I pulled my shirt over my head to expose my protruding collar bones to her in my next selfie. I ruffled my hair to the side also, making it seem messier than usual. "I'm all alone in my hotel room," I wrote across the black text bar, adding in one of those cute, yellow sad faces to spruce it up.
Annabel responded a few seconds later. This time she had a straight face, but there was a hint of cleavage available for me to see. "That sucks," She wrote over her picture, making me want to laugh at her deadpan.
I switched my camera around. It was time to go in for the kill. My sweatpants were still covering my lower region, but my boner was clearly visible, as well as her face covering the television. "Thinking of ya," I wrote, which was one hundred percent true.
I waited for her to open it. And when she did, she called me almost immediately after.
"Hi baby," I answered, my voice still sounding raspy.
"What are on Earth do you think you're doing?" She hissed, sounding incredibly flustered and irritated.
I huffed. "Come on, Ann. I'm horny and I miss you. I just want to see my beautiful girl. Isn't this how long distance couples do things nowadays?"
"Well in case you forgot, we're no longer a couple," Annabel reminded me, which made me want to roll my eyes. Of course we weren't officially together anymore, but that didn't mean that either of us were in any less love than we were before.
"But baby, you know you're the only one I want. Just please keep this going. I need you so badly right now," I pleaded, as my hand travelled back down to underneath my pants again.
Annabel sighed heavily. "Stuart, no. I'm supposed to be going out with Jordan and I need to go get ready. I really don't have time for this."
My ears perked up at the mention of Jordan. He was a nice guy, and I never had any problems with him. But that still didn't stop the jealousy to run through my veins by the fact that she had plans with another guy. "Why are you going out with Jordan?"
"It's just cast member bonding. Relax," Annabel told me nonchalantly, as if she was unable to comprehend why I would be bothered by this, when it seemed pretty obvious to me.
"Like a date?" I clarified, feeling my eyebrows knit together and my jaw clench up just at the mention of it.
"No. We're friends, Stuart," She insisted, and I could mentally picture her shaking her head at me. "But I still need to get ready because I'm sure paparazzi are going to go crazy seeing us in public together with all of the hype going around about the movie."
I felt myself start to throb. I needed to get rid of this erection quickly, or else I was going to be torturing myself. "Well, just cancel it then. Who cares."
"Stuart I'm not just cancelling my plans because you're horny," Annabel scolded in a motherly tone, making the fantasies I have had in my dreams come alive again.
"Cancel them for me, baby girl," I pleaded, yearning to touch myself again but only until it was because of Annabel, especially since her movie had went to commercial break.
"No. I've had a long week of filming and I am exhausted and completely stressed out because I haven't been able to remember all of my lines correctly because I'm too busy thinking about you all of the time. So I could really use a night out to have-"
I cut her off in the middle of hearing her blab on about. "Or you could just stay home and not see another guy and instead see a lot of your favorite guy."
Annabel was silent for awhile, which is absolutely terrifying since her soothing voice is usually always being heard in my ear. "You know what? If this is what it takes to shut you up, then whatever. I'll reschedule with Jordan."
I smiled, feeling relieved in many aspects. "You're the best."
"And you're a pain in the ass," Annabel complained in a feverish tone. She hung up right away, not even saying goodbye to me, or letting me make a joke about anal.
I glimpsed down at my phone as a new notification popped up, making my lips curl into a smirk. I received a snapchat from Annabel. Score.
Chapter 49
Annabel
I sent Stuart one picture of myself, opened up his, and then never responded again. I had prior commitments. I wasn't going to let him dictate my life when he was the one who had dumped me. I was angry with not only him, but with myself. I needed to build my independence again and start standing up for myself.
I was scared that I was becoming one of those foolish girls that would let the boy she was in love with control her.
This was exactly what I did not want to happen. I craved putting some distance between us, because maybe that would make me be able to fend for myself for awhile. Talking to him everyday was great in the sense that he was still in my life, but I was beginning to feel so pathetic after every encounter.
Stuart was still getting all of the benefits of a relationship: unconditional love, assistance when he's horny, and someone to confide in. Whereas he would barely even listen to me without cutting me off, and completely disregarded any of my feelings just to satisfy his own wants. Since he was the one who broke up with me, I don't think this is fair. And I needed to make some changes.
However, I had no idea how to communicate all of this to Stuart without giving him an ultimatum. So I was doing what I did best- I was ignoring the problem for now until I came with a plan for discussion. The best form of distraction was going out, so that's exactly what Jordan and I were going to do.
Grace and I hang out together all the time, but now that we live together it just consists of the two of us laying on the floor and stuffing our faces with greasy, fattening foods. I was excited to actually leave my house for once, because maybe a change in scenery would help clear my cluttered brain.
After I had finished getting ready, Jordan picked me up exactly on time. He was always a very punctual person, something I greatly admired. I wish I was able to be one of those people who had their life together enough to never be late to anything.
"Well look at you!" Jordan exclaimed, as he lifted his back off of his sleek car that he had been leaning up against. He wrapped his arms around me in a quick hug before opening up the passenger side door. "You look beautiful, Anna."
"Thanks, Jordan," I replied gratefully, a smile inching its way onto my face. I slid into the leather seat and buckled up, and he shut the door like a true gentleman.
He got onto the driver's side, his chapped hands gripping onto the steering wheel. "So, where are we going?" I asked him.
This obviously was not a date, because Jordan was very clear on both my relationship with Stuart and the friendship the two of us shared, but I was still curious as to where he planned on taking us. Jordan told me not to worry about anything because it was "his duty as a costar to make sure I had a fun break from filming."
He sent me a grin as we pulled away from the driveway, speeding off down the dimly lit streets, with the only source of light coming from the traffic signs and street lights and the incoming flashes of red from the brakes of the vehicles in front of us. "There's the place a little bit away that is like half arcade, half restaurant. I mean, unless you'd rather go sit at some awkward sushi place. But I thought it sounded fun."
"You know what's fun," I started, turning my head to face him at the same time as he glanced from the front window to glimpse at me. "When I kick your ass at Skee-Ball."
He let out a loud chuckle, shaking his head at me. "Is that so?" Jordan responded, licking his lips. I nodded my head. "You know I'm actually secretly a pro at Skee-Ball, so I hope you brought some tissues, sweetie."
"Why? Are your awful skills going to make me cry?" I teased, which resulted in Jordan rolling his bright eyes at me. "It's okay. Everyone starts out as a beginner. It's nothing to be ashamed of."
He bit down on his lip, a mischievous expression overtaking his features. "You wanna bet?" Jordan suggested, bobbing his head out slightly.
"You're on."
As we waited for our food that we ordered to come, we got the chance to stroll through the arcade. The two of us had played a few of them already, and I
was already starting to rack up some tickets. It was much more fun than I expected, and I secretly missed the thrill of all of these childish games, even when I knew I was destined to lose my money.
"So, how have things been with Stuart?" Jordan asked politely, his eyes locked on my own, conveying that he actually cared about my answer.
We were both walking pretty slow through the mild crowd of people, hoping that no one recognized us or that no one would be too loud so we couldn't talk.
I shrugged, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. "I don't know. He still seems to act like we're in a relationship, except I'm supposed to be loyal to him and he doesn't have to be loyal to me. It's ridiculous. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do."
Jordan furred his eyebrows together in confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked, his voice raising with irritation. "You tell him that's not okay and that it's not fair to you."
We stopped in front of the Whack-A-Mole game, and Jordan placed his tokens inside of the machine, grasping onto the oversized, squishy hammer. I leaned against the side of it, letting my head slump down. "I mean, yeah it's annoying. But it's better than nothing."
Jordan pounded on the toy moles that popped up from their holes, trying to hit as many of them as he could. When the game ended, he ripped out his tickets and then turned his attention back to me. "Ann, no. I'm not letting you be one of those girls."
"I know, I-" I tried to respond.
"No, stop. You're in love, I get it. But you can't just let him treat you like crap. You need to stand up for yourself. If he can't deal with your terms, then he doesn't deserve to be with you. There are so many guys who would kill to be in his position. So I'm not going to let him make you feel like poop every time you get off the phone with him. You're only hurting yourself," Jordan stated seriously, never breaking eye contact with me.
He spread his arms out wide, and I slowly shuffled into his arms, letting him give me one of his signature bear hugs. I knew he was right and that I needed to stand up for myself more often. "I'm sorry this is happening to you, Ann. You're the sweetest girl and don't deserve to be in this mess. But you need to push through it and be the strong, sassy, Anna that I know you are. Alright?"
"Okay," I agreed, sighing with relief because it felt good to be given that little pep talk. I needed to snap out of the funk I was currently in. "So, let's go find the Skee-Ball."
Jordan laughed, swinging his arm around my shoulder in a friendly manner and tugging me towards the Skee-Ball lanes. He was a very touchy-feeley person, which I had grown accustomed to as I worked with him everyday for the past two movies, but I think that was just his way of showing affection.
"I'll go first," I decided, picking up one of the sort-of heavy white balls. I brought my arm backwards and rolled it up the gray lane, watching it skid off the top of the ramp and land in the hole that was marked with the number thirty, meaning I was starting out with thirty points already.
Jordan went up next, and he ended up getting a twenty. I clapped my hands together as my competitive side kicked in. I wasn't going to let him win. For my next turn, I ended up getting only a ten. Jordan rolled the ball down the mini lane and whipped out a forty. The pressure was building, so I went for the smallest circle to get a fifty, but I missed and got another thirty.
After all of the white balls were gone and placed back in the machine, hidden behind the hot pink cages, I ended up barely winning by a whopping ten points. "I told you I would win!" I cheered, jumping up and down obnoxiously, since I could never resist the opportunity to gloat.
Jordan pursed his lips together, shaking his head. "No, let's do a rematch. On a different game."
"Aw, is Skee-Ball too wild for Jordan Hartford?" I mocked in my best impression of a baby voice, cocking my head to the side sympathetically.
He just grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the closest game to us. It was one of those impossible games where there was a ring of colored lights, and you had to hit the button to stop it on the only white one out of the bunch, which happened to be the smallest out of all of them.
I pressed my fingers onto the glass covering, even though my fingerprints would surely be covering my exact spot right after. I smirked. "Jordan, if you can win this game I will honestly be seriously impressed. Our whole bet can disappear."
"Fine. I'm up for the challenge," He responded, pushing the tokens into the slot. The light started to spin around all of them, and his eyes carefully followed it, and I was starting to get dizzy. Jordan let out a groan. "Screw it, I can't do this."
He shut his eyes tightly and randomly slammed down on the button. Instantly, music and a dinging sound started to play, and hundreds of tickets started pouring out of the machine. Both of our eyes widened, flickering between the game and each other.
"Holy shit! I won!" Jordan screamed, a huge smile growing onto his face. I screamed just as loud, while also laughing simultaneously, and leaped into his arms to congratulate him. "How did that even-"
"I have no idea," I confessed, still chuckling as his strong arms unwrapped me, but still holding onto my waist.
"I guess you're my good luck charm," He declared, grinning at me as if I was some magnificent human.
His gaze locked on me, then changed to my lips. Our bodies were so close that I could feel our rapidly beating hearts pound against one another. I began to lean in, as did he, and I started to feel his breath tickle the top of my lip. Jordan's eyelids closed, and I knew what was about to happen.
But something prevented me from letting it happen. Or rather, someone.
"Jordan, I- we can't," I whispered, causing his head to instantly retreat away from mine.
His palms dropped from my side and his cheeks burned a bright shade of red. "Right. I know. I was just excited about the game. I know you're still in love with Stuart."
"I'm sorry. I wish I wasn't," I admitted, feeling awful from viewing him so disappointed and embarrassed. "You're a great guy. And I love how much you care about me and are always there for me, Jordan. I need that kind of friend more than anything right now. But I'm really not ready to be involved with anyone else."
Jordan and I have kissed each other hundreds of times before, and we probably will have to kiss each other on Monday morning too. But that was for our job. That was our characters kissing. I wasn't ready to put my own heart out to anyone else when I still felt like my heart belonged to Stuart, no matter what he did to me. And that was terrifying and I hated it.
"Ann, I totally understand. It has only been a few weeks, obviously you're not over him. I didn't even mean to kiss you. This wasn't a date. You're my best friend and I don't want to lose that either, okay?" Jordan told me, and I merely nodded my head. "I just want you to be happy, Annabel. It may take some time, but you need to get your life back on track, because who knows how long it's going to take Stuart to figure out what an amazing girl he let go of."
"Thanks, Jordan," I mumbled sincerely, giving him another hug. "Why don't we go see if our food is ready yet?"
Chapter 50
Stuart
"I've always had a thing for bass players," Alice cooed, twirling a piece of her ashy brown hair in between her fingers. She moved closer to me, close enough that our arms barely brushed against one another, and I took a step back.
"That's something you don't hear everyday," I said with a snort, taking another sip of my drink and feeling the unpleasant taste burn the back of my mouth.
She forced a giggle, scooting closer to me again and planting a kiss on my cheek. "You're funny, Stuart," The girl who approached me only a few short minutes ago whispered into my ear. "Do you want to maybe get out of here? It's kind of crowded. I think we'd do better off alone."
I turned my head to face her, an incredulous expression plastered over my face. I had the urge to laugh at her request, but I did admire her impressive bravery for having the audacity to even ask me such a question. "Alice, it was nice to meet you. But I'll pass. I'm just not interested."
"In me
or in women?" She responded quickly, without even missing a beat. She scoffed, stomping away from the booth I was sitting in complete irritation.
I couldn't help but smirk. This happened nearly every time we went out. I had tons of fun whenever I was with the guys, but when desperate girls came up to me hoping to get their slim portion of fame, I always turned them down. I have yet to even kiss a single person on this tour, let alone hook up with them like I originally intended.
It was all because of Annabel though. None of these girls were even close to as beautiful as she was. They also all failed to intrigue me like Annabel managed. They couldn't make me laugh like her. They didn't make my heartbeat quicken or make me so happy I couldn't even fathom the idea of frowning. And without a doubt, none of them were genuine with their intentions. Whereas I always knew Annabel meant every word she said to me.
Clayton strolled over to me, his curly hair slightly wet from the sweat he had acquired while dancing. He had a cold beer, layered with condensation, pressed firmly into his palm and a sheepish grin covering his face.
"Hey," Clayton greeted as he took a seat next to me, slumping down onto the leather seat. "I think I made a mistake."
"What did you do?" I asked slowly, stealing glances at him as I continued to sip my liquor, hoping that it would help cure the loneliness I felt.
He swallowed another swig of his beer before setting it down on the table. Clayton turned his body so it faced me directly, and his hazel colored eyes made direct eye contact with me. "I shouldn't have told you to break up with Ann."
"Clay, don't," I replied quickly, feeling my anger on this topic starting to rise again.
Clayton placed his hand on my shoulder tightly. "No, listen to me. Obviously you're still in love with her considering you turn down every girl you would usually bang after a two second conversation. You guys still talk on the phone all the time. You're different than me. You are both different. You have something special and I was wrong to think that you wouldn't be able to handle it. I'm sorry."
Raunchy Roommate Page 28
