AYAN
Walking into the office side by side, I could feel the intense stares and the hushed whispers. My knees are shaking and I fear I was going to topple over if not for Sand who kept his tight grip on my waist, not even flinching or faltering with the attention. Drawing strength from his determination, I made sure my CEO mask was in place before Sand and I opened the door to the meeting room.
The PR team and the marketing team are all in here with the heads of all other departments. Thua stood up, giving up the place he previously occupied to me and he stood by my side. His expression was grave but his eyes let me know he was going to be supportive of me. Sand took his seat beside his manager who had the same grim expression but no one dared to say the first words in my presence.
The day was long and I was terribly exhausted by the end of it. The press conference had been arranged and the PR team worked hard to try to dissuade the negative reactions as much as they could. Sand had taken it upon himself to order food and coffee for everyone and he tried to stay calm through it all, reviewing with the legal team all his subsisting contracts and coming up with possible solutions.
I've been fending off the disgruntled investors and have gritted my teeth and stopped myself from cursing at the old ones who used my age as a reason to blame for my chaotic personal life. The disapproval dripped from their tones but I managed to convince them to give us three days to do some damage control before they make hasty decisions. I'm not afraid for myself but I don't want the company that my mom had built to crumble because of my choices. There are hundreds of employees whose livelihood is at stake here.
"Talk to me Aye," Thua stood beside me in my office as I looked down, the employees still buzzing around despite it being after office hours.
"Maybe we have to prepare for the inevitable possibility that I have to step down Thua. Would you be willing to take over my position if that happens? I want someone I can trust to run my mother's company, not some stranger. I know you'd continue it the way I've always envisioned," I said softly.
"I will for you if you need me to Aye but are you sure this is the right choice for you? You still have a chance to change your mind. Is it worth it?" He gently queried.
I looked down at Sand sitting still with his manager in the meeting room listening intently to the lawyers. The glass walls allowed me a perfect view of the handsome but stoic face.
"He is worth it. I can't let him down, Thua. Look at him sitting through all this, not even caring what will happen to his career," I replied through the pain in my heart for the man who is throwing away his good life to stay by my side.
"So are you, Ayan. This is your mother's legacy. Whether you like to admit it or not, you are a talented businessman. You were meant to run this company. But you are willing to hand it to me just to stay by his side," Thua responded.
"Isn't that what love is supposed to be?" I asked him.
"Maybe it is. Khan and I had our share of struggles. His family had been really difficult in the beginning. Just hang in there," Thua held my shoulders.
"I was so afraid to ruin his life like I did Akk's back then but I also regretted a lot not being by his side all through those years of struggles. I want to stay by Sand's side this time and let him know I'll be there with him all the way," I softly whispered.
Just then as if summoned by my grave words, my phone started ringing and it was Akk. He must have heard the news already. Thua nodded and left me alone as I answered the call.
"Aye are you alright? I was so busy in the office the whole day I had no idea what was happening until I got home and scrolled social media," Akk hurriedly inquired.
"Not really, but I think I have to live through it, Akk," I answered him, my voice breaking at some point that I heard Akk worriedly exhale on the other line.
"You are always so strong, Ayan. You can move past this one too," he tenderly said.
"If we could go back in time, would you have wanted me to stay with you even if the world hated us?" I questioned.
"Yes Ayan. My impulsive decision to let you go was the greatest regret of my life. You can't imagine how many times I've wished I did things differently. You got your second chance now, don't let go even if Sand will tell you to go," Akk replied honestly.
"That's the thing Akk. He told me he is never letting go," I murmured.
"He is a better person than I am in all ways then. Let me tell you at this age now I would have done the same. Let my age be my excuse for being such a coward back then, eh?" Akk said lightly and I couldn't help but laugh. This really sounded like sibling rivalry. The need to not be bested by the other.
"Alright if you say so," I said, chuckling.
"How is he by the way? I wanted to call him too but I realized we always talked through your number," Akk said.
"He's discussing legal stuff with the company lawyers," I told him.
"If there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to call me, alright?" Akk offered.
"Of course. Thank you Akk, I'll let him know," I mumbled.
"Aye, Gai wants to know if there's anything you need right now?" He inquired after I hear Gaipa's meek question in the background.
"Not at the moment but I'll let you both know. Thank you Akk and let Gaipa know I appreciate your support. I better go now, I think Sand is done with the lawyers," I smiled knowing I've got good people surrounding me. Khan and Wat had also called this morning. They said they were just a call away.
I heard Sand talking to Boston and Nick this morning, glad to know Sand has got a support system on his side. Even P'Yo had called and let us know he and Plug are supportive of us.
Stepping down from my office, my heart was pained looking at Sand's exhausted face. So worried for him in fact that uncaring of the few employees still around, I went to hug Sand tightly. He gratefully embraced me back, kissing my temple and caressing my back in assurance. The employees seeing the scene felt themselves melting with the sight of two lovers fighting to stay together. I suppose we are luckier than most people, we have the resources to fight through this and we have a good team to make sure our fall will be cushioned as much as possible.
SAND
Last night, Aye had been listless and he had slept pitifully. I could tell he was nervous and apprehensive. I held him tightly trying to make him feel that everything will be alright.
If the worst comes to worst and I had to pay off the breached contracts, I've calculated that I'd be left with just a little over a million or 2 from my savings. Barely enough to put up a small business but I guess that'll do rather than really be on the negative. This knowledge had left me somewhat more confident that no matter what happens, I can stand by my decision to fight for Aye and I's relationship.
After reading a few of the mean comments online, I've resolved never to look at social media again for the time being. In the ideal world, I'd just be a musician who liked to sing and write songs and the listeners would appreciate it and leave my personal life alone. But it's not the ideal world. Fans place a great importance on the visuals, the single status of artists gives them the fantasy that there's a possibility of dating them in real life and talent comes only third or fourth in the requirement to being a popular artist. Sometimes, the fans forgets that we are human too, capable of feelings and also weak to love.
Now sitting side by side, as the press conference is about to start, I clutched Aye's hand under the table. We are drawing and sharing strength with each other. The flashes of cameras almost blinding and the buzzing sounds and murmurs of the crowd adding to our already frayed nerves.
The PR director spoke to the microphone that the press conference is about to start and that we will only be entertaining questions after we complete our statement.
"Hello Everyone, I'm Sand, a musician. Recently, intimate and private photos of me and our CEO, Ayan had been, without permission, taken and uploaded online; breaching our right to privacy. First off, let me just say that we are taking legal steps towards the photographer and the uploader because we can't let incidents like this go. We have to set a precedent to other paparazzis that it is never okay to violate the privacy of any artists. This is very wrong and is punishable by law. You have taken unauthorized photos in our home and that makes me angrier because if we aren't safe at home, where else would we be safe?
As for the relationship between President Ayan and I, we would like to set the records straight once and for all. I was signed into the company by the late CEO and Ayan's mother before he came home from the US and before I met him. I was already an artist under The Eclipse Record when President Ayan took over the position but we haven't met each other yet. Ayan and I met as two strangers working as bar singers in YOLO, a bar owned and run by a good friend of mine. A lot of witnesses and evidence are available for anyone to confirm this fact. I had continued to play there since my career was yet to take off and the preparations had been delayed for a bit due to the CEO's sudden passing. Ayan on the other hand just wanted to continue to sing like he had done in the US. We met and fell in love before we found out the truth about each other. The year end ball last year was the first time we realized who we were but by then, we were already in too deep to ever be able to stay away. So to correct the misconceptions- Ayan didn't let our relationship influence his decision to make me famous because he wasn't the one who signed me up and my career path had already been decided long before he took over. Furthermore, from the start of my career I had been honest to say that I am bisexual. I am dating a man I love. This is not about anything else but love.
As for the question of why we were trying to hide it, to be honest we weren't really. We are just naturally low key people who prefer the comforts of home over the noise outside. But if you will be able to see photos in our friend's private accounts, you'll see us in all of them not really trying to hide anything. We just didn't like doing anything outlandish.
So again, yes, President Ayan and I are in a relationship and we had tried to keep our personal affairs safely away from the public eye simply because we'd rather not deal with all the attention it was bound to elicit. That being said, we sincerely hope that everyone will be understanding towards our desire to remain private and we urge for your support. It's a good time for us to remind each other that Love is love and we all should be allowed to freely choose who we want to love. No one should be shamed, bullied or forced to hide their hearts in fear of judgment and discrimination.
Ayan and I are in love with each other and we hope that our choice will be supported and if not, at least respected. Thank you."
The whole room was quiet after I ended my statement, effectively rendering the crowd speechless. They were expecting anything but an outright admission of our relationship it seems.
Ayan and I stood up together, our hands intertwined, finally showing to the crowd that we had been holding each other from the beginning and we'll continue to hold each other's hand until the end.