Lovesick the Series :

11 - The Paparazzi

Once back at his little house in the countryside, Mick wanted to go to school to start his resignation process. He was determined to leave this place and the 6 years of pretence they had endured. Mary was at her usual routine, cooking up a meal for both of them. Mick watched her quietly from behind - her slim silhouette against the kitchen window, near the stove - Mick was a little curious about what was playing on her mind. He didn't love her. He just co-existed with her and they both gave each other the space and privacy required. While Mick was lost in thought, Mary quietly asked, 'So when are you going to draw up the Divorce Papers? Have you contacted the lawyer yet?'

Mick fumbled a bit and said, he'll get back to her on this at the soonest. He knew that Mary didn't want to drag this misery any longer than he did. Over the meal, Mick told her about his conversation with his parents. She was happy for him that it all went smooth. Mick was on his way to school to inform them about leaving the school. He was meticulous in his planning and couldn't wait to be a free man. 

The school was surprised to learn about his decision. He said, he'll help them find a piano teacher to take his place, till then he would continue teaching. Word spread about Mick leaving the school. The parents of his students pleaded with him to stay on. Nobody or nothing in this world could change his mind or alter his plans. He called one of his lawyer friends in Bangkok and talked to him about the divorce. The small house in the countryside would be Mary's - in exchange for an alimony-less divorce.The lawyer flew over once the papers were ready and they signed it in the living room on a very ordinary day. Both sighed a relief, almost at the same time.

Mary was a free woman. Mick was Ohm's. The lawyer said, it would take about another 3 months for everything to finalize. Mick decided to stay in the countryside with Mary till then. They continued to visit the church, do their charity work on weekends. Mick continued to teach piano but on weekends, he would be back in the city to see Ohm. Ohm would free up his weekend schedule for Mick and they would go on secret getaways towards the suburbs of the city. Some weekends, they would be joined by Phun and Noh. It was always fun hanging around the boys. The resorts would assure them the privacy and the security they needed. Mick enjoyed the 48 hours with Ohm and wished he didn't have to go back. 

This time, Ohm had planned a surprise. They piled into his car in the dead of the night. Mick was excited. Ohm and Mick would hold hands and talk about their future. Mick would sometimes lean his head on Ohm's shoulders. These were the fleeting moments that meant the most to both of them. Even their silence was comforting. Just as they were turning into the gates of the resort, Ohm and Mick were suddenly blinded by flash of lights. Paparazzi. There were more than 30 photographers at the gate. Mick tried to hide his face. They blocked his car. Ohm blew the horn and the security guards at the gate hurried through the crowd to rescue their guests. Anger. Frustration. Ohm's face reflected it all. He continued to blast the horn, creating quite a scene. He wanted to run them all down. This was intrusion. His private space and moment were broken into. When his car managed to get away, Mick was slightly trembling. Ohm looked at an ash-white Mick but didn't know what to say. He walked into the manager's cabin and fired away for such negligence. 

In their room, Mick was a little shaken by the experience. Ohm held him in his arms for the longest time, comforting his love that everything was okay and they were safe. The phone began to buzz in Ohm's jacket pocket. He seated Mick on the bed. The call was from Nohm's manager. There were couple of messages from Noh. Few more from his other celebrity friends. He scanned the links they sent. It was Ohm and Mick at the front seat of his car! 'Who is Ohm's new best friend?' 'Is that Ohm's lover?' ' Ohm at the resort to spend the night with his boyfriend' 'Ohm is gay too' .. there were many interesting such headlines that speculated, guessed and even determined that Ohm was a swinger!

Ohm didn't want to panic Mick and casually told Mick to change and refresh himself, while he needed to take care of few things at the lobby. Mick obeyed quietly. He didn't know what to expect but he knew enough about online reputation of artists and their weighty matters if the fans turned against them. Ohm called the reception and booked a small conference room for his private use for the night. Ohm called his manager and told him to calm down. The CEO had found about Ohm's late night ventures and demanded an explanation. The manager was on his way to the resort. Noh said that he and Phun were coming to resort as well. Ohm had reliable friends. The social media was flooded with their pictures together. Ohm was asked by Noh to write a message for his fans that read 'Celebrating a reunion with high-school friends at the Resort.' Ohm knew this was one of the tactics used by the agencies and artists - to spin a new story for distraction. The manager had brought along the other two members of his band, Noh and Phun arrived a little later. The string of Nohm band members arriving one by one, surprised the camera clad paparazzi. So it wasn't just a twosome getaway - the entire band and their manager were at the resort. Their pictures soon appeared on the internet. 'Looks like the Nohm band is on a weekend getaway...' the story soon turned around and away from Ohm-Mick's pictures. All this happened in a matter of hours and by morning light... the public at large ignored it all.

Ohm was baffled by the entire ordeal. Who could have leaked about his weekend getaway? Nobody else knew except Noh, Phun and his manager. Even Mick didn't know. Someone at the resort had breached his trust. It was going to take more than a mere apology to get this matter settled.