"We're not getting Jaffa Cakes!" I argued for the fifth time. Jason had an unhealthy obsession with the chocolate snack that raised the question 'Is it a biscuit? Is it a cake?'. I never understood why he loved them so much, but he always begged us to buy them whenever we went food shopping. I usually had to reject him due to cost - since neither of us made an insane amount of money - and today was one of those days.

"Please Bluebird! I love them so much!" He whined, continuing to throw the blue boxes into the trolley.

"I know you do, but-"

I was cut off by my name being called. I turned around and smiled when I saw Ryan stood at the end of the isle.

"Small world." I commented as he made his way towards us, a short blonde boy in tow.

"It's weird that we've never ran into each other before now." He agreed.

"Hey Ryan." Jason greeted, still unloading the shelf.

"Jase, stop. I told you we're not getting Jaffa Cakes!" I scolded, taking them from his hands. He groaned, leaning against the shelf with his arms crossed.

"I'll buy you some." The boy spoke up, interrupting Jase mid sulk. He stood up, immediately pulling the stranger into a hug.

"Thank you so much!"

"Who's this?" I asked Ryan.

"This is my best mate Brody Williams. Brodes, this is Adrian Fuller, the singer I told you about, and the boy clinging to you is his friend Jason Davey."

"Nice to meet you guys. I'm a singer myself."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I do covers on YouTube."

"Nice. Jase, get off him!" I laughed, pulling my Irish roommate away from the chuckling blonde.

"So, we're having a party tonight and I was wondering if you guys wanted to come along?" Ryan explained.

"Sounds good, right Bluebird?" Jason grinned, looking towards me for confirmation.

"I don't know." I mumbled, picking at the cuff of my sleeve. I wasn't good at partying. I got too anxious. Worried that something would somehow go wrong. Jase had taken me to a few parties in the past, but I never stayed until the end.

"Please Bluebird. Don't make me go alone." He pleaded, grabbing one of my hands.

"Come on, I'll look after you." Ryan promised, Brody nodding in encouragement.

"Fine, I'll go. But tomorrow I'm doing nothing all day!"

"That's perfectly fine, we can have a movie day." Jason beamed, pulling me into a hug.

"He's a very affectionate guy isn't he?" Brody smiled as Jason ran to the counter to buy his Jaffa Cakes, the blonde having already given him the money.

"Yeah, he likes a cuddle." I cooed, always being fond of Jasons touchy-feely personality.

"It's cute." He said quietly, Ryan sending me a look. I smirked, knowing exactly what was going on. Still, none of us said anything when Jason came back, stuffing his face with his favourite snack.

"We'll see you tonight, yeah? I'll text you my address." Ryan waved, dragging a drooling Brody away.

I laughed at Jasons confused face, shaking my head as I rolled our trolley to the self checkout.

~~~

"I don't know if I can do this." I mumbled, running my hand through my hair.

"Come on, it'll be fine. You can always come find me if you want to go home." He reassured, pressing a light kiss to my cheek.

Jase and I were extremely close. We had known each other since high school, him saving me from the kid who tormented me every day. He saw all my flaws - the things Jason swore didn't exist. I didn't understand why he wanted to be my friend. I still struggled to come to terms with the fact that he was sticking around. I didn't like to dwell on what I hated about myself. It took me to a dark place. The kind of place I struggled to get back from.

So instead I took a deep breath and followed him inside.

The music was blaring, the house full of people dancing and grinding against one another. We made our way to the kitchen, catching sight of our new friends leaning against against the wall, red cups in their hands. I stared in awe as Ryan let out a laugh, the sound music to my ears. His smile made me feel things I hadn't felt in a long time.

"Hey guys, you made it!" He cheered, ushering us over to them.

"Nice to see you again." Brody grinned.

"You too mate." Jason waved, taking his cup from his grasp to take a sip. Brody stared at him with his lip between his teeth, Jason oblivious as he downed the alcohol.

"Let's dance!" He exclaimed, taking Brodys hand in his and leading him into the next room.

"Brody has a crush on Jase, doesn't he?" I observed, thanking Ryan as he handed me a cup.

"I'm pretty sure he does." He nodded, watching as the two boys danced together, slightly too close for practical strangers who had only met a few hours before.

"What about you then?" He started, pouring himself another beer.

"What about me?"

"How's your love life going?"

I looked down, taking a sip. "It's complicated."

"How so?" He paused. "Feel free to tell me if I'm being too inquisitive."

"Nah, you're fine." I took a deep breath, placing my cup to the side. I wasn't planning on drinking at all. "There was someone. My boyfriend. We were together for three years."

"Oh." He sounded deflated. "Is he still around?"

I shook my head. "He left. I really don't want to talk about it."

My voice broke on the last word, and I scolded myself for being so weak. It was hard knowing he could still hurt me without even being there. I never planned to let someone ever take control of my life, but I would be lying if I said he didn't affect every decision I ever made.

"Hey, don't get upset." He whispered, lifting my chin so that I was looking into his eyes.

"I'm sorry." A tear slipped down my cheek, and I prayed that I wouldn't break down in the middle of Ryans kitchen.

"Come on." He took my hand, leading me into the back garden. It was massive, bigger than my house itself.

"If you didn't want to come, you shouldn't have let us force you." He sighed.

"I didn't want to let anybody down."

"Look, I know we haven't known each other long, but you've grown on me rather quickly. I hate seeing you upset."

I might not have been in the best frame of mind, but I couldn't stop the small smile on my face when he spoke. It finally felt as though someone genuinely cared about me. I knew Jason did, but there had been the same reoccurring thought in the back of my mind that told me he was faking it. That he was only sticking around until someone better came along.

But all the doubts disappeared whenever Ryan looked at me.