Grand Love

It was slightly nerve-wracking watching while sitting next to Valentina. That being said, the seating was comfy, and there were plenty of free drinks available. Though I knew better than to drink around her, fizzy drink it was for me.

A few acts went up, including Sofia's, which was definitely not my thing, but it was cute nonetheless. I wouldn't say this to anyone else, but it was well and truly deserving to go through, and I suspected it would. It was also the first time I could actually listen to the legendary Budor Tumbac and his heavily favoured to win song.

Budor got up and sang his song. There were no gimmicks or fancy staging—just him, his charisma, and some poorly lit LED lights. Yet, it gave me chills. I could see why it was so popular. After his performance, the hosts came on, and the show stopped briefly for a break.

"What do you think so far?" Valentina asked.

"They're pretty darn good."

"It's a much stronger semi than the one you were in."

Ouch.

"I thought you said you liked me?" I responded.

"Oh my, don't mistake my words." She had a twisted smile. "Did you think I was talking about you? Why would you think that? Unless that's how you feel about your own performance."

Damn it, I fell for another one of her mind games.

"So, which of the acts was your favourite so far?"

I wouldn't fall for her tricks again.

"They are all good."

"But surely you have a favourite."

"They are all excellent, which is why they are here."

She seemed disappointed by this.

"How boring," she muttered. She didn't speak to me for the rest of the acts.

The rest of the acts got up and performed. They were all good, but Sweden was the real standout. I can't say that was a surprise, though. They were always great.

Once again, the hosts came out and announced that the voting was underway. I couldn't help but feel some relief that I didn't have to worry about it today. But I also had some flashbacks.

Great, it looks like I have PTSD now from the voting, and Jano Olgarson was the visual trigger.

"Marco is almost up. He'll be after France."

"That's good."

"I'm sure you are very excited to see him."

"I am."

"Excellent. I'm excited too."

I felt a shiver go down my spine. Why did I distrust her so much? She just seemed to be scheming. Maybe that was too harsh. I hope so. It would be hilarious if she gave off scary vibes but was actually passionate. I prayed that would be the case.

While waiting for Marco to hop up on the stage, I also remembered that Josh would be performing later. I hadn't heard his song yet, but I heard it was funky, so I looked forward. He was such a teddy bear, so I wanted to cheer him on, too.

The lights dimmed. Valentina leaned forward. The spotlight shone on Marco's lone figure on the stage. He began to sing; I heard his voice on the recording and the rough acoustic version he would sing in the practice, but his voice, along with everything else, was truly beautiful. His voice was even more powerful live than on the recording.

I felt many emotions: awe, appreciation, and a longing for his touch. Perhaps all these feelings resulted from knowing that the song was dedicated to me.

As he reached the climax of the song, the display behind him flickered, and the photo we took together at the amusement park was displayed on the screen.

Why was he showing that to everyone?

I may have just gotten permission to go public with our relationship, but this was a bit much. Wouldn't I get into some major trouble?

I turned horrified to Valentina, who I expected would be equally as shocked. Instead, she was smiling, watching me, not Marco.

"What was that photo doing?" I asked her.

"Do you like it?" she smiled her devilish smile.

"I..."

"I thought it looked cute. It seemed to fit the song well, didn't it?" She asked.

"You staged that?"

"And why would you think that?"

"Didn't you think my delegation would kick up a fuss?"

"Your delegation can't really lodge a complaint if you are sitting here in the green room," she laughed. "It's quite the endorsement if I do say so myself."

She planned this all along. She wanted me here so she wouldn't take the fall, and she wanted Marco to make a massive moment on stage and trap us at the same time. We were all pawns in her game.

"I think you have the wrong idea," she added. "While I approved it, I wasn't the one who came up with it in the first place."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't Marco tell you? Oh my, I thought the two of you were closer than this. Perhaps I was mistaken."

It was all a game for her. Why? Did she not care how I would feel being set up like this? Why did Marco play along? Was it all just a scheme to play with my heart?

Marco finished, and the crowd went wild. I could feel the crowd shifting their attention to me hiding in the green room. Hell, even the green room shifted its attention to me. They should have been panicking about the vote. Not about me. Some people were pulling out their phones.

Valentina was cackling.

I had to leave because my emotions couldn't handle it any longer. I felt like crying. I still wasn't sure whether I should be touched by Marco's gesture or if it had all been a lie. I wanted to trust Marco, I did trust Marco. I sure as hell didn't trust Valentina, but my emotions were all over the place after everything. I was flustered as it was. I had to go. I needed air.

I was heading towards the door when I was stopped by a person stepping in front of it. It was a blogger I vaguely recognised from the Gala, though the two of us never spoke. My emotions were all mixed. I was not in the mood to talk to a stranger.

"Blake, I saw you wander out after Marco Ferraro's performance. It was practically a love confession. What's your response? What's your relationship with him?" The blogger asked, shoving a camera in my face.

─── ༻ ☼ ༺ ───

End of Chapter 36