UNEXPECTED REUNION
1036 Words
Rydar stepped out of the car to the blinding flash of paparazzi cameras crowding his entrance. The loud chatter and screams of fans crescendoed as soon as they spotted him. They all ran forward, calling out his name from all angles.
"Rydar, over here! Can I get a picture?"
“You changed my life!"
The bodyguards formed a protective barrier, guiding Rydar through the crowd. Fans still continued calling out to him.
“Give him some space, folks. Let's keep this organized," Rydar's manager tried to get through to them.
"Rydar, over here!"
"We love you, Rydar!"
Once Rydar was close to the door, he turned back to wave at the crowd, "I love you all too," before disappearing into the building.
The smile on his face faded into a frown in a split second.
“You said they won't be around here anymore." Rydar complained as soon as the glass doors slid shut behind them. He was talking about the paparazzi earlier.
“I thought they wouldn't—” his manager tried to explain.
"See to it," Rydar sharply cut in, dusting off specs of dust from his jacket and brushing his fingers through his hair quickly.
“What's on my schedule after the meeting? I didn't even have time for lunch.”
“There’s pretty much nothing more after this. We can go for lunch afterward. As for tomorrow—”
"I didn't ask about tomo—”
Someone suddenly collided into his chest. Rydar looked down at the woman holding her forehead with her palm.
"Ow!" she whined and held her head.
The manager snapped, "Watch where you're going!"
"I'm so sorry—" she stammered as she looked at Rydar with a noticeable pause following her expression.
A faint and confused spark lit up in her eyes. Her lips parted slightly to say something. She stammered,
"I… I know you,” her index finger fidgeted in his direction.
"Everyone does,” the manager scoffed.
"No, I..." she tried to explain, but felt a splitting ache in her head that made her wince. She touched her forehead in discomfort and stepped back.
An unusual but familiar feeling engulfed Rydar's chest that instant. His chest felt tight, not in a suffocating way, but in a manner like striking a chord with your finger. He absently touched the area over his heart and swallowed.
"We have to go now,” his manager urged.
Reluctantly, Rydar followed, but he kept looking back at the woman who was still standing there, also looking at him.
Was that a scar on her face?
“Are you okay?” His manager asked.
Rydar cleared his throat and ignored the manager's question like he never heard it.
During and after the meeting he had, Rydar couldn't get his mind off what had happened earlier. Why couldn't he get his mind off a stranger and why did he feel that connection?
Could she be that girl he'd been looking for over a year. Sky.
Ever since the fire was reported at the hospital a year ago, he'd done everything he could to find Sky to no avail. Although there was no proof she'd died in that fire, he was often tempted to believe she did.
Sometimes he wished he never met her in the first place if it meant losing her a few days after and living with a void somewhere in his heart.
But that woman from earlier looked a lot different from what he remembered Sky to look like. He didn't see her face completely because half of it was covered.
"I...I know you," the phrase replayed in his head.
There was a 50 percent chance that she was Sky. She even had a burn scar on her face which could have been from that fire. Rydar's heart raced with hope.
“That girl from earlier,” Rydar started as soon as they walked out of the meeting.
“The one who jumped into you earlier?” The manager questioned in surprise.
”Yes, her. I need you to look into who she is. “
“May I ask why?”
Rydar gave his manager a scolding face, “Why?”
“I mean you have to be very careful with the people you get involved with, considering your image. Anything could turn into a headline. What if she walked into you on purpose?"
“Just do as I say."
“I'll try my best,” the manager concurred.
“And get back to me before the end of today."
The manager sighed in visible exhaustion and changed the topic.
“I already booked a nice place for lunch.”
Rydar was taken to the restaurant, where they'd booked a private reservation. He wore a black face mask and a low-key baseball cap to avoid being accosted by fans and paparazzi again.
When he settled into a random seat and was served the food he ordered for, Rydar removed the mask and baseball cap, setting them aside. He rubbed his hands together eagerly and was ready to grab a bite.
The tranquil in the restaurant was soon disrupted when a group of girls walked through the door. With the security team blocking their entrance and trying to explain that the restaurant was already fully booked.
The slight chaos in the restaurant obviously pulled Rydar's attention away from his meal, and he glanced over to see what the problem was.
There and then, amid the commotion, his heart skipped a beat.
That long black hair, hazel eyes, and unforgettable beauty. It was her.
Rydar was held back by disbelief at first as he'd thought he was imagining things.
He stood up without a second thought, his chair scraping against the floor, and rushed towards the entrance where the girl and her friends were being ushered out as they kept complaining of how unfair the management was being for not allowing them in.
Rydar reached out and gently grabbed her wrist.
She stopped and turned to face him, the initial frown on her face softening as her eyes met Rydar's face.
Rydar could barely contain his emotions.
"It really is you,” he beamed. “It is you, Sky.”
- Writer
