A.N - Okay, I kind of have an idea where this is going now, so this chapter is more of a filler, or a bridge to the next stage of plot. But next chapter we move forwards, so it's ok. xD

Thanks for all your reviews. I appreciate it mucho. :)

Seven

All I ever wanted
Was to see you smiling
All I ever wanted
Was to make you mine
-- Basshunter

"I just can't deal with it, Jamie!" Jude was in her bedroom, angrily pacing the floor whilst hoards of photographers surrounded the house, hoping for a scoop. "They're always there. All the time!"

"Well, Jude," he replied. "You knew that with the competition – especially, you know, winning it – that the paparazzi was kind of a given." He pushed himself off the bed and walked towards the window to look down at the people.

"I know," she admitted, collapsing on her bed and pulling out her notebook, writing down a few choice words as writing prompts when she'd get around to it. She heard a surge of excitement and the clicking of cameras. Confused, she lifted her head and saw Jamie peering down. "Get away from the window!" She hissed, pleased when he did that and sat down on the bed next to her.

"Thanks," she breathed out a sigh of a relief. "The last thing I need is the paparazzi thinking that I'm cheating on Tommy with a mystery man." She laughed, not noticing the hurt look on Jamie's face. "I'm just not used to so much attention, you know? I mean, I'm just Jude Harrison."

Silence reigned in the room, spreading out and filling the space uncomfortably. Both occupants shifted where they sat. Jude filled the silence by humming softly to herself whereas Jamie chose to drum his fingers against his knee.

"So," he spoke finally, "you and Tommy are pretty serious then? Not like that thing you had with Shay?"

Jude's eyes fell shut. "Shay was Darius' choice. I just went along with it." She paused, thinking about Tommy. His face, his eyes crinkling in laughter, his smile … "But, yeah, I guess. I care about Tommy. A lot."

Jamie pouted adorably. "More than me?"

Smiling, Jude leaned over and planted a kiss on his cheek. "I care about you guys in different ways, Jamie." She spoke quietly. "You know that."

Jamie froze, his hand coming to touch his cheek before he ghosted it over Jude's scarlet hair. "Just make sure he treats you right," he swore. "Or Little Tommy Q will have me to answer to."

"Hey, that rhymed!" Jude laughed. "I knew there was a reason you're my co-writer."

"I mean it, Jude." He insisted. "All I want is for you to be happy."

The seriousness of the moment became clear to Jude in that second and she refrained from making another joke.

"I know." Her voice was warm, accepting and, above all, happy. "And I am." A grin spread across her face. "Thank you."

Smiling, Jamie pulled her to him in a tight hug. He might've wanted to be more then just Jude's friend once but now he'd take anything over nothing. Jude buried her face into his neck, breathing in pure Jamie as she realised that they were truly friends forever, cheesy as it may sound. And it was that thought, more than anything, which had the clicks of a camera belonging to the man outside Jude's window left soundless to the couple as they platonically embraced.

Darius had ordered Jude and Tommy to stay away from each other. That was the gist of the meeting that he'd ordered the two of them to attend. Following that, her sister had taken Jude away and Tommy hadn't seen her since. Whenever he'd tried to leave his apartment, photographers had hounded him and he knew that Jude was suffering the same fate.

Which only left the phone.

He was sat sulking, moodily flicking through the television channels, when his cell phone lit up, the harsh bzzz-ing noise of the vibrations against the table surface jolting him to attention. Smiling at the picture that accompanied the name on Caller I.D, he flipped the phone up. "Hey, Jude," he greeted.

"Not Jude," Sadie Harrison's voice disappointed him and Tommy fought the urge to hang up again. "But we need to talk."

"Do we now?" Tommy drawled, bored. "What about?"

"My sister."

Tommy was instantly alert. "What happened?"

Sadie rolled her eyes at his change of opinion. From bored to worried in two seconds flat. "It's nothing to worry about." She insisted. "It's just, Portia told me some of the things that Darius has planned for her. And you, actually. We just need to make sure that you won't overreact to some of them."

Anger pounded through his veins as he clutched his cell phone tighter. He wasn't too excited to find out the publicity stunts Darius wanted her to pull. Sometimes he wished that he'd been the apple of Darius' business-oriented eyes, to save Jude the embarrassment. But it hadn't worked out that way. And G Major was pushing for Jude to be the winner, to be the instant star.

"Fine," was all he could manage to grind out between clenched teeth.

"So, I'll come over there and we can discuss –"

"No." His curt response was unexpected. Sadie jumped. "You can't come here," he continued. "The paparazzi would have a field day." Feeling suddenly exhausted, Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose. "And I can't come to your house either."

The line remained silent as both tried to think of a solution.

"Look," Sadie finally spoke. "There's a little café not far from G Major. We can meet for a business lunch. Purely innocent, right?"

Tommy agreed half-heartedly and hung up. What started innocently could often be twisted and that's when rumours started. He knew that. All Tommy wanted – really wanted – was to spend some time with his girlfriend. Without siblings, bosses, friends or the media getting in the way. He just wanted some alone time with her. His girl.

He fiddled with his phone again, keying in a text message before hitting send with a smile on his face and leaving his apartment to meet the sister of the girl he really wanted to see.

"Hey, Jude," Sadie knocked on her sister's bedroom door softly before pushing it open and stepping inside. "I found your phone downstairs."

"Thanks," Jude smiled, humming and scribbling down into her omnipresent notebook. Jamie had gone home, out the back door and over the fence to dodge the photographers outside.

"I'm going out," Sadie continued, chucking the phone at her sister, who dodged it indignantly. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

"See ya."

Shaking her head, Sadie left the room just as the small cell phone screen lit up. Jude glanced at the phone and saw the name Tommy before smiling widely and opening up the message.

Love to Burn, it read. An Instant Star duet. Work on it tomorrow? Miss you. T.

She rolled her eyes as she replied with a simple 'Sure. See you then. Miss you too. x' knowing that Tommy was only hiding what he really wanted to say with a song he wanted to share with her. He didn't know it any other way.

But she knew what it meant to him. To share his music was halfway to settling down in the same apartment as each other – it was such a big part of both of their lives.

Music was the way to their hearts.