The next morning, Ann wasn't woken up by the intrusive sound of her alarm clock, but by a strange feeling of lightness. Although she had slept only briefly, she had more energy than after a week's vacation. When she reached for her phone to check the time, her notification screen was literally on fire. Dozens of messages from friends who had seen her on TV were mixed in with notifications from social media.
However, one email that arrived just after midnight made her almost drop her coffee cup. The subject line read: "Official confirmation of winning - LIVE contest."
With trembling fingers, she opened the message from the event organizer. It turned out that her on-air conversation was not just a nice gesture from the singer. The system had just randomly selected her number as the winner of the evening's grand prize. In addition to a dedicated song, she won a VIP invitation to an individual meeting with the band. A huge smile appeared on her face and her heart leapt with joy. Thanks to what she had read, nothing seemed the same anymore. Even work day seemed different. Her boss, who was usually grumpy, was unable to spoil her mood this time. She filled out even the most boring Excel spreadsheets with a smile, humming the chorus of the ballad she had heard on the phone yesterday. She knew that in a few days it would no longer be just a voice on the phone, but would come face to face with the people whose music had accompanied her through the most difficult moments. She spent the whole day planning what she would ask them and what she would wear. What seemed to be the end of an exhausting day yesterday, turned out to be the beginning of the most beautiful adventure of her life.
Over few days before meeting with the band, Anne's bedroom turned into a real command center. Every free moment after work was devoted to perfecting the details, because such an event happens once in a lifetime. She browsed makeup tutorials on YouTube to find the golden mean between stage glamour and naturalness that would allow her to feel comfortable.
The biggest challenge however, turned out to be her wardrobe. And on the day of the meeting, emotions reached their peak.
- I still maintain that I have nothing to wear. - Anne sighed heavily, throwing another blouse on the bed, right next to Zoe - her best friend, who came to her rescue.
- Don't you think you're exaggerating a little? - laughed the red-headed girl, looking at the pile of clothes lying next to her.
- No, no, no! - Anne got angry, throwing more clothes in front of her friend. - Don't you understand? I have to look perfect. - she sighed and fell helplessly onto the bed.
- You know what, you're acting like this is the date of your life. I think you're worrying too much about it. - Zoe tried to calm her down.
Anne lifted her head and smiled.
- You're right. I'm sorry. - she brushed aside the unruly hair that had just fallen over her face.
- Okay, listen. I have a plan. - said Zoe, helping her friend out of bed. - right now you will going to take a bath, you gonna wash your hair and make yourself like a goddess, and I will try to figure something out here, okay?
Anne breathed deeply and smiled, eagerly agreeing to her offer. She needed to calm down a bit. She was nervous about this meeting from the beginning, but the closer it got to the set time, the worse it was, and if it weren't for Zoe, she would have gone completely crazy.
Almost immediately the woman followed her friend's advice and disappeared behind the bathroom door. After a long bath in lavender oil, she emerged from the bathtub, wrapped herself in a large bath towel and stood in front of the mirror. She dried her hair and began styling it, but the malicious strands refused to obey. Finally, she decided to keep her hair down. She only applied a little conditioner to them and sprayed them with a hairspray a few times to prevent them from blowing away and getting tangled in the event of a stronger wind. Then, she reached for the beautician and started putting on make-up. A few gentle strokes of blush, a touch of mascara to highlight her exceptionally long lashes, and finally lipstick and lip gloss to highlight her scarlet color. Finally, pleased with the final result, she threw on her favorite blue robe and returned to the room.
There was no trace of the clothes that had been scattered anywhere, and her friend was sitting cross-legged on the bed. As soon as Anne walked in the door Zoe smiled, stood up and walked closer.
- Feeling better? - she asked with concern.
- Yes. Thank you, that was a really great idea. - Anne hugged her.
- That's great. And now... - Zoe turned around, went to the bed and reached for the gift bag lying on it. Then, she handed it to her friend.
- I have something for you here.
- What is it?
- Just check. I hope you like it.
Anne reached into the bag as quickly as possible and pulled out the carefully folded fabric, and when she unfolded it, the cutest dress she had ever seen appeared to her eyes.
- Wow! - she exclaimed in delight. - It's gorgeous. Thank you so much. - smiling broadly, she hugged her friend. - You're the best.
- Okay, okay. - Zoe waved her hand, smiling. - Don't talk, just try it on.
At these words, Anne immediately slipped on the dress and stood in front of the large mirror built into the white, two-door wardrobe. She was delighted. The delicate, cream dress with narrow straps fit so perfectly, as if it had been made especially for her. The cut highlighted all her assets, and the color accentuated her summer tan.
- I knew it would suit you. - Zoe said, pleased with her choice. - And I have one more thing. - she added, reaching into her purse. After a moment, she handed her friend a pair of white, strappy stiletto sandals. But before Anne could reach for them, Zoe stepped back for a moment.
- They must be returned to me in one piece tomorrow. - she playfully threatened and her friend immediately folded her hand across her chest and held up two fingers.
- I promise they'll come back to you in perfect condition. A scout's word. - said Anne and they both laughed.
Soon after, she was ready to go. Of course before leaving home her emotions reached their zenith. As she packed her bag, she checked ten times to make sure she had everything she needed, and when she finally came to the conclusion that it was so, she turned to Zoe.
- Thank you again. I don't know what would I do without you.
- You would probably be wondering what to wear for another week. - replied her friend with a smile. Then she handed her a small note with the address of the hotel where the meeting was to take place, wished her a good day and escorted her to the taxi.
During the entire, somewhat lengthy drive into town, Anne wondered what the entire meeting would be like. Were the brothers really like the ones she knew from television and the internet, or was this just a facade that artists often put on, just to attract fans? For a moment, she even questioned whether she'd made the right decision, but before she could answer any of those questions, the car she was riding in stopped. Anne paid the driver and got out, slamming the door behind her.
Her heart was pounding so hard it almost drowned out the roar of the departing taxi. She stood in front of one of the most expensive and luxurious hotels in the entire city. The building was so tall it seemed to reach the sky. The metal and glass gleamed in the summer sun. The hotel's name shimmered in gold on a broad, ruby-red awning hanging above the entrance. Anne stood on the sidewalk for a long moment, as if she was hypnotized, completely oblivious to the complaints of people passing by. She felt her confidence evaporate with every breath. For years, she had imagined this moment - meeting the people whose posters adorned her walls, whose music healed her broken heart. Now, with only a few meters of marble floor separating her, all she dreamed of was escape.