*Disclaimer:* At certain point in their timeline, Mia and Jay break up for awhile. I have a story planned when they get back together after a few months of separation. This story vaguely references that time in their relationship.

Mia's already tight grip on Jay's hand tightened as they entered the largest room Mia had ever stepped foot in. They had left the chilly street behind and the vicious wind that whipped down the narrow avenues and tore through the best defenses of outerwear.

But at the sight of what lay waiting for them once they crossed over the plush carpeting of the hotel's lobby, Mia's mind started to yearn for the busy New York streets and the millions of tourists filling its sidewalks.

Even Rockefeller Plaza seemed a desirable option, despite the numerous Christmas decorations filling every inch where tourists weren't currently crowded. Anything other than moving one more inch inside the ballroom that lay before her.

Jay kept moving and Mia's hand refused to let go of his so her feet followed with a loud protest from Mia's brain.

The room before them seemed to sparkle. It helped that many of its occupants were draped in actual diamonds. The white light emanating from the multiple chandeliers that hung from the ceiling created a luxurious ambiance for the room and Mia didn't have to look far to feel inadequate.

The sheer sight and splendor of her surroundings were doing that for her and it took only one glance at a passing supermodel Mia vaguely recognized for the sensation of less-than to land hard in the pit of her stomach. Her only free hand clutched tightly at the train of her dress but it's cheaper material only intensified the sensation of nerves running rampant from head to foot.

A squeeze of her hand brought her eyes up from her surroundings. The heels pinching her feet put her at eye level with Jay for the first time since they had met. His eyes were looking for hers and he gave her a smile filled to the brim with warmth and understanding.

Mia released half of the breath she had been holding on to since they had filed out of the cab. Her eyes begged to stay locked on Jay's for the rest of the night and closed when he leaned forward to plant a light kiss on her head to keep the sight of him at the forefront of her mind for just a minute longer before she had to open her eyes again and face reality.

Her dress was the same when she opened her eyes. It hadn't undergone some magical Cinderella-esque transformation and become one of the many designer gowns she saw around her.

But the memory of the look in Jay's eyes when she had appeared ready to go in his hotel room less than an hour before returned to her mind and quickly flung out every thought of her older sister's senior prom dress from her mind. It matched the neat tie Jay wore quite well and that was all that mattered on that subject.

It wasn't the first time Mia had ever seen him in a tux but this time his suit was neatly pressed and tailored to perfection. He looked good and Mia was sure there had been several people in charge of making sure he did. For tonight especially.

"You look beautiful."

He was still in her sights as she opened her eyes and her heart only tore a little bit when his smile had to shed its light somewhere other than her. But her grip lessened and she followed him more willingly into the ballroom and the proceeding ceremony for the night.

An attendant appeared but addressed only Nate where he stood tall glaring at everything happening around their small entourage. Tommy followed behind Nate, his hand gripping Casey's just as tight as Mia was sure she was holding Jay's, and Jay followed right behind.

Mia's eyes threatened to take a proper look around as they wound their way through the multitude of tables and past the open dance floor but she forced her focus to remain on Jay, at least until they sat down.

Their table was large and they would have only taken up half of the seats if they had gotten the chance to sit. Jay and Tommy were called away as soon as Nate showed them where they would be placed near the stage.

Mia's hand felt cold as soon as they left and she wrapped it in her free hand to keep it warm. She could feel Casey's eyes on her and her suspicions were solidified when Casey closed the gap between where they now both stood awkwardly near their empty table and slid her arm through Mia's.

Mia welcomed Casey's presence and sweet smile more than she expected and her appreciation for Tommy's girlfriend seemed to be growing with each second Mia's feet stayed planted on New York soil.

Mia's bus had arrived in the city later than it was scheduled to the night before. She didn't have to look far in the bus terminal to find Casey already hurrying her way.

They were both aware of the lack of time they had for proper hellos and so Casey merely grabbed Mia's suitcase and started for the exit without much of a greeting. Mia didn't protest and slung her garment bag over her arm to keep it off the dirty ground and raced to catch up with Casey and found her standing near an awaiting cab.

The car raced through the city and Casey's eyes stayed wide as she watched the road, her seat buckle undone and her hand poised on the door handle. It was New York City at Christmas time and there was the traffic to prove it.

The cabby sensed their heightened level of anticipation and impatience and drove like his life depended on it. Somehow he reached their destination with time to spare. Casey was opening the door before the car could come to a full halt and the two girls were calling out a thank you over their shoulders as they raced towards the giant gray building looming overhead.

There weren't people lined up outside of the entrance as Mia was sure there had been only a few hours before but the lack of their appearance only sped up her pace as she followed Casey around the side of the building to where Mac's familiar face stood waiting at an open door.

"You're late!"

They both cried out "We know!" to the obvious statement and didn't bother to slow down. Casey continued to lead the way and only paused for half a second to give Mia the chance to dump her bags with the rest of the crews in the now empty dressing room and to hang up her dress next to the rest of the evening wear, lined up in a neat row, sitting ready and waiting.

The lights had already gone out by the time they reached the side of the stage and the crowd was screaming as loud as Mia had ever heard such a crowd scream before. The stage burst out into lights as soon as Mia and Casey settled in and the show began.

Casey dropped an arm over Mia's shoulders once they had caught their breath and pulled her close to yell in her ear.

"Finally! Someone to hang out with!"

Mia could only nod as a reply to her statement as she still hadn't caught her breath.

The stadium filled to the brim was just inches away from where they sat. It was at least five times the size of the last venue Mia had watched the band perform in. It had been a while since seeing them live but she knew that Madison Square Garden counted as a big step up from any hometown venue Boston had to offer.

For her first night on tour with the band, this was certainly a hell of a way to begin.

It was just the five of them left behind in New York that night. Being only openers, Tommy and Jay were missing a night of the tour to attend the event. Mia could tell Tommy didn't want to be in attendance and Casey confirmed what she already thought while the two of them stood chatting among a room filled with more famous people than Mia even knew existed.

"They're playing down in Pittsburgh tonight and we're flying down to DC tomorrow morning to meet up with them."

Mia nodded and tried to keep her eyes seeming normal and far from overwhelmed.

"You'll get used to the travel. Don't worry. It just takes time to adjust."

Despite her best efforts, Mia's eyes gave away her state of completely overwhelmed. And at the moment, it wasn't the awaiting week and a half of travel that was causing the problem. They could do nothing but widen as she glanced around the room.

The decorations littered throughout the city that Mia had only seen a fraction of on her way to the Garden the night before had already declared the holiday season. But it seemed the hotel in which they stood wanted to make sure everyone knew it was Christmas time.

The giant Christmas tree that had greeted them as they entered from the street hadn't been enough, apparently. But the four additional trees, set up in each corner, coupled with yards of garland strung throughout the room and wrapped in white twinkle lights did the trick.

It felt like overkill in Mia's opinion as Thanksgiving had not yet gotten the chance to occur but it seemed the city paid the holiday no mind and instead focused only on the larger season at hand.

Mia's eyes alternated between roaming around the room, widening at the sight of someone she actually recognized who was insanely famous, and following Jay and Tommy's progression as they made the rounds of introductions. She continued to chat with Casey back and forth as they caught up, the time between their last get together and now spanning well over six months.

Mia hadn't missed the sigh of "Thank God" Casey exhaled when Mia answered in the affirmative that everything was good between her and Jay, assuring her that their temporary break was just that, temporary.

Mia had spent that time heartbroken and missing Jay. She hadn't once thought of what he might have been going through. And even more than that, what it would have been like to be traveling with him during such a time.

"What is this event anyways? Jay didn't do a great job explaining it on the ride over. From what I understand, it's just insanely important and a huge honor."

Mia forced her eyes from where Jay and Tommy stood talking to a very pretty and very tall blonde singer Mia knew of and was sure was the largest female pop star currently living at that moment. Her question was half out of curiosity and half out of a need for a distraction from such a sight.

"It's for ASCAP. Which is to say it's for the songwriters in the music industry. It's like the pre-Grammys. Tommy's getting recognized as the lead breakthrough songwriter of the year because of the album. It is a huge honor but believe me when I say it took hours of persuasion to get him here. We'll most likely be slipping out the back door as soon as he accepts whatever it is he'll be receiving."

Mia nodded. The number of musical legends that now all occupied the same space made more sense.

"Do you know anyone here? I know the band is still new on the scene and everything but have you met any of these people before?"

Casey shook her head.

"No. Not at all. This is their first actual event like this ever. It's a pretty big deal. I'm glad you were able to make it. I'm sure it means a lot to Jay."

Mia smiled and glanced down at her shoes to hide away her reddening cheeks.

When she looked back up, someone was headed directly for them and from what Mia could tell, she was considered important. It took her twice the amount of time it should have to reach where they stood standing as multiple people along her route stopped her to say hi and shake her hand.

She seemed flustered by the time she managed to ripped herself from the last encounter. But she was smiling when she reached Casey and Mia and even had her own hand extended towards them.

"Casey, right? And you must be Mia. My name is Georgie Burns. I work with Capitol Records. Big fan of the band."

Mia accepted her hand and smiled to hide her confusion as to why someone so beautiful, well put together and a seemingly very important member of this community had approached them. And had somehow known their names. Casey answered all her questions for her with one exclamation.

"Oh! You're Georgie! It's so nice to meet you! Tommy's been raving about you for months."

Georgie smiled and bowed her head in genuine humility from what Mia could tell.

"Tommy's a cool guy. I'm excited to get started on the next album. What he's sent me so far is incredible. It's going to be an honor to work with him."

Mia kept quiet as the two of them talked for a long moment back and forth. Her face must have read that she was clearly missing something when Georgie answered the question Mia was thinking.

"I'm a producer for Capitol. Tommy and Jay reached out and asked me to help on the next album."

"Oh! Okay. Great! That's so cool. It's nice to meet you."

"You too! Both of your names were the first things out of both Tommy and Jay's mouth just now when I finally got the chance to meet them in person. I figured I would get along with the two of you more than with anyone else here I know. I'm not really a fan of events like this but the job requires I attend. If you don't see me for the rest of the night, don't worry. It just means I've snuck out the back."

Mia and Casey laughed but Georgie's attention was torn from them when her name came to them floating above the general hum of human conversation. All three sets of eyes looked past Georgie's shoulder to where a very large man stood waiting a few respectful yards away, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes continually moving in every direction.

It was the briefest of nods that sent Georgie the intended message. At least from what Mia could tell. It was the nod that sent Georgie moving again, giving Casey and Mia a quick goodbye before she fell back into the rest of the crowd.

They watched her go and again it seemed to take her longer than it should to reach where she should be going as several people reached out to stop her and introduce themselves as she tried to make her way across the room.

Casey and Mia didn't get the chance to fall back into a normal stream of conversation (Mia was starting to get the feeling that during the time she was going to get to join the band on the road, a large portion of it would be with Casey as company. She becoming increasingly grateful that Casey was so easy to get along with and felt she had already become a close friend.)

Casey nudged her arm to direct her attention with her eyes, her words coming out as a bare whisper so only Mia could hear.

"Incoming."

Mia followed Casey's stare and found the tall blonde woman that everyone was sure to know making her way right for them. Before Mia could even utter a reply of "What?", she was upon them, towering over them as her tall frame in even taller heels allowed her to do.

Mia didn't have much of a choice but to shake her hand as it was outstretched towards them and invading their small little bubble.

"Hi! I'm Toni Sykes! It's so nice to meet you!"

Her smile was wide and to anyone else might have seemed even sweet. But her extra-wide eyes and extreme enthusiasm pushed both Mia and Casey back a step and closer to their table.

"You're Mia and Casey, right? Tommy mentioned you guys were able to make it tonight. I saw you talking to Georgiana Burns. Isn't she so cool? We've been friends forever. How are you guys liking New York so far? Isn't the city beautiful this time of year?"

Mia had a feeling that this tactic of rapid questions and a never-ending smile was Toni's way of getting those she met to relax and feel comfortable despite the fact that she was one of the wealthiest women alive and sold out stadiums where ever she decided she wanted to perform.

Mia felt as though she were being interrogated and nearly tripped when she continued to back up and ran into their table. Casey was wearing a tight smile that in no way resembled her usual bright countenance.

She answered every one of Toni's questions and Mia tried to do the same. Casey had more poise and seemed more comfortable on her feet during the conversation while Mia was simply trying to catch up as to why Toni Sykes herself felt the need to come up and introduce herself.

"Okay, well. This was fun! Let me know the next time the band's in town! I'd love to come see a show. I was so bummed I missed them opening last night at the Garden. I only flew in from London this morning. Jet lag, am I right? Bye, girls! Have a fun evening!"

With a wave and one last second in the light of her blindingly white smile, Toni finally turned from them and the people who were standing nearby fell into formation behind her as her light voice carried throughout the rest of the room.

Tommy and Jay soon appeared out of the crowd. Mia felt her shoulders melt at the sight of the two of them and she suddenly felt tired.

"Can we leave now?"

Tommy had addressed his plea to Casey but Nate was the one who answered.

"No. You're fine. Just another hour. You're the first award presented tonight. We'll leave then."

"Is this thing gonna start soon at least? I'm starving."

"Me too."

Jay's agreement wasn't as emotional as Tommy's statement of starvation but Mia could see a hint of weariness at the corner of his eyes. The five of them settled in a bit too deeply into their chairs when Nate finally gave the okay that they could. They were the only group seated as the rest of the room continued to mingle and network but Mia knew neither Tommy or Jay cared and so neither would she.

They fell into a quiet conversation as Tommy listed off who they had gotten to meet. There wasn't much excitement in his voice, only exasperation. But he managed some enthusiasm when he came to Georgie and was genuinely pleased Casey told him how she had come and introduced herself.

Mia could see her just a few tables away, standing and talking to Toni. The longer she watched the more she realized that Toni was talking to Georgie, and in no way was Georgie talking back. Georgie seemed to wear the same look of exasperation Tommy had had when pleading to head back to the hotel.

"We met Toni Sykes, too," Mia said.

Jay had been leaning forward, looking past her at Tommy while he spoke but his eyes fell immediately to Mia as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Yeah? I think we did too. Which one is she?"

Mia glared at him for a long moment, trying to see whether or not he was joking. But he seemed genuine.

"Toni Sykes. Tall. Blonde. Pop singer. The biggest one in the world currently living. Sells millions of records."

"Sounds familiar. My brain's a little fried. I've never met so many people in my life. Is she the one with the crazy eyes?"

Mia couldn't help laughing because it quantified so simply the interaction she had had.

"Yup."

"Yeah. She's a big fan of the band, apparently. She keeps reaching out to the label trying to get us on a collaboration for her new album. I think it's safe to say hell will be freezing over before Tommy even considers it. He's not her biggest fan."

"I can understand why. I'm still just shocked you don't remember her. She's the tallest person I think I've ever met and somehow insanely beautiful on top of it, too."

"She's pretty?"

Mia glared at him again. He wasn't lying from what she could tell.

"Yeah. Gorgeous."

Her words made it clear that that was the most obvious statement ever uttered. Jay merely shrugged. His eyes had yet to leave hers. They seemed content to have settled on her face, hers their only focal point despite the mass of beautiful distractions all around them.

"I hadn't noticed."

Mia would have looked down to hide her blush if her eyes weren't currently glued to Jay's.

A/N:

*Insert the cheese emoji here.*

But like, it's pretty cute and adorable and genuine and really not that cheesy simply because Jay and Mia are, like, SO in love.

Okay. What did we think???

Also! You guys met Georgie! That's lowkey a big deal!

Georgie is a character of mine and legit has her own book that I'm kind of sort of working on. I mean I haven't written anything for it in like a year but still, it's about 75% done. Just give me time.

She's one of my favorite characters. Not gonna lie. I just couldn't resist putting her in. She's planned to make an appearance in Someday Maybe, if and when I eventually write that chapter.

She's in another Mia and Jay story later on so we'll be seeing her again. Don't you worry.