Crash Into Me

"A humble actor? That's an oxymoron I don't come across very often," Sandy said with a slight sarcastic laugh. She was about to leave when her phone rang, and Andrea was on the other side telling her that she needed to clean up her cottage for a long term rent prospect.

"I'm tellin' ya', this John Brady is well known for his good attitude, super cool guy and down to earth vibe ... everybody loves him Sandy, EVERYBODY!!" her best friend slash property agent slash life advisor sounded ecstatic for her client.

"I know John Brady, I haven't seen all his movies ... but an actor is an actor, they don't come in a 'humble box', okay babe? I've had actors and actresses, all sorts of celebrities stayed at my cottage and they're a whole different species," Sandy said while putting on her sneakers.

"No, no, no, you don't understand, this is JOHN BRADY ... you know? Urgh I can't believe I'm friends with you! How could you not know about this? He's the ultimate fantasy boyfriend!! He's the most private guy in the celebrity universe, not much is known about him except the fact that he's super nice, generous, and kind ..." Andrea went on with her praises until Sandy couldn't keep up with her anymore.

"Okay ... okay ... I get it, jeez, you're such a fangirl, you said that about all the actors who stayed at my cottage ... I don't mind the rent money, honey, six months sounds like a dream, I'll even throw in a discount if I have to ... so what do I have to do to secure the contract with His Majesty the Ultimate Fantasy Boyfriend John Brady The Humble Actor a.k.a mythical creature?"

"Oh God ... you're so going to love this guy! I'm sending you the requirements to your email as we speak! We're bidding this with four other agents, Sandy, it's not a sure deal but keep your fingers crossed, let's hope fate is on our side!" and she ended it with a scream of excitement that made Sandy pulled away from her phone.

"Fingers crossed, Andrea! Good commission is coming your way!" she yelled to her phone and hung up.

She opened the email from her phone and sighed, "Shit! 30 pages?? Gosh Andrea, this better get me a 6 month rent," she cursed and closed her door to go back to her computer. There goes another day at the gym she had been postponing forever. It's been several months that her cottage had been rent-less, she's behind on her payment to the owner. A life investment she didn't really thought about when she took a 20 year lease on a luxurious compound in Bhorma Island, consist of two cottages to be re-rented for profit.

She was instantly captivated by the wooden interior and exterior of the main Villa, the feel of a cabin in the woods with modern glass windows, wide view facing the mountain at the back balcony. She saw herself starting a family there with the love of her life, two kids, vast grass yard for them to play, a swimming pool. It was a place they didn't have to take a vacation from. A dream that was too soon to be realized.

She used all her savings to make the down payment of the first five years of lease because she was in love, and thought it was going to last forever. The first and worst mistake she ever did in her adult life, she was 26 at the time. Trevor paid half of the down payment and left her soon after. Her five year is up and now she's struggling to pay the rest by herself. The only way she could afford to cover the lease was to rent it out to celebrity clients because of how extravagant it was for a single woman with a regular job with little to no savings.

Trevor felt like a lifetime ago, but her stomach still turns every time she's reminded of him, how hard she fell for the handsome blue eyed young entrepreneur, how hard her heart broke because of how he left without a word. Her jaw tightened, her eyes got watery, she closed her eyes to extrude the memories away. She took a deep breath, and moved on, every single time.

The first 20 pages of requirements were standard for celebrity guests, the usual cleanliness, security, privacy, maintenance, confidential agreement, and so on. The checklist started to look peculiar on the twenty first page, Sandy sat back on her chair and thought about it for some time.

[]Lights out after 8 PM

[]No music or loud sound after 8 PM

[]No children under 6 years of age allowed in the premises

[]No maid or cleaning service allowed inside the property when client is inside

[]No visiting guest

[]No staying guest

[]No visiting guest

Andrea did mention he's a very private guy, it wasn't too much out of the ordinary, under the circumstances, most celebrities had even more bizarre requirements. At least he won't be having parties like most celebrities do, and scratch her wooden floor, smash her window or burn her sofa. She tapped her fingers on her desk, and finally put the ticks on every box that needed it. She didn't give it a second thought, and sent out the document to Andrea.

"Here's to six thousand dollars worth of commission from one single sale this month!!" Andrea lifted her tequila shot and bumped it to Sandy's. They both licked the salt, took the shot and sucked on their limes.

"Here's to a five year rental in one sale!!" Sandy took another shot, her face grimaced from the taste but beaming with relief.

"This is the best sale I have ever made!" Andrea shouted in victory.

"Hey! We haven't got the deal yet, so don't over celebrate ... I'm kind of nervous for some of the requirements they asked for," Sandy said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well ... I kinda ticked on everything 'cause I really need this, Andrea." Andrea almost choked on her lime.

"No?? What?? Are you serious?"

Sandy suddenly felt stiff, her heart raced.

"Which part of the requirements?" Andrea asked, she didn't read through all of it herself.

"You know what ... nevermind, I can handle it, just seal the deal for us, okay?"

"Are you sure?"

Sandy nodded as she sipped her Long Island Iced Tea. It's girls night out and she doesn't want to ruin it with work.

They danced and drank the night away, after passing the age of 25, they enjoyed girls night out even more than before. They've matured enough to care for themselves when they drank too much, they didn't go out to impress anymore but rather to enjoy each other's company. To enjoy the moment and celebrate life as ordinary and as beautiful as it really is.

They've been friends for over ten years, they're practically sisters. They crash at each other's place every other week after a night out. They're both single and not looking. They were women who were fed up with disappointments and found themselves in their independence and loved it. Once in a while they stumble upon a guy, went out on dates and realized infatuations and small talks are a waste of time and energy. Men their age are more compatible with their teenage self than they are now.

"In less than two months, John Brady would be living right next door to you ... do you realize that?" Andrea said while peering out the window from Sandy's kitchen, looking at the main cottage that they will rent out.

"I hope so ... you know how much I need the money, right?"

Andrea shrugged, "You know I can always lend you some money if you really need it."

Sandy waved a dismissive hand, she never accepted her offer on that.

"But John Brady, though!! God I have wet dreams about that guy thousands of times! Or wait ... maybe I was masturbating over him thousands of times."

Sandy was pouring her coffee, "Ewww," she added brown sugar.

Andrea laughed, she was very open with her sexuality, she admitted that even though she wasn't in a relationship, she needed casual sex every now and then.

Sandy took a sip of her latte and exhaled, "I really hope we make the sale, Andrea ... my rent is due next week."

Andrea sat in front of her and touched her shoulders, "Hey ... I told you, I can lend you some money for ..."

Sandy shook her head, "No ... no charities, okay, we'll make the sale, if we don't ... I'm gonna take that Public Relations post that Lucas offered, he's been chasing me for it actually and I'm having a hard time delaying my answer."

Andrea chuckled, "Tell me about it ... you know that post is open for you forever, right? He's been on my ass for your address and asked me if you're seeing anyone."

Sandy never shared her address with anyone except Andrea, it was mostly because she lived in a compound that she rented out to celebrity guests that required total privacy, but it was also partly because she was hiding from her past. Andrea knew better to respect her best friend's wishes, even though Lucas had always tried to get intimate details from her.

"Lucas is a nice guy, he's obviously crazy 'bout you ... I know it's making you uncomfortable sometimes, I just don't want you to feel like you need to do it, so if you ever need the money ..." she didn't have to finish her sentence.

Sandy cupped her best friend's hands in hers, "Thanks babe, I really appreciate it, we'll see about the deal, okay? I'm not making any decisions yet."

Bhorma sunsets are probably one of the most breathtaking scenery anyone could ever experience. She could sit by the beach and stared at the ocean, listening to the waves and the sound of seagulls while the winds blew her hair as she sat upon the sandy beach until the sun would go down all the way.

There's a feeling of serenity, a private silence in the midst of people enjoying the same thing as she does. The sense of peace inside her when she does this is the one thing that tied her to this beautiful island she calls home. She will never leave this place, it would be like leaving herself, and she would never do that again.

Andrea was slowly walking toward her with champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other. "I knew you'd be here," she startled her. Sandy turned to look at her best friend grinning like a crazy woman. "We got the deal!!" she screamed.

"What?? You serious??" she jumped on her feet. Andrea nodded excitedly and they were jumping up and down screaming. "Oh my God!!" They hugged and laughed and danced to celebrate what would be the best contract they have ever made ... yet.

"Oh God! I feel so relieved!! I'm gonna tell Lucas that I won't be taking the job," Sandy said. They clinked their glasses and finished the whole bottle by the beach.

"We are so going to watch all John Brady's movies before he comes in July," Andrea was not joking. "I'm so going to stay at your place so frequently you'll have to get a restraining order to get rid of me," she added and they laughed.

"What movie is he going to shoot here anyways?" Sandy asked.

"It's the second installment of that assassin movie 'Wicked Games' ... haven't you seen that one?"

Sandy shook her head. She's not big on movies and celebrities even though she hosted many of them in her cottage, she doesn't really know who they are.

"I've seen his other movies though, where he played the detective solving a murder and the other one where he played the doctor ... so six months, huh? We have to start doing some renovations and maintenance soon, I have the list ready."

"You're gonna love him, Sandy, he's an absolute gem!"

"I hope so ... having to live with someone in the same compound for six months, I hope he's no Robby Dalton," Sandy was referring to a bad celebrity guest she hosted before.

"You'll probably won't be seeing a lot of him 'cause they say he's a really private guy ... he goes about his way alone most of the time, so his management won't be there either, they'll stay at a hotel."

That's good news for Sandy because she doesn't like a lot of people in her property as well. As for privacy, she's one who indulges in total isolation, it sounds like the arrangement with Mr. Brady was going to work out like a charm. "I'm gonna spend time with Kevin a lot before July, though, he won't be able to come once John Brady starts renting the cottage."

"Why?"

"He specifically asked no child under 6 allowed in the premises."

Andrea's jaw dropped, "You did not agree to that?? Did you?"

"You didn't even read the list, did you?" Sandy mocked her.

"But ... how is that going to work out?"

Sandy made a calming gesture with her hand, "It's fine ... I'll take care of it, don't worry about it, Kevin can stay at my mom's for six months, I can just stay there instead of my place," she assured her.

Andrea sat back, she trusted Sandy with that decision. "People say he's a really nice guy, maybe he'll change his mind when the time comes."

Sandy nodded, "Maybe."

"You know he lost his son when he was only 14 months old? It was a long time ago but he never had another one after that," Andrea said.

"Oh, poor guy ... maybe that's why he doesn't want kids in the area, what about his wife? I thought you said he wasn't married?"

"He wasn't, it was his fiancé and they broken up after their son's death ... even worse, his ex-fiancé committed suicide after they've broken up."

Sandy covered her mouth with one hand, "Oh, dear, how tragic, he must've been devastated."

"Yeah, he went into depression for a few years after that, but that was a long time ago, maybe fifteen years ago."

Sandy was silent after that. Some people don't understand that tragedies, no matter how long it's been, are still tragedies. And the pain never really goes away. They just got better at coping with it, she had her share of tragedy herself.