Orla.
“Will you be okay?” Mateo’s voice spilled through the serene air that greeted me. “It’s the King you’re dealing with,” he added, his voice barely over the door’s silent creak while shutting it.
One eye-sweep across the vast ambience and it takes less than a millisecond to confirm his location busted by his distorted shadow cast on the curtain demarcating us, rippling in response to the ocean of wind in his balcony. Dimly lit and especially chilly, it was no rocket science deducing he left the patio doors open.
Strolling over to the other side, I glided my palm softly across the sofa, its soft feel extending to the depth of my heart and ironing out whatever crease was left of today’s drama.
Squeezing only my palm’s worth of the curtain’s edge, I pulled it back, allowing the icy sensation to wash over me like water from a dam. This place was as chilly as ever.
Stepping in, I seized a deep breath while hugging myself to provide me with superficial warmth as goosebumps had already taken over my arms. Staring at the special chandelier suspended beautifully in the sky, there could never be a better antidote for the day’s stress. Unrailed, cozy, and relatively small – like a HUGE dent in the wall – but big enough to house no more than ten people comfortably at the same time, the moon’s light was concentrated in the balcony.
The quietude was thinly sliced through by a gurgling sound when the low-ball glass on the center table was filled by Mateo. The golden content accented by the moonlight grew until the ice cubes sitting on the base of the cup were covered entirely. He did the same for the other cup.
‘’’Will I be okay?’’’ I reechoed while ambling toward him. “You should have thought about that before handing me over to the dogs.”
He then extended a glass to me which I retrieved and held close, my eyes never parting with his.
“I thought I was only going to be working for you. At least for now.” I was speaking of the new contract he just gave me. My biggest insecurity rested literally on my shoulder and I wasn’t quite ready to show it to the world just yet.
“This?” he asked knowingly, rolling his eyes to the scar on my left shoulder.
Usually, I’d fling my hand protectively over it whenever someone stared from up close, but for some reason, I felt no urge to do so right now and just stood without budging.
“Your pretty skin can make any scar look like cute birthmarks, Orie. Don’t sweat it.”
I chortled abruptly, raising my glass to drink from it and looking away.
“Cheers to a successful career, Orie.”
“Cheers.”
“I’ve got something for you.” Smacking his lips, he put his drink down on the table, the clinking sound birthing my curiosity.
“For me?” I reechoed with raised brows.
“I’m yet to properly congratulate you.”
In growing anticipation now, I kept my drink down as well.
Taking my hand in his, he tenderly pulled me closer and turned my back around to him.
Then his hand went over my head, ending its journey with something thin and delicate rounding my neck. I then crossed one hand over, shifting the entirety of my hair to fall on my shoulder to give him room while the other reached out for the necklace, massaging the smooth circular pendant falling to my cleavage.
“What’s this?” I asked, not necessarily out of ignorance. It was a necklace – a beautiful one, I could tell.
“My little congratulatory gift.”
Delicately, he swirled me back around to face him. Squaring my shoulders, he steeped his gaze to the necklace in scrutiny like he was trying to check whether it fits.
“I knew it’d look good on you,” he finally said.
My cheeks bulged into a warm smile, followed by a “Thank you.”
Taking out his phone and holding it out in front of me to serve as a mirror, he asked, “Do you like it?”
It was beautiful, having a silvery glow that’d glint in the light. It was a locket with a diamond stone embedded in the surface. Caught in admiration, my cheeks got flushed, all bright red now. “I love it,” I said, massaging the rare gem now sitting around my neck. I felt special.
“I’m glad you do. Let’s sit.”
I sat on the mini couch behind me while he went on to sit across from me.
A pregnant silence ensued when I just stared, wondering whether or not it was the right time to bring it up. It’d been on my mind the entire day and my curiosity was now doing me no good. I threw my head out to the moon, sort of searching for a reaffirmation that this was a good time.
“Mat?” I called with my eyes still staring at the night sky.
“Mmm,” he answered with a hum and I tilted my face to him.
“You said something,” I mentioned.
“I did?”
“’He’s not dead,’” I quoted, holding his stare. “You weren’t looking when you said that. How were you so sure?”
He darted his eyes thoughtfully, going silent. “Actually –” he stressed with a hint of restraint in his tone. “It isn’t the first time this is happening. It has happened before,” he disclosed.
I went saucer-eyed, creasing my brows in horror. “’Before’?”
“Twice.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. “How come I’m only hearing this now?!” I exclaimed gape-mouthed.
“Sebastian wanted it under wraps.”
“Under wraps?” I mumbled with a confused scowl creeping to my features. “So the police are also oblivious to the first and second attempts.”
He nodded.
“Why? Why would he keep shut when his life is clearly being threatened?”
“Public image?” He shrugged. “Those two times were consecutive. And around when he was about to star in a top-shot movie. He’d said he didn’t want any unnecessary fuss to hamper the project. So he remained tight-lipped about it. But now reporters were swarming the area, involving the police was quite inevitable.”
“His life is being threatened, for God’s sake!” No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t get it.
“Ummm –” he stressed, scratching the back of his head. “About that, I wouldn’t be so sure.”
I winced, quite appalled. “He. Was. Shot. At!” I pointed the obvious, making hand gestures to tally with it.
“True. But every single time, he gets off unscathed. Without a single scratch. Whoever has been doing this is skillful enough to end him in a flash. His aim is crazy. Yet, Sebastian gets off every time.”
‘And how does that translate otherwise?’ I let my raised eyebrows ask.
“If this was a threat, two warnings were sufficient.”
“What if the third attempt was a miss?”
“I doubt.”
“What if?” I repeated with an emphatic note.
He heaved a sigh before proceeding to say, “Then it’s a mystery.”
At this point, I ran short of words, baffled by how much this “image” meant to them. Even went as far as gambling over his life for some movie role. Would’ve been a shocker if I wasn’t one of them now. If I were ever in his shoes, would I do the same?
I heaved a sigh, unable to stop my mind from being boggled just by thinking of how I could turn out to be like them in the long run.
“Cheers, Orie.” A clinking sound and I was pulled out of a trance when Mateo nudged the glasses in my hand with his.
“Cheers,” I responded absentmindedly, still roped in thoughts.