"Two hours left until show time, boys."

Nasa backstage kaming lima and they were still getting ready. Inaayos buhok nila at ako naman ay kinukuhanan sila ng mga candid na litrato.

"Hoy Aurelia, maayos ba itsura namin dyan?" Tanong ni Shawn sa akin and I grinned before continuing taking photos sa kanila.

"Mukha kayong tanga dito, mapost mga sa IG ko," I joked at agad naman tumayo si Ravi at kinuha ang phone ko. Nainis naman ako, "Hoy akin na 'yan!"

"Hindi pwede, 'wag mo ipopost sa IG mo. Ang dami mo kayang followers! Dapat ibalik mo na 'yung account mo sa private," He shrugged at binelatan ko lang siya bago abutin ang cellphone ko.

"Ano bang magagawa ko, sa ganda kong 'to sinong hindi magffollow 'di ba?" I boasted and they didn't respond to me and instead acted as if I wasn't there. "Ganyanan ba? Sige aalis na 'ko, wala naman atang may gusto sa'kin na manatili 'di ba?"

Umalis na ako and see if someone will follow me pero wala, magtatampo na 'ko nito. Lalabas na sana ako ng backstage when I heard Ravi's voice.

"If you leave us right now..." Tumigil ako sa paglalakad dahil alam kong may gagawin 'tong mokong na 'to. "I'll upload the video of you singing spontaneously because you were drunk."

Natigilan naman ako at agad lumapit kay Ravi, "Ito naman, di mabiro! Ano pa ba kailangan mo Rav? Fix your hair?" Tinaas ko ang kamay ko para ayusin ang buhok niya, I don't want the people to see me drunk 5 months ago!

Habang inaayos ko ang kanyang buhok, he caught my wrists causing me to stare at his eyes. His eyes were like piecing my soul and it's making me weak.

Nagulat na lang ako ng bigla niya akong inikot at nag bow siya, "My lady," He winked at natawan naman ako sa kanya bago hampasin ang kanyang braso.

"Grabe naman na kayo, nakakainggit na ha," Biro ni Shawn at agad naman ako umiwas para maghintay sa kanila. I slightly peaked at the curtains at nagsimula na silang magpapasok. Halos lahat ng fans ay babae amp.

"Oh, sino lalandi mamaya? Puro babae doon oh," I sarcastically said and they chuckled.

"Hindi ako," Sabi ni Shawn.

"Loyal ako sa stranger ko," Ravi smiled. E'di wow, sana hindi maging kayo.

"May matangkad ba na volleyball player d'yan sa crowd?" Biro ni Zach.

"Pass, may bago naman na akong challenge in life," Harvey shrugged at doon ako natawa. I knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Yeah, I saw you two flirting sa party ni Ravi kagabi. Seems like you two were in a quarrel," I chuckled at inirapan naman ako ni Ravi. "Don't worry pre, she said she likes you naman."

Hindi naman na ako pinansin ni Harvey. Finishing touches na lang ang ginagawa nila at ready na sila. Nasa exit na rin ako ng backstage dahil hinihintay ko na lang naman sila na matawag eh.

Nandoon na rin daw si Gabe sa front VIP seats namin kaya hindi ako kakausap ng taong hindi ko kilala.

"You guys are going to do great!" I told them before giving them an assuring smile. Lahat kasi sila kinakabahan na, sobrang dami kasi talagang tao ngayon. And them being a perfectionist, they don't want to mess anything up para sulit ang bayad ng mga tao sa kanilang concert.

"'Wag kayong kabahan, okay? If you guys think that you'll mess up or something, look at me and I'll smile to ease you guys up," Sabi ko and they all nodded before jumping releasing some tension in their bodies.

"Called up to the stage, Bloodthirst!" Sigaw ng hype man nila. They all huddled and I thought they were about to chant something when they looked at me. They signed me to join their huddle so I smiled.

"One, two, three, Bloodthirst!"

Tumakbo naman na ako paalis ng backstage at tinabihan si Gabe dahil agad ko siyang nakita.

The crowd screamed the moment they went up to the stage. Lumingon ako sa paligid at grabe, pati ako na overwhelm! There were placards everywhere telling that they love Bloodthirst.

"What's up everyone," Ravi shouted and they all clapped at onti na lang mabibingi na ata ako. "Wow, you all are just so many. Simula pa lang pero magpapasalamat na agad ako sa inyong lahat dahil dumayo kayo dito para panoorin kami!"

Sinuot naman na ni Ravi 'yung strap ng gitara niya. "As you all know, we're going to perform our new album tonight!" Shawn shouted at hindi pa rin natigil ang pagpalakpak ng mga tao. "Can we have a moment of silence first? Mamaya na kayo pumalakpak pag nakanta ni Ravi ng maayos 'yung kanta namin," Biro nito.

The crowd went silent but they all were paying attention to them, they now all were in position.

"We created our second official album a few months ago. And we decided to release it on the day of our first ever big concert which is today! We're so glad that you guys showed up, we really though t na walang magpapakita pero look at you all!" Zach said before drinking water.

"Are you guys ready?" Harvey asked and they all responded. "Our songs are very catchy so I know that our blood nations will pick it up very quickly," He said. Wow, may tawag na agad sila sa mga fans nila? Hindi naman na ako magrereklamo, there a hundreds and thousands of people here kaya dapat lang na may tawag sila sa amin.

"Lyrics will be shown here later on so if you guys want to follow with the chorus or something, just read the lyrics," Shawn said. Naramdaman ko naman ang hawak ni Gabe sa aking kamay and smiled before leaning towards me.

"I love you," he whispered.

"Hindi ka talaga nagsasawa sabihan 'yan sa'kin 'no?"

Umiling naman siya, "Hinding hindi, mahal ko."

"The album title is Stranger. I wrote the lyrics of the songs and they helped me with the melody. The album is inspired by someone who made me realize that I could actually meet someone that can truly change the way I see life," Ravi smiled and the crowd said 'awe'.

"Papa Ravi so hindi na po kayo single?" Sigaw ng isang fan at natawa naman si Ravi doon.

"I wished I wasn't. Pakinggan niyo lahat ng kanta at malalaman niyo kung ano ang nangyari sa buhay ko ngayon," Ravi told them. "The first song is called ultravivid. It's for the nonexistent, subconscious thoughts that protected me from darkness, and it's difficult to realize that this beautiful moment will vanish the moment our eyelids open. I'd always fantasized about meeting the person and spending time with them. Thank you for stopping by my dreams."

"Pay attention to the lyrics guys!" Zach smiled.

Harvey counted before Shawn started to strum his guitar, sinundan naman 'yun ni Zach at Ravi. "I dreamt of you again last night, what a picture that would never happen in real life. So I treasure every single frame, how I wish I could remain, falling deep deep down there."

The crowd went silent and they were peacefully listening, hindi ko first time maririnig ang kanta na 'to since kasama ako sa music video nito. Pero the rest of the songs, first time ngayon kaya excited ako.

"Eyes staring, telling it'll gonna be alright, just stay for a while in this dream, feel the magic even it would be over soon enough, this is our world." Ravi softly sang, "That feels so real, an ultravivid dream," Ravi ended and the crowd cheered. Kami din naman ay pumalakpak.

"I think we would have to end our rivalry, magaling naman siya kumanta so I think we should stop na," Gabe said at nanlaki naman mata ko sa kanya. Is he serious? OMG!

"Yes, baby. Stop niyo na po 'yan," I smiled.

"Okay, after every song we'll call up a fan to tell us what the song means, anyone wants to tell us what Ultravivid means?" Harvey asked at maraming nagtaas ng kamay.

"You with the red hair, come up to the stage," Turo ni Shawn sa isang babae. Kinikilig ito na umakyat sa stage and one thing I noticed that their fans were not crazy. Sila yung tipo na kalmado lang at may respeto sa space nila Ravi. 'Yung iba kasi magsisiksikan at makikipag away pa para makaakyat lang ng stage. Buti na lang ang Bloodthirst ang nagbibigay ng opportunity para makaakyat sila sa stage.

"In my understanding po, ultravivid is dreaming of a person that comforts you in your own world in a different reality," The girl said at pumalakpak naman silang apat.

"Ravi, tama ba siya?" Tanong ni Shawn at tumango naman ito sa kanya. After talking to other fans bumalik na sila sa kanilang positions.

"She's a stranger to me, we're both strangers to each other. But now we're not strangers anymore and we know each other, ito ang unang kanta na naisulat namin. The next song is our album's title," Ravi.

This is for anyone who can be a stranger, even the one closest to you; this song is about wanting to close that gap, and be at least an inch closer to meeting the soul of the person you like," Harvey explained at pumalakpak naman ang tao.

"Stranger I wonder what you're doing now, are you caught up in some late night school work cram? 'Cause I can't fall asleep, I think of when we meet," Shawn was the first to start singing which was weird pero maganda din naman boses niya eh.

Sinundan naman siya ni Zach, "Stranger, I don't know why I keep imagining scenarios that I know won't even happen cause I know that you don't care, I wonder if you even do so."

Kinalabit naman ako ng isang babae at nagulat ako sa kanya, "Ate Lia, can I take a picture with you po?" Inayos ko naman ang sarili ko bago tumango, we took a few selfies before she asked me to sign her shirt. Syempre bawal ako tumanggi kaya ginawa ko na lang din 'yun.

"Sila ba ang pinunta nila o ikaw?" Natatawang tanong ni Gabe at hindi ako nakasagot sa kanya nang may lumapit sa akin na lalaki at nagpapicture din. Nagulat nga ako na bigla niya ako hinawakan sa aking bewang ng walang duda eh.

Gabe was just glaring at the guy.

"Oh, kumalma ka. Fan lang po, baby," I sighed.

"When will you come my way? I feel like I know you even if I don't. Stranger, I wanna feel you close. When will you come my way? There's a lot of things I want you to know. Stranger, I wanna meet your soul."

Dating gawi ay nagtanong ulit sila kung ano ang meaning ng kanta at maraming tumama. "This person annoyed me a lot when I first met them. But I knew I was caught deep already when I found myself writing the song "stranger" about them. This song is precious to me," Ravi smiled and started the intro.

Narinig ko ang pagkakamali niya sa isang chord pero mukhang hindi napansin ng mga tao 'yun pero alam kong kinakabahan na si Ravi. He was looking at me so I smiled at him and gave him a thumbs up. "You can do this, Rav," I mouthed and he nodded before singing.

"Hey baby when I look in your eyes, smile a little bit and then, when you look back I remove my eyes from you, I play pretend. can't say I want you but you already know it, you're a bit annoying but I love it when you are so..." Ravi stopped and they all sang together.

"Dont stop saying those things even if I say I hate it, don't quit playing those games even if I cut you off a million times, deep inside my heart, I wanna hug you tight and kiss you back and slap your but and hold your hand you are precious to me." Harvey winked at the crowd and they all screamed. Grabe naman ang impact ng mga 'to sa fans nila.

After that song they had a water break at bigla namang binato ni Shawn 'yung suot niyang cap at nag agawan ang fans nila doon.

"Kuya Ravi! Nasaan po si Ate Lia?!" Sigaw ng isang fan at nagtaka naman ako, bakit ba lahat ng fans nila hinahanap din ako? Baka mamaya sumali na ako sa banda nila ng wala sa oras ah!

"Secret," Ravi grinned. "Pero nandito siya, mamaya ilalabas namin siya."

"I was about to tell this stranger that I like them only to find out she was already someone else's possession. Sometimes, it's enough to like someone and keep it as it is; because they are meant to be loved by the person they deserve the most," Ravi gave out a sad smile at nalungkot din ang crowd. So may boyfriend nga 'yung babae na gusto niya? Sayang! Girl hiwalayan mo na lang dahil tingnan mo oh, Raizen Vini na nagkakandarapa sa'yo tas tatanggi ka pa?

"Fallen leaves and pretty skies, they are not worth any diamonds or any broken hearts. We deserve these golden tears running down our tainted faces, and after all I'd still be in love," Ravi started without any instrument. Sinenyasan naman si Zach na magsimula na.

"I ran out of words to say, and I don't know how can I be so sure of being unsure. And everyday I just fall and fall and fall and fall deeper, though I know... I shouldn't have. I shouldn't have, hold your hand when I know that they fit someone else, wrote a song when you'll just end up knowing that everything's about you but you're not my everything, so I just stay right here and watch you go."

While Ravi was strumming his guitar strings, I saw a tear escape his eyes. Grabe, ganito pala siya mainlove? Bakit ako hindi naman ganito? I am in love, right? Tangina, bakit kasi may jowa 'yung babaeng mahal niya? Sayang si Ravi! Iharap niyo sa akin 'yung babae at kakausapin ko.

"Sorry, golder is just a little personal for me. That's why I got emotional," Ravi smiled pero halatang pilit siya. Inakbayan naman siya ni Shawn.

"Fun fact, pinag awayan namin ni Ravi 'yung girl na 'yun! Sobrang ganda kasi niya tapos matalino pa so who wouldn't like her?" Singit ni Zach and the crowd gasp.

"May balak po ba kayo mag name reveal?" Tanong ng isang fan at umiling naman silang apat.

"Kapag daw nalaman na nung babae na tungkol sa kanya 'tong album na ginawa namin, tsaka namin irereveal," Shawn said.

"Ready na ba kayo sa last song?" Tanong ni Harvey and they all shouted yes. "For this song, si Ravi lang ang kakanta and we all want you guys to turn on their flashlights pero 'wag niyo itatapat sa amin. When we raise our hands you guys have to sway your phones, okay?"

Lahat naman sila ay nagsibukasan ng flashlights at um-oo. Sinaksak naman ni Ravi ag acoustic guitar sa amplifier bago lumapit sa amin. Umupo silang apat sa dulo ng stage at nagtama ang tingin namin ni Ravi. He smiled before giving the guitar a single strun to check if it was tuned.

"The last song that we wrote is the perfect ending of the album. Have you all ever had many what ifs and could've been? Well this song is for you. For when every time we think of a love we let go, we think of that night where we could've been a little braver to make things work for us."

"Your eyes, they remind me of all the staring at the stars that reflected, shining brightly through the night lifted up my soul every time I see your face, brings me back to the maze of questions remained unanswered. 'Cause you'll always be my what ifs, the one I could keep just a little bit closer to what could've been if things were just different. Would I still end up crying? Maybe we could've happened that night."

Ravi finished singing the song and we all applauded. Tumayo naman sila at nag labas ang isang crew ng malaking box and I know that it was full of merch.

"Magpapamigay po kami ng merch kaya po magready kayo, may isang oras pa naman po tayo and we won't leave the stage just yet para sulit ang binayad niyo sa tickets," Harvey said at naexcite naman sila.

Hindi ko naman na kailangan maexcite at makipag agawan pa doon dahil kumpleto merch ko. Pati nga unreleased album nila meron ako eh!

"We're going to start selling our album next week on our page, limited copies lang so secure niyo copy niyo," Zach.

"Labas niyo na po si Ate Lia!" Sigaw ng isang fan at natawa naman silang apat bago lingunin ako. Sinenyasan nila ako na tumayo at puntahan sila. I stood up at lahat ng atensyon ng tao ay napunta sa akin as I went up the stairs.

The crowd applauded and screamed while I was standing there looking at all of them, "Kayo naman, miss niyo 'ko masyado," Biro ko at tumawa sila.

"Kaya talaga namin ikaw pinaakyat dito para sabihin na wala pa rin kaming manager and we would still love you to be ours," Ravi said and I smiled at lahat ng tao ngayon ay nakatingin sa amin. Hindi na ako pwede tumangi.

"You guys agree with me right?" Tinapat ni Ravi ang mic sa crowd and they all said yes. He looked at me again and I sighed before nodding.

"Sure, I'll be your manager," I agreed at tumalon talon naman sila.

We all took pictures with the audience and the crowd, pinaakyat pa nga nila si Gabe sa stage at pinagkaguluhan din siya ng tao. Medyo nagselos pa nga ako dahil may nagsabi sa kanya na mahal siya.

Bebe ko 'yan! Hanap kayo ng iba.

Kahit hindi naging masaya ang childhood ko, at least I get to spend my adult years with the right persons.

With them, I am genuinely happy.

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:p

(AN: I didn't write the songs of Bloodthirst, they were all from my cousin and I have her permission. If you want to know the tune of the songs, and listen to the full song, search up this link https://he1.me/74gL )