Hired | b.w.s

Twenty Five

I grab myself a coffee before heading back to my apartment. After a long day on set, I am so excited to just go home and rest. Of course I'm thankful for the writers making my role bigger in the show and I can't believe it's happening after only three months on the soap, but it tires me out. It's exhausting having to act so over the top but I wouldn't change it for the world. I can finally afford rent easily and manage to feed myself at the same time. I could afford to get a bigger and posher apartment but I like this one, it has character and holds many fond memories.

I unlock my apartment door and shut it before flopping onto my bed and groaning. I sit up against my headboard and pick up the script for next week that was sent to me in the mail. I run my eyes over the script and begin learning the lines. I would love to sleep but my job comes first and I need to know these lines before next week for rehearsals. I drink from my coffee and mumble the lines to myself under my breath. I rub the back of my neck before walking to my fridge, script still in hand, and searching through it. Man, I really need to stock up. Even though I can afford food, I never remember to buy it. I am such an irresponsible adult.

I shut my fridge and walk back to my bed, but I'm interrupted by a knocking at my door. I frown. I'm not expecting anybody? I put my script on my desk and make my way to the door. I unlock it and open it, only for my heart to drop to my stomach. My pulse quickens as I take in the sight in front of me. Brad is standing at my door with an unbuttoned white shirt and his hair pulled back into a small bun on the top of his head. My stomach twists at the sight, I've seen his new hair style in a few newspapers but it looks so much better in person.

"B-Brad." I stutter as I take in the shock of seeing him here after three months.

Three months ago he was standing in this exact place, kissing me goodbye. Why is he here?

"Can I come in?" He chuckles at me, considering I'm just standing here staring at him.

"Yeah, sure!" I open the door for him to come in and shut it behind him. Okay, I need to calm down. It's just Brad. "Why are you here?"

"Charming." He laughs at my question which did sound kind of rude. "I finished tour last week and I thought I'd...stop by." He answers my question whilst looking around my apartment curiously.

"How was the tour?" I ask him.

"Eventful." He laughs. "Enough about me, big shot. How's the big acting job going?" He grins at me. I can't believe he even knows that I got the job. Has he been keeping track of what I've been doing? I know that I have been watching what he's been doing, no matter how much I told myself not to.

"It's good, it's tiring but I love it. I'm surprised you even know about it." I chuckle.

"I've been keeping tabs on you. You're not very easy to forget." He sends a subtle smirk my way before looking to my desk and eyeing my script. His fingers trace over the top of it gently.

"Neither are you when you keep popping up in my weekly newspaper." I cross my arms jokingly.

"Well, what can I say? I'm a superstar!" He exaggerates in a funny voice, making me laugh.

I missed this, I missed him. A silence falls over us and I feel a sudden seriousness take over me as I watch him look around my room with his newly defined jaw line and long hair.

"Why did you really come here?" I ask him softly.

He looks up to meet my eyes with a soft expression in them, he walks closer to me and rests his hand on my arm.

"I wanted to see you." Brad softly admits.

"Why?" I mutter.

"I missed you. A lot. You're literally all I could think about on that damn tour bus. I have written multiple songs about you that you will most likely hear soon." He teases but my heart warms at his words.

"I missed you too, but nothing's changed." I look sincerely into his eyes. "You're still in a band that tours constantly and I have a demanding job now."

He stays silent and traces his finger tips along my arm, reminding me of the night in his hotel room a little over three months ago. He takes a deep breath.

"I'm quitting the band." He mutters.

My eyes widen and I choke a little on my breath as I take in what he just said. He can't do that, he loves being in that band!

"What? No, you can't, you love that band, you love making music." I step away from him. I'm not about to let him ruin his career for me.

"That's true, but I also love my freedom." He says and steps closer to me again. "I love those guys and I love music, but management have been even harsher with me lately and I feel like I'm just a puppet to them. I'm done with the controlling and the publicity and having to pretend to be happy when meeting fans and not being able to have any privacy." Brad calmly says to me.

"So get new management." I suggest, he can't just throw away everything he's worked for.

"That doesn't solve the privacy issue." He smiles at me. "I just want a normal life. I'm content, I've lived out my dream, I've achieved it. I can still make my music I just won't get to perform it for fans."

"But you said to me that you get new dreams, that it never ends." I frown, remembering the conversation that we once had.

"I do have a new dream." He looks into my eyes and caresses my cheek.

He doesn't need words to tell me the rest, his soft lips on mine for the first time in three months are enough to tell me everything.

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The end! There's going to be an epilogue next chapter so don't delete it from your libraries yet.