”Not if you’re willing to go along.”

Ying Sheng smirked at Liam’s words as she stared out of the passenger door window of his car, watching trees streak past them. Like last time, Liam was intent on keeping the date idea a secret until they arrived, so she had no idea where he was taking her. For the past week, he had been completely quiet about his idea, which drove her insane with anticipation.

”Can you at least tell me how long we’re going to be in the car for?” She asked him, trying to have at least one little clue.

”A few hours,”Liam replied as he briefly glanced over at her from the passenger’s seat.

Ying Sheng’s eyes widened at his answer, expecting him to say thirty or so minutes. He was talking about going to a whole new town, but why would he be taking her out of town? He had planned something big, but she didn’t know what. He could be taking her anywhere within a few hour radius from where they lived, and they could be doing anything.

”So, this is like a whole day thing?” She asked him as her eyes shifted to the digital clock in his car. It was around eleven in the morning. He had woken her up early to get dressed and ready to go. Luckily, she had been flying through her business plan and other homework throughout the past week, so it didn’t hurt her to lose a day to his plans. The work group Xing Yue had organized had actually really helped her.

”It goes pretty far into the night,” Liam replied before putting his finger to his lips. He wasn’t saying anything else to her.

”Stubborn,” Ying Sheng huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. She had no clue what he had in mind, but she was still excited. He knew her enough to know what she enjoyed doing, and she couldn’t help but notice that he was pretty pumped today too. It had to be something that he enjoyed too.

Along the way to wherever Liam was taking her, they stopped a few times for gas and food. Liam insisted that she hydrate and get enough to eat so that she had enough energy for later. She wasn’t sure what she needed to be so powered up for, but the anticipation continued to eat at her during the entire car ride.

Only when Liam drove into a busy part of a city did Ying Sheng realize that it was one of the bigger cities in the state. She had only been here once or twice for events, like concerts. She turned her head to gaze out of her window as they passed by the city’s arena, which held hockey games, concerts, and other big events.

It felt like her heart nearly leapt from her chest when she saw an advertisement for Blame Lane’s tour pop up on one of the big electronic screens on the exterior of the arena. She turned to look at Ying Sheng , who was smiling widely. It couldn’t be true.

”You got pit tickets? They were sold out!” She gasped out.

”Someone was selling their tickets, so I snagged them,”Liam replied as he drove closer to the arena, seeking out the parking garage.

Ying Sheng couldn’t quell the rapid beating of her heart, even if she tried. She was beyond excited for the concert, but she was also so overcome with gratitude for Liam. She knew those tickets probably weren’t all that cheap, but he did this for her.

They had enjoyed only a few Blame Lane concerts together, but they were some of the most magical nights ever. They bonded over their love for the band, for their enjoyment of the music. It wasn’t an experience like any other, and he had gifted that to her for their date. He continued to amaze her.

”I… I’m speechless,” she admitted, not even knowing how to properly express her gratitude to him for what he had done. She couldn’t think of any other person in the world who would do something like this for her.

”Good. I was shooting for that reaction,” Liam chuckled as he drove into the arena’s parking garage. He stopped at the booth and paid for parking for the night before driving around to look for a parking spot.

Ying Sheng turned to Liam once he parked, her hand reaching out to grab his white T-shirt so that she could yank him forward. She crashed her lips against his, deciding that this was the best way to show her appreciation. Words just couldn’t do her thoughts justice.

Liam smiled against her lips, his hand lifting to cup her cheek as they shared a few warm touches. He tilted his head up to press a soft kiss to her forehead, a chuckle sounding from him.

”I told you I was going to plan something even better than the first date,” he pointed out to her.

He had definitely stuck to his word, and Ying Sheng was sure that it couldn’t get any better than this. He had planned the ultimate date for them, and she knew that they were going to have a blast tonight. Plus, he had gotten them there early enough to compete for the barricade if they lined up early enough.

”I can’t believe this,” she breathed out with a shake of her head.

”Believe it because it’s happening,” Liam told her as he showed her their tickets on his phone. He flashed her a smile before getting out of the car.

Ying Sheng followed him, ready to get in line and get out on the floor for the show. She took his hand and let him lead her down to the front of the arena, where around twenty other people were already lined up.

”Now, we wait,” she murmured, checking her phone to see that there were still a few hours left until the doors opened to let people in before the show. She didn’t mind the wait, though. Blame Lane was worth it. She would’ve camped out on the street if she had to.

The hours until the doors finally opened stretched on and on. At a point, Ying Sheng’s feet started aching so bad that she had to sit down on the concrete walkway. However, all of her tiredness and aches went away when the line started moving.