Red Carpet

Chapter 9 (Final)

And given the odd time of the night he was strolling by at, Locke wasn't surprised by their alarmed faces. But he had one goal. And that was to find Keeye.

Locke turned to his right, slipping into another inner road. He could hear the faint sound of the waves. The night sky was clear, dotted with millions of stars and a beautiful clear, crescent moon.

The mansion getting into view on his left was huge, just like the others he had passed by. The wall was built high making only the top floor and the terrace visible. He paused in front of the huge gate.

He lingered for a minute longer than required, causing the guard to walk up to him.

'Sir, Can I help you with something?'

Locke sighed. 'Is this Mr. Keeye's residence?'

'I'm sorry sir, I can't provide you that information,'

'If it is, please let him know that Locke is here to see him,'

'Will do,' the guard replied, an obvious lie. 'The owner's not home anyway,'

Another lie to ensure the suspicious guest didn't cause a scene. Locke took that as his cue, wished the guard a good night and walked away.

This was the tenth house he had requested. He was sure it was all futile. He already realized that when the cab dropped him off at the bar. And now, he no longer had any hope to cling to. But instead of walking back to the bar, he walked towards the sea. For what he needed right now was not a drink but some ocean air to clear his mind.

The inner road he was walking on soon joined the main road next to the beach. Locke crossed it and finally felt the sand under his feet. The growing sound of the waves somehow comforted him. He didn't expect anyone at the beach at this hour but surprisingly he did find few.

A group of friends were having a bonfire party. Locke didn't need to go closer to them to know they were drunk and high.

He walked away from them and found a spot. Not too close to the waves but close enough to feel the rising ocean tide. He slumped into the ground.

As he sat there cross legged, listening to the waves, his head in his hands, he couldn't help but think of the ending scene from Falling for Dawn.

Dawn and Hunter defy all odds, fight through and end up together. The perfect happy ending.

The irony of it. In real life, he was going to lose Keeye. Even as a friend. His worst nightmare was now a reality.

The waves got louder and stronger, eating up more of the shore with every attempt. It was only when they reached up to Locke's feet did he realize that he'd been sitting in this isolation for longer than he had intended to.

He slowly got to his feet and walked back, barely bothering to dust off the sand from his clothes.

He passed by the dying bonfire, the party-ers long gone. He was almost at the main road when he heard a voice call out from behind him, to his right.

'Locke? Locke!'

Locke responded, turning to the source. Even under the faint moonlight, he could recognize the silhouette.

'Keeye?'

The man was trying his best to jog up to him in the sand.

It was Keeye alright. He had a navy blue hoodie on and black tracks. His dark hair with blonde highlights, the color he had retained even after shooting and promotions ended and grown out, looked darker under the light, the highlights barely visible. As he got closer, the street light from the main road illuminated his face.