Thank you for the reviews! You are all mostly my loyal reviewers, and I can't thank you enough for your support. Those who follow all my stories mean the world to me. So, thank you. Here's a bit of a filler chapter, but it's a sweet one. I'm currently looking at about seven more chapters. I know, I know.

Please let me know what you think. Enjoy!

A few more days passed, and soon we were set to return to school. I was glad in a way; not working had made my time away from Riker boring (we were still being careful since his father obviously still didn't like me). He didn't make comments anymore, but I could feel his distain when he was around me. I didn't understand it, but I also tried to respect that he was his father and even though we both disapproved of his feelings, he had authority in his life. Besides, Riker was feeling good and that meant I spent the majority of my class time with him.

And study dates. Lots of study dates that usually led to things that weren't studying. Sometimes shirts ended up on the floor, too. Not sure how that happened, but I liked it.

January began to melt together, and I found myself enjoying almost every day. Laura and I even double dated with her boyfriend a few times (who she had practically spent every day of vacation with) and Rydel promised to contact Ellington who was back in Colorado. All she ever did was talk about him anyway, and it seemed like it would be a waste not to try and make it work. I could remember his smile and how happy they both looked that night. Anything that made you feel that way was worth trying.

It was a Friday night that brought rain when I remembered just how much I appreciated Riker. We were watching a movie or two, enjoying our cuddling time and saving our energy for an afternoon in the park the next day. He'd picked out several different movies and I'd chosen the one I'd wanted to see the most. It was pretty great. I loved sharing the small couch with him, our bodies tangled and warm next to each other.

And there was food, which was always my second favorite thing.

And then there was Riker, which if you didn't notice is my favorite thing.

But the movie, while good, brought back bad memories. There was a scene between two characters that resulted in a stand off in which a gun was present. The man put the gun to the other man's head and pulled the safety off. I immediately flew back to the day at the store, remembering the cold eyes of the man who later shot my boss. How calm he seemed, like he was used to this. They did later catch him and he'd been suspected in several other crimes. Justice was served, but it didn't make the memory any less painful. And seeing something so similar sent me back in time and had me shaking on the couch, eyes glazed.

He noticed almost immediately, switching the scene so that it brought my attention to him. I stared back at him with wide, pain filled eyes and took that as a chance to throw my arms around him and hug him tightly. He soothingly whispered in my ear, rubbing my back as tears finally fell and I tried to wash the image from my mind.

It took a while, but finally I calmed down. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

I nodded, wiping my face. "Sorry."

"It's okay," he promised. "I should have realized that was in the movie. I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry? You can't protect me from life," I told him. "It's not like there couldn't be a scene on a commercial or a billboard that I'll see tomorrow that will remind me." I paused, shaking my head. "But thank you for being you."

Riker smiled slightly, switching the movie.

And then came a few crappy days. I woke up one morning with a cold. Nothing major, just enough that I was miserable and stuffy, my best friend being a box of tissues and hot tea. I knew almost immediately that I'd be unable to see Riker, as his immune system was weak compared to mine, and even the common cold could send him into a bad infection which could eventually lead to worse things. So, we spent a few days apart. We returned to our windows, one of my favorite things we did, talking across the distance. He had his guitar for part of it, singing sweet melodies while also telling me to nap and stop watching him. I didn't like to be apart from my boyfriend though, so I was taking what I could get.

January continued to move swiftly, and soon it was only two weeks until the Imagine Dragons concert. I was beyond excited, and had spent the last two days during school talking about possible outfits and what I should do with my hair. Rydel was helpful, Riker just looked lost. Adorable boyfriend or not, he just didn't understand the importance of looking good at a concert.

I also knew this concert meant a lot to both of us. I understood how much trouble he went to to get the tickets and realized he was working his hardest to make sure he was well for it, also. It made me a little nervous. You're so tightly packed during a show; would germs be able to get to him there? And what about eating and drinking? He had such a higher regimen than anyone else I knew. I asked him about this, and he smiled, explaining that he had always brought snacks with him to shows that large and a few bottles of water (security never fought him when he explained why).

I also was intent on making up for my lack of holiday gift, and had decided that Valentines Day was going to be my time to shine. He was big into the band Neon Trees, and I had worked on getting something similar to my gift for him on a later date. It took time and a lot of help from people who owed me favors, but two days before the romantic holiday and our concert, I had scored meet and greet passes to a radio show they'd be doing in the area to promote their new album. We'd be allowed in a small room where they'd play their new single 'Sleeping with a Friend' and then have a question and answer session followed by a meet and greet. Riker was going to freak out.

Finally, I decided on an outfit. It was still warm here despite it being winter because it was LA, so I didn't have to worry about being cold. I picked a loose fitting top that hung just above my knees, and paired it with leggings, using a belt from another dress to complete the look. I also used Rydel's brand new curling iron to define mine further, and let both her and Laura attack my face for the night with their make up products. I wanted to keep it simple, since most of it would be melted off by the end of the night anyway.

And then it was time. Riker came to my door around five that night, smiling widely when he saw my casual, yet still cute outfit. He nodded his approval. "Okay, I get it now. You look awesome," he added, putting his hand into mine and leading me to my car. We'd been in traffic for a while, so we wanted to make sure there was plenty of time for error with that. It didn't start to eight, anyway.

"How excited are you?" I asked as we pulled away from the curb, and I put on their album to blast.

He grinned, flicking his hair my direction. "Is that a serious question?"

I too smiled, and then shoved him gently with one arm. "Don't tease me."

We made it into LA on good time and soon found a small restaurant to grab dinner in that was not too packed unbelievably. We were led to a back table where we stared a quick, but sweet meal while a local musician played an acoustic guitar at the small stage area toward the front. A candle sat lit between us, and I watched the fire dance in the mosaic container it was placed in. Romance was one of my favorite things, and I couldn't help but think this felt out of a book and not real life.

It was perfect and we finished our meal, throwing a couple dollars to the musician as we left. The venue wasn't far from where we'd eaten, so we decided to see if the doors had opened as of yet. Luckily, they had and we made our way inside. It was general admission, which meant we were going to be in the middle of a probably crazy crowd. Riker hung his bag of necessities on his back and then pulled me as close as he could get to the stage. Only about seven rows back, we were pretty close.

The lights dimmed about an hour later and the opening acts came on. I didn't remember much about them, but they were both enjoyable. Riker seemed to like them more than more, but he appreciated music differently than I did, since he was one himself. After the second act got off stage, the lights lit up and I watched them prepare for our reason for being there. The fans got rowdy, the breathing room got tighter, and soon people were chanting the band's name over and over again.

The lights dimmed again.

And then different ones began to announce their presence, casting light over the audience first, then on several spots on stage. They opened with Radioactive, which was fantastic. I didn't know as many songs as I thought I did, but it was still an unbelievable show to see live. The lead singer's voice was better than I could have ever imagined belting the lyrics threw the microphone, and the sound system was insane. By the time they moved to play Demons, I was sweaty, hot, and smiling my ass off. Riker was too, I noticed as I stole a glance his way.

I loved seeing him in his element. I knew his parents weren't pleased about tonight. They didn't like the small shows in weird little clubs and sometimes bars and a show of this size made them extra nervous. But somehow I found that Stormie and Rydel must have been the voice of reason because they'd allowed him to go without a fight. I silently thanked Rydel in my head, always the leading person of our little team.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he whispered into my ear. I could tell he was breathing a little harder, but he assured me that was normal at a show like this.

I whipped my head toward his. "Uh, yeah! It's awesome," I breathed back. "Thank you so much."

He grinned widely. "I knew you'd love it. You're welcome."

If only he knew what was coming for him. I slipped my hand into his as they started to play On Top of the World, having the thought that I knew what the lyrics stood for. When I was with Riker that was exactly how I felt. On top of the world, feeling like nothing could bring me down. We were inseparable and he always brought out my best sides. I could only hope he felt the same.

They started playing a song I didn't recognize next, and the lead singer got close to the microphone. He stared out into the crowd with his focused eyes, and then started the opening lyrics to the song, "I'm coming home to you every night…"

The song was probably the first love song they'd played all night, and as the first verse began, I couldn't help but think it was perfect for us. The lead singer's voice, paired with an unmistakable, beautiful band behind him sang some of the most beautiful lyrics of the night. "I'm the colorless sunrise that's never good enough. I'm the wind that's in your hair that ruffles you up. If you can find a reason, you can let me know. I won't blame you; I'll just turn and go. I'm coming home to you, every night... Coming home to you, every night... My mind is made up, nothing could change that I'm coming home to you every night..."

Riker grabbed my wrist then, pulling me close to him. His smile was something out of a movie, making me return it with chills down my spine. In the middle of the second verse, he pulled me closer and pressed his lips down on mine.