I recommend listening to Keri Noble's "Falling" while reading this.

No actual connection between the song and story. I just like it. Don't ask.

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Boxed

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Chapter 4

He was finally coming home to her.

He never imagined these words could hold so much power over him. On second thought, hindsight is always 20/20 and regret is so much a part of the package.

Almost a whole year had passed since everything suddenly changed in his life.

With the success of his latest villain protagonist character, he managed to snag a small but pivotal role in an overseas production. Feeling that he was ready to test the waters now, and after much discussion with the President, he decided to accept. It would mean three months of shooting abroad, which in turn meant three months away from her. In the end, he had to weigh his options, and between an opportunity for advancement in his career, or another pitiful step in their so-called "relationship", he chose the former.

It wasn't like they wouldn't be in touch anyways. This was the 21st century, for crying out loud. He could call her, send her text messages, or e-mail her, or if those weren't possible, he could always go old school and send letters through the postal service.

No matter how he looked at it, this was too good an opportunity to pass up. Whether or not the movie made money, he could use it as a stepping-stone to get noticed abroad.

Once everything had been arranged and all the details ironed out, he decided to tell her personally. He had tried telling her earlier, but he seemed to have some difficulty trying to reach her. He knew this was probably because she was becoming more and more swamped with work these days, and he sincerely though it was a good thing because it meant that she was getting noticed more.

But for a moment, he thought it strange that she wasn't even trying to see him. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came. Close as they were right now, he couldn't afford to delude himself into thinking that she would personally try to contact him about anything outside of work, and currently, they weren't even working on anything together.

In the end, he didn't find her no matter how hard he looked. After calling her on her mobile a few times, tired of not getting any positive results from his efforts, he decided to go to the studio where they did the shoots for her TV series. But by the time he arrived, one of the staff informed him that she had already rushed off to another shoot. He asked around but nobody knew where her next place of work was, so, after much hesitation, he called her best friend. If anybody knew, it would be her.

While the idea for the call was for him to ask her where her friend was, the outcome was the exact opposite. He felt like a suspect volunteering for an interrogation. There were no hellos, or any sort of greeting for that matter. She went straight from "Why are you calling?" to "Is she missing?" back to "Then, why are you calling?"

He had tried to explain that he needed to talk to her, and that she wasn't answering his calls. And that while he didn't think she was missing, he just couldn't get hold of her.

Without missing a heartbeat, the pretty brunette answered that she didn't know herself, and that even if she did, it wasn't her place to say.

He didn't have time to ponder the strange answer as she ended the call, and a light buzzing filled his ears before the line went dead.

Wondering where she could be at that moment, he walked distractedly towards his parked car. He was surprised when he felt someone touch his arm, and even more so when he saw who it was. She was shifting from one foot to the other, with that uncertain smile of hers plastered on her face. She reminded him of a jumpy deer he had caught sight of while playing in the forest while he was young. This brought out a slight chuckle from him, which seemed to calm her a little somewhat.

After a few minutes of just staring at each other, they ended up trying simultaneously to start a conversation. Which started a short argument as to who should talk first. Seeing as she was determined to let him start, and knowing that the argument wouldn't end otherwise, he acquiesced and began by asking where she'd been and why she hadn't been picking up his calls.

Ignoring the first question, she exclaimed loudly (talking mostly to herself) that she had put the phone on silent mode while shooting and had forgotten to change it back. How typical of her, he thought amusedly, all traces of annoyance and frustration forgotten.

With a gentle smile, he asked her if she's had dinner, and when she answered in the negative, he suggested eating together as he had something important to tell her. When she didn't reply immediately, he went on to assure her that it wasn't going to be anywhere fancy, he just wanted to go someplace where they could talk properly. After a few nervous minutes where she didn't make a single sound, she signaled her assent with a small nod.

They went to a small quaint café just a stone's throw away from the studio. There were quite a few people already inside, but he surprised himself by not even trying to act incognito. He didn't care at that moment if both of them were recognized and seen dining together alone.

He waited until they were served before he told her about his plan to work on a movie outside the country. He informed her that she was the first person to know about it that wasn't involved in the project, and that what he shared to her should be kept under wraps until the official announcement. He then told her he'd be away for a quarter of a year, but he'd make sure to give her his contact details so they could keep in touch.

He had imagined that she would take this like how she normally receives impersonal news, or maybe even with indifference. But he was taken aback by the sudden anxious expression that showed on her face. He felt like she had something to say, but after waiting for a few moments, it became apparent that she wasn't going to tell him.

He prodded her but she would just say that it wasn't anything important, and with a slightly strained smile, she told him how happy she was for him. This was an opportunity every actor dreamed of, she said.

He knew she was right, but somehow, there was a nagging feeling that not all of what she said was necessarily true.

They were interrupted by the arrival of their orders, and the rest of the evening was spent with light chitchat about their current projects. As per usual, after finishing their meal, he insisted on driving her home, to which she uncharacteristically didn't protest.

They enjoyed the ride home in relative silence, and he would occasionally glance at her to check if she was feeling unwell. She had been strange throughout dinner and he was worried that she might be coming down with something. Looking at her then, it seemed she was okay, if a bit distracted. She looked deep in thought, and knowing her, unless she wanted to talk about it, he would never be able to pry anything out of her.

It didn't seem like she was having problems at work, or else, he would have found out from the agency supervisor or from his own manager that had now completely morphed into her obsessed fanboy. If it were about anything else, he was quite sure she could deal with it herself. She was a strong woman, and as much as he hated to admit it, he was in no position to meddle in her personal affairs. Which was something he wanted to change. Maybe someday.

As they were saying their farewells, he thought he saw something akin to deep sadness fleeting through her eyes. But it came and went so fast that he was convinced that his eyes were just deceiving him. Just to make sure, he observed her as she waved goodbye from the door, and all he could see was the sincerity of her smile. Nothing was amiss.

Once the project was made public, he was inundated with interviews and television appearances. He didn't have time to even call her since their dinner, and on the date of his departure, he received an apologetic message from her saying she couldn't get off work to say goodbye. She wished for his success, but most of all his safety.

The short message had been enough to make him smile and tide him through all the ruckus his fans were making at the airport. Once the plane was in the air, he regarded the view from his window seat. It would be quite a while before he sees again the country he's called home for the last few years.

Clearing his mind of any further depressing thoughts, he promised himself that when they land, he would put his all into the movie project. He wasn't going to be distracted by anything.

So he was surprised when he received a call from her scary friend a week after leaving. Again, she didn't bother with any civilities, as she informed him that she had something important to say. But it wasn't her words that made his heart beat erratically. It was the desperation in her voice that told him something was definitely wrong.

I guess apologies are in order. I did say that I've finished writing this story and that I would update in a short while. But I didn't realize just how long I actually made the supposedly last chapter. And splitting it into two or three chapters was surprisingly hard work.

So from now on, no more promises. I will post when I post. The author is now in dictator mode.

And I still don't own Skip Beat. Yada yada yada.