Category : Stories

Sub Category : YoungAdult

Part 3
"Divas delivered a good performance last night. Though vocals are not their strong suit, they put up a pretty decent show." 
"Divas are brave to take on the challenge. Not exactly powerhouse material, but I applaud their bravery." 
Sheila was checking out the reviews after last night's "Sing Off Vaganza" competition held by a local TV station. She, along with two out of four of her former girl group members were invited to participate in the competition. This competition was the first that was held to bring back singers who had been out of the music scene after having launched their music career in the past. It was a great way to relaunch their career in the music industry to see their relevance in the present market. 
Sheila, Amy, Lisa, Jenny and Wendy were first discovered when they were 18 by a music producer who was looking to put together an all girl singing group. All five tried out for the audition and succeeded in making the cut. They were then put together and given vocal training so their vocals would blend together. Back then it was the trend. Record labels were out looking to manufacture girlband or boyband that would be the talk of the town; an idea they got after seeing the success of New Kids On The Block and The Spice Girls. Sheila and her band mates were named "Divas" by their record label, a name which they hoped would draw attention. 
It was twenty years ago when Divas first launched their career as a group. The group stayed together for three years before they disbanded and went their separate ways. Over the years, all five of them had gotten married, had kids and all five went through painful divorce. Each of them did their own thing and Sheila was the only one who had stayed on in the entertainment industry. She got into modelling which then opened the door for acting and with her own hard earned money and the help of her friends in the music industry, she managed to produce her first solo album in Jakarta nine years ago. It was a daring attempt on her part but unfortunately the sales of her album did not reach her expectations. 
Last year she decided to try to relaunch her solo career by doing a revival of her solo album. She seeked help from her friends once again and Noah had agreed to help produce new arrangements for her existing songs from that album and help promote her first single on radio. She managed to get a team who agreed to produce her music video for her single and everything seemed to be falling into place. 
With her celebrity status, she made sure she is active in the public eye. She updates her social media daily about everything that goes on in her life; career-wise as well as her personal life. She used her social media to promote herself and her up and coming single and music video. In between, she was doing fashion shows, showing up at fashion events and accepted hosting gigs on TV. For Sheila, the glamorous life of a celebrity had been all she had dreamed of since she was a little girl. 
"Hey, what's with the frown? After last night's performance and all the good reviews, you should be over the moon."
Sheila was sitting in a dressing room being primmed and groomed by Fazz and Ridz, the make up artist and hairstylist. She was getting ready for another fashion shoot and to keep her company was the ever faithful Alex, a self-produced singer. She looked up from her phone towards Alex. She tried to smile but she really felt like crying. 
"I still haven't heard from Noah," she said tearfully. "It has been six months. He hasn't responded to any of my texts or  take my calls. I was hoping he would say something cause I'm sure he's read the reviews."
"Maybe he's busy," Alex said, in way of trying to console her. 
Sheila rolled her eyes. "Busy? Too busy to answer his phone? Too busy to type Hi or to click on an emoji? Come on, Alex, nobody is that busy, not even me!"
Alex did not respond. He was torn between feeling sorry for Sheila and feeling glad that Noah had removed himself from the picture. 
Alex had been spending a lot of time with Sheila for the past year even back when Sheila and Noah were still an item. They were introduced by a mutual friend at an event and from the first time he laid his eyes on her he was hooked. He had just gotten out of a relationship back then and was nursing his broken heart. He took the breakup very badly and he felt he was never going to get over his ex-girlfriend. But as soon as he met Sheila he fell hard for her. Only problem, Sheila was with Noah. Being realistic with himself, he knew he could never compete with Noah in the looks department. Sheila and Noah together are like Barbie and Ken, a handsome looking couple. He knew Sheila was out of his league especially when she made it clear that she would never date a guy younger than her but still, he harboured hope. 
Through their mutual friend Buddy, he learned as much as he could about Sheila. It was also through Buddy that he learned about Sheila and Noah's turbulent relationship. In the quiet, he began plotting his strategy to win her over. Over the course of time, he had witnessed quarrels and fights between Sheila and Noah. He would always make sure that he was there to comfort her. He made it a point to make himself available to her anytime she needed company or anytime she needed anything. And when Noah broke things off between them, he was quick to be there by her side to comfort and console her. He has been playing his cards right for he has now become Sheila's constant companion. How Sheila used to post pictures on her social media of her and Noah around town doing things together, she is now posting pictures of the two of them all over her social media. So much so, rumours have been going around that he and Sheila are now an item. Secretly, he is very happy about the rumours but unfortunately, Sheila has been trying her best to squash them. 
"Why is he doing this to me, Alex? Why is he hurting me?"
Her whinning voice woke him from his reverie. He felt irritated and annoyed. He felt like he was in competition with a ghost. He had to do something to make her forget Noah and focus on him instead. But what? 
"I didn't want to say anything to you but I feel I must," he said, carefully. 
"What? Tell me."
The bait has been placed. Now he needs to make sure that he plays it right. He didn't respond right away as he wanted her to be really curious. 
"Quit stalling, Alex! What do you want to tell me?"
Alex took a deep breath for dramatic effect as he worked his brain. He could feel her curiosity and her anxiety which almost made him smile. 
"I heard from some very reliable resources that Noah has been seeing Feira. In fact, my source told me that the two of them have been spotted together in a few places. And from what I was told, it seems like they are now together."
He held his breath as he waited for Sheila's reaction. There was none. She didn't say a word. She didn't have to as the look on her face said it all. 
"I'm sorry, Sheila." he said apologetically as he reached out for her hand. 
Sheila was shocked to hear the news. She doesn't know Feira personally but she knows of her existence. She had heard Feira's name mentioned by Noah's close friends in a few occasions in the past. In fact, she had even asked Noah about Feira but he was very evasive and didn't give away anything much. All she knew about Feira was that she was a writer and a Film Producer. And according to what she had heard from Noah's friends, Feira was an extraordinary woman. 
Her heart sank when she heard the news. If it had been any other girl she wouldn't be so worried as she knows she could easily pull Noah away from them. But Feira? Noah had once told her that Feira is and had always been a huge influence on him. How the hell is she going to pull him away from her?
Later that night after the photo shoot was over, Alex took her for dinner at her favourite restaurant. She was exhausted and her mood was down. Even during the photo shoot she could barely concentrate as her mind was trying to process what Alex had told her. She wanted to call Noah so badly to confirm the news but at the same time she was afraid to hear him confirm it. She kept wishing that it wasn't true, that Alex's source had got it wrong but she couldn't shake the sinking feeling in her stomach that there is a high possibility it could be true. 
All throughout dinner the news kept replaying in her mind that she wasn't able to enjoy her food or Alex's company. Alex was chatting away, cracking jokes to try to make her laugh but somehow all his attempts were not working. She couldn't wait to go home. She needed to be alone to process the news privately. Right after they finished their dinner she called for the bill. 
Sheila was very quiet on the drive home. She seemed deep in thoughts and Alex could guess why. Part of him regretted telling her those lies but the other part of him felt victorious. He hopes that it will finally shake Sheila to her senses, that she would finally let go of Noah so that he can work his way in to fill Noah's spot. It irritated him to no end to see that Sheila was still hung up on Noah but he knew now is the time where he needs to play his cards right. All throughout the day he had played the attentive and caring friend towards Sheila. He never once left her side. He wanted her to see how he could be a good match for her. He wanted her to see that he is far more better suited for her than Noah. He knows it is a long shot but he is willing to do whatever it takes to eliminate Noah from her mind. He thought the bait he had thrown was perfect because he could see clearly in her demeanour that the seed of doubt has been planted in her mind. He smiled inwardly as he drove towards Sheila's house. 
When Sheila reached her home, the house was quiet. She went up to her son's room to check on him and found him fast asleep. After kissing him and covering him with blanket she went to check on her mother. Her mother was fast asleep too. She then went to her room to prepare for bed. 
After a quick shower, she climbed on her bed and switched off her night lamp. Her body was tired but her mind was on overdrive. She kept replaying the news in her head to try to make sense of things. She didn't want to believe what Alex told her about Feira and Noah. She couldn't accept the thought that she could have lost Noah for good. She felt restless. She tossed and turned in bed trying to find a comfortable position but she couldn't. Finally she sat up, turned on her night lamp and grabbed her phone. The time showed it was two o'clock in the morning. Is Noah still awake? Is he at home? Or is he with Feira? Before she could stop herself, she had scrolled through her phone to his name and pressed call. She held her breath as she waited to hear his voice on the other end. The ringing tone seemed to go on forever until it finally went to voicemail. With a sinking heart, she ended the call without leaving a message.
She turned off her night lamp and laid in the dark. She was too exhausted to sleep. She tried to shut her mind but it was pointless. 
She began to recall the last day she saw Noah. They had gone to watch a premiere of a movie together along with Buddy and some other mutual friends. She recalled how Noah was a lot quieter than usual, how he seemed preoccupied in his thoughts. What was he thinking about at that time, she wondered. 
She then recalled how he kept checking his phone the whole time he was with her. Was he expecting a call or a text from someone? If he was, who was it? Could it have been Feira? 
Her stomach began to twist in knots. She tried harder to jog her memory to that day. She recalled how happy he looked after receiving a phone call later that night and how aloof he was when the time came for them to part ways. He seemed eager to call it a night, too eager, in fact. Like as if he couldn't wait to get away from her. But why? 
Her thoughts then recalled the many times they had argued and fought. The words she had said to him in the heat of anger. She recalled seeing the hurt in his eyes when she lashed out at him as he walked away. She thought about the many times she had told him she wanted to break up after a fight and the times where she had ignored his calls and texts when he tried to patch things up. She remembered the times where she had belittled him in front of her friends, making him feel small and insignificant. And she remembered the times where she had made her play on him to coax him back into her life when she was done sulking and pouting. 
Time and time again he had told her to show him some respect and not push him to the edge but she never took him seriously. She was so sure of herself, so sure she had him wrapped around her little finger. So sure that she would always have him. Until now. 
Now she's not sure anymore. Had she gone too far? Had she pushed him over the edge, into Feira's waiting arms? Had she really lost him for good? 
The night was still, as still as her heart. She didn't want to accept the possibility that she might have lost Noah for good but the pounding of her heart was telling her that she might already have. 
Silent tears rolled down her face. Guilt and regret welled up in her heart. She wanted to wail at the top of her voice because she knew. She knew she had no one to blame but herself. She knew she had treated him like dirt and yet expected him to accept it and stick around. She knew she was wrong to think so highly of herself, to think that no man in his right mind could ever resist her. She knew she had gone too far. She knew she had tested his patience and played with his emotions. She sobbed, heart wrenching sobs of regret and despair. 
"I'm sorry, Noah," she sobbed. "Please forgive me. Please come back."