Without realizing it, a smile crept onto the corner of her lips. It was always like this when she was with Anson.
Annie carefully observed Anson, but when he caught her looking, she was busted. This time, however, Annie didn't dodge; she confidently met his gaze.
"It seems like you're almost fully recovered," she said.
Anson immediately pulled a funny face, as if his back muscles were spasming.
Annie panicked, "Are you okay? Do you need a massage or something? Or should I call your physical therapist back?"
Then she noticed that Anson's expression had returned to normal. He was watching her with a playful smile.
Annie was stunned, but then it hit her. "Jesus Christ, Anson Wood!"
Anson burst out laughing, "Hahaha, haha."
But what he didn't expect was for Annie's eyes to well up with tears, a hint of hurt in her expression.
Her reaction caught Anson completely off guard. He was startled. "Annie, I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, repeating it again, "I'm really sorry."
Annie wasn't acting.
She was just as surprised by her own reaction, hastily wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "No, no, I'm fine. Don't worry, really."
"Oh God, I must look ridiculous right now. But you've seen me at my most ridiculous, so I guess there's nothing to worry about."
With a small, self-deprecating laugh, Annie found her smile again.
Anson gave her a long look, noting the hint of sadness on her face. He decided to lighten the mood with a joke.
"So, have you been so worried about me that you're not eating or sleeping properly?"
This time, Annie immediately caught on, "Don't flatter yourself." She couldn't help but laugh at how absurd it was.
"I'm just…"
There had been some issues at home.
When she was fifteen, her brother Michael Hathaway came out of the closet. For Annie, who had once been a devout Catholic with dreams of becoming a nun, it was a huge shock. The entire family was thrown into turmoil.
After struggling with it, the Hathaway family chose to stand by their son. They left their regular Sunday church and joined a more progressive congregation, hoping to find balance between their faith and their lives.
However, in the past few months, even this new church had brought its own set of discomforts and challenges. Once again, the Hathaway family faced tough decisions.
In the end, they chose to leave the church, prioritizing family.
During this time, the tension between faith and reality became a new challenge.
On top of that, life refused to give Annie any space to breathe. One hardship after another came at her, leaving her emotionally exhausted.
Anson's injury was one of those things.
Even though she didn't want to think this way, there were moments when Annie felt like the entire universe was conspiring against her.
It was hard not to feel overwhelmed.
But how could she explain all this to Anson?
Anson, too, was dealing with his own troubles. The situation with Sony and Columbia Pictures seemed to be resolved, but they both knew it wasn't that simple.
"I'm just... a little worried," she said softly, pulling out a small thread of her emotions from the tangled mess inside her.
"Anson, do you think I've already peaked in my life? I mean, with 'The Princess Diaries'?"
Anson hadn't expected that. "No, of course not. I've never thought that."
Annie forced a bitter smile. "I just really…" She took a deep breath. "I really don't like the script for 'The Princess Diaries 2.' I feel like I'm a brainless teddy bear."
Her words were light, but they were heavy with sadness.
Annie's expression was tinged with helplessness.
"Like a Barbie doll?" Anson teased.
Annie laughed lightly, "No, at least a Barbie doll is pretty. I just feel… dumb." The words lingered in the air, and she quickly shifted the subject with a smile. "I wish I had a project to take to the Cannes Film Festival."
Anson tilted his chin slightly. "And then there's Peter Parker, running around in a tight suit, stuck forever as a high schooler."
"Hmm, charming," Annie replied, dragging out the word with exaggerated emphasis.
Anson grinned, "Do you think I should quit 'Spider-Man 2'?"
Annie thought about it seriously. "On one hand, running around in a tight suit is a bit embarrassing; but on the other hand, all actors have to do crazy things in front of the camera and pretend it's normal."
"Oh, we're all just lunatics."
"I'm also afraid to quit, worried it might be a mistake. So here I am, still playing dumb on the set of 'The Princess Diaries 2.'"
"Looking at it another way, people are willing to pay us to act crazy, so maybe the job's not that bad."
"Are you comparing your 'Spider-Man' paycheck to mine?"
"No, I'm comparing our paychecks to what Walmart employees make."
"Come to think of it, it's pretty fair. After all, we get to roll around in piles of cash while acting insane."
Back and forth, the two of them bantered playfully, exchanging looks before both burst into laughter.
In the silence that followed, Anson quietly watched Annie. He could tell her story was more complicated, that there were other things weighing on her. But he didn't push for more details. Annie had her reasons for not sharing, and he didn't have all the answers.
He sighed softly. "I'm sorry. Growing up is hard."
Annie looked up at him, smiling. "It's really hard." Her voice unexpectedly choked with emotion, and the smile on her lips became heavy and strained. "I don't even know how much longer I can take it."
"The worst part is, no one knows how long it will last. Maybe this is just the beginning, and there are even worse things waiting for us," Anson said.
His words made Annie pull a big exaggerated face, and Anson couldn't help but laugh.
"But the good thing is, everything passes. We'll get through it. Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger."
Annie looked into Anson's eyes, her gaze steady and searching.
"Really? Will we really make it through?" she asked.
"Yeah," Anson nodded. "Life's always like this. We face one tough moment after another, and each time we think we can't go on, each time we think we'll never find a way out."
"But then we take a deep breath, and we keep going."
The difference is, sometimes we grow up to become the kind of people we despise; sometimes, we grow up to be people who accomplish nothing.
But only rarely do we grow into the people we once dreamed of becoming.
It takes strength and belief.
In his previous life, Anson had become the first kind, the kind of person he had loathed and rejected. So this time around, he wanted to try something different.
As Anson spoke, Annie drifted into her own thoughts. Sadness and helplessness weighed her down, like a heavy anchor dragging her deeper into the darkness, where she floated and sank, slowly but inevitably.