ALDEN

Today was the day. It was the nineteenth day of Kalyeserye as their segment was now called, although it was still embedded in the Juan for All production. What started as an experiment was now a popular and much-awaited segment of Eat Bulaga. Aldub, as they were called, now had a fanbase and a steady trending on Twitter.

The segment now had a storyline, and people looked forward to it. Maine's character, Yaya Dub, supposedly takes care of an old lady, Lola Nidora, who was against their budding romance. She wanted someone else for Yaya Dub, someone much older but rich, a guy named Frankie Arinoli, and today, he and Yaya Dub were supposed to get married. But there lies the twist. He, Alden, was going to rescue Yaya Dub and finally meet her face-to-face.

After three weeks of splitscreen communication through dubsmash and fan signs, he would get to meet her and maybe talk to her. Both he and Maine were not allowed to communicate outside of the segment, not even to discuss their segment. Although there was a script, it was merely a sequence guide, most of their actions and dialogues were improvised and Alden loved it because he was learning a lot. In his four years as an actor, this was his most challenging role, where he had to use his own judgement on how to react to the situations at hand. Really difficult but he was enjoying every minute.

"Ready ka na ba? Big day today ah," Ruby said fondly.

"Oo nga ate eh. Pray for me ha, sana ok lahat." He said, putting his palms together in a sign of prayer.

Every one of the Dabarkads was nice to him and to Maine. They all welcomed this new segment enthusiastically and allowed both Alden and Maine to shine. He wondered if Maine was ok, hearing from Paolo that she was under the weather the day before. He hoped she was feeling better today. Meeting her gave him a certain apprehension. Things were going so well for them, but after meeting each other finally, where would the story go? How would they still pique the interest of the fans? He would be sad to see this little adventure end but he was thankful for the blessings.

"Your will be done, Lord." He whispered, eyes closed. He was ready for wherever the Lord would take him. Taking his place backstage, he waited for the segment to start.

Throughout the other segments, preparations for the "wedding" were being shown. Maine looked beautiful in the wedding gown they chose for her. She transformed from the simple pony-tailed nanny to a beautiful vision in white. She was a little pale but in character as a reluctant bride. He saw promise in his screen partner, she played her part well as always.

The wedding venue was a village gymnasium in an undisclosed location. Everone was sworn to secrecy, so as to avoid large unmanageable crowds while the segment was ongoing. Their popularity had reached this point, where safety and security precautions were a necessity.

Alden remained on standby as their segment started. The audience was hooked, as he shed tears over the marriage of his love to another man. He looked genuinely heartbroken. Then, wiping off his tears, he caressed the bride's image on the monitor and ran out of the studio, much to the surprise of the studio audience. He sped away on a van, intent to stop the wedding.

Meanwhile in the gymnasium, the "wedding" was in progress. Maine was in tears, Jose as Frankie was his usual obnoxious self, and Wally was taking selfies as Lola Nidora, while the wedding was progressing. Things were on schedule until Maine suddenly collapsed unconscious.

The audience roared, thinking that the scene was part of the script. But a few seconds later as the floor director and Rogelios carried her away, everyone was worried for Maine. Wally forgot he was in character and called out her real name. it was the longest two minutes on air as Maine remained unconscious until she was carried away, with the fans still divided on whether it was a genuine scene or not.

By the time Alden arrived he had no idea what was happening. He had no earphones on, no directions to follow. He wondered where Maine was, but played along with Wally and Jose, improvising to fill the time. He heard bits of conversations around him and found out Maine collapsed, probably due to over-fatigue.

He played his part well, the part of the star-crossed lover pining for his girl. They executed some fight scenes and finished with the usual cliffhanger, leaving the audience wondering. As soon as they went into commercial break, Alden approached Jose.

"Kuya anong nangyari kay Maine?" He asked, genuinely worried.

"Di ko alam Alden, hinimatay siya bigla eh. Kahapon pa masama pakiramdam niya eh."

"Asan nap o siya ngayon, ok lang ba siya?"

"Nag aantay din kami ng balita, wag ka mag-alala, balitaan ka naming agad."

Reluctantly, Alden left the gymnasium, wondering about Maine. It was a difficult situation, not being able to call even just to ask how she was. They had been partners for almost a month now, flirting with each other, knowing what buttons to push to make each other giddy, and yet they didn't know each other.

Thankfully, 24 Oras reported that evening that Maine was ok. It was a case of over fatigue combined with the intense heat and the tight wedding dress. She was good as new, and even posted a photo on her IG in a wacky pose.

Crazy girl, he thought fondly, smiling.

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