Calling Mr. Louie

After several times of walking down the airplane, monitoring my things under the CT scanner, and conversing with the airport's staff about my passport and needed papers, I finally got inside the airport carrying out my suitcase that had been my companion for a couple of hours. Walking confidently, with my eyes wearing a classic eyeglass, I reached for my phone from my hoodie's pocket and dialed the number of my very fake best friend. I held the phone right beside my left ear.  “Athena! Oh my gosh, I've been waiting for you for a couple of hours here! Where exactly are you right now?" she started and I laughed at that.  “Hello, Mad," I teased her, then I heard a groan. She probably didn't like the way I called her. “Look at your right side. You'll see a beautiful woman wearing a gray hoodie and denim shorts while holding her gold suitcase and a phone to her ear," I said as I saw her in the waiting area of the airport.  She began searching with her forehead creasing. I was about to walk near her when I noticed two men standing by her side. That made me stop from afar. The one who has neat hair, chocolate eyes, a proud nose, and a jolly gesture was wearing a blue polo paired with khaki shorts. He's smiling widely at Madeline, which made my best friend blush a bit. The other one was suited with a gray hoodie jacket like mine, paired with denim pants. His eyes are as cold as before or colder this time, I guess? No emotions written on his face like his ash-like eyes. From his rough features, down to those flecking muscles under the cloth's arms, he's busy scrolling on his phone while listening to somewhat music that was obviously playing on the earphones in his ear. He still had piercings that were sparkling through the lights of the airport and they were longer than before.  Nothing changed about him. Maybe a little. But his changes are more likely to be called improvements. I stared at him and was supposed to just stand in the middle of the Philippine airport when Madeline started waving in my direction. I immediately closed my hanged mouth then walked near them. “Athena! What the hell?!" she screamed when she first sighted me. Followed by the two men beside her. The guy wearing earphones made me confused because he looked straight at me— cold. Like in this situation, I am the ice and he's the sun that is making me melt. He suddenly became hotter when he smirked and looked away. I gulped and felt shivers down my spine. s**t! He still has an effect on me, huh? “What's up, Mad?" I teased my fake friend to hide the tension I was feeling and just chuckled when she rolled her eyes at me. She looks good in her floral fitted dress and simple makeup. I accidentally tried to look down when my mouth formed in an “O" because. . . hell! She knows how to wear high heels now. It has been five years since I last saw her hating stilettos. “What's this sudden flight, Thena?" she asked, but I answered her with a shrug. “Well, how's life in Italy, my old friend?" I looked at the man with an obviously jolly side. The one who was talking with Mad and made her blush earlier. I plastered a genuine smile and flipped my hair jokingly at the man.  “Italy made me love their pizzas," I said sarcastically.  “You may have changed a lot, but your joke is still as bad as you, ya know," he answered back which made me raise my eyebrows. He laughed a bit, “and you’re still taking my jokes seriously." “Whatever, Neon-pink." I tried to annoy him. “Stop extending my name with colors I don’t like." “Not my fault, it’s your name." “Neon is the chemical element of atomic number ten. A noble gas." “Yeah, but you don't belong to a noble class," I teased him more. “Can't this conversation be even longer?"  I shivered when I heard that cold yet warming voice that interrupted our kind of welcome-back conversation. We looked at him who quickly looked down on his phone, again, like he was afraid to stare at our gazes. Louie Brent Williams— a well-known manager who’s currently, holding an international group band, which is the Blood, which was formed in London. It has four girl members. “C'mon, you know him. He's sometimes grumpy," Mad reasoned out. “He's always been like that since before. Nothing changed. Why suddenly came here if he isn't interested at all?" I whispered then suddenly raised my voice, “the car?" “A limousine, Athena," Neon bragged, that I didn't care.  “Follow us," Mad made the first move to where we should go.  People looked at us, directly at Louie Brent who wasn't interested in looking up or just to give some glimpse to the people around him. I wonder if he received a threat, could he still look on the floor and not search for a suspicious killer? I wonder. We finally got out of the airport and went to the parking area. A familiar limousine welcomed us. Yeah, because it's the only limousine that is parked here. Neon insisted on bringing and putting my gold suitcase in the compartment but I refused because I had already put it inside. Turtle as always.  “Too late to help a beautiful lady," I answered with a bored face. I thought he wouldn't help me with my baggage, but it looked like he had forgotten about it. Fine. It's not a big deal at all. “Sorry about that, baby girl." I cringed. “Yuck." “Thanks." “You're crazy." I shook my head and was about to slide inside the limousine when a caress made me flinch. I looked back angrily and found Louie's poker face. “Someone's staring at your butt. You should not have worn revealing clothes like that. Tss." Then he looked away. I answered him with a shrug to release my tension and comfortably entered Neon's limousine, followed by Louie who was going in the passenger seat. He didn't change that much, huh?  Mad sat beside me to accompany me to the backseat and she closed the car's door. The two men were in front of us.  “Let's go to her suite," Mad— my fake friend, commanded, and the engine started as it roared in life. I have to take a long trip again. So I leaned on the window and started looking at the Philippines highway. Unknowingly, I looked in the rearview mirror and was surprised when I caught Louie looking in my direction. s**t! Do I look like a speck of dirt? First time in my life that  I felt so conscious. I secretly looked away and picked my phone from my pocket. My forehead creased. I looked fine, tho. Still pretty and hot. Duh! And an idea popped out in my head. My cheeks started heating and I began biting my lower lip. Gosh! God!  Why wasn’t I aware that he'd been staring at me since we saw each other?  So I looked in the rearview mirror and hoped that he was still there, silently staring at me. But I was disappointed when I found him scrolling on his phone again. I rolled my eyes. Damn this guy! He’s just giving me false hope, huh? Damn him.