I tried convincing myself that Mars wasn't looking at me specifically and that it's my common error of judgement. I managed to calm down my heartbeats by saying that his eyes would just fall in our direction every now and then since we were sitting in the VIP booth which also happened to be at the very front. So it was understandable that his eyes would land on us first and then later move to the back.

As soon as he finished singing his first song, Mars decided to turn the already roaring crowd into a screaming match by announcing for Mama Mia to come join him on the stage.

Mama Mia is, of course, the stage name of a very famous and beautiful dark-skinned female rapper. I don't know what her real name is because I was never interested in knowing it anyway. 

Mars and her have always sprayed off rumors that exceeded the lines of ridiculous theories. A lot of people think that they're dating because they're really close friends which, might I add, is beyond preposterous. Just because their stage names have the same initial doesn't mean they have to be something more than friends.

Not only this but Mama Mia also happens to be a very candid person when it comes to such rumors that don't have a strong base. She'd once actually given an equally hard sass reply. 

"First of all, Mars and I are like siblings and y'all can never ship two persons who are completely off the hook, guys," she had said but it was the next reply that made people raise their eyebrows and back off instantly. "Although, I'll admit that I had this tiny crush on him in the beginning, it was gone as soon as it had developed. I realized that it was weird and I'm honestly happy being friends with him. It's official we are NOT dating so let's not spoil that, okay? Besides, he's head over heels for someone else."

Mars didn't bother to give any response and had left it at that. As far as I know, he prefers his privacy at every cost. He always stays away from the media and rarely shows up until it's about his new album, concert tours or holding press conferences and other stuff required to keep his fans updated. 

He didn't even make any comment when his girlfriend had passed away due a natural death cause either. The only way I'd come to know about this was through Kris. Since she was asked to dig for something exclusive, she came across this very news of his girlfriend. 

It isn't much known because the media houses were ordered to keep it hidden. I don't know how Kris managed to find this but no one has the power to publish it even today either because of some privacy laws.

"I hope y'all are enjoyin' this concert so far!" Mia's booming voice echoed through the stadium arena, making the fans cheer up and holler in unison. They were going crazy with even the slightest statement. Her neon green skirt and blouse paired up with knee-length boots were actually appealing to the eyes.

Mars and Mama Mia were busy keeping the fans entertained while singing in sync. He would sing and she would rap. He would use soft notes whereas she would speak incoherent words with so much ease that it hardly passed my level of understanding. After performing a few more of Mia's songs and two old ones of Atlas's, she bid an adieu to the wild crowd.

There was something that had me furrowing my brows in discomfort. I couldn't tell what it was. There was this uneasy feeling making my skin itch and I wanted to pull my hair out in frustration. 

I couldn't tell what the reason was either. Was it because of the sweat induced bodies pushing me from all sides or my conscience warning me about something, I was absolutely clueless. I wanted to get out of here. I needed some fresh air to breathe soon or else I'd faint from suffocation and non-existent claustrophobia. 

Just when I was going to take a step forward to leave this cramped place to give myself a moment to feel refreshed, I heard something. Something that made me freeze on my spot instantly. 

My eyes widened in shock and I suppressed a gasp. However, my initial stage of shock was overcome by a deep sense of suspicion. To confirm it, I turned around in such a haste that I almost lost my footing in the process. I thanked silently for not getting a whiplash.

"I thought stars were perfect."

To say that I was stumped to hear this exact same line I'd heard a few weeks ago from someone else would be an understatement. That voice. I couldn't mistake the softness of this voice. It was the same soft voice I'd heard in Paradise. 

I couldn't fathom the fact of how I didn't notice that before. Must be because of the difference in the songs he'd sung before but this particular song sounds just how Atlas had sung, no doubts whatsoever.

"No ways," I whispered and quickly looked up at his blob of blond hair. Mars was so busy blasting out the song and I could actually hear the raw emotion in his voice. It was like he was in a trance, like in a completely different world. 

Even if his mask covered his handsome face, I felt stupid to not recognize those mesmerizing blues in his eyes. Or maybe I did but I might have overlooked it, thinking it couldn't be possible.

Everything then started falling into place.

Dyeing his brown hair into blonde and blonde to brown. Those VIP tickets and how he couldn't be able to attend the concert. The reason why Mars's pictures hung on the walls at his place. 

Atlas is Mars. Mars is Atlas. They both are the same people and not some best friend thing he'd fed me the other day. Even better, I'd fed myself that by giving him the idea. I felt betrayed for some reason. I don't know why I was making it personal but I thought we had something going on.

"But then my eyes found you."

I glanced at him again and he stared right back at me. His stare was intense like he was trying to convey something. To me. But I highly doubted that.

"I realized,

Beauty has its flaws." 

His voice was melodious and hypnotizing while he continued looking at me with some emotion in his eyes that I couldn't decipher from the distance. I blinked my eyes as if it's some dream but there he was, still looking at me unblinking.

"Just like the stars with scars

But now...

I will sing you a... serenade

A serenadeeeee."

I was very clear about one thing though. The lyrics of this song were the exact same ones I'd heard Atlas singing in Paradise a few weeks ago. I was more than sure.

The moment he started singing this song, the crowd went silent, listening to his soft voice. They waved the light sticks because no one could sing along to this song as it was not a released one. Everyone could figure it out that this was an impromptu song. 

I was standing there with a bated breath because the entire time he was singing, he didn't even dare to shift his gaze.

I felt someone else's eyes on me as well. Slowly, I turned to my side to see Dave looking at me questioningly. My brows furrowed and that's when it clicked me. He had been there with me and how he'd commented on Atlas's voice too. Ignoring his stare, I returned my eyes back on Atlas or should I say, Mars?

He didn't avert his eyes and continued singing but I didn't pay any heed to it anymore. I stopped listening to his beautiful voice altogether because my mind seemed to be in a different dimension. I felt like I was missing something. Like a missing piece of the puzzle. And then it hit me. Mars's girlfriend and Atlas's girlfriend. 

Mars's girlfriend had passed away. And Atlas had said that his girlfriend, who also happened to be Jenna Hawkins left him. So did 'left him' actually mean to leave him in a way she could never come back? 

At that instant I felt like a certified bitch. I had actually assumed that she left him because she must have cheated on him or that she must have fallen out of love.

My lungs were feeling constricted like someone was choking me. I needed to get out of here somehow. I needed to breathe. As soon as possible. 

This packed place was blocking all my senses. I felt delirious. My eyes were prickling with unshed tears but I blinked them back furiously. Pushing past everybody with my arms, I scurried out of the warm stadium with too much difficulty. I felt like my legs might give up on me and that I might fall unconscious but I stayed put.

"'Hey, Aria! Where are you going?!"

"Girl, are you okay, lol?!"

"Ari! What's wrong? Everything alright?!'"

The concerned voices of my friends were just like the empty screams for me at the moment. I didn't want anyone to stop me because all I needed right now was to be left alone.

I ignored their calls and searched for an exit. For a second, I felt like I wasn't just finding an exit of this stadium but also to all these emotions I was feeling. All this chaos I was now a part of.

Before I could fully step outside, my tears were freely flowing down my cheeks. I was beyond overwhelmed. 'Is it all true? About Jenna?' Her name made me even more emotional and at that point I could no longer control my tear gland.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to both myself and her, if she could hear me amidst all this noise in my head.