“HEY,” Sam calls loudly. “Are you still there?”
I snap out of my thoughts, and answer softly, “What? Ah, yeah. Yes, I’m still here.”
I hear him sighs on the other end of the line. “You’ve gone silent for the past five minutes. I though allowed you, thinking that you need it. What happened with you?”
“I just… I just read the articles.”
“The articles posted by Chitchatted on their site? If you’ll ask me, it is completely a shocked. They do have my respect and applause right now on how good they are to link everything together.”
“What will we do right now?”
We. I just used the word ‘we’. As if we could serve this thing together. Sam is used with this kind of popularity, with people writing articles about him, even if they are real or not. He could simply take them as if they are no big deal. But me… I can’t even begin to imagine living in a life like that. And I remember Sam’s reason why he was so scared to allow others know about me as his childhood friend. He knows that someone will try to evade the privacy of my life. And it does happen.
He asks, “Where are you right now? I assume you’re in Roebuck, right?”
“Uhm, yeah.”
“Is there a way for you to evade the crowd? Like some sort of way to leave without anyone knowing you?”
I reach for my phone and move out of the bed, looking around my dorm—to the kitchen, to the living room, to the bathroom, to every corner—to find an alternative way out of here. “I don’t know. But I could try making it out to the other gate. The one behind the facility. I could use the alternative stairs from here down.”
“Good to know that. It seems like you won’t even be able to attend school for today anyway. Meet me at Phoenix.”
I stop short. “Phoenix… Might I remind you how far Phoenix is from here?”
“Nope. You don’t need to remind me,” he says. “I know that you’ll be there within an hour, if you fix yourself up for thirty minutes. I could also bet that you won’t be able to use your bicycle, having the commotion. So, yeah. I’ll be meeting you there in an hour.”
“Damn you… even if it happens to be that way, Phoenix is one huge lot, you know? Where on earth in Phoenix Park should I meet you, Amadán?”
“People’s Park. Be there within the next hour.” At that very moment, he ends the call, leaving me an option of facing the crowd or plan my own escape among the midst of people.
------------------------------
It is surprisingly sunny at this time of the year when I reached Phoenix Park. I’ve just been recently dropped by the taxi driver close to the People’s Park as Sam had asked of me. At first, I really didn’t believe that my plan of how to elude the gathered crowd outside Roebuck would work. But for some reasons, I’ve successfully slipped through the alternative stairs down the residence, and then to the back door, and ran further onward fully on disguise until I reach the main street, about a hundred meter away from the residence before catching a cab that finally led me here.
Before leaving the dorm though, I’ve sent a message to Airin that I’m going to People’s Park that I need to meet with Sam. I’ve received a reply back telling me that I must remain careful, and she’ll try to reach me as much as possible by the time that she manage to enter the residence again and when I am back.
I’ve also called my parents when I am already in the taxi. I told them the current scenario and assured them that I can handle myself. Both of them are weary but I brushed off the worries, not wanting them to trouble themselves after what I’ve just brought them two in as well. I know that Mom is probably cornered by students about the scenario, just as how Dad is as well on work. Within just two weeks of classes, I’ve involved them both in one major scandal that I thought won’t happen at all since the time Sam retired from acting.
Apparently, my assumptions had been wrong.
Few minutes of walking around People’s Park, completely disguised with my red hair tied in a low bun by my nape, a white knitted hoodie over my head, wide-framed glasses, fitted blue jeans and velvet-leathered brown boots, I finally notice Sam sitting in one of the benches just across a fishpond. And I instantly stop short upon seeing that he is not at all alone.
I would certainly applaud Sam for being so used with disguising perfectly. He has his blonde wig on with his usual dark-tinted sunglasses while wearing a corporal dark suit complete with a tie and a scarf draping just by his neck. For the people walking casually around, no one will hint that he is the famous actor Brión Siadhail since it is not unusual to see someone in a corporate attire around Dublin after all.
And sitting about three feet away from him, on the same bench but on the other end, is a man I could barely recognize. But I know that I’ve seen him before already. Personally or not, he appears familiar. The man is also dressed up like him, but this man, I could tell, doesn’t even dare to wear a wig, but has his sunglasses on.
From this distance, I could easily hint that they are talking in hushed voices but not even bating an eye at the other as they do so.
Sam turns his head toward my direction. He instantly stands up from his seat as I finally gain the courage to walk up to where he is. He asks me right away, “Are you okay?”
I simply shrug my shoulders, and my eyes land onto the man who’ve been with him who is already standing right now as well. For unknown reasons, I find the man’s heavy stare at me through his sunglasses uncomfortable.
Sam realizes it right away that he clears his throat and introduces, “I bet you already know him, Ada. This is Andrik McLoughlin. He’s a good friend of mine.”
If I am completely in a very good mood today, I’ll certainly be fidgeting already. Because this man across from me, Andrik McLoughlin, is the same actor named Andrik McLoughlin! The very one who was always linked to Katherine Joyner, the one and only Andrik McLoughlin!
Andrik offers a hand at me for a shake, and with a smile, he says, “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Weston.”
I take his hand for a firm shake. I am the first to let go before muttering, “It’s also nice to meet you, Mister McLoughlin.”
His smile grows much wider, interested. “Oh, no. Andrik is just fine. There’s no need for formalities.” He then turns to look at Sam with an easy smile. “Sam over here says that you both need my help. I know too well that Sam had beak up any connection with his manager. I assume that you both need my help about something that I am a forte of.”
That causes me to look at Sam, since the two of us still haven’t talked about what we should be doing right now with the current issue that involved the two of us. I thought that it should be easy for Sam to simply neglect the gossip running around UCD, but it appears that I am wrong. Sure, if it’s only Sam, he would simply let it brushed off. But when it involved me right now, it seems like things have turned a major curve at the moment.
Sam looks at me worriedly. “Forgive me, Ada. But before you arrived here, I’ve talked with Andrik if there’s a way to let the issue running around UCD to stop as much as possible. He gives me an idea on how to do it.”
I raise an eyebrow. “How then? What’s the preposition? You know that I much want this issue to end as soon as possible. I am not a born actress or celebrity. I won’t be able to stay too long being in the middle of the spotlight.”
“I’ve offered to Sam that now that UCD and the news finally figured who is the mysterious childhood sweetheart that Sam is always telling in interviews, there’s a very slim chance that you’re private life, Miss Weston, will remain private,” Andrik interrupts. “There won’t be anything private anymore. Even the lives of people close to you will be involved. But there’s nothing to worry about it. The people will much want to focus their eyes onto you. And seeing your perspective, I could say that you would want to stay hidden within the shadows of the safety that privacy could offer.”
“I am glad that you understand that side of me in the first notion,” I reply to Andrik, batting a scowl at him. “Both of you are celebrities.” I turn to Sam for a moment, saying, “Well, you were a celebrity. But that doesn’t mean that people won’t be interested about your life already.” I return my gaze back to Andrik. “Knowing the consequences of the events, I understand that there’s a very slim chance or ‘no’ at all that I could ensure that no one will watch out or stalk me any longer. Give me the most probable thing to do at this very moment then.”
For a minute, no one from either Andrik or Sam says a word. I am about to speak again when Sam finally speaks up, “Be my girlfriend.”
I raise an eyebrow at him. When Sam didn’t add anything up and simply looks at me intently and seriously, I turn my gaze at Andrik, waiting for a confirmation.
He sighs. “There it is. He said it already.”
“If I announce to the public that we’re in a relationship already before the first day of classes, a few days will passed that they’ll buzz about it. But with that, I could ensure that you’ll stay protected with my name. The issues might not die right away. Certainly, when I announce something like that, they’ll start watching out for us being together,” Sam explains as slowly and as understandable as he can.
I frown at him. “You want me to act along with you in this?”
Andrik chides, “Well, Miss Weston. If the public knows that, it would be much easier for Sam to protect you. Sam had announced his will of retirement to the acting industry. That completely means that he wanted the privacy. Now that it was violated, and if Sam announced that to the public, he could threaten the media to leave the two of you alone. Could you see where this is leading on then?”
I try to understand what the two of them are currently telling me. But everything that happened today with an additional of this… I wonder if I could handle it all. Just take a look of it. I woke up early this morning hearing that Sam’s identity was revealed, that the whole of UCD and even the public knew that I am the mysterious childhood friend that Brión Siadhail had been talking about in every interview of his, and then I am here with one retired actor and another actor telling me that in order to keep my private life protected is to announce to the whole world that I am in a relationship with my childhood best friend.
I sigh. “What am I getting with this? Aside from the protection?”
“I won’t allow the media to divulge themselves into the privacy of your life,” Sam remarks intently. “I want you to be free. What you’ll need to do is to act accordingly as if you are head-over-heels to me. It would be easy since we are childhood friends after all.”
Andrik instantly chimes next, “And Sam’s feelings are way easy to—”
Sam interrupts him abruptly, covering Andrik’s mouth to stop him cleanly. “Just shut up, Andrik.”
“You can’t simply do that, Sam,” I chide. “My father will—”
“That’s solvable,” Sam answers as he fishes his phone from his pocket and starts scrolling down through his contacts. He presses a contact’s name and draws his phone closed to his ear, waiting for someone to answer it. A few seconds later, he greets, “Good morning to you as well, Doctor Weston.”
Wait! What was that? Is he… damn, him!
“I’d like to meet with you and Doctor Lowe tonight for a dinner at the Merrion,” he continues.
I see Andrik raises one eyebrow in complete interest. And of course, who wouldn’t be? Merrion is a five-star hotel!
“Of course.” Sam casts a look at me for a moment. “Yes, Doctor. I’ll ensure that Ada will be along with me. I also want to settle some scores with all of the issue that is currently going on about me, and it so happens that Ada got caught with everything as well. Ah, yes. Right, Doctor. Thank you.” He brings down his phone and stuffs it again to his pocket. He looks at me intently and he says, “Anymore problem?”
“The Merrion…” I mutter. “I can’t.”
“Unfortunately, Doctor Weston accepted. I can’t simply make a fool of him and Doctor Lowe in appearing at dinner without their daughter with me.”
“Ha! I don’t have anything to wear at all.” I cross my arms in complete confidence with a smile on my face, boasting that I have the cards on my hands.
Sam though neglects me and turns to Andrik. “You sure you have spare time?”
“Of course. And I can also ensure you that no one will be able to hint that it is me, and it is her. Nothing to worry about,” Andrik assures with a stern nod. “She’ll be relatively safe.”
“Good.” Sam then returns his absolute attention to me. “It’s not only the reason that Andrik is here. With the news completely a hype right now, I can’t simply go anywhere I wanted to. I escaped from home to be here, and if I don’t make it back home before noon, my father will certainly kill me for sneaking out passed the soldiers he had assigned at home. So, Andrik is going to come along with you to try out dresses that will be perfect for tonight’s dinner.”
“WHAT?!” I scream at him. I could swear that if there are people nearby, they’ll certainly throw glares at me. But the only ones within the perimeter are the three of us and a dozen of ducks by the pond. I regain my composure. “I… I don’t think.”
“Not to worry. On your way here as well, I’ve contacted Airin to meet you and Andrik at Powerscourt Centre. She’ll be an absolute help, I can see.”
“You can’t just go on ordering people!”
“Allow me.”
“You didn’t even know if I’ll accept your offer or not!”
“Well, let me ask you again then,” Sam says, shifting uncomfortably on his stand. He shifts his sunglasses as he stands across from me barely six inches separating the two of us. At the corner of my eyes, I could see Andrik sighing and shaking his head with a smile. Finally, lifting his sunglasses a little, his grayish-green eyes stare intently at mine, then asks with much reverence on his voice than I thought he could give, “Will you be my girlfriend, Miss Ada Weston?”
I weigh the scenario inside my head. Though I know too well that Sam won’t simply leave me in the air to solve the current issue on my own, I know as well that Sam won’t be able to protect me if I didn’t take this offer of him. If I don’t, people will start to judge me on my own actions. If I do, people will still judge me, but it won’t be heavy to bear upon sharing it along with Sam.
It starts to appear right now that I don’t have any choice left. But still… when Sam asks me the question once again with much more awe on his voice, my heart seems to be so constrained inside my chest, making it way too hard to breathe. Even if we are to act as boyfriend and girlfriend for the time being until this issue dies out, I don’t know if I’ll be able to suppress myself in wanting to make it real.
Damn you, stupid, little, weak heart! You’re only falling in love with this person because… because… yes, why? Why are you starting to…? What’s with you foolish one? What’s with him?
I take a shaky breathe, and look straight at Sam’s eyes, not breaking the eye contact. I couldn’t even look away. I mutter softly, “Yes.”
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