Together in Stockholm

Chapter 1; A snowy daydream

It was a quite afternoon of December. Snow was falling heavily in Moscow, covering the rooftops of every building, dressing the whole city in white. The snowflakes danced with such elegance as they fell to meet the frozen streets, that you almost felt pity for them. Each of those fragile, beautiful, little ballerinas would finish their meticulous choreography with a bow and let themselves become one with the glowing, glassy mattress below. If only they could keep dancing for a little longer...Those were the thoughts of Dima as he gazed dreamily out of his bedroom window. He had a free night to spend however his heart wished. No concerts, no events, no parties, just himself and his loneliness. He could always waste his time at a club or meet a couple of friends but on this specific evening all he wanted to do was stay in, enjoy the view and think. Actually not think...daydream. Yes, that's the right word for what he loved to do at times like this. He would daydream about her again. She had dyed her hair blonde about a week ago and her hazel roots had already started to become visible. Her smile was kind and her lips were a little chapped. She used to bite them subconsciously when she was stressed and wouldn't realize it until tiny red drops started streaming down her soft chin. She loved dresses. At her concerts she always looked like a princess that had escaped from her depressing fairytale in order to explore the world. A pattern of pink flowers decorated her ankle-length gown and adorable little laces embellished the edge of her puffy short sleeves. He wanted to name those flowers. In his fantasy they were always too blurry to figure out their type so he liked to think that they were lilies just because they were her favourites. As much as he tried to focus on those tiny details, every time he found himself absorbed by the beauty of her shiny eyes. Those two diamonds, grey as the cloudy, melancholic, winter sky and blue as the most royal, glacial lake, couldn't compare to any of the stars in the galaxy, not even to any of those magnificent snowflakes. They were still dancing on the other side of the frosty glass but now he could see her dancing with them. She was so graceful, spinning and twisting with her new friends that for a moment he wished he could join her. He would take her by the hand and softly embrace her waist. But firstly he would bow in front of her. She was his queen and she deserved to be treated like one. As tempting as this was he didn't want to ruin the wonderful scene by adding himself in it.

''We will look like Beauty and the Beast''

He sighed and sadness spread through his tender face. That's what he always thought when he pictured them together. He could have kept looking at this beautiful scene forever but the annoying ringing of his mobile phone interrupted his reverie. He left his bed grudgingly and reached the nightstand picking up his phone barely in time to answer the call. The number was unbearably familiar. It was Yana his manager. Most of the time a call from the person who arranges pretty much everything that has to do with your career and your income is not a bad thing. But right now Dima wanted to do anything but talk about business.

"Hello Yana, darling" he said with a sleepy voice.

"No, no don't worry you did not wake me up. I was just lost in my thoughts again. Yes, I know that I should rest, that's what I'm doing dear. So...Was there something you wanted to share with me this fare evening or you were simply bored and in the mood for small talk?"

They both laughed. Yana was his producer but not just that. They had been good friends for a long time. She wanted the best for him, and he was always there for her. Professionalism was totally not their thing, especially when they were alone or with common friends. She had the reputation of a stone cold bitch but Dima knew her true colours.

His laughter stopped abruptly when she finally revealed the purpose of her call.

"Yana this is not a sick joke right? Eurovision? Again? Third time in 10 years? You must be kidding me..." Dima was socked. Of all the things he was waiting to hear this was the most unexpected one. His feelings were mixed he was too surprised to think straight. He took a deep breath to clear his mind and continued with a shaky voice:

"You remember what happened back in 2012 with Julia. You know how much respect I have for those grannies but it was truly embarrassing. The only Russian who ever managed to win the contest getting defeated by a bunch of old villagers? Anyway...Let's take this from the very beginning. You say that they chose me internally to represent our country again this year. And now I have a week to decide whether I want to take the risk of destroying my fame as a Eurovision star or not? As a venerable producer you should know that this is not an easy decision to be made. Yes, Yana I would love to go through this amazing experience again but for God's sake I can't answer you right now. Please give me some space; I will call you back as soon as I make up my mind."

Dima was about to hang up but Yana had more things to say. At the beginning he thought he had misheard. This couldn't have been true. He suddenly felt dizzy and everything started fading out in front of his widened eyes. His legs were shaking and he had to clumsily retreat to his bed in order to avoid falling to the scarlet carpet under his feet.

"They want what? Yana my dear, are you sure you understood correctly? It can't be true... Polya for Eurovision? Even someone like you, who doesn't know her so well, would know how much she despises this contest! Yana, Yana, Yana please stop shouting straight into my eardrum and let me talk to you for a single moment!"

Silence fell for a few seconds. Dima looked at of his window. It was completely dark now and the snow was no longer falling. He rolled his eyes and continued;

"You are aware of how much I love her. You know I would do anything to spend more time with her. But how the hell am I supposed to persuade her into doing something she hates? Wouldn't it be sickly selfish, after all? No I don't want any other woman singing with me now that you got this idea planted deep inside my stupid brain! But how can I do it...? It sounds pretty impossible, you know. Okay I will try my best. Yes, I promise I will. Thank you for disrupting my ostensibly quiet evening. I will get back to you tomorrow. Goodnight boss."

He let the phone slowly slip from his fingers expecting it to land on the soft carpet. It ended up falling on the wooden floor, making a bumping noise, but Dima didn't seem to care. After getting out of his bed again he teetered to the window and leaned on the polished sill. He looked outside once more, but this time his gaze was desperate. It was a moonless night. He felt surrounded by the darkness and all he wanted to do was let himself get lost in it. As much as he tried, he couldn't determine how he felt about the news that came to unsettle his already crazed life and change it forever. Of course, at that time he had no idea what a major role Yana's call would play. Through the total blackness his eyes searched for a star to get a grip from. He wanted to drown in that majestic velvet curtain but he knew what he had to do. And he had to do it soon. Pelageya was in Izhevsk, where she had a concert later. She was in the middle of a short tour and wouldn't get back to Moscow 'till Saturday.

He couldn't wait that long.