Katie and Josh on set

"Katie! We need you on set in ten minutes.  We're going to reshoot the last half of that scene."

A warm breeze blew easily on the back lot and sunlight cascaded between the large, grey steel buildings.  Looking up at the sky, I watched bright puffy clouds sprinkled against the perfect blue sky float leisurely along the Southern California horizon.  Inhaling a deep breath, I soaked in a bit of the calm and I closed my eyes, nodding my head in acknowledgement.

"Okay, thanks."

I leaned back against the building and wrapped my arms around my waist.  Standing outside the studio to get a bit of air, I lifted my Evian bottle to my lips and took a sip.  The cool water flowed over my tongue down my throat, and I relished the small relief from the heat. 

Only two more weeks of this and we would wrap for mid-season break.

Opening my eyes, I slid my sunglasses down.  A few yards away from me a golf cart stopped and an assistant for a show being taped in a building nearby scampered off the cart's tan leather seat.  Dressed in a pair of light wash shorts and a yellow tank her emerald green eyes were wide and frantic and strands of black hair escaped her half-hazard pony tail as she picked up a brown paper sack and a tray of coffees.   Watching her rush inside, my eyes roamed over the building curiously and I smiled and nodded my head when a set director I had spoken to a couple days ago rounded the corner of the building to go inside. 

"Hey there beautiful."

A soft voice drifted above the puttering of another golf cart and glancing to my right I saw it was Josh.  Thick waves of brown hair fell against his forehead, and lines of exhaustion laced his pale features.  Shooting him a small wave I lifted my sunglasses and placed them on top of my head as he came to stand beside me.

"Hey..."  I half-smiled, watching him stop and lean up against the building.

Joshua's head tilted back, and his tan leather jacket brushed against my arm as he lifted it above his head and casually draped it over my shoulder.

"Out here trying to catch a break from the insanity?"

Referring to our grueling eighteen hour schedule during production, I groaned and bumped my head against the wall lightly.

"I didn't even know it was possible to be this tired..."

Joshua's stomach rumbled from his soft chuckle and I reached up and brushed a strand of hair away from my face.  "We're almost there...when we wrap production for the winter we won't have to deal with it for a while."

"I still think it's ridiculous they pushed us to film so quickly."

He shrugged his shoulders.  "At least the ratings are high enough to warrant it.  It's insane it's taken off so quickly."

"Yeah...I just wish..."  My thoughts drifted to Michael, and my heart ached thinking about how busy we had both been.  It was always like this the first couple of months he was touring, but I still had a difficult time since he was terrible about checking in while he was away.  It was hard having a best friend that you could only talk to sporadically. My schedule had made it even more impossible than normal and I was definitely feeling the pang of missing him. Biting the inside of my cheek, I inhaled a sharp breath and forced my thoughts away from him.

"Wish what?"

Josh's voice startled me from my thoughts, and my heart pounded heavily in my chest.  Being a very introverted person, I had a difficult time opening up with people I didn't know extremely well.  Being the niece of Elizabeth Taylor had made me extra cautious of people even before the limelight had influenced my relationships or my parents had passed.  It was hard to let people in because you were never really sure if they cared or wanted something to leak to tabloids.  Only knowing Josh for a couple of months, I liked him but still struggled with talking about things that bothered me.  "I don't know... I'm just tired I think."

Both of us got quiet for a moment and I bit the corner of my lip and glanced over at him.  Dark chocolate brown eyes stared back at me, and my breath hitched in my throat. 

When was I going to stop being so awkward around everyone?    Michael thought it was hilarious how awkward I got when I was nervous.  Hence the debacle on The Talk a few weeks back.  But I was mortified making conversation with people I wasn't comfortable with.  I was pretty sure that's how I'd found my love of acting.  I felt a lot more comfortable in someone else's skin.

Hesitantly I looked back over at Josh and saw him studying me. Nervously my breath hitched in my throat and Josh grinned and shot me a wink. My gaze quickly dropped down to the ground and I felt my cheeks tinge with embarrassment.

"You're cute when you blush."

Joshua's voice bequeathed his amusement, and my blush deepened studying my shoes. 

"Thanks..."
__________________________________________________________________________________

Michael's POV

The days were beginning to run together.

A small yawn escaped my lips, and I laid my pen on the table to reach up and cover my mouth.  It was hard to believe I was only a couple of weeks into my tour.  Exhaustion covered my features, and my hand felt shaky trying to pen the stack of autographs the radio station I had just finished an interview for had asked me to sign for contest give aways.   Currently about nine a clock in the morning, the strain of the performances, rehearsals, and other public appearances from the days before were finally starting to weigh on me and I was having a hard time focusing long enough to finish up so I could head back to the hotel for a couple of hours and try to sleep.

 Had I even been to bed since day before yesterday?  I couldn't remember the last time I slept.

 Shaking my head slightly, I tried to shake off the exhaustion and reminded myself of the fans I'd disappoint if I didn't pull myself together.  Hearing the chatter of my bodyguards in the next room, I reached for another album and picked up my pen again.

Quickly I scribbled down my name and added it to the pile of finished albums. 

Heaving a heavy sigh, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket but I ignored it and reached for another album.  My neck ached terribly, probably a result of stress, but I ignored the pangs and made my way through the pile.  Everything began to blur, moving albums from one pile to the next, and when I finished I laid the pen down on the table and glanced over to the doorway.

"I'm ready to go."

My bodyguard's conversation halted, and both of them rose to their feet.  Tony, a tall Hispanic man with a thick black ponytail, grabbed his walky talky from the pocket of his crisp black suit and began making arrangements to pull the car around to the back.  Another yawn escaped my lips, and I was barely aware of what was happening as they ushered me out of the room, down a hall, and out the back door to the waiting car.  Keeping my head down I heard fans screaming in front of the building and I quickly got into the car and leaned my head back against the seat.  Laying my head back against the soft leather, I closed my eyes and fought sleep rocking back and forth with the motion of the limo.

"Mr. Jackson...we're here."

My eyes fluttered open, and when my eyes adjusted to the light I stared in surprise at the open limo door.

"Thanks..."

I must have fallen asleep after all...

Reaching up to rub my face, I shook my head to clear the fuzziness and glanced at the open door.  Knowing I needed to move quickly with the swarms of people surrounding the hotel, I slid out of the limo and let my security lead me in through a small alleyway and into the hotel kitchen.  Dodging stainless steel cabinets and counters, I barely saw the other workers and the bright white walls.  Stopping right outside the kitchen my security team and I waited until the service elevator opened in front of us and all of us loaded up.  Stepping into the elevator the smell of bleach hit my senses and I blanched.   Reaching up I ran a hand through my hair and the doors to the elevator closed. 

The elevator felt cramped, even with only the three of us inside it, and I breathed a sigh of relief when the doors opened up inside my penthouse.  The elevator leading directly into the living room, I walked past the beige sofa and love seat and pool table and headed straight for the bedroom I was sleeping in.  The door left open, I saw the large kind bed in the middle of the room.  Red silk sheets still laid exposed and my blankets crumpled at the edge of the bed from the last time I had been back.  Not trusting maid service at any of the hotels I traveled too after several breaches of security I typically requested no one in the room I wasn't familiar with and I was happy to see that my request had been honored.

Pulling my t-shirt over my head I dropped into bed and heaved a sigh of relief being alone.  My temples throbbed, and I reached up and gently applied some pressure when my cell phone vibrated again. 

Stifling another yawn I reached in my pocket and grimaced seeing I had missed another call from Katie.  This was the seventh consecutive day I hadn't talked to her.  

It wasn't that I didn't want to.  My schedule was just out of control.

I had a habit of disappearing on tour due to the enormous amount of pressure.  I had a feeling the duration of this one would be worse considering the mammoth size of it.  It was such a large responsibility trying to not disappoint fans, having so many people employed under me on tour expecting my full attention. 

Responsibilities left no time for a life the several months I was gone. 

Still, I missed her. A lot.

Smiling I thought about the last time I'd talked to Katie.  She had been so panicked about the interview thing.  The truth was, I wasn't terribly surprised it had happened.  Fairly new to the promotional tour thing, Katie was awkward enough it was going to take her some time to adjust.  She had a habit of being intensely clumsy when she was nervous.

Releasing a sigh I sat my phone down next to me and made a mental note to try and find time sometime soon to call her back and check in.

Right now, I was just too tired.