9 Chapter 9 - Broken Glass

I almost lost my grip on the pot I was holding before I could catch myself. Caroline King was standing right in front of me and she had a smile on her face and she looked like something out of a dream. Her hair was down and she was wearing casual clothes, a shirt and a pair of jeans. Despite all of that, it seemed that her attempt at being casual was failing, you couldn't deny that she was a headturner in every sense of the word. Her piercing green eyes, her pink cheeks, the dimples that laid underneath, and her lips that were just too perfect, I couldn't blame all the people who've fallen for her, both men and women. I stood there mesmerized and gaping like an idiot, and she must've noticed for she turned and smiled at me, I felt the thing in my chest jump and for what seemed like a very long time, I became conscious with the beating of my heart.

I was broken out of my reverie by Nica, and the buzzing of the other two dudes that were with me who were probably as excited as I was in meeting Caroline King personally.

Nica rushed towards Caroline and gave her a hug, I couldn't help myself from wishing I was Nica. "What are you doing here?!" She sounded incredulous, even she was surprise.

"I just thought I'd drop by and see how things are going." Her voice which was husky only added to her loveliness.

"Well, the boys here just finished making sure that everything is in place and that we'll have enough room to accomodate as many people as possible for tomorrow night." We spent the whole day rearranging chairs and tables to maximize the space available.

It was then that she looked at us and I was still holding the pot of coffee in my hand, standing there, looking at her, mesmerized and she laughed. "Are you okay?" She addressed me and my mind felt like all the wires were starting to cross one another. I struggled for an answer and came out with a squeak. That made her laugh even harder. *Well, what do you know? Forget about first impressions cause you just made yourself look like an idiot in front of her.* I tried to salvage what was left of my dignity by smiling at her.

"Stop teasing Dante. He's new to the club you know." Nica interjected.

"Really?" She asked me and I nodded. "I hope I didn't scare you off."

*On the contrary, I think I'm in love.* "No, it's totally cool. It's just that it's the first time I've seen you and you're just well, radiant." I finally managed to say.

She thanked me and proceeded to talk to my other two companions who were patiently waiting for their chance to talk with her.

Caroline

*Radiant, that's new.* The compliment somehow sounded different to me, perhaps because I could hear the certainty in his voice. It was one thing to be adored by long-time fans, quite another for a new fan but then again I've always known I wasn't just someone. I feel helpless about the whole thing. "Thank you." It was the only thing I could come up with.

As I spent the time chatting with Chino and Tony, I noticed Dante rearranging the chairs and the tables. He looked focused on what he's doing and didn't seem to notice my presence in the room after complementing me earlier. *Don't tell me you find those chairs and tables more interesting.*

I was brought out of my reverie by the sound of Tony's voice. "So I heard you're doing a national tour after the initial promotions are done, I know you'll do well, but still, good luck."

That moved me. The love and the appreciation that they have for my music, it's more than I ask for. "Thank you, and I hope I'll see you guys in one of the shows."

"Don't worry, I can guarantee you already that we'll show up in at least a couple." Chino assured me.

Nica brought out a cup for me, and I helped myself to some of the coffee. We sat down quietly for a while, savoring the taste of the caffeine. After a few moments of silence, I decided to talk to the three boys who seemed to be lost. I asked them what their interests were, something that I've always loved asking fans. It gives me an idea of who they are. Chino said he loves painting and cooking while Tony is passionate about working out and dreams to become a professional athlete someday. "I'm pretty sure you'll achieve your dreams if you strive for it." They both look abashed and I could see both blushing. It was kinda awkward and funny at the same time.

When Dante noticed me staring at him, he became fidgety and looked uncomfortable but nevertheless he gave out an answer. "Philosophy, it's pretty boring." He sounded apprehensive.

On the other hand, that peaked my interest. It's the other thing I like about talking to fans, you get to meet a lot of people with different outlooks in life. "Philosophy? Like 'What is the good life?'" I asked him.

He gave me a shy smile. "Yeah, kinda like that." He looked towards the other two boys in the table, and probably thought they were both weirded out by his answer but I didn't care.

"Tell me more. So do you study philosophy?" I pressed on and this time I could see his face break into a smile. I couldn't help but smile back at him, yet as I looked at his eyes, they were not smiling, on the contrary they looked like the eyes of a broken man.