A/N: Please comment as you read, or after. Or just comment. It helps me in ways I can't possibly explain.
She picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?” she said, sounding tired.
“Sorry,” I said. “Did I wake you up?”
“No, no. It’s fine.” I hear her rustle something. “I was asleep on the couch, so it’s probably a good thing you woke me up. What’s going on? Are you okay?”
I found it quite astonishing that all through my time in this business, people had been asking me if I was okay almost every day. At first it had been Marcus, but as time grew, it seemed like everyone wanted to know how I was feeling.
It wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate the concern, but at some point it started to come off as repetitive.
“I’m fine,” I said. “Just wanted to check in. That’s all.”
“How’s living with a pop sensation going?” she asked.
“It has its ups and downs.” I leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. “The rest of the band has arrived.”
“Oh, how are they? Are they cute?” Ludmilla giggled.
I rolled my eyes. “I suppose so… they’re all friendly.” I bit my lip. “One of them knows my secret.”
Ludmilla gasped. “Fuck. What? Why? How? Oh, we’re in deep trouble. I need to contact the investor, he’s been coming around here to check on me and—“
“Relax,” I said, interrupting her. “He’s not going to tell—he promised not to.”
“Who? Harry?” Ludmilla asked. “I guess it’s getting serious between you too.”
“No, and yes,” I said. Sighing, I tried to elaborate. “Harry doesn’t know. It’s Louis. He knew me from before all this, and he recognized me. And I’ve agreed to date Harry.”
“What?” Ludmilla screeched. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Slow down, and start at the beginning.”
I told her everything. As I walked down memory lane, I told her about all the times Harry had been there for me when I needed it. I explained that I didn’t intend for any of this to happen and that I’d tried my best to keep my feelings in check.
“But I fell for him,” I said. “I fell hard.”
Ludmilla was quiet, and for a moment, I was worried she might have fallen asleep on me. At least, she sighed. “I’m happy for you, Cami. I really am. You deserve someone nice. Just…” She paused.
“Just…?”
“Just be careful, okay? It’s not easy having a relationship in this business. Every problem seems to become the world’s problems, and it’s hard to find a moment to just… solve it.”
“Harry’s not like that,” I said. “He has this plan…”
“What plan?”
“Well…” I tried to find the right words. “I don’t know if you’ve seen it yet. But there’s been going a lot of rumors since I began posing as you. I’ve been linked to two members of one direction so far.”
“I saw.” Ludmilla laughed. “I found them utterly ridiculous. Like, they’re basically re-using old stuff, and this time, I’m not even present: that shows how credible they are.”
“You’re not mad?” I frowned.
“The media stirs up shit all the time, Cami. You learn to live with it.”
“I’m going to set them straight.” I swallowed and sat up. The sun was already up high on the sky outside, and my stomach rumbled. “Harry plans to tell everyone we’re dating before the concert. It should take some of the heat away from you too.”
“I don’t mind the media, Cami.” I could hear a tap running in the background. “You just need to be sure you can vouch for anything you do.”
“Don’t worry. They’ll only concentrate on that for a small while because in less than a week I’m going to be myself again. Then everything will solve itself.”
“You sound awfully optimistic about this.” Ludmilla laughed. “I like it.”
I couldn’t help but to laugh, as well. “It feels nice.”
“I’m glad,” Ludmilla said and then yawned loudly. “I have to hang up and go back to sleep now. It’s almost three. Crap. I have yoga in the morning.” She groaned.
“It’s fine,” I said. “I have to get some breakfast too. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”
“Okay, love you,” she said.
“I love you too. Sweet dreams.” With that, I hung up.
That went better than I expected. I looked at the clock on my phone, realizing I’d been talking for almost an hour. Hurrying up, I pulled my hair into a bun and jumped into some clean clothes.
On the table beside my suitcase, I saw a stack of Harry’s t-shirts. He must have left them in here last night. Smiling to myself, I quickly stripped out of my own top and pulled one of his black t-shirts over my head.
It was a bit too big, but I liked it. After brushing my teeth, I walked out of the room.
One of the bodyguards was waiting for me, and as I made my way down the hall, he followed me. I smiled at him, but he didn’t move a muscle.
The restaurant was thinning out, and I quickly spotted the table with my newfound friends. Niall was the first who saw me, and he was quick to raise an arm, waving like a madman.
“Cami,” he yelled. “Over here.”
I walked over to them and grabbed an empty chair next to Harry. “Sorry about that, had to talk with my assistant.” I smiled at them. “What’s happening here?”
Niall grinned. “I’ve just decided that we’re all going out tomorrow night.”
“Oh, really?” I laughed. “You decided that? Don’t I have a say in it?”
“Nope.” He shook his head. “We all need to let lose a little. And I know the perfect place…”
He began talking about a nightclub he’d heard about, and it was refreshing to see his excitement. I glanced at Harry who was staring at me.
“What is it?” I asked as I reached for the breadbasket.
“Are you wearing my shirt?”
My cheeks became a little warm, and I smiled at him shyly. “Yeah… I hope you don’t mind.”
“Not at all,” he said. “It suits you.”
That only made me blush further, and I tried to flush it away with some cold orange juice. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten that I just brushed my teeth, making a mix of orange and mint in my mouth that tasted horrible.
Cringing, I looked to my other side to see Liam laugh at me. “Toothpaste?” he asked.
I nodded. “Completely forgot about it.”
“We’ve all been there,” he said. Leaning over, he continued, “So, if you were serious about learning some self-defense, then I’ve booked the gym before we need to go to the studio.”
I smiled at him. “That sounds great!” I said as I took a bite of my food.
A/N: Alright, guys! We got to 3000 votes. Woot! I'm so happy for that. Please keep voting, because it means a ridiculous amount of woot-woots to me.
Also, because you did reach 3000, I'm now able to reveal the title of the sequel. Before I do, I just want to remind you that I won't be posting it until after I've posted the last part of the last actual chapter of this book. That means, I might post a teaser, before a potential epilogue. :)
Alright, here it is. The titel:
Play
I wanted to keep it simple like "Cut!", and I think that word sums up what the next books will be about pretty well. :) Just as "Cut" sums up this. :D
So, give me your theories. What do you foresee in the near future? Tell me in the comments.
Also, Give this a vote, maybe?
This was the fourth update. Six more to go! Can I do it? Only with your help!