Chapter 1
“We are now preparing for landing in beautiful, sunny West Palm Beach,” the captain of the pl ane announced during the tail end of my flight from Knoxville. “Please keep your seatbelts fastened until the sign has gone off.”
The reason I was going to West Palm Beach was to reconnect with a childhood friend who had moved away in second grade. Her name is Lydia Martinez, and we’d been inseparable from the time we were still in diapers until she moved.
I let my mind wander as I thought about seeing Lydia again, and the next thing I knew, the plane had landed, and everybody was getting off with their bags. Smiling, I followed suit with my backpack and purse and weaved my way through the large crowds to baggage claim. Once I retrieved my suitcase, I picked up a rental car and drove to Lydia’s house.
“Hey, stranger!” Lydia exclaimed with a hug after she answered the doorbell. “I haven’t seen you in a hot minute!”
“I know!” I said, tightening my embrace.
“And who’s this?” Lydia asked when we pulled away, referring to my pregnant belly.
“This is Remi Grace Stephens; she’s due in five weeks.”
“How wonderful! Let’s catch up over dinner. I made fajitas!”
“Oh, yum!”
I followed Lydia into the kitchen, where she dished out two tortillas. After we assembled our fajitas, we sat down at the dining table and dug in.
“So, who’s Remi’s daddy? Is he still in the picture?”
“No, we broke up soon after I told my dad I was pregnant. Dad got furious because he didn’t like Isaac.”
Lydia leaned in, in anticipation of hearing more juicy details. “Oh, do spill!”
“Dad said Isaac wasn’t good enough for me, that we didn’t go together at all.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah, Isaac was apparently too much of a punk, and Dad said I needed somebody more down-to-earth. When I disagreed with him, he threatened to disown me if I didn’t break up with Isaac. I didn’t want to lose my dad or my family, so I ended up calling it quits on Isaac.”
“Wow, that’s messed up!”
“Yeah, that’s why I’ve avoided men at all costs – because I’m afraid history will repeat itself. How’s your love life going?”
“Not very well; it seems like every first date I go on has turned sour. One guy was just looking for a side chick, another admitted to having a boob fetish, and a third… well, that first date actually went pretty well, but his wife found out from a spectator, apparently a friend of his, and crashed our date.”
“Goodness gracious! So, you were the other chick?”
“I guess so,” Lydia said with a shrug. “That’s why I’ve been single for just over a year now.”
“I hope karma came and bit her in the butt – that’s pretty rude!”
Lydia chuckled. “Yeah, she got carded on the way out of the restaurant. Turns out she was an illegal immigrant, so they had to deport her back to her home country.”
“Oh, wow!”
“Yeah, I know.”
Our conversation ended up going on for two hours, and by the tail end, I was starting to get tired.
“Where can I sleep?” I asked. “I’m fixing to go to bed.”
“You can sleep in the guest room,” Lydia informed me. “And tomorrow night, we’re going to see 5 Seconds of Summer!”
“Who’s that? I’ve heard the name, but I’m not sure I’ve heard any of their music.”
“Oh, you’re missing out! You said you like All Time Low, right? They’re like them, but even better.”
“Oh, okay! How good are the seats?”
“First row, front and center; I won them in a radio contest.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it already; I haven’t had good concert seats in forever! Goodnight.”
“Sleep well.”
The following evening, Lydia and I went to the stadium early enough to get our merch before the concert. There was already a line when we got to the merch station, but it wasn’t very long, and we made our purchases (we both got hoodies) within ten minutes.
We had barely turned around to go to our seats when I bumped into someone by accident.
“Oh, sorry,” I said to the guy I’d bumped into, who had a friend in tow. “I didn’t see you there.”
Both guys were about six foot tall and tattooed. The impacted one had shaggy blond hair and muscles, and his friend, who sported a lip ring on one corner of his mouth, had spiky, golden blond hair and was a little on the lanky side.
“No problem,” he said in what sounded like an English accent. “I’m Ashton, that’s Luke, and we’re with the band. And you are?”
“Holy fuck!” Lydia shouted in surprise. “It’s… you’re…”
“From 5 Seconds of Summer, of course!” Luke said with a smile. “What are your names, ladies?”
“Uh… I forget all of a sudden,” Lydia said nervously.
I giggled. “That’s Lydia Martinez, and I’m Jessica Warren,” I answered on Lydia’s behalf. “Apparently, she’s a huge fan.”
“So, where are your seats? We can take you there, if you want,” Ashton offered.
“Front row on the floor. Thank you so much!”
“Our pleasure!”
We started walking towards the stadium, and Luke asked, “Are you girls from here?”
“I am, but she’s not,” Lydia said. “She’s from Tennessee. Well, so am I, technically, but… yeah, this is where I live.”
“You sound cute when you’re nervous, you know that?”
“Well, what can I say? You’re my idols!”
“What part of Tennessee do you come from, Jessica?” Ashton asked.
“Farragut; it’s just northwest of Knoxville,” I said. “What part of England do you come from?”
“Jess, they’re Australian!” Lydia corrected me, making me blush.
“Oops… my bad,” I said nervously. “So, what part of…”
“Sydney,” Ashton said. “It’s alright, we get England a lot because we lived there during the first part of our career.”
“Oh, I heard it’s gorgeous down there. Is that true?”
“Yes, very much so. The beaches are especially breathtaking, with white sand and the deep blue ocean. Maybe if we get married, we could go there on honeymoon.”
I laughed. “Maybe.”
“What about Farragut?” Luke asked. “What’s it like there?”
“Well, if you like beaches, there’s a lake just south of there called Fort Loudon Lake. I’ve been there before; it’s veryu pretty.”
“That’s amazing!” We reached our seats, and he added, “There you are, girls; enjoy the show!”
“We sure will,” Lydia said.
