(Jack)I didn’t feel like going home again.I had taken to staying over at the apartment for the past couple of days, wanting to avoid everyone else.I didn’t care about that part much because the only person I didn’t want to ignore was Ruby, but for the past week, I have ignored her calls and only replied to her through messages, citing a heavy workload and whatnot.I know she could tell it was probably an excuse.I jogged around the park right opposite my apartment complex. It was a weekend and I had already been to the gym but I still felt anxious for some reason.As I rounded another corner, I saw someone crouching down in the middle of the walking track with a leash in their hands.I narrowed my eyes at the blonde hair and narrow shoulders that somehow felt familiar.“Amanda?” I asked hesitatingly.The woman whipped her head towards me and her green eyes widened.“It is you!” I said in surprise.“Jack?” she said my name, a wide smile on her face, although there was still some ten
(Lydia)The doctors discharged Mama the next morning.We were careful in transferring her into the house even though she was pretty adamant about not receiving any help.I told her the most important thing in the world now is for her to rest, and after that, she could moan all about how she still wanted to do things on her own.“You fret too much,” she told me when I came to sit beside her. The kids had just met their grandma and were now downstairs, making breakfast in the kitchen with Thomas while Ruby was resting.It had taken a lot of pleading on my part to make Ruby leave Mama’s side and take care of her own health for a while. There were dark circles around her eyes and a general expression of fatigue.I knew it was more than just Mama’s health but in the crucial time, I was having trouble focusing on most things.My phone rang once again, a source of annoyance in a tough time.“It’s been doing that since yesterday,” Mama pointed out, “Is it a work call? If so, you need to pick
(Adeline)I woke up to realize that I had been sleeping for the better part of the morning and even the afternoon.The exhaustion and fatigue that I had been feeling ever since I started the new chemotherapy felt like it had vanished, but I knew it was only a matter of time before it returned.Still, I would enjoy this time because it has been hard to do most things these days. I was not able to keep everything in because of nausea and I didn’t want anyone to worry which was why I kept it all to myself.I sat up in bed to realize there was someone already lying beside me.“Ruby?” I croaked out before clearing my throat, “What are you doing?”Ruby looked up from the piece of cloth she had been holding like she was pulled out of a very deep thought. “Hm?” she said, still looking like she was somewhere else entirely.I give her shoulder a comforting squeeze, “You’ve been much too distracted these days.” I had been noticing how quieter she had gotten.I wanted to ask her about it, but dea
(Ruby)I cannot believe I was about to do this.In all my life, I had never gone behind a guy. I didn’t care how much of a crush I had on someone, you would never see me pursuing them.However, now it was imperative that I do a bit of chasing.I don’t know what happened with Jack that he pulled away from me so suddenly, but I will get to the end of it by today.I guess I needed Mama to get some sense into me. Only when she mentioned Thomas did I realize how stupid I was.Of course, he would know Jack’s whereabouts. Thomas had given me a smirk and made me note down the name of an apartment complex.It was far from our home but not too far away from the mansion, although the area was completely different.During the drive, I realized that I have seen many times how life is unpredictable, hence, wasting time by ignoring each other and not sharing things with each other did nothing but waste the time we did have with each other.No one can say for certain what the future holds for them so
(Lydia)I cannot believe I was actually going.Fortunately, all the demands I made to the marketing team were taken in stride.I cannot believe they thought they would force me to do something I didn’t want to do just because I was not at the same level as their star Nathan Andrews.This was no hate to Nathan of course, because I knew he must be in a tough spot as well. The more you climb up the fame ladder, the harder it is to do the things that you want to do.I’m sure Nathan had been roped to do something like this previously as well, which was why he became receptive to the idea. Otherwise, it is all stupidity of course.Yes, some people might be swayed by dating rumors, but most fans these days could tell a marketing strategy from a mile away and if I was setting foot into Hollywood, I didn’t want to do it in this way.If I am talented enough, then I will be getting more roles. The directors and the producers won’t care about my rumors with the sweetheart of Hollywood, what they
(Thomas)Somehow, the way to the airport did not feel very long. Before I knew it, I was already putting the car into park and turning to look at Lydia.“All set?” I asked with a slight smile.Lydia chuckled, “Don’t look so pained.”“Or what? You’re going to stay behind?” I asked, raising a brow.I was jesting because I knew how important this was for her but Lydia looked at me thoughtfully, “Do you really want that?”I blinked at her in surprise, “Of course not. I know how much this means to you. I would never want you to not pursue whatever your heart desires.”Lydia looked down with a smile and nodded, “That’s good. You always encouraged me to follow my passions and I didn’t get to do that for the longest time. Now, it feels like I’m finally where I want to be and I really don’t want to miss it.”“I know and I understand you wholly. You know, I’ve been thinking recently that the work that I do, continuing my father’s legacy, is mainly just work for me. There is no passion for it. I
(Lydia)Leaving Thomas behind felt bittersweet. It felt like there were tendrils of hope blooming between us and now there will be distance.I’m scared of that distance bringing something between us again, whether it be my feelings or something outward. When he hugged me, it felt like I could breathe again and I melted in his hold. Alas, I had to leave.Some of the team members and makeup artists were also traveling with us. The director would follow suit the next day while we settled. There were interviews to be done with the entire cast as well including directors and producers. Other than that, I had a lot with Nathan and a few of them with just me as well.They were hoping for a big movie role and I hope I don’t disappoint them because I know I would feel like it was because of me. I didn’t want to ruin their marketing plans but I had some of my own principals as well. They couldn’t expect me to just leave all my morals behind and do a stunt just for the sake of it.A crew member
(Ruby)We stopped at a fast food joint on the way back because I hadn’t eaten breakfast and only now I felt hungry.Jack looked at me amused as I excitedly ordered chicken nuggets along with a spicy chicken sandwich.“You sure you don’t want some fries?” I asked him one more time before ordering only for myself.While we waited for the greasy meal to arrive, I sat across a cozy booth from him and looked at him with a narrow gaze.“What?’ he asked with a laugh.“Have you been eating alright lately?” I asked him, genuinely concerned about the state of his well-being.Over the course of the week during which he had ignored me, Jack’s cheekbones have become more prominent and his stubble remains unshaven when he absolutely hated having a stubble.“Ruby, I’m okay,” he reassured me but I was still not convinced.Silence followed between the two of us. It was odd because previously we could not shut our mouths whenever we were together.After we patched up, it still felt like there was a wal