mamma mia | jeremy jordan

6. worlds collide

Ana flipped through the pages of the Playbill in her hands, attempting to find the cast list for the show. She eventually did, and her eyes didn't have to go very far to see Jeremy's name next to Jack Kelly.

She suppressed a giddy smile, her tongue running over her teeth as she focused on the rest of the cast. Her concentration kept retreating back to his name, however. Ana closed the Playbill when she noticed her obsession with the name, worried that Laura would somehow read through everything and point it that Ana had the hot's for him.

Laura, however, wasn't paying attention whatsoever. She was instead attempting to take a perfect photo of the Playbill up against the backdrop of the stage set-up. She couldn't quite seem to get it right, which made Ana giggle when Ana had noticed.

"Oh, shut up!" Laura nudged her, dropping the Playbill back down to her lap. "Just because you're a college-educated photographer."

"Aw, Laur," Ana teased, "I'm sorry that not all of us, not even Broadway actresses, can be amazing at taking photos."

Laura chuckled at the comment and shrugged slightly. "You're right."

"And, hey," Ana added, "just because I went to college, doesn't mean I'm that good."

"But—"

The prerecorded voice over urging audience members to refrain from videotaping the show interrupted what would have been Laura's compliment. The actress glanced at her friend to exchange a conversation between their eyes, except Anas eyes were trained on the stage.

The lights went dim, and Ana fell through the fourth wall.

—

Jeremy didn't feel like this show was any more special than all of the performances he'd done for the past year and a half. It was another run through of, basically, his life. It was fun, of course, because it always was.

But it was the same as yesterday.

After curtain call, when the house lights went on and they waved away at the audience, the mood changed. Four rows back from the stage, in what was considered orchestra pit tickets, stood the very girl in which he'd been non-stop thinking about. His grin widened a bit at the sight of the practical stranger clapping and cheering loudly for his show.

Jeremy felt their eyes make direct eye contact, and he dropped his left eye into a sly wink. Ana blushed deeply from where she was sitting in the audience. She turned her head to the side, but her lip, and pressed her cool hands to her pinkish cheeks.

Jeremy waltzed off the stage, a bounce in his step as he rushed to get ready for stage door. Meanwhile, Laura was dragging Ana by the shoulder to the stage door, and they used Laura's Broadway to end up in the front of the line, up against the railing.

However, what they thought was the front of the line, ending up being the end, as the actors began coming out of the opposite door.

"It's okay, we'll just end having more time to speak with them," Laura nudged Ana, her phone already open to the camera.

Ana giggled at Laura excited state to meet people who were just like her. She figured, no matter how famous you got, you still fangirled over things like this.

The first cast member to step up to them was Kara Lindsay, a gorgeous stranger who Ana had adored during the show.

"Oh, my God! Laura!" Kara laughed loudly upon seeing a fellow acquaintance from the show business.

Ana stood awkwardly to the side as they hugged and exchanged a few words of small talk. Then, Laura turned slightly to the side and slung an arm around Ana's shoulder, which gained Kara's attention to her.

"This is your biggest fan right here. She would not stop talking about your performance as Katherine tonight." Laura pinched Ana's cheeks as Ana blushed deeply.

"Stop," Ana pushed Laura away from her, once again pressing her hands to her cheeks.

Kara reached over the fence and tossed her arms around the girl, "Oh, thank you so much. That means the world to me."

Ana hugged her back before they pulled away for Kara to sign her Playbill. Kara gave them a huge wave before she stepped back inside the stage door.

Down the line, Jeremy was inching nearer and nearer to the girl he'd already felt so close to. He stole glances at her ever other second, as if she would leave before he had the chance to get to her. He watched as Kara, then Ben, then John took a photo with her and signed her Playbill.

He was slightly worried that Laura would be somewhat sour to him, but he knew they came to see the show because of their friendship. And he couldn't worry too much, because he was one person over from them.

Jeremy took an inching step to his left and he glanced up to meet eyes with Ana. He noticed her blush deeply, a shy smile being reacted to her lips.

"Hey, Ana, right?" He played it cool, nudging his jaw towards her.

"Yeah, yeah. That's me. Ana." She shakily handed him her Playbill, which he signed blindly as he kept eye contact with her.

Laura had been distracted by her phone, but she looked up just as Jeremy handed Ana her Playbill. He had purposefully stretched out his fingers in order to brush them over the soft skin of her wrist.

"Laur!" Jeremy grinned widely, tossing his arms out to embrace his friend.

Laura suddenly forgot that he was a cheating bastard and hugged him back. When they pulled away, she still, however, held a hesitant composure.

Jeremy noticed and he bit his lip, which Ana found hot as she stared at him. "Please, don't hate me for what I've done to Ashley. Please, know that that is something I want to move on from. And, that I regret it deeply, but I guess we were never meant to be together, so I have to move on and accept it for what it is."

"Well," Laura spared a glance towards Ana, "I guess Ashley has moved on. So, I will not hold anything against. But, do know that you should never forget what to did, and I hope that you're working on your image and personality in response to it."

Jeremy nodded his head rapidly, even though he knew he wasn't doing just that. "Yes, of course."

Laura sighed, hugging him again, "I guess we gotta go home. This one has work tomorrow morning."

"Oh, where do you work at?" Jeremy leaned slightly over the railing, giving Ana a shot of butterflies through her veins.

"At-at some photography studio." Ana swallowed thickly, her throat dry with nervousness.

"Not just some photography studio! Only the most popular photography studio on the East Coast." Laura hit her best friend on the arm.

Jeremy was intrigued by this and made a move with it, "Well, maybe you can photograph me some time. Your photos on Instagram are pretty amazing."

"Oh, I'm just an intern, I don't-"

"I'll text you about it. Laura, you'll give me her number, right?" Jeremy smiled widely at the girls, admiring Ana's blush- again.

"Yeah, sure. I'll text it to you later on. See ya, Jer." Laura hugged him for the third time, before she turned to leave.

Jeremy stepped towards Ana, embracing her in a hug. She was taken aback, but she felt herself melt into his strong hold around her entire body. She suddenly felt hot, not only from the blushing and his sweaty hug, but from whatever feelings her head was reeling through.

Ana stood there, shocked for a moment, as Jeremy waved and cheekily slid back into the theater. She heard Laura call her name, and she followed along like a lost puppy dog.

Their worlds collided.