MOZAIK

9

"Bam Bam Bam", a loud hammering tore me rudely from sleep. Drowsy, I opened my eyes and tried to orient myself. I was still in the hotel in Lyon. But the left side of the bed was untouched. Where was Vic? I felt an oppressive feeling rising inside me. "Bam Bam Bam" the loud knocking on the door sounded once again. "Vic is that you?", I called out in Italian.

"What did she say?", I heard people whispering in the hallway. "Benni, are you ready to go? We're leaving in 20 minutes," I heard Kris call. Damn. Last night, in my drunken stupor, I had forgotten to reset my alarm clock. "You didn't show up for breakfast, so we thought you might still be asleep.", he explained. 

"Actually I am getting dressed right now.", I lied to them. "See, she's almost ready.", I heard Bojan appease Kris. 

"Stavim, da je še vedno spala, ker je včeraj spet preveč pila.", I heard Kris whisper. I hated it when they were talking in Slovenian, when one of us was next to them, since no one would understand. I mean, Vic and I were never chatting in Danish, although it would be so easy for us.

"You don't have to whisper, Kris, I don't understand Slovenian anyway." I yanked the door open to hiss at him. "See.",  with a smug grin, Kris pointed at my pajamas. In my frenzy, I had completely forgotten about the lie I told them only seconds ago.  Bojan's response was a simple shrug. "Get ready, okay?" he turned to me, and with a hint of resignation, he led Kris down the hall by the sleeve.

Damn. Damn. Damn. Silently, I cursed to myself as I searched for a halfway decent outfit. Most of my clothes were more suitable for the stage or I had worn them so often that they were already completely wrinkled. Resignedly, I began rummaging through Vic's stuff. I found a turquoise blue skirt with a floral pattern which actually didn't match her style at all. It was perfect. Luckily Vic and I had almost the same dress size. Satisfied, I looked at myself in the mirror. The soft fabric nestled perfectly against my hips and surely I would not attract too much attention wearing this.

I swiftly gathered my remaining belongings and snagged a cap from Vic, bearing the phrase: "Everybody loves Italian girls". Sporting this unattractive hat, I'd unquestionably blend in seamlessly within the crowds. 

I entered the bus two minutes after the appointed time, which earned me an annoyed look from Kris. "She would make a great couple with Jan.", he turned snappishly to Bojan, who was sitting in the seat next to him. "Don't exaggerate, Kriško. You can't compare her two minutes with Jan's two hours.", Bojan laughed. I was really looking forward to spending some more time with the guys, but Kris' cocky posturing threatened to ruin my mood.

Since we've always had a tight schedule, I haven't had spend much time with the guys from Joker Out so far. Except for the bus rides, on which we had mostly been so exhausted that we had slept most of the time. And there had been the night in Barcelona, of course.... I still got goosebumps when I thought of Bojan's mischievous smile during our ride in the gondola and of  our little encounter on the beach. Stealthily, I quickly glanced in Bojan's direction before taking a seat next to Jure. During our ride on the bus, Jure effectively lifted my spirits. His infectious enthusiasm and good humor rubbed off on me within the initial 10 minutes.

Then, when I set my foot on Swiss territory after the ride, I felt elated. I told the others that I was going to see a bit more of the city, before their gig and set off. I strolled through the charming streets of the old town soaking in the sunlight. I just loved getting to know new cities. I could hardly get enough of the perfect blend of modern and historic architecture, alongside the well-maintained parks, but when the sun began to set, I made my way back to the location.

I entered the location through the artists' entrance. Since it was still early and not overly crowded, I managed to secure a decent spot in the center of the room.