Let's begin, Shall we?

CHAPTER 1

The shutter closing sound of the camera and the repeated obscene questions being fired by the paparazzi surrounded the actor's mansion from the very minute he stepped out of the elegant maple green coloured door of his house and announced his visit to the crematory.

The down-pouring thuds of rain didn't phase the prying eyes of the paparazzi waiting eagerly for the answers which would eventually turn into money for their livelihood.

That day began like any normal day, the city of Chennai woke up with the usual bickering of increased petroleum and gold costs with an occasional discussion about the last night's Indian cricket team's performance and elderly, working adults walking on the shores of Marina beach. People set up their roadside services with tea and snacks for the healthy people who came for a walk, breakfast for the bachelors and pleasant smell of Jasmine weaving through the surrounding air for the young couples who strongly believed in love, pressed against each other under a single umbrella with wandering hands and repeatedly trying to get close to each other with the excuse of getting wet from the pouring rain.

It usually didn't rain during December but that day was nothing but unusual.

No normalcy can ever put up to the craziness happening over the Poes garden on that particular day.

It was his birthday

Poes garden is one of the posh residential areas in Chennai city, home to many high profile celebrities, secured with high-security maintenance it stood high with elegance and popularity. It was home to one of the greatest actors and the streets were filled with a swarm of people who were waiting for a glimpse of their favourite superstar.

The atmosphere filled with the cold crisp air of early December and the petrichor smell of the impending rain mixed with the stench of drainage and decaying leaves.
The actor still has to make an appearance and acknowledge the love, cheerings and wishes from his beloved fans for his birthday.

His name echoed along the walls of the entire Poes garden as the fans cheered, danced and splashed the rain at each other celebrating the love for their superstar.

As soon as the doors opened the street roared with people screaming their love for their superstar. People were crying in happiness and began to capture the moment with his superstar.

He stepped outside his big black gates surrounded by massive men joined hands together to keep him away from his beloved fans. The reporters rushed in between the bodyguards waiting for his statement.

The actor was dressed in a black silk shirt paired with grey pants secured with a belt, shirt tucked inside the pants. Most of the hair gelled back with few strands falling do his face, brown sunglasses settled on his nose to hide his pain, a silver ear cuff perched in his left ear, a dark black coat wrapped around his midsection of the body finishing his look depicting an agonising, depressing appearance to his fans on a lovely occasion.

Despite a lack of usual energy and charm, the actor in his late twenties looked dashing and all the female fans despite their age were shouting and cheering for him on this special day. But little did they know, all the cheerings of encouragement and love would go unheard in his ears on this day, not after hearing the truth.

A short dark-haired man dressed in a white shirt and black pants, a black diary tucked under his arm ran over to the actor as soon as he noticed the media made their way near the actor and was ready to claw at him with questions.

" Happy birthday sir, Will actress Stella be accompanying you today? " One of the reporters shouted to overcome the fans' endearment. "

"Are you guys going to get married soon? "

'Typical reporters', the actor thought.
With a rejecting headshake , he dismissed the question.

"When is your next movie coming up sir? "

"Are you working with your ex-girlfriend again? "

"Is it true that you have been removed from the movie? "

The questions were being continuously fired at him, unable to answer or even stand there he was losing his patience.

The assistant ran over to the actor with his own set of massive people and tried to push away all the reporters and began to answer on behalf of the actor.

That's when it happened.

A cameraman unintentionally hit the actor with his camera in the transition of the actor to enter the car which was waiting to escort him.

As much as the actor tried to act cool, he couldn't do it any more. The impatience and agony were winning him over and the patience was wearing thin.

Grief can be a weird thing.

It wants a distraction to numb the pain, then it denies the distraction once it arrives.

He was frustrated with the lack of privacy to properly mourn for someone he loved, to express his emotions as he wanted.

He snapped.

Grabbed the camera from the camera man and he threw it in the road and watched it smashing to pieces. Followed by gasps and accusations by the reporters accelerated the process of escorting the actor to the car.

"Where are you hurrying, after breaking a poor man's camera, " One of  the reporters snapped.

With clenched jaws, brows furrowed, breathing heavily with anger the 29-year-old actor screamed at the reporter, " To visit the dead, for God's sake don't follow me."

With more screaming and false accusations, the car took off from his home, leaving the reporters astounded and confused at the 29-year-old actor's sudden outburst.

Questions sprung around the air as soon as the news travelled to the fans and spread like a forest fire.
Who's last rites the actor is going to attend on his birthday? What relationship does the dead one have with the actor? Does that have something to do with his past? Was his visit to Cemetery a strategy to attract the media?

While all commotion outside the black metal gates, a woman was standing at the hidden balcony surrounded by tall trees, the drizzling water drops encasing the walls of the balcony. The woman with a cup of tea was watching the entire event with a sinister smirk.

***

A/N

Happy reading

All the love
S.