Open Your Arms

Chapter 24

August 29, 2003

Germany

"The last time I played at a festival you broke up with me, so I highly doubt that this time could get any worse," Ville jokes with me, but I feel terrible about it. I really upset him by doing that. He looks as me and can tell that I'm upset.  "I'm just joking, Larissa." He pulls me into a hug. 

I hug him back, feeling secure. I've been wanting to come to Germany for a while now--majority of my life--and now that I'm here, I'm a little nervous since it's a new place, but having Ville by my side has helped. 

He wraps an arm around my shoulder, but then takes a cigarette out and lights it, then begins to smoke. I rest me head against his chest, enjoying the embrace he has me in. 

"Are you going to play When Love and Death Embrace?" I ask him. 

He nods and blows out the smoke. "Yeah, we always do."

"It's such a beautiful song." I say. It's one my favorites. I cannot believe that a human being could possibly create something that powerful. Whenever I listen to it, it puts me in a trance and I don't think about anything else about that song--not even Ville. 

"They're taking forever," Mige walks up to us and points to the stage. The stage crew is cleaning up the stage for HIM, but Mige is right--they are taking a very long time. "Do you have an interview with that one German lady after this?"

Ville sighs. "Yes, I do."

I pull away from him so that I can see his face and I give him a confused expression. "Wait, what German lady?"

"Every single time he comes to Germany," Mige explains. "There is a German interviewer that interviews him but she always asks the same questions. She asks about 666 and what it means to him, and then she asks about him being a sex symbol. Always."

I chuckle. "Ville, I can't wait to watch it."

Ville takes a drag, then laughs "Don't forget how she always says, 'The fans want to know if you have a girlfriend...'."

"We all know that she's the one that wants to know," Mige starts laughing hysterically. 

Linde, Gas, and Burton walk up to us now, looking exhausted before the concert has even started. Ville and Mige continue to talk, not acknowledging everyone else. I feel bad for them sometimes because I know that they might feel left out. 

Bam's other friends might feel that way, too, whenever Bam hangs out with Ville. Bam is obsessed with Ville--he literally made a movie and his character was named Valo and dressed exactly like Ville--and is always around him. His friends might feel left out whenever they hang out because Bam doesn't even talk to them. 

Ville is just so liked by everyone Everyone wants to be near him, or in this case, everyone wants to be him. I'm just lucky that I get to be with him. 

An old man wearing a plain black T-shirt and pants and a red beanie walks up to us. He begins to talk to Ville in Finnish and I'm left there confused by who the hell this man is. 

"Oh," Ville looks down at me and then chuckles. "Seppo, this is Larissa. Larissa, this is Seppo, our manager."

"Ohh," I outstretch my hand and shake his. "Nice to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you, too," Seppo answers. "So this is the famous girlfriend, huh?"

"You talk about me?" I smile up at Ville.