Chapter 6

N O E L L E

Continuation…

I fix my cap and quickly run away from them. They are calling Maxwell’s name as I run for my life. Damn it! They are fast! I entered the department store to hide, but they eventually found me.

I run to the exit, and I take the escalator going to the second floor. “Maxwell!” Those girls shout while following me. I notice the reporters are fewer than earlier. I guess they got tired and let me go, but these girls are indeed persistent. Aren’t they full of energy?

I hope I have already given him enough time to escape. Stalling these reporters and fans of him is exhausting and exciting indeed. I am panting when I reach the ground floor. I am aiming for the exit door to leave the place. “Maxwell!” I startle when a few reporters suddenly appear near the exit.

Shit! They are still here?! I stop and turn my back on them to change my course, but I find his fans blocking my way. I’m doom! What should I do now? I need to escape from them!

I am about to walk past the reporters when someone grabs my arm and pulls me back inside the mall. We quickly run as we pass through Maxwell’s fans. My eyes widen in disbelief when I realize it is Maxwell who pulls me back. “What are you doing?! Why are you still here?!” I ask hysterically.

“I can’t leave you alone! Those reporters would knock you down using their cameras, so it’s better this way.” He answers. I look over my shoulder and got shocked when I see the reporters following us. They are even taking photos of us. Shit!

“They are still after us!” I inform him. He did not answer until we reached the elevator, and luckily, it was open, and we hurriedly got in. He quickly pushed the close button, leaving the reporters and his fans outside. He hits the basement level button, and in a few seconds, the elevator opens. We are in a parking lot.

He grabs my hand and pulls me towards his car. “Get in, quickly.” He said, and I nodded, but before I could move, a few of the reporters suddenly appeared. I am shocked by their sudden appearance, making me freeze on my track as they keep on taking photos of Maxwell and me.

“Fuck!” I hear Maxwell curses as he blocks the view using his body. “Get in, Noelle!” I quickly get in the car, and he follows shortly. Those reporters were still taking pictures until we exited the parking lot of the mall. “Are you alright!?” Maxwell shouts as he checks my appearance. “Did they hurt you?!”

I shake my head. “No. I am just shocked with how aggressive they are.” I say as I place my hand over my chest to calm myself down. Those monsters gave me the excitement that I wanted.

“Why did you do that?! You should’ve left and made me do what we planned! You wasted all my efforts just to lure those monsters! How about your one-day freedom?” I shout at him after a few seconds, releasing my frustration after my adventure.

I look at him in disbelief when I hear his laughs. “It’s the most exciting and thrilling one-day freedom that I have ever experienced so far.” He exclaims. “You made this day worth living for, Noelle. Thank you for helping me.”

“I want a burger, fries, large size coke, pizza, and an ice cream.” I enumerate, and that makes him laugh. “I’m serious! I got hungry after all those running, hiding, and escaping.”

“Let’s buy those foods then.” He says before he turns the radio on.

Shit! I’m beat!

We went to two different stores to buy the foods I mentioned. Maxwell wants to eat outside, so we are now in an open field. It's an area with an overlooking city view. The view of the city lights is mesmerizing to watch, it’s a perfect spot to relax.

“I like your car,” I say as I stare at his car. It’s black and highly tinted. It looks cool, big and very manly.

“It’s a Jeep Wrangler. I bought it using my talent fee from my first album.” He says while eating a burger and fries. He looks proud of his car.

“How old were you when you started your career?” I ask as I divert my attention to the city lights.

“I started as a singer when I was fifteen years old, and then I started appearing on TV series and movies when I was seventeen years old. It’s not a major role, but at least I experienced being an actor.” He says as he chuckles. “You’re a college student, right? What course are you taking up?”

“Biology. It’s my pre-med course.” He suddenly stops and looks at me in disbelief. “What?” I ask.

“You want to be a doctor?” He asks while looking at me with wide eyes.

I nod. “I want to be a neurosurgeon, to be exact. Why? How about you?”

He looks at me from head to toe without changing his facial expression. “It doesn’t suit you.”

“Damn you.” I quickly counter before he laughs. “It’s not about if it suits me or not, okay? It’s my willingness and desire to achieve my dream.”

He stops laughing and smiles at me. “You’re such an angel.” He comments. “I am taking up Chemistry.” My eyes automatically widened in shock. He chuckles at my reaction. “What? Don’t look at me like that.”

“Bastard. You want to become a doctor too?!” I yell.

He shakes his head while chuckling. “I am not sure yet. I can be a chemist or a doctor in the future, but what I am sure is I can’t stay in this industry.”

I nod in agreement. “I am amazed how you can still manage to go to school despite your hectic schedule being an artist. Not to mention your back-breaking chosen course.” I look at him with a serious face. “Don’t you regret what happen to your one-day freedom?”

He smiles while shaking his head. “Today is the most exciting and enjoyable one-day freedom I have so far.” He says that makes my eyebrows knit together in confusion. “I hope to see you at school tomorrow.”

My confusion turned into annoyance. “I hope not,” I say, which makes him laugh.

That’s how Maxwell and I met. I can’t believe I became friends with the famous singer. We always hang out together at school. He often visits me at the coffee shop where I was working. He frequently asks me to go out with him. He always got my back. He understands and treats me well.

He’s the best guy, and I only realized it when it was too late.