259 Thank You for Coming

A round of applause erupted from the audience as the show finally came to an end, and Irina, Muria, Alvelyn, Henvle, and I were finally able to be released from the stage and away to the safety of the dressing room. There weren't much left for us to do as the next panel was scheduled to occur after a while as the employees were given a temporary break, so we were granted some time to relax.

"That was rather unexpected," Henvle said after letting out a sigh of relief.

"You handled it pretty well," Irina smiled and said to him. "Thanks for helping out."

"It's all good," Henvle smiled back. "I'll be heading back to the resting area. You have fun with your friends here."

With that, Henvle exited through the other door of the dressing room in order to make his way to the resting area. Henvle's departure made it so that it was only Irina, Muria, Alvelyn, and I in the dressing room, where we stood off to the side in order to not become an obstacle for the others.

"Are you alright, Muria?" Irina glanced over at Muria with a look of concern.

"Yeah," Muria nodded. "It's just that I'm a bit tired."

"You're pretty strong," Alvelyn commented. "You have to deal with all that pressure all the time...it must not be easy."

"It's always kinda difficult at first," Irina nodded and smiled in a nostalgic manner. "But...after a while you get used to it. It also helps to have someone who supports you."

For some reason, when she said that, she looked over in my direction. I don't remember supporting her in any way.

"You should all head home and get some rest," Irina said to us. "I know you all must be tired, and I don't want to keep you all here for the rest of the day until we end."

"I think I'll do that," Muria nodded to her.

Usually, people might think that the right answer for Muria is to stay with Irina. However, if that is against Muria's wishes, then she will not pick that answer. Even though I am not them and thus do not know exactly how their mind operates, but because I am looking in from the outside, I can say without any bias that this is simply the way their relationship operates. Neither has to force themselves to say or do anything the either does not desire to do.

"I guess we'll be heading back as well," I added in.

"Let me walk you all to the exit," Irina insisted.

"No," I said, rejecting her offer. However, I realized that my tone of voice might've been a bit too...harsh, a bit too rough. "I mean...if you go with us, you'll just draw a crowd, and that'll make things even more difficult for us."

"I guess you're right," Irina nodded and said as she accepted her defeat.

"See you later," Muria and Alvelyn said to the girl as the two started walking towards the exit. I followed after the two girls, turning away from Irina and began making my way towards the door.

"Alevian."

I heard Irina softly call my name, and I stopped in my tracks and glanced over my shoulder at her.

"Is something the matter?" Alvelyn looked over and asked.

"Nothing," I said to her without taking my eyes off of Irina. "You two can go ahead. I'll catch up."

With that, the two girls exited the dressing room, leaving Irina and I as the only two people in this dressing room that was busy just a few moments ago. The stylists and other employees that were formerly in the dressing room had left just a few minutes earlier as their break period began, so that made it so the dressing room was rather silent as it was simply Irina and I.

"What's wrong?" I asked her, turning around to face her.

"..." She gazed into my eyes, blushing somewhat. However, she wasn't suffering from being flustered. Instead, in her eyes, there were a tranquil and determined glow. She took a deep breath. "Alevian, thank you for coming today."

She finished her sentence off with a large, joyous smile, a smile that would probably drive all her male fans crazy if they saw it. It was extremely attractive, a look that reminded me once again that she was no longer the same girl as the one I had first seen her as.

With a soft chuckle, I asked her, "Are you the celebrity Irina or our usual Irina?"

"Neither," she smiled and shook her head. "I'm Alevian's Irina."

Her response took me by surprise, but...for some reason, I felt rather happy deep down. This is a side of her that only I've seen, and knowing this fact, knowing that this is an Irina that only I know...made me feel rather special. It's a...rather peculiar and yet sweet feeling.

Upon finishing her final sentence, Irina's face became more red, and it would appear that she was once again becoming flustered. She seemed rather embarrassed, but I guess this is the cute part about her. What she's probably feeling right now...it's probably a citrus like sweetness: sour and yet sweet at the same time.

"See you later," I said to her as I turned around and faced the doorway.

Once outside, I met up with Muria and Alvelyn. The two were waiting for me by the front exit of to the plaza, standing against a wall off to the side in the umbrage of a tree. They both appeared rather fatigued. They had changed out of their maid costume, which I suppose they did so during the time I was talking to Irina by heading to where they were taken. However, there were still a light layer of makeup done by professionals on their faces over the thin layer that they had applied themselves in the morning that drew out even more of their beauty.

"Let's call a taxi," I said and used the app on my phone to summon one.

They did not seem to have any opposition against this idea, as neither of them opposed it. Instead, they simply nodded their head and waited in the shade.

After about five minutes, the taxi that I had summoned arrived into view. Muria, Alvelyn, and I piled into the taxi, with Muria and Alvelyn sitting in the back and me sitting in the front seat next to the taxi driver. Since I had entered in my destination when I summoned the car, the taxi driver already knew where we were headed, and this man in his mid-fifties probably saw our fatigued countenances as he simply remained silent and allowed us to daze off in the vehicle.

I leaned against the backrest of the taxi and gazed out the window, taking in the city view of Palisia as I felt the cold air from the air conditioner kiss my face. My eyelids felt rather heavy, and I let out a yawn. However, I wasn't yearning for sleep. I was just tired, and judging off the fact that Muria and Alvelyn were both sitting with a tired expression on their faces, I suppose they are in the same state: tired and yet unable to sleep.

After riding the elevator up to our floor, Alvelyn and I parted ways with Muria and returned to our own home. It would appear that Loriana has yet to return, so it was just Alvelyn and I that are present. We retreated to our own rooms, going about in our own ways to pass time, and the situation only changed when it was around the correct time to make dinner.

I left my room and made my way over to the kitchen. And when I arrived at the kitchen and had opened the refrigerator door, I saw Alvelyn also exit out of her room. Seeing that she's already out, I suppose that with two people, making dinner can be faster and more efficient. So, that is what we did. The end result was that we were able to finish making dinner just around when Loriana arrived home.

She appeared to be rather tired from her day's work, but upon seeing us, her spirits seemed to have been lifted slightly. A faint smile appeared on her face after she set her purse down on the living room couch and walked over to the dining room table.

"Welcome home," Alvelyn smiled and greeted her.

After that, the three of us sat down at the dining table for dinner with the television on in the living room. The television was currently playing the evening news, and it was currently reporting on the event for Daddy Please Don't Stop that had occurred earlier today. By the looks of it, it would appear that it was a large success with the amount of publicity the movie received. Irina appeared to be rather happy as well...

"I've been thinking," Loriana spoke up during the meal. "After the two of you return from your summer trip to the beach, how about we do something ourselves?"

This statement was...rather surprising for both Alvelyn and I. In my memories at least, suggestions like this wasn't a usual occurrence. Loriana is usually restrained by her job, but...for some reason, this year...she's different. Maybe it's because we will be graduating soon, so she wants to spend some time with us before that.

"Sure," Alvelyn smiled and agreed.

"Why not?" I nodded my head and agreed as well.

Whatever this event may be, it'll have to wait until we return from our club trip to the beach...