Together in Stockholm

Chapter 2; Calling for a miracle

With slow and as steady as possible moves Dima bent and pulled up his phone. There was a little scratch on the screen which was caused by the fall. He cursed quietly but eventually he would grow into loving this barely visible scar. His fingers typed the numbers one by one. He felt a wave of doubt and hesitation hitting him right before he pressed the dial button. He didn't have the faintest idea about how he would talk her into accepting Yana's offer. His chances were marginal but he wouldn't give up without a fight.

Breath. One ring. Two. Breath deeper. Four rings. Five.

"Maybe she is busy" he thought. It was a great excuse for him to hang up.

"Hello?"

Sweat covered his palms. The sound of her voice made him shudder.

"Polya, my dear, how are you? Glad to hear me?" he played it cool. In times of anxiety and angst this was his best defense mode.

"Oh Dima it's you!" her voice lightened up.

"Sorry, I didn't even check who was calling. I'm great, rehearsing with the boys for our concert tonight. Time to show Izhevsk how it's done!"

She giggled and heard him laugh nervously on the other side.

If only he knew how her heart skipped a bit when she heard him calling her name. It hadn't been a long time since their last meeting but for her it seemed like it was ages ago. She could feel her heartbeat gradually getting faster and her fingers started shaking faintly.

"I'm glad to know that you are enjoying your time. But it's been quite lonely here without you and there is something that we need to talk about." The second he finished his sentence he realized his mistake. He sounded way too serious, something that could look suspicious, as she knew him too well and severity was not one of his traits. He wanted to do anything but scare her.

"Don't get me wrong sugar, it's nothing to worry about. I'm not dying or anything; you are not getting rid of me so easily!" he added abruptly, while trying to sound as humorous as his condition allowed him to.

"Well, it's not like I'd care anyway" she answered humorously while she started to realize that Dima was not acting like himself.

"Now please, go on because I have a rehearsal to continue!" she added cheerfully, even though she felt anything but cheerful.

"Oh yes, you are right! Enough with the jokes, I shouldn't waste Your Majesty's valuable time!" This was the last ironic phrase he'd say to her that night. She hummed in annoyance and he sighed.

"So...let's get serious. I got a call from Rudkofskaya earlier. She is my producer, in case the name doesn't ring a bell. She had a proposal for me, a very interesting but also risky one. And this might sock you but it kind of involves you too..."

Pelageya gasped quietly at the sound of his last words. She had no idea what Yana could want to do with her as she knew that she didn't think very highly of her. She was kind of worried but also incredibly curious to find out.

"Me? This is getting weirdly interesting... Go on!"

"Well, I will make this as quick and simple as possible. She wants us to represent Russia together in Eurovision 2016" he spit out in agony. That was it. The first part of his mission was done. Now that he let her know he had to try his best to convince her.

"Dima, what? We agreed that you'd be serious from now on so stop this...! You must be kidding me!" she sounded terrified with tones of excitement and disbelief. As he predicted before, Pelageya was in shock.

"To be perfectly honest with you, my Polya, this is exactly how I reacted as well. I still don't know how I feel about it and whether I should accept or not..." Dima tried to show her that he was as scared and confused as she was in order to calm her down. Drops of sweat had covered his forehead and his lips started to tremble slightly when he heard her reply.

"It doesn't really surprise me that they want you again. You are Eurovision material, you've proven that twice. But why me? What can I offer in a contest like this? I am too random, for such a big popular thing...I'm not famous or fabulous enough and definitely not diva enough...I'm just me..."

When she expressed those last words Dima's heart broke in a million pieces. Even if she was tempted to try and join him she felt that she wasn't good enough and this was killing him. Pelageya had always been strong and independent. She was the only woman of her band and she knew how to lead in a fancy but also dynamic way. She shared her feelings easily but you had to know her very well to find out her weaknesses. At that moment, willingly or not, she let her insecurities show. Knowing that she was underestimating herself and her talent was something Dima couldn't bare.

He had to make her see herself the way he saw her.

"Oh Polya..I will not pretend that I don't understand how you feel. You are modest and you can't see yourself as the magnificent person that you truly are. I can sympathise but for God's sake I could never agree!

If I wanted to show you how many important things you've done in these 29 years, how much happiness you have offered to your fans and the people around you, I would have to keep talking at least till Eurovision night! I know that you probably can't believe your ears now as I don't usually talk like this but all I am saying is the truth. I would accept it if you turned down the proposal just because you were not interested but not because you think that you are not capable of handling it! This is ridiculous and simply unacceptable!"

He accidentally raised his voice but he didn't care. Dima tried to sound calm but even though he wouldn't admit it he was furious. His Polya was a lioness, proud and noble, and he wouldn't let her think so low of herself.

The microphone Pelageya was holding nearly slipped from her fingers. This man was the most unpredictable person she had ever met. She always knew that even though he didn't felt for her the same way she felt for him, they shared a special bond. She knew that he cared about her but this was a new level of astonishment for her. As hard as she tried to pull herself together and find a decent answer, her mind had totally blacked out. All see managed to mutter was;

"Dima, oh my Dima...I am terribly sorry but this is too much for me to process right now. I have to hang up, finish this damn rehearsal and get some fresh air. I need to give thought to what you said and I can't do this immediately. We will meet right after I come back to Moscow and we will come to a decision together, okay? Thank you for letting me know...Goodbye."

She rang off before Dima could bid her farewell. He left his phone on the windowsill and looked at the sky for one last time before he pulled the lacy curtains. Weariness and eagerness filled him but he could do nothing but wait. He sighed and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

It would be a long, long week.