Flashing Lights

2 - Whatcha think

I'm leaning against one of the concrete walls of the concert hall while going through Hunter's emails on my phone, taking mental notes of the ones I need to mention to him later.

When I look around in the empty arena, I can already imagine the roars coming up from the crowd the moment Hunter would get up on stage later tonight, singing those first lines of his first solo hit.

I remember how it scared me at first. All the screaming, the constant flashing lights whenever he stepped out, people chasing him, ...
I can't imagine being hunted down like that. Getting your picture taken every second of every day if you're not careful... No thanks. I've always liked the thought of anonymity.

The weird thing is that his die-hard fans already know me by now. Not that I am special or anything - they know who everyone in Hunter's crew is. Last week, one of them even wanted to take a selfie with me. Crazy.

These last months have been a real whirlwind. I started working for Hunter 4 months ago. After I graduated, I started working as a PA for the CEO of a small company in publishing. The company didn't stay small for long, and before I knew it, I was the PA of the CEO of a multinational. To this day, I'm still not sure how they noticed me, but one day, I received a call from Hunter's management, and the rest is history, I guess.

If you would have told me that one day I would be the PA of one of the world's biggest pop stars of this time, at the age of 26, I would've said you were losing your mind, but here I am.

It isn't always easy and I am still learning a lot of new things every day. I don't think it's surprising that working for a pop star can in no way be compared to working for the CEO of a big company.

I need to work the most irregular hours and Hunter can be a real diva sometimes, but I really love this job and still thank my lucky stars every single day I get to be a part of this amazing experience. I have no idea how long it's going to last, but I plan on getting the most out of every day.
But in a  very responsible way, duh.

"Whatcha think Millie, can I do this on my own?"
He asks the question, but I can tell he doesn't need an answer by the smug look on his face. His eyes widen while he looks up at that enormous stage.

Hunter had been a part of a major boy band before all this. Basic Unwritten - BU in short -was huge and they were popular all over the world.
The 4 boys got together when they were 19 and split 6 years later. After 2 years of writing on his first solo album and almost disappearing from the face of the earth, Hunter Rivers published his first solo record. It was a smash hit from the very first day it was released.

I haven't really asked him about his boyband past yet, but according to the tabloids, they split because they couldn't be in the same room as each other anymore.
It's sad really, if you think about it. They spent so many years together, even grew up together and just like that, it was all over and they never saw each other again.

"Millie, can we go over my schedule for the rest of the day?" he asks, pulling me from my thoughts. I raise an eyebrow, "Are you feeling ok? You never show any interest in your schedule." I'm not exaggerating here - he really couldn't care less. He's always late for everything. But I think I already mentioned that before, didn't I?

He puts his hands behind his neck, thinking. "I want to do this right you know, I can't screw this up."

Whoa - where did the confident guy from a couple of minutes ago go?

I give him a small nudge and my most reassuring smile. "You won't."

His eyes meet mine for a second before he looks up at the stage again and a large grin emerges on his face. "You're right, I won't," he pauses a couple of seconds before adding, "Do you think I can meet up with Kimmy before the show?"

Aah, there is the Hunter I know.
I can't help but laugh, "And here I was thinking you were asking because you wanted to stick to a schedule for once in your life."

I try to find him some spare minutes and adjust his schedule where needed, and literally beg him to stick to it this time.
"I won't let you down Millie, you're the best. See you back in time for soundcheck." He points his fingers towards me while walking backwards towards the exit.

I roll my eyes. I already know I'm screwed.
There's no way he will make it back in time.