'Do you have to go?' Ed said with a pout the following Monday morning when I was stood at Victoria station. It was just two days after the gig and I was still buzzing with excitement, despite the fact that I was returning to work that evening.

'Yes.' I replied with a laugh. 'I'm surprised Stefan let me have two weeks off as it is... plus he's letting me have this weekend off for Abby's hen party and then next Saturday off for the wedding... I kind of owe him.' Although after performing onstage to thousands of people on Friday, returning to be a barmaid in new Brighton hang-out 'The Library' was going to be pretty dull.

'I'll miss you.' He whispered, his eyes serious.

'And I'll miss you.' I replied with a smile. 'Especially as you're leaving the country.' I added with a frown.

He sighed. He had two homes; his lovely two bedroom apartment in Camden I'd been staying in and he also owned a ranch in Nashville, which was where he spent most of his time. He had a flight back to Nashville that evening as he had an interview there tomorrow and he was seeing Taylor Swift's show at the weekend. I wished I was going too. 'It sucks, I know.' He said, sincerely. 'But I'll see you next Sunday?'

A whole thirteen days away and he was missing Abby's wedding, which I had invited him to as my plus one. 'I'll see you then.'

'Hey.' He said, noticing my sad expression. He pulled me in and kissed me softly on the lips. 'I'll Skype you when you get in from work tomorrow night okay?'

'Okay.' I almost added 'I love you' but I decided against it. I hadn't mentionned anything about the lyrics of his song he had performed on Friday night, although it wasn't going unnoticed on social media; it was all over MTV news pages and on Youtube, and I had noticed that the likes on my Facebook Page had increased too. My train was called so I disappeared to the platform with the rest of the public, blending in once again as I pulled Ed's hoodie tightly around myself.

I got home around midday, so I had just over an hour to get ready for work. After a quick shower, I straightened my long brunette hair and threw on my leather-look trousers and a black off-the-shoulder jumper with a long chain necklace and my black ballet bumps. We had no uniform at the bar, but we were expected to wear all black. I grabbed my jacket and smiled at the business card which fell out, the Warner Records logo clear on it. Of course, they'd asked me to call them today. With a quick glance at the clock I realised I had fifteen minutes before I had to leave for work. Was that enough time to call them? I gave it a shot anyway.

'Hello, Warner Records, can I help you?'

'Er, hello, it's Lucy May here, I was ringing to speak to...'

'Joseph's in a meeting currently, Miss May.' The receptionist replied quickly. 'He did say he'd asked you to call.'

'Oh.' I replied, cringing at how stupid I sounded.

'He's asked me to organise a meeting with you at our London office. Are you available on Monday 15th November at 10am?'

Two weeks today? I probably was if I spoke nicely to Stefan. 'Yes, absolutely.' I replied, grabbing my diary and scribbling the address down and the information she was giving me.

'If you could bring your demo CD and guitar that would be wonderful.'

My guitar? Was I performing. Oh, shit. 'Erm okay.'

'Thank you for calling. Have a nice day.' And then she was gone and I was left looking at the phone in my hand. Looks like I was going to be on time for work after all.

The Library had only opened a few weeks previously, but business already seemed to be doing well. The worn velvet sofas and leather vintage armchairs were filled with locals and the occassional tourist who had stopped in when visiting The Lanes. I looked up at the stage with the microphone set up, where I had performed not too long ago. It seemed a whole other world away from my performance at Koko.

'Sup, superstar!' Hector, my colleague with thick-rimmed glasses said as he waved at me. 'I've been on Youtube, nice performance.'

'Thanks.' I replied, shyly as a few customers glanced over at me, trying to work out who I was. 'I'll go put my stuff out the back.' I headed to the staff room, where I quickly grabbed a glass of water and put my bag in the locker and my coat on the rack.

'Hello gorgeous.'

I turned to see Stefan had joined me, a sly grin on his face. 'Boss.' I said, ignoring the compliment he had just paid me. 'Has it been this busy the whole time I've been in London?'

'Yeah, pretty much.' He shrugged, leaning against the doorframe with his arms folded. 'Business is doing well. Helps though when our only female member of staff is in the papers.'

'Huh, you saw that?' I said, nervously as I bit my lip; it was a bad habit of mine.

'Got to make sure any publicity is good publicity. Nice dress at that record label party the other day. You should wear it to work some time or maybe I could take you out somewhere nice?'

'Mate, why would she go out with you when she has Ed Sheeran?' Hector said as he appeared in the doorway, shaking his head. 'Now both of you get out here, a stag do have just come in...' He gave my outfit a once-over. 'Actually, Luce, maybe you'd better serve them as our only female member of staff.'

'God damn it.' I said with a laugh, although truthfully I was grateful to get away from Stefan. I walked into the bar and looked at the Stag Do in their cringey matching t-shirts which read 'Pussay Patrol'. Inbetweeners Movie anyone? 'Hey guys, what can I get you?' I said as they sat down on the bar stools.

'Sweet! A barmaid!' One of them said and I resisted rolling my eyes. This was what the hen weekend was going to be like, I was sure of it. Abby, Leanne's older sister, was getting married a week on Saturday and I had been invited to the wedding as I was 'part of the family.' She'd even asked me to sing a few songs too, which I'd happily agreed to. The hen party was going to be crazy, from how Leanne had described it, I just hoped there were no 'Penis patrol' t-shirts involved so we didn't end up looking like the rowdy stags sat in front of me.

'We'll each have a jagerbomb!' A man with 'Stevie' marked on his t-shirt said with a smile that looked like it was supposed to have been flirtacious. 'And a kiss.'

'Six jagerbombs and no kisses coming up.' I replied, getting to work.

'Playing hard to get?'

'Definitely not.' I replied with a playful grin. I made up the jagerbombs and placed them in front of them, showing them the price of the drinks on the screen. They handed over a credit card and typed in their pin. I slid the drinks their way and went to serve another customer.

Half an hour later and the stags were pretty wasted and dancing to the cheesey 80s music Stefan had put through the speaker system. Stefan called me over after I had finished cleaning a table. 'It's getting pretty busy and they're spending loads.' He said, signalling to the stag do. 'I'm assigning you as their personal table service.'

'What?' I groaned with a frown. 'But they're playing truth or dare. I don't want to be involved in that.'

Stefan raised an eyebrow at me. 'You've not been here in two weeks, you owe me. Now make them spend loads and write a good review on Tripadvisor and take your hair out of that ponytail, it looks better down.'

Realising that I had to actually listen to my boss' requests, I pulled my hairband out and shook my hair so that it fell over my shoulders. I quickly took off my jumper so that I was wearing just my strapless black top with my trousers and headed over to the table, where the best man was flicking through some 'dare cards.' 'Can I get you anymore drinks?' I asked with a flutter of the eyelashes.

'Sweet, we've got our own barmaid!' Someone piped up and I shot them a smile I hoped they wouldn't realise was fake. 'Babe, we need some beers and some shots.'

'Not a problem.' I smiled, fetching their order. When I returned, they were all looking at me.

'I knew you looked familiar.' The groom said, squinting at me.

'Oh?' I said, putting their drinks on the table.

The groom turned his phone around, showing a photograph of me with Ed from the Warner Record's party almost two weeks ago. We were stood on the red carpet, Ed kissing my cheek and me smiling as he had just introduced me to the press has his girlfriend. It was currently my profile picture and had a crazy amount of 'likes' on it. 'What on earth are you doing working here? Aren't you a singer?' The groom continued.

'Erm.. yes... but got to make a living somehow.' I replied with an awkward laugh.

'Babe, Ed's lucky to have you.' Someone piped up. 'You're well fit.'

I cringed at the weird compliment. 'Er thanks.'

The rest of the night was weird. They asked me questions about Ed, which I ignored and then questions about myself, some of which I answered. They continued their game of dares and I was thankful not to be included in any but the 'how many hugs can you get in a minute' dare. After posing for a photo with them, they headed elsewhere for the night and I wondered where on earth they were continuing their Monday night in Brighton. Hector called me a taxi that night, letting me sneak out after I'd cleaned the floors and tables.

'Quick, get out of here before Stefan is back from cashing up.' My deputy-manager said with a smile. 'He's worked you hard enough tonight.'

'Thanks.' I said, gratefully, and I headed home for a much-needed sleep.

The rest of the week, work was pretty quiet and it seemed to fly by. I spent the mornings helping Leanne organise her sister's hen party and the afternoons and evenings working in the bar until late, thankful that I was unrecognisable with my hair in a tight bun, and then Skyping Ed before I went to bed. Before I knew it, it was Friday morning and I was on a train with my campervan-patterned suitcase, ready for a weekend with the girls. Very few people had been invited to Abby's hen party; only myself, Leanne, Kat (Abby's other bridesmaid), and Abby's friends Tasha, Lauren and Jessie. Leanne's mum and the groom's mum were taking her to afternoon tea on the Monday as they had decided they were 'too old' to come for a 'wild' weekend in Bristol.

'So what have you got planned for me for this weekend?' Abby asked, adjusting the 'Bride to be' sash I'd given her on arrival at Brighton station.

'We can't tell you that.' Leanne replied with a wicked grin. 'You'll have to wait and see.'

'But where are we staying?'

'You'll find out in approximately three and a half hours.'

And we did. Three and a half hours later and we had followed Leanne to the hotel we were staying in, right in the city centre. We were staying in a four star Marriott spa hotel, which was located right by the harbour. The hotel was grand, but we'd paid a fair price for it so it wasn't too bad. The lobby had marble floors and mahoghany furniture and the gentleman behind the desk greeted us with a smile. 'Can I help you?'

'Hello, we've booked three rooms under the name Leanne.' Leanne said with a flirtacious smile, although I was sure the receptionist was gay.

He typed something into his computer and smiled. 'Wonderful and all paid for already. Your rooms are all together and on the third floor with a lovely view of the harbour. Here's your keys and there's spares down here should you need any. I hope you have a pleasant stay with us.'

'Thank you.' Abby beamed, taking in the decor. 'This place is so cool!'

'So I did good?' Leanne beamed as we made our way to the elevator.

'You did very good sis.'

I was sharing a room with Leanne as I'd met the other girls a few times but I didn't know them quite well enough. Not that I minded sharing a room with my best friend anyway. We'd ended many nights out and nights in with curling up in a double bed and falling asleep covered in smudged make-up anyway. The room was decorated in a soft yellow and was made up of two comfy twin beds, decorated with white linen, a desk and dressing table, a blue armchair and a modern white-tiled ensuite bathroom. It was simple and comfy and not too posh, which was perfect.

I collapsed back on the bed as my phone bleeped and I smiled as I read the message:

Going to miss Skyping you later. What are your plans in Bristol? xxx

'Missing you already?' Leanne sighed, collapsing on my bed beside me. 'Oh woe is me.'

'Hush you!' I said, launching a pillow in her direction.

Massages, sauna, hanging out in my bikini... buying new clothes and drinking. Standard stuff xxx

The reply came quickly and I smiled:

Bikini?! xxx

'Right, I am taking this from you so there is no naughty sexting.' Leanne tutted and I rolled my eyes as she locked my phone and put it in her bag. 'What? It's a girl's weekend. Besides, I've not had any juicy details in a while. Last thing you told me was that you had shared a bed together.'

'And that's still it.' I told her, cracking my knuckles and making her wince. 'Taking things slow, remember?'

'And how do you both feel about that?'

'Fine.' I replied, hoping he was fine about that.

There was a knock at the door and thankfully Leanne jumped up and answered it. 'Okay we're coming, we're coming.'

'Where are we going?' I asked, sitting up.

'Duh, loser, we're going shopping!'

Bristol was a great place for shopping and I wished I'd been there before. There was the Bristol Shopping Quarter, filled with designer brands and high-street stores. We all ventured into Topshop and New Look, where we all invested in new little black dresses for our night out the following day. Then we headed to Clifton Village, which couldn't be any more different. Near to the Clifton Suspension bridge, the buildings were mainly of Georgian and Regency architecture, making it a little more picturesque than the area we were staying in. The village was made up of boutiques and vintage stores and I spent far too much money on clothes to add to my fifties wardrobe. After the shops closed, we headed back to the hotel and then went out for dinner and a comedy show. So far, it was a very tame hen party but I had no idea what was instore for the next day...

'Eugh, you all look too fabulous in bikinis.' Abby tutted as she placed her fluffy white towel on a lounger by the indoor pool the next day. Decorated with grecian sculptures and columns, it almost felt like we were abroad. Abby was not fat, but she did have a size fourteen hour-glass figure which suited her perfectly and I was envious because I looked boyish stood next to her.

'Don't be silly.' Kat tutted in response, wrapping her arms around her slim figure self-consciously.

'I'm glad I didn't decide on a pool party wedding.' Abby frowned, looking at me in my red bikini which gave the illusion that I had bigger breasts than my 34bs.

'You wouldn't have done that anyway.' Leanne shook her head. 'Uncle Mark would have turned up in his speedos.'

Abby spat out her drink and we all laughed in unision. 'Gross, Lea.'

'You know it's true.'

'It's a shame though in some ways.' Kat said, looking thoughtful. 'I might have found a nice man with a six pack. Please tell me you have some coming.'

'Yes, please do.' Leanne nodded in agreement. 'Sopster over here,' she signalled to me, 'is driving me crazy with her gushy messages and then Ed's busy writing gushy songs about her...'

'You're just jealous because you always loved Ed Sheeran.' Abby said with a sly smile.

'Erm.. guys.. this is kinda awkward, you know? I feel like I did when Lea told Ed that she had posters of him on her bedroom wall.' I said, my palm on my head in despair.

'Wait, what?' Abby's eyebrows shot high in the air and her friends giggled. 'Please tell me you did not tell Ed Sheeran that you have posters of him on your wall?'

'Oh she did.' I replied as my friend blushed beside me. 'Coolest thing ever to say.'

'Oh my god!' Lauren snorted, making us all laugh again.

'Can we just change the subject?' Leanne pleaded, her cheeks crimson.

'Ladies, your treatments are ready for you.' A man dressed in all white said from beside the pool. I'd never seen Leanne move so fast.

Our spa day was lovely and relaxing and just what I needed after a busy week at work. We all had manicures and pedicures as well as a full-body massage, something which I had been worried about as it involved lying on a table pretty much naked! By the evening, I felt lovely and relaxed and we enjoyed an early dinner in the hotel before heading up to mine and Leanne's room to get ready.

'Vino anyone?!' Tasha beamed, pulling out a bottle of white wine from her bag.

'Absolutely!' Lauren grinned, giving her a playful nudge. 'Let's start this party.'

'Just please don't burn my ears!' Abby said, her eyes wide as Lauren straightened her hair. Getting ready altogether was one thing I really loved about girls night out. It was the reason why Leanne and our friend Adriana often headed over to my flat before a night out.

'Lucy, your hair is so cute!' Jessie complimented me as she ran her fingers through my natural waves. 'Is it like this always?'

'Yes, lucky bitch.' Leanne said from beside me and I playfully blew her a kiss.

'Mind if I add some curls?' Jessie asked, lifting up the curling tong.

'Sure.' I smiled. After all, I'd found out she was a hairdresser.

'So Ed, huh? He seems cute.'

'Yeah, he's great.' I smiled and the girls all smiled back at me.

'Is he as romantic as his songs suggest?' Abby asked from beside me.

'Shouldn't we be asking you questions like this? It's your hen party.' I replied with a laugh.

'Oh please, we've got all night for that. Besides, Dean and I have been together for ten years. Everyone knows all about us already!'

'Well.. he can be romantic.' I said, unsure of whether to elaborate or not.

'Come on, tell us some romantic things, some relationship goals!' Jessie pleaded from behind me, dropping some curls over my shoulder.

Leanne raised an eyebrow. 'Well he did take her to the Sealife Centre for their first date, even though she says it wasn't a date, and he bought her a cuddly turtle because she fed one with him.' She rummaged around in my bag and pulled out Gulliver. 'Aha! I knew it!'

'Awh, he's so cute!' Kat cooed as Leanne passed my cuddly turtle to her.

'He is.' Abby grinned. 'Go on, what else can you spill?'

I realised that there was probably a lot I hadn't told Leanne and I hoped she wasn't going to be angry with me about it. I bit my lip in thought before continuing. 'He danced around his living room to Michael Buble with me after a party we went to.' I said, smiling at the memory. Leanne raised her eyebrows and I mouthed 'sorry' to her across the room.

The record label party had been cool and I'd had a few too many to drink. Ed was making me a cup of tea in the kitchen and I turned on the music channels, desperate for the night not to end. Then Michael Buble had come on, someone who I'd always loved to listen to and I'd been lucky enough to see in concert with my mum.

'You're a falling star, you're the get away car.

You're the line in the sand when I go too far.

You're the swimming pool, on an August day.

And you're the perfect thing to say.'

'I love this song!' I smiled, singing along and dancing in barefoot on the wooden flooring.

'And you play it coy but it's kinda cute.

Ah, when you smile at me you know exactly what you do.

Baby don't pretend that you don't know it's true.

'cause you can see it when I look at you. '

Ed placed a hand on the small of my back and took my hand with his other. I blushed at the action and at how close our bodies were to each other. Were we about to re-enact his Thinking Out Loud video? I wasn't sure.

'And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times

It's you, it's you, you make me sing.

You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.

You're a carousel, you're a wishing well,

And you light me up, when you ring my bell.

You're a mystery, you're from outer space,

You're every minute of my everyday.'

He sang the next part of the song to me, making my knees weak and my heart sink in my chest.

'And I can't believe, uh that I'm your man,

And I get to kiss you baby just because I can.

Whatever comes our way, ah we'll see it through,

And you know that's what our love can do. '

I smiled like an idiot, unable to stop myself.

'And in this crazy life, and through these crazy times

It's you, it's you, you make me sing.

You're every line, you're every word, you're everything.'

When the song had finished, he pulled me in for a kiss and whispered, 'your tea's getting cold.'

'Now that's the cutest thing ever!' Abby cooed, giving me a smile. 'Hold onto him, Luce, seriously, he's a keeper.'

'And he wrote that song about you, didn't he?' Jessie beamed. 'Definitely a keeper.'

I smiled to myself; they had no idea.

An hour later and the wine bottle was empty and we were ready for a night out. Tasha pulled out her selfie stick and encouraged us all to squish in for a photo, so I quickly gave my outfit a once-over; my little black dress finished half-way above my thigh. It was strapless and tight-fitting with peplum detail around the waist. I'd teamed it with my highest and comfiest black platforms and a gold statement necklace with my gold clutchbag. My make-up involved smokey eyes and my hair was in loose, long curls. Each of our dresses was a different shape, but it was clear we were together. Leanne was wearing a strapless black skater dress; Abby was wearing a black dress with a tulle skirt; Kat's dress was a bodycon midi dress; Jessie's was a black leather skater dress; Tasha's was a knee-length black dress with a sweetheart neckline; and Lauren was wearing a black bodycon sequin dress. I felt like we were in a girlband or something, even more so as we took photographs and uploaded them to Facebook and Instagram. I took a full-length photo of me with Leanne and quickly sent it to Ed, hoping he would approve of my outfit. Then we headed out.

We started our night in Java, a cool cocktail bar not too far from where we were staying. Leanne had called ahead and reserved us a table, so we skipped the queue and walked straight into our brown leather booth, tucked into the corner of a room with sparkling chandeliers and engraved wooden walls. We took off our jackets and headed straight to the bar as my phone buzzed in my bag.

Looking beautiful and smoking hot. Must see that dress in person some time. Have a good night and try to behave yourself xxx

I smiled and then tucked it away. I wasn't going to be on my phone again, unless I was taking pictures of course.

'What can I get you?' The barman asked me as Leanne squeezed into the space beside me.

'We'll have a round of shots to that table.' Leanne said, pointing at our table. 'And I'll have your finest cocktail.'

'Finest? Which would you like?'

'Surprise me.' She smiled flirtaciously and I stopped myself from laughing. She was the flirty one in our group, the one who always pulled. It was just unfortunate that she tended to pull the ones who were good-looking but were arseholes.

Ten minutes later and we ended up downing our shots and in a game of 'Never have I ever', which seemed pretty deadly and I suddenly wished I was innocent.

'Never have I ever kissed a friend's brother.' Abby said, looking at Kat who drank up straight away.

'God, everyone's going to think I'm an awful friend!' Kat groaned.

'Wait, you kissed Liam?!' I said in surprise, referring to Abby and Leanne's brother. He was a looker, yes, and he was older but that surprised me.

'She was drunk.' Leanne explained. 'Halloween a few years back.'

'And they won't ever let me forget it.' Kat sighed, putting down her glass. 'Okay... Never have I ever had a one night stand.' I watched as Leanne and Jessie sipped at their drinks. How had we ended up on dirty questions already?

'This is hardly fair, you've not had anything to drink.' Jessie said to me with a frown which quickly turned into a wicked smile. 'Never have I ever kissed someone famous.'

'Eugh.' I sighed, sipping at my drink.

'Never have I ever owned a piece of Ed Sheeran merchandise.' Lauren continued, looking pointedly at Leanne.

Everyone but me had a sip of drink and then Leanne turned to me with a glare. 'Gulliver the turtle.'

'That's hardly merchandise.' I said, shaking my head.

'Ed Sheeran's hoodie.'

'Again, not really merchandise.'

'An Ed Sheeran song about you. Ed Sheeran's mobile number...'

'But-'

'Drink!' The girls chorused and I drank too fingers under the pressure.

Two cocktails and one shot later and the dare cards came out, reminding me of work at the beginning of the week. I cringed as they were placed in the center of the table, face-down.

'Okay, so we're going to be playing truth or dare without the truth part now.' Leanne said, looking at each of us.

'So it's just dare then?' Abby said, her eyebrow raised.

'Yeah, yeah, whatever. We take it in turns and you have to pull out a card and complete the dare. If you refuse to do it, your forfeit is to down your drink in ten seconds.'

'I have this awful feeling I'm not going to make it to the club later.' Lauren said, her eyes worried.

'We'll be fine, they can't be that bad.' I said with a reassuring smile.

'Abby is starting as our bride-to-be.' Leanne said with a wicked smile. 'Off you go, sister.'

Abby nervously picked up a card and smiled. 'Easy.'

'What is it?'

'Order a drink in a foreign accent.' She read aloud as she stood up. 'Well, is anyone joining me to check I actually do it?' Tasha followed her to the bar where Abby ordered a drink and was handed it.

They walked back over to us and Tasha nodded, satisfied. 'Ordered a glass of red wine in perfect Spanish. Leanne, you're up next then as head bridesmaid.'

Leanne hesitated before picking up a card. 'Get a guy's phone number.' She read before scanning the bar. Her eyes stopped on a guy in a suit with short, dark hair. She smiled and stood up. 'Ladies.' We watched as she walked over to the guy and introduced herself by shaking his hand. She fluttered her eyelashes and twirled her hair around a finger and I knew she would be successful. She handed him her phone and he typed in a number before handing it back. She kissed him on the cheek before returning back to us. 'Derek Smith.' She said, showing us the number.

'It's like the dare was made for you.' I told her with a playful smile.

'You're up, Luce.'

I picked up the card and quickly read it, groaning. The girls sent me a curious look and I read it out, 'You have one minute to get six kisses on the cheek. Girls, really?'

'Or down your...' Leanne squinted at my drink. 'Double vodka and lemonade.'

'Eugh, fine.' I said, standing up and they whooped. 'Who has a timer on their phone?'

'I do!' Lauren replied, excitedly. 'Are you ready?'

'Go!' Leanne shouted and I was off. I wasn't sure how I managed to get a kiss on the cheek from the doorman, the barman, 'Derek Smith', a guy who only just looked eighteen, a guy who looked too old to be on a night out and a pretty good-looking guy that Leanne would like, but somehow I did it, all before the sixty seconds was up. I sat down and smirked at my friends, who just shook their heads in response. Then I downed my drink anyway, just because I could.