Just for Tonight

56.

Six months later

She was pacing back and forth in the living room. Ville was reading. And God knows, he was taking his time. She sighed loudly and he looked up, a smirk on his face.

"Well?", she asked, impatient.

"I'm not done yet, but almost. You'll get my full, honest and fair opinion when I'm done. Patience, honey."

He plunged back into his reading as the coffee flowed. She prepared two cups, placed Ville's in front of him, and went back walking nervously around the room, cup in hand.

Teasingly, he read the last passage aloud, making her blush.

"Sometimes I still catch myself imagining a liberated newspaper, free from all these commercial pressures. A newspaper where every word would be chosen not for its ability to generate clicks, but for the truth it carries. A place where readers would come of their own accord, because they would find what is so lacking elsewhere: raw, unvarnished, honest information. I see it as the very heart of democracy, a place where facts could finally break free from their chains of disinformation, where the truth would have the last word, without compromise. But I know it will be a long road".

He closed her manuscript.

"Wow," he murmured. "Chlo, that's...". He searched for his words.

"Utopian, isn't it?", she asked anxiously.

"Yes, it certainly is. But it's what everyone-I mean, interviewees and readers alike-wants. We can't trust the press anymore, every piece of information makes us doubt its veracity. And, as you point out in your book, by questioning everything, we end up losing interest in what's going on in the world. I hope your book will meet with the success it deserves, that it will arouse interest and get things moving".

She approached him and sat down at his feet. "Thank you, beautiful, for your words and for the time you took to read this manuscript."

He looked at her. When he had returned from the tour, he had found the Chloe of the early days, with a gain in self-confidence. The journalist, passionate about her work, sunny. Stronger than ever. London had slipped away in her mind, and he could feel it.

"Chlo, honey, thank you. Thank you for your ability to get up, again and always. Thank you, you, for all the time you've always given me. For your constant encouragement. For understanding me better than anyone. For staying by my side and agreeing to live with me".

She smiled at him and took his hands in hers. She placed her lips on the back of his hand.

"All I have to do now is send the final chapters to my publisher. After that, it's out of my hands. She sighed. "It's a rather strange feeling ... but it's as if I'm leaving something precious, and that I'm going to miss."

"I understand you completely. When an album is finished, I get that feeling too. It's a part of me that I'm letting go ... and live its own life. It leaves a feeling of emptiness".

"It really does". She lost herself in thought for a moment. "What time are we meeting the guys?", she asked, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Chlo! This isn't a game! I never have any way of surprising you, you always guess", he exclaimed.

"Oops, sorry Beautiful." She burst out laughing at Ville's disappointed expression. "You know I can't pretend to be surprised", she added.

"Go get ready, we're leaving soon", he laughed with her.

Helsinki's wet cobblestones glistened under the streetlamps as Ville pushed open the Crow Bar door, followed by Chloe. The guys were already inside. The lively warmth and laughter of the room contrasted with the cold night air. Burton, Linde, Migé and Gas exchanged complicit glances with Ville, each of them quietly preparing for what they had orchestrated. Ville had planned it all. This part of the evening she could never have guessed. He smiled wryly.

They settled down in a recess of the bar, under a wall covered with photos of Finnish rock legends. After the first round of drinks, Ville discreetly glanced at Burton, an almost imperceptible sign but enough to set the plan in motion. Linde pretended to go to the bathroom, followed immediately by Migé, who complained about his "small bladder". Gas announced he was going for a smoke.

After a few moments, just as Chloe had finished her drink, the first chords of a familiar song echoed through the room. She froze, immediately recognizing the melody. "Just for Tonight".

She looked up in surprise, resting her eyes in turn on Burton and Ville, who smiled at her. Ville held out a hand.

"Coming, honey?", he asked, a malicious sparkle in his eye.

Round-eyed, she bit her lip, a little hesitant. He knew that, although she had sung with him before, it had been a long time since they had sung together. But tonight, the mood was different, almost intimate despite the crowd around them.

"Come on, this is your night", he murmured, encouraging her.

Chloe placed her hand in Ville's, a little shaky but smiling, letting herself be led towards the stage.

As they took to the stage, applause erupted. The room lit up with dimmed lights, and Linde's guitar chords rose softly in the air. Burton placed his fingers on the keys of his keyboard, adding a haunting depth to the melody. Chloe, on the verge of emotion, closed her eyes for a moment, rediscovering the unique energy she felt every time she shared a moment on stage with Ville.

He leaned toward her and whispered, "Just for tonight. For you."

They began to sing, their voices entwining like a whisper under the spotlight. The room was silent, captivated by the palpable complicity between them. Chloe sang with pure emotion, the lyrics telling the story of a night when two souls surrender, find each other in a suspended moment.

This intimacy on stage belonged to them alone. In that instant, Chloe forgot everything - her nervousness, her manuscript, the audience around her. There was only Ville, this song, and the promise of "Just for Tonight."

As the last note died away, a heavy silence preceded an explosion of applause and standing ovations. Chloe, cheeks flushed and heart pounding, placed her hand on Ville's, silently thanking him. He winked at her, and the other members of the group joined in, all sharing a knowing glance.

Later that evening, Ville took her hand in the darkness of their bedroom.

"Are you happy, honey?", he asked her.

"Yes, without a shadow of a doubt", she replied softly. "And you, beautiful, are you happy?".

"Yes, without a shadow of a doubt", he repeated.

"What are we going to do with all this happiness?", she teased.

"There's just one thing left to do...". He seemed reluctant to say aloud what he was thinking. He took a deep breath. "It's time now to recreate HIM."