Addy shows up just like she said she would and starts banging away at my front door like the true New Yorker that she is.

"I'm coming!" I shout over the music, leaving my box of mini cupcakes down on the table. One of the many advantages of living alone was that I could blast music and dance around my house in just my underwear and eat whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. If my long line of ancestors blessed me with anything, it was a good rate of metabolism so that my indolent self could stay away from the gym and the process of breaking all my bones.

Adelaide rushes into my arms the moment I swing open the door, her hip-length blonde hair flying everywhere. She squeezes me until I have dangerously low levels of oxygen going into my lungs and when I let her know that with a choking noise she pulls away, her greyish blue eyes staring into mine excitedly. "Can you believe it?" She squeals so loud that it sparks more excitement in me (which I call the Adelaide effect) and we start dancing in the middle of the foyer to the music that is blasting from my speakers.

"Are you girls okay?" A gruff voice rises above the loud music and cheering. That is when I pause mid-chicken dance to take in the fact that my front door is still wide open and that my only neighbour was staring at us like we were asylum escapees. I didn't make much noise on the rare occasion that I was home.

"Mr Collins, we are good, yes, yes we are! Sorry for the loud..." I point at Addy behind me and grin at him widely with a wave, moving to shut the door in the hopes that he won't complain to security downstairs.

"All right, have a good day ladies." I hear him say as he walks to the elevators with an exasperated shake of his head.

"Good day to you too, Sir!" Addy yells and once I close the door she cheers even louder, "Celebration!"

---

We end up calling everyone we know for drinks and a little celebratory party. I emphasised on the little but judging by the red paper cups we just got delivered, I doubt Addy took my emphasis into consideration.

One of our closest and dearest friends, Troye, shows up early to help us set up, his perfume taking over my apartment in the matter of a few seconds. The three of us together have been the three musketeers ever since we were mere children. We've been through absolute hell together and jumped over rainbows too.

"Not even going to tell you how proud I am of you because I always am, but Five Seconds of Summer? Girlfriend, that is insane," he accentuates the last word, flashing his perfectly white teeth which he likes to claim are straighter than he is.

"You get to touch their flawless hair and God only knows what else." He gushes, raising his arms up to the sky.

"I'm so happy for you." He lifts me up and twirls me around in his thin arms as I thank him profusely. I make a mental note to ask him how it's going with his new boyfriend later tonight after the party when I know it'll just be the three of us, drunk and questioning life on my couch till the sun rises again.

"You two look gorgeous by the way," he compliments, kissing Addy on the cheek as she pours drinks into cups.

"Did you get the alcohol?" I ask him. Getting drunk was a rarity for me, it wasn't a substance I consumed on the norm but during certain times, it felt right. It tasted disgusting to me but took the edge and the underlying bitterness out of celebrations.

"Yeah, it's in my car but I'm going to need help, there's some other stuff too." He winks at me, the sign that trouble was raising its head.

"Okay, Sierra, lay out the rest of the food and I'll go get the stuff with him. We have got to get more napkins too." Addy lists, pushing Troye out the door in a hurry at the same time.

---

While I'm laying out the food the doorbell rings and I rush to open it, checking my hair in the hallway mirror as I pass. I open the door, armed with a grin but to my great despair and discomfort, find that it's Jace.

"There's my girl!" Jace greets in his overly excited voice and extends a bouquet of hybrid purple roses to me. They were my favourite flowers, and of course, he would know what my favourite flowers were. Our three-week fling had given him enough information about me.

"Hi." I manage a grimace, opening the door wider so that he can come in. "What are you doing here?"

"Here for the party! Troye invited me." He says brightly, looking over my shoulder.

Damned Troye.

"It's good to see you... Where have you been? How are you?" he extends his arms awkwardly for a hug.

"I'm good. Been around, work keeping me busy you know. I'm guessing Troye told you about my new job too?" I inquire, crossing my arms at the chest. I knew how much he hated the band and their mountains full of fame.

"Yeah... Fivesos eh? I'm happy for you Sierra," he says vaguely but I knew deep down inside he wanted to huff and puff and roll his eyes and complain about how they weren't punk rock at all.

"I'm sure you'll have the time of your life." He adds, sensing my annoyance.

"Thanks, I know I will, it's a dream come true really," I state, moving away when he steps closer to make sure he got that I wanted nothing to do with him. We broke up because our relationship was pointless. He didn't make me feel anything. For three weeks we were the goals couple in everyone's eyes, but I didn't have time for relationships that didn't mean anything.

"Alrighty then, you want some help setting up?" he puckers his lips, blowing air out of his mouth and scratching the back of his head. I used to swoon at his blonde hair and green eyes. He was a pretty boy and that's exactly why we didn't work, he still had quite a bit of growing up to do.

I look around the kitchen, desperately trying to think of something so that I didn't have to make conversation. "Yeah, can you please open up all the chips and put them in those bowls for me?"

I place the flowers in some water and he heads over to the bowls. "Sure thing."

---

Guests start showing up for the party, everyone dressed and ready to get absolutely wasted. They congratulate me on my new job, tell me how excited they are for me and disperse off to hang around the windows or to grab a drink. My apartment looked over Manhattan and had one of the most beautiful views of the city, a panorama that extended miles on clear days.

You could only ever inherit a place like this. It was sheer luck and two years worth of pay checks that had allowed me to buy it off of an old man with no one left to pass it down to. I had met him at an antiques store, hobbling along with the help of his walking stick. He had taken one look at me and said I looked like the only woman he had ever loved. I treasured this place more than anything else.

I glance at the clock, wondering what was taking Troye and Addy so long when a flustered Addy comes rushing in a couple of minutes later, dropping off a bunch of heavy paper bags near the front door.

"What happened? It's been half an hour. What took you so —" My sentence is cut short when a boy with light brown curls strolls into my apartment behind her.

"Ashton?" I whisper under my breath, recognising him almost immediately without any effort whatsoever. He's tailed by Calum Hood, dark hair cropped close to his head, talking animatedly with his bandmate.

My first instinct is to hide or duck behind something but I can't move, Addy having gotten a firm grip of my hand, knowing me well enough to know I would run and hide.

I stare at them with utter disbelief when a few moments later, Troye walks in with his arms around the other half of the band, Michael Clifford and Luke Hemmings.

I am frozen to my spot like a gargoyle as Luke's gaze searches the house, moving strands of blonde hair away from his face. Addy must have waved at them from next to me because his eyes skip to me for a moment, his expression blank and unfeeling before he quickly looks away again like I wasn't even there.

A/N:

Feedback is greatly appreciated loves.

P.S if you're re-reading PLEASE don't comment any spoilers!