aLOVEthing

one | alone time

The month flew by quickly, leaving Heart with another month to encounter on her own in Los Angeles. In the beginning, things were a bit tough for her. She hated being so far from her loved ones and what she was comfortable with. But with work picking up and shoots being thrown to her left and right, her feelings dwindled away and she was back on her feet. 

She couldn't wait until she was back home with Logan, Christen and Dom. And she couldn't wait to pick up where things left off.

But at the same time, she was beginning to make room for Los Angeles in her heart. She liked being independent and she liked exploring a new city on her own. 

Which kind of put the distance between her and Steph. He was good about visiting her whenever he could, but with things picking up in his schedule too, it left the two with barely any choice but to keep their relationship alive through phone calls and FaceTime. 

Heart just wasn't too sure if they'd make it, but because she loved that man with every piece of her, she kept the positivity alive and she did her best to make ends meet. 

"Beautiful, beautiful! Now turn your head slightly to the left and tilt your head a bit." The photographer directed her pose before returning the camera back towards his face to flash more pictures. Heart quickly shifted her poses, earning more compliments from the photographer himself. "Great, babygirl. You're doing great, we're almost through."

Babygirl.

The thought of Stephen quickly flashed through her head, making her smile turn to a frown in 0.5 seconds. 

"Just one more." Heart smiled. "Great! Thank you! I think we got the shots we needed." She quickly licked her lips as she looked down at the floor beneath her. She hadn't heard from Steph too much today, but she understood that he was a busy body. 

Though, it was kind of how things became. They would barely talk throughout the day. Maybe a phone call / facetime session, but other than that, the conversations were less. The thought of them being on this route frightened her, but she shook off the feeling. 

She didn't want to overthink.

"Thank you." Heart said softly, as she gave the photographer a gently squeeze on the arm before making her way to her dressing room. She plopped onto her chair as she grabbed her phone, noticing a text from Stephen.

SC: Hey sweetheart, give me a call whenever you get a chance. I love you.

Although the vibe felt off on certain days, the only thing that mattered was that Stephen was trying and that she wasn't the only one investing energy and effort into their relationship. That's what kept her going, and she only prayed that things would continue to go up from here.

Not down.

Heart quickly changed into her sweats and crop top before saying her goodbyes to everyone at the studio. Sometimes she despised the drive home from downtown LA back towards the Santa Monica area. It wasn't a long drive, but at the same time, it was the longest drive on earth. Traffic wasn't playing in Los Angeles. But with the 80 degree weather and cotton candy skies in full effect tonight, she didn't have any issues being stuck in traffic.

As soon as she pulled onto the freeway, she called Steph through the car's system. It took a couple of rings before hearing his raspy voice.

"Hello?" She softly smiled.

"Hey Wardell."

"Hey sweetheart." He said softly before giving himself a good stretch. 

"Waking up from a nap?"