doncaster city lights | YUNGBLUD

twenty-one

"One minute guys. Get your instruments ready because you have to go on stage any second."

Julia nervously held her guitar tighter and looked past the curtains for the fourth time. She scanned her eyes through the crowd trying to find someone with a pink strand of hair that could be Dom, but so far she hadn't seen anyone.

It has given her multiple doubts already. She had never called nor facetimed with him. She didn't even know whether he was real.

But he sounded like he was, though.

"Julia come here."

Someone pulled her away from the curtains, causing her to stumble over her feet.

"People will see you like that. Just wait until the curtains open."

She nodded while looking at her friend Max one more time. He was the piano player during the performance. Normally he was a drummer as well, but as Julia did an acoustic version of the song, he wasn't needed for that.

"Twenty seconds."

Nerves built up in Julia's stomach and she closed her eyes shortly to calm herself down. She let out a shaky breath as she opened them again, and nodded to encourage herself.

The presenter said a last sentence and she heard how he called her name as he pointed at her, which was the moment for them to come on stage.

Julia breathed in and out one more time before she, Max and two other people involved with the performance entered the stage. The audience started clapping and once they got ready, there was complete silence until Max started the song.

Again Julia scanned her eyes through the crowd, still not seeing Dom anywhere. She had to admit she was pretty disappointed, but that wasn't something she could think of right now.

Julia started off the first verse a little insecure, but once the chorus started, she gave everything she had. She had practiced for this for so long, she had to show what she got now.

The second verse started and she closed her eyes to feel it better. She smiled when she heard a few people cheer when she did a short high note, and then she got to the chorus for the second time.

She opened her eyes again to make eye contact with the audience, and the first thing she saw was Dom walking to an empty chair and making eye contact with Julia shortly before sitting down.

The feeling she felt before she went on stage, the butterflies, all came back for a split second and she started smiling even wider than she did before. She closed her eyes again for a high note, smiling widely, but when she looked into the crowd again she kept eye contact with Dom.

He smiled brightly at her, running his hand through his always messy hair before mouthing "sorry I'm late".

Julia was surprised she caught that and she playfully rolled her eyes before looking into the crowd again so she wouldn't start laughing.

She finished off the bridge perfectly and luckily sang the last chorus with no mistakes, and Julia watched the audience getting up from their chairs to clap and cheer.

Julia put the microphone on the mic stand and motioned Max and the two other girls over to bow. After getting up Julia looked at Dom again, who was clapping along and mouthing something else she couldn't quite catch this time. Still Julia smiled fondly before turning around and walking off stage.

-

"Julia honey that was amazing."

Her mother hugged her tightly so Julia's face was all pressed against her shoulder.