Ghosts (A Christian Yelich Story)

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Minnetonka

Author's note: Should I start another story? Should I write some imagines? ANY THOUGHTS?

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Annie and I had a little time to explore London between our training session and our evening meeting, so she took me to a curry place she frequented while filming a movie in the city a couple years ago.

"I came here every single night off," she told me. "I was lonely curry girl. I think the owners were worried about me."

"You came here by yourself?" I asked her. I couldn't imagine her by herself. I've already watched her be chased by three doting men in less than a week — myself included.

"Yeah, this is the first time I've actually been here with someone else. I would usually come to eat and wind down with a book. I'm not much of a coffee or tea drinker, so a little curry seemed like a safe bet." She flashed me a fraction of a smile.

"Do you like London? I've never been here before."

"I love it here. It's bustling, historic, and beautiful." She had a dreamy look in her eyes that vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Before I could respond to her, a woman and her teenage daughter approached our table. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to be a huge bother, but are you Annie Delaney?" The woman, who seemed slightly embarrassed, asked Annie.

Annie gave the woman the sweet, genuine smile that broke me every time. "That's me!" She smiled at the pair.

"We absolutely adore your work. We've watched Evan from the Midwest together since season one, and we're so thrilled to see you getting more film roles. We saw Minnetonka at a film festival a couple weeks ago, and we really hope you get the nod for Best Supporting Actress this awards season.

"I can't believe you've already seen Minnetonka! I haven't actually talked to anyone outside of the cast and crew about it. What did you two think?"

"It was one of the most beautiful films I've ever seen," the teenage girl joined the conversation with a quiet, soft voice. "You were amazing."

Annie blushed. "Thank you so much. I felt really fortunate to work on it."

"Can I have your autograph?" the teenager asked.

"Absolutely! Anything specific you want me to sign? Christian could lend me some of his napkins if we can't scrounge up some real paper."

I handed her two napkins. It was so strange to not be the person being recognized in public. Baseball wasn't big here, so I wasn't expecting much recognition. Annie's fame seemed to transcend borders.

She signed both napkins with a pen she had in her purse. "I'm really sorry I don't have anything better to sign for you." She passed both signed napkins to the teenage girl. "I'm never well prepared."

"Oh my God, no this is perfect, thank you."

"No, thank you for watching independent movies! And for being a fan of me! It means the world."

"Thank you so much, Annie. Once again, we're sorry for interrupting lunch. We just figured we'd never have this chance again," the mom finished.

"Yes, thank you!" the teenager exclaimed.

The pair walked toward the door, and I heard the teenager ask her mom if she thought I was Annie's boyfriend. I fucking wish.

"They were so kind and respectful. I love fans like them so much," she shared.

"What kind of fans don't you like?" I asked her with a raised eyebrow.

"The guys that try to slide into my DMs and send me dick pics." She adorably scrunched her nose in disgust.