Across the Miles
Kristen Dickerson
Published by Kristen Dickerson at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Kristen Dickerson
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Prologue
Rose Moore was totally and completely head over heels in love with Liam Walker.
As far as Rose was concerned, Liam was the most handsome, talented, kind, wonderful man alive.
There was just one problem.
Liam Walker is a famous superstar... who Rose has never actually met.
Sure, Rose knew all of Liam's songs, and talked about him with her friends all the time, because everyone knew who Liam was. His songs had been topping the charts for months now.
But Rose had never actually met the man. She had a little knowledge of his background- for instance, she knew that Liam was from an area close to her own hometown, Colby, Kansas. (Never heard of it? Yeah, you're not the only one). She also knew that Liam was a little... over the top. But in a good way. He just had a lot of energy and his own personality, and he was proud of it. He was known to paint his fingernails if he felt like it, or sing random songs at the top of his lungs in the middle of public places, just because he had the song stuck in his head (there was video proof of the latter).
But, aside from that, Rose tried not to pry into the singer's personal life. But Rose certainly had a respectful admiration for the young man. In fact, he kind of reminded her of herself.
Rose was currently a junior in college, studying music and fashion design, and was in her last week of school before summer when she heard word that Liam Walker would be going on a twenty-city tour across the country, playing only in small clubs and bars, starting in New York City, where Rose currently lived and went to school. So, of course, it was immediately settled. Rose just had to go to that concert.
And then an idea hit her... why not be a groupie? Like what the Beatles used to have. She should totally go to all of the concerts! Rose didn't have any plans that summer, and her best friend Mason was going back to Kansas to be with his girlfriend, Lillian, Rose's other best friend, and Rose didn't really have anything better to do with her time. Plus, it might do her some good to get away from her crazy, hectic life in New York City. She could sight-see along the way too. It would be one, long, fun road trip to get her mind away from the real world for a little while. Rose had overloaded on classes that semester, hoping to graduate early so that she could get started on her fashion and music career as soon as possible, and, because of that, she was exhausted. What better way to unwind than drive around the country and see her favorite performer sing his heart out?
Oh yeah... this was a great idea. Rose Moore was going to set out on a road trip. Rose Moore was going to meet Liam Walker.
Chapter 1
The tickets to Liam's shows, fortunately, were relatively cheap. No ticket cost Rose more than twenty dollars. Liam was playing at small venues, like cafes and clubs, so the price wasn't as high as it would be if he were playing stadium shows. However, there was the option to buy VIP tickets, which cost about seventy dollars each.
After much deliberation, Rose decided to spend the largest sum of money on her ticket for the New York City show to see Liam. All of the shows were general admission, so she didn't have to worry about buying the best seat. She just had to get there early to guarantee that she got close to the front of the venue each night. But for the New York City show, Rose decided that she wanted to buy a VIP backstage pass, in order to guarantee meeting Liam.
Of course, Rose was extremely nervous about this. I mean, this was her idol. Her hero. What if she screwed up royally and embarrassed herself when she met him? What if she got over-excited and yelled in his face? What if she fell over? What if she forgot how to talk?
All of these questions weighed on Rose's mind, but the idea of meeting Liam Walker overruled them all. Rose had made up her mind. She would meet Liam, and she was sure it would be magical.
And that was that. Rose bought tickets to all twenty of Liam's shows across the country, checked that she had enough money saved up to buy gas and food along the way, picked out her most fabulous outfits, and she was set.
And before she knew it, it was the night of the first show in New York City. Mason had decided to go with her to that one because he wasn't due back in Kansas for another week, so he thought it would be best to support his best friend and give her courage to actually go backstage and meet Liam when the time came.
As for the actual show... it was amazing. Since Rose lived in New York City, she and Mason arrived at the front doors of the club hours before they even opened. They were first in line, and managed to stand front and center, mere feet away from where Liam would be performing.
And then the lights dimmed. Everyone started screaming, and... there he was. Liam freaking Walker was right in front of Rose Moore, smiling out at the crowd, waving- all while wearing a freaking bow tie. Rose thought she would die right on the spot.
“Breathe, Rose. Breathe,” Mason joked.
“I'm breathing. I'm totally breathing. In fact, I might even be borderline hyperventilating. Don't mind me,” Rose replied, trying her hardest to keep her excitement in check.
“Just so long as you don't throw yourself at him,” Mason continued to harass his best friend.
Rose couldn't even come up with a snappy retort. She was too busy still freaking out.
“Hey everyone! Thanks for coming out here tonight for my first stop on the tour! Crazy world we're living in that a small-town guy like me is playing a sold-out gig in New York City! I'm so thankful to be here tonight and I hope you guys have fun!” Liam announced while tuning his guitar for the first song of the night.
And with that, Liam began to sing. And it was even better than Rose had ever dreamed it would be. Liam's voice was even more breathtaking when live, right in front of her, than it was on his album. It took everything Rose had to not freak out like a fan-girl and scream right in Liam's face.
But Rose managed to calm herself down, and she stayed calm throughout the whole show, swaying slightly to the music, listening intently with a smile on her face, never once screaming loudly or attacking the singer on the short stage right in front of her. And way, way too soon, the show was over.
Thank god Rose would be going to nineteen more, because there was no way that one show would suffice.
But wait. The show was over, which meant...
“Come on, Rose. You've got the man of your dreams waiting for you,” Mason said sarcastically, grabbing Rose by the arms and pushing her around to the back doors.
“Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. I can't do this. I can't- No. I'm not ready. I can't do this! Oh my god!” Rose exclaimed repeatedly, fighting to get Mason to let go of her.
But Mason wasn't having any of that.
“Rose. You're going to nineteen more of his shows. Shouldn't you at least meet the poor boy before stalking him around the country?”
“It's not stalking, Mason! It's not like I'm following him down the street or finding out where he lives. He is playing shows around the country, and I just happen to want to see th-”
But Rose was cut off as Mason pushed her through the back doors, flashing the security guard Rose's ticket while Rose was too distracted defending herself to realize what he was doing. And then,
there was no going back.
Damn that Mason for tricking her into going through with this.
“I'll be out here when you're done! Take your time! And have fun!” Mason called from the other side of the door.
And then the door shut. Rose was alone. And she was about to meet Liam freaking Walker.
But before Rose had time to panic, the star himself came walking out of his dressing room, a smile on his face.
And oh! Wow. Liam was much more gorgeous in person than any of the pictures ever made him out to be. And taller. Wow was he tall. He had dark, curly brown hair, was wearing a bow tie and suspenders, and had light freckles on his face that could easily go unnoticed if not in the right light.
And Rose found herself gravitating towards the young performer, holding out her hand in greeting. Liam just blindly smiled down at her, not really taking her in, ready to give her his rehearsed greeting that he gave to all of his fans.
But as Liam placed his hand in Rose's, shaking her hand, about to give her a kind “thank you for coming” and then move on to the next fan who had bought backstage tickets, he really saw Rose standing in front of him, and WOW. This girl was beautiful. Like, the most beautiful girl Liam had ever seen. In fact, he thought he was looking at an angel. She wasn't conventionally beautiful- nothing like what you might find in magazines these days. But she was exactly Liam's type... like she had walked right out of one of his dreams. And wow... just WOW.
Rose was looking at Liam expectantly, wondering why the singer hadn't said anything yet. As she glanced down to their hands, she smiled to herself, noticing that his fingernails were painted. Boy was this guy odd. But it was strangely adorable.
But then Rose became self-conscious. Liam was just holding her hand, staring into her green (or were they blue...) eyes. It was a bit curious, and a little more than terrifying.
“Ummm...” Rose started to say, but Liam interrupted, finally coming to his senses.
“I'm Liam! Liam Walker. It's wonderful to meet you. What's your name?” Liam said hurriedly, practically rushing all of his words together in his eagerness to learn more about the woman holding his hand.
Oh, right! He was still holding her hand. He should probably let go before he creeped his fan out. Liam reluctantly let go, missing the contact immediately.
“My name's Rose Moore. It's nice to meet you too. That was a great show. I just wanted to tell you that I'm a huge fan. You're so talented.”
YES! Rose had managed to deliver her speech that she had practiced over and over again, flawlessly. Rose made to turn and leave, excited that she had said what she wanted without messing up, eager to get out of there before she did something that would ruin the moment, but was caught off guard by Liam placing a hand on her shoulder, turning her back around to face him.
“Thank you! That's so... that's so great of you to say. I'm glad you think so, even though it's so not true. I'm not that special,” Liam said, staring into the beautiful eyes of the young woman in front of him. Seriously though... what color were they? Blue? Green? Gray? Liam couldn't tell. But he wanted to find out.
Rose didn't know what to say to this, so she just laughed politely, making to turn again before she realized that she couldn't, because Liam still had his hand on her shoulder. And oh wow. Liam Walker had his hand on her shoulder. Okay... freak-out fan-girl time.
But then Liam spoke again.
“I think I actually saw you tonight. You were standing front and center with a boy, right? Is he your boyfriend?”
Rose laughed again, this time sincerely, as she replied,
“Definitely not. That's Mason. He's my best friend, but not my boyfriend. He's actually dating my other best friend.”
Liam's smile lit up at this knowledge.
“Oh... cool...” He replied quickly, blushing.
Rose was about to reply when a security guard came up behind Liam, telling him that he had other fans that were waiting to see him. Liam shrugged him off, telling him he would make his way around in a minute.
Rose smiled to herself, excited that Liam was paying so much attention to her, but decided it wouldn't be fair of her to overstay her welcome.
“No, no, don't mind me. I should probably let you get along to your other fans. I hate to have taken up so much of your time. But I just wanted to let you know that I have tickets to all of your shows this summer. I decided I needed a break from school and thought I'd drive around the country for a while.”
“Woah. Seriously? You'll be at all of my shows? That's insane! But totally awesome! I look forward to seeing more of you, then, Rose. I guess I'll be talking to you soon,” Liam replied, then winked before turning away to greet his other fans.
Rose was completely speechless. Liam Walker just winked at her. And talked to her for like, five whole minutes. Rose couldn't have been any more excited at what just happened, and literally ran from the room so she could spill all the juicy details to Mason.
Little did Rose know that Liam was just as excited at the idea of seeing her every night at his shows. Admittedly, he was a little unsure about Rose, knowing that she must be a pretty huge fan to have bought tickets to all of his shows, but he admired her dedication.
Liam found himself looking back over to the spot where Rose had just been standing, but she was already gone. Liam felt something in his stomach lurch, and, were those... oh no, those couldn't be butterflies in his stomach...
But Liam just tried to ignore the feeling he was getting in his stomach and went back to casually saying hi to all of his other fans, trying his hardest to block Rose out of his mind, focusing more on looking forward to getting back to the bus to get some rest before his performance the next night.
Chapter 2
“And then, he put his hand on my shoulder! I swear, I felt electricity running through my whole body. And did I mention how cute he is in person? Oh my god, Mason, it was the greatest night of my life. I could seriously die right now and be perfectly content with my life.”
Rose was going on and on, telling Mason about her five minutes with Liam, and Mason, being the great friend he was, sat there and listened to it all, for, at least, the seventh time that night.
“Yeah, yeah. I heard, Rose. That's pretty awesome. Just... don't get in too deep, okay? I mean, he probably meets like, a hundred people every week? Maybe even more. I know you want to feel special and feel like you guys had a moment or whatever, but he's a public icon. He's used to making everyone he meets feel special,” Mason explained, hating to burst his best friend's bubble.
“Yeah, I know. It's just... a girl can dream, right?” Rose laughed, before continuing,
“But I get what you're saying. Besides, it's not like I actually have feelings for him. I don't even know him. I guess I just... admire him. You know, like with Justin Timberlake when I was twelve. He's just another meaningless celebrity crush.”
“Good. Just make sure you protect your heart. And don't be too creepy this summer while following him around on tour. A restraining order does not count as an autograph, okay?”
“Oh, shut up,” Rose joked, shoving her best friend.
“So when do you set off for the next city on the tour?” Mason questioned.
“Tomorrow morning. The next show is tomorrow night, so if I leave early enough in the morning, I should be able to make it there on time.”
“And you have enough money for all of this?”
“Yes. I did the math and I have enough money to pay for food and gas, plus a little extra in case I run into any car problems. And I figured I'd just sleep in my car. I think I have a spacious enough back seat for that.”
“Whatever you say, Rose. Whatever you say,” Mason replied, rolling his eyes.
“So your flight to Kansas is on Thursday, right? Say hi to Lillian for me. And if I remember correctly, one of the stops on tour is in Wichita, Kansas, so you should come to the show, and bring Lillian, of course. I miss her!”
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