Alone With Ross

•78•

Five months.

"So, what'd you think?" My agent crossed her arms across her chest, wiggling her eyebrows at me and I laughed shaking my head in disbelief.

"I think you're a marketing genius, I mean, it looks so, intriguing!" The small paperback book in my hands, had a picture of an open journal with the title written across it. Of course she only knows that the character had written in a journal, but little does she know that this book cover means the world to me.

The title, in messy red rink, read, Alone With Ashton. I know, weird name, but it was the best I could come up with, same goes for my name, Cassandra.

As I held the final copy of my very own book in my hands, I felt like everything was finally right in the world. I felt like this was my purpose. To share my story.

"Only one more month sweet cheeks, and this book will be flying off the shelfs." Darbin patted my arm and I smiled back.

***
One month

"You read it." I paced around in the dorm, rubbing the tension out of my neck as Keith sat on my bed.

"You sure?" He asked, looking down at the article, and I nodded my head quickly. He began to read the passage aloud. "Alone With Ashton is a must read, it will leave you a blubbering mess, but it's totally worth it." Keith scrunched his nose and I took his phone away from him.

"It is to my great pleasure to announce that Alone With Ashton has made the New York's Times best sellers list-" I dropped his phone out of my hands, my mouth open in shock. Keith was in shock as well, but he reacted much faster than I had because suddenly he was holding me in the air as he spun in a quick circle making me scream.

"I can't believe this Caspian! I'm so proud of you!" He put me down enveloping me in a tight hug.

"We only started selling a week ago! How is this even possible?" I didn't notice until now but I was actually crying. "New York Times best seller!" I yelled throwing my hands up in the air and collapsing onto my bed. "I don't even care anymore, I'm done, nothing in the world could possibly top this, I could die tomorrow and be 100% satisfied with how everything has turned out."

"Well don't make any plans to die soon, you still have promo week." Keith slapped my legs and laid down on my roommates bed.

"Thanks for reminding me." I grumbled as I rolled over.

***

"You have a handful of interviews lined up, nothing big." My publicist held her hand out in front of her to block the almond I threw at her.

"Janice, I said I didn't want to be seen, you had one job." I threw another one and she rolled her eyes.

"You're acting worse than my daughter, and she's nine." She slid a schedule over to me and left the room as my phone had started to ring.

I didn't bother looking at the caller ID because I was expecting a phone call from Keith about lunch.

"Keith, I swear to god if you're going to propose we go to Chipotle one more time I will steal your credit card."

"Hello? Is this Caspian?"

I pulled my phone back to see it was an unknown number and I put the phone back to my ear.

"Oh, yeah, sorry I thought you were someone else, anyways how can I help you?" I started packing away the papers Janice gave me so I could finally leave this office building.

"Uh, it's Ross."

My legs wobbled and I found myself plopping down in a seat, the wind was practically knocked out of me, I couldn't even seem to find my voice.