Chapter 34 – A company with Caleb
Nervous but also very overwhelm, I stopped after landing my two feet on the ground. I miss the air and the weather here is just so calming. I knew that I will be coming here soon though I didn’t know this soon. I close my eyes and all the stress and heavy shoulder that I felt before felt like it vanished. I felt the word “Home” just by landing here in the airport but my short happiness came to end. Fans are all over the place, as usual, but it’s more cramped and I can’t literally walk properly because fans are getting closer and closer and the security can’t stop these people and they are suffocating me. Thankfully, I am able to breath as the car open it’s door to us. I didn’t even realize Eli was with us.
“Wow! That was mind blowing,bro” said Caleb as I was resting to gather my lost thoughts. “Keep it down Caleb, I’m trying to rest” I asked the driver to turn on a classical music because it is the only thing that calms me down when my head gets too loaded. “Are you okay, Ian” asked Eli. I looked at Eli and she seems fine but I asked anyways “You okay?”. she smile like things are better but I know that she always just keeps her emotions to herself and the only thing I can do is get her drunk so she can spill her heartbreaks and just let out what she really feels. She never say things that would make her the center of the attention, more like, she always kept her inner feelings that I don’t know if I really know her well.
“You didn’t bring your earphones, didn’t you?” asked Caleb. I roll my eyes at him and he just kept talking on where my laptop, sunglasses and even my 330 000 dollars watch which he gave me three months ago. “Later, Caleb. I’m too tired to look for it, bro”. He behaves like a 2 years old every time he doesn’t get what he wants. Caleb is my bestfriend as of 2 years ago, 2 years and half, I think. He is the only son of the president of “ACE Hotel”. The leading hotel of all the hotel in the world. They have a lot of branches from all around the globe. I’d say he has a lot of money than Jericho and Eli combine together.
He’s a clingy guy who wouldn’t let go of the things once he put his hands on, including me. Ever since, our talk in Las Vegas, our first real talk together in a meet-up with his father during my stay there. He never stopped asking where I’m going, where to chill and everything, he’s a lost boy in need of a nanny and rejects his position in their company but still keeps his share as he is the only heir to the business so, I think, he’ll be able to settle down soon. His dad is kinda like my grandfather.
He looks outside the window getting comfortable in his two days surrounding “I’ll bet there’s cute girls out there waiting for me” Caleb said very confidently. Caleb has his own charms as well. He gets every girl she wants because he got the money, the looks, the blonde hair and most likely to reign their business in the future. He doesn’t really look for girls, they surround him like a painting, very dandy. I let out a big sigh for even bringing him here with me. “Don’t bother. They’ll cling onto you in no time” I noted. I look outside too and enjoy the view, as I roll down the window, I hear people screaming. I look at our tail and saw fans keeping their distance but following us behind. I heard Caleb sneer but ignored it instead I wave at my fans and close the window. I rested my back properly on the chair and gave a stomach beating to Caleb. He was laughing as he was saying “Hey! That hurts, man” I growl at him and just calmly listen to the music.
Eli is laughing on the passenger’s seat and Caleb just continued teasing me. “Stop it. Both of you!” luckily, my little acting angry passed and we quietly ride in silence. We are almost there, the last place I stayed on before finally leaving the Philippines. You can clearly read “Paradise Hotel” on the top of the building. It wasn’t a good memory but it stayed there for some reason. Paradise was my friend’s friend and I became friend with her because of my friend and we actually became closer than my friend. Is that strange? Not for me. She was the third daughter of her father but named the hotel for her because she was the favorite one.
“Too much memories” I whispered to myself. “Looks expensive darling” Caleb whispered in my ear. I push him away slightly and stated “Keep a distance, bro. You’ll fall in love with me in a second” I tease him of this kinds of stuff for him to stay on the line but he just ignores them and just do what I tease him. At the end, I’m the one who’s giving up on giving him jokes. “You look dashing, honey” Caleb is trying to flirt with the hotel manager who’s assisting us at the moment. I just shyly smiled at her as she gave me the weird look of “Is your friend a pervert?!” kinds of stuff.
After getting a small rest in my hotel room, I was about to call for a food when Caleb barge in and fully prepared. I put down the telephone and asked him “Are you going somewhere?”. He pose in front of the mirror and asked “Do you think that pretty manger would fall in love with me?” I raise my brow and gave a eye from head to toe. I actually like his looks today but wait….. “Is that my pants?” I asked him. He gave me this nervous laugh and he run away even before I can even catch him. Eli came at the right moment and stopped me from catching Caleb. She gave me an eye from head to toe. I look at myself and I am still wearing the towel “That darn baby boy” I cursed before going inside my room. Eli followed me inside and hand me my schedule for today. I looked at it and I don’t have that many schedule. I only have three schedule for tomorrow. “Photo shoot? For what?”I asked Eli. Eli was rummaging into my room snacks “You were chosen as the Top Trending Artist for three times in a row. You’ll be the Christmas cover for FAME Magazine as the youngest to have Eight plaque on Broad Entertainment Award of all time”. I smiled and thought about the hard choices I had to make to be this successful. All the awards are meant something for me every time I think about how I desperately want to be an inspiration to others who are struggling on their own.