Chapter 18

The following day, Joshua went back to TGH. He went to see the guy from the accident, who has recovered a little since last night. He was already transferred to a private room, and his wife came to take care of him. The couple were surprised when the celebrity entered the room. 'I'm glad you're getting better," Joshua told the guy. 'I'm really sorry about what happened." 'It was an accident," the guy said. He actually seems cheerful for someone who just had a very dangerous accident. If Joshua hadn't known the reason, he would be weirded out by his demeanor. The guy and his wife had some problems on their relationship, and because of the accident, they somehow found a way to reconcile and fix things between them. That is the reason why the guy is smiling even if his face is very swollen. 'Still, I feel responsible. That's why I hope you'll let me pay for all your expenses here in the hospital," Joshua said. The couple were shocked. 'Oh! You don't need to do that," the wife said. 'It's okay," Joshua said. 'Please allow me to help you." The couple finally agreed. After all, Joshua's offer is very beneficial to them. They accepted the offer, with tears of joy gleaming on their eyes. As he was going out of the hospital building, Joshua saw Carla. He smiled at her, and she smiled back. He went to talk to her. 'Hi!" Joshua greeted. 'Hello!" Carla is pleased to see him looking better. It seems like whatever he was going through has now passed. 'I visited the patient. He's okay now," Joshua told her. Carla nodded. 'Yes. He's not in critical condition anymore so he was transferred to a private room." 'I guess that will be better. At least I will pay less." Carla giggled. 'Are you sure you'll pay for his medical bill?" Joshua nodded. 'Yeah… Well, it's nice to do good to others sometimes. It feels great. Maybe, you always feel that whenever you help a patient." Carla smiled and nodded. 'And I heard that you're doing outreach programs. That is… impressive." Carla was surprised. She's not expecting that Joshua knows about that. Joshua kind of noticed her shock. 'The letter. Remember? The date?" Oh, yeah. Carla remembered the anonymous letter sent on her behalf, winning her an exclusive date with the matinee idol Joshua Socorro. 'Yeah, I remember… By the way, do you happen to know who sent the letter?" Joshua suddenly felt alarmed. He's not expecting Carla's question. 'I'm just curious because, the person seems to know me a lot." 'Ahm…" Joshua kind of panicked deep inside. He can't tell Carla the truth, but he can't lie either. What can he tell Carla that might stop her from asking? 'A random fan… You know, fans. Sometimes they know a lot about you, it's kind of alarming." Why did he even mention the letter? Why did he bring up the date? Now Carla remembered the anonymous letter sender who was her fan, who in reality is none other than Ria. Joshua thought of a diversion. 'You know…? Sometimes, there are those things that come out in social media that makes you wonder, did I say that? Did I mention that in an interview? Probably no… It turns out, there's this fan who is a friend of someone who knows you, then that person mentioned something about you. The next thing you know, the whole internet knows about it already." He was blabbing. Joshua knows that. He just hoped Carla is satisfied by his explanation. 'I totally get you…" Joshua was relieved. It seems like the issue with the anonymous letter sender was already settled. 'That's what's hard in being a celebrity," Carla said. 'Sometimes, the fans don't know when it's too much already. Yes, you are public figures, but there are still those personal matters that the fans should just leave alone." 'I'm glad you said that," Joshua said. 'I hope all the fans think like you." Carla smiled. 'You know what? All my patients are fans of yours. Especially the kids." 'Really?" Joshua felt glad at what she said. 'Yes," Carla answered. 'The entire second floor is the pedia floor. Most of them, I see them watch you on Youtube when I do my rounds. They watch clips from your old movies." Joshua smiled, but there's something in what Carla told him that made him think. Youtube… There's something about that word… 'Joshua?" He looked at Carla. Joshua then realized that he spaced out. 'Yeah! Ah… I hope I'm not keeping you here. You seem to be on duty." 'Actually, it just ended," Carla said. 'I'm about to go home." 'Oh! Then, I'll take you home." It was Carla's turn to be quiet. 'I am heading to Pure Act, so I can take you home first." 'It's… in the opposite direction… our house…" 'Oh… No, it's okay. It's quite early, so..." 'I don't think… it's okay. Ahm…" Carla looked down. 'I'm not comfortable with the idea…" Joshua understood what she meant. 'Yeah, ahm… Sorry…" Carla looked at him. 'I'm sorry… I didn't mean to offend you… It's… It's just…" 'I understand," Joshua said. 'Thanks for your honesty. I appreciate it." Carla just nodded. 'So… I'll go ahead now." Carla nodded again. 'Bye!" 'Bye…" Joshua smiled at her. Then he went straight to his car. Actually, he's kind of ashamed that he said that to Carla. Considering their history, being on a date with her does not mean they became friends. He should have thought of that. He headed straight to Pure Act Café. James was there when he arrived, as usual. 'Hey! You seem to have overstayed in Taralc," James joked. He said that because usually, when Joshua finished a movie, he immediately has another project lined up. 'I might be staying here for a while," Joshua said. James was obviously surprised. 'I did not renew my contract." Joshua thought James need to know the truth since he'll be seeing more of him in the coming days. 'Why?" James asked. He wanted to divert the conversation, but Joshua felt that he should be honest to his friend. And he knows James would soon discover the truth about him and Caith, so it's better if he hear if first from him and not from a certain blind item. Well, James does not follow those blind items, but Mark does. Or, not him but the girls he dates. Mark's strategy to impress a girl includes telling her that he's Joshua Socorro's friend. That's fine with Joshua, but in return Mark discovers the gossips about him. And sometimes, those gossips are true. 'It's Caith… We broke up…" Joshua saw how James' face saddened by his revelation. He wished there is an easy way to say it, but being honest is not always easy. 'I found out that she's having an affair…" James was stunned. Joshua shrugged. 'I decided to take a break from showbiz because… it's a world where she exists and even though she will not be my love team, her ghost will still be attached to my image... So, you'll be seeing more and more of me in the coming days." Joshua was surprised when James suddenly hugged him. It felt good, though. Maybe he should have gone to James the moment he discovered everything, so he didn't have to go through depression and the accident with that innocent man should not have happened. Well, at least he will not be the reason for the man's accident, and he will not feel so guilty about it. James is not the only one who consoled him. Later that night, Joshua had a quick drinking session with James and Mark and Jeralhd. Quick, because it was quickly organized. Though they really spent some time drinking and talking especially about what happened to him and Caith. 'I knew it!" Mark said. 'I really never liked that Tony." In fairness to Mark, he has been vocal about him not liking Tony since the beginning. Joshua just brushed it off thinking Mark is normally like that – quite talkative and a little judgmental sometimes. Maybe he should listen to him more from now on. 'So that's just it? Joshua, aren't you gonna fight for Caith?" Jeralhd asked. 'I guess… it's what's meant to be." That's just what Joshua can tell them. He can't tell them that Caith and Tony are destined for each other. 'Je, Caith cheated on him. Do you want him to just forget about that?" Mark asked Jeralhd. 'What I mean is, maybe Caith was just… I don't know! Maybe she was just gotten by the moment. Tony was able to fool her… There could be a lot of reasons why it happened. I just think maybe Josh should talk to Caith, like a serious conversation, just to figure out what could've happened." Jeralhd is really the most resilient when it comes to love. Joshua even thinks he will be a better Cupid than him. That's how romantic he is, and he has a strong belief in true love. 'Well, you have a point," Mark said to Jeralhd. 'But, the question is, do you still want her back, Josh?" Everyone's attention focused to Joshua. He felt like he's in the hot seat. 'I don't think it's still needed. Caith made her choice… Someday maybe, we could talk. Just to close things up. But I definitely will not go back to her." Destiny made her choice, and it wasn't Caith for him. Joshua is actually starting to accept that more and more. 'It seems like our friend has already decided," James told Mark and Jeralhd. 'Agree," Mark said. He looked at Jeralhd. 'Well, if that's the case, then we won't force you to do it. We're just here to support you," Jeralhd said. Joshua smiled. 'I know, and thank you." 'But, what are you planning to do now?" Mark asked Joshua. 'I am thinking of doing a channel in Youtube." Yes, while driving earlier to Pure Act Café, he thought of that idea. 'You'll do vlogging?" Mark asked. 'Yup. It wouldn't be that hard, right? I'll just document my everyday life. Or maybe, do some trending challenges on the internet. A lot of celebrities do that now." 'Could be… You're already famous to begin with, so maybe your fans would subscribe to your channel immediately after you launched it," Mark said. 'And, I would hire a professional for the video editing, and probably to shoot the video." He is actually thinking of hiring Carlo Reyes, so that they would get closer to each other so that he could easily fulfill his mission. 'It seems like you're decided already," James said. 'Do you have an idea for your first video?" 'That, actually… I'm thinking of doing like a daily vlog, but I feel like that's quite lame for a first video. I should think of a better content for two to three videos before I do daily life vlogs." 'Why don't you announce that you're taking a break from showbiz?" Jeralhd suggested. Joshua liked what he said. 'That is actually a good idea!" 'But the downside is, you also have to tell your fans that you and Caith broke up," Jeralhd continued. Joshua pondered. Jeralhd has a point. The fans might wonder why they don't see Caith in his vlogs. For sure they will request her to guest on his channel. 'You seemed to have contemplated on that one," Mark said. 'A little," Joshua said. 'But, it's the right thing to do. I have to let everyone know about me and Caith. The fans deserve to know. Though, I won't tell them the truth, at least they'll know that she's not part of my life anymore. At least, that I could tell them." The three guys nodded in agreement. The following day, Joshua immediately took care of his vlog channel. The first thing he did was to go to Carlo Reyes and offer him to be his videographer and video editor. Surprisingly, he accepted it. 'I think, vlogging is nice. It's more personal, more relatable because most people could not afford those fairytale weddings and luxurious events. In vlogging, you show them how life normally is. It's refreshing, and there's a spec of excitement on not really knowing what will happen," Carlo explained. And so, after a few more days of conceptualizing with Carlo and his team, and contemplating on how his first vlog post will look like, Joshua has finally sat down on Carlo's studio where they will film his first ever vlog video. 'Ready, Josh?" Carlo asked him. Joshua nodded, summoning all the courage that he gathered for this revelation video he is about to shoot. 'You can start talking now," Carlo told him. Joshua looked at the lens, and as the camera started rolling, he also started talking about the new phase of his life.