The cameras flashed one after another and the people bustled as Florence made her way to the stage. Sadya naman talagang nakakabighani ang manunulat bukod sa kanyang mga obra.
"Florence! Florence!" hiyaw ng mga fans at reporters na nais makakuha ng magandang litrato niya.
Sa bawat ngiti at kaway ni Florence ay lalong dumadami ang nakakasilaw na flash ng mga camera at lalong mas lumalakas ang hiyawan.
"Grabe naman talaga ang energy na dala ng ating highlight of the day! Everyone, please welcome, the Interstellar author!" pagpapakilala ng emcee sa kanya sa madla at muli, mas malakas pa ang hiyawan.
Interstellar. Her pen name.
It might've been true that she travelled the stars and made stories about them that led to her fame at this very moment.
"Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Florence and I am also known as Interstellar. I am very honored to be here today for a special book signing event of my newly published book called Letters from Andromeda. I'm excited to answer your questions about the book so let's get right into it," Florence made her opening remarks and as soon as she finished talking, everyone expressed their excitement as well. A little too much.
"You heard her. Let's get right into it. Before we proceed with the book signing, we will start with a little press conference first. To our reporters, do you have any questions for Interstellar?" the emcee kept the event flow going.
Sunod-sunod namang nagtaasan ng kamay ang mga reporters na nakaupo sa harapan. Tumuro ang emcee ng isang reporter para magsalita.
"Reporter Kim Martinez from BFC News Outlet. Miss Florence, you're in the growing part of your career and it has been triumphant for you ever since your book debut. Can you tell us what's next for you?" the reporter asked.
It was a simple question for Florence and she's confident to answer.
"Indeed, it's been a successful career, so far. What's next, you asked? Well, siguro since kakapublish lang ng Letter from Andromeda which is a year and a half ko rin sinulat, giving the book has approximately 650 pages and 70 chapters, I think what's next for me is a short time-out from writing. A mini-vacation. But don't worry, I won't go anywhere. Nasa bahay lang ako, natutulog. Or maybe a little outing din with friends. I will still be active on my social media accounts to keep up with events in my life," pagsagot ni Florence ng may konting biro.
It's true that she's taking a short break from writing. She hasn't done anything interesting in her life ever since she started writing her latest book. She had to be way advanced than the deadline.
"Next," sabay turo ng emcee sa sunod na reporter.
"Reporter Sheena Magdaez from Journalists Group. Is there any set date when will you be back from your hiatus, Ms. Florence?" tanong ng reporter.
"It'll be a surprise," Florence shortly answered.
The crowd made a sad cheer when they realized it won't be sure that she will come back.
"Oh, don't be sad, everyone. You can hold on to my words. I will come back for sure. Ito lang pinagkakakitaan ko eh," another sarcasm from the author that made everyone chuckle.
The crowd's reaction entertained her. She appreciate people who appreciate her works kaya't hindi na nakakapagtaka na komportable ang pakikisama niya sa kanyang mga tagahanga.
"Now that's the real side of Interstellar. She's the only one who can make fun of her own career. But, for our last question, let's get real. I'll be asking this question and I'm sure gusto rin itong itanong ng mga fans. Ready? Here it is. Florence... is there someone romantic in your life right now?" tanong ng emcee na may pang-asar na ngiti sa kanyang labi. Natawa naman si Florence sa tanong dahil 'di niya ito inaasahan.
Seriously?
"Hoy, ano ba yan," kunyareng nahihiyang tugon ni Florence sa tanong. Napahiyaw ang madla sa pag-aakalang may kinakasama na siya ngayon.
The signal was too mixed for them that they only interpreted what they wanted to know.
But no. There is no one romantic in her life right now.
"No, everyone. I'm just joking. Romantic partner? Wala eh. Study first muna ako- char. But seriously, wala talaga. I'd like to try having one, though. Baka may irereto kayo?" she continued to mess around. Everyone was entertained by her small comedies. It wasn't very hilarious but it was her humor and everyone loved that.
"Reto? Girl, everyone here knows how many actors named you as their public figure crush. Are you saying you turned them all down?" the emcee was so into the interview that she started asking more intriguing questions.
Florence was clueless at what the emcee just said. Her? Actors, plural, crush on her? No one hit her DMs up. How could it be?
And then it made sense.
They used her name for clout.
"Mga beh wag kayong ganyan. Yayabang na ako nito," pagbibiro niya pa para maiwasan ang tanong.
"Then, everyone. We will never know if she indeed has no relationship to reveal. With that said, our mini interview ends here and we will now proceed with the book signing," the emcee announced and everyone prepared for the book signing.
The staff prepared line barriers, tables, and chairs. The book signing started and Florence greeted the fans with a big smile and warm words. She also wrote kind and sweet notes behind the books' covers to show her sincerity about the event. Mukang matatagalan pa bago matapos ang araw and she's trying to enjoy it as much as possible. She's hoping she'd get a very nice rest once she gets home.
Habang nasa kalagitnaan ng pagpirma, may naramdamang kakaiba si Florence na para bang may nakamasid sa kanya at nang tumingala siya sa kaharap niyang nagmamay-ari ng librong pinipirmahan niya ay bigla siyang kinilabutan.
The stare wasn't something that can be easily forgotten. It's haunting.
Florence still managed to smile at him and thank him for coming to the book signing. The man didn't reply but he still kept on looking and his breath were heavy.
He slowly walked away from the line, almost hesitantly but good thing the staff were able to remove him.
The chills in Florence's body didn't go away immediately. Those moments in seconds was a horror for a short while. Still, Florence thought she shouldn't think bad about people so quickly. What if ganoon lang talaga siya makatingin at huminga?
Eventually, Florence decided to brush it off but the chilling sensation stayed for a while.
YOU ARE READING
Street Lights and Starry Night
General FictionFlorence left all of her unfortunate events in life in the past. She's moving on forward. But what could go wrong in a perfect life, perfect fame, perfect story, of a writer's journey with a painter housemate called Von?
