, smiling at her and then letting them continue to talk the rest of the way. When we arrived to the stadium, Jess thanked the driver and we got out. "Mine, huh?" I asked, smiling down at her as we walked inside. She shrugged, blushing deeply. I chuckled, "Well, you better be mine after making me sit through this show." She rolled her eyes and I smirked, pulling her over to a counter where they were selling t-shirts: "What do you want? I'll but you anything." She shook her head, but I insisted. "Fine, the blue one up there," she said, pointing to one of the hanging shirts. I smiled, asking the vendor to get it. "What size?" he asked in a hurry- busy with all the customers around us. I looked back at Jess and she frowned slightly, "Adult Large." I nodded, looking back at the man and telling him the size. He went back and grabbed one of the shirts from a cardboard box, then handed it to me. I paid for it and thanked him. I turned around, pulling Jess out of the mass of people before handing her the shirt. She gave me a small smile as she took it in her hands. "You ok?" I asked, noticing her lack of enthusiasm. "I just hate how much weight I've gained. I mean- I was never skinny, but still…" I hugged her quickly, "Babe, don't worry about that. Your size doesn't matter. You're beautiful." She cuddled into me for a second before we were pushed by a group of people trying to make it to their seats. We both groaned and moved aside. She let out a quiet giggle and I smiled at her, chuckling a bit myself. I kissed her temple quickly before grabbing her hand and walking us towards the stands. "What seat are we?" I asked. She held up a finger before looking through her purse, "34 and 35B." I nodded, looking around the stadium and following the seat directory. It only took up about 5 minutes before we sat down. Well, before I sat down. Jess was so excited, she remained standing, staring down at the stage. I chuckled, leaning back in my seat, looking around at all the older people in the audience. I think we're the youngest people here.
Cher came out and Jess screamed along with the crowd. Everyone was standing at that point so I got up too. I looked to my side and Jess was rocking back and forth, singing along to each song. It wasn't until Cher started singing "Waterloo" that she looked over and me. She tugged on my arm, pleading for me to sing along. I rolled my eyes, smiling down at her and starting to sing. I wasn't really a Cher fan, let alone an ABBA one, but her smile was worth it. Jess looked from the performance back to me, singing so loud I could actually hear her. Once that song was done, I was going to go get us some drinks, but Cher started on "Fernando" and I knew that Jess would kill me if I left during it. In fact, Jess focused all her attention on me during the song. She wrapped her arms around my neck and giggled as she sang. I just smiled down at her, loving every second of it. I loved how she was so happy. I loved how her smile was so big her dimples were showing. I loved how her eyes were staring back at mine… I just loved everything about her in that moment.
