Right one at the wrong time

Press conference / The red carpet

Against her inner prayers, they would both be together in the 2nd semi-final. As if it wasn't already enough that they had to spent this press conference together. As if fate literally wanted to constantly confront Konstrakta with the blonde.

"Is that good?"
The black haired woman acted completely casual as if it didn't matter what she'd gotten. And actually, it didn't matter. She was here to have fun and because of the ESC, not to constantly worry about another contestant.
"Everything is good here at the Eurovision Song Contest."

Answered the presenter with a laugh.
She elegantly rolled up the paper, raised her head and walked back to her seat with a slight smirk.
She had to pass all the contestants. Cornelia too. She quickened her pace and only looked forwards, not sideways. At that moment, the Swedish woman stretched out her arm to Konstrakta, as if she wanted to stop her or tell her something. But Konstrakta pretended not to see it and walked past her icily. Cornelia lowered her arm with a slight disappointed face and turned to the front again.

But at the same moment Konstrakta was overcome by a slight feeling of guilt. She turned around briefly, considered... and then decided against it and sat down in her seat without comment. The interview part was over and now it was time for the photos. Konstrakta stood on the red carpet and looked calmly into the camera. Her big blue eyes sparkled at the photographers. Then she raised both her hands in the air as an allusion to her stage performance.

And this minimal gesture alone was so powerful that it blew everyone in the room away.
After she had walked the carpet, she stopped at the edge and now watched the candidates who came after her. And how could it be otherwise Cornelia was right behind her. In the shadow of the flashlight Konstrakta felt unobserved and therefore stared unobtrusively in Cornelia's direction. The smaller woman was now tugging lightly at her black waistcoat, which was decorated with silver glittering chains. Similar to her stage outfit. Konstrakta could only tell from the 20-second video she had seen of her performance. Not live, of course. Not yet. It was unavoidable.

The Swede put one foot in front of herself, lifted her chin, interlaced her fingers in front of her chest and casually looked into the camera with a calm but cool face. Only now did the Serb notice how well Cornelia's eyeshadow matched her lipstick. How her short blonde hair fell slightly over her ears, in which she had five or more earrings. How slender and small her hands and fingers were, but with the rings still had something almost ladylike about them. How the glittering chains fell over her shoulders and, with a certain movement, even over her collarbones, down her arms to her bare belly....

"Ana?"
Konstrakta flinched, as if someone had just woken her from a dream. Or like when you are about to fall asleep and suddenly you feel like falling. A hand now rested on her shoulder.
"Oh sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." It was a staff member with dark hair wearing a black face mask. Pointing now to Stefan, Sheldon and Cornelia who were still standing on the carpet, she continued, "The press wants a photo of all of you."
"Of all of us? You mean you want me to stand there together with them?"
"Yes, exactly."

Cornelia had now, without hesitation, put her hand on Sheldon's chest and had already started to pose with him. Stefan stood behind them slightly awkwardly and as Konstrakta watched the whole thing, she briefly considered where to stand. The three of them were posing so well together that she almost felt a little weird interrupting them. Still unsure, she tried to move closer, but made no attempt to get too close, so that there was still a gap between them. Cornelia now closed her eyes, her hand still pressed to Sheldon's upper body, and stuck out her tongue.

Konstrakta took advantage of the moment, bent down a little so as not to interrupt the photographers taking pictures and was about to stand next to Stefan when Cornelia opened her eyes again and turned to face her. Her ice-blue eyes met Konstrakta's equally blue ones and, as earlier today, she stared so intensely that you had the feeling she was looking straight into your soul. Konstrakta had never experienced anything with this intensity ever before. The blonde now stretched out her arm and then pointed at herself as if to say, "Come here."

Konstrakta smiled only slightly at her, but was already standing next to Stefan. WRS hurriedly joined the four. Konstrakta was smaller than the two men next to her but Cornelia was even a bit smaller. She crouched slightly and suddenly pressed herself directly against Konstrakta's chest without a warning. The serbian woman took a deep breath and tried to keep smiling, although she was very aware of the warm body pressed against her. Cornelia now also pulled her foot back slightly so that it was right next to Konstrakta's. So that she was almost touching her leg too.

And as much as Konstrakta tried to keep up her poker face, a strange feeling started to build up inside her which she did not like at all. It felt strange, unfamiliar and almost made her feel a bit sick. Cornelia did not take a step away from her. She was so close that Konstrakta could clearly detect the flowery fresh smell of her hair. All she saw was the flickering and flashing of the cameras in front of her and she tried to completely block out everything else. All of a sudden, however, the Swedish woman turned around and came incredibly close to the black-haired woman. Their faces were only a few inches away from each other and instinctively Konstrakta backed away a little out of shock.

The impulsive and relaxed manner of the other woman was so strange to her that she did not know how to deal with it at all. Cornelia opened her mouth and was about to say something to her when she was interrupted by WRS. And although she was now facing him and the others were already leaving, Cornelia continued to stand so very close to Konstrakta, even though there was absolutely no need for it anymore. Konstrakta wanted nothing more than for the woman to finally take a step back so she could breathe again. And yet, for some reason, Konstrakta herself did not move away, although she could have.