AUTHOR'S NOTE:

- Over 1000 reads on this story now HOORAY! Thanks to everyone who has voted and commented, I think new readers are starting to notice this story exists now so fingers crossed it will keep growing :) 

- Today's cover is courtesy of Melyssa - thank you so much for this dreamy, beautiful design. I love it!

- I have a new book here on Wattpad for games, surveys and random ramblings so check it out if you get time :D

Hope that you'll like this chapter... All I can say is poor Ash!

Love Becky xx

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Chapter 2

Kieran Jenkins

The first time I met Kieran in person was at the start of the year when his band Science Will Save Us played a gig at the pub. Benji's boyfriend Taylor has some amazing contacts in the music industry and he managed to pull a few strings to get them here. I love the band so much and I'd been following them for months so I could barely believe they were actually coming to my little rundown workplace in Westerfield (aka. the middle of nowhere). Cool things like that just don't happen in places like this.

And more importantly, cool things like that just don't happen to ordinary girls like me. Not usually. But this time was different.

When I first saw him walk into the pub, I don't know how I even kept myself together. I'd heard his songs on TV commercials and watched all his music videos a thousand times over, and there he was right in front of my face like a real life human being.

Wait, I mean, of course he was a real life human being and everything, but he didn't feel like one to me. He was more like an other-worldly creature. A shining star in a world full of dull grey.

It was difficult to remember how to speak around him. All I could do was blush and hide behind the clipboard I was holding whenever he caught my eye. I was on the door and checking people into the gig, so I couldn't really get that close to him. In some ways I was glad because I had no idea what I'd even say to him if I did get to meet him properly. I knew I would almost certainly make a total fool of myself whatever happened. It was probably for the best that I kept well away from him.

The night was filled with fans who all crowded around him and the rest of the band once their set was finished. I had resigned myself to keeping on the outskirts and just watching him from afar. But then Taylor and his friends forced me to the front of the queue... and there he was. Kieran Jenkins, in the flesh. With his long dark hair and his chocolate brown eyes and that crooked smile that made my knees buckle beneath me... Oh God, I don't know how I didn't melt into a massive puddle right then and there. I think perhaps I did.

He was so sweet. He kissed my hand and he winked at me. He stood up for me when one of his other so-called fans got annoyed at me (long story, let's just say that girl is NOT worth thinking about anymore). And then after everyone else had gone home, he bought me and a drink and we sat and talked for hours.

Well, OK, it wasn't JUST me. Annabelle and Sarah were there too, and some other people. But it was ME he sat right next to. And that was when I knew without a shadow of a doubt. We had a connection. A spark that neither of us could possibly deny.

It was fate that Kieran was there in The Apple Inn. In fact, it was almost like the start of a rom-com. Girl fancies boy in a band. Boy plays music at girl's place of work. Girl feels silly and boy finds her unbelievably endearing. After all this time of being single, I was finally going to get my happily ever after. We were destined to be together!

After the gig night, we messaged each other a lot online. He even tweeted me on my birthday, something he never did for any of his other fans! I added him on instant messenger and although he was hardly ever online due to being so busy, on the rare occasion he was around we would have amazing chats together. Every time I saw his name pop up on my phone I would have to pinch myself because it felt like an incredible dream. Only it was real! I was talking to a real life rock star!

Our chats were only short I guess, but they were meaningful. I could read between the lines how much he liked me. There were always lots of winky faces and kisses at the end of sentences and every time I read them they caused butterflies to race through my stomach. My annoying family teased me something rotten anytime my phone pinged, but I didn't even care. They had no idea that I was having such a grown-up, exciting love affair!

It was about a month or so into our conversations that Kieran finally asked me out. Well, kind of asked me out. He was playing a venue in Northcastle, the nearest town to our village, and he offered me a handful of VIP tickets to go and watch him perform. He said he'd leave them on the door for me and signed off the tweet with two kisses.

That was a sign. It had to be. After all those weeks of virtual-flirting, he wanted to see me again in person. I was getting backstage passes and access to an invite-only booth right at the front of the stage for the whole show. No way was this only friendship. Whatever people said to me, I knew without a doubt in my mind that it was something so much more.

I could barely contain myself before the show. My heart was constantly racing and Kieran was all I could think about day and night. I spent days hunting all the local shops for the perfect outfit to wear and I even got my hair styled at the salon. Annabelle and Sarah said I was making too much of a big deal about it all, but I know they just didn't want me to get hurt or disappointed.

The thing is, they didn't see all the special messages I'd shared with Kieran since our first meeting. Obviously, on the outside it sounded crazy to be getting so carried away, but if they could have felt the spark I was feeling then they would have known I wasn't crazy. I was in love. And if I wasn't mistaken, maybe Kieran was beginning to feel exactly the same way...

The night of the show was quite honestly one of the best nights of my life. It was being held at The Rabbit's Roar, a rocky music venue in the middle of town where some of the coolest bands in the world have all played shows. We got welcomed into the gig like superstars and had our own cordoned-off area right in front of the stage. I think some of the other Science Will Save Us fans were super jealous and kept throwing us dirty looks all evening, but I didn't even care.

I ended up wearing a black strapless dress which I'd found in a spring sale and I actually felt really nice in it. For once I wasn't just shy and boring Ash from the pub, I was rock star, VIP Ash! It was like I could do anything if I wanted to.

I could even get my very first boyfriend before the night was over.

When Kieran first came out on stage, I swear he looked over at me and smiled. I grabbed Annabelle's hand and squealed the moment he did it and she just laughed at me and told me it was so dark he probably couldn't see anyone. But I knew. He was looking out for me and he definitely saw me.

During the set I was dancing and singing at the top of my voice, but in some ways it was like I wasn't even really there. All I could think about was when the show would finally end so that I could see Kieran. I hated willing the time away because the band were amazing and I wanted to enjoy it properly, but I was way too excited about our post-gig meet-up. So many hours of instant messaging had led up to this moment and I just couldn't wait.

The moment the show was over and all the lights went back on, I rushed straight to the backstage entrance. Annabelle and Sarah were both yelling at me to slow down or calm down or whatever. I just ignored them and waved my VIP pass in front of the security guard who was manning the door. He hesitated at first, but then let all of us go past. We were in!

The corridor we found ourselves standing in smelled musty and kind of sweaty. It led down to a few different dressing rooms and behind one of the doors I could hear the sound of laughter. Boy laughter. Sweet, sexy Kieran laughter. Without stopping to think, I raced over to the room and burst in through the door.

And then instantly regretted it.

The Science Will Save Us boys were all sitting around on a shabby sofa and chatting, but they fell completely silent the moment I appeared out of nowhere, interrupting them all and rudely popping their little bubble. I felt my cheeks begin to flame with embarrassment. What the hell was I doing?!

I opened my mouth to say something, but I couldn't articulate a single sentence. The guys were all staring at me in bemusement and I just wanted the ground to swallow me up.

But then, I caught his eye. And he stood up, smiling.

Kieran Jenkins knew exactly who I was and he couldn't have looked more pleased to see me.

"Ash, you came! I wondered if you'd make it." He strode over to me confidently and hugged me so hard I almost hyperventilated. "It's so good to see you again."

Annabelle and Sarah had caught up to me now and both of them peeked over my shoulder, waving shyly at the boys. Kieran let go of me and hugged them too, greeting them brightly. Then he ushered us all over to the sofa. "Hey, come sit down and hang out with us." He turned to the rest of the band. "We met these three when we played Westerfield, remember?"

"Oh yeah," exclaimed Nathanial, the guitarist. "How could we forget? Great to see you, girls."

"You were AMAZING tonight," Annabelle gushed confidently as she sidled herself into a gap on the sofa, right next to Baz the drummer. "Thank you SO much for the VIP tickets, we seriously appreciate them."

Sarah squashed herself beside Annabelle, giggling loudly alongside her. I chose to perch on the armrest with my hands in my lap. I was feeling weirdly self-conscious and I still hadn't spoken a single word. Rock star VIP Ash had suddenly disappeared. I think I accidentally left her at the door.

As the room became louder with everyone talking and giggling, I found myself getting quieter and quieter. I was shrinking. This wasn't what was supposed to be happening. Kieran was standing on the edge of the group, laughing along with everyone else. I thought for one terrifying moment that he might have forgotten all about me. But just when I began to fear the worst, I felt his arm snake around my shoulders.

"You alright there kid?" he asked me with a wink.

An exhilarated smile began to spread across my face and I nodded with another furious blush. He gripped me even tighter, talking to me animatedly about the show and his music and what it was like being on tour. I was hanging onto his every word, trying not to tremble as his lips got closer and closer to my ear.

There was something electric running between us. I knew it and he knew it. And suddenly the rest of the room just fell away into the background. As far as I was concerned, it was just me and Kieran, together at last. His touch on my shoulder was intense, like he never wanted to let me go. I didn't want him to let go. Not ever. Not when I was falling so deeply in love with him.

I know that sounds crazy, but it's the truth. I hadn't been able to think of anything else but him for the past few months, and finally being there in front of him was making it all so clear to me. I was in love with him. I loved his lop-sided smile and the way his hair fell in his eyes. I loved his sense of humour and his amazing music. I loved the way he made me feel like I was actually worth talking to.

Did he want to be with me? My dream relationship felt so close that I could almost reach out and touch it...

"Ash! Are you even listening to me?"

Annabelle's voice abruptly broke the magic spell around me. She was standing up in front of me and glaring. I blinked, feeling dazed. How long had she been talking? I hadn't noticed anything going on outside of mine and Kieran's little universe on the edge of the sofa.

"Huh? What's up?"

"I said it's nearly midnight," she answered. "We've got to go."

"Yeah, we really don't want to miss the last train," Sarah added, striding toward the exit.

No! It couldn't be time to go already. We'd only just got here and I wasn't ready to say goodbye yet. I gaped frantically, looking toward Kieran and willing him to fix the situation somehow. He shrugged his shoulders with a sad smile.

"Aw man, that's such a shame. I was really enjoying getting to know you."

"Me too!" I shrieked, sticking to the sofa like glue. "I don't want to go! Can't we just stay here?" I patted the flat-looking cushion beside me. "I don't mind sleeping here. I'm only small, you won't even notice me!"

All the boys in the band laughed and I swear I heard Baz mutter that I was adorable. I wasn't trying to be cute or funny though, I genuinely meant what I was saying. There was no way I could go back to Westerfield when my romance was only just starting to develop. I needed more time.

"We're heading up to Cornwall tonight," Kieran said, gently. "We've got another show tomorrow. It's a shame our tour schedule is so full-on, otherwise we could have hung out tomorrow."

"Maybe we still could!" I cried. "What time is the show? And how long does it take to get to Cornwall from here?" My mind was racing, looking for ways around the problem. "I could get up really, REALLY early tomorrow and we could do breakfast or something! I don't mind! You could come to the pub, I'll get my brother to cook you up his famous egg and bacon muffin, it's better than McDonalds!"

The rest of the band laughed even harder, which just made me feel kind of stupid. It wasn't supposed to be a joke. My heart was breaking and none of them even seemed to notice, let alone care.

"Ash, come ON!" Annabelle snapped from the doorway. "We've got about ten minutes!"

"But... But..." I had no logical excuse. If I didn't go right then and there I would be stranded in Northcastle all night. Yet somehow I still couldn't move from the sofa.

"You'll have to catch us up then," Sarah announced. "I can't risk missing it Ash, there's no way I can afford staying over anywhere." She turned around and waved flirtatiously at the band. "It was so great to meet you guys, I really hope you'll play again soon. Sorry we have to rush off, thanks for everything!"

"Yeah bye guys," Annabelle trilled alongside her, blowing kisses toward the sofa. "Love you all!"

There was a cacophony of noise as everyone shouted more goodbyes at one another, then my two friends were gone. I knew I had to follow them but I was still frozen to the spot. I couldn't leave, even though I knew I couldn't stay.

Kieran placed a hand on my shoulder. "I think you'd better go with them sweetheart. You don't want to be stuck here all night."

I looked up at him and the moment I did, I felt tears begin to fill up my eyes. I didn't want to cry in front of him, but I couldn't seem to stop myself.

"I wish I didn't have to go. I feel like we've got so much left to say to each other."

"Hey, come on!" he whispered kindly. "Don't go getting upset." He took my hand and pulled me to the side of the room, away from the others so that we had a bit of privacy. "Listen, I'm really glad you came tonight. It made my whole night."

"Really?" I asked in a tiny voice, taking deep breaths so I wouldn't burst into tears.

Kieran took a step closer to me. I could smell his aftershave and feel the heat from his body. "Really." He took another step. "I think you're one cool little lady, Ashleigh Apple."

My heart was beating so fast as he brought a hand to my face, playing with a strand of my red hair. I'd never been so close to a boy before. I thought for sure he was going to lean in and kiss me, but instead he wrapped his arms around me, enveloping me in a warm, sensual hug. I cautiously held him back, hardly daring to believe the moment was actually real. It was like a magical fairy tale come true.

"I have to go," I said eventually in a hushed breath. "Goodbye, Kieran." I felt like a vintage actress in an old black and white movie having to part ways with my lover as the steam train pulls away.

"Goodbye, Ash," Kieran replied stoically. Then he kissed my cheek and I almost fell over with giddy joy.

Suddenly it felt easier to leave, because I knew that this was just the beginning of our relationship. There was no way he would have held me like that if he hadn't wanted to be my boyfriend. Maybe we'd only had a fraction of time together, but there would be many, many more times to come.

That's what I thought as I left the room with a beaming smile on my face and a glorious flutter in my stomach.

Little did I know that it would be the last time I would ever see him. And that the next girl he would be holding was none other than Sue-Ella the Youtube star, not Ashleigh Apple the barmaid.