As Irene entered the stage, she waved my hand to all of the enthusiastic audience before she sat down on a high chair. She is clutching her signature purple microphone tightly.
Her bleach blonde hair is curled at the ends while strays of soft wave hair lay on each side of her face accentuating her small face. Irene's lips glimmered as she parted it and put the microphone close to her face.
The loud cheering promptly subsided when the orchestra from behind started playing the intro of her song.
Irene closed her eyes and placed the microphone on the level of her chin, exhaling before singing.
"Like trapped in a pit,
I was hopeless
But love came
In the shape of you."
Her cold and soothingly raspy voice resounded in the entire hall. While singing, Irene roamed her eyes around and searched for someone.
Nearing the end of the song, Amiel walked inside the hall on the first row. Irene sang the last line and Amiel caught her sight, he was staring directly at her.
"It's you…" She then bowed her head and the stage went dim, the cue for her to leave the stage just as they rehearsed.
-
Multiple shot glasses clinked up in the air as the team celebrated Irene's victory in the music show. They are all situated in a barbeque house, sharing laughter over grilled meat and green lettuce.
Considering tonight as a cheat day, Irene emptied everything inside the shot glass, her face contorted as she felt the burning alcohol sensation slither down her throat to her stomach.
Irene thought, "This isn't good. I have been drinking two days in a row already,"
A few hours later, the small victory party came to an end but only Irene and Amiel are going back to her condo since Valerie will be sleeping over in her new boyfriend's apartment.
The condo is partially lit by the accent lights but it was dominantly dim. Irene genuinely wished she had drank more alcohol in order not to notice the awkwardness between the two of them.
"I'll go ahead and call it a day. Sleep well." Was all Irene had said before she was about to storm off from the living room and lock herself in her room.
But before she could do so, Amiel gets ahold of Irene's wrist which made her heart skip a beat.
Amiel narrowed his eyes, "Are you avoiding me?" He asked, straight to the point. He has been feeling bad during the entire day because Irene is avoiding him as if he is infected with a highly communicative disease.
"I'm sorry for making you feel that way," Irene lightly pulled her arms away from his grip and continued, "I am just so ashamed of what I did to you last night."
Smiling at the back of his head, Amiel shot one of his eyebrows up to the ceiling as amusement crawls into his mind.
Tucking in a strand of hair behind her ears, Irene bit her lower lip and hung her head low. "Can we at least sit down first? I will apologize for whatever I did to you last night."
They are seated in front of one another. Amiel is crossing his arms with the corners of his mouth curved upwards while Irene is fidgeting with her fingers, uncertain if how she will start her apology.
She exhaled deeply, "Look, I am very sorry for kissing you last night and what happened between the two of us was-…" Irene stopped speaking because she noticed Amiel containing his laughter, his face is turning red.
"What?!" Irene scowled at him for being able to laugh at a serious moment like this.
Amiel stopped laughing, fearing Irene and pursed his lips to stop chuckling further. "I'm sorry, go on. What happened between us by the way?" He asked, thinking that tonight is actually the first time he got amused like this.
"Okay. I apologize for whatever that has happened between us that night. I must be crazy for doing that! You know what, I will stop drinking alcohol from now on, that is a promise!" Irene stretched her hands for a pinky swear but Amiel began laughing so hard while holding his stomach.
'Is it something to be happy about?' Irene asks herself while witnessing Amiel rolling on the couch and laughing like a hyena.
After a few seconds, he composed himself and wiped tears off his eyes. "I'm sorry for laughing so hard. It's just that you are too adorable!"
"Adorable? Psh, what do you think of me, a puppy?" This time, she crosses her arms and looked away annoyingly.
He cleared his throat and leaned forward, his elbows resting on his legs. "Irene, I was the one who first kissed you."
Her mouth and eyes are wide open. "Oh?" Irene was very surprised. All this time she accused herself of these things.
"Also, nothing happened between us that night." Amiel stood up to get a glass of water.
Irene's head towards his direction to the kitchen and asked, "Then why was I wearing your shirt the next morning?" She worriedly asked.
"How should I say this?" Amiel scratched his thick eyebrows after he put a pitcher of cold water on the countertop table.
He added, "After we kissed, you threw up on me."
Irene gasps and covered her mouth wide open with her palms. "I'm so sorry! My head just went a mile not realizing I did something much worse than kissing!"
Inside her mind, Irene snacked herself right in the face multiple times. Alcohol did her bad, really.
"So, you and I, are we dating?" Amiel's face turned red the moment he asked and what was a once busy Irene who disgusts herself from throwing up on someone who saved her turned red in an instant.
"Yes, we are." In just a span of seconds, Irene grabs her bag from the couch and sprinted inside her room.
The door is on her back from the inside while she tries to catch her breath.