Lights and Camera

Chapter 1

Kakababa lang namin ng stage, pawis na pawis at hinihingal pa, pero sulit lahat ng pagod. Ang saya ng crowd kanina, ramdam na ramdam ko ang energy nila. Grabe, parang kahapon lang nung nag-aaral pa kami sa high school, ngayon, part na ako ng isang P-pop group. Sino'ng mag-aakala, 'di ba?Habang naglalakad kami pabalik ng dressing room, naririnig ko ang usapan ng mga staff.

"May bagong CEO daw ang Solace," sabi ni Ate Grace, yung head ng production. "Gusto tayong makita. Importanteng meeting daw."

Nagtataka ako. Bagong CEO? Wala akong naririnig tungkol diyan. Solace ang management company namin, at alam ko na isa sila sa mga pinakamalalaking kumpanya ngayon sa industriya. Pero bakit kaya biglang may meeting?

"Baka naman magpapakilala lang," sabi ni Mina, isa sa mga backup dancers. "Or baka may announcement. Pero teka, sino nga ulit yung bagong CEO?"

"Hindi ko sure eh, pero sabi nila bata pa daw," sagot ni Ate Grace. "Basta mamaya na natin malalaman. Magpahinga muna kayo, alam kong pagod kayo."

Habang nag-aayos kami sa dressing room, hindi ko maiwasang mag-isip. Bata pa? Bagong CEO? Bakit parang may kakaibang pakiramdam ako dito? May kung anong familiar sa description, pero hindi ko mawari kung ano. Nagsimula nang dumami ang mga bulong-bulungan sa paligid.

"Ready na ba kayo?" tanong ni Ate Grace habang kumakatok sa pintuan. "Pupunta na dito ang bagong CEO ng Solace para magpakilala."

Tumango kami, medyo kinakabahan pero excited din. Ano kaya ang mangyayari? May kung anong kaba at saya na nararamdaman ko habang naghihintay. Pagbukas ng pinto, pumasok si Ate Grace kasama ang isang pamilyar na mukha.

Hindi ko alam kung maluluha ba ako o ngingiti nang makita siya muli. Ang tagal kong hinintay na makita siya. It's been a six years, walang araw na hindi ko hiniling na makita ko siya muli. Now she's in front of me. Her hair is color brown while her hair is short mid length.

"Gusto kong ipakilala sainyo si Kinzien ang apo ni Sir Anton," sabi ni Ate Grace na hindi alam na magkakilala na kami.

Nakangiti si Kinz habang naglalakad papunta sa amin, pero kita ko rin ang bahagyang pagkagulat sa mukha niya nang makita ako. My heart was pounding, and I felt a mixture of joy and regret because i push her away before.

"Hi everyone, I'm Kinzie Severiano As of now ako muna ang mag manage sa inyo since Lander is in Paris." sabi niya, her voice calm and professional. "I'm excited to work with all of you!"

She added. She's magandanda and also pogi too, nakatayo lang siya't nakapamulsa pero grabe ang charisma walang binago kaya ang dami kong kaagaw noon eh!

Nag-respond ang group namin sa kanya, We are all smiling and introducing ourselves. Si Ives, Hannah, Gale, Missy, Colina, Yanna, at AC were all curious and polite.

"Hi, I'm Ives," sabi ni Ives, extending her hand for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you."

Kilig na kilig si Ives nang tanggapin ni Kinz ang kanyang kamay.

"Hello, I'm Hannah," dagdag ni Hannah, smiling warmly.

One by one, they introduced themselves. "Gale," "Missy," "Colina," "Yanna," "AC." Everyone was friendly and welcoming.

"It's great to meet all of you," sabi ni Kinz, looking around the room. Finally, her eyes settled on me.

Gosh!

I was the last person to introduce myself. I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Keiah," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "It's nice to meet you, M-ma'am Kinz."

Trying to compose myself in front of her. Ini-extend ko ang kamay ko para mag-handshake, pero laking gulat ko nang bigla niya akong niyakap na ikinafreeze ko ngunit agad rin siyang humiwalay.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you again, Keiah," sagot niya, her eyes locking onto mine as she held me in a warm embrace. There was a brief silence, filled with unspoken words and emotions

"Yeah," sagot ko, forcing a smile "It's been a while."

I added, She knows what i mean. I read to her eyes. Habang nag-uusap kami, hindi ko maiwasang maalala ang nakaraan. The last time I saw her, I pushed her away. I was so scared and confused back then. Nalaman ko na si Kinz pala ang gumawa ng paraan para makasama ako, kahit ano pang consequences. She sacrificed so much for me, pero natakot ako. I pushed her away, and I've regretted it ever since. Pagtapos nang aming batian ay nilagpasan niya na ako't nakipag usap kay Ate Grace.

"Keiah, are you okay?" tanong ni AC, breaking my thoughts. "Parang you're spacing out."

"Ah, sorry," sabi ko, shaking my head. "I'm just... surprised to see an old friend."

I whisper to Ac na nasa tabi ko while Kinz is busy chit chat with ate Grace.

"Friend?" Missy asked, raising an eyebrow. "Parang there's more to it than that."

Yan na naman siya!

"Hindi naman," sabi ko, trying to brush it off. "We were close in high school."

"Well, it's nice to see old friends reconnect," sabi ni Yanna, smiling. "I hope you both catch up soon."

" Yes, we will." Singit ni Kinz. Laglag ang aking panga ng bigla siyang sumingit sa aming usapan. Parang gusto kong maglaho sa kinatatayuan ko ngayon dahil narinig niya pala!

Habang nakikipagdaldalan si Kinz sa anim at sa mga staff, tahimik ko siyang pinapanood. I couldn't help but admire how much she had grown. Confident na siya at charismatic, easily engaging with everyone. Pero deep down, the regret still lingered. I never thought I'd see her again, and now that she's here, I don't know how to start making things right.

"Keiah," narinig ko ang boses ni Kinz, snapping me out of my thoughts habang nakaupo ako sa harap ng vanity mirror. I raise my right brow to her na agad niyang kinaiwas tingin.

"Can we talk? Maybe we can go out after this event. Just the two of us?" She asked. Omg! Lord, hindi po ako ready. Huhuhu!!! Nakakagulat parin talaga siya!

"S-sure, Direct Kinz." Halos mabulol pa ako sa pagsagot. Pinaningkitan niya ako ng mata nang marinig niyang tawagin ko siyang Direct.

"Great," sagot niya, her smile reassuring. "I'll see you later then."

Saad niya tsaka nagpaalam sa amin na mamaya na lang raw ulit since isa siya sa need sa upuan sa harap. As I watched Kinz walk away, I knew this was my chance to make amends. I won't let fear control me this time. I will find a way to talk to her, to apologize, and maybe, just maybe, to start over. When he left, I could feel my heart aching. Ang daming beses kong pinagsisihan ang ginawa ko noon. I was so afraid to face my feelings and the consequences of being with her. Now, she's here again, and I don't want to waste this chance to make things right. Walang gabi na hindi ko siya naiisip at pinagsisihan ang pagtaboy ko sa kanya.

"Keiah," sabi ni Gale, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," sabi ko, smiling weakly. "I just need some time to process everything."

"Take your time," sabi ni Colina. "We're here for you