C2 Strange Guy

Astria couldn't believe the audacity of this guy. Did he think he was some kind of big shot? Frustration bubbled up inside her, and she couldn't help but let it spill out.

"Listen, dude, I have no idea who you are and I couldn't care less, but could you please tone down the cocky attitude? Not everyone is infatuated with your annoying behavior..."

Almost cursing, she accidentally slammed her glass on the table, causing her drink to spill all over his shirt. Panic surged through her as she realized the potential trouble she could be in if he complained to her manager, Ricky.

"Oh my goodness! I am so sorry! Let me clean that up for you."

He looked initially confused, but she proceeded to clean up the stain on his shirt. In her clumsiness, he moved closer to her, causing his hat to fall off and revealing long, flowing blonde hair. The entire bar fell silent for a moment, and then suddenly a phone rose in the air, capturing the scene.

"Click."

Others followed suit, the shutters of their phones audible in the background.

Huh? What was going on and why were they taking pictures?

***

"Shit! My cover is blown!"

Angelo was furious, but when he saw the surprise on Astria's face, he immediately calmed down. This beautiful, clumsy woman had managed to uncover his true identity right in front of everyone, and she seemed utterly clueless. He leaned in and whispered into her ear.

"Well, sweetie, look what you've done. I'll have to leave now. Hopefully, we can continue our amusing conversation later. It was nice to meet you."

"I have to go now!"

He noticed people in the bar beginning to move towards him, and unfortunately for him, it was packed with fans as his band had a show that night. The crowd started closing in on him, and he quickly made a dash for the door. As he ran out, his mind couldn't help but linger on the intriguing beauty he had met at the bar. A smile slowly formed on his face.

"I really hope I'll have the chance to see her again soon."

***

I watched as the annoying jerk fled from the bar, and to my surprise, half of the customers left with him!

While part of me was glad he was gone, I couldn't help but wonder who he was and what had caused people to take photos of us. I shrugged it off and focused on finishing my shift. Lucy had already left earlier to go home and sulk about missing the concert.

My phone began ringing incessantly, further annoying me. I decided to turn it off and concentrate on getting through the rest of my shift.

I was bone tired, and this dramatic situation was just too much for one day. There was nothing I wouldn't see in the wild city of D. It truly lived up to its reputation.

***

"You fucking what!"

Angelo tried to tune out Troy's yelling about the chaos he had caused. Troy, the band's drummer, was like an annoying older brother. Despite Angelo being the eldest, Troy always acted as if he were the more mature one. Damien intervened, shaking Angelo's shoulder.

"Jeez, mate! You're going to rip my shoulder off!"

Ignoring Troy's rant, Damien asked, "Who is she?"

"Bruh, I didn't get anything besides her name. She's so... weird and difficult. I'm going back tomorrow, and can you believe she had no idea who I was? When those photos were being taken, she looked genuinely surprised and confused. She's probably erased the whole thing from her mind. Oh, and her makeup looked really..."

"Whoa, dude, you're already thinking about her makeup? What's gotten into you? Are you already smitten?" Damien chuckled.

"Nah, of course not! Iris tried the same thing, and she succumbed within two days. If I could win her over that quickly, this one will be a piece of cake!"

Sighing, Damien shook his head. "You'll never change, will you? Always thinking girls are falling at your feet."

"They are, bro. I can have anyone, and I will get her. Wanna bet?"

"You sick idiot. Do I look like Troy to you? You better pretend to listen now. He's coming, and he's going to give you an earful!"

Angelo immediately changed his expression to something more serious and attentive as Troy approached them.

"Forget it, buddy. I'm not falling for that shit. You managed to gather a crowd and cause a storm on social media! Do you realize we just got back? You can't take advantage of our manager's leniency and our not-so-binding contract!"

"Well, I do have the media's attention. It's more press, and it could be to our advantage, right?"

Helia snickered, and Damien couldn't help but try to hide his laughter. "You really think we need that much attention? Have you forgotten about the whole 'let's not draw too much attention' rule?"

"Troy, calm down! Besides, do you really think not drawing attention will work? We have a massive fan base, and people naturally follow us around. Jeez!"

"I just hope this girl is worth it. You won't like it if this turns into a media circus. We need publicity, but nothing negative!"

Once again, Angelo tuned out Troy's noise. He didn't really care about the other guy's concerns. His main focus was on Astria.

"Just who is she?"