As a child, I'm not going to lie, I had once dreamt of being famous.
Now I don't know if what is going on now classifies as fame, if so, what the hell was I thinking?
As I walked down the Boulevard out from Darbin's office I was bombarded by press, having to push through their crowds as they screamed in my face asking questions.
Last week I finally moved out of the dorms getting myself an apartment in the east end of town, a small gated community that has mostly gay tenants, that had all insisted to give me some form of house warming present.
And after living here for awhile my house started to get cluttered with fan mail. The first batch I had gotten was actually really humbling as well as heartwarming, but as I started to receive more shipments they just contained the same things.
I love your story, who's Ashton?
I sighed throwing myself back onto my bed only to groan a second later as my phone had rung. "Give me a break." I whined picking it up.
"Calling to remind you that we have an interview today with The View." There was a pause. "You better not be laying down." Janice chastised.
"Nope, totally not." I stretched out giving out a hearty sigh.
"A driver will be over there within the hour, and would it kill you to wear that outfit I got you at your book release party?"
"Alright Janice, you got it." I hung up on her before she could ruin my mood any more than she had already.
I was in a funk. Coming down from the high of getting published due to the fact that I'm being bombarded every waking minute of my life with questions about the story.
I haven't really written anything new in weeks, how could I call myself a writer if I can't write?
***
"Thank you for coming!" All of the cheery women took their seat pointing me toward the one on the end.
"Thanks for having me." I said timidly, my migraine I had adopted on the ride over here was showing no mercy under all the stage lights.
"So how are you, anything new, I heard you go to Columbia, my niece applied but they said something along the lines of maybe next year."
One of the other ladies patted my hand. "You must be one smart egg." Her voice was like she was encouraging a child and I just smiled back not really knowing what to say, but the women swept over my social awkwardness by laughing and talking some more about kids before a guy off camera cleared his throat.
"So, Alone With Ashton, a story about a girl named Cassandra who's just trying to find her place in the world, gets sent to a foster home where she meets Ashton, and the two couldn't be more perfect for each other. So tell me Lynn, why the sad ending?"
Because it's what actually happened.
"Because life isn't always filled with happy endings. And if anything I don't think people should see it as an end, but think of it as another beginning, one without Ashton." I shrugged and the women all nodded.
"So, let's just address the elephant in the room." This lady with blonde highlights in her hair donned in a royal blue dress. "So this has been all over entertainment news, social media, television, you name it, but there is a huge rumor out that Alone With Ashton is a true story?" Everyone in the room looked towards me.
"Realistic fiction, it's just fiction, it's something that could possibly happen, this book is alive with literature." I offered and the women looked back and forth between each other and I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.
"Well, I had a call come in from a source confirming everyone's suspicions." Everyone sat in silence as a clip started recording.
"Hey, I can confirm that Alone With Ashton is a true story, because I'm Ashton, well actually my name is Rider, but she changed it to keep my identity a secret, but I don't care anymore, you may all know her as C.Lynn.G. But who you have sitting before you is my Caspian."
My stomach clenched and an incessant ringing shrieked throughout my head and before I know it the women around the table were all trying to grab me as I fell off the top stool, my body going completely limp and my brain powering down.
***
"I'm not going anywhere." Rossmumbled as he kissed the hollow of my throat making me throw my head back to give him more access. "Until you call it off, I'll always be here... Maybe even then."
"I'm not calling anything off." I leaned my head back up and grabbed his face in both of my hands. "You're probably the best thing that has ever happened to me."
My eyes sprung open and I sat up too quickly making my world spin. "Ross?" I croaked out, only to break down crying at the sight of Keith sitting by my bed. "I'm sorry." I sobbed. "It just felt so real."
"Do you remember what happened?" Keith asked quietly, and I nodded my head.
"I passed out on national television." I was looking towards my lap. "A-and he- his voice." I put my head in my hands hiding myself from the world. "I thought that when the time came for me to see him again, I thought I'd be brave, I thought I'd be able to tell him just how much he fucked everything up." I slammed my hands down on the bed. "But I fucking blacked out, just at the sound of his voice."
"Easy, don't be so hard on yourself please."
I closed my eyes tightly, I forgot I was talking to Keith, if Ross were here he would've told me that I am brave. I curled inward on myself, before forcing myself to send Keith away. "I want to be alone right now." I said lowly, feeling his hurt and rejection as he silently made his way out of my apartment.
As soon as I heard the door shut, I grabbed my phone off my nightstand, searching through my contacts. I held my breath as it rang and rang sending me into a panic.
"You know, one of these days I'm going to get sick of you calling me so abruptly, I was just about to go work out, maybe god just doesn't want me to." Ross' voice flooded my ears and I sighed with relief.
"I'm sorry." I breathed out.
"Cass, everything alright?"
"No, you haven't heard yet? I thought it'd be plastered everywhere by now."
"No, nothing new, people still just wondering who the heck Ashton is, same old same old, hey, are you crying?"
"I heard his voice Ross." I started to cry again. "Rider was the one who called, he called saying he was Ashton, and- and I couldn't handle it, and I thought I'd be able to, but I'm just right back to square one, and I know I said I didn't need you, but I do, I need you more than anything right now, I'm so alone, please Ross, I need you." I was a sobbing mess by now, not even putting out coherent words.
"Cass, I-I can't just drop everything and come over."
"Then I'll go to you." I desperately held my phone, hearing as he let out a defeated sigh.
"This doesn't seem like a good idea."
"Me being here isn't a good idea, these women released where I'm going to college, and R-R he is out of jail, and he knows what town I live in. I'm not safe here." I was picking at my cotton sweats someone dressed me in awaiting his answer.
"How soon can you get here?"
••••••••••
:))))))))
Sup, I'm tired, and kinda sick, but I cooked this chapter up.
Q: what do you hope would come of Caspian going to Ross
Thx so much for reading, sorry it's a week late.
Love,
Aliah