Secret Love Affair

I went to my mom's fashion show last night. Arabella, Lena and Mina were invited but I couldn't spend much time with them because I was needed on the carpet. It was fun. I got to hang with celebs, drink expensive wine and party. But I actually wanted to spend the night with my friends.

Even if Tyra Banks and Jay Manuel from Americas Next Top Model were going to be there.

So enough of the life of an heiress and celeb moments. I have to deal with packing my (large I must say) wardrobe, pre-paying 4 months of my share of rent and forwarding all my mail and large bills to London.

This is when my mom’s assistant who has no life would come in, deal with all my tiring chores, and call it a day before sunset. But Since I didn't want an assistant at a mere 16 years old and never got asked about it since, I'm on my own for now.

"Can you handle three luggages?" Arabella asks me sitting on my bed.

I grunt for yes as I struggle to zip my suitcase that is carrying SpongeBob. I'm having trouble getting him in.
"Come...on." I mumble, "You must fit..."

"Lara he won't fit." Arabella laughs.

"I'll make him fit." I say taking a break from sitting on my luggage.

"But he takes up the whole luggage! You still have half a closet to empty."

After she points that very true fact out, I look up at my closet. All the jeans and tee shirts and blouses were in one very large luggage. I stuffed all my bathroom essentials, pajamas, tank tops, bras, underwear and socks in another. And now I have to pack all my jackets and belts and other teeshirts and all of my shoes.

I love having a wardrobe I call a mall yet I hate it.

Arabella packs all of my accessories as in scarves, gloves, hates, and jewelry in a smaller compartment of a luggage.

I look at SpongeBob, "Sorry buddy. You can't go with me."I take him out and put him back in his corner. I packed the rest of my closet and lay on the bed with Arabella.

"You have too many clothes." Arabella says.

"Whatever. You do too." I say. I may call my closet a mall but Arabella's is a palace.

"Crap do I have room for a couple purses?"

****

"Okay when rents due, just hand in the check." I say writing out a check to cover 4 months of rent. Do you know how much money it costs to live in the city that never sleeps? My pen made scratching noises as I wrote on the marble kitchen counter. Arabella sat at the kitchen bar, drinking a protein shake.

"Okie dokie." She says in between sips.

We're both quiet.

"Oh and your mum called to tell you that she forwarded your future big bills to London." Arabella says casually.

Did my mom really do it or did her assistant to it?

"Oh she did! Oh she's a lifesaver!" I rest my head on the marble counter. It felt cool against my head. I remember when I was going through puberty at thirteen; my face became the oiliest ever! I remember those horrifying grease marks I left whenever I rested my face on something. Ewww...gross. And having a life and mingling with long-limped models became very stressful indeed.

We sat in our kitchen for the longest time. My plane leaves in about 4 hours.

I was going to leave in an hour or so because Lena's fears of traffic lines outside and inside the airport rubbed off on me.

***
"Arabella you're crying!" I say as Lena cuddles up next to me on the couch.

The four of us squeezed in together on Lena's small couch because her apartment has the best view of central park.

"Shutup I'm not crying!"

"Yeah and I hate Valentino." Mina mutters stretching her legs out on Arabella, Lena and I. She was the smallest and lightest thing ever.

We sat like this: Arabella, me, then Lena. And Mina sat on Arabella's lap and had her legs stretch to Lena's lap.

"I'm going to miss these days. Taking up Lena's couch and observing the city." I sigh. Ah the good days of watching the shirtless hottie play with his dog in the park.

"We won't have replacements will we?" Lena pouts.

"Yes Lena and I'll find three new best friends and never come back." I smile.

"Now really! The three of us are very emotional right now!" Arabella pouts too.

What? Mina are you going to pout like a fish too?

"Gosh I'm kidding. You guys can't be replaced. You're too rare in the species of friend." We sit like this, making fun of each other, for a while longer until Lena's annoying, past-down from great great grandfather, kookoo clock starts kookooing.

haha...kookooing...

I sigh, "It’s time for me to go."

I requested one of my mom’s company cars to drive us because I don't feel like starting a fight with the cab driver again.
The ride to the airport was eventful. We waved at passer-byes the whole time and Mina stuck her head out of the ceiling window. Always ducking when we went under a low sign.

"Okay Miss Keating, British Airways right here." The driver announced happily. Driving three annoying girls the airport must be hard work. If I were him, I'd be asking for lots of money. I unbuckled my seatbelt and suddenly the world seemed a bit sad. Minus all the happy people greeting loved ones.

It was in business class. In between first and coach.

I readjusted my large bag on my shoulders.

It had everything I needed. Cell, ipod, laptop, magazines...minus the water and other liquidated essentials because of that whole liquid bomb on a plane problem that happened with another plane coming over seas.

"Well...I guess I'll see you in late august?" I say to them.

They nod.

Suck it up Lara! DO.NOT.SQUEEL.

Oh I give up!

"I'm going to miss you three!" I squeal and we do this big group hug that attracts attention from passer-byes that most likely think we're air heads.

I hear a series of 'aws' coming from each of us.

I hug each of them individually for a long time.

"Alright. You're going to be late." Arabella smiles. I feel like a little girl going off to school for the first time and she's my mother.

I nod, "Let’s not say goodbye."

"Why?" Lena asks.

"Because I'm coming back remember? I hate saying goodbye at times like these."

It’s hard not to say the word goodbye because we say it every day.

"mkay." Arabella says. I hug them for the last time and I turn around, not looking back. I didn't want to say goodbye because I might cry.

Airports are the most stressful places everywhere. Full of caution and long security lines with guards looking through your underwear compartment of a bag, looking for guns (which has happened to me twice already). People crying and hugging each other goodbye. Getting lost. Losing a ticket. Missing a flight. Having a flight canceled. Being scared that maybe your plane could be the next missle if possible. And being a lonesome traveler like me.

But at the same time, when the whole world has hate and madness spread all over, airports are one of the rare place that have love and happiness.
People see loved ones again. Kisses everywhere. Smiles. Shouts of excitement. Happiness. Love. It’s kind of hard to imagine a place with so much possible danger is a place with so much love.

I walked through the airport peacefully but alone. I'm used to having Arabella, Lena and Mina with me on the flat strip of an escalator.

I stay by myself two hours early, drinking one Pepsi after another. Time goes by slowly.

I boarded the plane and found my seat. I hate being alone. But I also prayed that I'd get my own seat.
An old lady who tried to look young with Botox came nearby.

Please not me. Please not me

I feel like stretching my legs out while on this flight.

The lady takes a seat in front of me.

Phew.

I look out the window, watching those men with the brightly colored flats or sticks waving in the air as the plane begins to take off.

I can't help but get a little teary-eyed.

I turn my iPod on and think about maybe I should tell Arabella about me and Dougie when I get back. I shrug to myself.

London here I come...again.

***

I work my way through the international customs thing. I get asked annoying questions by an annoying officer. He looked like a rat. He's such an eye-roll.

"What is your purpose here in the United Kingdom?"

"Work and Fun." I say it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I look to my right. Gosh why couldn't I get the nice lady who smiles at everybody?

The man eyes my suspiciously. Oh come on now! I'm a 19 year old girl who has only handled a gun once! And that was when my uncle Charles tried teaching me. Let’s just say that his gray shoe looked like a rat and I had lost my privileges since then.

The guard asks me where I'll be working.

"Universal-Island records."

The guard ask me more I-think-is-unnecessary-questions and I'm on my way to baggage claim.

I have one of those metal airport trolley things and my three bags are toppled on top of another because the bags are so huge. Or maybe the trolley is just too small. Either way I'm tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a large caffeinated drink.

"Lara!" Someone calls over to me. I look around with hundreds of faces from all over the world passing by.

Now I could just be going crazy and imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time...

"Lara Keating!" A British female voice rings again. Maybe I am going crazy.

I need a taxi...

"Oh my God, Lara can't you hear or see?!" It’s Jazzie finally running up to me, probably thinking I'm high.

"Oh! Hey Jazzie. What are you doing here?"

I know. I should just slap myself right? How can I be that stupid?

She laughs and rolls her eyes as we walk, "Dougie sent me to get you. We didn't want you sleeping in a hotel for the night so you're going to stay at my flat and then we'll get to your flat tomorrow!"

"Oh okay then." I mentally put away my mental calculator which was punching in all these numbers that would add up to my cost of one night at a Hilton.

After getting stuffed at a Greek restaurant, Jazzie drove me to her flat.

"I just moved out of the house." Jazzie smiles as we carry my one luggage I need for tonight. "Mum is all lonely now and she won't leave me or Dougie alone. Always phoning for us to come over."

"Is that good or bad?" I ask because it was hard to tell.

She shrugs and unlocks her door, "Not sure. But with Dougie busy with fame and music. And I'm finally free to stay out past midnight; it’s sort of hard to visit."

We walk in her cute flat that had this edgy rocker vibe and after a quick tour and a trip over the coffee table; she showed me the guest bedroom.

"A bed!" I sigh and jump on it. Yes I was tired. Yes I'm weird.

Yes I feel my bra strap snap. Ouch...

Jazzie laughs and leaves to change into her pajamas. She comes back with a bowl of popcorn.

"Mmm...popcorn." she mumbles and pops some in her mouth. I laugh and get comfy.

"Mkay. I know it is none of my business but when are you going to tell Arabella?" She asks.

"Ugh." I moan. "That’s been nagging at me all day. I wanted to tell her earlier today but that would just ruin the whole summer." I play with the string on my big teeshirt that I'm going to sleep in. I pull at it so it won't just hang there.

"Darn..." I mumble as only more string comes out, "I might tell her by August. Either way she's going to find out somehow." I say eating some popcorn.

The phone rings and Jazzie gets it. She comes running back in, with a big evil grin plastered on her face, "Its Dougie!" She mouths.

I open my mouth the say "Yay!" but she covers my mouth.

She puts the phone speaker.

"What was that Dougie?" Jazzie asks lying on the bed next to me.

"Did you get Lara?" He asks.

I roll around on the bed and stop, ears perked up (well, they can't but it feels like that) when I heard my name.

Just like a dog.

"Lara? Oh was I supposed to get her?" Jazzie asks, winking at me. I giggle.

"WHAT! You didn't pick her up! Fuck, Jazzie I-"

"God Dougie calm down! Don't get your boxers in a bunch. She's here." Jazzie laughs.

"Oh. Good. Let me talk to her."

I was eating a very salty popcorn at the time and immediately started coughing...quietly.

Jazzie looks at me and smiles. I shake my index finger left to right, signaling I was unable to come to phone and flirt.

Next thing I know, I don't feel bed but air as I fall and then hit hard carpet.

"Uh...yeah Dougie, she's a big preoccupied at the moment." Jazzie laughs.

I pop my head up above the bed.

"Doing what?" Dougie asks.

"Oh she's hugging my carpet." Jazzie laughs.

"I am not! I fell!" I say loudly. I get up but fall back down because my sock had loose string too and got caught in something. I fell back down with a thud.

Jazzie laughed at me in a loud manner.

"Doing what Lara? Why did you fall?" Jazzie smiles. Dougie waits for an answer.

I pop back up, "I choked on salt!"

Jazzie laughs and then she accidently imitated my fall.