I'm Secretly Not So Secretly Famous

It's strange to admit that until a person becomes popular, nobody really understands the burden of being known to the world. Let alone a city full of deranged individuals. While dealing with a bunch of crazies isn't a first world problem, I get hemorrhoids dreading about the next potential riot.

With the announcement of my indefinite hiatus, I knew it was only a matter of time before the haters started spamming the comment section of my reels. I had gotten several calls from my friend earlier tonight; out of exhaustion from unpacking I hung up on him and took a nap.

Well that nap lasted 6 hours. 

Groaning at the sound of aggressive knocking, I got up from the floor and glanced at my watch.

Shit, it's 1 am?!

"Asher? Asher! I'm sorry but can I please come inside!"

Oh, it's the voice of a frantic woman. Admittedly, I'm surprised she carried herself with such energy despite the time. 

"Alright, what's up-"

Within two seconds of opening my door I was immediately tackled onto the floor. 

Her body onto mine, her chest knocking the glasses I wore. The black wig barely hung onto the edge of my head, revealing opposing colors of my hair. 

"OH GOD ASHER," this woman's grip at the back of my shirt had me sweating, "It feels like it never ends! First, one of my colleagues did a no call no show, so I had to close the entire front of our store! T-then, a suspicious dude was following me home! And now, I realized I left my keys inside!"

"Wait, you left your keys inside?!"

"Yeah so I'm locked out!"

"God damn it..."

I gently pushed her away from me. Getting up, I rubbed my temples and called myself an idiot. 

Man, what was the point of locking the door for her...

If anything, I was equally amused that she hadn't noticed the glasses and wig on the carpet. This woman's truly something else. Wherever she goes, anxiety follows.

On second thought, I took this opportunity to quietly grab my belongings as she rambled on the floor. As I closed my door, I wasn't even sure if she was talking to me anymore; her eyes darted in senseless directions, her hair a mess despite the brush I recalled she ran with. 

The air at night was frighteningly cold. And in the most ironic sense, neither of us are wearing the appropriate clothes to keep us warm. I sat down and rummaged through one of my bags, desperate to get a sweater.

It was only about five minutes of unwinding did she finally inhale.

We exchanged gazes. For the first time despite our encounter, the clock slowed down for us to appreciate each other's features. 

Now that I think about it, she's quite pretty.

A young lady of petite stature, with flawless, glimmering skin. Eyes bearing resemblance to the Amethyst crystals in her living room. Lips reminiscent of rose petals that I could-

"A-Asher,"

Shit. I leaned back. Was I staring for too long? Wait, why am I getting flustered over some woman I just met?!

"Sorry, I didn't mean to stare-"

"Why is your hair white?"

"Eh...?"

Oh shoot, I completely blanked out. My attention span had shrunk to the equivalent of a deer in the headlights. 

"Y-you see, I had to wear a disguise. Because I had uh, stalkers, and I didn't want them to find me."

She leaned closer. Her face some several inches from mine that I could smell the scent of lavender. 

"You look familiar. Have we met?"

"Yes, this afternoon."

"Not what I meant, Asher! But like, you're quite attractive. Reminds me of some idols I've seen online. I wouldn't be surprised if you were a social media celebrity!"

"W-WHOA THERE, hold on now-"

For a woman that screamed panic every second, I had no idea she could be blunt when she's at calm mode. Who the hell is this lady!

As if her self awareness caught up, the woman widened her eyes and jolted back. Talk about a staring contest. 

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," she briefly looked away as if to gather her thoughts, "All I'm saying is I think you're cute- I MEAN, like a friendly compliment! N-not like a creepy way, y' know? Heh, I... I should shut up now."

The last sentence trailed off to a whisper that if it wasn't for the deafening silence, I would've missed it. 

"What? No, don't be embarrassed. It's fine, really, I mean asides from meeting you in the middle of your mental breakdown, you're cool."

She perked up.

"Really? You think I'm cool?"

"Eh, sure, why not?"

"My dreams of being cool have finally came true!"

She clapped her hands with such glee that it became contagious. I smiled, finding her quirkiness to be quite charming. 

"Hey," I reached over and poked her shoulder,  "I don't think I've caught your name yet."

"Eh?! I could've sworn I gave myself a proper introduction! I'm Emma."

"Cute," I teased, "but I think Miss Workaholic suits you better."

She let out an exasperated gasp; as if her heart just shattered upon realizing her first impression wasn't that proper introduction she envisioned, but of anxiety. I mean, this woman works half a graveyard shift, who does that!

"What! Why! I don't just work y' know, I also meditate! And read! And draw and watch other inspiring artists!"

It's astonishing that somehow Emma hadn’t recognized me. Perhaps this is the work of God. How blessed am I to be able to live in hiding, sharing ideas with an artist appreciator, and-

"And talk about hot boys, gosh you really remind me of this online celebrity, Ace Clover!"

The leaves stopped rustling outside, the air froze and I couldn't breathe. The clock ticked louder and my heart sank deeper than the abyss that is my stomach. With that statement coming out of her mouth I knew it was a matter of seconds now. Gulping, I imagined myself typing ferociously on the laptop desperately seeking a new apartment. 

"W-what did you say?"

Emma had to be selectively oblivious, for she continued to fangirl despite my whimpering. 

"Oh you know, Ace Clover! The man that's currently on hiatus because of all the controversy going on! Man, imagine being famous, must be hard having to deal with crazy people! My stress could never!"

OK, maybe God doesn't love me. She had turned to glance at my stack of clothes as she spoke and noticed the sweater.

"Wait a minute, are you...?"

Figuring it was late, I took the biggest risk of my life.

"Um. Emma, I apologize for lying to you earlier. Truth is, I'm...I'm Ace Clover."

The silence that took over was the second loudest sound to overwhelm me. The first was how rapid my heart was beating. 

After what seemed like an eternity, Emma slowly turned to look at me. Then at the sweaters, and back at me.

"Oh, I was about to ask if you were a fan of him."

"What."

"B-but what do you mean you're Ace Clover, you're Asher."

"Gosh Emma, I apologized. I told you, I'm Ace. Ace Clover."

"Huh."

Emma stood up. She blinked at me with such a neutral expression I wasn't sure what to make of it. She lifted her head and stared at the clock on the table.

"This is too much for me at 1 am, I think I'm going to bed."

And then, without saying goodbye, she turned to my door, opened it, and shut it behind her.

"Um, but didn't you..."

As expected, I heard Emma's voice radiating in the hallway. 

"AH CRAP I LOCKED MYSELF OUT!"

I immediately ran outside and dragged her back into my room, quietly shutting the door behind us. 

"Emma hush! It's literally the middle of the night, you're going to wake the neighbors up!"

She dropped to the floor, her hand on her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Maybe it was too much to reveal who I was within the first day of meeting each other. She's as bearable as my mother, I figured. If Emma faints, I'm calling the ambulance.

But luckily, she didn't. Instead, she ushered me over to sit next to her. 

I scooted, but before I could utter a word, she pointed at the sweater across from us.

"Actually wait," she bit her lip, "Put it on."

"Huh??"

"Put in on, the sweater."

"Uh- I, OK...."

I grabbed the sweater; my peripheral vision caught sight of her fixated at me as I lifted my arms up. Hold on, am I changing in front of...

Heh, luckily my LEAVE ME ALONE shirt wasn't going anywhere. I quickly plopped into the sweater and threw a peace sign at Emma. 

"There, now do I look like the Ace Clover you speak so fondly of?"

And in that moment, her face was as red as a tomato.

"Oh my god, what a king..."