𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐘 𝐍𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ➪ 𝐕𝐈𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀 𝐃𝐄 𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐒

LX. THEY DESERVE TO BE HERE

"Oh, that was good." Victoria said, laying down on our hotel bed all sweaty.

"I told you skipping in the morning was nice. It doesn't look like you're used to it, though." I laughed at her poor state.

"How come you're not dying?" she asked overdramatically.

"Because I've been doing it for a long time." I chuckled, helping her stand up. "I think it's time for a shower. Both of us."

"We don't have too much time, I think we need to go together." she said and I raised my eyebrows suspiciously.

"Not enough time, you say?" I looked at the watch on my wrist. "We have an hour and a half."

"But, you know, before we turn the water on, before it warms up, before we each individually get in..." she trailed off.

"I'm not stupid, Vica." I said, smiling. "Get your clothes."

"Cool." she smirked and took her clothes.

I rolled my eyes playfully and went to the bathroom to turn the water on, making sure it was warm.

"Have you seen my purple shirt? You know, the one with the - the things." she shouted from the bedroom.

"Yeah, second shelf to the top of the wardrobe." I shouted back.

Soon, she came in and started taking her clothes off and looked in the mirror.

"Do you think I'd look good with a lip piercing?" she asked.

I stood up from sitting on the closed toilet and looked at her. "Yeah, you'd look hot in everything."

She chuckled and kissed me. "How's the water?"

"I think it's ready now." I said and put my hand under the water coming from the showerhead. "Yeah, it's good now."

While I quickly took my clothes off, she entered the shower and then I joined her. She was already washing herself but she obviously couldn't reach her back so I helped her.

"I swear if we weren't tight for time right now I'd have sex with you right here in this shower." she said and I laughed.

"All I'm doing is helping you wash yourself!" I exclaimed.

"To be horny, all I need is to look at your hands, not going to even start on feeling them on me." she said.

"Well, then stop being horny because we have no time." I said and she let out a breath.

We both washed and then left the bathroom after changing to our clothes. We got ready and then left for their second rehearsal since getting to Rotterdam. Eurovision was only a couple days away and I could see how very stressed they all were, I couldn't blame them though. We ate breakfast and then went to the changing rooms.

"Althea finally decided to get out of her room!" Thomas exclaimed as I walked in with Vica to their changing and getting ready room.

"I get out of my room." I said to him.

"Yeah, to walk around. I haven't seen you for days." he said, walking up to hug me. "Neither have Ethan and Damiano."

"You all love me too much." I smirked and Vica laughed silently.

"Look who it is." Ethan said coming out of his changing room with just trousers as he brushed his hair. "I thought you might have died in that room of yours."

"Seriously? I have been going out of mine and Victoria's room." I said. "I persuaded Enzo to read a book."

"I still have no idea how you did that." Ethan said.

"Is he enjoying it? I told his to read a couple pages to see if he likes it and if not then he can bring it back to me but he hasn't yet." I said.

"He seems to be enjoying it. A lot." Ethan added. "He didn't even realise how late it was when I got home yesterday, he was still reading when I got back."

"Look at that." I said, smiling proudly.

Ten minutes after me and Vica came, Damiano also came to get ready. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the stage as they were getting ready to rehearse.

"Sorry I'm late." Ilarya said as she came to stand next to me. "Thomas forgot to wake me up and left me a note saying that apparently I looked to tired to be woken up."

"He cares about you! Nice." I high-fived her.

"What did I miss?" she asked. "Did they already finish."

"If they had already finished, you would know. Trust me." I told her and she chuckled.

"You're right." she answered me.

I got my phone out and placed it on the little corner of the stage which recorded the whole stage perfectly. Giorgia, Damiano's girlfriend who couldn't sadly come along, asked me to record a rehearsal for her and send it to her ao she could see how it all looks like before the big day. We've been very good friends since Damiano had introduced her to us and got on very well straight away.

The performance was really amazing. Near the end of it, Ilarya's phone started ringing so she had to go answer it and I got left alone.

"Do you know them?" asked someone from next to me in English.

I turned to see who it was. It was a man, a little older than me, late twenties. He had blonde long hair and I knew I recognized him from somewhere.

"You're one of the singers from Blind Channel." I said. "Aren't you?"

"I am." he bowed at me and I laughed.

"Joel, right?" I asked and nodded. "I'm Althea."

"Nice to meet you, Althea." he shook my hand.

"Oh, to answer your question, I do. I've been with then since the very beginning." I said. "You see Ethan, the drummer? We've been best friends since I can remember, our mothers were best friends in college."

"They're good, like really good." he said.

"They deserve to be here." I said to him.

They really did, didn't they?