A Night with the Celebrity

She stood in front of the vanity wearing a silk robe, her hair tied up in a messy bun. Her bare face glistened from the serum she’d just applied. Sofia looked at her tired eyes and let out a deep sigh. This was one of those arduous days when her hard-to-please director asked her to repeat a scene for god knows how many times. He complained there was something missing. If there was any consolation, it was hers and Yuki’s schedules matched, and he was also taping in the studio next to hers.

Yuki’s arms wrapped around her waist as they looked at their reflections. Sofia looked at him from the mirror. His lips pursed as he kissed her neck from time to time. Her eyes darted to the dressing room’s door, making sure it was securely locked. They could not afford a scandal. Not when her career was still not as stable as she wanted it to be, and Yuki’s was only taking off.

“You know I love you,” she pouted and looked at the man’s reflection with loving eyes. She rested her back on his chest, and her hand reached back to stroke his cheek.

“I don’t know anymore. You’ve been with him for so long you must have fallen in love with him.”

“Ha! Is that a joke?” She rolled her eyes. “Me? Love that brat? You don’t know how much self-control I need not to slap his face when he’s being childish.” His hand turned her face towards him and claimed her mouth. In response, she turned her back from the vanity and faced him, wrapping her arms around his neck, stroking his hair while her tongue played with his.

“I am jealous. You know I want the world to know you’re mine,” he said between kisses as he nibbled his way down her neck. He nuzzled her neck and inhaled her fragrance.

“No marks, baby,” she reminded him as she tilted her head back to give him more access.

“Dump the brat, already.” His hand found her breast and gave it a not-so-gentle squeeze. She let out a soft moan. Encouraged, he nibbled on her ear while his hand found its way inside her clothes.

“I will, babe. Give me some time, okay?” She deftly opened the top button of his shirt. “I need him to make me the lead star of this big drama, which will cement my career, then I’ll leave him.” She completed unbuttoning his shirt at the same time she finished her sentence. “Then we can let the entire world know about us.” She licked his chest wantonly, driving him crazy.

“You know I can make you famous too.” The gasps he made as her tongue trailed his body could not conceal his jealousy.

“I know, but I don’t want to hurt your career, baby.” She tiptoed to cover his mouth with hers, wiping away his jealous retorts. They filled the dressing room with their suppressed moans.

Outside the dressing room stood Ryo Matsuda. His hands tightened on the bouquet of roses he was holding, uncaring if he ruined them. He had just finished a variety show appearance to promote his latest album. Since the studio was quite close to her shoot’s location, he wanted to surprise her. The irony of it all. It turned out that she was the one who had a surprise for him.

He heard every word she said crystal clear. Her ridicule did not escape him, either. He did not need to guess who was with her in the room. It’s from Yuki Yamada, a former member of a male group and a rising movie star. Some say that Yuki’s looks are second only to his.

With a thud, the roses he held bounced off the dressing room door and landed on the floor, mangled. He no longer bothered if the two people inside the dressing room heard the noise. He did not bother confronting them. It was a fight not worth fighting for. It was obvious from her words that she did not love him but only saw him as a tool. He would not stoop further to hear her lies.

It was crystal clear what her choice was. And talking to her would only make him desperate. Heck, he was Ryo Matsuda; there was no way he would beg anybody to accept him in their life. Although he loved her, he was not as smitten and stupid as she assumed him to be. He turned around and left, ignoring everyone he met. He lifted his hand to signal his team not to follow him.

He drove aimlessly to vent his anger. When the trees replaced the towering buildings on either side of the road, he lowered his window and let the wind dry his tears. The pain cut him to his core. He thought Sofia was the one for him. She ticked all the boxes—she was beautiful, sweet, and caring. Who would have thought she’d be a two-faced cheater who only used his influence and connections? Ryo stopped by the edge of a cliff that faced the ocean.

Why did this happen to him? Why did he always end up wasting his time, his energy, and his emotions on people who did not know how to cherish him? Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. He sneered as he recalled how his previous relationships ended up the same way.

“What is wrong with me? Sure, I can be childish and arrogant, but I’m loyal and honest. I gave them all the love I had. Why do they always end up betraying me?” he asked himself as he recalled his past relationships.

His first love left him for another man. Another one saw him as a living ATM, and then this last one saw him as a tool to establish her showbiz career. She used him for his influence in the industry. “Why am I so dumb? Am I so despicable that no one could sincerely love me? I just want someone to love me for who I am and what I represent and could offer. Is that too much to ask?”

For an unknown period, he sat in his car. One of his arms dangled from the open window. He inwardly punished himself by recalling the dialogue he had heard earlier. The sound of the angry waves crashing against the boulders below the cliff was the musical score to his melodrama. After a while, he got out of the car and walked towards the edge of the cliff. From where he stood, he saw how the boulders broke the waves and how the foam danced back and forth across the shore. The strong and salty wind felt astringent on the skin, but it was not enough to beat the pain his heart felt. The piercing pain in his chest cracked him, tearing him to pieces.

His eyes stung with tears as he allowed himself to feel the wave of emotions inside him. He was angry at himself for not being observant enough to gauge people’s intentions. “Ahhhhhh!” he screamed his lungs out. He wanted the world to know how furious he was. His chest puffed as he inhaled more air to scream some more.

Yes, he was furious with her for stomping on his heart but more at himself for being foolish and not seeing her for the person she was. Her beauty blinded him, making him ignore the little red flags he had throughout their relationship: her little white lies, hushed phone calls, and slips of the tongue. He did not mind them and put all his trust in her. This was as much on him as it was with her.

Ah, love, why do you have to be so complicated? Why can’t you be straightforward? Why do you have to be painful?

“I am done with love!” he screamed to the ocean as if it had offended him.

“Fuck love!” Salty tears ran down his cheeks.

He forgot how many times he screamed his head off. Tired, he plopped himself in the dirt as he stared at the ocean before him.

“I will never love again.”

Ellie felt her cellphone under her pillows as the alarm she set awakened her. 4:00 AM. Ellie had to brave the cold weather and get up from bed while most still snuggled under their covers.

She tidied up her bed and went to the bathroom for a quick shower and got ready herself. She looked at her cellphone to check her ordering app. Today’s orders read:

One two-tiered cake for a baby shower

Three dozen chocolate cupcakes

One dozen matcha flavored cupcakes

Two blueberry cheesecakes

One strawberry shortcake, and

One ultimate chocolate cake

Another busy day! Not that she was complaining. A packed day only meant her business was picking up. It’d been a year since she established the business, and it had been a slow climb, but she enjoyed each step of the journey. Business was an alien world to her, but she dove right into it when her boyfriend asked her to quit her band. Their music careers had just taken off, but her boyfriend asked her to quit. He could not stand her unpredictable schedule and the attention she was getting. It was her dream, but he made him choose—him or her career. Of course, she’d chosen him. She would always choose him.

After confirming today’s orders, Ellie headed to her cake shop. It was the bottom floor of the two-story space she rented.

It was almost time to open the shop when she finished baking the cake bases. She waited for them to cool, so she could put icing on them when her staff arrived, one after the other. She’d hired two staff members: a cashier and a server.

“Good morning, Ms. Elle,” they greeted her.

She smiled and replied, “Morning, Beth. Morning, Maya. There’s coffee in the pantry, and I also made pastries last night. Grab a bite.”

The three of them started the day, each with a coffee mug in hand. She held a small clipboard that detailed all the orders and deliveries for the day.

“I will deliver the baby shower cake. The chocolate and matcha cupcakes are for pickup. A delivery rider will pick up the blueberry cheesecakes. I already grouped them and made some notes as well.” Beth and Maya nodded as they took notes of her instructions.

“Also, there will be supplies that arrive today. I have already separated the money in envelopes inside my drawer.” Ellie looked at them. “Did you girls have questions?” Both shook their heads.

With that, Ellie prepped the tiered cake for the baby shower, which she would deliver. It was a simple round cake on top of each other. The smaller cake on top had a cute baby stroller as decoration. It was simple and elegant, as requested by her client.

She placed the cake in the box, then put it in her carrier. She then placed the carrier in her car and drove to the address her client gave her.

Her client wanted to surprise her best friend, who was the mother-to-be, with this cake. So she wanted her to arrive at a very specific time. When she reached the address, she messaged her client, who then gave her the signal to come up and bring the cake.

Her client stood by the door to welcome her and help her bring the cake in. All her attention was on the cake. She was very careful with her steps to ensure that she would not trip or topple the cake accidentally.

She could hear everyone’s gasp as she entered the room, cake in hand. She placed the cake on the table. She then looked at the mother-to-be. She was teary-eyed, obviously happy. Ellie said her congratulations.

The celebrant called her husband to come forward and help her slice the cake. Her high-pitched voice rang in her ears, but she did not mind. Seeing the joy on her clients’ faces was one perk of this job. It was one that money could not buy and one that made her continue doing this.

The color drained from Ellie’s face as she looked at the man the celebrant had called. The smile she had on her lips disappeared, and she had to bite the inside of her mouth to keep them from quivering.

The man walked towards them. He half-walked and half-skipped his steps. A smile stretched on his lips, and a twinkle was on his eyes. But like her, the smile he had on his face disappeared when his gaze fell on her. His sparkling eyes became round as marbles. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze before standing beside the pregnant woman.

She felt her world stop. Her heart felt like it was beating in her ears. Its deafening beats drummed in her head. She forced herself not to cry and become the pathetic mess she felt inside. She no longer needed to confront him. The wave of emotions she saw on his face was confirmation enough. She saw surprise, hesitation, and guilt written on his face.

“Honey, look at this cake. Isn’t it beautiful?” The mother-to-be looked at him with teary eyes, full of excitement and joy.

“Yeah,” he answered, but his eyes were neither on the cake nor on the new mother, but on Ellie.

“Congratulations, enjoy your cake.” Ellie’s words were shaky as she tried so hard to control her emotions.

She cried her heart out inside her car. “Bastard,” she kept muttering. She drove away, but instead of going to her store, she drove aimlessly around. She stopped in front of an abandoned building.

She rested her head on the steering wheel as she poured out her tears. “That bastard! That cheating bastard! It was not enough for him to cheat on me several times. He even got this one pregnant!” she continued to cry.

“Fuck you, Angelo!” she cursed him. Her angry cries sounded very pitiful. “Why does this always happen to me? Why?” she asked between sobs.

Ellie had three relationships. Her first love used her to get close to one of her best friends. Her second boyfriend was in college. He turned out to be two-timing her with another girl from a different college. And then this bastard, Angelo, whom she loved so much, she gave up her music career for him. She had forgiven him when he betrayed her trust many times with different girls. And today, she found out that he got somebody knocked up.

“You’re so stupid, Ellie!” She chastised herself as she pulled on her hair. It always ended up this way. She always ended up getting betrayed, lied to, cheated on.

“I’m done with love,” she declared.

“I will never fall in love ever again!”