Page 41 of Losing Ansley

"Ansley tried to explain it to me at her sixteenth birthday, but she dropped it, so I figured things got better. When it slapped me in the face at the reading of the will, I was so pissed. Our parents had just died in a car accident, and I went from grieving to angry in minutes. I'm not sure I ever got over it, but listening to you two, I realize I need to let it go, or I will turn into them." Dylan states.

"I hate what happened. I still blame myself for what happened and wish I could change it." I wipe a tear away, and Lincoln leans over, kissing the side of my head.

"I don't blame you, Ans. You both knew how to swim. It was an accident." Lincoln replies, and I take a deep breath.

"I wish I had been there. I don't know if the outcome would have been different, but at least I could have supported the two of you since then. But I will be now. You two can count on me. I want you to know that." Dylan tells us, and I smile at him.

"I know, Dylan. You've proven that repeatedly since I moved to Atlanta. You're a good brother, and I love you." I encourage him, and he gives me a small smile.

IT'S BEEN TWOweeks since I've seen Lincoln in person, and it feels like an animal in my body trying to claw itself out with how much I miss him. I've considered visiting him, but we have been so slammed at work I haven't been able to.

We're about to finish the season, so everyone is working crazy hours. I'm exhausted. I just got done dressing several people for their upcoming scenes, and I need to be mending a torn skirt, but right now, I'm hiding so I can rest my eyes for a second.

Unease crawls over my skin, and my eyes fly open to see Chad staring at me. This guy gives me the creeps. He constantly asks me to go out with them and always stares at me. I stand from where I'm sitting. I don't like him hovering over me.

"Hey, Chad. Is everything alright?" I ask as I grab the skirt I was supposed to be mending and take it to my station, where people are walking around. Chad has never done anything outright with me, but I've heard rumors about him. He follows me and stands too close for my liking.

"Yeah. I was just coming to check on you. I know we've had a lot of long days and nights recently." I give him a tight-lipped smile and grab my needle and thread. I won't need my sewing machine for this. "And give you this." He hands over a cup of coffee from Starbucks, and I eye it warily.

"Thank you." I take it from him and sit it on my table. I will not be drinking it. He's about to say something else when my phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and smile at the screen. I show it to him. "I need to take this. It's my boyfriend." I tell him, and he scowls. I ignore it and answer the phone.

"Hi, baby!" I answer enthusiastically. I've never called Lincoln, baby. I usually call him Lincoln or Linc. I watch Chad as he walks away, and I can't help the sigh of relief that leaves me.

"What's wrong?" He asks, knowing something is not right. I bite my lip, trying to decide whether I should tell him. "Ansley." He warns. Reminding me, I agreed to be honest with him. Chad walked away, but he was still lingering close by. I walk away so he can't hear me.

"Hey. Sorry. There's this guy I work with that gives me the creeps, and he was talking to me when you called, so I was making a show of letting him know I have a boyfriend." I explain to him, and he lets out a huff of air. I glance over my shoulder and see Chad watching me. I quickly look away, trying to ignore him.

"That's my good girl." He praises me, and I melt. I'm not sure if he's praising me for telling him what's going on or making it known I'm taken. I sit at a random picnic table.

"I miss you so much," I tell him, trying to ignore the unease creeping up my spine, knowing I'm being watched.

"I miss you too, sweetheart. Want to switch to facetime?" He asks, and I agree immediately. When his face comes over the screen, I bring my finger up to trace his jaw. He's still in his suit.

"How's your day going? Will you be working late tonight?" He questions and I nod.

"Yeah. There's one more scene I have to help with, and then I can go." I sigh as I stare at him.

"How did your meeting go today?" I ask him. He has a new app he is launching at the end of the year, so they are preparing for that. He smiles.

"It went well. There's a lot of work to be done, but we have a road map." He tells me, and I break out into a smile.

"That's great! Is it another dating app?" I tease, and he chuckles.

"Nope. That was a one-time thing." He runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head. "I'm honestly surprised no one said anything about that." He admits, and I scoff.

"Really? No one is going to question you." I admonish. He laughs, and I shake my head.

"Dating sites do make some money, though." He says, and I smirk at him.

"Trust me, I know." I wink at him. He scowls, and I smile sweetly. Man, I miss him so much.

"Ansley!" Chad is yelling at me, and my head snaps up. "They're doing the next scene in fifteen minutes." He sounds pissed, but I'm not sure why. I sigh and look back at my screen.

"I have to go, but I'll call you later," I promise, and he smiles.

"Okay, sweetheart. I'll talk to you in a little bit." I blow him a kiss and hang up. I hate this; me living here and him living there. I did not anticipate this. I walked over to my area and mended the skirt I was working on when Lincoln called while I waited.

"So, how long have you been with your boyfriend?" Leslie asks, and my head pops up. I didn't realize she had wandered over, and not far behind her is Chad. I clear my throat as I return my focus to the skirt.

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