The tour had a few days off, and the resort they were staying at was private, calm, and totally surrounded by trees and fresh air. No paparazzi. No flashing lights. Just them.
Tom and Isadora were curled up on the couch in one of the private suites, an old camcorder in Tom’s lap and a laptop open in front of them. Bill was stretched out on the floor nearby, scrolling through old files on a USB drive labeled “Tokio Baby Era 🎸.”
> “Dude,” Bill snorted, “look at our hair back in 2003. What were we doing?”
> “Looking iconic,” Tom shrugged, pulling Isadora closer.
Isadora laughed, taking the laptop and clicking open a grainy clip of Phantom Youth’s first-ever gig — a backyard show in someone’s garage with like ten people clapping.
> “Oh my god. I used to be so off-key,” she groaned.
> “Still cute though,” Tom said with a grin. “Even back then I would’ve had a crush.”
They all laughed and kept watching the memories — chaotic, emotional, honest. No glam. Just dreams stitched together with static and sweat.
---
They found an old, half-broken VHS tape labeled “First Tour Rehearsals.”
> “Play it,” Isadora said, eyes wide.
They all gathered around the small TV setup in the suite and hit play.
It flickered to life — footage of Phantom Youth and Tokio Hotel goofing around during early rehearsals. Nina chasing Bill around with a mic. Isadora falling off a stool and laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe. Tom looking dead into the camera and saying, “One day we’re gonna be legends, trust me.”
He glanced over at her now, embarrassed but smiling.
> “I wasn’t wrong.”
> “No,” she said softly. “You weren’t.”
---
As night fell, Bill wandered off to FaceTime someone, and Tom and Isadora were left alone on the balcony with a blanket wrapped around them.
> “We’ve come so far,” Isadora whispered.
> “Yeah,” Tom murmured, tracing his fingers over the fading ink of her tattoo. “And I’m not going anywhere.”
She rested her head on his shoulder, the stars glowing above them like stage lights frozen in time.
> “Let’s never forget this version of us,” she said.
> “I won’t,” he promised. “Even if we’re playing stadiums in Tokyo or doing acoustic sets in Berlin... this right here? This is my favorite part.”
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...
