Pretty Vacant

Cell Phone (Anna Strong x reader)

Warnings: Like one cuss word, mentions of anxiety and loneliness

A/N: So this was a drabble for a tumblr song prompt game. The song I received was Jack's Mannequin: Cell Phone with the lyric "I know I'm not alone in a world full of vampires"

Another city, another show. It was becoming increasingly more difficult being on tour all the time. There used to be a time in your life when you used to love being on the road all the time, you found something liberating about living out of a suitcase and playing your music for people all over the world. You had sacrificed so much to get to this point, a point where you could actually consider yourself successful and your family members had stopped telling you to get a real job. If this was your dream life, then why did it hurt so much each time you announced new tour dates?

You sat alone on the bed in some nameless generic hotel room in a city that might as well be light-years away from home, staring at your laptop waiting for Anna to answer your Facetime call. You checked the time on your cell phone, mentally figuring out what time it must be at home. No answer. You shut your laptop, still clutching onto your phone in the hope that maybe she'll still call you before you fall asleep. As you start to feel your eyelids getting heavier, you try sending her a text message.

To: Annie My Love 💖😘
I miss you.

The next morning, your manager wakes you up early, rambling on about a bunch of interviews that you need to get through before tonight's show. You can feel your anxiety starting to bubble up as he talks about adding more shows, extending the tour by at least another month. You look down at your phone, hoping to see something from Anna, a text message or a missed call, any sign that she tried to reach out to you. No new messages.

"Yea, that sounds good to me. Make it happen." You answer with a fake smile on your face. The last thing you wanted to do was to add more shows to the tour, but looking at your manager's face, you just couldn't find the courage to say no.

The next few days start to blur together, you stopped noticing where one ended and another began, not that it really mattered since each day consisted of the same shit just in a different city. You started to feel lonely despite rarely ever being alone, but even with everyone's good intentions you couldn't help but feel isolated and used. There was a voice in your head telling you that everyone around you wanted something from you, whether it was money, fame, or whatever, you were just a means to an end. It wasn't helping that you and Anna continued to miss one another, it became an endless game of phone tag that you were so sick of playing. You were tired of the boring hotel rooms, and tired of checking your phone every five seconds looking for any sign from Anna to pop up.

You once again found yourself sitting alone in yet another hotel room, at least this time occasion seemed a little better since you were actually talking to Anna. You were in bed, staring at the ceiling with the little white earbuds in, you were quiet as you listened to her talking about her day and everything you had missed back home. She rambled on about the latest shenanigans that Caleb and Ben tried to pull her into, and her trying her best to talk some sense into them. You smiled as you continued to listen to her talk, her voice made you feel safe and calm, like a safe harbor in the midst of the storm that was raging on inside your head.

"[Y/N]? Are you still there?"

"Yea, I'm still here."

"You haven't said anything in awhile. I'm annoying you, aren't I?" You could hear the insecurity in her voice, being away from home this long was never easy on either of you.
"Hey, listen to me Annie, talking to you is the best part of my day. Whenever I hear your voice, I know I'm not alone in a world full of vampires."

"God, you are so dramatic." You could practically hear her rolling her eyes on the other end of the phone.

"Hey now, my dramatic nature pays the bills," you joke. "Finish your story, what happened with Ben & Caleb?"

Anna continues telling her story until she hears the soft mumbling of you talking in your sleep. She hits the End Call button and decides to send you a quick text before heading to bed.

From: Annie My Love 💖😘
Goodnight and sweet dreams, love.

"How's our girl?" Selah asks, looking up from his book at Anna as she crawls into bed next to him.

"Ready to come home."