Lights, Camera and Alden Richards ➣ AlDub/MaiChard

ten

JUNE 2016 

"This song is dedicated to everyone who loves Ed Sheeran," Maine said on the microphone. The crowd cheered and a few people brought their phones out to take pictures and videos. "This one's called This." 

Maine started strumming her guitar, earning whistles and cheers from her audience. 

"This," she started singing, "is the start of something beautiful. This is the start of something new." She took a small step back while strumming and then leaned back closer to the mic. "And you are one that make me lose it all. And you are the start of something new, oh."

The crowd cheered louder and moved their hands in the air in a slow rhythm, following Maine's melody. 

"And I'll throw it all away," Maine sang beautifully. "And watch you fall into my arms again. And I'll throw it all away, watch you fall, now..."

It was beautiful. The crowd was beautiful. The cold breeze from the sea was beautiful. The lights were beautiful. Maine was beautiful.

Tonight was her second and last night in Pagudpud. She was asked to perform a couple of weeks ago, since the original performer cancelled on last minute. She flew in from the metro to Ilocos two days before. And Maine was relieved that she was out of the metro for a while—away from the publicity stunt, even just for a couple of days. 

Surprisingly, the audience she had seemed to love her. No one has threw her mean and rude comments about spending time with the precious Alden Richards since she came here and for once, she was happy. The people who watched her genuinely liked her and they were all taking pictures and videos of her, which was a good thing according to Kim.

Maine has been suffering social anxiety since she was a kid. She never liked crowds. She always felt claustrophobic when she was in the middle of a lot of people. She forgets how to breathe and loses her own mind when she's in a crowd. But somehow, being on stage, with a microphone and a guitar or keyboards, she felt comfortable. It was ironic, but it was true. 

When she finished the last song and told her goodnights and thank yous to the crowd and the people who invited her to perform for such a lovely audience in a beautiful place, the people in front started chanting "one more! one more! one more!". Maine apologized and said that there were still bands who were about to perform, but the host of the party joined the crowd in begging her to sing one more song. 

Maine laughed, "I don't know..."

Kim signalled her from the corner of the crowd, saying it was okay.

"Totoo ba?" she asked. The organizers and hosts nodded their heads and gave her a thumbs up. "Okay then."

The crowd cheered. 

"Hindi ko 'to narehearse," she said. "This is my favorite song, it's called Yellow by Coldplay." 

She started strumming her guitar, earning louder cheers from the audience.

"Look at the stars," she softly sang. "Look how they shine for you and everything you do. Yeah, they were all yellow."

Maine saw Kim take her phone out and take a photo or video of her.

"I came along," she continued. "I wrote a song for you and all the things you do. And it was called 'yellow.'"

Suddenly, one person from the crowd turned her phone's flashlight on, turned it to Maine and slowly waved it up in the air. Not even a second later, a few people did it as well. 

"So then I took my turn," Maine smiled. "Oh what a thing to have done, and it was all yellow." 

"Sing with me," she said quickly before singing again. "And your skin, oh yeah, your skin and bones turn into something beautiful. Do you know? You know I love you so."