love you in the dark || adele x fem

Chapter Two

The early morning sunlight filtered through the half-closed blinds in Valerie's apartment, casting soft strides across her bed. Valerie lay wide-eyed, staring at the ceiling, her mind buzzing with the kind of excitement that only big, life-changing news can bring. Her mind hasn't stopped buzzing since she got home last night. She was going to Munich. Munich – with Adele! The thought felt so surreal that every few minutes, she had to say it out loud, to remind herself that this was in fact happening. Her heart flutter just at the thought.

She was on her feet in seconds, as a mild state of panic suddenly hit her. The adrenaline made her pacing around the room, as she thought of everything that needed to be organized within the next three weeks. Even though she hadn't received the full details of the tour schedule yet, she didn't even know where she was staying, her mind had already started to assemble a packing list. Lost in thoughts, she opened her closed, staring at the piles of clothes in front of her. She imagined herself in every possible scenario. What outfits did she need? Lounging, casual, work, going out for dinner. How many pairs of shoes should she bring? What was the weather in Munich even like? Then her eyes moved over to her make-shift make-up station, where she stored everything in for her work. What would she need from that? Suddenly, the weight of responsibility struck her. This was really huge, bigger than she felt capable of. Her heart raced faster, as if it was trying to run away.

Beneath her feet, a familiar soft figure padded around, weaving between her legs and nudging her with a small, black head. Valerie looked down to see her senior cat Tinka, looking up at her expectantly. Valerie scooped her up, holding her close as she felt the soothing vibration of Tinka's purr against her own racing heart. She carried her back to the bed, letting her lay down in her lap and scratching the little head. The sound of the purring and the soothing warmth that her cat radiated calmed her nerves and racing heart down almost immediately.

Valerie leaned back, trying to reach her phone on the bedside table without disturbing her cat. The last thing she wanted was to annoy Tinka, because she would leave immediately. When she finally reached it, the black cat decided that since Valerie was already laying down, her chest was a much better spot for a nap, trapping Valerie on her bed for at least the next thirty minutes. "Oh Tinka", she mumbled. "What am I gonna do without you."

She opened her phone, pulling up her mom's contact. After a few rings, her mom answered the phone with a cheery, "Hola carina! Cómo estás?"

"Mamá, you are not going to believe this!" Valerie continued to fill her in with everything that had happened in the past two day and everything that was going to happen in the future. They talked about how huge this opportunity was, how scared she was to fail the expectations that were on her. How she needed reassurance and someone to look after her cat.

After the call was over, Valerie felt better, lighter. Her mom's words had taken so much weight off her shoulders. Now she felt like she was one step closer to have everything under control. But there was one more person that she desperately had to tell everything. And for him a phone call wasn't enough. _I'll be at your place at 7 p.m. tonight. Can you order sushi? I'm bursting with excitement!!!!!_ . She hit send and then turned her attention back to Tinka, who was still laying on her chest, soundly asleep.

Valerie sprinted up the stairs, taking to steps at a time, nearly falling down more than once. Her curls were sticking on her forehead, the evening was still terribly hot and humid outside, and she had speed walked all the way to Matthew's apartment. She barely had to knock before the door flew open, and there her childhood best friend stood, already smiling as he took one look at her red face. "Did you run here girl?", he asked her, while he pulled her into a hug. "I did! How did you know?", she gasped, trying to catch her breath. "I had a feeling", he joked and opened the door wider, ushering her inside. "Sit down, you're too old to be standing. Dinner should be here in an hour."

As Valerie's breathing steadied, she was hit by a wave of gleeful energy that started bubbling inside her, and she couldn't stop the smile from making its way onto her face. Matthew mustered her skeptical, eyebrow raised. "I read your text and since you ghosted me for two days straight, you better have the most exciting news ever."

Valerie threw herself on the sofa, letting herself fall back into the soft cushions. "I was busy working with Adele", she teased, glancing over at her best friend. Matthew stopped in his tracks, mouth falling open. "Adele Adele? Oh my god! Are you serious?", he shrieked and pulled her up into a hug.

Valerie smiled, her nerves easing just a little. She reached out to take a sip of the tea Matthew had made her, waiting readily for her on the coffee table. The familiar scent of chamomile filled the air, mixed with a faint hint of vanilla from the candles that were lit around the room. His apartment was this cozy retreat that she loved to relax in, to forget the real world just for a little while. "Yes, Adele Adele. It was crazy."

"Girl, I can't believe you didn't tell me anything about the past two days?! You worked for Adele, and you didn't tell me?", he pouted and gave her a questioning look. "I know! I know, I'm sorry. I was out of my head and running on autopilot since I got the call from her assistant. This whole thing feels so unreal. Like, I have to keep saying it out oud, so I don't forget that this is real and not only a very realistic dream", she rambled on to defend herself, taking another sip from her tea.

"I'm just teasing, don't worry", he laughed it off, but then his smile dropped, and his face went a bit more serious. "Now spill, how's Adele? How starstruck did you get? Tell me everything you can without getting in trouble!"

"She is...", Valerie paused, thinking for a moment on what the best description might be. "She is very human and normal. And extremely tensed, even though she doesn't really show it." She went on describing what the past two days had been like, what they did and how much she had enjoyed the job, and watching Adele work, while she twirled one strand of her curly hair around.

Matthew listened intensely, leaning forward as if he wanted to make sure that he didn't miss one word she was saying. "You know, it almost sounds like you're in love", he teased, winking at her. Valerie laughed, rolling her eyes. "In love? Matt, it's Adele! Everyone's in love with Adele. That's like common knowledge."

He raised an eyebrow and grinned at her. "Sure, babes." Valerie giggled, throwing a pillow at his face, that he dodged with ease. She then went silent, suddenly remembering what she wanted to tell him all along. "Oh, and the reason because I ran all the way here, wasn't to tell you about the past two days... I got a job offer", she dragged the words as she saw Matthew's excitement increase, he was hanging on the edge of the couch, leaning in even closer. "Stop that theatrical pause and SPILL!."

"I will continue to work for her. In Munich, during her residency..."

The shock in Matthew's face was almost comical and it took them over an hour and their sushi plates until they both had calmed down about this.

Matthew leaned back, crossing his legs. "Are you panicking yet? I can practically feel it radiating off you."

"Well, maybe a tiny bit. I keep going over what I need to pack and what I might need on hand... you know, mentally preparing. I haven't even got the full schedule yet, and I'm already spiraling into planning mode."

"You are amazing", he said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Val, this is huge! I'm so proud of you! I'll be back here, rooting for you from home, and sending you ten million messages a day to know how it is going." He leaned closer to her again, lowering his voice to a whisper. "Also, if you don't sneak me a signed poster or two, I may actually disown you." Valerie laughed. "Deal. Signed posters, and I'll even send you some behind-the-scenes gossip if I can."