𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 - Joost Klein

𝐕

'Shh baby it's okay.' The man tells me as a tear rolls down my cheek.
I feel his hands on my ass, as I still try to get out of his hold. I want to fight back, but I can't think straight with this much alcohol in my system.

I try to hold down the sobs building up in my throat. I don't want him to touch me. I feel weak as his hands roam my body, his mouth kissing my neck, telling me all sorts of things.

You're beautiful.' He breathes. A tear spills from my eye. I don't feel beautiful. I feel anything but beautiful.

I can't stop this man from doing anything to me. I feel the tissues under my heel and remind myself of Joost, who was probably super mad at me for not coming back. I have failed the one attempt I had at making friends, and this was my karma. I guess that was life.

Just as I'm losing hope, I hear footsteps.

'Hey! Leave my girlfriend alone you fucking asshole!' Joost yells as he walks over to us. I feel all hands disappear from my body as I slide down the floor, my arms wrapped around my waist. Tears stream down my face.

'Sorry man.' The guy says calmly as if nothings happend and walks away. Joost watches him disappear and crouches down next to me.

'You okay, madelyn?' He asks softly while I try to calm myself down. 'Sorry I called you my girlfriend, couldn't think of anything.' He laughs softly.

I laugh a bit, my vision still blurry. I feel sweaty and gross, but Joost makes me smile. 'Thank you for getting him off of me.' I say. He helps me stand up and I almost start crying again as I see the biggest stain on his clothing.

'Wha- Oh.' He says as he looks at my expression and then at his clothes. 'Don't worry, it's really no big deal.' He smiles. 'I have like five of these shirts.' He wasn't mad. At all.

It makes me giggle.

'Wait come with me.' I say. I pull him over to the female toilets by his arm. 'I don't think I'm supposed to go in here Madelyn' He laughs.

'No one cares there's no one here anyway.' I giggle, pulling tissues out of the dispenser once again. We are standing by the sinks, both laughing hysterically as I try to get the stain out of his clothes with some wet paper towels.

'No wait hold still!' I laugh while holding his shirt in one hand, wet paper in the other. Joost is almost crying from laughter, His shirt almost see through from how wet it is.

'I can almost see your whole chest now!' I giggle, the stain also still being very visible.

'Yeah you'd like that wouldn't you?' He smirks, looking at me while I laugh even harder at the flirtatious undertone, making my cheeks turn red and tears drop from my eyes. It's the hardest I've laughed in years.

I look up at him, his dimples visible as his teeth show. It looks adorable, I must admit.

He towers over me, then lifting his hand and wiping some tear, and mascara, stains off my cheek with his thumb.
'That's better, hm?'

I'm still shaking a little from earlier, but I feel Joost his arm going around me.

'Come on, pretty ladies shouldn't be down here. Let's get you back to the lounge.' He says.

I smile. For the first time in years, I feel like someone is talking to me because they want to.

...

I order a cocktail while sitting at the bar with Joost and some other contestants. I'm talking to them about stage performances and technical stuff. Not that I know anything about it, especially not drunk, but I just listen to them and nod every once in a while.