FALLING

FALLING
~Anna's POV

I think I'm losing my mind.

The black sedan follows me home. I'm sure of it. Three cars back the entire drive, turning when I turn, slowing when I slow.

By the time I pull into Daisy's street, I'm gripping the steering wheel.

I park. Look in my rearview mirror.

The sedan is there. Idling across the street. Engine running, windows tinted black.

My heart pounds.

Am I being paranoid? Is this real?

I grab my phone, hands shaking, and take a photo of the license plate. The image is blurry, too dark, too far away, but it's something.

I get out of my car, walk quickly to Daisy's building. Don't look back. Don't look back.

I can feel eyes on me the entire way.

Inside, I lock the door behind me and lean against it, breathing hard.

"Anna?" Daisy appears in the hallway, concern all over her face. "You okay?"

"There's a car outside."

"What?"

"A black sedan. I feel it's been following me." I move to the window, peer through the blinds.

It's still there.

Daisy joins me, squinting into the darkness. "I see it. You think someone's following you?"

"I don't know." I sound crazy even to myself. "Maybe I'm just paranoid. It's been a long night."

"Want me to call the cops?"

I hesitate. And say what? A car is parked on a public street?

"No. It's probably nothing."

But I take another photo anyway.

Daisy watches me, unconvinced. "Anna, if someone's following you—"

"I'm just tired. I'm going to bed."

I head to the room before she can argue, but I don't sleep.
\---

Morning comes too fast.

I wake up exhausted, disoriented, and immediately go to the window.

No sedan.

Relief washes over me. I was being paranoid. Just the stress of the date, the photo, everything with Mark and James and—

My phone buzzes.

37 Instagram notifications.

I unlock it, and my stomach drops.

The photo from last night, me and Jamal leaving Salvatore's, has exploded.

2,000 likes. 150 comments. Shared on theater gossip accounts, entertainment blogs, fan pages.

I scroll through comments, heart sinking with each one.

Loads of comments most leaning on who I really was.

I lock my phone and press my palms against my eyes.

This is exactly what Daisy warned me about.

A knock on my door. Daisy enters from the shower, hair wrapped in a towel, takes one look at my face, and sits on the bed. "You saw."

"It's everywhere."

"I know."

"Anna." Daisy's voice is gentle. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

My phone rings. Jamal's name lights up the screen.

I answer. "Hello?"

"Good morning, sunshine." His voice is warm, easy, completely unaffected by the chaos. "Sleep well?"

"Not really."

"Yeah, I figured. Saw the photo blew up." He doesn't sound concerned. "You okay?"

"I don't know how to answer that."

"Fair enough. Listen, I'm calling because I leave tomorrow. Fight tour, Asia, then Europe. I'll be gone a month."

A month. I barely know him, and he's leaving for a month.

"Oh."

"I want to see you before I go. Tonight. Nothing fancy, just... I want more time with you."

I should say no. Everything is moving too fast. The photo, the comments, Mark's hurt, the black sedan that may or may not have been following me.

"Okay," I hear myself say.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Text me the details."

"Will do." He pauses. "And Anna? Don't let the internet get in your head. What we have is real. Everything else is noise."

After he hangs up, I stare at my phone.

Is it real? Or am I just another story he'll forget when he's in Tokyo or Paris? And am I falling for him already.

\---

I'm still sitting on my bed, doom-scrolling through increasingly brutal comments, when Daisy's phone buzzes.

She glances at the screen and her whole face softens. Smiles in a way I haven't seen in months.

I look up. "Who's that?"

"No one."

Her phone buzzes again. She grins.

"You're texting someone."

"I'm not—"

Buzz. Daisy literally bites her lip to stop from smiling wider.

"Oh my god. DAISY." I actually sit up. "Who is he?"

Her face goes pink. "When your life isn't a complete dumpster fire, I'll tell you about mine."

"That's not fair!"

"Neither is you getting all the drama." She winks, standing up. "Now get dressed. You have a theater meeting in an hour."

"Wait, you can't just—"

But she's already gone, closing the door behind her, phone pressed to her ear.

I hear her laugh through the wall. Soft, shy, completely unlike her usual confident self.

Daisy has a secret.

And for the first time all morning, I smile.

\---

The theater is buzzing when I arrive for the emergency cast meeting.

Everyone's talking over each other, excited energy crackling through the air. Tommy's practically vibrating. Becky keeps squealing.

Mark stands off to the side, arms crossed, watching me.

Our eyes meet. He nods once.

I nod back.

Dwayne claps his hands. "Alright, people! Settle down!"

We gather in a circle on stage. I end up next to Mark, careful to leave space between us.

"I have incredible news," Dwayne announces, grinning like he won the lottery. "Meridian Productions was so impressed with our preview performance that they're funding a full production tour."

The room explodes.

"One month have been approved for the production. Major cities, Boston, Philadelphia, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles. Professional venues. Press coverage. This is the real deal, people."

My stomach twists.

Meridian Productions.

Now that I think about it didn't Jamal mention his cousin asked him to attend the preview? Some family favor?

"We start in one week," Dwayne continues. "I know it's fast, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime. Anna—" He looks directly at me. "They specifically requested you as the lead and the promotional face of the tour."

Everyone turns to stare.

Specifically requested.

Not "you auditioned best."

Not "you earned it."

Requested.

Like ordering off a menu.

"Congratulations," Becky says, and she sounds sincere, but there's something in her eyes I can't read.

Tommy whoops. "Anna's going to make us all famous!"

Mark says nothing.

I force a smile, but the doubt is already creeping in.

Was I actually good? Or am I just... connected to the right people?

After Dwayne dismisses us to discuss logistics, I catch Mark's arm before he can leave.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Are you okay with this? The tour?"

He looks at me for a long moment. "It's not about me, Anna. This is your career."

"I know, but... your text last night. You said you don't care about what happened anymore, but—"

"I meant it." His voice is quiet, steady. "I want you to be happy. Even if it's not with me."

My throat tightens. "Mark—"

"Anna." He looks at me fully. "I saw the photo. You and Jamal. You looked... happy."

I don't know what to say.

"That's good," he continues. "You deserve to be happy. After everything you've been through."

"You don't know everything I've been through."

"No. But I know you're carrying something heavy. Have been since I met you." He gives a sad smile. "I thought maybe I could help carry it. But that's not what you needed from me."

"Mark, I never meant to hurt you—"

"I know." He cuts me off gently. "When you grabbed me saturday night, called me your boyfriend... for a second I let myself believe it was real. That was my mistake, not yours."

My eyes burn. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be. I've been in love with you for two months. You didn't know. You didn't ask for it." He looks away. "Every rehearsal, every coffee, every late night running lines... I was hoping you'd eventually see me differently."

"Mark—"

"But you won't. Because you're in love with someone else. Someone who isn't here. And now maybe you're moving on with Jamal, and that's good. That's healthy."

He squeezes my shoulder once. Gentle.

"Good luck with the tour, Anna. You earned it. Just... be happy, okay? So let's do our best."

He walks away.

I stand there, watching him go, realizing I've lost a friend I never deserved.

\---

I spend the rest of the afternoon trying to distract myself. Responding to cast group chat messages about the tour. Avoiding social media. Not thinking about Mark's words or James's face in those photos or the sedan or any of it.

At 6 PM, I'm standing in front of my clothes, trying to figure out what to wear for my second date with Jamal.

Red dress. Same silver earrings.

I reach for the star necklace.

My fingers hover over the clasp.

Should I take it off?

Can I? I should just forget about him totally. Before I can decide, my phone rings.

I glance at the screen.

JAMES REYNOLDS.

Everything stops.

First call in a month and some days.

Why now? Why today?

Did he see the photos?

My hand shakes.

Ring.

What if he wants me back?