Page 33 of Back Room Host

I gave him my number and waited until he nodded and put his phone away.

“See you tomorrow?” I asked. Tomorrow was Wednesday, and I was working at the Gothic Party.

“Hardly,” he said, nodding upwards. “My bro needs me right now.” Juri hesitated, but then a gentle smile spread across his face. “You have my number now.”

My heart melted. The guy was just adorable. “You owe me an explanation,” I teased.

“But not today,” he replied and walked up the stairs.

As he closed the door, our eyes met once more, then he disappeared inside and locked it. I smiled and counted my intrusion here as a complete success. I had Juri’s number, now knew where he lived, and even knew his last name.

Fuck! I’m a stalker!

Or am I into the guy?

Doesn’t matter! This is all about my film project.

It would be absurd to think he could be into me.

All I wanted now was to go home and sit behind my laptop. Sleep was out of the question. I had so many ideas in my head that I wanted to write them down. And even though I was sure Juri had much more in his arsenal, this was enough to spark and grow my back room project.

I already saw the movie in my mind’s eye.

Where on earth can I find an actor who looks like him?

12

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Luca

On Saturday, a big rock night took place at Exil. My colleague Nici was excited because there was a band on the lineup that she believed would become big. I didn’t know any of the three bands playing tonight, so I didn’t care.

I was assigned to the bar section farthest from the stage. Before the first concert, the same amount of activity was everywhere, but as soon as the opening band started playing, the rush at my station calmed down, and I had time to watch the concert a bit. But as soon as the band finished, it picked up again. Like a machine, I served drinks and collected money.

I liked Exil. It was quite different from the Wednesday shifts I worked during the Gothic Party, but there was nothing to compare it to.

The venue was full, and the atmosphere was heated. The first band had done a good job, and as the crew set up the stage for the next act, the tension continued to rise. Something was in the air, and from all sides, I kept hearing that one name: Nightrain. The band that was up next and Nici’s favorite for the evening.

I’m curious.

It was kind of impossible for me to get caught up in the hype. But that had always been the case. Whenever a group of people came together and were passionate about something, it seemed suspicious to me.

Group dynamics had always scared me. And that didn’t come from nowhere. After years of being bullied, I had reacted out of sheer powerlessness and fear on that roof back then. Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid the experience of being in pretrial detention, but I was ultimately released for a reason. I had acted in self-defense. However, the fear of people in groupshadn’t disappeared into thin air. I let out a silent sigh and pushed the unsettling memories aside. As I glanced around the room, I saw a familiar face at the other end of the bar.

Juri.

My heart skipped a beat.

What’s he doing here?

I had replied to him that same night, but since then, I hadn’t heard anything from him. The only update he gave me was that Noé needed his help. However, I was puzzled by Juri’s profile picture, which was a photo of him, but he was hardly recognizable. And above it, in easily readable white letters, were the words: “orders please.”

He was talking to two guys with their backs to the bar. One of them was holding a camera and had caught my eye earlier as he photographed the opening band during the concert. The other guy had dark curls, and the way he looked at Juri, he seemed annoyed. But Juri appeared unbothered. Judging by his smile, he was even amused by the guy.

I served a few more beers, and then the hall lights and the music went out again, and in the blue spotlight, Nightrain took the stage. My gaze kept returning to Juri, who was facing away from me. The two guys beside him appeared stressed, but when he turned to the dark-haired curly guy again, I saw that he was completely relaxed.

The band began playing, and the crowd erupted into a storm of energy and excitement in the Exil. The audience got into it from the first second, jumping to the beat of the music and getting carried away by the band. A long-haired singer emerged and greeted the crowd with a long scream.

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