The Accidental Star

APART

ANNE

I stared at my bedroom clock and saw that it was a few minutes past one in the afternoon.

I groaned and pulled the covers over my head, not wanting to get out of bed yet.

My mobile phone rang and I quickly perked up when I recognized the ringtone. Grabbing it from my night stand, I quickly placed it against my ear.

" Hey baby, " Chang greeted me on the other line.

" Hey baby, " I said groggily as I sank bank on my bed. " What time is it there? "

" Past midnight, " Chang said and I could hear running water on the line. " Just got out of the shower. Got home half an hour ago. "

" Long day for you then? " I asked as I rubbed my eyes, trying to get accustomed to the brightness of the room.

" Yeah, " he answered. " Had an early morning commercial shoot which dragged on til evening. Have you recovered from jet lag? "

It had been two days since my father and I flew back to New York. My body clock was still adjusting and I had not really been successful in coping. But I was expected to report to work tomorrow; which wasn't entirely a disadvantage because I needed a lot of distraction.

" Not really, " I muttered. " I couldn't sleep well. I keep waking up in the middle of the night. "

" Give it a few more days, " Chang said and I heard a door closed behind him. " Your body should have adjusted by then. "

" I guess, " I murmured.

" Are you excited on your first day back at MartinCorp? " Chang asked teasingly.

" I would have preferred to be walking into the Spotlight Tower than MartinCorp, " I told him honestly.

He chuckled and I felt a stab of longing when I heard it.

I quickly took the phone off my ear and pressed the FaceTime option. In a few seconds, I could see him laying against a pillow grinning boyishly at me.

" Hey handsome, " I greeted as I sat up and waved at him.

" Hey gorgeous, " he gave me that megawatt smile that made my heart ache with longing. " What have you been up to today? "

" As you can see," I made a face as I moved the camera to a far shot of my bed. " It's past one in the afternoon and I haven't gotten out of bed yet. "

He laughed and gave me a mischievous smile. " If I were there, you will probably never get out of bed. "

I grinned back at him and said playfully. " If you were here, we'd never get out of this room. "

His heart laughed filled the room and I just smiled as I watched him placed an arm underneath his head.

He started telling me how his day went and some projects that he was considering for the months ahead. I told her about my plans of meeting Rachel later that afternoon and maybe some of our other friends in the evening.

In between conversations, I saw him yawned several times. I knew he was tired. He always had early call times for shoots.

" I'd let you get some sleep now, " I told him after he yawned again.

" Sorry, " he said sheepishly. " I haven't had enough sleep the past days. "

" It's alright, " I said as I watched his face on the screen. " Chang? "

" Hmmm? " he murmured unintelligently.

" I miss you, "

His face broke into a gentle smile. He brought his phone closer to his face and kissed his screen. " I miss you a lot, baby. "