Always been you - Damiano David

27 - head over heels

As soon as I got back to the hotel I set my camera up. Since my YouTube channel was my main platform and where I felt the most genuine I had decided that my apology would be best done there.
I didn't fake cry or dramatize or try to make people pity me.
I told them that I was very drunk, that what I had said had absolutely no reasoning behind it (possibly a little convenient white lie but it's not like I want to humiliate them more) and that things were solved between me and the Serbian girls. I said that it was extremely irresponsible and apologized. Nothing more. Nothing less. It was really important for me to stay true and never get affected by fame, I knew it was a drug you had to handle carefully.

I quickly edited the video and posted it with the title "sorry", I didn't make a dramatic thumbnail or a clickbait title. I posted a link to the video on all my other social medias.
Right after I posted the video I closed my laptop, I didn't want to see the views or the comments.

The rest of the day I tried to distract myself, I took a long shower, did skincare and face masks and even watched the entire high school musical trilogy.

...

8:04 pm
I opened my door to see Ethan and Thomas with pizza cartons and ice cream and huge smiles on their faces. Aw.
"Hii" I said excited and hugged them both, they did their best to hug me back with their hands full.
"Please come in to my humble home" I said and gestured with my hand towards my room.
"Thank you very much" Thomas said and stepped in and took his shoes off, Ethan did the same.
"So we saw the video" Ethan said in a more serious tone. I let out a slight sigh.
"It was really good, you truly are genuine and responsible" He continued and gave me a soft smile.
"You really think so?" I asked him doubting.
"Of course I do, and people agree with me, I've read a lot of positive comments" I wanted to believe him, I really did. But I knew that it was hate too, even if I hadn't read a single comment I knew that there was always hate.
"You're a good kid Liv, you know that right?" Thomas said. Kid? Like he wasn't only a few months older than me. Rude.
"Thank you guys" I said and hugged them again.
"You have nothing to thank us for" Ethan replied.
"I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely starving" I said, trying to change the subject.
"Me too" Thomas agreed and opened the pizza cartons.

"Take out pizza really is an Italian disgrace" Ethan joked after taking a few bites. We were sitting in a little circle on my bed.
"You're such a food snob, it's the dry crust and cheap cheese that makes it so good" I said and took a big bite.
"Good thing Damiano isn't here" Thomas said making me and Ethan laugh. Damiano is extremely Italian, he truly gets annoyed when people pronounce Italian foods wrong or cook it the wrong way.
"This cheese isn't 100% buffalo mozzarella" I mimicked Damianos voice, overly pronouncing mozzarella the correct Italian way, like Damiano always would do. Ethan laughed so hard he almost got the food stuck in his throat.
"These tomatoes aren't locally produced and cooked at the completely wrong temperature" Thomas continued mimicking. The imitation was so spot on that I had to gasp for air since I was laughing so hard.
I was also of course proud of my Italian heritage and culture but Damiano truly is an extreme case, but then again I suppose that's what being Italian is all about.

We continued eating our pizza and made each other laugh so hard that we almost spit our food out.

"Soo.. I want to know everything, how are the other contestants really?" I asked and laid down on the bed.
"Well there's different groups that are in different areas of the arena, so that's the people we know the best.." Thomas started explaining, they were both laying down next to me.
"So in our group there's Elena from Cyprus.." Thomas started and Ethan filled me in on their perceptions on them. "Like you know, very nice girl" Ethan said.
"Blind Channel from Finland" Thomas said
"A little strange but cool"
"Barbara from France" Thomas was counting them on his fingers.
"Soo sweet and extremely talented" Ethan said and Thomas agreed.
"The Roop from Lithuania"
"Very very strange, one time I asked them what the time was and they started rambling about what the perception on time was" Ethan said, making both me and Thomas laugh.
"Destiny from Malta" Thomas said.
"She's very funny, and she's always talking and asking about you" Ethan said.
"Awe tell her I said hi and that I miss her" I said.
"Will do, and then there's Roxen" Thomas continued, giving Ethan a meaning look.
"And what do we think about her?" I teased Ethan.
"You know what I think, what do you think about her?" Ethan asked me and Thomas.
"I like her, and you can tell that she likes you very much" Thomas said, making Ethan blush a little.
"I agree, I like her very much, but be careful Ethan" I said, I thought about what me and Damiano had spoken about yesterday in the sauna.
"Oh please Olivia we're not having sex, and even if we were I don't need your reminder for safe sex" Ethan said and Thomas laughed.
"My god that's not what I mean" I said and laughed loudly.
"What do you mean then?" Ethan and Thomas asked confused.
"What happens after Eurovision ends?" I asked him. "I just don't want your heart to get broken again" I said to him, without realizing the mood in the room had become more serious.
"Yeah you truly are a pain in the ass when you're heartbroken" Thomas joked, I jokingly hit him.
"Because we care about you, right Thomas?" I said very meaning to him.
"Of course we do" Thomas said with a sweet voice and an adorable smile on his lips.
"I'm not gonna get heartbroken" Ethan objected.
"If you say so" I said and stroked his hair.