Live It Up (c)

[Tag Along]

"I will tell you right now, I am NOT dating Liam McPherson. We're basically just acquaintances, and we happened to be at the same restaurant for lunch, he sat down to have a chat, and that's when the papparazzi decided to snap away." She rolled her eyes, clearly extremely frustrated with rumors.

"And they say we're planning on going to Aspen together for the holiday!"

[Specs]

Ryan couldn't help but look at her in amusement. "Wow, ok, calm down," he said chuckling, rubbing her shoulders. "It was just a question! I never believed any of those, anyway."

He glanced down at his watch, almost wishing he can stop time just so they can catch up even more. "I think I should be bringing you back... the longer I keep you here, the more we'll both get in trouble. Wouldn't want your fans to be disappointed, right?"

[Tag Along]

Lillian shook her head vigorously. "No, no of course not."

She stood up and stretched, reaching her hands toward the azure sky. "This was lovely, though. I don't think I could ever thank you enough." She stepped up to Ryan and put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly but also still in a friendly way. She thought.

[Specs]

Ryan put her arms around her, hugging her tightly and not willing to let go. "Just don't disappear on me again," he whispered.

[Tag Along]

Lillian smiled to herself. "What, so you're coming on the rest of tour with me?"

She actually wouldn't mind that. She loved her band and crew, but it would be a breath of fresh air having someone around who knew her before she was famous.

[Specs]

Ryan laughed, letting her go and leading her back to the car. "What, and be a groupie? There's more to me than that, Lillian."

Although, taking a break from work might just be what he needed. He was almost tempted. Almost.

[Tag Along]

((Hope it's okay if I go forward to the concert. If it's not just tell me and I'll modify the post!))

Lillian stood beneath the stage in full concert regalia: a sparkly mini-dress with heels and lots of mascara. She took a few deep breaths as she waited for her cue. Then, at just the right moment, the square of floor she was standing on lifted off the ground and sent her slowly up to the stage.

She was still not used to the screams and cheers as her fans saw her. She couldn't help but smile, her heart beating faster and her stomach inhabited by millions of butterflies. She opened the set with her second single, "Broken Arrow," a song about a love that left scars too big to ever heal properly.

While the song had inevitably been interpreted as a love song, it was actually about the death of her mom when she was 13. She wondered if Ryan had caught that.

[Specs]

((No worries! Go for it! Feel free to fast forward whenever you want!))

Ryan's office had a direct view of the stage, which was always convenient and very very cool. He prided himself on how far he had gotten in his career and, now, watching Lillian on stage was something he had never thought he'd see.

As he listened to her song, "Broken Arrow," Ryan slowly put the pieces together. It was song was simple but her emotions showed everything. He wanted nothing more than to give her a hug, to console her and tell her that he would always be there for her. Then again, he was too scared to promise everything. He didn't want to fail to meet her expectations. Not after what she'd been through.

[Tag Along]

After singing several more songs and engaging in witty banter with the audience, Lillian sang the song she wrote about Ryan. She titled it "Catching Snowflakes," an activity they had regularly done together whenever it snowed. The song was mostly about friendship, but there were a few lines scattered here and there that hinted toward more.

[Specs]

Ryan sat in his chair, watching Lillian intently and with amusement. He thought about their childhood memories and all the things they did together when they were living only a block away from each other. He couldn't help but smile when she started singing the song, "Catching Snowflakes." It was their favorite past-time and the first thing they did on the first day of Winter. He missed it. He missed her.

[Tag Along]

After an hour and a half of songs (Lillian herself didn't have that many songs, but she sang a number of covers, including Taylor Swift), she re-entered the stage for her encore.

"Yes, yes, I'm back. You can't get rid of me that easily!" She said into her microphone. "And of course, I couldn't leave you without singing this song... A song that I'm dedicating to a very special friend of mine out there..." And with that, she started singing "Keep Your Head Up."

[Specs]

Ryan couldn't help but laugh upon hearing her last song. He grinned, shaking his head at her. Oh, that girl. The plan was just to watch her concert but he wanted to see her again. Dashing from his office, Ryan made his way backstage. Owning the arena meant open access everywhere and he was thankful for that this time. He stood behind the wings and waited for her, catching the last couple of notes that Lillian just finished.

[Tag Along]

After many facetious bows and curtseys, Lillian made her way backstage. She was on such a rush that she almost ran into Ryan for the second time that day.

"Oh!" She said, a huge smile on her face. "How'd I do?"

Lillian was actually nervous to hear the answer. Ryan had always been honest with her in the past, and she assumed nothing had changed.

[Specs]

"You were beautiful," he said, picking her up as he gave her a huge bear hug. "Just amazing."

[Tag Along]

Lillian let out a small squeak, a mixture of surprise and excitement.

"So, you enjoyed it then?" She was actually quite amazed at how much she cared. But, then again, they had been best friends for years. Why wouldn't she care what he thinks?