Addiction
CHAPTER 1 - RIGA
Lindita had been going from one home to the other so many times in the past few months, it was as if she had grown used to the jet lag. On one side of the world, she was in America with her husband, recording summer anthems, but on the other side she was with her parents and family in Albania, catching up with them. However, after winning Festivali I Kenges she was going on a tour all around Europe to promote her song. She had just released the revamp of the song and the video from America, so she had to take yet another plane, but this time to Riga. She was spending a weekend in the capital of Latvia to perform it for the first time and meet all the other acts. Nervously, she stepped off the plane and embraced the view of Riga, which she had never been before. She shielded her eyes as an unexpected ray of sun beamed down at her. This told her that only good things were going to come.
She sat in Double Coffee drinking her latte. She arranged to meet Slavko from Montenegro and Triana Park from Latvia, but Slavko hadn't landed yet and Triana Park were stuck in traffic. She reckoned it would be at least another half hour until someone turned up. All of a sudden, her phone began buzzing. She answered, only to her husband, who wanted her to get him some traditional Latvian socks. She was tired of this, he would always ask her for things he could easily get, but he complained that he was too busy at the gym. Lindita found this disrespectful. She had lost so much weight so she could impress him and the world, but he wouldn't move a finger for her. She had dated around prior to marriage, and she found all men were like this: lazy and idiotic. She hung up and sighed, dreading going back to America to see him.
It had almost been an hour now and Lindita thought about leaving, but a blonde woman came over to her and introduced herself.
"Lindita right? Hi, I'm Kasia from Poland!" she said as she shook Lindita's hand.
"Of course! I love your song 'Flashlight'! You could be Poland's first victory!" replied Lindita happily.
"Well I don't know about that," muttered Kasia humbly.
"Sit down, let's have a proper talk," said Lindita as Kasia made herself comfortable in the cushioned booth, "Slavko and Triana Park are meant to be here, but it's delay after delay."
"You're meeting Slavko Kalezic? I hear he's really wild," chirped Kasia.
Lindita's phone buzzed. "Oh no, Triana Park cancelled. They have to set up early for the gig."
"That's a shame. At least we'll see them later," Kasia pointed out, which made Lindita feel less disappointed. "That reminds me, I need to text my dog minder to check if they're OK." She pulled out her phone.
"You have dogs?" Lindita asked, receiving a nod. "I always wanted one but my husband's allergic. I think he made that up because he's such a dog himself, he wouldn't want two of himself in the house!" They both laughed raucously at this.
"So you're married?" questioned Kasia.
"Yeah. It's tough though, because I like the single life and I'm not sure if I'm ready to be tied down. He proposed to me pretty quick before I had any doubts, but now I'm not sure if I can carry on with this."
"Why did you get together with him in the first place then?"
"He loves me for who I am. I used to weigh so much, people made fun of me. Like when I was at school, all the girls wanted to wear white skirts but I couldn't because I was ashamed of myself. This made me realise I needed to change, but I couldn't do it alone. He helped me through it, motivating me. I guess I'll always respect him for it."
"But he didn't join you to lose weight?"
"What? You think I'm apprehensive about him because of his size?" retorted Lindita, slightly offended.
"No! I'm so sorry, that's honestly not what I meant," apologised Kasia, regretting what she said.
"It's OK, I know you mean well," assured Lindita, making Kasia more relieved. "It's just people get confused when they see me, an attractive European next to a larger American. People jump to the conclusion that he has lots of money. I don't want that, I want something simpler." Kasia nodded, then Lindita fumbled, "Listen, I don't really know who I am and I'm hoping Eurovision will help that."
"I totally agree," responded Kasia, "Why are you telling me anyway? You hardly know me."
"Well, you saved me from being alone in a place I've never been. Wanna be my Eurovision buddy?" smiled Lindita.
Kasia laughed. "Of course. I didn't even know that was a thing!"
Lindita beamed. "It is now! Anyway, what's the deal with your love life? Is there a special one?"
"Well, lots of special ones. I'm in love with my dogs. No men around to tie me down." Kasia replied, with a certain pride in her voice.
"Single huh? What's that like for an exotic, attractive girl like you?"
"I'm flattered," chuckled Kasia, "Just like you, I'm hoping Eurovision will help me to find myself. My parents are pushing me to find a man, because I'm almost 30 and I've got a stable music career. But that's not me. I'm a wild one. Who knows, when I'm older I might hide away from everyone in a Scandinavian igloo!"
"So you're a wild child," growled Lindita, "I like to think of myself that way, but ever since I've been married, I can't do nearly as many stuff as I want to."
"Looks like marriage is ruining your life. Come on, it's time to go to the gig. Let's have fun, maybe get a little drunk," teased Kasia, taking her hand.
"Wait, I need to text Slavko to say we have to go," remarked Lindita, quickly texting then standing up from the booth, "OK, wild one, let's go!"
CHAPTER 2 – CONCERT
Before the gig started, there was a quick press conference. All the artists had to answer lots of questions and, after taking Kasia's advice not to mention anything about her dying marriage, she eased through the interview without any embarrassment or tears. She was excited to perform, but slightly anxious because it was the first time she would perform 'World' in front of a proper audience. If it was any other song, she would have stormed through with no problem, but in this one, she had to hold a not for 20 seconds. Fortunately, the world was in her favour tonight and she didn't have a cold or sore throat holding her back. As she got up to perform, all she could focus on was everything that Kasia had said to her during their brief meeting at Double Coffee. Should she ditch her husband, despite everything he had done to support her? She hadn't yet mentioned how he had never been to her home in Albania or how he always made excuses whenever she wanted him to visit family. She wanted to be free. This was what her song was about: freedom and love uniting everyone. As she approached the elongated note, she felt empowered from the meaning of the song. She could do this. She sucked in as much air as possible in the short time she had and belted as if there was no tomorrow. She felt strong and powerful, as if she could take the whole world on her own. Effortlessly, she made it through and continued the song modestly. The crowd cheered and applauded, Kasia being the loudest. The song had finished and once Lindita had taken a bow and exited the stage, Kasia was there to congratulate her. Lindita quickly wished her good luck as Kasia went on stage and began performing her song. Lindita had felt her performance left a good impact, but that was nothing on her mew friend.
Kasia's smoky, sultry voice captivated the audience in the first few notes. Lindita sat back and gawped as Kasia growled with control and flaunted the sex appeal in her voice. She seemed so passionate about singing, even though her song wasn't really about anything. The air was blazing with fire as the Polish artist altered the entire atmosphere through the final chorus, transitioning into the final notes. Lindita couldn't stand up any faster to applaud the masterpiece she had seen. She was breath taken.
Back at her hotel room, Lindita confirmed participation in all the pre-parties featuring Kasia so she could witness the spectacle once again. Rapidly, she found a video from the gig of Kasia and watched it. She was anticipation the desire and wonder she felt at the concert, but the video only filmed the song, not the emotion. Lindita didn't feel anything watching it. She feared that the televoters wouldn't vote for her because they couldn't feel what it was like live.
CHAPTER 3 – AMSTERDAM
Yet again, Lindita was on a plane. The next stop for her was in Amsterdam, which would be the biggest pre-party this year. Three quarters of the contestants were going to be there, including Kasia. She was stressing over what to wear. Usually, she didn't fuss over this too much because she looked good in anything, but in front of Kasia she really wanted to impress. She was thinking of an elegant teal dress, but she feared that people would think she was trying too hard. The truth was, Lindita wanted to slay. She wanted to be sassy and sexy and show everyone that even though she may look provocative, she had more to her than that. She finally settled on a cut-down blue riding outfit, exposing her pert butt, topped with a classy boa. She threw it on and, despite the tight fitting, she looked amazing. She smiled wishfully in the mirror, seeing how people couldn't get enough of her. Once she had imagined how she would walk and play with her hair while pretending she wasn't interested, she threw her normal clothes back on and relaxed. She was having a better time than she had had for years.
At the concert, Lindita spotted some familiar and some foreign faces, but she hadn't yet seen Kasia. They were meant to text each other, but the service in Amsterdam had been slow for them. Across the room was Anja, her vocal rival. They had been in a conversation earlier about themselves, but Anja had come across as arrogant and she seemed sure that she would get one of Denmark's best results. She wasn't even Danish. All of the fans had loved Anja's vocals and said she was one of the best vocalists in Eurovision ever, which made Lindita salty. Anja wasn't holding a melismatic note for 20 seconds. She had met Ilinca, the yodeller from Romania. She was cute and bubbly, but so naïve. After Eurovision, she still had lots of school work and exams that, unfortunately, didn't require any yodelling. NAVIBAND seemed really lively, but they were more interested in each other than the other contestants. Lindita saw them as an underdog because they were playing a different game: they had performed at the Ukrainian national final with their song and a Belarussian version of last year's winning song. Ugh, that's like cheating.
Confidently, Lindita stepped up onto the stage. While she was testing the mic, she heard loud cheers and jaws dropping. This make her feel playful and poised, knowing the crowd was in her favour. Casually, she turned around to show the audience the back of her outfit, as if it was nothing. In the corner of her eye, she saw Kasia, mouth open wide with shock. She gave her a frisky wave before beginning her song. She felt powerful, as if the crowd was all in her hands. She decided to play them, by starting the song off quietly, making them hungry for more. Then, after the first chorus, her power really kicked in and she flew threw it. As the note approached, she deliberately did lots of turns and struts, showing off her charm. She belted out the note with no trouble, making it seem effortless. She even had time to play with her hair in between! As she delivered the final notes flawlessly, she winked to Kasia, whose eyes were sparkling with a hint of lust. Lindita felt happy. This was what she wanted to do: perform and tease. She strutted off the stage, bringing her perky aura with her.
There were still a few more contestants before Kasia, so Lindita took that time to enjoy all of the other songs. She liked the Swiss entry, which seemed to have no meaning to all the fans bobbing along to the tune, but she knew it was about following your heart. She tried her hand at yodelling as Ilinca and Alex stepped on, swaying to the euro beat. She didn't get the Italian entry, especially when everyone was yelling 'Ale!' and when he picked up a fan's avocado. That was just confusing. Alas, she got some light relief as Alma from France sang her lively song 'Requiem'. It made her want to visit Paris straight away!
More performers graced the stage, but none of them compared to Kasia, who was still yet to come. The best one so far had been O'G3NE, the Dutch girl band singing about their sick mother. Their harmonies were on fleek and their individual voices had so much emotion! They seemed to really believe in their song.
Jaded by the performances unsurpassable to Kasia's, she hyped herself up as she saw her favourite stride onto the stage. She had underrated herself with her outfit, wearing an everyday jumper and a dull skirt, but she was owning the dullness. The backing track commenced, making Lindita picture a dark room filling with smoke. She was trapped, but seemed to accept that. The smoke was embracing her and giving her some kind of comfort, but it didn't feel like enough. She heard a violin and pictured a door; an easy escape. All she needed was a light, a flashlight. She felt lost during the final chorus, but found a torch and shone it towards the door. Now she was running. The smoke didn't catch up with her. She was free!
"Congratulations! I loved your performance!" grinned Lindita, finally getting to speak to Kasia.
"Yeah, thanks," replied Kasia, sounding disappointed.
"What's wrong?" Lindita asked and made a sad face.
Kasia forced a smile. "I guess the pressure of Eurovision are finally getting to me."
Lindita was surprised. "What? You're making your country proud. They voted for you, right? That means that they want you there! You're not going to let them down. Trust me."
"Thanks, Lindita. I really needed to hear that."
"Ooh, let's go do some sight-seeing! I hear that the champagne here is mind blowing!"
"What about our press conferences?" Kasia asked with concern.
"Fuck 'em. We can just say we're sick." Responded Lindita sassily.
"After hearing you're long note they wouldn't believe that!" sniggered Kasia as they ran off into the distance.
CHAPTER 4 – HOTEL
Her watch struck 11 o' clock as she woke up. She was alone in her hotel room with a view overlooking central Amsterdam. Refreshed, she strolled over to the balcony and reminisced over last night's events. She had been a little tipsy from the champagne, but she seemed to recall most of what had happened.
They had walked the streets, talking about their lives for a while. Lindita had found out that Kasia was very close to her brother, who would be playing the violin for her on the Eurovision stage. She also wanted to travel the world, but never had the money or the people to do it with. They had then found a champagne bar by the canal, where they drank away their issues and focused on the gorgeous view.
Still looking out of the balcony, Lindita realised that she had feelings for Kasia. Not friendly feelings like she had with Slavko, but feelings like she wanted to be together with her. She never knew this before. She imagined holding her hand and kissing her in the rain, but before she could think any more, she got a text message from Kasia:
Meet me downstairs for breakfast.
Lindita started panicking. She didn't know if this was a sign saying that she should tell Kasia about her feelings or run away. Her plane to Albania was scheduled in four hours, so she had some time to kill, but didn't know what to do about Kasia. She decided to see her, but bottle her feelings.
"Hey, Linnie!" chuckled Kasia. Lindita had never been called that before.
"Oh, hey Kasia." Said Lindita, slightly subdued.
Kasia sensed some concern. "Is everything OK?"
"Just the champagne from last night." Lindita lied. She acted as if she had a pounding headache, but the truth was that she was surprisingly good at fighting off headaches.
Kasia laughed and bit into her toast. "Ooh, this Dutch bread is good."
"Did you need me for anything?"
"I'm sorry?"
"You told me to meet you down here, as if you wanted me for something." Queried Lindita curiously.
"Oh no, no," fumbled Kasia, "I just didn't want to be lonely."
Lindita could only smile at this. Even if she ignored her feelings, she had a friend who would be there for her.
"I won't see you until Eurovision now!" Kasia pointed out. This was true. Lindita would still be doing gigs in Greece and Albania, but Kasia was fully preparing for the main show.
"That's true! And it sucks that I'll be all alone when I'm doing my final tours," shrugged Lindita, sipping at her coffee.
"If you need me for anything, I'm just a call away. I have you on FaceTime, right?"
"Yeah, you do," answered Lindita sounding more positive. "Listen, I've got to shower and clean up then I have a plane back to Tirana so I guess this is goodbye for a couple of weeks?"
"I guess," Kasia shrugged as she stood up to give Lindita a hug. "See you at rehearsals!"
Lindita cushioned herself in Kasia's embrace, feeling a warmth that reminded her of home. She pretended that she wasn't too attached as they broke away, making her feel a little empty.
She reached her hotel room and realised that she had a lot to figure out.
CHAPTER 5 – DECISION
Lindita was back in Albania staying with her family. She had the house to herself and instead of doing her usual livestream, she decided to call her husband on FaceTime. They needed to talk.
"Hey baby," He said through the screen. "What it do?"
"Hey," she replied, not knowing what to say, "I didn't get you the Latvian socks."
"Aw, man! Well what was the point of going there then?" He complained.
"Um, to promote my Eurovision song and develop myself as an artist."
"You'll never be an artist with songs like, um, what's your song? Planet?"
"It's called World, you dummy," retorted Lindita, getting angry. "I recorded 'Now' like you said, which will be released before Eurovision. You said it would boost me. It's not even that good."
"It's fire, baby"
"Don't call me baby."
"Should I let you sleep? The jet lag's probably getting to you. Or is it that time of the month?"
Lindita was enraged. "Can you please respect me? I'm trying to go my own way and follow my dreams but now I have to always know that you're there judging me and trying to be the perfect person to you! You even were so selfish to make me lose weight so you could just show off to your friends!"
"That's not why! I encouraged you!"
"And you didn't bother get off your lazy backside to join me and respect me? And now that I'm more 'fit' and 'hot' like you want me to be all you need me for is to get you some Latvian socks?"
"Come on, baby, you're being shallow."
"Hear me out!" she exclaimed, losing her temper. "You never listen. I gave you so many chances before, but I have found myself now and it's time to draw the line."
"We can work past this! I swear!"
Lindita was now in tears. "I'm sorry. I can't do this. America isn't my home and I know nobody there, just fake friends who are made of plastic and paper. I'm not at home."
Her husband came to a realisation. "Who is it?" There was an uncomfortable pause. "Who made you change like this?"
She sighed and figured that she needed to tell the truth. "Her name is Kasia."
"Her?" He cried, in shock.
"She's just a friend. Nothing's happened between us yet." She added. She felt ashamed for some reason, even though she shouldn't be.
"Why didn't you tell me you were like this?" He yelled.
"It's because I've finally had chance to find myself and it's only now that I've discovered it." She replied innocently.
A silence fell over them. Her heart was pounding. She feared what he might have done had she been there in person.
"Lindita, I love you." He stated. She sensed some sadness in his eyes that she had never seen in him before. She shook her head at the screen.
"This isn't love." She wept, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"If you're being honest, I will too." This shocked Lindita, wondering what was going to happen next. "Amber!" He shouted.
A curvy redhead strutted into sight. She was wearing fishnet tights and her hands were covering up her ample breasts. "Who is she?" she shrieked, with a distinctive Russian accent.
"That's my wife," he replied, slightly ashamed of himself. "She wants a divorce."
Lindita watched in shock as they screamed at each other. She never explicitly said that she wanted a divorce, but inside, she knew they were heading that way. She could never forgive him. Luckily, she had moved all of her stuff back to Albania so that saved her a trip back to America. She watched in pain as the couple on the screen turned from a heated argument to passionate love, biting each other on the sofa. This was more than Lindita could bear, so she hung up and prayed that this would be that last time he saw him.
She had to tell Kasia everything, but this wasn't something she could do over FaceTime. She needed to do it in person. This had to wait until Eurovision rehearsals in Kyiv, but that was probably for the better. She needed some alone time to let off some steam and relax before the show. She had done nothing to deserve all of the upcoming stress.
CHAPTER 6 – DRESSING ROOM
It had been two weeks since Lindita's last encounter with Kasia, and with her husband. Since then, she had time to release all of her stress by practising her song and having a few spa days. Of course, she had been distraught by the sudden change, but she was coming to accept that as she had mostly put that burden on herself. Fortunately, she was feeling a lot better, but there was still an emptiness inside her that could only be temporarily filled by rehearsing her song.
Lindita had arrived early at Kyiv, before any of the other contestants. This gave her a chance to get comfy in her hotel and take a tour of the stadium and backstage. This was the biggest thing she had done in her life, even topping trying out for American Idol. The impact hadn't got to her yet, until she stepped through double doors into the arena.
The entire stadium was bare, but it had a ghostly presence, as if people had already turned up to cheer on their favourite. There were thousands of seats, inanimately waiting for the show. Startled, Lindita gawped around and couldn't believe she would be performing to this amount of people. It sank in. She felt the honour and the pressure, immediately overthinking everything. Her mind raced like a formula 1 car, making her world spin. It was all too much, until she saw Kasia in the green room.
She made her way over to her and spoke awkwardly. "Hi, um, we need to talk…"
"No let me talk first," jutted in Kasia, rushing her words, "my voice isn't ready, I don't think I'll be able to sing for the rehearsals. I know you're an amazing singer, like, that note! Holy shit! But can you show me a few vocal techniques? Somewhere private?"
Lindita was dazed. "Um, yeah sure. How about in my dressing room?"
"Sounds great! Kasia replied, sounding more positive, but slightly anxious."
As they made their way backstage, Lindita noticed that Kasia was breathing heavily. The nerves must be getting to her too! She felt reassured that she wasn't alone here. They turned a corner and found the Albanian dressing room.
"Here it is!" exclaimed Lindita as they stepped in. "So what I like to do with my vocals, I keep it more conserved at the back of my throa-"
"This isn't about vocals." Interrupted Kasia.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm in love with you."
A pause proceeded. Lindita had never dreamed that she'd hear these words from Kasia, and never expected it.
Kasia continued, "Since I saw you perform at Amsterdam you gave me this feeling that all I needed in this life was to get you and keep you. At first, I just thought it was a fire, like a burning desire, but then I kept on thinking about you and realised that this must be love. I've never felt like this before. I'm sorry, I really must be freaking you out, but I had to say it sooner rather than later or else it would be bothering me too much."
Lindita sat down and gave a subtle grin, then took Kasia's hand. She leaned over, getting closer and closer. It felt like a drumroll as she felt her lips scraping Kasia's, but the grand finale came when she followed through and rested her lips against her new lover's. They brought their bodies even closer together, until their chests were touching. Passionately, they held each other in their embrace, grateful for the moment. They felt free and had no worries, until Kasia broke apart.
"But – your husband?" she asked innocently.
"We've got a divorce." Replied Lindita, as she leaned over again. "I'm in love with you too."
They continued osculating and forgot about everything else; it was just the two of them. They felt the love like they had never felt before. It was pure, without anything in their way.
"At least your vocals are OK." Quipped Lindita, receiving a cute chuckle from Kasia. She went over to the door and flipped on the lock securely.
CHAPTER 7 – REHEARSALS
Lindita had forgot about all of her stress during the rehearsals because of her new relationship. She hadn't realised how happy she was until now and she couldn't stop thinking about Kasia. They decided to move into the same hotel room for the next few weeks and help each other practise their songs. They were moving really fast, as if they were rushing too much, but it was time for change and this kind of change wasn't something that happened every day, it was something to hang on to for life.
The only issue with the couple was what they were going to do after Eurovision. Lindita was invited back to her family until she found her feet – and a man, as said by her aunt – but this wasn't what she wanted. She wanted Kasia. She was addicted to her and nothing would get in the way of being with her. She hadn't brought this up yet with her, but it was about time. Unfortunately, they couldn't talk immediately because Lindita was due for her first rehearsal. It was scary, finally putting her song to life. A few months back, it was just an idea in her head, but she was finally doing this and she couldn't be more grateful for the experience. Whatever the outcome, she was happy. She didn't care about making the final, or even getting any points. This wasn't about her country; it was about her.
She stepped on the stage and began to sing. Her voice came out with a rasp, as if she had swallowed a bag of gravel. Embarrassed, she cleared her throat and continued. She forgot to drink her lemon and honey tea that morning, so every note was a gasp for breath. She prayed that she didn't sound desperate, because in her ears she sounded as if she was dying. She held the tune and controlled her voice, but it didn't feel like her song anymore. She had been such a different person when she wrote the song with her team. After playing and toying around with it, it still was the same song, but she felt like she was a different singer, but this only meant she had blossomed. As she approached the note, she felt herself blossoming, and then expressed that passion in her note. It felt like the only part of the song she could sing well, which was ironic because the rest of the song was easy in comparison. She made it through without a problem, then stormed through the final chorus. The climax felt good, but the foreplay just disappointed her. She hoped that when Kasia saw her performing for the real thing, she would enjoy the climax, just like she hoped the rest of the world would too.
She stepped off the stage and ran to her dressing room, watching the screen for Kasia's rehearsal. It wouldn't be for about twenty minutes, but it was nice to see all the other competition perform.
There was a knock at the door. Lindita rushed over and had a grin ear to ear.
"I'm so glad you're hear I've been waiti-" Lindita saw that it was her stylist. "Sorry, I was waiting for my food order." She lied.
"This is about your dress. Voila." Said the stylist, sarcasm flowing in her voice.
"Thank you. Mind if I try it on?" She asked, wondering why she was sarcastic.
"Sure, but I won't be able to see it because I've got to fit knee-high boots to Miss Macedonia." She replied.
"Oh. Thanks anyway!" Lindita called as she shut the door.
She ripped the dress out of the packaging and flicked on the mirror light. It was a struggle to fit in to. She had lost tons of weight so she didn't feel bad about it being a tight fitting, but it must have been designed to fit skeletons! Cautiously, she turned to the mirror and studied herself.
"I look hideous!" she yelled.
CHAPTER 8 – FUTURE
Kasia stood at the door and rapped curiously. "You called me here?" she shouted. She had just finished her first rehearsal which she hoped Lindita had seen on her dressing room screen. As she stood there wondering why she was called, Lindita opened the door.
"This will be the dress I'm wearing at the semi." She stated irritably. Kasia didn't know what to say. It was absolutely horrendous, it looked as if the stylist had gotten help from their 5-year-old daughter. The only good factor was how it showed off Lindita's shapely legs, but even so it had a translucent silk veil covering it. She had to be honest.
"I've seen Polish farmers in more graceful outfits than that," she stated honestly, "you'd be better off wearing your normal clothes."
Lindita was relieved that someone shared her opinion. "Thank goodness, I thought so too."
"Is there a way of returning it and finding something better?" Kasia asked helpfully.
"No, I called my stylist and the rest of my team and they said that if I didn't wear it, they wouldn't bother play the backing track on my song." Lindita replied.
"What? That's awful."
"I don't even feel Albanian anymore, so why should I wear this stupid frock?"
"It's so stupid!"
"Ugh, someone on my livestream said that if I wore my dress from Amsterdam I would have qualified easily." Lindita rushed, out of breath with fury. "I agree with them. It would get me votes and it would make me feel so much better about myself.
Kasia nodded. "You'd certainly get my vote." Lindita laughed at this, despite her rage. "Listen, I have an idea." She pulled a tight thong out of her purse and handed it to her. "You can wear that below your dress so you can still feel slightly fabulous. It's what underneath that counts." She winked and began to head out of the room.
Lindita stared playfully at the thong, then grasped Kasia's shoulder. "Wait," she called, "I need to talk to you about something." Kasia came back inside and looked into Lindita's eyes. "Sit down."
"I'm all yours." She responded attentively.
"Listen, I need to figure out my future. I just left America and took most of my stuff either here or back at Albania with my family. The obvious thing to do would be to live back there with my family, but they would shun me if I brought you along. I need to be as far away from my ex-husband as possible, but as close to you. I need somewhere that will be my home forever. I need a change. I need you."
Kasia held Lindita closely until their chests touched. "I will be right by your side, no matter what happens." She thought for a second and then whispered, "I know a farm in Poland near Gdansk overlooking the ocean. It's far from everyone, just you and me. I can bring my dogs because they are the loves of my life and if I left them I would never recover from my heart break. We can start anew and you would never have to see your husband, or anyone, ever again."
Lindita considered this and broke into a grin. "I could really do with that. But what about my family?"
"Just tell them you're moving to Britain or somewhere to work at a private company. They'll respect you for that, and if they want to visit you, plan a trip back to Albania or somewhere to visit them and say that wherever you live is a dump." Kasia laughed.
"Will it have a fireplace?"
"Wha – Why? Why wou- A fireplace?" Kasia stuttered. "Why would you want a fireplace?"
"So we could sit by it and be warm while we drink hot cocoa and talk about the stars and the universe on a rainy afternoon with your dogs curled up on our laps. Then we could breed some of them to make a puppy and we'll all care for it and we'll be like its mothers, always there for it."
"Where have you been all my life?" Smirked Kasia as she threw Lindita onto the chair and ripped of the silver veils.
CHAPTER 9 – EUROVISION
Lindita woke up in her hotel king sized bed with her one and only queen, Kasia. They had fallen asleep after a spirited night, involving licking melted chocolate off each other's faces. They had been drunk at the time, so all they remembered was the passion and the fun they had, not what specifically happened. After Lindita kissed her love, she stepped into the shower and daydreamed about how happy she would be in Poland, not worrying about anything. She felt cleansed and like a real lady should. No man ever made Lindita feel this way. She didn't need a man. Refreshed, she stepped out of the shower and dried herself down. She wiped the steam off the mirror and studied her reflection.
"Kasia? Come in here?"
"Gladly," she responded, "what should we do today, madam?"
"What exactly did we get up to last night?" Lindita asked inquisitively.
Kasia was confused as to why she was asked this, but when she saw Lindita all was explained. Lindita had bruises all over her face, including small spots on her face. If you didn't know her story, you would have guessed that she was involved in a fist fight, but that's not what really happened.
"Honey, those are love bites. It's nothing major, just now everyone can see how much I love you."
Lindita found this proclamation cute, until she realised something. "Um, did you know that I kind of have a little thing called Eurovision? Like, 200 million people will be watching?"
Kasia held Lindita for support. "It's ok, this is what the makeup artists are for. They're some of the best in Europe.
"But I can't let them see me like this! You know how much they hate me already."
"Just say you had a wild night and got love bites. Big deal! They can work their magic."
"I guess you're right. Thanks!" She smiled, as she prepared for the big day.
It was two hours before Eurovision. Lindita was in her demented dress and she had just drunk her lemon and honey tea. She was proud of what the makeup artists had done: they had slapped on a little bit of concealer to hide her bites, then added some contour to highlight her cheekbones. She felt fabulous. As she got up to rehearse some more, her stylist walked past and said, "She's still got some spots on both cheeks." Consequently, she was forced back down onto the chair and more concealer and products she'd never heard of before were applied to her face. She had no idea what she looked like until she glanced in the mirror and saw herself looking like a cake. She would have cried, but that would have made her mascara run. Instead, she stood up and ran over to Kasia's dressing room.
There was less than an hour to go before Lindita entered Kasia's dressing room, to which she had become familiarised with for the past couple of weeks. The door opened, and she saw Kasia panicking as if the world was going to end. She looked stunning in her ghostly white dress, showing off her athletic legs, but her face was moist from all of the tears.
"I'm gonna let my country down, "she began, barely making out any words, "there are millions of Poles in this world, all around Europe, and if I let them down, I'll get no votes."
Lindita snorted. "You think you'll let your country down?" She pointed at the glaze on her face. "I look like a donut. But I don't care. It's not about me, it's about the song."
Kasia calmed down a bit. "I guess, but- "
"But you have nothing to worry about," interrupted Lindita, "you are the most attractive woman I know so even if you fluff up, you'll get votes from people just for standing there and looking pretty. And I've seen you live about 11 times, and you have never failed once. The song itself turns me on from the first note. Your sultry voice gets me every time, as well as all of the fans. The atmosphere can be felt from miles away and the build-up in the last chorus is just breath-taking! You'll qualify for sure. Heck, you might even win! So take it from me, someone who knows you really well. You'll do great."
Lindita turned to leave, but stopped for a second. "I just have to do something for one second." She went up to Kasia and loosened her dress, exposing deeper cleavage, then pushed up her breasts. "I'm wearing the thong you gave me." She winked, then strutted out.
Albania was one of the earlier countries to perform. Lindita wasn't really nervous. She knew she wouldn't do well because of the styling and staging, so she just wanted to get her performance done with. Her voice was clear, but there was a raspy hint that only came with a few notes, but on the whole the vocal delivery was good. Then came the note. She had been exhausted all week, rehearsing her heart out while balancing the time spent with Kasia. She inhaled, then let out all the stress and anger she had ever felt. Now she was a happier person, she didn't have as much anger, so for the first time yet, the note came hard for her. Desperate, she felt her breath drawing away. Fortunately, the concealer hid how red her face was and she covered up quickly, transitioning into the final chorus, which she managed effortlessly. She absorbed the crowd's applause and ran off the stage.
She couldn't see Kasia's performance because she was calming herself down and trying not to get too let down if he didn't qualify. Besides, the atmosphere backstage was just as electric as in the arena, with all of the Eurovision team working everything so nothing goes wrong. It's what their year builds up to. She downed two whole bottles of water and looked hard into the mirror. She could only just see a small bump on her cheek, but other than that, the makeup covered everything. She couldn't wait to remove the makeup after the show. She made her way out to the green room when she received a text. She looked at it and saw her ex-husband:
I'm voting for that Polish girl you like because I like the curve of her ass.
Lindita couldn't hide her fury behind her concealer. She would get her revenge on him, and she would get it well. In other news, that meant Kasia had performed and she would be out in the green room soon. Lindita sat with the Albanian team, looking out for some supporters in the crowd. She heard a few cheers of her name, which lifted her mood slightly.
Lindita wasn't allowed to see Kasia until the end of the show because there could be an interview at any given moment. Surely enough, as she sat down, she had an interviewer right under her nose. This was going to be a long night.
They called out the qualifiers and Lindita didn't expect her country to be announced. Nonetheless, she crossed her fingers and hoped with her team that she'd get a deserving result. Each country being called out was one closer to her failure, and as she began losing hope, Poland was called out! Kasia had made it through! She was so happy for her, she still had a chance to win! Alas, Albania never got called out, so Lindita ran over to Kasia and took her by the hand.
"Should we get out of here?" Lindita asked frantically.
"Sounds good," responded Kasia, "although I'll have to ask you to remove all of the makeup first."
"Well I was gonna do that anyway- "
"And your dress."
Lindita stopped and grinned at this, then took her up to their hotel room.
CHAPTER 10 – SETTLE
It had been a week since the Eurovision final. Portugal had won, and Poland had only come 22nd, even though a lot of people voted for them. Lindita was on a plane, yet again, but this time it would be her last one for a while. She had packed everything and she was expecting Kasia on the other side. They were about to settle down on a rural Polish farm without any worries. After all, this is what she needed, what they both needed, some calm and quiet without any drama.
The last few months had been extremely stressful for Lindita. Initially, she wanted to focus fully on her song and performance, but she let that slip and missed some crucial meetings for precious time with Kasia. On top of that, her husband had been cheating with her and they needed to file an official divorce, but she didn't feel she'd ever get around to it because she never wanted to see him ever again. She had to get revenge on him somehow.
The plane landed and Lindita felt ecstatic about her future. She would be picked up by a jeep, driven by her one and only. It was a long drive, but it would help her relax after everything. She needed to settle down and feel at home. She ascended from her seat and collected her suitcase in Warsaw Airport, then made her way around. It felt so strange. She had never been here before, but the vibe felt a lot better than everywhere else and she felt welcome. Life was looking up.
Sure enough, standing serenely by arrivals was Kasia, who ran up to her and they shared a moment together. They broke free and began the long journey to Gdansk. The jeep had aged slightly, not that it mattered because they'd spend most of their time at home and would only drive for supplies and trips. There were a lot more forests and fields than in Lindita's hometown in Albania. This made it feel liberating to her and more private for the couple. Day turned into night as the Sun met the horizon and expelled rose rays across the sky. It looked as if the heavens had broken open.
Their eyes were drooping when they finally made it to their new home. There were fields the expanded for miles outwards, a view outlooking the coast and the main house, a luxurious manor that might as well have had its own butlers and chefs.
"Woah! How much did this afford?" Lindita gasped.
"Nothing. It's a family inheritance." Kasia replied as they headed over and unpacked their bags.
This was it. This was their new life. Nothing would be able to get in their way now. They could relax and settle down. All was peaceful and quiet. Well, except for the dogs. The dogs were barking in excitement as they ran freely along the fields and rolled around in the dirt. This was their land now. Just Kasia and Lindita.
EPILOGUE – REVENGE
Two years after being settled down in her farm with her love and her dogs, Lindita published a book entitled: The American Nightmare. It was about her life and how she was cheated on, fully exposing her ex-husband. They managed to file a divorce and Lindita didn't have to see him during it. He hasn't had a partner since, because it became a bestseller in the States and in Europe, making her an Albanian, and Polish, national treasure. Kasia and Lindita are living happier than ever in their farm near Gdansk, where Lindita doesn't need a ton of concealer to hide her love bites. Two of the dogs have made a litter of puppies, 5 cute little puppers named Spruce, Tawny, Kreva, Slavko and Dorota. There is a whole room dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all of the dogs.
Lindita and Kasia have been discussing seriously about adoption, whether it would be a good idea. They could home-school their child and bring them up with care and love. They have reached the conclusion that they should and so they have signed their papers and handed them in to an Albanian agency, where they could adopt a struggling child and make it as happy as they are.
They are both releasing music here and there and all their money goes to either decoration, food, charity or holidays. In the space of two years, they have been to Hawaii, Singapore, St. Lucia and Ireland. They plan on going on a Scandinavian tour in the next few months, then afterwards they want to have their child and bring new life into their family. Lindita's song 'Now' was forgotten immediately after she released her album 'Disloyalty' teasing her book release and shaming her husband. They are both satisfied with their revenge.