Dreams Can Come True

29. Panic in the studio

POV Elise

The morning at the studio began with a fresh breeze outside, where Bas was already waiting with a cigarette dangling between his fingers. He sniffed the air as he inhaled. "I smell sex," he teased with a grin. A laugh escaped my lips. Bas extinguished his cigarette and walked inside with me.
"Bill and I made up," I shared with a relieved sigh. His reaction spoke volumes. "Phew," he chuckled, "last time you guys fought, it got me depressed." My smile faded slightly at the memory of that intense period.
I grabbed a cup from the kitchen cabinet and walked to the coffee maker. The previous argument with Bill wasn't just any argument; it was fierce, intense, and it left deep scars. We hadn't spoken to each other for months, and tension hung over us like a dark cloud. Our friends and the people around us were also affected by the cold atmosphere between Bill and me.
A shiver ran down my spine at the thought of that time, and I felt a pang of pain in my heart. I sincerely hoped it would never come to that between me and Bill again. It took time, understanding, and communication to heal, and I was determined not to repeat those mistakes. As I held the coffee cup, I felt the warmth flow through my hands. Bas leaned against the counter, looking at me curiously. "So, what did you two get up to last night?" he asked with a mischievous smile. My thoughts returned to the present, and I chuckled, teasing, "You wish you knew, Bas?" He raised an eyebrow and asked, "And you're not going to tell me, I suppose?" I shook my head with a mysterious smile.
"This morning, we even looked at apartments together," I told Bas. His eyes lit up. "Oh, really? That's positive. So, he's on board then?" I nodded affirmatively. "Yes, we had a good talk, and I think he's really willing to go for it."
"Hahah, yeah, a good talk," Bas laughed, not hiding his cynicism. I gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "But he had comments on everything I showed," I sighed. "And I'd really like to visit some apartments tomorrow on our day off."
Bas put his hands in his pockets and looked pensive. "You know what you should do?" he asked, and I shook my head. "You could hire a real estate agent to show you a few properties. That'll save you a lot of hassle."
"Oh," I sighed, my expression changing from slight discouragement to interest. Bas pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to me. "Here's the card of the woman who helped me find an apartment. She's super friendly and really listens to what you're looking for. I'd give her a call."
I took the card and thanked Bas. An idea began to form in my head. I took a sip of my coffee and pulled out my phone. "I'll call her right away," I said determinedly. Bas nodded approvingly.
A friendly voice answered the phone, and I asked her if she had time tomorrow to look at apartments. She apologized because her schedule was full, but her colleague Julie had time. We discussed the practicalities, and it was arranged. Tomorrow, I would go look at apartments with Bill. My heart skipped a beat. A home of my own, something I had achieved through hard work, how much I was looking forward to this.

Not long after, Paul barged into our studio, his face marked by stress and pressure. "Guys," he began, his voice hurried, "Tokio Hotel's management has asked if we can send over our setlist by noon."
"Oh, don't worry, Paul," I tried to reassure him. "We already have all the songs." I opened the laptop and showed him a list of songs that Bas and I had created specifically for this tour.
"Yeah, I've seen this list already," Paul responded, but his furrowed brow still revealed his concern. "But there's still one song missing. What are we going to do?"
"I thought we were supposed to do 5 songs?" Bas interjected, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"No, 6," Paul corrected, emphasizing his worries. "And coming up with a completely new song in an afternoon seems impossible."
A sigh of contemplation escaped my lips, and I quickly ran through possible solutions in my mind. "Maybe we could do a cover?"
Paul looked thoughtful, but it seemed like he was considering the pragmatic nature of this proposal. "Okay, you guys keep working on this? I have another meeting," he said hastily and left the studio.
"A cover?" Bas asked, scratching his chin in deep thought. "What were you thinking of?"
"In the other world, I always had the song 'Hilf mir fliegen' by Tokio Hotel in my head," I revealed, sharing my thoughts with him. "It reminded me of my time here, maybe we could make a cover of that?"
"Oh, I don't exactly know that Tokio Hotel song," Bas remarked thoughtfully. "But if it means a lot to you and Tokio Hotel is okay with it, I'm willing to give it a shot."
"Oh, wait, let me play it for you," I responded. With curiosity in his eyes, Bas watched as I grabbed my laptop and searched for the song "Hilf mir fliegen" by Tokio Hotel on YouTube. My fingers tapped rhythmically on the keyboard as I typed the title, but to my surprise, I couldn't find the song right away. A frown appeared on my forehead as I scrolled through the search results, confusing my expectations with the unexpected absence of the song.