Chapter 1
Beep, beep.
“Hi. Is this Ashley? Ashley Ferguson?”
“Who wants to know?”
“I—uh—”
“Look. I don’t know who you are and it’s the middle of the night. If you’re some kind of a stalker or—”
“No! Please. Sorry, but I’m not like that…”
“Then how would you explain what you’re doing now?”
“Please don’t hang up.”
“Hey, you don’t even want to tell me your name.”
“I-I like you. The Mansfield’s Mansion. Daniel, your character. You are—you’re just—oh, how should I say? Your eyes, your lips, your hair—I want to run my hand through your hair, and—and…”
“You do realize how scary you sound?”
“Oh, Ashley, please. Okay, I can tell you I’m not a random guy. I also have my TV show. Can you imagine how anyone could get your phone number like this?”
“You think?”
“Well, err. Anyway. Like I said, I have my own TV show that’s playing right now.”
“‘Course you do.”
“I do. I really do.”
“Whatever. But, kid…look. Aren’t you supposed to drool over Katie Cooley instead of me?”
“I’m not a kid. And don’t tell me who I can drool over.”
“You’re threatening me? Kid?”
“I said…Hey, Ashley? I have to go. I’ll call you again tomorrow night, okay?”
“What?”
* * * *
“So Kate, you’re going to lead these people to the building. You’re all going to rush…because you’re being chased, and suddenly Ashley appears on his bike and nearly crashes into you. Is that clear, Kate, Ash? Ashley?”
“Oh, uh, yeah.” Ashley cleared his throat. “Yeah, let’s do it.” He felt Katie’s gaze burn into his back but he ignored it. He heard the girl didn’t really like him being in the soap. He shouldn’t give her more reasons to hate him.
However, the previous night’s call had really been bugging him. Ashley could barely sleep after that and the four or five cups of coffee he’d had that morning only served to ruin his system more. He felt lightheaded, found it difficult to concentrate, and all he wanted was the day to pass quickly. Ashley wished it were midnight already.
“Cut, cut! Ferguson, you’re supposed to glide in now. Pay attention, dude!”
Seriously. A stalker calling him up in the dead of the night was a thousand times better than a mocking, triumphant smirk on Katie Cooley’s annoying face.
* * * *
The shot was wrapped around nine in the evening and by that time Ashley felt like climbing up the wall. What if the caller decided to contact him earlier? What if he’d called several times but Ashley wasn’t there to pick them up?
Tut, tut, tut. Ashley, you’re pathetic. Do you honestly want him to call again? What if he were some serial killer who wants to kidnap you? Don’t you think it’s a good idea to call the police?
No, no. Not the police yet. The person just called him once. Besides, he was just a boy—or sounded like one—and he admitted having drooled over Ashley and not Katie. How cool was that? Ashley grinned to himself as he was lying on his side in his bed, eyes trained to the telephone sitting on the night stand.
Wanting it to buzz.
Willing it to come alive and ring.
It was almost two in the morning now.
But the phone stayed still, and quiet.
* * * *
Beep, beep.
Beep, beep.
Beep, be-
“This better be important or I swear to God…”
“Ashley?”
…
“Ashley, I know it was you.”
“And you! You have any idea this is four in the morning?”
“Hey, I’m sorry, man—”
“And you said you’d call the next day but you didn’t.”
“Oh, were you expecting that? Sorry to disappoint you.”
“Shut up. I’m just so stupid. Get out of my life, okay?”
“Hey, wait. Please, I didn’t mean that. I’m so grateful you want to talk to me.”
“I don’t wantto talk to you.”
“Yeah, I know. I mean, thanks for giving me the chance to talk to you. By the way, Ashley—”
“Listen. You sound like a good kid. Why don’t you tell me your name and end all this weirdness?”
“And then we can meet?”
“We’ll see about that.”
“Don’t you want to see me?”
“Man, you’re the one who called me.”
“But don’t you?”
“Well…that depends. I don’t even know your name.”
“We can meet without you knowing my name.”
“Oh, please. You’re going to arrange the place and time and tell me what you’re going to wear? I think I’ll pass.”
“I don’t have to. I know where you work. I can easily go there and people will just let me in.”
“Yeah, because you have your own TV show.”
“Exactly.”
“Which you won’t tell me the name of.”
“I just—I’ll embarrass myself.”
“Why?”
“It’s not easy to admit to your friends that you have a crush on a male actor when you yourself are a man, all right?”
“Right. It’s much easier to admit that directly to the said actor. That’s neat.”
“Oh God, Ashley. You-you don’t understand. You have turned my life upside down. Why do you have to be so pretty? Why do you keep batting those long lashes of yours and teasing me?”
“Why do you have to make me sound like a cheap slut?”
“Gosh, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that…I think I love you, Ashley. You—seeing you makes me feel warm inside and hearing your voice makes me want to—”
“God, I don’t need to hear this.”
Click.