Stardom

Fear and Friends

Things began to settle over the following week. Ross and I fell into a new routine and matched our schedules as best as we could so that we were able to catch up on the time that we'd missed out on. I was still managing to keep the details of my job a secret, something which was making me feel increasingly guilty over time, but all in all, things were finally on the up between us, and I wanted to make sure that it stayed that way.

There was a light thud somewhere in the room. Rubbing at my tired eyes, I rolled over, stretching an arm out across the bed, feeling nothing but cool sheets beneath my arm. There was movement nearby and with a yawn, I opened my eyes and blinked away the sleep as a blurry shadow came into focus.

"What time is it?" I grumbled.

"Six-thirty," Ross said softly, coming closer to the bed and placing a gentle kiss on my head, "Sorry for waking you."

"It's okay," I smiled, "You know I like to see you before you head out."

"I also know that you like your sleep, and you need it with the hours you work. You never make it home 'til the early hours."

"At least it keeps me busy on days that you're not here," I replied with a smile, attempting to steer the conversation away from my work.

"Which I'm glad of. But you do need to make time to chill out. When you're not at that club, you're auditioning. It feels like you never stop," He threw some things into his bag, his back to me as I sat up and let the duvet fall to my hips, "I just wanna make sure you're looking after yourself."

Smiling to myself, I watched him pull a shirt over his head and comb his fingers through his hair, touched that he cared so much.

"I promise you, I am," I replied, slipping out of the bed and hastening to his side where I wrapped my arms around him from behind, resting my cheek against his shoulder, "Promise me you'll look after yourself too," I pleaded quietly, spreading my fingers across his chest as his hands closed over mine, fingers intertwining with my own.

"I promise," He breathed.

After a quick freshen up, I joined Ross in the kitchen, my stomach giving a low grumble at the smell of eggs and bacon that was wafting through the apartment.

"Extra crispy bacon and..." The toaster pinged, sending two perfectly browned slices of toast to the surface, which Ross plucked from the machine and dropped onto the plate, pushing it across the counter with a flourish, "Well cooked toast," He smiled at me, skidding the butter in my direction as I took a seat and looked longingly at the breakfast.

"Have I mentioned how good it is to have you here?" I asked sweetly.

He chuckled happily, quickly tidying up after himself and wiping over the cooker.

"Well it's about time you ate some actual food," He commented, holding up the stack of takeaway menus that sat beside the refrigerator.

"I agree wholeheartedly," I said merrily, digging into my breakfast and savouring the deliciousness of every bite.

Reaching for the nearby pitcher, I poured myself a glass of juice just as Ross stepped around the counter and scooped his bag from the back of a chair and stepped in close.

"I've gotta run," He said quickly, casting an eye at his watch.

"Okay," Turning toward him, I pulled him in close, stealing a kiss to get me through until the end of his shift, "I love you," I whispered as we separated.

"I love you too," He breathed, cupping my cheek and pressing another brief kiss against my lips. "I'll see you tomorrow."

I nodded, letting go of him and watching as he made his way to the door, the nauseating fear I was growing to expect, now beginning to stir up in the pit of my stomach once more.