Chapter 1: We were inseparable
It was the first day of summer vacation in NRW, and Düsseldorf Airport was crowded with people starting their holidays, rushing around trying to find the right departure gate. A long queue was waiting at the security, and I wondered how long it would take to get through.
“I think it’s time for you to get in line, Valerie,” my grandpa said, as if he could read my mind.
“With a queue this long, it’ll take at least twenty minutes to get through security. You might miss your flight to Dublin!”
He gave me a thoughtful look, and I nodded eagerly.
“You’re right, I really have to go now,” I replied with a sigh. “Thanks again for everything, Grandma and Grandpa. I’ll miss you.”
I hugged my grandparents at the same time. They were pretty touched and discreetly wiped a few tears from their eyes. I had spent two years in Düsseldorf studying journalism at the same university as my mother, and I was finally able to graduate here after starting my studies in Dublin. I had been living in my own apartment in the city center, but still visited my grandparents every weekend in the beautiful house in Ratingen where my mother and her twin brothers grew up.
“We’ll miss you too, sweetheart. We loved having you with us!” Grandma Katja replied in a sad voice.
“Don’t forget to say hi to everyone at home from us; Mom, Dad and Brian… Oh, right, he’s still on US tour with the band. When are they coming back?”
“I’m not sure. The kids should be back from the tour in the next few days. Okay, I really have to go now!” I exclaimed energetically, trying not to show the pain of saying good-bye.
We hugged one last time, holding each other tightly before I joined the queue. Luckily, the security check went faster than expected. Once through, I walked down the long corridors to the departure counter for my flight to Dublin. Almost all the benches were occupied, as many tourists were going on holiday to Ireland that weekend in early July. For me, it wasn’t a holiday flight, but a flight home! After two years of studying in Germany, I was returning to my Irish hometown, to my family and friends.
I already had a job lined up, too, because a few months earlier I had applied to a popular radio station in Dublin, getting the job as a presenter. It was my absolute dream job to host a music program, as I grew up surrounded by music as the daughter of the famous rock star Samuel Nelson.
Twenty minutes later, after taking my seat on the plane, I checked my phone for new messages before the flight attendant asked us to switch off all mobile devices.
“Hi Valerie, are you on the plane yet? I’m picking you up at Dublin airport, so please send me a message as soon as you’ll arrive. We’re so happy to see you! Have a good flight and see you later. Love. Ma.”
I happily read my mother’s message and replied that I would let her know as soon as I arrived in Dublin. I turned off my phone and leaned back in my seat with a sigh of relief. My heart was racing as I was so excited. I always feel that way right before takeoff, but this time I’m even more nervous as I just can’t wait to go home!
When the Lufthansa plane lifted off a little later, I cast one last glance at Düsseldorf until the houses and the colorful landscape of the Rhineland, with its big river running through it, grew smaller and smaller until they were no longer recognizable.
So Mom would be coming alone to pick me up at the airport. Anyway, I wasn’t expecting my dad to come with her... He was surely in the recording studio with Danny, Liam, Luke, and Noah. The five members of the world-famous rock band Strayheart were now in their mid-fifties and weren’t thinking about retiring anytime soon. Quite the opposite! They were working on a new album and had a European tour planned for the fall. And this despite the fact that their kids has followed in the rock stars’ footsteps and are already having great success as the “Cool Kids.”
My brother Brian, who is three years younger than me, not only has got our dad’s unique voice but also his passion for rock music. As a teenager, he started the band “Cool Kids” with Liam’s son David and his younger brother Louis. Brian, Louis, and Danny’s daughter Eliza were all born in the same year and grew up together, just like David and me. Eliza has a very beautiful voice and was brought into the band as the second singer. She and my brother are often singing together since their voices harmonize perfectly, which makes them very popular with the Cool Kids fans.
When Noah’s son Tommy joined the band as the bassist four years ago, they were finally complete and really took off. Since then, nothing has been able to stop their meteoric rise! My parents are, of course, very proud of their son, who, along with the other kids, represents the new generation of rock stars. However, I’ve never felt disadvantaged as they were just as excited about my decision to follow in my mother’s footsteps and become a journalist.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we are now approaching Dublin! Please put your tables up, straighten your seatbacks, and fasten your seatbelts. Thank you!”
The voice of the flight attendant, coming from the loudspeaker, snapped me out of my thoughts. I obediently followed her instructions and glanced curiously out the window to see if there was any sign of Ireland. But apart from the white clouds, there was nothing to see, as we were flying just above them. My heart was racing with anticipation, because I was finally about to see my parents. When would my brother and the band come back from the USA? When would I see him again? And David? My heart was aching at the thought of my best friend, my soulmate. I miss him so much it hurts…
David and I were born in the same year; he’s six months older than me. Our parents took us on tour when we were still babies, and we were playing together even before we could walk. Together we explored the world, came up with the craziest ideas, and had a lot of fun. We often drove our parents to despair by simply running off to discover something new and exciting, or getting up to all sorts of mischief. David wasn’t just my best friend, but my big brother, who always wanted to protect me.
Sometimes he was even too protective, trying to tell me what to do, which I couldn’t bare at all. Then things would get heated, but luckily we made up quickly. We were inseparable! That didn’t change when we hit puberty and grew into teenagers. We went to the same class at St. Andrews High School, continuing to do everything together. Since we hung out with the same people, we obviously went to know who David or I had our first crush on.
It was perfectly normal to pour out our hearts to each other, asking the other for advice in love matters! David and I understand each other without words and we trust each other implicitly. There’s nothing we don’t know about each other. At least, I thought...
When I moved to Düsseldorf two years ago to continue my studies, he promised me at our goodbye that he would visit me as soon as possible. I lived with my grandparents in Ratingen for the first few months until I found a lovely apartment in the center of Düsseldorf and was able to move in right away. My apartment wasn’t even far away from the university. My best friend was finishing his studies at the conservatory at the time and couldn’t wait to visit me in Düsseldorf.
I was so happy when he showed up at my door just a few days after his graduation. He wanted to stay for a few weeks, pick me up from university in the afternoon, and explore the city with me. If we were too tired in the evening to go out, strolling through the old town or along the Rhine, we preferred to stay home, cook something delicious, and then get cozy on the couch. It felt so familiar to talk to David about anything and everything, to laugh and to cuddle with him, just like when we were kids. But we weren’t kids anymore.
Although we didn’t want to admit it, suddenly the air between us was filled with tension, a subtle spark we’d never noticed before. David began to look at me in a different way, like he never did before. The gaze from his blue eyes was very intense, leaving me completely confused. Could it be that he felt more for me than friendship? I felt the same way, because my heart started racing when I was near to him, and I could barely resist his masculine aura. He’s so fucking sexy with his blue eyes, black curls, and his athletic body.
I felt irresistibly attracted to him, my desire growing stronger every day. This couldn’t be happening, after all, David has always been like a brother to me! Not only I, but he also tried desperately to avoid any physical contact to resist the temptation. We thought we had our emotions under control until that stormy night when flash lightning and thunder roaring on the outside, let our feelings explode on the inside...
