Though Chris and Jonny had been less close than they had been, they still loved each other, and nothing would ever destroy their friendship, as they had decided shortly before their relationship.

They were in the middle of their first real tour. They had briefly toured Parachutes, but it was not nearly up to the scale that the AROBTTH tour had set. Touring had eased Chris' pain, though only slightly. However, he still got to see his best friends every day and the nerves and exhilaration he felt before every performance kept his mind busy and his heart at rest, if only temporarily.

The rest of the band, especially Guy, were always asking him when he was going to start dating again. Neither Jonny nor Chris had completely let go of their relationship, nor did either of them expect to. Jonny had gone out on one date, which hadn't worked out, which Chris had (guiltily) felt grateful for.

"Come on, Martin, you're a handsome bloke! Surely you could find yourself a pretty girl," the Scottish man told him.

Chris shrugged. "I'm just waiting for the... right one," he lied. He knew he'd never find the "right one". The right one was Jonny. He was just going to have to suck it up and pick one.

Guy nodded. "I understand, lad. You'll find her." With a reassuring pat on the back that did nothing to help Chris' mood, he went back to his hotel room, leaving Chris alone again.

He still felt horrible about Jonny. Every moment, he thought about those dark green eyes, and how they had been filled with so much hurt and so much pain.

It wasn't awkward like it used to be, but it was certainly different. Their relationship had changed from being able to tell anything and everything to each other to feeling like everything they did or said had to be filtered to avoid hurting each other. He missed the old Jonny, the one he'd fallen in love with.

He laid down on the hotel bed, the lights off. He imagined Jonny's warm body next to his, and he sighed.

He tried to take his mind away from Jonny by thinking about the upcoming concert.

What was the setlist again? Politik, Don't Panic, A Rush of Blood to the Head, God Put a Smile Upon Your Face, Yellow, Trouble, Green Eyes, and Amsterdam. He groaned at the thought of having to play Jonny's songs.

Jonny is no longer yours, he told himself. You broke up with him. This is your fault.

He continued having these thoughts until eventually, he was able to cry himself to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The rest of the band saw right away that Chris had gotten very little sleep.

"Chris? Are you okay, mate?" Will asked.

Jonny pat Chris' back and whispered in his ear some words of encouragement, making the singer smile.

"Let's just do the sound check."

They weren't playing on a huge stage, as they certainly weren't big enough for that yet, but it was by far the biggest stage they had played on thus far.

The band was in New York, which they had all been to one other time on vacation after Parachutes had been released. Back then, life had been so much simpler. So much easier.

Chris looked to Jonny, who gave him a reassuring smile, and he couldn't help but grin. He then looked at all the seats, and imagined the stadium full of people. Maybe someday, their small band, made up of just a few weird blokes from England, could really be something big. He smiled at the thought.

"No, no, no! The acoustic for Green Eyes sounded horrible! Can we get a sound guy on that?" Phil shouted from the stands. The band all rolled their eyes at him.

Jonny walked up to Chris and grabbed his hand. Chris didn't argue, even though his brain was screaming that it was wrong. It only made Chris grasp Jonny's hand tighter. The two smiled. Boy had they needed that.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the guys came off the stage for the last time that night, they all high-fived and cheered. Another successful concert.

"I'm heading over to the pub, you lads wanna come?" Guy asked them. Will shrugged and agreed; Jonny declined. Chris sighed and made up an excuse about being too tired to go anywhere.

"Get some rest, mate," Jonny told him, flashing him a look of worry. Chris' heart smiled before his face could react.

"Thanks, Jonny Boy. I will."

They all separated, Chris lost deep in thought. He wasn't paying attention and bumped into someone. He looked up and was surprised to see that he recognized the woman. "Oh! My apologies, Miss!"

"Oh, it's alright. Who knew I'd bump into the one and only Chris Martin back here? I was only trying to find the restrooms!"

Chris giggled and blushed a bit. "I'm sure that there are more Chris Martins than me. After all, neither name is very uncommon, is it?"

The woman laughed. "No, I suppose not."

"So the restroom was the only thing that brought you back here?"

The blonde smiled. "Maybe it was just an excuse to meet you and the guys. Where are they, anyway?"

"You just missed them. Sorry, you got stuck with most annoying bloke out of all of us."

She laughed and Chris smiled. Maybe he could find someone after all. She was no Jonny, but she was very pretty and funny. "I'm Gwenyth, by the way. You can call me Gwen," she said, sticking out her hand. Chris gladly took it.

"Gwenyth as in Gwenyth Paltrow?" He asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Ah, so you've heard of me!"

"Well who hasn't?" Gwen laughed.

"I'm sure plenty of people haven't."

They stood there for a moment, both admiring the other. "Well, I suppose I should direct you to the loo before you have an accident." Chris smiled to tell the blonde that he was only joking.

Gwen smiled back. "Yes! I had forgotten."

Chris laughed, and it sounded much more sincere than it had earlier, as he felt much more relaxed, despite being in the presence of a very pretty movie star.

"Come on." She walked beside him as he took her to the restrooms.

Once they had arrived, Gwen stopped and smiled at Chris. "I like you, Chris Martin." She took out a piece of paper and scribbled something on it. "Here's my number. Feel free to call me or text me anytime." She smiled. Chris smiled back.

Very quickly, she politely pecked Chris' lips and left him standing there, dumbfounded and feeling better than he had in months.

He got back to the hotel, his step light and bouncy. No sooner than he had gotten into his night clothes, expecting a good sleep for once, there was a knock on his door.

He was surprised to see Jonny standing there. "Jonny Boy! What are you doing up?"

"Waiting to see if Will or Phil will call me and ask if I'll help them get Guy's drunk arse back to the hotel." They chuckled. "Mind if I come in?"

"Not at all, J."

Jonny walked in, sat on the bed and stole some of Chris' chips. "You seem happier. What's up, Chris?"

Chris smiled. "I've met someone."

Jonny nearly choked on his chip. "You what? Who? Is she... is she your girlfriend?"

Chris giggled, but felt bad for Jonny, for he knew that if he were in the guitarist's position, he would be absolutely heartbroken. Again.

"It is actually someone that you may know."

Jonny's heart broke even more. He loved someone who he knew? He was immediately jealous and wished that he had been better. "W-who?" He stuttered, holding back tears.

"Gwenyth Paltrow, the amazing actress! You've surely heard of her."

"I'm sure I recognize her name, yes." Jonny tried to be supportive, but his heart was in pieces. "I'm happy for you, Chris."

"Thanks, man." Chris was too happy to notice the sorrow in J's shaking voice.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed now." He had intended to stay longer, but his heart simply couldn't bear to look at Chris and the way Gwen had made him feel. "Goodnight, Chris."

Chris smiled as he left. "Goodnight, Jonny Boy!"

That night, as Chris was finally beginning to regain some hope, the last bit of hope had drained from Jonny's body, and he was the one crying himself to sleep this time.