CHAPTER 6
From the moment she stepped into the bar Sean's eyes had been on her. Not because of the reason that she looked beautiful but because she stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the other girls in the bar.
From the corner of his eyes, he saw her down another shot and decided he would step in before she ended up completely wasted on the floor. He made a way for her. Her eyes were droopy and she rested her head against her arm which was on the table. He watched as she stood up, staggering on the floor and almost fell but he was there in time to save her.
Boldly, he started a conversation and it turned out to be not so difficult to talk to her.
Her face had been set in a look too excited to be here tonight. Sean watched her crestfallen expression after she ended the call on her phone.
He felt a pang of worry as the brief thought of what must've transpired between the person on the phone and she hit him. He didn't even know why he was worried.
"How about you? What are you doing in a bar?" Camille's voice broke him out of his reverie and he looked at her with a smile.
Her bottom lip was slightly jutted out and her eyebrows curved downward as she waited for him to give her a response.
"Me?" Sean asked like he wasn't the only one in front of her, chuckling when she gave him a sarcastic look.
"Well, I don't exactly have a reason, just to cool off sometime," Sean replied with a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Just that? You seem like you have a lot going on with you!" Camille said with a laugh.
Sean thought over her words, she was right. Surely, he has a lot going on with him lately. His grandma's nagging, now with the business, he had to be conscious of the things he did, his time allocation, who he moved around with, and the like.
In a way, he liked how close she made him feel, nobody had made him laugh this much in such a short time.
"I do have-"
"Oh my!" a female voice cut him off and both he and Camille turned around to look at three sober girls walking towards them.
As the girls approached, Sean's smile faltered, and he turned away, his eyes scanning the bar as if searching for an escape route. For a moment, he'd enjoyed being just another guy, not a celebrity.
"Aren't you Sean Rodriguez? The Sean Rodriguez?" They gushed in unison, their eyes wide with excitement.
Sean's nod was curt, his lips compressing into a thin line. He raised his hand, and the bartender slid him another drink, which he downed in one gulp. The girls chattered and giggled, their phones held up like offerings, and Sean's eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched.
He had grown tired of the constant recognition, the endless requests for photos and autographs, the constant scrutiny of his every move. For a brief moment, he had enjoyed the anonymity of being with Camille, who had seemed oblivious to his public persona.
But now, as the girls fawned over him, he felt like he was suffocating under the weight of his own fame. He longed for a normal life, one where he could go to a bar without being mobbed by fans, where he could have a conversation without being interrupted by requests for selfies.
"Who's Sean Rodriguez?" Camille wondered aloud with a confused expression written on her face.
Both Sean and the girls look at her like she has grown two heads. Sean had thought she was too drunk to recognize him but to think that she didn't even know who he was surprised him.
As the girls finally left the bar, Sean felt a sense of relief wash over him. But it was short-lived, as they turned back to him and asked for a few shots, their phones held up like weapons. Sean obliged, his smile tight and forced, feeling like he was trapped in a never-ending cycle of fame and scrutiny.
As he watched them leave, he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to be just another face in the crowd, to be able to go to a bar without being recognized, to be able to live a normal life without the constant weight of his public persona.
"So you're like some big shot?" Camille asked, forcing her gaze on him.
"Nothing of the sort," Sean denied, hoping she wouldn't recoil because of the revelation.
Most women tended to try and please him and often ended up annoying him.
The dimly lit bar was quiet, the only sound the soft hum of jazz music in the background. The air was thick with the smell of whiskey and cigarette smoke.
Camille's eyes were cast down at the floor, her shoulder's slumped in defeat, as she sniffed and wiped her nose with a crumpled tissue.
Sean's concerned gaze was drawn to her, his eyes locking unto hers as he noticed Camille's sudden change in demeanor and asked, "Hey, Camille is everything okay?"
Camille hesitated, moving her eyes up to meet Sean's.
"I can't believe I'm telling you this, Sean. My husband…I mean, my ex-husband he chose my sister over me, his wife." She said, her eyes welling up.
"I thought we had a perfect marriage, but…" she paused clinging to her wedding ring.
She coughed, and Sean handed her a bottle of water his finger brushing against her as she took it, "I'm so sorry", he said, his voice low and gentle.
"I remember this one time, we were at a family dinner, and Cassie was flirting with him right in front of me. I felt like I was invincible."
"I confronted him about it, and he denied it, of course. But I knew what I saw. And then…Cassie denied it too, and my mum supported her." Camille's voice cracked, and Sean's eyes filled with empathy. "I'm so sorry, you must've gone through a lot."
As Camille spoke, Sean's eyes never left hers, his gaze a steady anchor as she poured out her heart.
"You know what the best way to deal with a failed investment is?"
"What?"
"Stop thinking about them."
Camille's gaze fell on him, it wasn't like she had never seen a good looking man before. Compared to the man in front of her, it is way too far. Not to mention that he had a face that would make any woman excited to scream.
A ridiculous thought flashed through her mind.
Staring at the side of his handsome face, she swallowed.
After a pause, she suddenly asked, "What do you think about the man who divorced me?"
Sean lift his eyebrows, "He is a fool to have lost such a rare treasure."
Camille laughed resentfully. Her smile was parts drunkenness and seriousness, her beautiful eyes were like autumn water, and her tone was light, "I think so too."
Just then, Sean noticed a tall, imposing man with a scruffy beard and a menacing glare, his eyes were fixed on them with an unnerving intensity.
Sean felt a jolt of unease. "Who is this guy, and what was is his problem?" Sean wondered, his eyes locked on the man. "And what does he want?" His mind raced with questions, but there was no time to find answers. It was clear from the man's intense gaze that he meant no good.