It Had To Be You ~ Joost Klein

Chapter 18 - Blackbird

My eyes widened as Natalie and I exited the Uber onto the large grassy field. In the distance, the sound of heavy bass and a hoard of people chanting along to a performer's set was prominent. Natalie's mouth was agape, but the corners of her mouth were upturned, and she looked more happy than shocked. The aroma of freshly cooked food floated in the air, traveling as far back as the parking lot where we stood. People around us were giddy with laughter, smiles taking hold on some people's faces. The weather was slightly cloudy, but just enough to make it look like the sky was a beautiful painting, sometimes perfectly blocking the sun to cast a shadow above us all below.

It wasn't until the last minute that I realized that Joost wasn't playing a show at a small venue in the city; he was playing at a festival and a fucking big one at that. In fact, he was one of the headliners. It was apparent I severely underestimated how much of a celebrity status someone gains with 10 million monthly listeners on Spotify.

Natalie turned to me, a smile wide on her face and her eyes full of stars. I had told her about Joost's invite, and she was over the moon, clearing the whole day so she could attend. She had been to multiple festivals in the past, but considering this was my first, she wanted to make sure she could experience it with me. "Where do we go?" she asked, and I pulled out my phone and opened my texts from Joost.

Yesterday 23:47

...

y/n: gn <3

J: !⑈ˆ~ˆ!⑈ <3

Today 11:34

J: goedemorgen !1!! Can't wait to see you um when you get to the entrance, send me a text and I'll send stunje to get you guys

y/n: okie dokie sounds good, I'm excited 1!1!!!11!!

12:45

y/n: WE HERE 🥴

"I just texted him we're here. He said Stunje will meet us at the entrance, so..." I looked up from my phone and squinted, looking off into the distance, "we should find the entrance- do you have everything?" I spun around to face Natalie, not before checking if I had everything myself. Wallet, keys, phone...it's in my hand- christ.

Natalie patted herself down, double-checking she had everything before giving me a thumbs up. I nodded in acknowledgment, and we started following the crowd of people. When we hit a dirt walkway, I noticed Natalie slowing down. I turned around and saw she was fixing her shoes, which had heels.

"Girl- you're wearing HEELS?!" I asked, a bit exaggerated, with a look of pure astonishment on my face. "I haven't even been to one of these things, and I KNOW you shouldn't be wearing heels."

She waved me off before fixing whatever got messed up in the first place and catching up to my side, "You told me he got us VIP passes, so I wanted to feel boujee- wait, he is so sugar daddy coded-"

"What are you even saying right now?" I interrupted her, laughing at her comment. She gave me a look, "He is not a sugar daddy...just, ew."

"Well, if you think about it, he got you this, invited us to that lovely vacation, and..."

I slowly turned to look at her, my face deadpanned, "Just...no. I don't want to hear the evidence." She giggled to herself as she knew she was poking my buttons. I shook my head, though I couldn't help but let out a slight smirk, my serious facade fading.

As we continued getting closer to the entrance, the anxiety in my chest began to increase. So many people were already walking to the event, and I could only imagine how many people were inside. By the sound of it, it sounded like there could be hundreds already. I tried to ignore what I was feeling and write it off as adrenaline, but deep down, I knew I was terrified. The last thing I want is for one of his fans to recognize me...Before I could hyperfocus on my feelings, I felt my phone buzz in my pocket. I opened it up to see Joost sent me something.