Sky.

I was woken by my phone ringing on that Sunday morning and it irritated the hell out of me. I rolled over and answered it as Zed grumbled beside me. 'Hello?'

'Hey Bluebird.' Ed sounded particularly chirpy on the end of the line and it annoyed me.

'Why are you calling me so early?' I groaned, walking out of the bedroom and closing the door.

'Isn't it eight over there?'

'On a Sunday.' I reminded him. 'I was planning on having a lie-in.'

'Oops.

'Why are you so chirpy? Is it Lucy?'

He was silent for a moment. 'Maybe.'

'Well I'm glad she makes your happy.' I said, genuinely meaning it. 'So why on earth did you wake me up so early?'

'I'm off out in a bit, so I thought I'd call you now with some news.'

'Okay...'

'I had a phonecall earlier from your PR team. As you're high in the charts over here in the UK, lots of shows have been asking for you.'

'Well I've got college for another two weeks.'

'Which is fine because then you have some time off, right?'

'Yeah two weeks off for studying...'

'Come over here. I've got a one-off show in London so we can perform together and we can get you on some shows and booked in for some interviews. Bring Zed too, make a holiday out of it.'

Was he crazy? I was supposed to be focussing on college, but then two weeks back in England seemed so tempting. Zed hadn't seen it properly before, only when we went there for Yves and Phoenix. We could rent a nice little cottage in the countryside and see some sights. Obviously, we could still make some time for studying but it would be fun, wouldn't it? 'Okay, let's do it. Send me the flight details. Zed and I will be there.'

xx-xx-xx

Ed.

I was pleased that Sky had agreed to come over to England. It would give her career and extra boost and it would be a nice break away from college, especially as I knew she was finding it hard to settle back into the routine after the tour. I didn't want what had happened in Detroit to stop her showing the world just how talented she was as I knew she'd regret giving it up.

'You off out mate?' Jeff asked as I grabbed my rucksack and hoodie.

'Yeah, I'm going round Lucy's.'

He raised an eyebrow. 'You're seeing a lot of her.'

'I really like her.'

'She's a good-looking girl and she's talented. Don't blame you. Hold onto her.'

'I'll try my best to.'

Despite being six o'clock, the air was already cold and I zipped out my hoodie as the sea breeze hit me. The walk to Lucy's was about fifteen minutes, but I still didn't want to risk being stopped on the way so I threw on my baseball cap and shades. Families walked along the promenade together, obviously enjoying the sun after they had filled themselves up on roast dinners. I sped up my walking pace until I was at Lucy's and ringing the doorbell. She opened it almost straight away, shivering at the cool air reaching inside her apartment.

'It's freezing.' She gasped, rubbing her bare arms. 'Come in.' She stepped aside in her black and white striped strappy top and blue jeans. I couldn't help but smile at the fluffy pink bootie slippers on her feet. 'How are you?'

'I'm fine thanks, yourself?'

'Yeah, I'm okay.' She smiled, adjusting her ponytail. I put down my bag and slipped off my shoes, glad to be in her warm apartment. 'I'm just going to grab a jumper, make yourself at home.' She disappeared into her bedroom and I sat myself down on her comfy sofas, so comfy that you just sank straight into them. She came back in wearing a loose-fitting baggy jumper, which fell off her shoulders, sexily. 'Can I get you a drink?'

'Can I have a cuppa?'

'Sure.' She smiled, filling the kettle and turning it on. She grabbed too floral mugs and put a tea bag in each of then. 'What did you want to do about dinner. I can cook or we can get a take-away?'

'Take-away sounds good. I know a few good places. What would you like?'

She nibbled her lip as she was thinking and I sucked in a deep breath. The kettle clicked, signalling the water was ready and she poured the water carefully into each cup. 'What about pizza?'

'Cool, I'll call Frankie's. What would you like?'

'Hawaiian?'

I smiled at that. It was my favourite too. 'Okay. I'll order some wedges with it.' She threw me the cordless landline and I ordered the food as she finished the cups of tea. 'It'll be half an hour.'

'Great.' She handed me my cup of tea and sat down on the sofa beside me. 'So, how's your day been?'

'Good.' I replied with a smile, warming my hands on the cup of tea. 'Sky's coming over in two weeks to do some talkshows and interviews.'

'That'll be cool.' She said, taking a sip of her tea.

'Maybe we could hang out with her and Zed?' I suggested. 'They'll have a bit of free time.'

'Yeah, that sounds good.'

'Oh and there was something I was going to ask you.' I'd been thinking for a while about who was going to open my small show I was doing in Camden and Leon had suggested I had two acts. One was obviously going to be Sky, but I needed someone else. I knew from spending time with Lucy in the states that she'd been trying so hard to get a fanbase going and she did have one. Just not a big enough one to get noticed. I wanted to give her a shot. 'Fancy being my support act in Camden?'

'I thought Sky was your support act?' She said, looking confused and I realised she looked pretty whatever face she was making.

'She is, but I need two and you owned the stage last night. What do you say?'

She was quiet for a moment and then she broke out into a big grin. 'I'm in.' I smiled back at her, finding that her grins were somewhat contagious. 'Thank you so much.' She said and I knew she meant it. The doorbell rang and she stood up to get it. I pulled some money out of her wallet and she shook her head. 'Nope, you wouldn't let me pay for anything on Friday so now it's my turn.' Yep, she was definitely stubborn alright.

After pizza, we settled for watching Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, just because we could. Lucy had dimmed the lights and was sat next to me, under a blanket. I'd seen the film plenty of times, and by the sound of it Lucy had to, but watching it with her made everything feel different. She moved herself to make herself more comfortable and I felt sparks as her arm and thigh rested against mine. I took a deep breath and let my arm cover her shoulders, making sure it was not like in the movies where the guy pretends to yawn when doing so.

Lucy's beautiful eyes met mine and she gave me a nervous smile. It was funny how there were two very different sides of her; the stubborn, courageous side which would not give up without a fight and then the vulnerable side of her. It made her very different to other girls I'd met and in that moment I realised something; I was over Sky. I hadn't thought it was ever possible when I was at the boat party being lectured by Sam, but just like that Lucy had come into my life and I realised Sky was more like a little sister, who needed guiding and protecting. Lucy was so very different. Yes, I'd protect her to the ends of the earth for sure, but she was brave and thoughtful and she was persistent. She wouldn't give up until she had achieved her dreams and that was something I admired about her.

The film ended two hours later and Lucy excused herself to go to the bathroom. I adjusted my position of the sofa so that my arm was no longer aching; I'd put up with the pain because I'd enjoyed the closeness and the warmth of our bodies next to each other. I looked at the walls at the black and white images and I wondered if she had taken them herself. There was a photograph of Central Park from the top of the Rockefeller Centre, the New York skyline, Paris and even an image of the Collosseum in Rome.

She came out of the bathroom and gave me a shy smile. 'Would you like a beer?'

'Sure.' I walked over to join her in the kitchen-half of the living room/diner. 'Did you take all these photos?'

She blushed and bit her lip. 'Yeah. They're not great but they're some of my favourite places.'

'I think they're fantastic.' I told her, walking over to admire one of a castle. 'Where's this?'

She opened my beer and passed it to me. 'That's Arundel castle. It's not far from where my parents live.'

'It looks lovely.'

She gave me a sad smile. 'It's my favourite place in the whole world. My granddad used to take me there every weekend before...' She took in a deep breath and took a swig of her beer. 'Anyway, let's move away from the negative talk.'

I looked at her and felt sad for her loss, wanting to protect her again. She sat down on the sofa and I moved to sit beside her, grabbing her legs and pulling them up so that they were across my lap. She smiled at the gesture and took another sip of her drink at the same time as me.

'So here's a tricky question... ' I said, giving a dramatic pause. 'What do you prefer; a takeaway and night in or going out somewhere like on Friday?'

She looked thoughtful for a moment. 'I like both.'

'Oh?'

'Well it's nice to go out and I like going to new places and experiencing new things, but sometimes it's nice to just have a relaxed night in.' She explained. 'What about you?'

'You've made a fair point, I think I'm going to have to agree with you there.'

'Easily swayed.' She commented with a flirtacious smile as she put down her drink on the table. I took a sip and put my drink next to hers.

'I'm not that easily swayed.' I said, returning the flirtacious smile. 'You just made a persuasive argument.' I watched as she looked away from my eyes and down at the tattoos covering my left arm.

'May I?' She asked quietly. I nodded and she gently reached out, running her fingers across my canvas. I watched as she trailed her fingers across across my puzzle pieces and paw print before tracing the quotes which ran along my biceps. 'You have so many.' She whispered and I hoped it didn't bother her. Lots of girls hated tattoos, especially this many, and some thought my choices were a bit random, when there was actually a reason behind each one. 'It makes mine seem so silly.' She laughed, making me relax. So she didn't mind them after all.

'You have a tattoo?' I smiled, looking at her. I hadn't seen one.

'Yes, but my parents still don't know so hush.' She whispered, playfully.

She moved her jumper away from her right shoulder and turned away from me slightly, showing a tiny outline of a heart on the curve between her shoulder and neck. It was still quite dark so I knew it had to have been quite recent. I traced it gently with my finger, just as she had done so to me and she slowly turned back to face me as I let my hand fall to her waist. Her eyes met mine and she nervously bit her lip. I took a deep breath and closed the gap between our faces, kissing her softly on the lips.

'Do you want to watch another film?' She whispered as I released her and I wondered if I'd blown it. She changed the DVD to Jurassic Park and I cursed in my head. Was it too soon? Should I have waited longer? Had I lost her? She came back to the sofa, swinging her legs back so that they were crossing mine and she wrapped her arms loosely around my neck. Then she kissed me back and I knew it hadn't been a mistake after all.

xx-xx-xx

Lucy.

A woke up the next day to find that my pillow was moving up and down. Confused, I opened my eyes and then I realised; I must have fallen asleep. On Ed. Boy, if Leanne could see me now. His arms were around my waist and I was surprised he hadn't been squashed. I was lying half on top of him, of course both of us were fully-clothed still.

'Morning.' He whispered, placing a kiss on my forehead. It was a heart-warming gesture and it made me feel giddy inside.

'Good morning.' I replied, quietly. 'I'm sorry I fell asleep.'

'It's okay, I don't think I fell asleep that long after you.' I attempted to sit up, but he pulled me back towards him. 'No, stay. This is nice.'

I squinted at the DVD player to catch the time. 11am. 'Oh, crap, I've got to get to work in an hour.'

Ed grumbled underneath me and I laughed. 'Well will I next see you?'

'Whenever you would like.' He pulled me in for a kiss and I hoped my morning breath wasn't too bad. Cringe.

'I'll walk you to work.'

'Okay. Just let me shower and get ready.'

As I showered and got dressed, I couldn't believe what had happened the night before. Leanne was going to freak and Willow would give me her 'I told you so' routine. I dressed in my black jeans, black boots, and a black wrap around blouse and grabbed my phone to see I had texts from Leanne, Willow and Adrianna. Then I saw the Facebook notification and laughed out loud:

Ted Sheeran has added you as a friend.

I grabbed my jacket and walked out into the living room, holding up my phone. 'Really?'

He gave me a lopsided smile and passed me some buttered toast. 'Come on, let's get you to work.'

xx-xx-xx

Two Weeks Later...

Sky.

We landed in Gatwick Airport feeling exhausted after a stupidly long flight, including a changeover at Ottawa. Zed grabbed our bags and as soon as we reached our London hotel, we were fast asleep. I woke up the next stay at 10am, feeling a little more alive. After a quick shower, I changed into my jeans, a white t-shirt and a scarf. I knew it would be cold outside in England now it was October, so I'd even packed boots, warm jumpers and coats. Zed reappeared in the room two minutes later, carrying two plates full of Full English Breakfasts.I raised an eyebrow at him and he grinned.

'When in England, eat well.' He said with a smile.

After breakfast we caught a black cab to the other side of London, where Ed's apartment was. He'd invited us over for a cup of tea and to discuss the itinerary for the week, which sounded very formal. His apartment was in Camden, the hipster part of London. There was the daily market filled with one-off and indie accessories and clothes, the quirky bars and pubs and some excellent music venues. I'd been there once or twice as it was a common place for Sally and Simon to have art shows. Ed's apartment covered the two lower floors of a period house and wasn't far from Camden Town tube station.

We rang the doorbell and he answered promptly with a smile. 'Hey guys, come in.'

The apartment was bright and airy, with wooden flooring and white walls decorating the Reception Room and the kitchen, which was tucked away. The Living room was made up of a red corner sofa, decorated with black and white aztec cushions. There was a small coffee table by the sofa and a big flatscreen television next to the fireplace. Towards the kitchen there was a small oak dining table with four chairs and then there was the spacious kitchen with white counters with oak tops. There was even a small patio door leading to the garden. Upstairs, I gathered, were the two bedrooms and the bathroom.

We sat down on the sofa as Ed went to make us some tea and a cat walked over to us, brushing his tabby brown and white fur against my leg. I bent down to stroke him and he meowed.

'Graham has always wanted to be a rockstar.' Ed laughed as he brought in some mugs of tea and placed them on the coffee table. Of course, I thought, the infamous Graham. The cat who had his own Twitter account. Graham leapt onto Zed's lap and made himself comfortable, but Zed just smiled and tickled him behind his ears. Ed reached over and grabbed his iPad. 'So how are you two?'

'We're good.' Zed smiled. 'Looking at getting a dog actually.' He laughed at Graham's meow of protest.

'Sweet.' Ed said, taking a sip of his tea. 'That'll be cool.'

'And how are you?' I asked with a smile. I'd added Lucy on Facebook, just to be nosy but they seemed to be keeping things quite secretive.

'I'm fine thanks.' He said, trying to hold a smile.

Zed raised an eyebrow at me and then turned back to our friend. 'I think you're more than fine, dude.'

'Things are going really great.' He replied with a shy smile. 'Lucy's great. It's just hard to see her at the moment when she's busy and I'm busy. It's almost been two weeks.' He sighed and I knew he was missing her.

'When's she coming up here?' I asked, wanting his smile to return.

'Tuesday.' He replied, the corners of his mouth turning upwards.

'That'll be nice.' I said as Zed put his hand on my knee. Graham meowed, annoyed that the attention had gone somewhere else. I grabbed my cup of tea from the coffee table and sat up straight on the comfy sofa. 'So what have you got planned for me then, boss?'

He laughed at being called 'boss' and flicked through his iPad. 'Okay so the concert at Koko in Camden is next Friday and you fly home on the Saturday, right?' He paused whilst I nodded. 'Which means you've got twelve days to fill. Now, this is a break too so I don't want to book you up too much, but there's a few things I've booked you on. You've got an interview with Glamour Magazine on Wednesday morning and one with Sugar Magazine on Thursday afternoon. Friday you're on the Graham Norton Show. Tuesday you're on the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show... other than that, you're free.'

My eyes widened. Was I going to remember that? And all of the timings? Probably not. 'That's a lot to remember.'

'Not to worry.' His printer sounded up next to him and he stapled the paper coming out of it together before putting it into a folder. 'Here's all the information you need... I wish you'd get an iPad, Sky, then it would make this business stuff so much easier.'

'I refuse to give into the trend.' She replied with a smirk.

'Besides, dude, we've been looking at new houses.' Zed added and I cursed him for it. We weren't telling anyone that. Not even Sally and Simon knew. Too many people knew where we lived and Zed was worried our apartment wasn't secure enough so we'd been looking at some houses in a private gated community not far from town. They were stupidly pricey, but my songs were doing well and so was my paycheque. I could afford it. 'I'm worried about Sky's safety where we're living at the moment.'

'Understandable.' Ed replied. 'If you need a hand looking, give me a shout.'

After catching up with Ed, we headed into Camden to embrace the market. In his black outfit and black jacket, Zed fit right in and I couldn't help but smile when he admired the motorbikes and the studded jackets in some of the vintage shops. Over here, it was far easy to go out in public without being spotted as I hadn't made any television appearances, other than when my music video was released. In my sunglasses in the cold, October sunshine, I blended into the Camden crowd and not a single person batted an eyelid. Perfect.