𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 - Joost Klein

𝐈

London, March 2023.

The sound of my acoustic guitar dies out slowly as my fingertips let go of the strings. My apartment is almost completely silent, the only sound being the buzz coming from the fridge. I can feel the notes of my song, my voice still echoing throughout my whole being.

I put the guitar back in its stand, laying my pick down on the free chair next to me. I sit back in my own chair, staring at the blank piece of paper infront of me. This bare piece of paper was supposed to be the key to fame, the key to a greater music career. But that isnt what I really care about, right?

'So long, London'

The words had appeared before I even knew I was holding a pen.

...

Gatwick Airport, London, One year later.

People are squeezing past me as I rush through the busy airport halls. Security follows me closely, making sure no one gets too close. They also make sure I'm going in the right direction, because honestly, I had no idea where to go. As many times as I've been at Gatwick, I still don't seem to know any directions.

I see the gate numbers increasing. I finally spot my gate, my speed increasing as I see people boarding the plane already. I pull out my passport and boarding pass. 'Aren't you going to eurovision?' The woman at the boarding desk asks. 'I am, yes!' I say excitedly. It's only a pre-party I am going to right now, but I know what she means. 'Well good luck then, make us proud!' The woman smiles as she hands me back my papers. I thank her, making my way into the plane.

I check my seat number one last time, 27B, and sat down next to an older lady. She smiled warmly at me. I greeted her and stuffed my backpack between my legs. I could tell the lady wouldn't talk to me all that much, as she pulled a small book out of her bag. I put my seatbelt on, proceeding to plug in my headphones. Its a short flight to Berlin, where the pre-party will take place, but I have some music to listen to anyways.

I search through my downloaded playlists and finally land on the one I was looking for. 'Eurovision 2024' it reads. I had listened to some of the other contestants songs, but definitely not all of them. I click shuffle, and the first song that pops up is called 'Unforgettable' I like it, but after a minute I click 'next'.
A totally different beat enters my ears, and a male voice calls out.
'Europe, lets come together!'
I like the song immediately, the male voice a soothing mumble of words in a language I don't understand.

...

I put up my table and fasten my seatbelt as the captain announces we will be landing soon. After listening to most of the competing songs, I definitely have my favourites.
The dutch song is by far my favourite, the happy hardcore type stuff made me rethink my quite depressing ballad. There are definitely some other good songs too, Switzerland's vocals are incredible, and Ireland has one of the most interesting songs Ive heard in my life.

I'm still completely lost in my train of thought as the plane hits the ground, startling me. My phone launches forward, landing somwhere under my seat. I try to reach it, but my arm isn't long enough. I decide to wait until the plane is parked.  When the plane is finally standing still, I let go of a breath I didn't know I was holding.

I try to search for my phone, reaching under my seat once again, but I feel nothing phone-shaped. Suddenly theres a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see a quite attractive blonde guy with headphones in holding my phone.  A wave of deja vu immediately hits me. Hes taller than me, and has piercing blue eyes.

'I found it at my feet just now, I guess it's yours since youre the only one searching for something.' He says awkwardly, his accent, which I do not recognize, sounds silly as he tries to speak English . 'Oh, thank you so much!' I breathe out. The guy smiles and mumbles a no problem before getting back to grabbing his stuff. I do too, throwing my backpack over my shoulder as I exit the plane.
God, what a start to this whole thing.

...

I sigh as I slump down onto my hotel bed. The bed feels softer than ever, my hand gliding over the satin sheets. Its a fancy hotel, thats for sure, located right next to the arena where the pre-party will be held. Im not nervous anymore, I lost that feeling after performing the first time. Its just my voice, my thoughts and my music. The three things no one could ever take from me.
My phone vibrates in my back pocket, waking me from my mini daydream. I sit up on the bed, taking off my coat and checking my phone. A couple unread messages. I decide to text my friends I arrived.

After taking off all my clothes and jewellery, I shower, testing out all the small hotel samples they gave me. I come to the conclusion the coconut soap smells the best.
While showering, I think back to the guy in the airplane. I had recognized him from somewhere, but I can't pinpoint from where. Maybe I know someone who looks like him? I wonder if I'll ever see him again. Probably not. I mean, these 'airport crushes' are people you enjoy looking at for 2 minutes, then think about them forever. I think back to his accent. I couldn't have been german, I would recognize that. maybe it was belgian? Dutch?

Stop, Madelyn. Youre going crazy. Go to sleep.

Its late already anyways. I sigh and step out of the shower, trying to focus on other stuff. I dont have to prepare anything for tomorrow, I know my song by heart. I change into comfier clothes and decide to unpack a bit, searching for my toiletries. I brush my teeth and do my skincare, then go through my bag to lay out my outfit for tommorow. A plain black long-sleeve and oversized jeans for the day, a light pink dress for the pre-party. I get into bed, checking my socials for a last time.

I scroll on TikTok for a bit, liking some covers of my songs that pop up on my for-you page People are so creative, and lots of my fans have amazing voices. It always cheers me up seeing someone care for my work and the ideas I have. Suddenly, a video pops up of someone reacting to Eurovision songs. My song pops up, the videoclip too. I watch myself dancing, the guy reacting.

The song ends, and he moves on to a different song. The dutch song starts, the videoclip is playing too.
'

Europe! Lets come together!'

I have never seen the videoclip.

'Its now or never! I love you all!'

And then, suddenly, there he is, right in front of me, on my phone.
Airplane guy.

Authors note :
Hi guys!! This is the first chapter of my new fanfic (even though I did not finish the other one yet ) about my current obsession: Joost klein! Hes been on my mind 24/7  for the past weeks and after getting some inspiration i thought Id make this! I hope you guys like it so far. English is not my first language, so if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, let me know!
xx ama