Orla.

“Good to go, Ma’am,” a dulcet voice announced.
I slowly parted my eyelids in response.
Gesturing civilly as she crossed both hands in front of her, the lady who’d just done wonders to my face asked, “What do you think?”
About to reply, I stole a peek at my left shoulder – through the mirror standing before me – and then paused. A part of my scar stuck through the cap sleeve so I had to adjust it.
“It’s beautiful,” I finally responded with a civil smile of approval duly reciprocated.
The female attendant then trailed behind me as I walked out to the waiting room where Mateo was.
His eyes were buried in his phone until my heels clacked through the silence. Responsively, he raised his eyes slowly, journeying at a meticulous speed through every inch of my body until they met mine.
Then he got up, his grey orbs getting lost in mine as he strolled toward me.
“The heavens must have lost an angel,” he mumbled sweetly, raking my body again when the distance between us lost significance.
Caught off guard, my mouth fell open for some seconds before the corners of my lips pulled up, bulging my heated cheeks.
“You’re beautiful, Orie,” he complimented, accenting “beautiful” with a deep emotion.
I was so flustered to come up with a “thank you” that all I could afford was a sheepish smile.
“And congratulations too.”
“You’ll have to save that for later.”
He nodded with a smile before asking, “You ready?”
“I have been preparing for this for six months.”
Tonight was going to mark a new dawn as Mateo was hosting an unveiling party for his movie agency’s recruit – the first in history – in an all-suite luxury hotel only a ten-minute drive from the department store.
It was an outdoor party, cozy and chill. Uniformed servers were parading the floor with wine glasses, reporters from different news outlets were in the house, and of course, distinguished guests chiefly of the entertainment industry swarmed the scene, filling the air with random gossip concerning “work.”
I looked for a spot where I could get an ample view of everyone since watching them was the easiest way to cure my boredom until the unveiling in a jiff.
Taking leisure sips from my glass as my eyes casually strolled around the scene, I paused on catching a pair of hazel eyes peering at me through the crowd. This person seemed to be interested in me just as I was, considering how our eyes to each other’s.
He stopped a wine server passing by and grabbed a drink from his tray. After which he ambled casually in my direction, his eyes never parting with mine. The smug look in them accompanied by his careful steps pointed to the fact that he expected me to stay still until he got to me.
The same as ever.
The M.C. had already taken the stage, the echoing sound of his cheerful voice from the microphone subduing the background chatters.
“Orla Rodriguez!”
The loud cheer and intensive camera shutters that ensued weren’t as fulfilling as the shock that flushed away the airy look on Sebastian’s face. Yes, he was here. And probably least expected the unveiling party he was invited to was for me.
Tilting a corner of my lips upward, I knowingly extended my glass to my side before I felt another force around it and let go. Then I went up the stage as my name had just been announced, inciting a louder cheer the moment I took the spotlight.
“Congratulations, Orie,” Mateo said with a sweet smile when he approached me with a bouquet of multicolored flowers.
“Thank you,” I replied with a grin, warmly accepting the gesture.
He erased whatever distance was left between us, bringing me into a soothing embrace.
After which, we turned to face the crowd, beaming with smiles and inducing yet another round of applause.
A Few Moments Later.
I’d mixed back with the crowd, and the past few minutes were all about “Congratulations,” “Welcome to the club!” “What a big catch you’ve got here, Mat” accompanied by naughty brow raises, flying to me. Not like I wasn’t relishing the attention I was getting. Especially knowing Sebastian’s eyes were glued to me the entire time. Knowing he was seeing this firsthand came with a feeling I lacked words to properly describe.
“Sebastian won’t stop staring at you,” Mateo noted as we conversed in a corner after a brief chitchat with one of his acquaintances.
“Well, that’s what his eyes are for,” I replied breezily, gently sipping from my glass.
“He’s heading this way.” He adjusted, drifting his eyes as he was originally observing him from over my shoulder.
Remaining unbudging, I waited until I felt cold fingers tap my bare shoulder from behind.
Turning around, it was him standing there with one hand in his pocket and the other fiddling with the stem of his wine glass.
“And here I was, wondering why I was invited to this party,” he said to Mateo with eyes fixed on me before swaying them between us. “You both are finally together,” he concluded with a snide note on the tip of his tongue.
“I want to believe you don’t have a problem with that.”
Through the corner of my eye, I caught Mateo tilt his neck slightly to me on hearing that, and then he smiled partly.
“You guys look cute together by the way.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
For the second time, his words went AWOL as he just stared back at me who didn’t shy away, looking him dead in the eye.
“How long has it been?” he broke free with a rhetorical question. “How long has it been since we met together like this? Six months, yeah?”
“Cut to the chase, Sebastian,” Mateo cut in, finally mixing his deep voice with our conversation, his eyes still thrown away. “Is someone finally your style?” he asked spitefully, tilting his head to hold Sebastian’s gaze.
An abrasive spark – enough to graze anything that came in between – was immediately ignited between their eyes.
“You go ahead to date your best friend’s woman after their break-up. Who does that?” Sebastian taunted.
“And since when have I followed the rules?”
Even a child could tell he was somewhat offended, the look in his eyes oscillating between a feigned calmness and outright annoyance. “Watch your back,” he warned, mimicking a sinister whisper.
“I could say the same to you, Little man. Watch. Your. Back,” Mateo returned comfortably.
Silence …
“Getting into the movie industry though,” he switched topics, loosening his gaze.
Drifting his eyes to me, he asked, “Will your kind be able to survive?”
Those words pricked me, but I’d rather announce to everyone that the entertainment industry was nothing but a sham than give him the satisfaction he wanted. I simply offered a closed-lip smile that didn’t betray any ounce of my true feelings.
“See you around,” he mumbled smugly, a cocky smirk lacing his features.
Raising his glass to his mouth, he twisted his brows with contempt before he turned around and began walking away.
*Bang!*
A loud bang stomped on the serene chatters, and in a blink, my view was barred when Mateo swooshed in my face, taking a shielding stance. The dead silence that ensued after the sound only lasted for a split second before terrified wails broke out from every corner when it dawned on the crowd that a gun had just been shot.
I swallowed my heart that had jumped to my throat, clenching my fists and trying to contain my breath that was slowly gaining pace.
“Wha … wha … what happened?” I whispered with mild quavers encroaching on my tone.
Slowly, Mateo pulled back, holding my arms firmly as I stared directly into his eyes, letting them do the questioning.
The screaming continued, its growing intensity pointing to a more specific reason. His body was like a blockade, and staying amid the chaos without knowing what had just gone down curled the hair behind my neck. So I nudged him aside to clear my view and see things for myself.
My jaw and eyelids dropped when my eyes caught quite an unexpected sight – Sebastian’s body was lying flat on the floor, a red patch now imminent around his chest.
Blood!
My heart sank, impulsively pulling my legs toward the still body when I felt a hand clasp my arm, stopping me from taking any step further.
I whipped my head sideways in Mateo’s direction, my brows creased in horror.
‘He should be helping me save him!’
He kept his face in the other direction until a few seconds after when it was inclined to me, an unusual solemnity flicking through his eyes.
“He’s not dead.”