It was a late night, later than she had expected. She struggled to keep her eyes open, wary of the clock ticking 4 AM in the background. Your fans are waiting, she thought, the only motivation that kept her crusty eyes open. Just one more panel, just one more sound effect and… done.
The last panel of Love Till You Drop chapter 21 was finished. Anna Barrows dropped her tablet pen and leaned back on her swivel chair. She relaxed her back, sore from hunching over on the computer screen, and then closed her hands in and out, trying to make the pain in her fingers go away. When it was slightly better, Anna looked up and closed her eyes. She blocked out the wall covered in drawings, sketches and ink stains, blocked out the complaints from her mother, blocked out the worry of not being able to have enough money after paying the rent, blocked out her exhaustion and dread of the next deadline, and immersed herself in the current adventure of Laura Tate.
In this chapter, Laura is going on the date she had planned with David in the previous chapter, after crushing on him for so long. The date goes swimmingly at first, with David and Laura going to the state fair for some carnival fun. Somewhere along the line, both of David and Laura’s exes come in and ruin the date, leaving David and Laura’s delicate relationship in tatters. The following chapters would be about the pair trying to mend the relationship, and create some interesting conflict. The readers had clamored for Laura and David, which they will get in the end, but just not without a fight, thought Anna, deviously. The date might have ended in disaster, thought Anna, but it’ll keep the fans satisfied for a while.
Anna sighed contentedly, then stood up. Time for bed. Far past the usual 2 AM, but bedtime nonetheless. She walked groggily over to her bed, nearly tripping on the pile of clothes and takeout boxes strewn around the floor, and plopped herself down. She was asleep before she hit the bed.