𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝘑𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘒𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘯

Chapter 49 - Eurobaby

The man in his blue suit and big shoulder pads walked in front of me with his team in tow. Apson in a bird costume and beak glued to his face, and Stuntje in a more casual outfit compared to his friends.

They looked ridiculous enough to stick out from the participants. Joost had been a favourite of the entirety of Europe since the very beginning. They all adored him and his song, it didn't take long for them to support the blonde.

He dragged me with him in the best way possible. Our relationship was public and caused the media to make a fuss about it, as expected. There were some press reports that invaded our privacy or were simply disrespectful towards us.
Like people asking about if there was a "Eurobaby" in the making? Sorry, what the fuck.

Nonetheless, we were enjoying the time in Malmö. The other contestants didn't seem to mind our connection. This led us to the first line of interviews we were supposed to give. About eight hours, they told us. EIGHT HOURS. I can't even focus for five minutes before zoning out.

"Lennon! Hello!", a reporter called out for me. My gaze finally left my boyfriend's silhouette. He was talking to someone as well.

"Hey!", I smiled politely.
"It's so nice to meet you. How has your Eurovision ride been so far?"
"Very fun! I'm incredibly lucky to be a part of this year's contest. Of course, we're still working and it tends to be exhausting but I'm happy to be here."
He nodded, taking a look at his notes: "That sounds great. You are on your way to rehearsals now, are you nervous of performing?"
"I'm always nervous about it, though I think I've done this enough to, hopefully, enjoy the moment as well. I'll have to focus on getting my choreography right, that would be a shame to mess up", I chuckled.

Since I was alone, I decided on trying my best to be original. I didn't hire dancers. My idea was to sit in a small classroom set. I would throw around papers and highlight what my song was about.

I moved onto the next interview, and the next one, and another one. My social battery was inching towards being dead for the day. Not a good thing, that meant I would spent yet another night crawled up in bed, only appreciating Joost's company. I was here to have fun, after all. That included partying with the rest of the artists.

"Olly!", I exclaimed when he caught my eye.

Truth is, I was fangirling. Years & Years created some of the best pop songs, hands down. Same thing happened with Marcus and Martinus. I grew up listening to their music, mostly in my teens. To be fair, who did not listen to them? Europeans would agree on the effect 'Elektrisk' had on us. It was very nostalgic to meet them.

The curly-haired man turned to me with an excited grin: "Lennon, hi! I haven't seen you today, how are your talks going?"
"Fine, I hope so at least. I don't even know what I'm saying at this point", I groaned slightly.

My glance fell upon Joost, who was still being bombarded with questions by the press people.
He was the main target this year. This was what he had been dreaming of since he was a child.

"I feel you, girl. Your lover must be drained, he hasn't had a quiet moment for hours now."
I agreed with the Brit: "True but Joost likes being the centre of attention and he's immensely talented in talking non-stop. I don't think he even noticed how much time has passed."

It was true, Joost loved the curiosity of the masses. He was ready to tell his story and unite Europe with his song. As much as he enjoyed it, his wired earphones never left his ears once. Joost wore them whenever I wasn't by his side, his source of comfort. His anxiety was apparent.

"Lenny, your rehearsal time is in five minutes!", Ellie rushed me to my dressing room. I waved goodbye to Olly swiftly which he returned happily.

——

My soundcheck was simple, everything was fine and I only had to go through with the song once, thankfully. I was fighting my droopy eyelids.

A soft knock hit my changing room door. I expected it to be Ellie, instead it was Joost. His large shoulders barely fit through the doorway. I chuckled at the sight of his struggles. He removed his earphones and stuffed them into his pocket.

"Hello, my love", I threw my arms around his torso. My chin rested on his chest so I could look up at him. The taller man leaned down to meet my lips. It was soft, he was tired.
"Are you okay?"
Joost hummed in response, closing his eyes as his head fell onto mine: "Just need a moment in silence."

I let him have that. Besides the expanding observation of his every move, there had been some harassment involved. Mainly from some reporters who didn't leave when asked. Joost had managed to remain calm in those moments. We even tried reporting those to the EBU, they wouldn't listen and shrugged it off.

I sighed contentedly. His presence was more than enough to keep me sane in the spotlight.
Joost let go of me and grabbed my hands. His brows furrowed. I awaited the disappointment on his face, or any type of bad reaction. It never occurred. He looked more sad than anything.
He stared at them. He stared at the bloody cuticles, at the torn-up flesh around my nails.
His lips were pressed onto them. A sharp exhale escaped his mouth as I hissed in pain.

"Please stop, baby."
"It's-", I got cut off before I could argue.
"I know, it's a nervous habit. We'll have to figure something out so you won't keep ruining your pretty fingers."
My head fell onto his chest: "Okay then. I'll try my best."
"You always do, liefje, and I love you for it. I solely want you to be alright."
"I am, Joost. I can assure you that as long as you're fine", I traced his jaw,"I love you."

——

We walked into the buzzing night club. The whole group of Eurovision participants had jointly agreed to go out. Almost everyone, that is. The only person and their team who were unwelcome and hadn't really tried to fit it either, was the Israeli singer Eden Golan. She didn't join our night out.

The bass level in the Swedish club was high. I could feel it in my inner being. Joost's hand held onto mine firmly. He made sure I was with him every few seconds. Our teams, basically our entire friendgroup, gathered around to get drinks.

"Let's get this party started!", Alanis and Ellie cheered in unison.

They had a good amount of energy left, unlike Joost and I who had given interviews all day long and went through rehearsals. We were tired and hoped some alcohol would wake us up again.

It did. After three rounds of shots and two Bacos I was tipsy, going onto being drunk. Joost had gone off with Teun for a rookpauze. I kept my place by the bar alongside Ellie and Alanis.

"No fucking way", Alanis' mouth fell open. Ellie and I tracked her stare. It was fixed on five familiar faces.

"Holy shit, what are they doing here?", Ellie surged, sounding more aggressive than intended.

I tilted my head and chuckled, letting the liquor get to my head: "I don't know, came to watch the show?"

Our eyes widened in sync as they noticed our stares. We quickly broke eye contact and hopped back into conversation. "Now that's embarrassing", Ellie cried out and looked over again for a split second,"Fuck, they're heading towards us."
"What?!", I shouted. My best friends shushed me in a hurry.

"Ah, the famous Lennon, isn't it?"

——
A/N
oh ohhhh
i hope the title jumpscared you hehe