Chapter 5

The call with Ethan finally came to an end, and Caspien let out a sigh of relief when he wasn't asked further about Shaun. He didn't want to stay there alone for too long, as he'd just keep thinking about the painful memories. He needed to be distracted as much as possible, or else he'd go nuts.

He took a bath to refresh himself and to clear his mind. He planned to search for a condo or apartment – whichever was available. Before starting his search, he decided to fill Arkin's almost empty refrigerator, which only had canned soda and beer. Caspien chuckled to himself, thinking that Arkin probably relied on takeout and delivery.

Caspien got dressed, wearing a simple pair of shorts and a plain white sleeveless shirt from Arkin's wardrobe. As he walked out, people kept glancing at him. He intentionally wore something very simple to avoid those kinds of stares but now he thinks he made the wrong decision. His biceps were on full show because of the sleeveless shirt. 

He was used to the stares anyways, so he ignored them. 

He spent the day shopping for clothes and necessities. When it was time to buy groceries, he hesitated, noticing the crowd at the certain store he's planning to shop from. 

He's curious why people were swarming to shop there but upon a closer look, he saw a tarpauline posted by the sides of the wall. Seeing the sign, he realized there were promotions and discounts. 

He wasn't really fond of discounts if he were to be honest–he has money and he hates crowd–well of course, going to bar is an exception. 

He was about to turn his back as he decided to go to another store but a sales lady approached him, smiling brightly. 

"Sir, come in! We have a huge sale today, with up to twenty percent off each item. What are you waiting for, sir? You look like someone who appreciates a good deal," she added, eyeing his fit physique.

Caspien tried to decline, but the lady's enthusiasm reached him, and he ended up agreeing to shop. "Okay, I'll take a look," he said with a polite smile.

As he wandered through the aisles, he noticed people staring at him again. He focused on his shopping, trying to ignore the attention. He bought various items, including dry and wet goods, for both Arkin and himself.

He was about to grab a can of corned beef when someone caught his attention. It was a girl, maybe a little younger than him, might be the same age as Ethan's sister. She was beautiful and looked like a college student. When Caspien faced her, she seemed to have seen a celebrity and gasped.

He saw a glint of familiarity in the girl's gaze, as if she had seen her idol, and Caspien was slightly taken aback.

"Yes, miss?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A-ahm... Are you Caspien?" the girl asked, looking a bit hesitant but obviously excited. She was about to continue when Caspien nodded slightly, but with confusion in his eyes.

"You're really Caspien?" she asked again beyond belief, adding, "The former vocalist of the band Midnight Sky?"

He saw how hopeful the girl looked as she waited for his response. Hearing the band's name, which he hadn't heard in six years, made him want to leave, run, and hide. He didn't want to show himself to anyone, fearing someone might recognize him again.

However, when he saw how happy the girl was, he couldn't help but smile genuinely. Her smiling face calmed him. Despite the pain in his chest, he didn't show it and nodded at the girl. He didn't regret his decision when he saw the girl jump for joy and ask for his autograph.

"You have no idea how happy I am," she said. "I'm a member of Msy, and you guys were really my inspiration – especially you." Her eyes sparkled, and Caspien smiled even more, especially when he heard the name of their former fan base, Msy (pronounced "emsay").

It was clear the girl wanted to talk more, but she restrained herself, still beaming with joy as she left. Caspien was pleased. He couldn't wipe the small smile off his face because he saw that the girl respected him and didn't ask about his sudden disappearance or the band's disbandment.

He continued shopping and later pushed his cart to line up.

As he lined up to pay, he was surprised to see the girl from earlier in front of him. She was still beaming when she saw him and she excitedly introduced her friend. It was another girl holding their cart and her back was facing Caspien. She's quite tall, he noticed. 

However, when the other girl turned around, Caspien's eyes widened in surprise – it was the girl who had slapped him at the bar! 

That girl was smiling as she turned to face him but her smile vanished.

The girl quickly turned her back again, as if hiding her face in shame, and whispered to her friend. "Macy, this is the guy from the bar I told you about earlier, the one I slapped!"

The girl from earlier–Macy, looked shocked, and they exchanged glances before she whispered back to her friend. "Say sorry, he's my idol! Why did you slap him?" Macy was starting to panic.

Caspien just stood there, watching them whisper to each other. He was about to intervene when they both turned to face him. The girl who had slapped him still looked embarrassed.

"I'm really sorry for what happened," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "To be honest, it was just a dare. I didn't mean to... You responded that way also... That's why I slapped you."

Caspien wasn't sure whether to laugh or react differently. If Macy hadn't been there, he might have responded naughtily to the girl. But since Macy was present, and he could see how she was pinching her friend in secret, he just chuckled to get their attention.

"It's okay, it's my fault too. Let's just call it quits," he said with a smile.

Macy smiled back, but Caspien could see how much her friend wanted to disappear in embarassment, which made him laugh.

"I'm Caspien"

He introduced himself, and Macy exclaimed, "My idol!" 

"I'm Macy, and this is my friend Danica. I'm really sorry for what happened," Macy said, looking at him apologetically.

Caspien acknowledged her apology with a nod. "Nice to meet you, Macy," he said, before turning to the other girl. 

"And you too, Danica." He smiled slyly for a split second while looking at her. 

Danica saw that and she gulped.