GOLDWING (ing version)

chapter 26

Rome, Italy --> London, United Kingdom. - 25 August.

VICTORIA'S POV

I was more nervous than I have ever been for a trip. The atmosphere of the airport brought back exceptional memories for me, and so did its shops. I remember I was wearing new clothes, after having taken everything I could from a second-hand clothes shop in the suburbs. I don't know if it was because of the excitement, but I had gone from 40 kilos to 45 kilos in just three weeks. Which was good, very good. Now Dami was always after me, watching everything I did, everywhere I went. Between him and the security guards at the shows, I don't know who is more protective.

Two hours inside that plain passed like two minutes. Before I noticed it, I was already on British soil, looking at the landscape through the dark window of the van. The shock was huge. Dozens of fans were waiting for us, everywhere. Everyone was so sweet and affectionate to me and gave me lots of flowers. Those used to be my favorite moments of fame. On the same day, we had our first impression of the Royal Albert. I don't know how to describe that feeling right.

The colors of the space were predominantly burgundy and gold, with unique architectural elements. The stage was round, as was the entire structure. It had approximately the capacity to accommodate over 5000 people, although it was designed for double that. 5000 people, in an enclosed space, my god. We had rehearsals every day, at 8 am, before the space was available to the public.

On the first day, Alice, who went with us to London to visit her family, took us on a road trip to Liverpool, her hometown. We went through Manchester, and on to Windsor, Cambridge and Oxford. It was a real adventure to get to know so many new places in what was the city that the band draws the most inspiration from. In 2020, we were "stuck" in London. In those months, we went to many concerts, where we explored all kinds of music and its variants. For us, it is and always will be a very special city.

We arrived at the hotel, tired of everything. Our first impression of it was that it was a normal hotel, but when we entered, I changed my mind completely. The rooms were big, well decorated, and had very good beds. Mine was shared with Dam, because of the whole "supervisor" policy. Even so, there were still 2 walls separating us, which respected the privacy of both of us. At other times, we could even sleep in the same bed, but after everything that happened, it becomes very strange.

I sat on the comfortable bed in the bedroom, looking at the ceiling. Every time I look at some ceiling, I remember the song Canyon Moon by Harry Styles that says "staring at the ceiling, 2 weeks and I'll be home". I thought about that verse a lot when I was in the hospital, and it was with inspiration from it that I wrote Home, in the clinic. Since that early morning, neither Dam nor I have talked about our project, the song, If You Were Sober. I thought maybe he'd given up on the idea, but I didn't want to give up.

"Damia, where are you?", I asked.

"Here," he answered.

I opened the door that led to his room, and looked around for him, noticing that his voice was coming from the bathroom.

"Is it something urgent? Then you can leave," he said. "Do you know what's called privacy?"

"Come on, Dam. You don't have anything I haven't seen before," I replied. "Can I talk?"

"Yes."

"Remember the song If You Were Sober?"

"Yup, why?", he affirm, while putting shampoo on his hair.

"I think I'm ready to start working on that project now."

"Are you sure, Vic?, he protested, with a surprised face.