MOZAIK

14

"Why is this so sparklative?", "Bojan welcomed us when he saw our outfits for the first time, as we entered the backstage area. "Just shut up.", Jan rolled his eyes in annoyance. "We've heard that so many times already." "Exactly, stop teasing cute Janči.", Vic called out and clung to Jan.

"Hurry up, guys. I made the reservation for 11:00 PM.", Kris interrupted them and impatiently clapped his hands to urge us on. "Kris, you know how long the concert lasts. Why did you make the reservation so early?", Damiano asked, laughing, while he got rid of his stage outfit.

"That was the latest time for the reservation. Unless you want to enjoy some lekker Frikandel or Kalfsvleeskroket from automats on a wall, because later, your only option here is eating at FEBO."

The restaurant Kris had chosen was located not far from the event venue, so we managed to arrive on time. It was rustic yet very cozy with Candles flickering on the wooden tables, and lanterns softly illuminating the space, creating a warm and inviting ambiance.

Kris had planned the dinner mainly to meet up with the part of his family who lived in Amsterdam. When we arrived, the waiter immeadiatly led us to a long table where three people were already seated, and Kris promptly introduced them as his family.

After exchanging greetings, I settled into the only remaining seat, which happened to be between Damiano and Ethan, right across from Bojan. The good thing was that it placed me far away from Vic, who had taken a seat at the other end of the table next to Kris and his family.

As usual, Bojan entertained the whole table by presenting a theory about certain character traits exhibited by the lead guitarist and the rhythm guitarist he came up with. Which, of course, was absolute nonsense and not even representative of Jan and Kris.

"Don't forget the bass guitar, the lord of the instruments. Once you hang it over your shoulder, nobody can see you. It's better than lord of the ring.", Nace complained.

"But if you hit a bad note, even the hobo in the street alley behind the venue can hear it.", Kris laughed from the other end of the table.

"Exactly.", Nace pouted.

"Uuhh, I don't agree with that.", Vic chimed in. "With the wrong notes, yes, but not with the first part.", she added.

Nace shook his head and answered: "Okay, I'll correct myself: Nobody sees the bass player unless the bass player happens to be a woman."

During the conversation, Bojan kept throwing flirty glances and his charming smile at me. It was so noticeable that our flirtation must have caught everyone's and also Damiano's attention by now, which made me feel a bit guilty.

Between courses, we sampled some local Dutch beverages, including a few rounds of Dutch gin, known as jenever, which burned down my throat. All I wanted was to rid myself of that nagging sense of discord that had taken up residence in my subconscious since the argument with Vic

When I glanced at my wristwatch, midnight had long passed. I took another sip from my third glass of wine. Meanwhile, we were all a bit tipsy, causing my guilty conscience to slowly disappear, and I started to respond to Bojan's lustful glances with a broad grin.

Damiano probably wouldn't even notice it anyway. Based on my experience, he was usually fully intoxicated after just 2 glasses of wine.

Finally it was time to make our way back to the hotel. We quickly said our goodbyes to Kris's family, who, upon parting, shed a tear or two.

Stepping out onto the street I noticed, how the wine enveloped me like a warm coat, causing my tongue and limbs to grow heavy. I staggered along with the others, passing by the picturesque canals of Amsterdam by night. The muted glow of the street lamps cast soft pools of light on the cobblestones and shadows danced along the canal's edge, adding an air of intrigue to the otherwise tranquil scene. If Kris hadn't been there, we would have undoubtedly gotten lost in the labyrinthine maze of streets.

To be honest, I would have preferred to disappear in the maze of those streets, for with every step we took towards the hotel, it became increasingly clear that I was heading towards a one-on-one encounter with Vic, exposed to a confrontation.

When we arrived in front of the hotel my feet weighed me down like anchors, and I had a strong urge to either stop in my tracks or find solace in the Bojan's comforting embrace.

Vic and I entered the hotel room in silence. The stillness hung in the air like an electric buzz. Even the zipping sound when I opened my suitcase suddenly seemed incredibly loud.

I simply couldn't ignore the palpable tension between Vic and me any longer, and the unspoken words hung heavy in the air like a storm waiting to break.

I glanced up from my suitcase over to Vic, who was seated on the bed, engrossed in her phone.

"Vic..." I started with a soft voice. Annoyed, she looked up from her phone, fixing me with an irritated glare.

"You'd better keep quiet before I lose my temper." she snapped at me.

"Vic, I...", I started once again. "Are you deaf or something?", she cut me off.

"I don't want to hear another word from you until you've sorted things out with Damiano.", she continued.

"You have to tell him that you slept with Bojan. If you don't, I'll be left with no choice but to do it myself.", she said sternly.

I sat there with my mouth agape. Had I heard correctly just now? Or was Vic right, and perhaps I was indeed hard of hearing?

"I hope you're right about me having a hearing problem, because I can't believe you actually just said that.", I retorted sarcastically.

"Are you completely out of your mind?", I grumbled. "What possible advantage could there be in me telling Damiano about me and Bojan? It's a matter between him and me, and it's none of anyone else's business."

"As I said before, you don't know Damiano.", Vic retorted snippily.

"If you don't tell him, he might think he still has a chance with you, and I don't want him holding onto false hope and getting hurt.", Vic explained.

"If you are right that Damiano should really have any feelings for me, which I, as I said, don't believe, then that would already hurt him too." I gestured in frustration in front of Vic. Didn't she notice how she contradicted herself?

Vic's face contorted with anger. "You're unbelievable," she hissed. "You're always so self-centered, never thinking about how your actions affect others. What do you think this is? We're here to deliver as a team on stage. It's not all about you and your so-called amazing Bojan. You're intruding on our band and trying to seduce every guy who crosses your path. You're jeopardizing the entire project including our friendship. You must not only be deaf but also blind if you can't see that."

I shot back, my voice trembling with anger: "At least I'm not a hypocrite like you, pretending to be concerned about Damiano and trying to police others, while you're not better than me."

"Wow, honestly, I don't think you understand a word of what I'm trying to tell you.", she hissed angrily, her teeth gritted.

My heart was pounding fast, and I could almost feel the veins pulsating with each beat. I was on the verge of exploding with anger. All I had wanted was to defuse the situation, but Vic had to turn a molehill into a mountain.

Furious, I threw my belongings into the suitcase and stormed out of the room without uttering another word.

"Stupida stronza.", I heard her mumble before I slammed the door.

Fortunately, the friendly receptionist was able to provide me with another available room. Damn, finally getting away from Vic was truly worth the 190€ for the night.

Exhausted, I collapsed onto the sheets. Slowly, my breath began to steady, and my heart rate no longer raced.

I was finally something I hadn't been in a long time.

Alone.