Annabelle

"Hey, Anna. How are you?" Tyler's voice fills my ear, and it feels like it's reverberating throughout my whole body, ending at my toes with a soft hum.

"Hey, Tyler. You know you should do something with that voice of yours. Maybe record audiobooks? I'm sure the ladies would love it."

His laugh echoes through the line and I feel a little bit satisfied that I am the cause of it.

"Well, I'm glad you think so. Thank you. Maybe I can keep that idea as a backup plan if everything else falls through."

Now I'm curious again. "What? Something bigger than a narrator? What on earth would that be? We never got to that yesterday. The only thing you told me was that you're working late and something about a boss's manager.

The phone stays silent for a minute and I take it away from my ear so I can look at the screen, making sure the call is still connected. "Tyler? Are you still there?"

"Yes," he says with a loud sigh. "Can I...can I trust you, Anna?"

Can he trust me? Interesting question from one stranger to another. "Of course you can trust me, Tyler. Unless you're telling me about something illegal or some other freaky stuff. Then I might just have to turn you in."

He chuckles quietly. "Fair enough. It's nothing bad, though. It's just something that needs to stay a secret between us. Do you think you can do that?"

"Absolutely. I'm the best secret-keeper in the world." I say in a proud voice. "I'm kidding. I mean not about being able to keep a secret, but about being the best secret-keeper in"

Tyler cuts me off mid sentence. "I get it, Anna." He's laughing again. He seems to laugh a lot and somehow I like it, it makes me happier too.

My cheeks blush. I'm glad he didn't demand to see me daily for three weeks instead of our phone conversations. I'm already nervous enough with him on the phone. I can't even imagine the permanent nerve damage I'd certainly cause my brain if I had to endure these embarrassing moments face-to-face.

"Sorry," I mumble. "I tend to get a bit carried away sometimes, and then I don't know how to stop talking."

"Nothing to feel sorry about." His voice is gentle and I can feel that little flutter in my belly again. Why is he so nice to me anyways? Not wanting to think about it any further, I steer the conversation back to him. Much safer for me. "So what's your big secret that I'll have to carry around with me?"

"Ah yeah. That." He clears his throat as if he's uncomfortable now, which in turn makes me a little nervous. What on earth can this secret possibly be? "Well, remember yesterday when I told you I often have to work late and the manager needed my help with something?"

"Yeah, sure." I am sitting up in my bed now, somehow too on edge to lie down comfortably. I might actually start pacing the room if he won't tell me this grand secret soon.

"Have you heard of Jet Valentine?"

A loud laugh bursts out of my mouth. "Ssh, don't say his name too loud or Jo might hear you."

"Who's Jo?" Somehow he sounds on edge now. Weird.

"My sister and Jet Valentine's biggest fan," I whisper the name, being totally serious about my sister having a sixth sense about anything concerning the super popular singer.

"Oh." He lets out a breath and I'm finally starting to get confused.

"Why are we talking about him?"

"Because I'm part of the Jet Valentine team, and we're touring North America right now."

"Ah," I say. "Listen, Tyler. I have to get up early in the morning for an important test. I don't want to be late for that, ok? Talk to you tomorrow?"

"Uh...sure thing. Good night then, Anna." If I'm not wrong, there's a bit of disappointment in his voice. "And good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks. Night." Is all I mumble before I hang up. I need a moment to think about what he just told me. Either he is a total lying lunatic that I have to talk to for the next three weeks, or he's telling the truth and he really works for America's favorite bad boy Jet Valentine.

Sadly there's just no way for me to really know for sure.

Fantastic.

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