Backstage

Part 12 I'm here for you

As we boarded the bus to the arena, the team was buzzing with excitement. Joost sat beside me, our shoulders touching lightly as we chatted and laughed together. I could feel that he was nervous, but I did my best to reassure him with encouraging words and smiles.

The drive to the arena was short but filled with lively conversation among the team members. Olivia, always the chatterbox, kept everyone entertained with her stories and jokes. Joost and I shared his wired earphones, listening to some music.

When we arrived Joost exited the bus first and gave me his hand, helping me to get out. He didn't let my hand and held it the entire time we walked to the delegation room. When we arrived at the arena, the atmosphere was hectic. The huge space was filled with people setting up equipment, running sound checks, and preparing for the day's events. I sat on the sofa to set up my cameras. Joost was talking with other team members about his performance. Olivia busied herself with preparing Joost's suit, checking every detail to ensure it was perfect.

Feeling the energy of the space, I got up from the sofa and began taking pictures of our team members at work. Olivia, focused and serious, adjusted the hem of Joost's suit jacket to make sure it fits perfectly. I snapped a shot of her hands, delicate but precise, working the fabric. She caught me looking and flashed a quick smile, a mix of excitement and nervousness in her eyes.

As I moved through the backstage area, I came across a group of dancers rehearsing their routine. Their energy was infectious, and I couldn't resist capturing their fluid movements and expressive faces. They noticed me watching and struck a few playful poses, making me laugh as I clicked away.

I headed back to the delegation's room where Joost was about to head out to the stage. The room was buzzing with final preparations, and Joost was in the centre of it all. He caught sight of me and his expression softened, a reassuring smile playing on his lips.

"How are you feeling?" I asked, walking over to him.

"Nervous, but ready," he replied, taking a deep breath. "Thanks for being here, Julia. It means a lot."

"Always," I said, giving his hand a quick squeeze. "You're going to be amazing out there."

Joost's manager appeared, signalling that it was time for him to head to the stage. The team gathered around him, offering last-minute words of encouragement and good luck. Joost nodded, gave me one last look, and then followed his manager together with other team members out of the room. The door closed behind them, and the room fell into a silence.

"Well, people our job for today is practically done. Joost will rehearse for half an hour, they will check the visuals, lights and everything. He will give some interviews and that will be it for today. So now go act busy, grab a lunch and support Joost mentally." Our team leader gave a quick speech.

I turned to Olivia and she was already looking at me with her eyes shining out of curiosity.

"So... you said you'll tell at the arena. Let's go grab a coffee and you'll tell me everything"

"Well ok let's go" I agreed because it was the only way to get her to shut up about this whole Joost in my room thing.

We went to the arena's café, both got some coffee and sat at the further corner where nobody could hear us.

"Girl, when I said fuck him, I didn't mean it literally"

"I didn't! I mean we didn't." I blushed and hid my face in my palms.

"Ok, ok I'm joking" Olivia chuckled pulling my hands off my face "Tell me what actually happened. With details please"

"Well yesterday evening I was just lying in my bed, scrolling on my phone and I heard a knock. Sure enough, it was Joost. He looked nervous and asked to come in and I let him to. He started apologizing for being jealous, he said that it was stupid and childish of him. And just as I was about to say that I'm not convinced, but he interrupted me and- "I stopped. I didn't know if I should tell her or not.