Chapter Five: Who Are You?
2488 Words
GRAYSON is watching his live performance on his phone. That was the night where the accident happened. And he finds it strange until now how everything happened. He can still remember everything every detail. The night sky is so clear and it didn’t rain. There was no traffic and his driver were driving smoothly along the highway. And as if in a snap of a finger, his car just slipped and his driver can’t control his car until they bumped on a light post. He lost consciousness when he bumped his head on the window. And the next thing he knew, he was in the hospital.
He carefully looked at Kaylee’s photo on his phone. When his manager mentioned her yesterday. He cannot remember anything about her. When he looks at his phone, he found a lot of her photos on his gallery, some of it are they were together. He placed his palm on his chest and feel his heart that starting to beat fast as he stares at her beautiful face.
Yesterday, when she came. He felt a familiar emotion when he looked in her eyes. He felt the pain when he saw her crying and hurting. And he hates himself for not remembering her. As if she’s a complete stranger to him. But why does his heart is reacting like this.
“Who are you, Kaylee? Why can’t I remember you?”
He suddenly looked at the door when it opened and Ace came in.
“How’s everything?”
“I already talked to the directors and the management of your endorsements about your supposedly scheduled commercial photoshoot. I asked them to adjust the schedule because of the doctor’s advice that you need a complete rest.”
“And what did they say?”
He shrugged his shoulder. “They send me an okay, so, I guess they understand.”
“That’s good. Because I think I really need a time off.”
“We also released an update to the press about your condition,” Ace added.
Grayson just nodded.
Grayson Evans is a famous singer here in the Philippines. He has been in the Entertainment Industry for ten years now. He has numerous self-composed songs under his name. Almost all his albums have been sold out the moment they released them and received numerous Platinum and Gold Record Awards. He is also the favorite OST Soundtrack singer in movies and TV dramas. When vlogging became famous, Grayson was one of the first local singers who created a channel where he shows about his daily lives, plays his guitar and sing live. That platform became his entrance to attract international fans, where his followers as of the moment, already reached five million.
His life became so successful. But it seems like something is missing. He is happy with all his success and achievements, but it still empty, his happiness is not complete.
“Is she coming back?” he suddenly asked.
His manager glanced at him and quickly put his eyes back on the laptop screen.
“Who?”
“Her… that… that woman…”
“You mean Kaylee?”
He nodded. Ace chuckled. “I can’t believe I heard that from you. You just called her ‘that woman’ after searching for her for years?”
He sat up straight. “Really? I did? Why did I do that?”
Ace sighed. “She suddenly disappeared and have been gone for six years. You tried so hard and looked for her. You even hired an investigator just to find her.”
“And? What happened?”
Ace shake his head as a sign of disagreement. “You didn’t find her. Until you accidentally saw her on a restaurant this year.”
“Did she told me she suddenly left?”
His manager shrugged his shoulder. “I don’t know. You just said you already talked to her but you didn’t tell me any details.” Grayson sighed.
“You want me to come over, so you can talk?”
“No,” he answered quickly. “I honestly, not yet comfortable around her. I’ll try to remember her first.”
“Okay, but don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Yes, thank you.”
- DAY TWO –
TOGETHER with their old pictures, Kaylee again, is on her way to the hospital. He brought with her the courage and determination that whatever happens, before her last day on earth, she will make him remember her and confess her love. She’s willing to do anything, whatever it will take, even if will take her life again. Crazy, but that’s how she loves Grayson.
Before entering the hospital, Kaylee paused for a minute after she saw a bunch of media waiting for the latest news about his condition. She can still remember how he dreamed to be a singer. To sing his own song and make people happy and give inspiration. And now, he’s living with his dreams. As Grayson’s best friend, she’s so happy for him and forever, she will and always be his number one fan.
She met him when they were in first year high school. Grayson was a transfer student on the school she went to and his family moved on their province from Manila. Later on, Kaylee found out that Grayson and his family are just living next to their house. Their parents became friends first, then later, they became best of friends. Both of them had different set of friends, but their friendship remained solid and intact. They can’t live without each other. They both knew each other’s secret, their attitude and personality. And as they grew older, they become closer.
But as their relationship becomes closer, Kaylee developed a feeling that is way beyond their friendship. She fell in love with Grayson, deeply, just like how every
girl on their campus fell for him. Who wouldn’t like a man someone like him? He got a face that you would want to dream of every night. He has a strong s*x appeal and he is so manly. He stands five foot and eleven inches. He has fair complexion and has pointed nose that he got from his American-Filipino father. His hair is natural straight and colored natural brown. His eyes are slightly slanted eyes that every time he laughs or smile, it just disappears. His lips are natural pinkish and kissable. Aside from singing, he is very much musically inclined because his parents are both musicians, that’s why while growing up, his parents taught him to play various musical instruments such as guitar, piano, drums and violin. And he also loves sports, but his favorite is playing basketball. Grayson is also very kind and loving. He takes care of the people he loves. And she felt that, she can still remember how he took care of her, maybe that’s how she fell in love with her.
The attention he gave her is incomparable. They way he took care of her or attended to her needs that he never did ever to any of his ex-girlfriend. That’s why he depends on him a lot. When her Mom died when they were in third-year high school because of cancer. Grayson stayed beside her and didn’t left. She cried over again on his shoulder. Because of the money they spent on the hospital and medicines when her Mom was still alive, they owed a big debt to different people. That’s beside the fact that she’s about to start her fourth year in high school and need to prepare for her College.
That’s why her Dad made a decision and accept a job offer abroad for them to be able to pay their debts and for her College. Kaylee was so sad when her father left and went to Saudi Arabia to work. She also worked as a part-time and save money from her salary for her pocket money to buy food in school. Then, she saved some of the money his Dad sent.
Everything that happened in her life. Grayson was there. Every time she cannot do her homework because she’s too tired from work. He always did it for her. When she was sick, he took care of her as well. Every night after work, he fetched her and walked with her to their house. He did all of that for her. He spoiled her. And any woman on her shoes will fall in love with him. They were together until College and went on the same University. They were inseparable.
Years passed, but Grayson was still clueless about her true feelings for her. It was in fourth-year in College when Kaylee decided to entertain suitors. She went on a date with a guy named Anton. She thought if she started to see other guys, maybe there’s a chance to forget her feelings for her best friend. And from dating, Anton became her boyfriend. When she introduced him to Grayson, she can still remember how mad he was. She actually didn’t tell him about Anton.
Few months later, a man who introduced himself as talent scout approached Grayson after he saw his performance at their University. He said they are looking for young, fresh and talented singers who can debut after training for one year. He accepted the offer. Grayson launched his first studio album a year after, but it didn’t go well. She can still remember his frustration. This time, it was Kaylee’s turn. She never left him. Stayed beside him and give her support. She encouraged him over again until his self-confidence came back. Six months after the released of his first album, Grayson release his second album. This time, he released a dance title track and did she mention that aside from singing and playing a lot of musical instruments, Grayson is a very good dancer as well. And that song became his breakthrough.
His popularity suddenly sky rocketed. She saw how he started from the humble beginning until he reached the top of his dreams. And Kaylee is the very first one who became so happy for him. She broke up with Anton, after realizing she can’t love anyone else except Grayson. Then, she planned to finally confess her feelings for him. And suddenly, he introduced a girl, her name is Aira and he said, she’s his girlfriend.
Kaylee’s heart broken into pieces when she heard those words. Until now, she can remember how she felt. It gives her so much pain. He met Aira when he was still training before his debut. She really thought they were just friends because he never mentioned anything to him about her. That time, Aira started to build her name in the music industry. And what’s really frustrating is that, Grayson introduced her to the public as his girlfriend.
Kaylee cannot accept that someone else took the position in Grayson’s life. All of a sudden, someone is taking care of him. Someone else makes him happy. That he laid his eyes on someone else. In a snap of a finger, Aira snatched his attention from her. That should be her. Kaylee once tried to confess her love to Grayson even if he has a girlfriend, but she always fails because Aira always comes. One day, she caught the two making out. She cried so hard. The pain is killing her. She cried so many nights after witnessing that scene. That’s when she thought, if she really loves Grayson, she has to do something. She can’t just sit at the corner and cry and be hurt over again.
Until her chance came when she went at TBN TV Station where Grayson will perform on a noontime show. She was on her way back to his dressing room when she overheard Aira talking to a man. And from the way their conversation, that guy is her ex-boyfriend. She heard them talking about Grayson and how he’s trying to convince her to come back to him. Something snapped on her brain and quickly get her camera phone and secretly record a video. As soon as the camera starts recording, that’s when the guy kissed Aira, and to her surprised, Aira kissed him back. When she stopped the video recorder, that’s when Aira pushed her ex-boyfriend.
Kaylee hand over the video to Joven, a reporter she knew and somehow befriended because of Grayson. With a promise that her name will stay anonymous, Joven wrote the report about Aira cheated on Grayson and release the video online.
The news and video blew up like a tornado. Because Grayson has a very huge fanbase, Aira received so much hate online from his fans even from her very own fans. Grayson’s feelings were hurt so bad after he saw the video. He confronted Aira and she admit that the video was true. They broke up immediately on that day. He shutdown and didn’t talk to everyone, including her.
Finally, she did it. She made them break-up. At first, she thought she will be happy. But she’s not. She was never happy. In fact, she hated herself. How can she do such horrible thing? Kaylee became so selfish. Just because Grayson didn’t notice her feelings for him, she made Aira miserable. And it’s too late to realize that because of what she did, she made her best friend way beyond miserable before anyone else.
Kaylee felt so bad. Guilt overtake her. She so many sleepless nights, as her conscience continuously attacked her. She wants to tell him the truth that it was her who took the video, but got so scared. She cannot utter a word, for sure Grayson will hate her and if that happens, he will be so much angry with and worst, she will lose him and she cannot let that happen. Again, Kaylee choose to be selfish.
Out of so much guilt, Kaylee decided to step back away from Grayson for a while. That’s when the time, he shut down everyone and made himself so busy with his career. From days, to weeks then turned into months, they didn’t talk. On the exact time that Kaylee received an email that she was accepted as an English Teacher in Japan. And that months of not talking and seeing each other turned into years. For the first since the day they met, Kaylee and Grayson parted ways and live without each other.
Kaylee went to Japan without letting her best friend know. She lived far from him with the guilt that she kept for six years. But she still watches him through his vlogs online. And even though she cut all her communication from him, their common friends who knows where she was kept on updating her about him. They said, Aira left Philippines and went to US for good. While Grayson kept going out and dating different girls. And it was her fault. Kaylee ruined her best friend because she let selfishness and jealousy defeat her.
- Writer
