So this was fun to write. I kind of have an idea of where I'm going with this story, in a loose sense, and charted it out a little. It looks like it's going to be 30ish chapters, with the various ideas I have. It might be longer or shorter depending on my inspiration, but for the plot I have in mind to conclude, yeah, it looks like 30 chapters.

Thanks for all your support. I'm really glad y'all are liking the friendship. It's just my personal opinion that to be in a romantic relationship requires like some friendship beforehand, which is why the genre can be so frustrating sometimes.

Enjoy!

...

Alia left the house at ten in the morning, her heart aflutter with excitement. She couldn't believe she was actually going to do this, actually going on an adventure.

Well, that was a bit of an overstatement. She was really going to catch a bus to Seattle that Saturday while her parents were away at a medical conference of their own. It had taken a bribe to get Avantika to promise to keep her mouth shut, but she really didn't mind doing two weeks of her sister's English homework.

It was an impulsive decision of course. She had been browsing the internet the night before when she'd seen that her favorite band was performing in Seattle that very weekend. She organised everything in a hurry right then and was up all night with excitement.

However, she was just past the hedge, when she bumped into what felt like a brick wall. That brick wall happened to catch her by the arms though. "Huh? Edward?" she asked, confused as she registered who it was. "What are you doing here?"

Edward tilted his head and only looked her over. When she looked at him expectantly, he held up a book. "I finished it last night. I couldn't wait to get the next book, so I came over."

Alia got distracted immediately by the book in Edward's hands. "Ooh, you liked it? That's great. I can't wait for you to get to the fourth book. The plot twist is just amaz— oops, don't want to spoil it. What did you think of—"

"Were you going somewhere, Alia?"

"Huh? Oh right." she laughed bashfully. She was leaving the house with a stuffed backpack heavier than the one she normally took out. "I'm going to Seattle today!"

"By yourself?" She could have sworn Edward's brow twitched.

"I would have invited you if I didn't decide to go at midnight." Alia grinned at him. "Also, I don't think you know the band."

"The band?!"

"Yup! Caustic Reign!" At Edward's frankly distressed look, Alia took a moment to explain fully. "They're one of those bands you called 'loud noise'. They're playing in this pub in Seattle and I thought I'd go!"

Edward only stared at her. "So let me get this straight… You randomly decided to drop everything and go to some seedy pub in a city you've never been to—"

"I've been to Seattle!"

"Going with your parents ten years ago doesn't count. Let me continue. You're going to some seedy pub in a city you've never been to just to see a band you've liked for six months?"

"So I need to know the band for a full year before moving to the next step of our relationship?" she could only grin at him.

He put his head in his hands and groaned. "You're unbelievable. Where were you thinking of staying for the night?"

"I was actually thinking of just making it a daytrip."

Edward crossed his arms and glowered at her. The expression was almost scary. "What time does your band stop playing?"

"Uh, midnight I think?"

"And how long is the bus ride between Forks and Seattle?"

"Four hours… Oh. I see your point. Well, it'll just be an all-nighter. I've done plenty of those before."

"You're really set on this, aren't you?" Edward shook his head incredulously.

"Yup." Alia said honestly. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, Edward. How can you blame me?"

"I'm not blaming you." Edward sighed. "I just— think you're a little reckless, is all. How about this? Let me come with you."

"What? Really?" Half of her was excited at the prospect of spending the day with her best friend and sharing the experience of Caustic Reign. The other was pissed off that Edward thought she couldn't do something as simple as getting on a bus by herself.

"You don't want me to come?" Edward said quietly at the long silence he was greeted with.

"No… it's just. You don't like the band, so I don't get why you'd want to come along."

"I like spending time with you." Alia couldn't help but smile at that. "Besides, driving is a lot faster than taking the bus. You could shave off a few hours of the trip that way. I also haven't been to Seattle yet and was interested in checking it out."

"And you're worried about me."

There was a pause in Edward's breathing. "I won't lie. I am."

Alia bit her lip. Even though he could be overbearing, he was sincere. And the best friend a girl could ask for. "Well, okay. I swear, you're on old lady trapped in the body of a teenage boy. Let's do it. One condition: you have to give the band a chance, kay?"

"I swear." Edward grinned.

"Hey Edward?" Alia asked when he came to pick her up half an hour later with his own bag and silver Volvo that he was now legally able to drive. "You seem tired. Are you sure you're up for driving?"

"Of course." Edward said. It was a thing with Edward. He had these occasional bouts where he looked exhausted, with his skin paler than normal, and eyes a darker shade of green. Maybe his eyes just looked darker because of the bruise like bags under his eyes. It was his oddly delicate health, he'd explained once when she'd asked earlier in their friendship. He usually bounced back immediately. He smiled at the concerned look on his face. "Who's a worried old lady now? We'll pull over if I faint, alright?"

"Okay!"

The drive passed by in a flash. Edward was amused that in the time he'd taken to go home and get ready for the journey, she had printed out multiple maps with various routes for them to take that she'd labelled in purple sharpie, but she didn't see why being prepared was funny. It wasn't like he'd ever driven to Seattle before!

"You brought your medication, right?" he asked, as they were pulling into the city.

"Shit." she scrambled through her bag, trying to remember if she'd packed it. "Yeah, it's here." she waved the little pill box with the sectioned days in it. She'd been super careful to take her prescription at 10 pm every night as her doctor told her to. Edward nodded in satisfaction and they resumed their conversation about the latest series they were reading.

Since they got to Seattle by the afternoon, they had time to kill until the concert. Alia delighted in all the shops that Forks didn't have and used the money she'd been saving up from working at the library to buy a few games for her Nintendo as well as a dozen books that she'd never seen in the Forks library.

"Lovecraft?" Edward asked, inspecting the largest anthology she'd picked up when she dumped her shopping bags in the Volvo.

"What can I say? I'm feeling spooky."

He gave her a funny look, but didn't comment on it further. Instead, he came up with a brilliant idea to go see the museum and art gallery, which Alia would have spent a week in if she had the opportunity. She loved all the historical stuff in Forks, especially with the stuff at the reserve, but none of it held a candle to the vast collections in the Seattle museum.

When it was time for the concert, they hunted down the bar downtown. Suddenly, Alia was glad that Edward was by her side, because all the patrons of the bar were older, at least college students, if not full on biker types. She'd never tell him, but she definitely felt safer with him there. "Oh, Caustic Reign, I get it." Edward mused with a half-smile. "Shall we?"

It was as magical as she was hoping it'd be. The lead singer had an enchanting, powerful presence and her voice was just as good live. It had to be to compete with the powerful instruments of the band. They sat at a small table Edward managed to snag, with a good view of the band and everyone crowding and shoving by the stage.

Even Edward had a few compliments to pay on their drive back, which was surprising because he looked like the music was almost painfully loud or something. Alia raved with all her excitement about her favorite moments, and then promptly fell asleep by the time they reached the highway.

She woke up to Edward tapping her on the shoulder gently. She rubbed her heavy eyes and saw that they were in front of her house in Forks and it was still pitch black out. "Wow, that was fast." She saw that he had placed his coat on top of her like a blanket, which she folded and put on the seat and stepped out of the car with her bags. "Thanks Edward." she said with a sleepy smile as he rolled down the window and poked his head out. "This was the best day ever."

"I had fun too." Edward admitted with a smile. "Get some rest now."

"You too! See you at school!" she rolled her eyes to see him wait until she was in the house before driving away. She went up the stairs and fell straight into bed with a content sigh.

It may have been an impulsive choice, but she didn't regret it for a second.