Chapter 2

I tried to act as nonchalant as humanly possible and rushed to the bathroom to fix my barely-there makeup. I can’t fucking believe it. Sabrina Carpenter? In the same room as me? And it’s not just a quick thing-this is a three-day production. Three full days of being near her.

Okay, this has to be a dream and I will wake up in any moment right? Because right now, I feel like one of those painfully awkward rom-com leads -the ones who trip over their own feet or always say something weird and out of context. Jeez, what am I even thinking, focus y/n, focus. If I do something weird and freak her out, I’ll never forgive myself. I’ll carry that shame to the grave.

Okay, deep breaths.

I swiped on some lip gloss, sharpened the edges of my eyes with a bit of pencil, added another layer of mascara, and gave myself one last look. Not perfect, but better. I stepped out of the bathroom, trying to look composed and failing miserably.

She was in the middle of getting ready. A small army of makeup artists circled her and a hairdresser was carefully shaping her hair with precision that looked more like sculpture than styling. And then-right as they wiped off the last layer of her everyday makeup to begin applying the glam for the shoot-I froze.

My breath caught, sharp and sudden. No, she wasn’t just pretty. She wasn’t just beautiful.

She looked like a dream in living form. Her crystal blue eyes were like the ocean in the sunrise and her hair the golden sun framing her face like a goddamn painting. And there was something unreal about her face-like if the universe had a favorite, it was her. She was easily the most beautiful woman I had ever seen in my 22 years of life-and I’ve seen models, actresses, influencers and celebrities on screens-but none of them even came close to this.

She was simply breathtaking.

“You’re staring at her a little too hard”, a voice said beside me.

It was Enzo, my bodyguard. Apparently, his Italian parents were huge fans of Enzo Ferrari and to be honest I don’t even blame them.

Enzo is not just my bodyguard. He is also my best friend. After spending so much time together, we’ve gotten to know each other inside out. He is bi too. When he came out to his parents, things didn’t go well. His mom still talks to him, though she’s clearly still struggling to fully accept it. His dad, on the other hand? Not a single word. It’s been two years since Enzo told him, and they haven’t spoken since.

Anyways, me and Enzo are completely platonic, he is like a brother to me. He caught me a little off guard with his previous comment but I shot back without missing a beat, “Jealous, aren’t we?”, and he laughed, with that laugh of his-loud and full of life, but always sincere, that laugh that always made his green eyes shine. “Where were you this morning? I had to walk through New York City all by myself, what if someone kidnapped me?!”, I asked, putting on a mock-serious tone. “No such luck”, he responded with that damn smirk of his and we bursted out laughing together.

My mind was still on her though. She had that vampire-style makeup, which somehow made her even hotter. When her eyes lingered on me and we locked eyes, I looked away like an idiot-because if I stared into those blue eyes for more than a second, I might have actually passed out.

Enzo noticed again. “What’s with her?”, he asked. “Nothing” I said with a low voice. “Just…”, I really didn’t know what to say to him, he wouldn’t understand.

“Just what?”, he kept pushing. “Oh, for goodness shake Enzo just leave me in peace!”, I said a bit louder than I intended to. “Okay, you’ll tell me later”, he said running a hand through his glistening, dark hair. I let out a heavy sigh, but I knew deep down that he was right.

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Nearly forty-five minutes into the shoot, Sabrina called for a break-no, demanded one. She was calm, but firm. That’s when I knew I had to do it.

I stood still for a second, adrenaline rushing through me like I was about to step into a room with lions instead of approaching a girl.

Okay… this is it. This is THE moment.

I could feel my heart pounding hard against my ribs. I was pretty sure the whole room could hear it too. My hands were shaking and I felt completely detached from my own body, like my skin was two sizes too small.

Breathe. You’ve got this, y/n.

I walked toward her. Closer.

Why am I even doing this to myself?

I reached out and tapped her gently on the back. So lightly, I wasn’t even sure she felt it. But she turned. And when her eyes met mine, my brain just-short-circuited. I could practically feel my soul leaving my body at that moment. I stood there like a deer in headlights. But then when I finally realized how weird I looked, I snapped out of it and forced my mouth to speak.

y/n: “H-Hey! I’m y/n.” I held out my hand, praying it wasn’t shaking too much. She took it. Her hand was soft like silk. I swear I almost forgot my name just from the handshake. “I’m here for the commercial too!”, I continued.

She gave a small laugh, a little smirk curling on her lips.

Sabrina: “Well, yeah. Obviously” she teased, eyes twinkling. “I’m Sabrina, by the way”

I almost blurted ‘Oh, I know’ but somehow managed to swallow it.

y/n: “Sabrina… That’s such a beautiful name, love”

Shit… Why did I say that? What the hell is wrong with me?!

But she smiled-genuinely smiled.

Sabrina: “Aww, thank you! Your name is really nice too. Super unique.”

y/n: “For real? Thanks!”

And then-silence. That awkward, lingering kind where you’re both standing there not knowing if the moment’s over or not.

Say something. Say anything y/n.

y/n: “So… ugh, I guess I’ll see you around?”

Sabrina: “Yeah…”

y/n: “I mean, yeah, if you need anything, you know, just ask for it”. The second I said it, I realized how weird it sounded. “Not that… I mean is…”, my mind stopped working.

She laughed. Not at me, hopefully. Thank God.

Sabrina: “I got it. Don’t worry. If I need anything, I’ll be sure to call for miss y/n specifically”

A quiet laugh slipped out of me before I could stop it.

y/n: “Cool”

Cool? Just cool? Really y/n?

I smiled and turned to go back to where I was sitting before. And then, overthinking. I replayed our encounter in my mind a thousand times. Did I say something wrong? What if I made her feel uncomfortable? Was I smiling too much? All these kind of questions urged into my mind and I couldn’t help but getting nervous again…

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I looked at my phone. 6:30 pm.

Shit. I’m late.

I got up, exchanged quick goodbyes with the crew I encountered on my way out, and left. I wanted to say goodbye to Sabrina too, but they were in the middle of shooting, and I didn’t want to interrupt. Plus, I didn’t want to come off as some crazy fangirl or something. I didn’t want to reveal my real self in a few words…

Now I’ve got this meeting to attend-something about Bitcoin breaking past 110,000. Honestly, that’s the last thing on my mind right now. It’s been such a draining day. Sure, I’ve been sitting most of the time, but the constant anxiety and nonstop overthinking wore me out mentally. I just want to return to my apartment curl up with my dogs and rewatch some old series I’ve seen a zillion times, is that too much to ask for…

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The meeting was so damn boring. I’m usually very hyped about stuff like this, but now… It’s like I have a burden in my chest that won’t let my breath.

I put my headphones on because I cannot stand the sound of the traffic. It will make my way home more cinematic too. I had sent Enzo back earlier to find the series we’d rewatch and buy ice-cream.

As I walked past a café, the scent of freshly baked cookies made me look inside.

And holy shit. She was there.

I froze, staring for a moment, completely stunned, until I saw her getting up to leave.

What. the. helly.

I quickly went around the corner out of her line of sight.

But what is she doing here?

She got into her car and it began to pull away. And me? I just stood there, helplessly watching it go. No. I can’t do this, no. Ugh, screw it. I started walking towards the way the car went. About five minutes later, I spotted it stopped at a red light. I caught up, but stayed back just enough not to draw attention. Sabrina wasn’t alone-two men were in the car with her, probably her driver and her bodyguard so I had to be careful.

After several minutes of walking and feeling my heartbeat rising, the car finally pulled over in front of the Aman Hotel and damn… We really went all out with Sabrina. It is part of the deal tho, the company has to pay such expenses of hers, accommodation included. BUT, she deserves it.

Okay, at least now I knew where she’s staying. Jeez, I felt like a stalker. Creepy. Just then, my phone started vibrating in my bag. I pulled it out and saw the name on the screen-Enzo. I’d left him waiting for over 30 minutes so he is probably panicking right now, and I don’t blame him. “Hey Enz!”, I answered, trying to sound casual while quickly walking away from the hotel. “Girl, WHERE ARE YOU!??”, his voice was a mix of worry and irritation. “I’m fine, I just… walked around a bit. Needed to think about… some things.”. He wasn’t buying it. “Some things huh? Get your ass back here-it’s getting dark out!!”, he was practically yelling at the phone now. “Okay, okay! Calm down Enzo! I’ll be there in 15′. Bye”, and before he could say anything else, I hung up. He can be overprotective sometimes, but right now, he’s right. New York at night is not for the weak.

*20 minutes later*

I finally made it to the skyscraper I’ve been living in for the past year and used the elevator to go to my apartment. I’m not sure if it technically counts as a penthouse, it has a great view of central park and it’s on the 36th floor, but not at the top so… not a penthouse I guess?

Anyways, maybe I should go back to her hotel tomorrow. If I get lucky, I might even figure out which room she’s staying in-

No.

No, no, no. I’m not doing this again. I’m not some obsessive stalker. So I made a promise to myself. I won’t go back to the hotel as long as she’s staying there, and with that I stepped out of the elevator and unlocked the door to my apartment.

“WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?!?”, Enzo yelled and I swear my soul left my body for a second, I probably lost ten years off my life in that moment. “What?! I said I’d be back in 15 minutes-and I am!” I protested, kicking off my shoes. “It’s been” he checked his golden watch “23 damn minutes!!“. “For eight minutes? Seriously? I think you’re overreacting Enzo”, I said, trying to stay calm. “Am I y/n? Am I?”, he snapped. “Oh, give me a break, Enzo. You’re not my mom-you don’t get to tell me what to do!” I fired back, tired and defensive, but his response was immediate. “Then why do I feel like it? I feel like I have to babysit you all the time since the accident!”.

I didn’t expect him to bring that up “It wasn’t even that serious”, I muttered, forcing a shrug. “I just broke my arm and a few ribs”. But Enzo’s face twisted with something I’d never seen before-pure anger. His mouth opened like he was about to yell, but no words came out. For a second, it was just burning and heavy silence between us. Then, finally, he spoke. “You crashed your car into a goddamn wall while you were drunk! What do you mean it wasn’t serious?!” His voice cracked under the weight of it. “You could have died y/n! Your car was totally wrecked! It’s a miracle you’re alive!”. I groaned, rubbing a hand over my face. I was so tired having the same conversation over and over again.

“Enzo… that was seven months ago”, I said gently. “It’s in the past. I’m okay now. Please, just… try to calm down”. But then I saw it-the way his eyes shimmered, him trying to hold back his tears. “You could’ve died y/n”, he whispered. I hated seeing him like this for a fight over something so stupid that took this turn. This was my fault. I stepped closer and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him tight. “Hey… calm down. It’s okay”, I murmured, my hand gently stroking his hair. When I pulled back to look at him, his eyes were glassy and full of sadness. Enzo was the one that took care of me when the accident happened. He was the one that went through it all with me. “Please don’t bring it up again” I said, my voice barely audible, “It makes you sad, and it breaks my heart to see you crying like this”.

He was practically sobbing now, but I didn’t stop him. He needed to let it all out, the frustration, the exhaustion, the anger, everything. We sat down, holding each other, and stayed like that for a while. No words, just him crying and the weight of everything that had been said. At some point he stopped and then, out of nowhere, he mumbled, “Will you ever start the series? It took me forever to find it”. I let out a laugh as I reached for the remote and opened the tv to see what series he had picked. “Forever? Seriously? Enzo, it took you forever to find Friends? That’s literally our favorite series!!”. He grinned, “It was a tough call! I was between this and House MD” he said, dead serious. I rolled my eyes, smiling, “Oh, I see, tough call indeed then”, we both laughed and the weight of the night felt a little lighter.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. We stayed on the couch watching Friends until around 2 a.m., laughing at the same jokes we’d heard a hundred times. At some point we both drifted off, tangled in blankets and each other’s warmth. I woke up when my dogs started barking for no apparent reason and I stood up, grabbed a blanket, and gently covered Enzo. Then I went to bed, exhausted. I fell asleep almost instantly. But my mind was still filled with her.

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Heyyy! Hope you liked this turn and the vibe in the whole story cuz I skipped studying to write this lol 😭

If you got any good ideas or recommendations for the next chapters i’d be glad to hear em all!! Like, whatever u have in mind just comment it and i might include it 🤷😝

Anyways, sorry again for any mistakes (English is not my first language guys 🙏) and i’ll write as fast as i can! Comment if you like it up to here, that’d be really lit and I promise i’ll respond ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚⋆ ˚｡⋆

for now ✨byeeeee✨