The Public Eye

Chapter 3

Lola's POV

I've been rehearsing for an entire month for James's birthday and today is the day. I'm a little bit nervous but at the same time I'm sure everything is going to be okay. Tonight I'm seeing Rebecca too for sure because it's her dad's birthday. I still think about her, we've been chatting by message and video calling all of this time since we followed each other on Photogram after we met at the golf match and I'm starting to have feelings for her.

At one o'clock we do the last rehearsal before we go to the place of the event and we finish rehearsing around 4 pm. After that, me and the band get ready to go to the party room.

We arrived at the place two hours before the party started and there was no one there yet. Only James and his wife were there and they were the first ones to greet us. starts putting instruments James' , Amanda, takes .

When I go backstage I find Rebecca with another girl who looks like her. I guess it's her sister. When Rebecca sees me, she puts out a big smile, greets me with a hug and introduces me to her sister. "She's Daphne, my sister". I greet her and she and Rebecca leave backstage to let me get ready more quietly. "See you later girls" I told them and closed the door. I touch up my make-up a little and adjust my clothes a bit too backstage. When it's time to come out to the stage one of the members of the band knocks on the backstage door to tell me that we have to do the show. I come out to the stage and the concert starts.

The stage was in front and near the tables, which were round. tables closest was singing James, Amanda, Rebecca, Daphne, ' . While I was doing my job as an artist,

she made eye contact with me and I laughed a little and looked away while singing. Inside of me I thought "My god, what a pretty look this girl has". I felt butterflies in my stomach and my hands were sweating from how nervous that beautiful look made me. My heart is rushing.

When I finish doing my job, the Johnson family takes a photo with me and the band. Then James offered me to stay in the party and I said yes and thanked him. Rebecca approaches the table where I was sitting with my band to offer me a drink and we start chatting. One of the band members offered her a chair that was outside my table so she could sit next to me. "You did it so well Lola. I loved how you sang... You look beautiful". When she says that to me, I feel butterflies in my stomach again and I caress my abdomen so that nervous pain goes away while I laugh "Haha, thank you. You look beautiful too. I love your dress". She was wearing a lilac dress that reached to her knees with white platform shoes. I was wearing a green outfit of a blazer with short and black platform shoes.

Minutes later I went to the restroom where no one was there. It had warm lights with a cottage environment so it was a little dark. When I open the door after using the toilet I see Rebecca waiting to enter where I used the toilet because in the first toilet there was no toilet paper and the third one was clogged. She was fixing her hair in front of the mirror. "You can use this one, it has toilet paper and it's not clogged" I said with a smile. She smiles too with a "yeah thanks". While she was using the second paper, I washed my hands, fixed my hair and the lipstick I was wearing and had one in my purse. Rebecca comes out from using that toilet, washes her hands and looks at me with a little smile as I was fixing myself. I look at her smiling too and she turns her head to the other way, blushing with a giggle and her head bowed. I tell her "Haha you made me a pretty look, don't be ashamed" and she responds "I'm a little shy Lola, what I did was shameful. I'm sorry " "Rebecca, don't say sorry and it didn't seem shameful to me. It seemed very cute to me. I'm serious".

She raises her head again and gives me that beautiful look but getting closer to me. I get closer a little to her too and my heart races again. We turned our heads a little to kiss each other but suddenly we heard footsteps near the bathroom, we both walked away quickly and pretended that we were adjusting our hair and clothes. Amanda opens the restroom door. Luckily she didn't see us almost kiss. "Oh! You are here girls!" she says with a smile "Yeah mom" and Rebecca sighs with a fake laugh. "Oh Lola, you've been fantastic on stage. My husband and I loved your show. You are always with a good charisma" Amanda tells me touching my hand with joy. "Thank you Mrs. Johnson. I'm very glad you liked it".

After that conversation me and Rebecca leave the restroom and return to the table. Daphne had taken Rebecca's chair and she had taken her younger sister's chair. It's time to blow out the candles and everyone comes over to take photos with their phones and the photographer stands in front of James to also take photos while he blows out the candles and everyone sings happy birthday to him. Me and my band were behind everyone and from there I saw how the Johnson family enjoyed that moment when they hugged each other with joy for the photo with the birthday cake. I see a very united and happy family.

I wish I had a happy and united family. Seeing them together and happy, memories come to mind when I blew out the candles on my birthdays with my parents when they used to be together and in love.

My parents got divorced two years after I got adopted. I had a very bad time at first when I had to go with my father to another house and separate from my mother. My dad took custody of me when I was a minor and I visited my mom on weekends. A year later I was able to get used to my parents' divorce but it still hurted me a little and today it still hurts me sometimes. There were several birthdays where I only celebrated with my dad (because I get along better with him) and my mom wasn't next to me when I blew out the candles with my dad and his family except when I did my 15th birthday party with my mom and dad's families and highschool friends. That night I blew out the candle number 15 together with my divorced parents, I felt like they were together and they never got divorced. In that party I forgot my issue with my parent's separation for one night and I enjoyed a lot with the guests. My dad and my mom, although they no longer loved each other, still got together for the party because they did it for me and for one of the most important moments of my life as a Latin American teenager.

After James had taken photos with all the guests as he blew out the candles, he offered me and the band to take a photo with him. We said yes and were the last to take a photo with the birthday protagonist before cutting the cake.

A while later the birthday ends and I say goodbye to the Johnsons. Rebecca and I hug goodbye and when I hug her my heart beats a little faster and my body gets warmer. I feel a lot of things for her. I really like her.

I get in the car with the band and the guitarist, Josh, asks me "Lola, I'm asking you by chance, why were you looking at James's eldest daughter a lot? You like her?" and the rest of the band make a "Uhhhh" with laughter. I get along very well with the band as if they were my friends and we trust each other. I got nervous and my heart almost stopped when he asked me that. "I wasn't looking at her, Josh. What are you saying?" I tell him. "Oh Lola, don't tell lies, you looked at her almost all the time." Josh started to pressure me to tell him that I like her and then I no longer like the jokes he made to me: "Josh, I don't like her, stop saying stupid things!" I exclaimed firmly and everyone stayed silent. I had to lie to him because I don't want to expose so much of what I like to people. When I was dating my ex-boyfriend, I didn't tell anyone that I liked him until the relationship became official. I would prefer to tell people that I have a partner when I am officially dating someone.