The first glimpse of Luxembourg
After having breakfast together, Miley left the mansion to lead further negotiations about her part in The Voice. Hans had agreed with his friend Luc to pick them up at the airport around 3.20 pm. Miley would join them later in the evening, and they would take it from there.
Before she could leave though, Hans was holding her back:
"Just wait a second, I got something for you"
He took a bundle of keys from his pocket and gave it to her:
"Take this. Like that, you don't have to stay down at the gate every time and wait till I open it for you. Gate opener and door key, like that you can come in any time you want to"
"Are you sure you want to give this to me?"
"Um, why not? I mean, I want you to come here as often as possible. Oh, and just in case you want to spend a quiet evening and have some time for yourself and I wouldn't be here, the keys for the beach house are also there."
Miley just looked at him, gave him a hug and said:
"Thank you, that really means a lot to me. In my relationship with Liam, even after all these years, I never had a key to his house"
"I suppose I could say I'm sorry to hear that but… to be honest, I'm actually pretty glad he messed it up like that."
"Haha, trust me, meanwhile I feel the same. Two weeks ago, I couldn't imagine that would even be possible. Ok, I really gotta go now, I'll see you tonight"
When she was gone, Hans thought about how thankful he really was that Liam didn't appreciate how lucky he was to have Miley. And he had no clue how it was even possible to lie to her and cheat on such a wonderful girl.
At 3:20 am, he arrived at the airport, waiting for his friends to arrive. Luc had really become pretty close to him, but he didn't know his girlfriend Sabrina that well yet, he only saw her a couple of times when he was attending one of Luc's basketball games. It took about another 25 minutes until they came out and he was able to welcome them. After some hugs and kisses (for Sabrina), he took her suitcase and they went to his car (this time, he chose to use his Audi S8) and they headed off for the Hollywood Hills. When they arrived at the mansion, his two friends had trouble to believe their eyes. They both knew that Hans earned quite a lot of money during his playing career, but a lot of his friends didn't realize how wealthy he really was, until they visited him in the US. Back in Luxembourg, he had a pretty luxurious but definitely not out of the norm lifestyle, with a penthouse in his hometown, 2 cars and no fancy hobbies.
"Wow, this is definitely better than any hotel" Sabrina said impressed. "Um, am I actually allowed to post some pictures on Instagram about this, or is your house like a big secret?"
"Haha, feel free to post as many as you like. What hotel did you plan to stay at anyway?"
"The Holiday Inn Downtown. One of my friends father has a travel agency and they have specialized in trips to the US, he was able to get us a good deal"
"Holiday Inn Downtown? Um, you know that it takes you at least 90 minutes from there to get to the beach?" Hans was surprised, he actually thought that after Vegas, they intended to relax a few days on the beach before flying back to Europe.
"You see?" Sabrina whispered. „I told you from the beginning that they had no clue"
"Yeah, I know. At least after Vegas this was pretty clear"
"Oh boy…I'm afraid to ask but…what happened in Vegas?"
"They booked us a room in the Hardrock Hotel. I mean, the hotel was really nice, but about 3 miles from the strip, which meant every single day walk for 6 miles or pay a cab. Especially this morning, it was pretty hard to drag a certain very drunk young man back to the hotel" the girl explained, while she gave her boyfriend a pretty tense stare.
This one replied a bit embarrassed:" I told you, the sandwich or something must have been bad"
"Hahaha, God, I really missed that". Hans laughed as he patted his friend on the back. "What about tonight, any special wishes?"
"Honestly, just get something to eat and chill. Vegas was a bit exhausting after all. But anyway, where's your girlfriend, I thought she would be here?"
"Oh, right. She's still in the NBC Studios that produce The Voice US, she might end up to be one of the judges next season."
"What? The Voice? Are you serious? God, I love that show. Does that mean that you might meet Adam Levine?" Apparently, Sabrina was a huge Maroon 5 fan.
"So, who is your girlfriend?" Luc was pretty curious now. "If she's gonna be part of such a show, it should be someone famous, I suppose?"
Hans smiled and said: "You know what, just bring your stuff to your room and settle in, take a shower, whatever you may need. I don't want to kill the suspense"
"Oh, that's cruel" Sabrina whispered to herself as they followed Hans who guided them to their bedroom.
A bit later, Luc came back out to the seating area to join Hans who had made himself comfortable at the pool bar.
"Everything's fine with the room?"
"Are you kidding? I've never seen such a luxurious room in my life. I don't even want to know how much you had to pay for that shower. I don't think we're gonna see Sabrina for another hour at least"
"Haha, yeah, I have to admit, I have some kind of weakness for nice bathrooms. Oh, any idea what you would like to have for dinner? I think the easiest would be to call a delivery"
"Uh, is it expensive around here? This trip turned out to be more expensive than we thought, we're a bit short right now. You already saved our lives by letting us stay here."
"Oh come on, you're my guests, it's on me anyway. How about some sushi? Or what did you eat over the last days?"
"Mainly burgers and fast food, it would actually be great to have something…normal again"
„Alright. I just text my girl to see what she wants. She's vegetarian, if that helps you in any way" Hans said to Luc.
"Alright, I'm gonna google famous people who are vegetarian and see what comes up"
"You can limit your search on female people thought"
It really took another hour before Sabrina joined them. She found the boys sitting at the bar, surprisingly watching a basketball game on tv, enjoying a bottle of Whiskey that Hans brought over from the house.
"I see, you're doing pretty well without me here. When is your girlfriend coming, I could need some female support"
"Hm, she should be here in about 30 minutes. But just take a quick look at the sushi menu, then I'm gonna make a phone call to give up our order"
"Sushi? Isn't that a bit expensive?" Sabrina asked Luc.
„It is. But he's determined to invite us, I wasn't able to stop him"
"Thank God, I just can't eat anymore fast food"
After she chose her sushi, she said she would take a look at the rest of the house until her support would arrive.
After Hans and Luc declared this as being a great idea (they had reached the 3rd glass of Whiskey by now), they turned their attention back to the basketball game.
When Sabrina came back, she said with a devilish grin:
"I'm probably gonna make a lot of people very jealous if I post these pictures. Especially Justin and his girlfriend will be shocked, since they always brag about spending their holidays only in the best 5 star hotels. They can't even dream about staying in a house like this".
Hans thought that this was actually pretty cruel.
"Like I said, don't hold yourself back"
They kept talking a bit about Luc and Sabrina's trip when Miley showed up around 7:15 pm.
"There you are" Hans said and got up to greet his girlfriend. "How was your day, did everything go fine?"
"Long and exhausting, but we cleared all the details, looks like I'm gonna be a judge in the next season of The Voice" Miley said proud and gave Hans a kiss. "Well, looks like you had a good time with the Whiskey" she moaned.
"We only had 2 glasses" Hans replied defensively.
"I'm just playing with you. Come on, introduce me to your friends"
So Hans introduced his girlfriend, of course firstly to Sabrina, who lost it a little bit:
"Oh my God, you're Miley Cyrus"
Miley, who was used to such reactions from people, smilingly thought about how nervous she was before meeting Will, so she reacted very calmly:
"Simply Miley is good enough"
After that, she got introduced to Luc, and had to tell them everything about how the negotiations with The Voice went. The most important question for Sabrina seemed to be though if she already met Adam Levine, which made Luc a little nervous:
"I hope I don't have to be worried?"
"What? Noooo, of course not…maybe a little"
"He is really sweet though, why do you think I agreed to take part in the show?" Miley smiled, while giving Hans a nasty look.
„Hey, if we're bothering you, you just have to tell us and invite your cute and sweet Adam to come over" Now it was Hans turn to get a bit grumpy.
"Haha, come on, you know that we wouldn't trade you for anyone else in the world" said Miley as she cuddled herself against Hans.
Finally the sushi arrived, and they made themselves comfortable outside at the table near the swimming pool. While Hans and Luc were talking about sports and Las Vegas, the two girls seemed to hit it from the start and they were talking nonstop. They stayed outside till 1.30 am, talking, eating, drinking and of course, they had to pose for some pictures. At this point, Hans had to step in briefly and make clear that Sabrina didn't post these pictures anywhere as long as their relationship wasn't made public.
"Of course. Do you already have a plan on how to do that?"
Hans turned to Miley and said: "Good question…not really. Or do you have an idea?"
"Actually, yes. I still wanted to talk to you about it. I might ask Ellen if she's able to put me in her show in one of the next days. She was pretty much the only one who always stood behind me over the last months and years, no matter what I did or said, she was always there and tried to protect me. I think it would be only fair if she was the first one to get the news"
"Sounds like a plan. And you really want to do this on your own, or you want me to join you?"
"I think it would be better if I go alone. I can't expect you to be there all the time to hold my hand."
„Up to you. But if you have the slightest doubt, you just tell me and I'll be there"
Luc and Sabrina went to the guestroom shortly after, while Miley and Hans stayed outside for a bit.
"And you're really sure about doing this on your own? I mean, we can't know how people will react to this". Hans was still a bit worried that Miley wanted to reveal the news without him.
"I'm definitely nervous, but not just because of this. I received a request for a performance in Washington, for the student movement #marshforourlives. They expect more than 100.000 people, mainly students, but also a lot of VIP's. And I have no idea which song I should perform. Most of all, I have no idea how people will react when they see me. I can imagine better things than being booed by such a huge crowd."
Hans got off his chair, went over to the couch under the patio and said:
"Just come here for a second"
Without arguing, Miley went over to Hans who dragged her on the couch and put his arms around her:
"Let's see. Party in the USA might be the wrong choice for such an event, just like Wrecking Ball…and I don't even want to start about your hip hop experiments…"
"Hey, that album sold more than a million copies"
"Haha, but still…what about The Climb?"
"Seriously? First of all, I haven't performed this song for at least 4 years now, and second, if I choose this song, I can just as well put my Hannah Montana outfit back on"
"Or you could look at it from a different point of view. It's a great song, even though it's from a Disney movie. It just tells a story that fits perfectly to this subject, especially to give these kids some hope. And there's one thing you shouldn't underestimate. 90% of the people who will be there are students, and a lot of them grew up with Hannah. Look, I can understand you're scared that everybody will only see the sweet little Hannah before their eyes when you sing this song, but just give it a thought. These kids are in a period of their lives where they start to become young adults, they won't stick to Hannah forever but they are developing, just like their taste of music will. But no matter how old you become, you never forget about your childhood heroes. So by taking Hannah's song and make it to Miley's, you can show the whole nation that you're not this sweet and innocent girl anymore, but you've come to accept that Hannah is a part of who you are today, and that you're proud of this part of your life, and proud of the fans she has reached"
„That could really be a huge opportunity I suppose"
"It could. When are you supposed to be there?"
"Next Sunday"
"Oh shit, that's really bad timing. I got a call from one of my oldest friends back in Luxembourg this afternoon, I got invited to a bachelor party. I'm supposed to fly next Saturday, and the wedding is scheduled two weeks later"
Miley looked at him, and he could see the sadness in her eyes.
"So I have to go to Washington without you? And you won't be back for another two or three weeks? I don't know if I'm ready for this"
"Well, I don't know about the two or three weeks, that might depend a bit on how busy you are. I was actually hoping you could join me, or at least come to Luxembourg for a couple of days. I mean, I do need a date for the wedding. Maybe you could arrange to fly over from Washington?"
A careful smile appeared on Miley's face and she asked a bit surprised:
"You really want me at that wedding?"
"What kind of question is that? Of course I want to, but not only because of the wedding. You still have to meet my parents and the rest of the family, my friends…my home…it would mean a lot to me."
"You're really serious about this, aren't you? I still have to get used to this. But if you want me to be there, I'm gonna try everything to make it possible. So the wedding will be Saturday in two weeks?"
"Exactly. It would be great if you could make it…it's about time I can show off with my famous superstar girlfriend"
"Show off or shock?"
Hans had to smile, this might actually be a rightful question.
„Haha, show off, definitely. We'll keep the shocking part for later. Shouldn't we go to sleep? It's getting late…"
„Can we stay just 5 more minutes? It's so nice outside"
„With pleasure. But only 5 minutes"
This plan didn't work out of course, and when Sabrina came out at 8.30 am, she found them both on the couch, still sleeping.
"How sweet, did you spend the whole night out here?"
Hans woke up and it took him a second to realize why he wasn't in his bed.
"What? What time is it?"
„8.30"
„Ok, that was definitely not planned like this. Hey, sleepy, get up" He was shaking Miley pretty roughly to wake her up.
About 45 minutes later, they were sitting together at the table, having breakfast and making plans for the day. Miley had some appointments during the day, and if everything worked out, she would join them again in the evening. Hans himself would be the guide for his guests and show them the LA classics, starting with the beach areas. Santa Monica, Venice Beach, Malibu…in fact, they could just stay there for the evening and have a barbecue.
Luc seemed to be a bit surprised:
„Are you really allowed to just have a private barbecue at a public beach here?"
"I have no clue. I was planning to do it at the beach house"
"Beach house? You have a beach house here in Malibu?"
"Just a small one with 4 bedrooms"
Sabrina was looking at Luc and said with a big grin:
"I think, we gonna spend a lot of vacations in LA in the future"
Hans replied amused:
"Haha, you're always welcome, you just have to tell me a bit in advance "
Miley left shortly after and Hans went with her to the car to say goodbye. He kissed her and went back to his friends to start his new job as a tourist guide.