cara mia || tommyinnit

xxviii

A part of Chiara regretted agreeing to Anthony Padilla's interview, but after tens of platforms reached out for her begging for an interview with "ChiChi and Ara," she figured the most trustworthy one would be Anthony. He did want "Ara" before anyone else cared and she appreciated that.

She stood behind a bunch of cameramen talking to Anthony about logistics of the interview. He was clearly nervous, that much she could decipher. She wondered how much his nerves would disappear if she was only Ara, not ChiChi. Chiara's attention was brought back once Anthony cleared his throat.

"Do you have any topics you want me to avoid bringing up?" he asked, clasping his hands together. The question didn't surprise her. Many interviewers asked her the same question and she'd always respond with the same answer.

"My sister." She ran her hands through her hair. "I'm fine with talking about her, but, not in serious detail." He looked surprised at that answer and nodded with a smile.

"No problem," he answered. "We can move to the chairs if you're ready." Chiara nodded and followed him to the set. It was a comfy enviornment with a big fireplace in between both chairs. There were plants and stuffed animals aligning the walls along with two chairs perfectly arranged across from each other. From the camera perspective, Anthony sat comfortable in the left chair while Chiara positioned herself in the right.

She suddenly became hyperaware of her bare legs — an observation she should have made when putting on the skirt this morning — along with the oversized mesh white cardigan and black tank top under it, she felt seen. It wasn't her first interview, but it was her first interview as her. There was no part of her she could hide now.

The crew offered her a glass of water as she heard the cameras rearing up.

She saw the camera woman motion her hands in an "action" motion and Anthony immediately jumped into interview mode.

He reached over to shake her hand, as if this was their first interaction. She reciprocated, greeting him with a simple hello. "How should I refer to you? Ara? ChiChi?" he immediately asked with a humorous tone. It was a contrast from his casual speaking voice, which made sense, but still threw her off slightly.

She only smiled. "Chiara's fine. Chiara's great, actually."

"Best of both worlds. Got it." They proceeded to simultaneously hum the Hannah Montana theme song before breaking out into laughter. "I think out of any of my interviews, this one will, by far, be the most anticipated."

"Geez, I hope I'm worth it," she joked, crossing her legs.

Anthony's mouth fell slightly open before looking at a card in his hand. "Hmm, let's see... Grammy, MTV, and VMA award-winning, international rockstar, and a multimillionaire streamer/gamer? Yes, Chiara, I think you are beyond worth it." He fiddled with his hands as he crossed his leg over. "As we're recording this, it has only been a few weeks since you're face reveal and the news is still insanely fresh. First off, thank you for agreeing to this. Second off, how have you been feeling and dealing with this?"

"I'm... surviving!" she perked up. "It's definitely been a whirlwind of events. Phone calls, texts, news articles. I still haven't fully comprehended what I did."

"No one can either, it seems," he laughed. "I think the first thing that came to everyone's mind was, why? Why gaming. Why streaming? Just... a whole lotta why's, it seems."

Chiara laughed, subconsciously bouncing her leg. "Well, I started gaming when quarantine hit. My career was always, uh, depended on performing and being around the public and quarantine restricted that. I released singles as a means of filling my boredom, but, it got repetitive. I started playing with my friend Marcela — shoutout Mars — and enjoyed it, oddly enough. I started my channel as a side thing. I put a random username—"