Five months.
"So, what'd you think?" My agent crossed her arms across her chest, wiggling her eyebrows at me and I laughed shaking my head in disbelief.
"I think you're a marketing genius, I mean, it looks so, intriguing!" The small paperback book in my hands, had a picture of an open journal with the title written across it. Of course she only knows that the character had written in a journal, but little does she know that this book cover means the world to me.
The title, in messy red rink, read, Alone With Ashton. I know, weird name, but it was the best I could come up with, same goes for my name, Cassandra.
As I held the final copy of my very own book in my hands, I felt like everything was finally right in the world. I felt like this was my purpose. To share my story.
"Only one more month sweet cheeks, and this book will be flying off the shelfs." Darbin patted my arm and I smiled back.
***
One month
"You read it." I paced around in the dorm, rubbing the tension out of my neck as Keith sat on my bed.
"You sure?" He asked, looking down at the article, and I nodded my head quickly. He began to read the passage aloud. "Alone With Ashton is a must read, it will leave you a blubbering mess, but it's totally worth it." Keith scrunched his nose and I took his phone away from him.
"It is to my great pleasure to announce that Alone With Ashton has made the New York's Times best sellers list-" I dropped his phone out of my hands, my mouth open in shock. Keith was in shock as well, but he reacted much faster than I had because suddenly he was holding me in the air as he spun in a quick circle making me scream.
"I can't believe this Caspian! I'm so proud of you!" He put me down enveloping me in a tight hug.
"We only started selling a week ago! How is this even possible?" I didn't notice until now but I was actually crying. "New York Times best seller!" I yelled throwing my hands up in the air and collapsing onto my bed. "I don't even care anymore, I'm done, nothing in the world could possibly top this, I could die tomorrow and be 100% satisfied with how everything has turned out."
"Well don't make any plans to die soon, you still have promo week." Keith slapped my legs and laid down on my roommates bed.
"Thanks for reminding me." I grumbled as I rolled over.
***
"You have a handful of interviews lined up, nothing big." My publicist held her hand out in front of her to block the almond I threw at her.
"Janice, I said I didn't want to be seen, you had one job." I threw another one and she rolled her eyes.
"You're acting worse than my daughter, and she's nine." She slid a schedule over to me and left the room as my phone had started to ring.
I didn't bother looking at the caller ID because I was expecting a phone call from Keith about lunch.
"Keith, I swear to god if you're going to propose we go to Chipotle one more time I will steal your credit card."
"Hello? Is this Caspian?"
I pulled my phone back to see it was an unknown number and I put the phone back to my ear.
"Oh, yeah, sorry I thought you were someone else, anyways how can I help you?" I started packing away the papers Janice gave me so I could finally leave this office building.
"Uh, it's Ross."
My legs wobbled and I found myself plopping down in a seat, the wind was practically knocked out of me, I couldn't even seem to find my voice.
"Hello? You still there?"
I shook my head, trying to reassemble my jumbled thoughts. "Y-yeah, just took me by surprise is all, what'd you need?"
"An explanation, I'm in your area, meet me at P.F. Chang's, the one further north, please."
"Ross, I don't think I have the time-"
"Make time." He said icily, before the line cut off.
***
I went inside the restaurant, scanning the room for him, but one of the waiters seemed to know why I was there so they lead me to a fairly empty part of the restaurant, and I saw him.
Stoic and as handsome as ever, he sat there, almost glaring at his plate, wearing a black button up with a navy tie, his hair for once, actually styled.
He was so clean cut and grown. For a second I couldn't believe it was him. But as soon as he set his hazel eyes on my boring brown ones I just knew I was in for a night.
I approached the table with cautious steps and to my surprise, Ross stood to greet me with a hug, exchanging basic hellos before sitting down.
"I just got us waters and some kind of Margarita."
I nodded my head. And we both just looked around the room, avoiding eye contact with each other.
Finally I just sighed giving up whatever front I was trying to keep up, after years of suffering the only useful thing I took away was life is short. I can't waste time being afraid. "So you're buying me dinner then you're going to yell at me? Or did you have something else planned before the yelling."
"No, I was thinking of making the New York's Times best selling author pay for this lovely dinner before tearing her a new one."
We both leaned away from the table as a waiter came to get our orders, I just ordered the first thing I saw before returning my attention to Ross.
"Let's just catch up for now, then we can talk, seem fair?" He asked holding his glass out to cheers and I clinked my glass with his.
"So why are you in New York?" I started.
"Basketball." He shrugged.
"Oh, you still play? What college did you end up picking?"
"Utah, it's a pretty small campus but I like it, our team is kinda shit." I nodded and we fell back into awkward silence.
"So, earlier you mentioned Keith, how are you guys doing?" He asked and I found myself stuck between telling the truth or lying.
"We broke up when I came back from Indiana, but we're still really close friends." I shrugged before slapping my forehead. "I was supposed to go to lunch with him."
Ross' hand moved towards his mouth and my eyes flickered up towards him, he was trying to hide his laughter but failed miserably. "Is that why you were complaining about Chipotles? Who even are you? My Caspian loves Mexican dining."
My ears were burning with how he said 'My Caspian.' But I found myself rolling my eyes. "You try eating it for five nights out of seven." I laughed admiring the condensation on my glass, I could feel his stare on my face, that's why I was so afraid to look up, but when I finally did, I don't think I could find it within myself to ever look away again.
He was bright. In every sense of the word, it was like looking at the fucking sun, my eyes were actually beginning to water. He was smiling at me, such a huge contrast from the last time I saw him.
And then to prolong this moment he spoke. "And after two years of being without you, I'm still outrageously happy to see you, now why is that?"
I'm hoping it's because you still love me.
A tear just escaped my eye as our waiter came back with our food, and I quickly looked away to wipe at my eyes.
***
Lunch came and went with idle chatter, now we were walking around the block both keeping our heads down to avoid the biting cold of New York's winds.
"So does the yelling start now?" I jokingly asked.
Ross was quiet as he glanced at me nodding his head. "We should start with the obvious." He grumbled.
"Alone With Ashton." I sighed.
"Yes that."
"How'd you hear of it? I've never known you to pick up a book." I squinted my eyes to confirm that specs of snow have begun to fall.
"Uh, there's a girl that I've been seeing-"
My heart thudded uncomfortably, and I clenched my fists.
"I just asked her why she was so interested in the book she had, and she told me the whole plot line." Ross shrugged. "She thought I was crazy with the way I reacted to it, I mean, could you imagine trying to move on only to find that the girl your trying to move on with is emotionally invested in your past relationship? I mean, I had to hear for hours about how Ashton and Cassandra were perfect for each other, or how Cassandra was too stubborn, or Ashton was too harsh, only in the end to find out that she wanted me and you together all along?"
"So you told her it was about you and me?" I asked, over that fact that he might possibly have a girlfriend.
"No, not exactly. I just kinda-er, well I ripped the book up telling her to stop reading nonsense." He bit his lip and I swatted his arm. "Hey! I bought her another one before I left."
I turned away from him crossing my arms. And he grabbed my shoulder turning me around. "Aren't I the one who's supposed to be mad here?"
"For what?!" I asked in disbelief. "Because your little girlfriend likes a good romance? Because I have finally moved on in my life?"
"It's humiliating!" He yelled back and I blinked in shock. "It's just a page by page book reliving the mistakes we've made and how we've failed to make it as a couple, and if anyone finds out that it's me, I'll just revert back to square one." He confessed.
So that's why he's upset.
"Ross, no one is going to find out, alright? I changed names, and settings, even dates. There's no way anyone could possibly find the story to be true, I've made sure of it. Okay?" He looked away unsure and I rolled my eyes. "Just read the damn book, it does you wonders, you should've seen me rewriting it, I went through four boxes of tissues but hey, I got through it all, I got through our break up and I'm in my way to being happy, can you say the same?" The sadistic part of me was hoping he would rush back into my arms and tell me he'll never be over me, but I was still pleasantly relieved when he said he's on his way to happiness as well.
"So was that all or is there anything else you'd like to yell at me about?" Ross laughed shaking his head no. "Good." I laughed before pushing him harshly. Caught off guard, Ross fell onto the concrete, laying flat out on his back.
"What the fuck?" He groaned.
"That was payback for pushing me out of your car." I smiled down at him. "It was nice seeing you Ross." And with that I hailed a cab, looking back to see him laughing like a fool on a New York sidewalk.
I wish you nothing but happiness in the world.
••••••
HAPPY NEW YEARS
One of my New Years resolutions was to write every day and to post a chapter for one of my books every week, last week I posted a chapter for my Dan and Phil Phanfic called Nature Boy.
So, let's hope I stick with this ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Q: How'd you feel about the Rospian reunion?
-Aliah