Euphoria: Dosage of Rhapsodies

Chapter 40

"Of course, I'm very excited for the upcoming concert. Na-surprise nga ako ni Eli no'ng sinabi niyang mag-pe-perform din ako sa concert niya. I'm not expecting it, though. Buong akala ko ay mauupo lang ako at manonood sa kanya." 

"You've attended my concerts for three consecutive times being my audience. What's wrong if I change the setup this time?" Eli talked so defensive towards me, 'di ko tuloy maiwasan na tawanan ang itsura niya ngayon na sobrang laki ng disapproval sa sinabi ko.

"Hey, I'm just explaining my reaction, okay? Why are you like that?" I pushed his shoulder using mine to some degree while laughing. 

He's a living joke. Tawang-tawa talaga ako sa kanya, e.

"Ito lang ang sure ako na ma-i-se-share ko sa inyo..." After I poked fun at him, he then shifted the topic, reading another viewer's comment on our live stream. "Marami kayong aabangan sa concert ko. May mga bagong mukha na makikita n'yong mag-perform, bukod pa roon si Corrine. That's why I'm calling out to those fans who are not yet buying their own tickets, 'wag n'yo palampasin 'to. Hindi pa sold-out ang GenAd kaya kahit 'yon, grab n'yo na!"

"Woah? Your marketing strategy looks impressive just now, huh?" pang-aasar ko, and so the viewers flooded us some comments na gumagatong sa akin sa pang-aasar kay Eli. Na kesyo pwede na raw magtinda ng taho si Eli sa palengke, or pwede na siyang maging tauhan ng Front Row. And they are trying their best to imitate Eli's action saying, 'open-minded ka ba?' 

"I love you, guys! Thanks for always supporting me to tease this handsome man."

"Oh yeah, I'm so tired of this fandom." Natawa siya sa sariling sinabi.

"Truly, we're grateful for your understanding. Alam kong na-mi-miss n'yo na ring mag-live ako rito, but it is just so hard to do the things I used to do before. Cheers for the long patience you waste just to wait for my live stream after almost a year of being inactive. I will try my best to do this occasionally. Aabalahin ko na rin ito si Corrine para naman may kakampi kayo ulit na asarin ako, 'no?"

"That's so childish, Eli."

"Like you." And now it's his turn to return my karma. "Good bye, guys! See you soon!"

That marks the end of our live stream, and the perfect time to go to bed as well.

It's already 12 midnight. We spent almost two hours on that live stream, just to grant our fans' request, as well as to interact with them after almost a year. Nakaka-miss din pala talaga na makipag-interact sa kanila kahit via live stream lang. I think I should also do the same thing with mine kapag nakabalik na ako sa showbiz.

"I know you're tired, Corrine. Mauna ka na matulog?"

"And how about you?" I asked.

Kung ako ay ready na mag-dive sa kama at matulog, si Eli naman ay nasa study table kaharap ang laptop. Seriously?

"Rehearsing my voice," he replied and then he put an earphone on his ears, "kasi last time na kinanta ko 'tong song na 'to, it ended up so pitchy and I have so many flats..." 

"But you can't rehearse or maybe you can't practice at your best when you're tired," I insist, baka madala sa pagpapa-cute ko 'tong si Eli para makatulog na kami.

"I can't sleep thinking about my mistakes, Corrine. You better go to sleep, 'wag mo na ako intindihin."

"No." Lumapit ako sa kanya. Kinuha ko ang earphone sa tenga niya at tinanggal 'yon, tiyaka ko isinara 'yong laptop. 

"Don't be so harsh on yourself, Eli. Baka dahil sa pagiging perfectionist mo, kung ano pa ang mangyari sa katawan mo. Sometimes, you should prioritize your health, okay? You should rest, and then try again rehearsing your voice the other day. Mas magaan sa pakiramdam kapag ginagawa mo ang isang bagay hindi dahil napipilitan ka, kung hindi gagawin mo 'yon kasi may sapat ka nang pahinga para sumabak ulit."