AFTER DARK | Johan Liebert

Chapter 22: A handsome surprise

"KYAAAH!"

I covered my mouth with my hands, squeaking. "You're Michael Jackson?"

Johan was standing in my doorframe, wearing a white suit and hat, combined with a blue shirt. Even his hair was curlier than usual. He smirked at me. "Hee-hee!" Then, he laughed. "I guess my surprise worked?" "It did! You look amazing!" "Well, I did put effort in this costume. But I can only return the compliment."

We went downstairs and hopped into his car since we were short on time. Driving from Hamburg to Kiel took us about one hour, and I was so excited to see my former classmates again. And even better - Johan was coming with me. I still couldn't believe he dressed up as Michael Jackson, specifically in the white suit MJ had worn in his Smooth Criminal music video. Johan was usually dressed well, but today, he looked better than ever. I must have stared at him the whole ride - his concentrated face, eyebrows slightly furrowed, focused on the road. I couldn't tell whether he noticed or not, but either way, I couldn't help myself. A couple of weeks ago, I might have tried to deny it, but I was really attracted to him. But who would be able to resist his charms?

When we arrived, the sun was slowly setting already. Johan stepped out of the car and went over to my side, opening the door and reaching out his hand. Smirking, I took his hand and went out of the car. "Wow, such a gentleman." "I hope that's nothing new for you." No, it wasn't. After multiple seconds, he still didn't let go of my hand. Instead, he intertwined our fingers, showing me a calm smile. "That way, we won't lose each other in the crowd." I smiled back at him, probably blushing like crazy.

Actually, when I observed him closely, I had the feeling that he wasn't as calm as usual. His movements weren't as smooth as normally and he was looking away more often. Plus, I could feel his hand shaking a little bit. He must have been excited as well, I thought. For some reason, I was glad I wasn't the only one of us who was a little nervous.

We arrived in the party room. There were more people than usual, probably a hundred. The room was decorated in gold, black and white. People were singing together to Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, laughing and enjoying the evening. "There we are", I said to Johan. "Let's find Gabi first! You can get to know her." "Sure. Do you know where she is?" But my plans were interrupted.

"Klara!"

Someone called me from the right. "Theresa!"

Theresa was the host of the party. She was looking as good as ever, wearing a female Elvis costume today. She lowered her sunglasses, observing me and Johan. "Whoa, Klara, you didn't tell me you'd come with such a handsome guy! Are you a couple?"

"What? No.", I instinctively replied, a little shy.

She smirked, looking at me with a I-don't-believe-a-word look. "Well, I hope you enjoy the party. Let's catch up later, Klara! I still have so many guests to greet..." "Yes, we have so much to catch up on! Have you seen Gabi, Theresa?" "Gabi?" She looked across the room, to one of the small doors on the other side. "She might be in that room. She helped me decorating before. Right, come to think of it!" She pointed at the wall in front of her, about ten meters away. "There's a photo wall. Take a look at it! It shows all of us from the previous parties." "Oh, that's interesting", Johan replied. "Can we take a look at it?" "Yes, sure!" Theresa put her hands on our backs, pushing us into the right direction. "Off you go, you two! You look gorgeous together, by the way!" With these words, she was gone already.

The photo wall was quite incredible. I knew that Gabi had kept most of them. I showed Johan one of the photos. "Look at this one! That one's Gabi. The one in the Ariel costume, next to me." "I see." He looked closely at the photo. "You two look so happy together." "Well, she's my best friend. She always manages to cheer me up, no matter the circumstances." Johan smiled at my words, then turned around to look at the people in the room. "Wait. Isn't that your friend?" He pointed at a red-haired, grinning woman in a black shift dress. "Yep! That's Gabi. GABI!"

Gabi turned around and our eyes met. Beaming with joy and a glass in her hand, she approached us. "HELLOOOO, handsome!" I giggled. "Isn't it supposed to be 'pretty' for women?" She glanced at me, raising an eyebrow. "I know. I wasn't talking to you." She made a gesture towards Johan. I pouted at her remark, sticking my tongue out.

"I didn't know Audrey Hepburn was a redhead."

Gabi tilted her head.

"Well, I didn't know the movie was called 'Gentlemen prefer dark-blondes'."

We both stared at each other, then laughed about our stupid jokes. Eventually, Gabi reached out her hand to Johan.

"My name is Gabi. I suppose you've heard of me before."

"Oh, I did. My name is Johan. It's a pleasure to meet you."

They shook hands as Gabi scanned his outfit with her eyes.

"I see you're attentive. Klara must have freaked out when she saw your costume."

Johan laughed. "Well, I was glad she did. That means my effort has paid off."

That moment, a certain song started playing. It was Bad by Michael Jackson. Immediately, I turned to Johan. "Johan, that's your song! Let's go to the dance floor!" The same moment, someone else came out of the crowd. It was Theresa, walking - or dancing - towards me. She was a little tipsy. "Klaraaa! It's our favourite song! Let's go to the dance floor!" She clung to my arm, looking at Johan. "Is it okay if I steal your girl for a minute?" "Theresa!" Johan smiled, just like always. "Sure. Go have fun, Klara. We'll dance to another MJ song." I could barely hear him because of all the noise. Theresa was dragging me into the crowd, and I just waved at Gabi and Johan until I disappeared with my friend.