He Knows

9.

"Joanne!" I was engulfed in a warm hug. Stijn cleared his throat next to me. Douwe let go of me and turned to him. "Hey Stijn," Douwe grinned and hugged him the same way he had just hugged me. I laughed as Stijn pushed him away, "alright, that's enough love for today." Douwe winked at him and then turned back to me. "Come on, I'll show you around!" He grabbed my hand and started walking. I turned around to see if Stijn was coming along. He made a gesture that I should go and mouthed that he'd be fine.

I turned back around and Douwe led me through a door to the stage, where people were busy walking around carrying wires and instruments. I walked to the front of the stage, "this is huge!" I said in awe. Douwe grinned, "it is! Imagine this whole place filled with people." I turned to Douwe and looked into his bright blue eyes, "do you ever get nervous to go on stage?" He smiled, "all the time. But I think of it as a good thing. It gets me motivated and pumped." I smiled, "I'm so excited to see you perform tonight." "I'm excited that you're here to see me perform."

"Douweeeee," Thijs came walking onto the stage, followed by the rest of the band and Stijn. "Soundcheck!" Douwe nodded, "alright!"

I went and stood next to Stijn. The men started talking into their mic and saying things to the guy all the way in the back of the room. They played little bits of music on their instruments.

A few minutes later they played an entire song together and then the soundcheck was over. "That was impressive," I said to Stijn as Douwe came up to us. Stijn laughed, "wait until you see the real thing."

"Are you guys coming?" Douwe asked when he reached us. "Where to?" I asked. "To the dressing room, just to hang out, drink a beer, get ready for the show." I nodded and followed Douwe and Stijn.

We walked into a room with 2 couches, a coffee table and a little fridge. On the side there were three makeup tables and mirrors surrounded by lights.

I sat down next to Jeroen. "Do you want a beer, Joanne?" Douwe asked as he walked up to the mini fridge. I nodded. He took a few beers out, handed them to everyone and then sat down on the arm of the couch, next to me.

We drank and talked until it was time for the band and Douwe to go on stage.

"Do you want to go and watch from inside?" Stijn asked me. "Yeah sure," I answered and I followed him. People were still coming in. We walked a little closer to the stage and then took place on the side, against the wall.

A few minutes later people started screaming. I looked to the stage and saw the band getting ready. They started a song and soon Douwe came running out on stage. The crowd totally lost it and I smiled. I had no idea he had such and impact on people.

Everybody was dancing and singing along. I was only dancing, I didn't know the words. I would sometimes glance over at Stijn, he knew the lyrics to every song.

A new song started and Stijn leaned to me, "it's a good thing you're wearing a red dress tonight." I looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "why?" He smiled, "you'll see."

Douwe started singing. So far I did not understand why my red dress was so important. He sang about a girl with golden hair. Then he looked at me.

See the girl with the red dress on

He smiled at me and winked. I felt heat rising to my cheeks.

"He likes you," Stijn whispered into my ear. "How'd you know?" I whispered back at him, my eyes still glued to Douwe. "I know him, I can see the way he acts, he likes you." I shake my head, "I don't believe you." He shrugged, "then don't, but don't be surprised either when he does." I turn to him, "just because he sang that one line to me and winked does not mean he likes me." He smiled, "I know, but it's not just that. It is everything he does for you, it's the way he talks about you and just can't stop talking about you. He does not just like you, he's crazy about you, Joanne. I just think he does not dare to show because he is afraid to ruin your friendship." I stayed silent for a while.

"Are you like a hundred percent sure he likes me?" "Two hundred." "I'll talk to him." "Yes!" Stijn cheered.

I continued watching the show, but my mind kept drifting off. I recognised only one song, it was the song they played at the soundcheck. Blind Man's Bluff it was called, Douwe had told me.

Again my head wasn't there with the rest of the crowd. Would he really like me? Did I like him? I had never thought about that. Was I really too blind to see that he wanted to be more than just friends?

When the concert had ended I walked up to Douwe, "can we talk?" "Yeah sure," Douwe gave me a concerned look. I looked at Stijn who gave me a thumbs up. Then I followed Douwe to a part backstage where there was nobody else. We sat down on a few boxes.

"What's wrong?" Douwe's blue eyes pierced through mine. "I need to ask you something, and you need to be honest with me," I said. He nodded slowly, "Okay."

"Do you like me? As in, more than friends?"

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Dun dun duuuuun xD sorry it took me so long to update, it's been a few busy days :P