A Singer & A Fan - audrey_xo_

Genres: Yuri, Romance, Drama, Historical

Chapter 2

Annie had a melancholic, longing look to her as she smoked through her long, silver cigarette holder. The cigarette holder was now resting in between the tips of three of her fingers as she slightly opened her glistening, dark red lips and spewed a thin veil of smoke.

Maybe she's scared of the Boucher's? I would be too if I was marked by them. It feels like they're everywhere...

A brown and gold steam train zoomed by on the raised platform in between the left and right sides of the street. On the sidewalk that hugged the right side of the street, a group of Raiments in old looking, probably thrifted dresses laughed with each other as they walked down the street.

The usual Sèche scene.
We were in my red 1V50 Cadillac Series 62 convertible with its red leather seats and its sleek, wooden white and red dashboard. A muffled version of Rina Emerson's Body and Soul streamed from the radio. Despite my stylish car we were sitting in stagnant, car to car traffic.

I felt a slight breeze as my arms were now free from the stuffy military jacket I was wearing earlier. I was now wearing a short sleeved, white empire dress with pink flower petal prints and ruffles around the shoulder and white flats. For accessories I was wearing dangly pearl earrings, a pearl choker necklace, two silver bracelets on my right arm and a silver flower bracelet on my left arm.

"Are you satisfied with the life you've lived so far?" Annie suddenly asked, taking me out of my musings.

I glanced at her and she was giving me this forced smile as smoke trailed up from the end of her cigarette holder.

I swallowed and gave my answer. "I...I don't know. I've never really thought about that."

I'm definitely happy right now. Elated even. Because of Annie I feel like I could die happily.

"That's ok. It was a...strange question to ask." My idol said as she looked ahead. The cars in front of us were finally moving.

The Doctor always said that people asked questions to be asked the same question back.

I put my foot on the gas pedal and posed the question. "What about you? Are you satisfied with your life?"

She looked towards the buildings to our right and answered. "No. I have many dreams I have yet to achieve and..."

Annie looked ahead and looked down, her face red as she continued on. "It's embarrassing to admit but I still have yet to truly fall in love. I want to experience that feeling too."

!?!

I stopped for a red light and turned my upper body towards her as I put my right hand over my heart and stammered. "Me-Me too! I would...also like to fall in love.

The pretty singer laughed while covering her mouth elegantly with her hand.

"Interesting! We both long to feel love's embrace." She said dramatically as she closed her eyes.

The light turned green as Annie opened her eyes and asked. "Have you been in a relationship before?"

I drove us forward and up a ramp as I slowly murmured. "Yes...I have."

We were now on Highway 5067 and we had a grandiose view of the city thanks to the elevation. Plumes of smoke coming from Sèche's brick factories could be seen around us. I could see the tall, old wooden apartments in Hampsur far to our right. Far ahead of us was Jubilee's tall ivory and gold buildings. I bet every residential building in that neighborhood had a penthouse.

I'm rarely ever in the Jubilee but once we got in the car Annie said she usually goes to fun parties up there every other Friday so that's where we're headed right now.

My lukewarm response must've thrown her off since she finally reacted to my response a couple seconds after we started driving on the highway, her cigarette holder now in a leopard case in her lap. "What was that relationship like? If you don't mind me asking."

I took a while to figure out what I was going to say as the muffled radio changed to Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes by a mature sounding singer I didn't know.

"It was nice at first but I needed her more than she needed me and because of that eventually our relationship broke apart." I coldly stated. It was unintentional as I fully expected myself to nervously stumble over my words like I do whenever romance is brought up in a conversation.

Annie looked ahead and took a second to respond. "That's too bad. Sometimes we mix love with our need to survive. Our need to...quell our loneliness."

She sighed. "Loneliness only makes deciphering our feelings harder."

I nodded and stayed silent as I thought of my ex-girlfriend, Kazuko. Six years ago when I was dumped into this city with barely any money, no home, and no friends she found me and offered me her hand. The next five years I lived with her and we worked together for the Azzura's. It felt good to be somebody for once and be a part of something bigger. Kohaku loved watching me grow in the family and after a year of living together I loved watching Kohaku do anything.

Was I in love with her? I still don't quite know what I felt but I know I for sure loved our relationship. The way her loud nature contrasted with my whole personality and way of life. The messy house I would be forced to clean in fear of the return of the ant colony I stumbled on one day while looking for my lip gloss in her living room heap. The cheap drinks we would have every night that we both hated but the conversations we had made those nights warm and memorable. The way she didn't know how to kiss at all and didn't know anything about sex which made me have to lead when it came to anything romantic.

Surprising, I know.

Those five years were so...fun and joyful but everything we built was ruined by the second and third jobs The Doctor gave me directly.

I drove into the lane on our left to go around a slow driver. The excited radio host introduced the next song and played it. It was Care a Little by a high pitched singer I didn't know.

"Have you been in a relationship?" I asked, attempting to break the silence that erupted thanks to my reminiscing mind.

She smiled as she sat up in her seat. "Yes. I don't intend to boast by saying this but I've been in quite a lot of relationships."

Hmmm maybe she's not being chased by the Boucher's but a crazy ex-girlfriend. Annie's perfect in every way so I could see how that ex wouldn't be able to live with the fact that she's lost her. Personally I would just kill myself.

"How did those relationships go?" I asked as I turned down the volume of the radio a little.

I'm really curious about this.

The pretty singer held her chin in a quizzitive pose. "If I'm being honest most of them were boring. Once you've dated two or three Jubilee Raiments they all start to feel the same and Hampsur Blazers-"

She scoffed and put her hands in her lap. "Those women are so unbearable I couldn't last thirty minutes on a date with one."

I laughed. "And how. Those saps only know how to talk about their boujee suits and their big dreams to move up in the car industry when their scrappers at best."

I snickered as I turned into the lane to our left so we didn't get off in the Sèche outskirts. "Maybe they yap so loud since they're used to yelling at each other over the factory machinery."

"I've never thought of that but it makes sense. The way they boom is grating." Annie complained.

I nodded. "Unfortunately, they usually have the deepest pockets in Hampsur so gotta appease them."

Oh, to live in Jubilee where Raiments have an edge in the job market.

"That's right." She sighed so loudly I was surprised she didn't shake.

"...They don't mess with you or stalk you right?" I asked cautiously.

"Luckily, no. But I have seen the news of the singers getting followed after their cabaret performances."

"It's creepy..." I murmured.

You gotta know when to draw the line when you're a fan.

My idol nodded as we entered a tunnel with moody blue lighting. A couple seconds passed until she giggled which made me wonder what she was thinking about. I glanced over to see her covering her mouth with her right hand again. Annie then put her right leg over her left one and held her right knee with both of her hands, a smug expression on her face.

"Would you have offered your protection Noble One if those Blazers were messing with me?" She asked in a smoother voice.

I blushed as I stuttered. "I-I wouldn't have. I might be a lil' taller but you're...probably stronger."

"Maybe." The pretty singer purred.

Satisfied with successfully messing with me she leaned back in her seat and said. "There's no need to fret. I was being honest when I said none of my fans stalk or mess with me."

Not exactly the thing I was fretting over...

Annie cleared her throat as the radio changed to Mary Allard's rendition of I should care and continued on. "Well here at least."

"Here? You're talking about Hampsur right?" I asked though I already knew the answer.

Annie was an idol in Fuli before she moved to Klassikam. I wasn't as devoted back then but I was a fan ever since her group performed at a park near my high school.

Hope a Fulian isn't giving her trouble...

"Not...really." She said while looking at the tunnel to her right.

"Mmm." I made a noise since I wasn't sure what to say.

Now that I think about it, the way she just up and left always made me wonder how she did it. Since it's hard enough smuggling yourself to Klassikam as an average citizen like I was, it would probably be ten times as hard, almost impossible getting in this country when all of District 3 and 1 knows your face.

"That reminds me, you're from Fuli right?" She asked nonchalantly.

Huh? How does she know!?! Is it my clothes? My eyes???

I pondered the "too good to be true" circumstances I was in and the way she has apparently been intrigued by me for a while.

Could she be in F.U.D.D??? Did she help capture that other Nori's regular? Is that how she got into this country so easily?!? Is...is it me being from Fuli what intrigued her?

We exited the tunnel and were now on the Continental Bridge. On our right and left was the Sang Sea that reflected the night sky filled with stars. The glamorously bright, gold, and ivory skyscrapers ahead of us now felt domineering as my mind wandered.

The Jubilee...If this house party we're heading to is full of other F.U.D.D spies this neighborhood could kill me. B-but I'm driving! I don't have to go to this party!

I felt the chill of the sea breeze as I glanced at Annie. She noticed and raised her eyebrows, probably confused on why I hadn't responded.

Shit...

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