GHOSTS DON'T STAY BURIED
1115 Words
Lia's POV
I spent the rest of the afternoon pretending everything was normal.
It was a skill I'd perfected over the years.
Smile when necessary.
Answer emails.
Organize schedules.
Ignore the ache in your chest.
By six o'clock, I had convinced everyone—including myself—that hearing Rose Bennett's name hadn't affected me.
Then Ethan walked into my office.
And ruined that illusion immediately.
"You're still here?"
I looked up from my laptop.
"Unlike certain actors, some of us actually work."
He snorted.
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
The corner of his mouth twitched.
For a second, I almost smiled back.
Almost.
Then I remembered Rose.
The smile vanished.
Ethan noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He had always been annoyingly observant when it came to me.
"What happened?"
"Nothing."
His eyebrows lifted.
"That's a lie."
"I learned from the best."
That earned me a long stare.
The office suddenly felt smaller.
Too quiet.
Too personal.
Finally, Ethan crossed his arms.
"You heard."
Not a question.
A statement.
I closed my laptop.
"Everyone heard."
The silence that followed was uncomfortable.
Not because we had nothing to say.
Because we both knew exactly what we weren't saying.
Rose.
High school.
First love.
History.
Things neither of us talked about anymore.
Ethan sighed first.
"I didn't choose her."
"I know."
"The studio did."
"I know."
His expression tightened.
"Then why do you sound upset?"
I laughed softly.
The sound surprised even me.
Because it wasn't funny.
Not even a little.
"I'm not upset."
"Lia."
I stood before he could continue.
"I have contracts to review."
"You've been reviewing the same page for ten minutes."
Traitor.
Apparently my laptop had joined his side.
I looked away.
Toward the city skyline outside the window.
The sun was beginning to set.
Thousands of tiny lights flickered awake below.
People rushing home.
People meeting friends.
People living normal lives.
Sometimes I wondered what that felt like.
To hold your partner's hand in public.
To post photographs together.
To exist without secrets.
"I loved you before I became famous."
My breath caught.
The words were quiet.
Careful.
Dangerously sincere.
I turned back.
Ethan hadn't moved.
His eyes never left mine.
"I know."
"I still do."
The ache in my chest deepened.
Because I believed him.
That was the problem.
I believed him completely.
Ethan loved me.
And somehow, despite that, things were still falling apart.
Love wasn't the issue.
Neglect was.
Distance was.
The fact that we spent more time discussing schedules than feelings was.
But how do you explain that to someone who thinks love alone should be enough?
A knock interrupted us.
The timing was almost laughable.
The door opened before either of us answered.
Maya stepped inside.
Then immediately froze.
"Oh."
Her gaze bounced between us.
"Bad timing?"
"Perfect timing," I said quickly.
Ethan looked less convinced.
Maya held up a folder.
"The production team finalized next week's promotional schedule."
I reached for it.
Then stopped.
Because there, clipped to the front page, was a photograph.
Ethan.
And Rose.
Standing side by side.
Smiling.
The image had probably been taken years ago.
Maybe during an award ceremony.
Maybe a press event.
It didn't matter.
What mattered was the headline beneath it.
THE REUNION EVERYONE HAS BEEN WAITING FOR.
Something cold settled in my stomach.
Maya didn't notice.
"They're already predicting record viewership."
Ethan took the folder from me.
His jaw tightened.
"Who approved this headline?"
"The marketing department."
"Change it."
Maya blinked.
"What?"
"Change it."
His tone left no room for argument.
A moment later, she nodded and hurried out of the office.
The door closed behind her.
Silence returned.
For some reason, that made everything worse.
"People are excited," I said eventually.
Ethan tossed the folder onto my desk.
"I don't care."
I looked at him.
"You should."
His eyes narrowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means perception matters."
The actor in him understood that.
Public image built careers.
Public image destroyed careers.
And right now, the public was already building a story.
A story where Ethan and Rose were destined to reunite.
A story where they belonged together.
A story where I didn't exist.
The terrifying thing?
Nobody would have trouble believing it.
Because nobody knew the truth.
The apartment felt unusually quiet that night.
Ethan was in his office taking calls.
I sat alone in the living room.
The television played softly in the background.
I wasn't really watching.
My mind kept drifting.
Backward.
Years backward.
Back to seventeen.
Back to the first time I saw Rose Bennett.
She had been beautiful even then.
The kind of beautiful people noticed immediately.
The kind of beautiful boys wrote songs about.
Including Ethan.
At least for a while.
I remembered watching him watch her.
The way his face lit up whenever she walked into a room.
The way he memorized her schedule.
The way he smiled whenever she spoke to him.
Back then, I hated her.
Not because she'd done anything wrong.
Because she had what I wanted.
His attention.
His heart.
The funny thing was...
I eventually got both.
So why did I suddenly feel like I was losing them?
My phone vibrated.
A message.
From Maya.
I opened it.
Immediately regretted it.
It was a screenshot from social media.
A fan account.
A very popular one.
At the top was a photograph of Ethan and Rose from years ago.
Below it were thousands of comments.
THEY FINALLY REUNITED.
MY FAVORITE SHIP IS BACK.
THEY LOOK PERFECT TOGETHER.
PLEASE DATE.
THE CHEMISTRY IS INSANE.
I stared at the screen.
Comment after comment.
Post after post.
The same narrative.
The same assumption.
The same certainty.
I locked my phone.
Then set it down carefully.
As if moving too fast might break something.
Maybe it already had.
The sound of footsteps pulled me from my thoughts.
Ethan entered the living room.
His tie was gone.
His sleeves rolled up.
Tired.
Human.
Mine.
At least he was supposed to be.
He noticed my expression immediately.
"What happened?"
I hesitated.
Then handed him the phone.
He read the comments.
His jaw tightened.
The room grew quiet.
After a long moment, he set the phone down.
Neither of us spoke.
Because neither of us knew what to say.
Finally, Ethan looked at me.
And for the first time all day, I saw genuine concern in his eyes.
Not for his reputation.
Not for the project.
For me.
"Lia."
I swallowed.
"Yeah?"
His voice softened.
"Don't read things like that."
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible.
The world was already writing a story about him and Rose.
And I had a feeling it was only the beginning.
- Writer
