Stardom

Moving On

"Time for a fresh start," Crystal said gently, appearing at my shoulder and placing a consoling hand on it.

With a small sniffle, I nodded determinedly. I wasn't going to let today be a sad day. There was far too much to still be grateful for, and things to look forward to.

Once we'd sealed the last two boxes and the apartment was officially empty of my belongings, I stopped at the door, giving the place one final look.

"Onwards and upwards," I muttered.

"Leave everything that's happened here, in the past, where it belongs," Crystal said firmly at my shoulder.

"Yeah. I think that's best."

I let out a sigh, then pulled the door closed, locking it and dropping my keys through the slot, the pair of us making our way downstairs, before setting off for my new apartment.

It was late by the time that myself, Crystal and the movers had got everything loaded inside my new place, and I was completely shattered. It had been a busy few days, securing this apartment and packing up the old one. I was relieved when I was finally alone, not needing to find the energy to speak anymore, simply able to throw myself down onto the couch and cast an eye around at the beautiful, bright loft which was now my own.

It was much bigger than the last place, but with my club earnings, it was well within my budget. The cream walls made the entire apartment shine in the LA sun during the day and afforded it a nice ambience in the evenings with the subtle glow of the lights. Perfectly teamed with the sandy-toned marble floor, plush, mocha rugs, and other neutral flares of colour from the furnishings to give it a warm vibe throughout, a modernised and stylish one too. Rustic pillars stood at intervals around the lounge, and a floor to ceiling wall of frosted glass windows held the sliding doors which divided the rooms.

"Home sweet home," I smiled, already looking forward to making my new life here.

With a yawn, I shuffled into a more comfortable place on the sofa, and before I knew it, I'd drifted off.

After an invigorating shower the following morning, I was dressing ready to head to the hotel for my paycheck, when I heard my phone buzzing from somewhere. Looking around, I couldn't spot it anywhere.

"Damn it," I groaned, trying to recall the last time that I saw it.

I scoured the room for a good five minutes before locating it in a pair of my stilettos in an open box of shoes.

"I have no idea how you got in there," I said in surprise, holding it up and looking around as though ready to spot a mischievous culprit standing nearby laughing at me.

Shaking my head, I pressed the screen to read the message and stared in surprise as I read Ross's name. I hadn't seen or heard from him since I'd visited him in the hospital. I'd wanted to go back, wanted to check on him, but I also wanted to respect his wishes and give him time. So with little other option left to me, I'd been doing all of my anxious check-ins through Tucker. To be honest, I was surprised he'd been so patient with me, especially as I'd been blowing up his phone almost every hour for the first few days, making sure that there hadn't been any last-minute complications. My fingers trembled a little as I opened the message, my eyes squeezed closed with a mixture of hope and apprehension at what might be written inside.

Can we meet for a coffee? We need to talk.

My knees weakened beneath me as I finally read the few words on the screen, feeling none-the-wiser to his meaning or his tone. Needing to talk... why? Was this it, the moment that he was going to make a clean break from me forever? Or could I dare hope that this was going to be his way of allowing me to clear the air once and for all, to persuade him to give us a chance? I couldn't bear to be in this state of confusion any longer than necessary, and so tapped out a reply as quickly as I could, telling him that I'd be at the hotel in half an hour, and could meet him there, keeping it simple and to the point, not wanting to risk tipping the scales.