"How did it go? When is he asking you out again? When will the families meet? Should we introduce him to your father?" Mum ask in rapid succession, I barely hear one question when she is shooting the next, making me dizzy even if I haven't even taken my shoes off yet. I'm just standing on the genkan, getting bombarded by Mum.

"Hold on, Mum. Let me get comfortable first," I reply.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm just so excited. This is your first date since you finished school, it's more serious now." she giggles, helping me by taking my purse and then walking by my side as I head to the kitchen. I'm not hungry, but I do get a glass of water.

"I noticed." I mumble. "You're more excited than I was."

"Oh, so you were excited! That's good. I thought you weren't, at some point." she comments, sitting across from me. "Don't you like the boy?"

"I do, but not like that," I try to explain. "He's a good friend. We decided to stay as that. He asked me out and I agreed to give him a chance, but I don't think I can like him like that."

"Why not? He's a nice boy and you're friends already. It shouldn't be hard. You know, not that long time ago not everyone got married because they were in love, love was born out of their team work and living together. Love actually takes a bit of will, too." Mum explains to me, as if she was old enough to be speaking like that, which is absurd because she isn't that old and she got married because of love.

"You fell in love and then married." I counterattack and she shakes her head.

"That's not what I mean, Ann, you know it. I mean that not because you don't feel butterflies the first time you see him it won't work out."

"Well, that's why I gave him a chance and went out with him today," I insist. "Because I wanted to try and like him back like that. But I... I don't think I honestly want that."

"Why?" Mum asks me. Her enthusiasms has faded away, her eyes look more serious and even her body language has changed. She is acting like my mother and not like a gossiping friend.

I look away, knowing exactly why I can't like Charlie as more than a friend. Seeing the face that my heart wants in my mind. I wish I could just have that control and determination to move on, but it isn't that easy even when I tell myself I want to. I don't really mean it, I think; a part of me still holds on to him. A part of me still wants to love him.

"There's someone else you like." Mum announces.

I betray myself when my head snaps in her direction, my eyes widening in shock that only reveals she has hit jackpot. I don't know if I look pitiful or scared, but Mum smiles comfortingly, reaching out for my hand over the table. Once she gets hold of one, she caress the back of it calmly, drawing circles with her fingertips, sending calming waves up my arms.

"It's an unrequited love, isn't it?" Mum keeps guessing.

I have never talked about these things to her, because it was never serious. The only date I had before wasn't something I was really excited about, so I didn't even mentioned it to her. I told her I was going out that day and that was all. I have never actually liked someone, so I have never even thought of talking about this topic with her. I do love her, I trust her and I normally don't have a problem opening up to her. I don't even know why I didn't tell her before about this.

"Yes," I confirm. She smiles a bit sadly, kissing my knuckles lovingly.

"Oh my dear Ann." she sighs. "I wish you wouldn't be in one. Those hurt a lot, especially when they are also your first love."

"Did you also have an unrequited love? Before Otousan, I mean."

"Of course." she replies, a kind smile now displaying. "When I was in school I was madly in love with my homeroom teacher." she laughs. "That was so impossible. I also liked a boy that was a year ahead, but he had a girlfriend already. It was very painful seeing them together."

"Were you even friends with him?" I ask, wondering if Mum would be able to understand.

Her sad smile says it all. "We were in the theatre group together. Yes, we were close."

"We are close, too," I tell her. "I think I'm his only friend, but he doesn't want a relationship. I haven't even confessed and he's rejected me twice."

Mum frowns, not really understanding what I mean so I have to look for better words. "I guess I don't know how to hide my feelings and he isn't that oblivious or cliché, he notices it. And he's let me know he doesn't see me as anything but a friend." I look at her, feeling my eyes burning with tears that want to come out, but I don't allow it. "It hurts."

"My baby Ann!" Mum whines, standing up and coming to my side to give me a tight hug. "That's why you agreed to date Charlie today, to forget him, didn't you?" I only nod, holding on to her as tightly. "But it didn't work out. What a pity. Did Charlie even know about this?"

"It was his idea, to help me moving on." I explain and I can feel her nodding.

"What a good boy, but it is one thing to push things a bit, another thing entirely different is to force them. At least you agreed to stay as friends and gave him a chance, you can't regret that, right?" Mum pulls back a bit, holding my shoulders. I look up and encounter her big smile. "You'll have to be patient, my dear. Only time will take that pain away, you won't even realise when it'll stop hurting. You just have to endure it. You still have many things to distract yourself with, so you'll be fine. You have friends, and a job you're doing wonderfully at," she reminds me and she sounds so proud when saying the last part.

"I don't know about the last part, but I'm trying my best."

"And that's enough, Ann. More than enough." Mum smiles happily. "Now let me make you a cuppa and you can go to bed. You have a busy week ahead, don't you? You need to get rest. Tomorrow you can sleep in all you want."

"Thank you, Mum." I state and she replies just with a big smile before kissing the top of my head.

She does make me tea and I go to bed after that. The rest of the weekend passes by like that, in the comfort of my home. Sooner than I'd like, I'm back to work. The exhausting meetings, the difficult people and all those details I have to take care of. I have a headache by Monday noon already. I can only drop by the set in the afternoon.

Cece called me on Sunday, asking about the date, but then immediately after told me to forget it. He wanted to hear it in person when we saw each other. He really wanted to visit me at home, but the crew was busy that day with a night shoot, so Cece couldn't really come to my house just to ask me about my date with Charlie. That is why the moment he finds out I'm on set, he comes running to me.

"Ann!" he screams, literally. I hear him before I see him, and I only get a second to react before he engulfs me in his arms. "I missed you! You're lucky you have an office schedule." he sighs.

When he pulls back I can notice his tired expression. His face looks flawless, because he's a makeup artist, but he can't cover the exhausted look of his eyes or the way even his smile isn't as bright. He can't cover either the way his shoulders round. I'm not surprised to see him like that because I know they've been working since yesterday's evening, with probably short breaks just to nap or so, not enough to take a proper rest.

I need to make sure they have a break soon, they've been working so hard.

"I'm sorry it can't be the same for you." I say. "I shouldn't have allowed the night shoot, but Jerry insisted they needed to catch up and it was fundamental unless we wanted to stay behind with schedule. I'm deeply sorry." I insist, even bowing although I know it isn't necessary.

Cece freaks out, grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to stand straight.

"Ugh this girl, you don't have to apologise for that! I was just whining." He rolls his eyes, acting annoyed but there's a little smile on his lips that tells me he isn't feeling like that. "Anyhow, come with me because I can't take a break for too long and there's so much I need to ask."

Cece loops his arm around mine, guiding me back to the makeup trailer where he has to work. I follow without a problem, but I go taking a look everywhere around, taking mental note if there's something I need to pay attention to. No one has reported a big problem so far, Jerry only requested for more staff for the special effects, but Teru is already taking care of that.

"So, tell me all about your date," Cece asks the moment we are in the trailer. He's working on Jonah's makeup who's listening to his lines to help him memorise, so he isn't paying attention to us. "Where did Charlie take you?"

"It was really nice, I had loads of fun. He took me to a Japanese café, I didn't even know it existed! It was beautiful, I felt like I was back in Japan for the afternoon. We even were part of the tea ceremony and it was carried out so beautifully."

"He took you there? Wow, it sounds really nice."

"It was. He said he wanted to learn about my heritage and take me to a place I could enjoy. I explained loads of things to him and he asked about others as well. He was genuinely interested and seemed to enjoy it, too."

"What a wonderful guy," Cece fans himself. "He sounds better every time you speak about him."

I chuckle, reminded of how my Mum acted when I arrived home after the date.

"He's really great. I was nervous, you know why, but he made it all so easy. His humour made me feel at ease all the time, even how he took the date. He was constantly joking about his own charms just to make me feel bad if I dumped him. I laughed a lot, so it was really a good time with him."

"I'm so glad you had fun on your date, Ann." Cece exclaims, maybe louder than he should. Even Jonah hears him and gets startled, so Cece has to apologise but the actor doesn't seem to mind, he just chuckles to himself and focuses again on his lines.

Because we are in silence now, chuckling silently, I can hear when the door opens. I look in that direction and see Andrew coming in, nodding when he sees me but then focusing on someone else, someone I hadn't noticed before. I follow the manager's gaze and find Gareth, getting his makeup retouched.

It's irrational, it makes no sense and I know I shouldn't feel like this, but I can't help it. It's like I have done something bad and then been caught red handed. I feel almost as if I betrayed him. I panic, wondering if he heard us talking. He probably did, considering how loud Cece was being.

Gareth looks in my direction, meeting my eyes and for the first time since I met him I can't read him. It's cold, ice cold. There's no emotion in his eyes or expression, it's almost as if I were staring at the wall, and for some reason that breaks my heart a little. He only nods in my direction, a formal greeting before joining Andrew and leaving the trailer. My eyes follow him the whole time, feeling my chest heavy.

"Well, he found out." Cece mutters, getting my attention back. I turn around, looking for his eyes and when he sees the pain I show in mine, I can see his concern. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. There was nothing on his face, Cece. He heard us talking but there was nothing. Neither relief or disappointment. Nothing at all." I whisper, feeling a pain in my chest that makes breathing hard. It's like when you're sick and you can't make air come in to your lungs without feeling like someone is pressing on your ribcage.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that, Ann. Considering how he acts with you all the time, I'd say he was pissed," Cece comments, a little smile coming to his lips. "Good. I got what I wanted." he mutters to himself next, making me realise he knew Gareth was there. That must be the reason why he brought me here to talk about my date.

I shake my head, shooing Cece's words. I've gotten my hopes up many times just to get them crushed next. I can't allow that again. Gareth has rejected me twice already, Cece is just reading too much in a situation that is clear: Gareth didn't mind my date with Charlie at all.

>>>·<<<

I am alive! I survived yet another cold. I'm sorry I didn't update on Friday and that I've been so absent on Wattpad, but looking for too long at the screen gave me horrid headaches. Just today I managed to write a full chapter without whining :D

Because I'm nice I'll give you a hint for the next chapter ;) Someone's birthday is coming up! Guess whose?

Dedication to xheartofadreamer 

Bel, xx

NU: Friday (unless I am sick or something like that again)