It's Just Ann

Chapter 20 - Back Home

          I do what I can, which isn't much. Just like Gareth is focused on his career, I'm focused on this production. If I do a decent job and keep anything from blowing up and ending, then I have a chance to do this again and keep the honour of the family.

Although it is painful, Gareth is right. Love and relationships are a distraction, hence dangerous for our goals. Even a one-side crush is already jeopardising my work, keeping my mind distracted when I should be a hundred percent in this production. But even when I'm in meetings his name manages to slip into my mind, breaking any train of thoughts and making me look like an idiot in front of important people.

That is why I do my best to stay away from him in order to stop myself from falling for him anymore than I did already. I book even more meetings and I'm all the time with Teru, discussing all sort of ideas to promote the film and at the same time be different and creative. Not that we succeed at that, but we are trying. Especially now that we are coming back to England.

The outdoors shooting is finally over. Unless they need to add something or re-shoot a scene, we won't be coming back to Glencoe, which means I don't need to be around the crew the whole time. Which also means I'll be in the office and having meetings with different people, face-to-face instead of through video conference. I'm extremely grateful for that.

Now, as the scenes will be shot in set in our studios in London, I just have to visit the set for a while every day to make sure things are going smoothly; by now I don't need to be twenty-four-seven there. It would be better if I were constantly supervising, considering I don't really trust Jerry, but there are other things I need to take care of, especially when we've been already three months shooting.

But spending less time on set means not only that I can avoid Gareth but also that I can't spend as much time with Cece. To be honest, I was even scared that the moment we came back everything would change with him. He's older, he has his boyfriend and all his other friends here, so why would he keep hanging out with a girl ten-years younger than him? When we were on set we were kind of pushed together due to the situation, but nothing keeps us like that now. But Cece surprises me when he shows up in TP's offices demanding to see me.

"My babe demands to finally meet you. Why do you keep hiding here? I barely see you now!" he whines, hugging me tight, almost asphyxiating me.

"I've been busy," I reply. Or try to, considering I have my face buried in his chest and all my words are muffled.

"Bullshit!" Cece cries out. "How can you not have time for your bestie? I get you are not even trying 'cos Ice Prince is there, but aren't I even worth it for you to pay me a visit?"

I wrap my arms around him and actually relax in his embrace instead of struggling, and that helps him to loosen up a bit until the hug is comfortable.

"Gomen," I mutter. "But I've been really busy. We need to settle everything for promotion and you know that with me it takes three meetings instead of one because they don't trust me, so I have three times more work," I explain better this time and Cece pats my head.

"My poor little Ann. This fucked up society can't see how capable you are. Okay, are you done for today? Let me treat you and finally introduce you to my man."

"I have just one more meeting and I'm done. Can you wait for an hour or so?" He nods. "Great, then I'll see you in a while. You can wait here."

That's how I meet Teru outside, leaving my friend inside my temporary office, and head to the next meeting. I also use that opportunity to call home.

"Mi niña!" Soledad answers the phone, calling me her child in Spanish.

My family missed me a lot during these three months, even Grandma showed a bit of emotion and expressed having missed having me around. I never noticed this before but Grandma is actually quite like Gareth, stoic and standoffish, easily misjudged for heartless when in fact she is just very reserved. Maybe that's why it isn't hard for me to read Gareth, because I'm used to my Grandma and to reading the small expressions that she shows to the world.