The Tortured Poets Department

Superstar

The flight to Barcelona was not too long, and before I knew it, I was sitting in my hotel room. Alicia was sitting on the armchair beside me, going through the schedule we were on for the following days. Alicia had picked out seven houses that I was supposed to look at in the following two days, a tight schedule to be honest. I was looking forward to finding myself a vacation home, a place where I could stay for the summer season, or the winter, whenever I felt like I wanted stay somewhere where it wasn't freezing.

In the morning, I did my makeup slowly. Covering the spots on my face with concealer, along with the dark circles that once again made an appearance. I added some bronzer, blush, and highlighter to make myself look more alive, as well as a slight touch of contour. Mascara, eyeliner, and my favourite lip combo was applied by my nimble fingers.

I found some silver jewellery, a necklace with a moon on it, earrings with starts and hoops. Bracelets and rings. It went well with the short blue dress, filled with flowers in a darker shade of blue that I decided to wear. An outfit that was complete without adding a cardigan. It would make me feel way too hot in the shining Spanish sun.

Wearing sneakers were out of the question today. Instead, I wore my Birkenstocks. They had been a staple in my closet for years, the perfect shoe when I wanted to go to the beach, or when I wanted to explore.

First, we visited a house that looked way better on the pictures than in real life. It was very run down, and a lot of renovations needed to be done to make the house liveable. Another downside was that it was far away from the city, almost an hour out, and far from the ocean.

After that, we visited the second house. It was pretty, with stone walls and a small pool. I could see myself living her. The bad part, the house was not that big, and I couldn't comfortably fit a room where I could play music. In the end I decided to not put a bid on it. Alecia agreed with my decisions, and I was incredibly grateful to have her here with me. Looking at houses was exhausting, and I wouldn't have been able to do it on my own.

We stopped for lunch before going to look at a third house. This was the green one that I had seen before. After a tour of the place, I knew I wanted to live here. It was close to the beach, far enough from the city center, but still close enough to visit. There was a pool in the yard, and a basement which I would use for my music. The best part was that it was a gated community, which meant that it was harder for fans to find my house. Without even looking at more houses, I put a bid on it.

It was getting late, and I wanted to relax on the beach before going out for dinner. Could I even find a place where people wouldn't recognise me? Maybe Mapi or Alexia had one.

Odette
Know a beach outside Barcelona which not a lot of people know about?

Mapi
Yeah Platja de Garraf is pretty good, so is Cala Morisca. I can give you more if you want.

Odette
Thank you Mapi!

Mapi
But why are you in Barcelona?

Odette
Looking for a vacation house. It is my mom's favourite city and I thought it would be lovely to have a house here.

Mapi
That is so sweet, you have to take us all on a tour when it is all decorated. I think Alexia would to see the house.

Odette
I promise I'll do that.

I put the address into the GPS and started to drive there, not before making a stop at the hotel to bring a bikini and everything else I needed for a swim. Alicia decided not to join me today. She had brought her family to visit, and they were going to Barceloneta Beach. I was envious that she could do that without being recognised. Fame was costly, but it was something that I happily paid to be able to live while doing what I loved.