A Golden Morning

Hans got up pretty early the next morning, he didn't sleep too well after all the excitement from the day before. So he treated himself with a nice big breakfast outside at the pool and he started to reply to the countless text messages that he got. Most of his friends and family also got completely surprised by yesterday's events, but the tone of the messages was very friendly. Most of them contained the same joke though: Really? YOU have a girlfriend? Even if it was meant in a nice way, it got a bit old after he had to read it for the 20th time. Although, deep inside, he found it quite amusing that people were really that surprised.

Since the plan was that Miley would come over around 12 am, he decided to take a little sunbath, since he didn't really had anything else to do. He was just about to fall asleep when Sabrina came running out, unable to hide her excitement.

"Hey. Have you checked the internet already to see what people are writing about you and Miley?"

Hans smiled as he replied:

"No, I didn't want to ruin my day that early"

"Maybe you should. Trust me, your day won't get any worse because of it"

Hans wasn't convinced at all, but she made him curious.

"Just open your Instagram and check the most popular hashtags"

"Oh yes, sure, right away. As soon as someone explains to me how on earth that works"

"Jesus, for a so-called superstar, you're surprisingly incompetent when it comes to social media accounts…"

So with Sabrina's help, he was checking the most popular hashtags of the last 24 hours, and he had to admit…this day definitely seemed to take a turn for the better.

Miley finally arrived a bit after 12 am and found the 3 of them sitting outside, laughing and joking.

"Well, I'm glad that at least one of us is in a good mood…" she said when Hans got up.

"Oh wow, someone's a bit grumpy today…what happened?"

"Don't ask. Hundreds of interview requests, the articles from yesterday, and I think on my way here I was even chased by a helicopter"

"Sounds like fun. But, since you mention the articles and comments from yesterday, I suppose you haven't checked the latest ones from today yet?"

"No, my day is already bad enough…"

Still not convinced, Miley sat down next to Hans and took a look at his I-pad. And just like him, she couldn't believe her eyes, and she spent the next 45 minutes reading one Instagram post after the other. But what actually happened?

Somehow, Miley and Hans were convinced that the posts and blogs from Kylie Jenner and Perez Hilton would spread out over the next days and the popular Miley bashing would celebrate a huge revival. What they didn't expect was Jada's reaction to this, especially not the havoc this would cause. The first person to share Jada's post on her own profile was, to Miley's big surprise, Selena Gomez. Miley and Selena started their careers together in the Disney Club, and they were very close in younger years. When they were growing up and started their careers as singers and actors, this friendship came to a crushing end, and what followed was a pretty nasty confrontation on Twitter and in the printed medias. That's why Miley was so touched when she read the text of Selena's comment:" I know, Miley and me have taken different roads in our lifes, but I never stopped to admire her for the talent she has, her passion for music and the strength and courage she has shown over the last days. Even though our friendship has suffered a bit over the last years, I wish you all the best and I am so happy that you find yourself back at a point where you are able to trust and love another person again. I am #TeamMiley"

Miley was deeply moved as she read the kind words of her former friend, who positioned herself publicly against some of the most influential young women in the US, most of all against her ex-boyfriend Justin Bieber, who was one of the first to share the hashtag MileyCyrusBitch.

But Selena wasn't the only one who came to Miley's defense. And, in contrast to yesterday, where most of the post came from trash or B celebrities (maybe except for Justin, Taylor and Katy), this was like a Who is Who list of the music and movie industry. Among the first people to show their support for Miley were her new The Voice colleagues, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton. With growing excitement, Miley was reading the comments of the celebrities that had shared Jada's post:

Adam Levine: I can't wait to work with this overly talented young lady, Miley, stay strong and keep your head up, I'll see you in the summer. I am TeamMiley

Blake Shelton: I'm looking forward to finally meet this young gifted woman who has country music in her blood. Anyone who claims that she has no talent only outs himself as a complete noob, and I really hope I get to perform a couple of duets with her in the show. I am #TeamMiley PS: Of course this only counts if you team up against Adam with me

Will Smith: Perez who? It's always funny to observe how people with no talent whatsoever try to hate on others to gain a little attention. Miley, don't let idiots like that bring you down, and just in case…you know Hancock's number . I am TeamMiley

Dolly Parton: There are no words that can express how proud I am of my goddaughter. Miley, you can be assured that people love you, and no matter what happens, I'll be there for you. I am TeamMiley

Elton John: I always had a certain weakness for little rebels. Miley, you are an amazingly talented young woman with a bright future ahead of you, but nothing will compare to the time you get to spend with that one special person that owns your heart. Miley, it's time to show the world your smile again, it has been deeply missed. I am TeamMiley

Miley couldn't believe it, even her idol Elton John showed his support. And there were even more celebrities coming to the rescue, like Leonardo Di Caprio, Eminem, Bruce Willis, Johnny Depp, Pink, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Robbie Williams and, of course, Kobe Bryant and Ellen DeGeneres, and many more. The hashtag TeamMiley had been reposted more than 2 million times over the last 15 hours, completely crushing the numbers of the posts of Kylie Jenner and Perez Hilton. Miley was aware that the biggest part of this support was due to her relationship with Hans, but she couldn't avoid getting emotional:

"Wow, I never expected something like this…"

"You see, sometimes it pays off to have friends. But, quick change of subject, maybe we should go to Nobu's for lunch? Like that, the paparazzi can take some pictures…I mean, if you don't mind ending up on the front page of several newspapers?" Hans was looking at Sabrina as he came up with the idea.

"Seriously? Of course, that's gonna be fun"

"Haha, alright, I just give the restaurant a call, and then we can leave"

So Hans called the restaurant, and as soon as they realized who wanted to pass by for lunch, they were having a free table for them. So they all got dressed and drove down to Malibu where the restaurant was located. It was an Asian style restaurant, and according to a lot of culinary guides, in the top ten of LA's best restaurants. It was a pretty expensive location, but Hans just loved Asian food, and Nobu's had the best offer (quality-wise) in the city.

Approximately 45 minutes later, they were sitting at their table in a quiet corner with ocean view. It was a very relaxed atmosphere, and especially the relationship between Miley and Sabrina seemed to become closer and closer. They also made plans about how Luc and Sabrina would spend the remaining days of their stay in LA. In the end, they agreed that the best would be if they just took one of Hans's cars and explored the city on their own, because with the former NBA player as a guide, they wouldn't have a peaceful second after yesterday. On the last day, he would drop them off at the airport, and spend the last day off with Miley. She would fly to Washington on Friday, while he would be heading to Luxembourg on Saturday. After all decisions were made, Miley had a final surprise for Hans:

"By the way, if you still want to introduce me to your family and friends, I could fly to Luxembourg on Tuesday, and if I remember correctly, arrive on Wednesday. I would just have to fly back the day after the wedding, but I managed to reschedule all my other appointments."

"Really? That's amazing. I just have to give my mother a little warning, she's already dying to meet you…I mean, we don't want her to have a heart attack"

"Right. You've already been through this, I still have to meet your family, and I'm a bit afraid that until now, they won't think too much of me."

"Haha, don't worry. My father will be relieved that I don't show up with a boring girl from a rich family that would make him feel uncomfortable, and my mother has no clue at all about who you are. She's more into traditional German music, you're not really hitting her taste."

"Oh well, anyway, I'm really looking forward to see your home country."

After the main course, Miley had to use the restrooms, and Sabrina, of course, got up to join her (Hans was convinced that men would never find out why girls always had to group up to go to the restrooms). Hans used this opportunity to ask Luc something that bothered him for the last 2 days:

"Ok, now you can tell me…how are you two holding up? I hope we didn't ruin your trip completely, you probably had other plans than the mess we've created. If I had known this before, I would have gotten you a hotel in Santa Monica. The only thing I could do now is to give you the keys to the beach house."

"Are you kidding? I think Sabrina has never been that excited before. Trust me, she would kill me if I tell her we should leave now to have a couple of boring and quiet days."

"Haha, ok, that's good to hear. I'm happy that we were able to provide you with a bit of entertainment."

Meanwhile in the ladies restroom, Miley also had something she needed to talk about:

"Look, Sabrina, I just wanted to thank you for the last days. It really helped me a lot to have another woman that I could talk to about everything. It's a shame that you're leaving in two days already"

Sabrina smiled as she answered:

"True, I could get used to the life over here. And when you come to Luxembourg next week, we'll leave the boys at home and go out on a ladies night"

"Haha, sounds amazing. You know, it's been years since I last had a real friend away from this whole entertainment industry. And even if you live a couple of thousand miles away, it would be great to have a friend like that again" Miley responded with a sad voice.

"Hm…I thought we were already?" Sabrina seemed to be surprised. "But seriously, I suppose it is, despite all the privileges, not easy to grow up in front of the whole world?"

"No, most of the time, it isn't. Of course you have a lot of privileges, like you said, but you never know if people really care about you, or about your money and fame. And to me, it really seems that I'm mostly attracting the second."

„I can imagine that this can be pretty tough. But Luc and I, we don't care about how famous you are or how much money you, we just like you for who you are"

"I know. The simple fact that you and Hans are good friends makes me trust you. He's way better at keeping the right people close to him than I am…but don't tell him I said that"

"Haha, don't worry. And whenever you have a rough time or just need to talk to someone, you know how to reach me. And besides, you have to update me on the newest scandals and rumors and, most important, report me how Adam Levine looks in reality. But don't tell Luc I said that…"

"Definitely not" Miley said and happily hugged her newfound friend.

When they came back from the restroom, Hans said jokingly that it took them quite a while to come back, but he could tell that something must have happened that seemed to be very important to Miley, and he had a slight idea what they were talking about. Just a couple of days ago, his girlfriend confessed to him how much she missed having regular friends, who didn't care that she was a famous movie actor or popstar, but just wanted to be with her because she was Miley.

They finished with a cup of coffee and soon after, it was time to leave the restaurant.

Hans asked his friends:

„Are you ready? I suppose there might be a couple of people with cameras waiting for us. They have their eyes and ears everywhere…"

„We could ask them to bring our car to the front door and get in as fast as possible. Like that, they won't see much of us" Miley suggested.

"No, it's fine. Let them take as many pictures as they want. The more they get now, the less they will bother us afterwards"

That sounded somewhat reasonable, so they got up from the table and left the restaurant. And, just like Hans was suspecting, there were about 15 paparazzi waiting outside and started taking pictures. In Hans experience, moments like this were the easiest to handle if you just gave them what they wanted. So he willingly posed with Miley for some pictures, and they even answered to a couple of questions:

"Hans, I'm sure you heard about the accusation that your relation is just a set-up, to raise some attention. Do you have anything to say to these people?"

"Not really, no, because I don't give a crap about what these people think. But believe me when I say that I'm in this relationship for one reason only, and that's because Miley makes me happy. And if a few million Americans think otherwise…that's not my problem."

"Miley, you certainly have read a lot of the posts published on Instagram, Twitter etc…how surprised have you been that Selena Gomez jumped in so quickly to support you? And how did that make you feel?"

"To be honest, I was very surprised, since it's no secret that our friendship didn't take a turn for the better over the last years. Which only makes me even more thankful for her support, and I hope that, after things get back to normal, we can sit down with a good glass of wine, talk about the good old times and maybe get a bit closer again"

"Hans, one more question. What do you think of Perez Hilton's blog?"

"I think that the style of this article says a lot about the personality of its author. If you can only have some success in your life by beating other people down, that's sad. And, if I take into consideration the reactions from a lot of people, he might have some trouble getting into any important events in the near future."

„Would you accept an apology from him?"

„No. Unless he could convince me that he's really sorry, which I honestly can't imagine. But if you may excuse us, we want to enjoy the rest of the day a bit" Hans put his arm around Miley, got into their car and they drove off.

And just like planned (or better said, just like he was hoping), the reporters were almost ecstatic that they took 10 minutes of their time to answer some questions, and were heading right away to their offices, in order to prepare their articles and blogs.

By sacrificing these minutes and respecting the wishes of the journalists, they made sure that they wouldn't be bothered too much for the rest of the day, and also, you were able to control up to a certain point, what was published and what wasn't. This was something that Miley was really surprised of:

"I never thought that these people would be so thankful for a few minutes of our time. If I had known that, I could have avoided a lot of trouble in the past…"

"Well, the first thing they teach you after you made it to the NBA is how to handle the media, how to behave in front of the cameras, what to avoid etc…I mean, you can say a lot of things about the Association, but they only hire the best people."

So they made it home without any trouble, where they were planning the rest of the day. Luc and Sabrina took one of Hans's cars to visit the Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame, while Hans and his girlfriend worked their way through all the interview requests that Miley's manager forwarded to them. And for the first time in her life, Miley would be the only one to decide which ones she would attend.

Hans tried to make a first selection:

"We'll surely go back to Ellen, because we owe her. But where else would you like to go?"

"Hm, let me see. I could talk to the Cosmopolitan, the LA Times and the Hollywood Reporter, I should be able to do that tomorrow. About the talk shows, like you said, Ellen will be the first one, then maybe Jimmy Fallon once I make it to New York, and James Corden. Eventually Jimmy Kimmel, but we don't want people to get fed up with us too quickly"

"God no, I'm really not that interesting. But when do you want to do all of this?"

"Like I said, I should be able to handle the interviews tomorrow, everything else probably once we've made it back from Luxembourg."

"Good plan" Hans agreed, when he suddenly got a text message on his smart phone which number was reserved for close friends. He always thought of it like his own Batphone, which made him feel pretty cool…

The message was from Kobe:

"Hey Bro…are you home by any chance? There's something I have to talk to you about"

"I am, just got back with Miley. What's so important?"

"I'll tell you when I'm inside. Just open the gate."

„You're already here?"

„Yeah, I just happened to be in the neighborhood"

"Right…"