True to his warning, I didn't see Noah for the rest of the week.

My days at home had been long and lonely, but the evenings were quite fun as Charlotte seemed to snap back into her usual fun self when it came to talking about wedding plans. Every now and then I would catch her staring into space with sadness haunting her eyes, but she hadn't tried to open up about what happened, so I didn't push her.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was practically itching to see Noah. My body ached to touch his face, to smell him, to feel his lips against mine once again.

"Why don't you come and watch the performances today?" Charlotte suggested, as I moped into the kitchen still wearing my pyjamas past breakfast as usual.

"We don't start until two, remember? Plenty of time for you to go to your appointment then come along and watch. You haven't left the house all week, Abs, I'm worried you've forgotten how to."

She had a point. I was only signed off from classes because I couldn't use my arm; Dr Choudry hadn't said anything about leaving the house altogether. And it would be nice to see some familiar faces other than Charlotte's after what had felt like forever.

Plus, Noah would be there. Not like that would make any difference to whether or not I would go, but still...

Deciding on denim, frayed miniskirt, striped blouse and trusty black tights and boots, I finished my look with loose curls and a natural slick of make-up. Charlotte was on her way out by the time I headed back into the kitchen, and I couldn't help noticing she wasn't as dolled up as she normally would be for a performance day. She looked even more beautiful without her normal heavy foundation, her blonde curls pinned up loosely to show off her delicate neck.

"See you there?" she asked.

"See you there," I replied, giving her a quick, one-armed hug before she headed out of the door.

My mum had tried to insist on taking me for my final check-up but, thankfully, I'd managed to convince her I would be fine on the bus. The hospital was only thirty minutes away, and the sun was surprisingly bright for spring. As I took a window seat on the top deck of the No. 256, its rays gently bathed my face in comforting warmth through the glass. I closed my eyes as my mind began to wander with thoughts of Noah; how short a time I'd known him, yet what a huge impact he was having on me already.

Not enough to want to marry him just yet, though, I couldn't help thinking with a smile. I'll leave that to Charlotte and Alex.

Hearing Charlotte talk about her new fiancé, it was clear she was head over heels in love with him. And, by the sounds of it, he was with her, too. Unfortunately, her parents hadn't seen it that way. They had gone batshit crazy when she broke the news, insisting she go home to talk things through properly before 'doing anything stupid'. I don't think she told them about what happened at the party.

The hospital waiting room was full when I arrived. I've never really liked being around sick people, especially since the first time dad got ill when I was twelve and me and mum had visited every day. I breathed a sigh of relief when the nurse called me straight through to the consultation room. After removing the dressing, Dr Choudry seemed pleased with how the wound had healed with its dissolvable stitches.

"Want to take a quick glance?" she asked, handing me a mirror.

"Not yet, I'll have a good look later," I replied. Smiling a quick, awkward smile, I attempted to mask my nerves about seeing the damage for the first time.

"You've made a good recovery, Abigail, you're a very lucky girl," she continued. "Your ribs and clavicle seem to have begun their repair nicely according to the X-rays. The rest of your lesions and bruising have disappeared, and you've shown no signs of any headaches or confusion since leaving hospital, no?"

Ha! Confusion? I'm confused about bloody everything at the moment! I thought to myself. Luckily, my mouth answered with a polite smile and a simple response.

"No."

Being sling-free again felt amazing and I practically skipped out of the hospital. By the time the bus arrived I knew I would be late to the group performance session, but I didn't care; I could slip in quietly at the back and hopefully still catch Noah's turn on stage.

I'd missed seeing him play. The way the muscles and tattoos danced across his forearms as he strummed his guitar, and how he had one lock of hair that would always fall down across his face before being flicked back up. Most of all, I missed watching the way his calloused, strong fingers would flow over the strings like water, creating the most incredible sound no matter what he was playing.

As I snuck into the back of the auditorium, I scanned the sea of heads in the darkness. I spotted Mel's shock of black curls first, sat next to Charlotte and Kris by the front. Alex took the seat along from Charlotte, draping his arm around her shoulders as she rested her head on him, then James, Mikey, but no sign of Noah.

Suddenly I was aware of his presence stepping out under the stage lights. He really was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen. Opting for a dark grey T-shirt teamed with his black jeans and ankle boots, the short sleeves were rolled up a couple of centimetres further, revealing those same toned arms that had been flinging me around like a ragdoll on his bed just a few days before.

The warmth spreading through my stomach quickly turned to ice when I spotted Vanessa also making her way onto the stage, clad in a bullet-tight blue dress that made her long red hair pop.

Neither of them could possibly have seen me with the lights glaring directly in their faces, so neither of them would have seen my expression drop like thunder when Vanessa sashayed over to Noah and whispered in his ear.

Placing his hand gently on the small of her back, Noah leaned in to listen and laughed gently as she spoke, before nodding at her with a look of encouragement as Cole and Lina finished setting up. Funny that the only singer 'available' to perform twice, had to be her.

Keeping my fingers silently crossed for her to mess up, there was no denying they lit up the stage together as they performed. The old Janis Joplin song seemed to fit them both perfectly. Vanessa's powerful voice glided effortlessly across every note, and the pair of them bounced effortlessly off each other.

"You know you've got it, if it makes you feel good."

Every time she sung that particular line their eyes would meet and, in full stage mode, Vanessa's face oozed with passion each time. Why was she focusing on him so much for those words? Why did she have to be so beautiful? Why had I even bothered going along in the first place?

By the time they finished and the auditorium erupted into applause, I was ready to grab my stuff and make a swift exit.

No, my subconscious suddenly piped up, uninvited. You can't run away from everything, Abi. Grow up and deal with it like a well-balanced adult. It was just a performance, all for show.

After three more bands had taken the stage, the session was over and I was one of the first people out, given my position at the back of the room.

Waiting in the corridor, I leant one elbow against the windowsill, holding my red satchel with the other. Feeling too posed, I tried tucking one leg up onto the wall behind me, and promptly ended up losing my balance. I pulled out my phone and stood nonchalantly by the vending machines, only to realise I had approximately four seconds before I would get trampled in the rush of everyone making their way out.

For God's sake, when did standing become such a hard task?

Luckily, Kris was first out and rushed over to swoop me into a hug.

"Abi bear, welcome back to the world of the two-armed living!" he grinned.

Laughing over his shoulder, my eyes were drawn straight to the pair I had been longing to see. Walking down the corridor behind Charlotte and Alex, I could have sworn Noah was in his very own slow motion movie scene, carrying his guitar case on one shoulder and pushing his hair back with the other. A faint smile crept across his lips as he locked onto my gaze and walked closer.

"Abi," he smiled, as he came to a stop in front of Kris and I. "This is a nice surprise, it's usually me that tracks you down."

Instantly blushing, I didn't have a chance to respond before he looked over at Alex.

"You ready, man? We need to get going," he said.

"All good," Alex replied, bending over to give Charlotte a lingering kiss before flashing a grin at me. "It's good to see you, Abi."

"Yeah, it's good to see you, Abi," Noah mimicked, a smirk on his lips. "Look forward to seeing more of you over the weekend. Hopefully."

As he sauntered out of the building I could feel Kris staring at me open-mouthed, his need for gossip burning a hole in the side of my head.

"Okay," he said, waving his hands around. "Am I the only one here that doesn't have a hot boyfriend in the new band?"

"He's not my boyfriend, Kris," I laughed, before my voice dropped a little quieter. "I don't really know what he is, if I'm being honest."

Kris gently placed one hand on my back and one on Charlotte's, ushering us towards the exit. "Well, if you want my advice, whatever he is I'd grab him now. With both those working arms of yours."