"Alright, alright." I said, laughing.

"But you've gotta admit, unlike the rest of us, you don't get out much. When we're all famous, and they make us do interviews where we have to talk about our respective partners, your speech is going to be very short." Jordan chortled.

"So is Will's if he doesn't ask Aubrey out." Tommy said, poking his friends arm.

"You haven't asked her out!?!" Jordan yelled. "I thought you did last week!"

Will poked Tommy back and muttered something about secrets. "I was going to, but it wasn't the right time!"

"Right time, my hat." I told him, drawing a laugh from all of them. "And anyway, our album isn't coming out for another month, it's just the lead single that's coming out in two days."

"Exactly, so you have tomorrow to ask her out!" Tommy told Will. 

"Why?"

"Because if you're famous and you ask her, then you don't know if she said yes because you're famous, or yes because you're you."

We all stayed silent for a second. 

"Wow. That was deep." I said, trying to lighten the mood. It worked, they all laughed, including Tommy. 

"But." Jordan dragged out the word.

"Check behind you." I joked. 

"Don't deflect this, Ollie, do you want a girlfriend?" Jordan asked me, staring into my eyes.

I thought about it for a second and answered honestly. "Yes. But with the right person."

Jordan nodded. Then slapped the back of my head. 

"Ow, what was that for?" I yelped, more out of surprise than pain.

"Tommy's right! When the lot of us are famous, you're not going to know if they're saying yes to a date with you because you're you, or because you're famous! You need to just give it some effort. You'll find someone faster that way."

We all sat around talking for a bit longer after that, but eventually Will had to go before he lost the ability to walk.

"Alright, I think it's about time we went home." Jordan said, hauling himself and Tommy to their feet. "See you tomorrow, Ollie, don't stay up too late."

"Unless you have a good reason to." Tommy added with a wink. I groaned at that. 

As they left, a girl around my age with glasses and messy hair that was pulled back and out of her face, stepped into the bar, politely waiting for Jordan and Tommy to leave before entering herself. I remembered what Jordan and Tommy said, and decided, to give it a try. It's not like I've never flirted before, I could totally just talk to her. 

As I left my booth and stepped to the bar, I heard her order. Melon soda? I liked her already. 

"Melon soda? That's gotta be a new one."

She looked at me and I smiled at her, figuring it was best to start with a little tease, to see if she was OK with it. She wasn't jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but she definitely wasn't hideous. She was wearing a flannel T-shirt, obviously valuing comfort over trying to look sexy like most girls you meet at bars. I liked that. She looked good in it. "Most people ask for alcohol. Or Coke. Or Pepsi."

And then she laughed. She was already smiling, but she laughed like it was her default emotion, and she laughed like she meant it. 

We continued talking and joking, and I finally got her name. Lily Carter. 

"Well, Lily, can I buy you another melon soda then?" I asked, hopefully. Even after just a few minutes, I wanted to keep talking. I wanted someone who could joke with me, who preferred to take everything on the lighter side. I didn't want drama over nothing, I wanted not just a girlfriend, but a friend.

"Unfortunately, I keep myself on a tight schedule. To get the grades, you gotta keep yourself in line." She really did sound disappointed. 

"Doesn't the school year end soon? It is April." I asked, still trying. I couldn't believe that on my first time trying I met this girl who was pretty much perfect for me, but the second she leaves this bar, I wouldn't see her again. 

She looked confused that I was still trying. Maybe she wasn't all that nice after all. 

"Yeah, next week is the last week of my second year." I nodded at that, trying to accept that. 

"Give me your phone." 

"What?" I watched her, confused. I did as she said, figuring she wasn't just going to steal my credit card details right in front of me. She typed in her details and told me, "I'm free anytime after 5.30 next Friday. If you're still interested, you can call me then. If you don't, wasn't meant to be, no hard feelings."

I took my phone back and grinned. I watched her pay for her drink and leave smiling. I quickly dialed her number and watched her pick up. "Just checking to see if it works."

I watched her smile back at me. "Goodnight, Ollie."

"Goodnight, Lily Carter."