You Were Meant for Me

*Wynter’s POV*

I hardly slept that night as my mind kept racing, thinking about tomorrow. Before I knew it, the sun was rising and peeking through the curtains in my room. I let out a sigh and got up. I was going to have to drink tons of coffee to get me through the day. My body was absolutely going to hate me by the end of the night.

I dragged myself to the kitchen and much to my surprise pappa was already awake. He sat at the table, holding a coffee mug in his hands with the daily paper spread out in front of him. His head shot up as he heard me walk in, then gave me a smile with a good morning. I got my own cup of coffee and joined him at the table. The silence was awkward, but it was nice at the same time. Neither of us said a word at all until my mother and father made their way into the kitchen.

“Shall I make breakfast?” Pappa asked, rising from his seat at the table.

I checked the time and decided to take a shower while he was making breakfast. I had so many things I had to do this morning and so little time to do it all. Lauri told me he wasn’t able to give me a ride, so I was going to have to take a taxi there. Ville had given me very specific directions to follow once I had gotten to the festival.

After my quick shower, I stood in my room, wrapped in a towel as I tried to decide what to wear. I wanted something cute, but also comfortable. There was no way I was going to be one of those girls that wears a dress and heels to a music festival. The thought alone made my feet hurt! I rummaged through my bags a total of three times before I finally had the perfect outfit laid out on the bed. I quickly tossed a pair of pajamas on and left for the kitchen as my stomach started to growl.

Pappa went all out with breakfast. There were plates of pancakes, bacon, sausage, sliced oranges, and eggs, with three different bottles of juice lined up beside the food. I hugged him and said thank you then loaded my plate down. Mom filled my coffee mug for me and I gave her a gracious smile.

“So, Wynny, mom tells me that your cousin invited you to a music festival today?” Dad asked, taking a cup of juice from the counter. “That sounds amazingly fun. Take lots of pictures and videos of the bands. I’d love to see The Rasmus in action. Promise me you’ll be careful! If you have any problems, let Lauri know. Better yet, call me and I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Dad,” I groaned, taking a bite of bacon. “You know I’m more than able of taking care of myself. Plus I’ll have the guys too. I’ll be fine, I promise!”

“I know, I just love you, kid. I worry about you at home, I’m going to worry about you in a different country. It’s a given. You’re my tytär, my daughter, my sunshine princess. I want you to be safe. Now, you need to go get ready or we won’t be able to take you on our way to visit Niko.”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I would much rather him take me than having to get a taxi. I put my dirty dishes in the dishwasher and hurried to my room. I stared at my reflection in the mirror as I tried to decide what to do with my hair. I finally settled on leaving it down and started on my makeup. I tried to hurry as best as I could without making myself look like a clown. For once I actually got my eyeliner perfect on both eyes, a sign it was going to be a good day.

As we walked out of the house, I spotted a black hat hanging on a hook by the door and let out a little gasp. I sat it on top of my head and smiled at myself in the mirror. It was perfect. I held my backpack and slid into the backseat. Before we left, dad turned around and handed me an envelope. He said Lauri had dropped it off early this morning and that I would need it for the festival. I opened the envelope and a V.I.P. backstage laminate, an admission ticket, and a folded up note fell into my lap.

For you, my darling girl XO-Ville

I folded the note up and put it along with the ticket safely in my bag, then put the backstage pass around my neck. I had no clue how far we had to go, but I figured it was going to be a while. I glanced down and studied the pass around my neck. In big red writing were the words Syksyn Rock-Festivaali, Autumn Rock Festival. Underneath that were the names of all the bands performing that day. Even though I recognized only two names, The Rasmus and The 69 Eyes, I was still stoked to see them all.

Within twenty minutes, we had reached our destination. My heart started racing as I saw a line of people outside of the festival grounds. I gave my parents a quick goodbye and got out of the car. I could hear the roar of the crowd and live music meaning the festival was already starting. As I got closer to the gates, I remembered what Ville had told me to avoid the growing line. I had to find gate 3B. I glanced up and saw I was standing near 2A, and realized I had no idea how to find 3B. I was pulled from my thoughts as a guy in a black security shirt walked past. He would know where to go!

“Hei! Voitko auttaa minua? Minun täytyy löytää 3B.” I yelled after him, saying can you help me? I need to find 3B.

“Kyllä, tällä tavalla.” He smiled saying yes, this way.

He walked faster than my legs could go and I did my best to keep up. The gate I needed wasn’t too far, but I wouldn’t have been able to find it on my own. Especially with the crowd getting bigger. There weren’t many people at gate 3B, just a few fans and a big bearded man with a clipboard and a slight grimace on his face. I let out a sigh and approached him.

“Hei, minun pitäisi olla luettelossa. Nimeni on Wynter Nikula.” I told him that I should be on the list and gave him my name.

He checked the clipboard for a second then asked for my ticket. I nodded and pulled the ticket out of my bag and handed it to him. He scanned the barcode then let me through the gate with no hassle or issue. I took a look around, trying to figure out where I was. I saw a bunch of security guards standing around, as well as shirtless guys running around with equipment, and guys dressed in all black holding bottles of alcohol. Gate 3B had literally put me backstage. Now to find Ville or Lauri in all this.

I made my way up some stairs and followed the platform towards the backstage bar. As I walked towards a group of guys, one of them let out a whistle causing me to turn red in embarrassment. I didn’t say anything as I passed by them, making one of them yell out for me. I didn’t look back and kept walking, trying to find a familiar face. I pulled my phone out to call Ville as I realized one of them was following me. When he didn’t answer, I tried Lauri. He didn’t answer either.

“Hei! Hei, haluan vain puhua!” He yelled, not far behind me.

He said he just wanted to talk, but I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to find Ville. He would make this guy leave me alone. I found myself in an empty room with a few couches and tables, and no Ville or Lauri. I turned to leave, but the strange guy was standing in the doorway blocking my path. This was not happening right now. My heart was racing, almost pounding out of my chest. I backed away, trying to stay a good distance from him, but that only made him walk farther into the room and even closer to me. I could smell the alcohol on him from across the room. He grinned at me, and I felt sick to my stomach. I had to get out of this room.

“Wynter, darling, is that you? Where’d you go?” Ville called from outside the room.

“Ville, help!” Was all I could manage to get out.

He poked his head inside the doorway and the smile quickly faded into a frown. His eyes landed on the guy and darted back in forth between the two of us as he realized what was going on. Before I could even blink, Ville was in the room and had shoved the guy into a table. Ville’s face was full of rage and anger as he grabbed me by the arm, causing me to jump a little. His face immediately softened as he led me out of the room, telling a security guard to escort the man out.

Once the room and the guy were out of sight, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into his body. I felt a few tears leave my eyes as I felt safe with him, like nothing bad would happen as long as he was around. I cleared my throat and wiped underneath my eyes as he pulled away. He laced our hands and walked me to a different part of the stage where Lauri, Eero, Aki, and Pauli stood with a bunch of guys. Lauri’s face lit up as he saw us. I gave him a tight hug before Ville pulled him aside, no doubt telling him what just happened.

The Rasmus all gave me hugs, and the guys I didn’t know just stared at me, like usual. I heard Lauri scream out, asking where the fucker was, and Ville tried to calm him down without drawing any more attention to themselves. I bit my lip and turned away, feeling ashamed. I felt like I was causing problems for everyone. Lauri walked past me and told the rest of the guys what happened. I heard one of the guys let out a frustrated yell followed by the smashing of a beer bottle. If I didn’t stop this now, they would end up hurting someone. Probably themselves.

“Hey, let it go, okay? He didn’t actually do anything, thankfully. Ville pulled a Batman and saved the day before anything could happen. Don’t be stupid! The last thing I need is to explain to our family why you’re in jail. I doubt we’ll be seeing him again anyway. Now, today is a big day, so let’s fucking enjoy it and celebrate!”

Multiple people let out a hearty whoop before chugging down their beers. I took a seat at a table beside Ville and listened to the band that was playing on stage. I could hear the crowd singing along with the beginning of the last song. It was different being behind the scene than being out in the sea of fans. Lauri came by and asked if I wanted a drink before they went on stage next. I shook my head no. Getting drunk was not a part of my agenda today, and maybe for a good reason too.

I caught Ville’s gaze as we were left alone. The corner of his mouth tugged up, giving me a little smile. He looked slightly different today, different in a good way. I couldn’t quite place my finger on the difference. He was still my Ville though. His piercing green eyes kept their focus on my brown ones and I didn’t want to look away. He traced part of my tattoo with his thumb, then brought my hand to his lips and gave it a little peck.

My heart raced as he patted his knee, telling me to come to him. I couldn’t resist. As I stood, I noticed a group of three or four girls standing by the entrance to the stage, wearing dresses so tight they were practically glued to their skin and heels so tall they could barely walk. One of them glanced in my direction and said something to the group, who all then took one look at me and started giggling.

My smile turned into a frown as I sat on Ville’s lap. He noticed and followed my gaze, then let out a little sigh. He wrapped his long arms around my waist and gave me a gentle squeeze. My anxieties were already starting to melt away. He made me feel good about myself without even trying.

“Don’t worry about them, darling girl.” He whispered, kissing my shoulder. “They are jealous of your beauty. You don’t need revealing clothes to prove anything. That alone makes you the most beautiful girl here. If you weren’t already the most beautiful girl here, to begin with.”

I turned to face him with a big grin on my face, causing him to smile just as big. My eyes fell to his lips and all I wanted to do in that moment was kiss him. He realized what I was thinking and bit his lip before leaning towards me. Just as our lips were about to touch, Lauri came running to the table.

“It’s showtime! Come!”