Scandalous secret?
After debuting with her first song in high school, she rose to her fame as the 'angelic little girl with a siren's voice'. Since then, she's become the celebrity we know today, Melissa Hamiltons. Her reputation's remained, but could it be possible that the angelic reputation is but a façade behind a series of scandalous secrets? Caught on October the 19th, Hamiltons was snapped rendez-vousing with a man well beyond her years. Following this incident…
"She's really seeing another man huh?" Veronica asked her friend after placing the newspaper aside.
They were at their usual diner, waiting for Stella to arrive.
Alice shrugged her shoulders, "Who knows what the story is. I just did what I was told to."
"Hey Stell," Veronica greeted as she saw their friend approaching.
"Hey girls, what were you guys talking about?"
Veronica handed Stella the newspaper, "Alice's article about Melissa Hamiltons came out today."
Stella took a seat beside her and scanned her eyes over the article.
"You really spilled the beans on her," Stella murmured.
"Yeah," Alice grimaced, knowing Stella didn't approve of what she'd done either. "Adam wasn't too happy that I'd written it either. The way he reacted, it was like I'd committed some moral sin or something. I mean, I didn't feel great writing it but I had to."
"That's rubbish," Veronica retorted, "you can write whatever you like. She's a celebrity for God's sake, celebrities should expect no privacy if anything. I think if they're not prepared to accept that, then they shouldn't be celebrities."
Alice attempted a smile.
"Celebrities are still humans too, you know," Alice said.
Alice gave a bitter laugh, "Ok guys, thanks, but I think I've had enough of this debate already. It's like you're opposite sides of the coin to my conscience."
"Well, I have some good news to share," Stella smiled.
"Spill!" Veronica exclaimed.
Stella leaned in towards them. A huge smile was plastered wide across her face and Alice swore there was a sparkle in her eyes. She'd never seen her friend this outrageously happy before.
"You know how I thought I had a tummy bug before?"
"Yeah…"
"Well, it turns out it wasn't the tummy bug."
"So what was it then?"
"I'm pregnant!" she whispered.
Veronica's jaw dropped. Alice gasped.
"No way!"
"I know right!"
"When did you – how did you –"
Stella laughed at their reactions, "Well, normally the tummy bug passes in a few days and I'd been feeling off for a while so I went to the doctor's for a check up. Turns out it was morning sickness."
Alice shook her head, "Of course, I can't believe none of us picked up on that before!"
"How did Jackson react?"
"Well, he was shocked at first to find out that he was going to be a dad, but of course he was ecstatic."
"This is so exciting!" Alice exclaimed, "We're going to have to plan a baby shower. Are there any plans for marriage?"
"We are going to get married, but Jackson hasn't proposed or anything yet."
"That is so ironic, we were just talking about our preferences towards children before and now I'm gonna be an aunty!" Veronica mused.
"We both are," Alice grinned.
"You know what this means, girls?"
"That you're going to be domesticated soon? Complaining about a husband, children…"
Alice laughed while Stella swatted Veronica on the arm.
"My prediction!"
Veronica's face grew serious in a second.
"It came true! A new life! I have a new life in me!"
Neither Alice nor Veronica knew what to say to that.
"Don't you see, that old woman was right!"
"Coincidence."
"Ver, that's twice now. Do you really think they're both coincidences?"
Veronica crossed her arms.
"So that just leaves us with Alice's prediction…"
Alice leaned back in her seat, "I don't know about this…"
Veronica scoffed, "Seriously, if her prediction came true three times in a row, maybe I'd start believing, but that still remains to be seen."
At that moment, Alice's phone rang. A look at the caller ID showed it was Adam. Alice felt her heart pounding as she stared at his name on the screen. It'd been nearly two weeks since he'd called, since she'd heard his voice.
"Aren't you going to take the call?" Veronica asked. "Who is it?"
"Adam," she whispered.
Veronica gave her a look as if to ask what she was doing.
Swiping her phone to answer the call, Alice cleared her throat.
"Hi."
"Hey," Adam greeted.
Alice chewed on her bottom lip, heart fluttering at the sound of his voice.
"How've you been?" Adam asked.
"Fine. What about you?"
"Not bad."
For a moment, neither of them said anything. Opposite Alice, she could see Veronica and Stella whispering to each other while they looked at her. No doubt Stella was telling Veronica what'd happened between her and Adam.
"Hey, are you free tomorrow night?"
"Um, yeah, why?"
"Do you want to meet me at the Cove?"
"The Cove?" Alice asked, startled. They hadn't been there for about a year.
"Yeah."
"Ah, ok."
"Six o'clock. I'll see you tomorrow."
"Alright. Adam?"
"Yeah?"
"I've missed you," she whispered.
"Yeah, I know. I have too."
Alice smiled and they hung up. Both Stella and Veronica were looking at her expectantly.
"Well?" Veronica asked.
Alice sucked in a deep breath, "He wants to meet me tomorrow. At The Cove."
"A beach?"
Stella's eyes widened, "Isn't that where…"
"We first met. Yeah."
"Why there?"
"I don't know."
"You don't think…" Stella began
"What?"
"Well, think about it. Why would he ask to meet you at the beach where you first met?"
Alice thought about it but came up with nothing.
"Remember what that fortune-teller told you?"
"We're back to that again?" Veronica groaned.
"It's perfect timing, don't you think? We were just talking about it and then Adam rings, asking to meet you at The Cove. The old woman said a union with someone."
"Stell, what are you getting at?" Veronica asked.
Stella gave an exasperated sigh, "Don't you think he might be proposing?"
Alice blinked. Proposing? She'd never expected to hear that.
"Okay, that's…"
Alice shook her head, "I don't know."
"Seriously, a union could mean anything, it doesn't have to be marriage. You could bump into someone you've never met and that could be a union. Trust Stell to take on a domesticated view of it," Veronica rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm telling you, that old woman's predictions are way out of wack. They were so broad and over-generalised that you could apply them to anyone on any situation."
"That's not true," Stella defended. "Famous person? Not everyone meets a famous person every day. New life? I find out I'm pregnant. It all fits! Now Alice and a union, Adam's got to be proposing."
"But with the way things have been between us…" Alice began.
Stella's eyes lit up, "Maybe that's why he's been acting weird lately! He's been planning a proposal all along!"
Veronica crossed her arms, "And what if it's not a proposal? Stell, have you ever considered that you might be getting her hopes up?"
Stella sighed, "You are always such a pessimist Veronica."
"I'm realistic, not pessimistic."
"You two are never going to see eye to eye, are you?" Alice grimaced. "I guess we'll know who was right after tomorrow night."
In the meantime, the only thing they could do was wait.
At five thirty the next day, Alice drove out to The Cove to meet Adam. It was a beautiful night with the sky a dusky pink purple, surrounding the setting sun. The air was calm, the breeze soft, but Alice couldn't calm her thumping heart. Was Adam really going to propose? He wouldn't, would he? But why else would he ask to meet her here?
Parking her car, Alice got out and stared at the vast see ahead. The orange sun shone among the purply-pink clouds and cast the sea in a gentle, warm glow. It was a liberating feeling staring out ahead, with the soft sounds of the dancing waves. A silhouette could be made up ahead in the spot she'd first met Adam. Alice took in a breath and strolled over. Without greeting him, she tucked in her maxi skirt and sat down beside Adam. Together, they stared out at the sea ahead.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Adam said.
Alice nodded, "Yeah."
"I remember when I first met you here, that year a bit ago. You were dancing and laughing with your friends, having a good time, and I thought how gorgeous you were."
Alice turned to look at Adam.
"And then I got to know you and you were true to everything a person should be. You were kind, caring, sweet, loving."
Alice swallowed, trying to quell the speed of her pumping heart.
"But I don't get why you can't see that," Adam said, his eyes turning sad. "I don't get why time and time again, you're always trying to do things to please other people. It's like you have no faith in yourself to just be the person you are and be liked for who you are."
A sharp ache tore at Alice's chest. What was he trying to say?
"And I can't stand to watch that, Al. At work, even with me. It's always about we want. And it's tiring, Al, it's tiring having to make all the decisions and having you just go with them because you want to make me happy."
Alice couldn't bring herself to speak.
Adam looked away, "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. I think we should take a break."
"Y- you're breaking up with me?" Alice stammered.
Adam sighed, "I just don't think it's going to work like this, Al. I want you to figure this out, for yourself."
Alice bit down on her bottom lip and felt the tears stream down her cheeks in wet, warm drips. She couldn't help herself. She loved Adam. Why did they have to break up? This made no sense to her. The confusion, the frustration from not understanding, the pain – all she wanted to do was scream and wrench it out from her.
"I'm sorry, Al, but I think this is for the best. Are you going to be ok?"
"I – I want to be alone right now," she whispered.
Adam nodded then stood. He gave her a last look before walking away. The composure she'd so carefully held fell apart when he left. He'd really left, leaving her all alone. And Alice let out a sob, the pain in her chest coming out as a guttural cry.
When she'd finally driven back home, skirt drenched and coated in sand and hair knotted like a bird's nest, Alice collapsed at her desk. Her phone had wrung several times but she'd silenced it after seeing her friends' names.
Staring absent-mindedly out through the window in front, Alice turned on her desk lamp. Then she noticed the talisman that the old woman'd given her, dangling around the lamp where she'd draped it. She clutched it between her hands, turned off her lamp and collapsed on the bed, tears starting anew. Union? What union? How had she been stupid enough to get her hopes up? She loved Adam and she'd do anything to be with him again. She wished she could. She wished she could be with Adam again. In her head, she thought she'd even die just to be with him again. Because that's how painful the hurt felt.
It was with those last thoughts that she drifted off to sleep.
ns 15.158.61.5da2
