I tap my fingers to the rhythm of the song playing on the radio, Sucker by the Jonas brothers which only makes me snicker. If spiller were here right now she'd be wailing.

The sun streams through the window onto my face as I carry on down the dusty road towards Maxes. I wanted a chance to see him before we left L.A., especially after last night.

I woke up this morning feeling ten times lighter, I didn't wake up dreading the day. The only thing I missed was a certain Londoner splayed between my sheets.

I pull off a deserted road into an even more deserted track that seems to run for miles, trust Max to be miles away from any kind of civilisation. The heat tickles at my neck, my body longs to be in my pool with Gigi who was paddling at the edge in a pair of shorts and a T-shirt when I left her this morning. Even in a faded, baggy T-shirt she still looked gorgeous, I remember how her slightly damp hair cascaded down her back in wavy locks, and the smile she gave me from her natural sunkissed face when she waved goodbye.

Ugh instead on my last day in LA I was on my way to a bloody farm out in the desert. I release a deep sigh leaning back into my seat, I want to get home back to my Spiller.

Eventually, I reach the entrance to 'Brewers Farm', slowing the car down, being careful not to hit any wild cattle or stray chickens, I park next to Maxes beaten up truck he's currently throwing haybales from. I take my sunglasses off and throw them into the passenger's side of the car. I step out into the basking heat.

"You alright farmer boy?" I lean on the edge of his truck watching him sweat with the bales.

"Yeah I'm just getting the haybales ready to put into the loft, they'll burn left out in this heat." I nod pretending to know what he's talking about,

" You can give me a hand if you want," he says throwing me a pair of gloves. I stare at him bewildered, I've never been one for manual labour and he knows that. He shakes his head and chuckles,

"All right princess I won't make you work, don't want to ruin your manicure," he mocks wiping the sweat from his abs with his Flannel shirt that was strewn on the wired fence, "Jump in the truck," I throw the gloves back at him and wait for him in the cab of the truck until he's done with the bales. He hops in and starts the truck in direction of the cabin attached to the farm, where he lives with his girlfriend and German Sheppard, Raggers.

He drives past the cattle lounging about in the fields and the horses swishing their tales around in the yard until we pull up in front of the modern cabin. Lyla Joy, Maxes girlfriend is sat on her laptop on the front veranda in a pair of jodhpurs.

"Hey babe- oh hey Colt, I forgot you were coming! How are you?" She gets up and walks down to hug me,

"I'm alright, I hope you don't mind me dropping by."

"Of course not, you guys want something to drink? Beer?" She leans on the table,

"I'm alright, driving." I sigh, she looks at Max who nods,

"There's some on the bottom shelf," he shouts after LJ as she retreats into the house.

"That's the only reason you have a girlfriend, to fetch you things and clean up after you," I joke taking a seat at the wooden table placed looking over the miles and miles of endless fresh grassed fields. I can understand the appeal of living in the country, its calm, peaceful and there is defiantly an air of beauty about it but I'm a city boy through and through. I enjoy the fast pace-ness of it and late-night noise from the strip and partygoers.

"Nah she's good for other things too," He winks as she returns placing a bottle of beer in front of him.

"I'm going to give Dolly a run in the paddock," she says squeezing his shoulder and taking her leave. The two of them are sweet together, they work, fit like a puzzle. It does make me slightly envious, although I don't do relationships it doesn't mean I don't want something like that with my girl.

"So how are you mate?" He takes a swig of his beer,

"Yeah I'm alright I guess... I went over to my parents last night for dinner." I stare off into the distance, watching the pastures lined with crops or small yellow flowers.

"Yeah, my mom rang me this morning. Emma had gushed all about seeing her baby boy and how happy he is now, she also had a lengthy discussion about a certain someone who seemed to make a good impression, great impression actually... considering the time it took my mom to recall every single bloody word of how amazing she was." Max mocks, I groan dropping my head into my hands.

"Honestly it was like my family loved her more than me. Elijah seems to really like her, he took me outside to quiz me on her. Jess and her have been texting constantly since last night, Arrow has the biggest crush on her and Arlo apparently cried when she woke up heard she had left. My mom just loves her, she's already made sure she's coming for every family event, thanksgiving and possibly bloody Christmas and she even managed to win my dad over," Max raises an eyebrow

"How was being with your dad?

That's a question, I honestly have no idea what happened after dinner last night, it was like aliens had abducted his soul and left his body.

"He was a complete dick at dinner, taking cheap jabs at us but just before we left he took me into his study and... hugged me," Max's face wears an armour of confusion, "Yeah! Then he kept telling me how sorry he was that he pushed me out and that he wasn't there or me when I needed him most. He blamed himself for the mistakes I made, saying he neglected me. He wants to build our relationship again. It was so strange, his personality literally did a full one-eighty in a few hours,"

"Maybe he was pissed?" Max suggests.

"No, I asked him why he suddenly... changed? All he said 'Thank Gigi, she put some sense into me'! But neither of them will tell me what was said..."

Max chuckles at my frustration, " I like her, she's nice but I'm just going to address the obvious elephant In the room. When are you going to ask her out?" My cheeks heat at his words,

"What are you on about?" I chuckle slowly.

"Enough with the bullshit man, I know you like her, she likes you, why are you making it so complicated?" He deadpans, this is why Max is my best friend, he knows me well enough to know when I'm lying and knows just what to say to get me thinking straight. I sigh,

"I don't like her Max, I think I'm really falling for her. I don't think she likes me anyway so it doesn't matter," I grab his bottle and take a swig hiding my embarrassment. He pulls it away from me and slaps me on the back,

"Trust me, she like you. She's got that dreamy little look in her eyes, she admires you." He drawls, being in the country has given him a weird twang.

" I don't know, I still feel like she's holding back from me. She's told me about her past but there's still something she's... hiding I guess. Like, she had this mad nightmare the other night, screaming, crying, sweating. But she wouldn't tell me what it was about." I huff, then there are her scars. I want nothing more than to have her trust me, I know she does a bit but I want to be there and understand her panic attacks, understand her nightmares and why she was so closed off. I want her to let me be there for her.

"It took you years to open up to people after what Hailey did and it's only these past few months because of Gigi you actually have. Everyone has their own demons, some are just harder to talk about. Give her time and she might just surprise you. Look at what she's achieved in the last few months." I nod at him, he's right. I'll wait however long she needs because she's completely worth it.

"I think you should drop the whole I don't do relationships persona and adopt the I want a relationship with Gigione." He grins. Do I want a relationship with her? With someone who does everything in her power to make me smile, helped me out of my hole, stood by me when I was an ass?

"Gigi isn't Hailey, Colton." His words swim around my mind, he's right. I've been so hellbent on not having relationships so that I won't get hurt but I've failed to see the only person in my life right now who's saving me from the hurt is who I've been avoiding the most.

"You know what. I'm going to ask her out."

"Yeah? Thank fuck for that. Jayden owes me five hundred bucks." A low fumble of laughter escapes his throat, I look at him puzzled, " I bet Jayden fifty bucks you would cave before you started the next leg of the tour but he was so confident you'd hold out a few more months he up-ed it to five hundred." Little fucker.

"You played me you prick!" I push up out of my chair.

"No, I didn't play you. I made you realise your deep emotional feelings and helped you harvest them to the surface." He gestures out to the atmosphere with his hands, I stare at him bewildered.

"Alright, Dr Phill when did you get your PhD?"

"Well i-"

"In being an asswipe." I burst out laughing.

"You know what Colty, I really haven't missed you- fuck off." He says throwing some hay he found on the floor at me, I jerk away.

"Sorry princess, I forgot you're allergic to anything that hasn't be washed in pure gold." He chuckles as I throw a finger at him.

"We literally grew up the same Maxi? You just traded in the comfort of central heating and a comfy bed for cow fart and a haybale. Lord knows why," He leans back in his chair and gazes over the fields,

"I did it for this, its beautiful, quiet, peaceful... don't you think?" I nod, there is an air of beauty about it but there's also an air of fucking manure, "And now I do if for her." He nods to where LJ is ridding about in one of the fields.

"I couldn't do it. I'm a city boy through and through. The buzz of the fast pace life, the sounds, smells the thrill." I emphasise, I've always been one for the bright lights and bustling streets type places.

"That is why you are a stadium selling phenomenon and I sell cows." We both chuckle, we've always been different, that's what makes us such good friends. Max has always been quiet and reserved whereas I'm loudmouthed and obnoxious. We couldn't live without each other though. "Would you do it if Gigi asked though? If she turned around one day and said I'm moving to the country to raise horses, come with me? Would you?" He watches LJ on Dolly riding in circles. I contemplate for a second and that's when I realise I'm further in than I thought.

"I'd follow her anywhere..." Because I'm falling at full fucking force for this girl.

Hey guys! Sorry this is a slightly shorter chapter but I hope you enjoyed it!

Are you guys all looking forward to Christmas? Only 7 days now!
I'm doing a little bit of an advent idea- from now to Christmas I'm hopefully going to be releasing a chapter a day since we're nearing the end! TTS will have about 65 chapters and I'm writing 57 at the moment!

As always thank you all for reading! Stay safe and keep merry!

Iz x