The Writer's Assistant (ManxMan)

Chapter 2: 'Tell that to your ex'

Aaron promised to stop the rumors until his agency stopped him, telling him that this was good for social attention. Everyone was talking about Hollywood's new couple. I didn't mind at first, knowing that Aaron didn't have any romantic feelings for Sandra, but it didn't feel great seeing the man you love to be photographed with another woman. His agency made them go on fake dates for the paparazzi to gossip about. It was a social stunt, but it really helped get people's attention and increase movie sales.

Aaron and I continued dating, but something had changed. I slowly began to realize that dating him behind the scenes couldn't and wouldn't last forever. We were too different and our lives were completely different. How would his fans react if they found out that Aaron was bisexual and dating a man? What would they think if they knew that man was a normal guy - a complete commoner. It would ruin his reputation, his image, or even worse, his entire career.

He would either have to come out and it would shock everyone, and it wasn't a good type of social attention.

I decided to end things with Aaron. Our relationship was too painful for me to bear, and I couldn't continue staying his secret, but I also didn't want him to give up his passion. I knew how important his career was and I didn't want to stand between him and his dreams. Our relationship didn't end on good terms because neither of us wanted to separate. I told him I'd change agencies so we wouldn't have to stumble into each other, but I was contacted by Camilia saying that Oliver needed an assistant A.S.A.P.

I would have declined, but Oliver's stories had helped me get through some tough moments in my life - including my breakup with Aaron. Even if I didn't personally know Oliver, I felt like I owed him. His stories always had be laughing or crying, and as silly as this may sound, his stories were my escape from reality. The characters he wrote made me feel a lot less lonely, almost as if they were my friends, and they've comforted me in their own fictional way.

I imagined Oliver as a sexy, mysterious writer with classy looking glasses and nicely combed hair, and perhaps a pen lodged behind his ear just to add to his charm.

I never thought one of my biggest role models would wear quirky cartoon shirts and thick, square glasses or that he would have so much facial hair that he looked like a bush.

"How is A doing?" Jack asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. We used his initials since we never knew who was around. Jack was the only person who knew about Aaron and me. Jack was my best friend, and he worked as a designer and stylist for our company. He often did Aaron's hair and picked out his clothes for events, which was how he and I met.

"Good, probably." We haven't really spoken to each other since we broke up. We'd sometimes see each other at the company, but since there were always people around, they were simple "hi's and "hello's."

"Oh, don't act like you don't stalk his Instagram."

I felt myself redden and quickly took a shot.

"So how's the current guy you work?" Jack asked. "You said he was a writer or something?"

"Mhm," I mumbled.

"He sounds safe. Kind of boring, but safe. Who is he?"

"Oliver Carlson."

Jack's eyes widened. "You mean the guy who wrote 'Love me Not?' Dude, that story made me bawl my eyes out! You know when you finish a good book and don't know what to do with your life anymore? His writing is that good. I swear I didn't know what to do with my life for the next two weeks."

"Yeah, that's him," I chuckled quietly. Jack studied me.

"You don't seem pretty excited about this new job. Is he ugly?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I don't really know what he looks like."

He stared at me blankly, and I explained his facial hair and his house and how he slept the entire day until I left. Legend has it that he was still asleep.

"Sounds like a nightmare," he shivered. "You sure you can't quit?"

"The contract lasts a year."

"I told you your life was a chaotic mess."

I shot him a look, and he smiled sweetly.

"Oh baby, you'll be fine. I'm sure you'll find another hot man in town. Just make sure it's not someone in the industry because these celebrities can be pretty crazy sometimes," he said. "Maybe working for Oliver isn't that bad of an idea. It'll be quieter and not as hectic."

Jack and I decided to stop talking about my ex and my new boss. We drank our heart's out that night, but the entire time, I couldn't stop thinking about Aaron.

I was tempted to call Aaron, but I knew I'd only regret it when I sobered up. I went to my phone's gallery and went through our old pictures, smiling sadly as all our old memories came back. I promised myself that I'd delete them, but I always backed out last minute. Deleting our photos was like deleting a part of me.

Look, there were a lot of mistakes you could make in life, and drunk texting your ex was one of them.

How are you?

I quickly deleted the message.

Can we talk?

I deleted it.

Aaron, I-

Tears fell on my screen and I quickly rubbed them away. I turned off the screen. This wasn't doing me any good. I should leave before I end up making a huge mistake.

I sighed and stood up, stumbling out of the stalls. I accidentally bumped into someone at the entrance and staggered back.

"Sorry," I slurred, brushing past him. I went back to the bar to find Jack but couldn't find him anywhere. Where did he go? I reached into my pocket to call him but realized my pocket was empty.

Shit, where's my phone? Did I leave it in the bathroom?

Dread filled my stomach. All my pictures with Aaron were still on my phone. If someone went through the pictures and released them on the internet, it would be the end of Aaron's career!

✏✏✏

A/N: BEFORE YOU CHECK OUT, PLEASE LEAVE A VOTE!!!

Q/A: Do you like love triangles in stories?

A: I always ship the main character with the second lead that gets friendzoned so I'm always in Spain without the P 🥲