Welcome Back, Berlin
They’d only just landed in Germany and were already shuttled from the airport to the soundcheck like it was clockwork. Fans outside the venue screamed like nothing had changed — like the tour hadn’t been chaos, like hearts hadn’t almost been broken.
But Tom knew better.
He kept looking over at Isadora, like he needed to see her breathing to believe it.
She smiled every now and then. But not the whole way.
Soundcheck started chill — usual tuning, mic levels, drum triggers. The techs were used to the crew by now. Tom stood on stage with Bill, checking his in-ear monitors.
Isadora was at the other end with Nina, running harmonies.
That’s when it happened.
> “Tom, sing the bridge real quick?” Georg asked, distractedly.
He strummed, stepped up to the mic, and — without thinking — sang the line different than they rehearsed:
> “You’re the melody under my hoodie, the girl in my dreams every night...”
Silence.
Bill stared.
Georg blinked.
Someone’s water bottle hit the floor.
Isadora turned sharply, meeting Tom’s eyes. He knew what he did. She knew what he meant.
> “Tom,” the manager hissed from offstage, “Can we talk?”
Backstage, both bands were pulled aside into the green room.
> “You’re kids,” Isadora’s manager said, folding her arms. “But this is not a high school hallway. This is the music industry.”
> “You want to stay together?” Tom’s manager added. “Fine. But this can’t happen again. No lyrics. No clues. No flirting during interviews. Stay private or we pull you from the same tours.”
It was like a punch to the stomach.
> “We get it,” Tom said flatly.
Isadora nodded, arms crossed.
The room went silent.
---
Later that night, they met up in the empty hallway behind catering. No one else around. Just dull vending machine light and static silence.
Tom reached into his pocket, pulled out a folded piece of notebook paper.
> “Meet me in the music, even when I can’t say your name.”
She looked up, eyes glassy.
> “Promise?”
“Always.”
He kissed her on the forehead and left before they got caught.
YOU ARE READING
"Strings Between Us
Romance2004. Germany. Tom Kaulitz is used to getting what he wants - the stage, the crowd, the girls. As Tokio Hotel begins to rise, so does his ego... until she shows up. She's the Brazilian guitarist in a rival band - quiet, sharp-tongued, and completely...
