07-10-2025, 12:52 PM
“Morning, Alec. Did you do your homework?” Liz asked, grinning cheekily at me. ‘Don't chat, just give it to me. She'll be here in a minute and I still need a few points,’ I hissed back.
“All right, here you go. Don't stress, it's just a few lines, that's all. And she's smoking a cigarette downstairs with Martin. So you have plenty of time.”
“Thanks. I'm sorry if I used the wrong tone. I'm just a bit stressed,” I tried to apologize to her. But Liz wasn't even listening anymore and was chatting with others from the course.
Liz and I are in the same degree program and best friends. We are always there for each other, no matter what. And that's even though we've only known each other a year.
“Right, let's get started. I suggest we cover chromosomes again today, because some of you had questions about them. And that's an important topic in biology...” our tutor started to explain, but I didn't listen. Genetics wasn't exactly my favorite subject. But I had to go through with it if I wanted to study biology to the end. “Liz, you know that guy on TV that I thought was so cute. I got his address. Would you like to come with me sometime? Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll be on the street or something,” I turned to Liz to distract myself a little from my boredom. ”What, you have his address? How? I don't know. Do you think that's such a good idea? He's sure to be smart and will realize what's what straight away.”
“Oh nonsense. Other people meet stars by chance on the street.” I tried to convince her. ‘Well, I don't know. I'd be...’ ”So I see you want to explain that to us, Liz. Well, come on then. You can bring Alec with you, to correct you if you get it wrong,' our 'nice' tutor suddenly interrupted us. 'Great, just because you're always coming up with crazy ideas,' Liz spat, standing up.
The day went by pretty quickly. After we finished, I ran to the subway to get home quickly. My sweet Flo was supposed to be on TV again today. Unfortunately, I had to stay at university a little longer than usual, so I had to hurry today.
Flo, whose real name is Florian, has the leading role in a very successful series. And I try to watch it as often as possible. So far, I have hardly ever missed an episode. My biggest wish is to meet him in person one day. Unfortunately, it doesn't look particularly good for me there. He is very successful and rarely has time because he is always busy. That's why the chance of meeting him in town is very slim, even though we live in the same city.
I'm not in love with him, but he is damn good-looking. And it can't hurt to get to know him.
As soon as I arrive home, I turn on the TV. Fortunately, I'm home a little earlier than I thought. So at least I can quickly grab something to eat on the way up. As soon as I arrive upstairs, it beeps out of the speakers on my laptop. My God, who is bothering me again? Everyone knows that I can't be reached at this time, I think, and get a little annoyed and irritated as I turn on my computer. It's Steffi, who else could it be? She'll never learn that I'm not on the computer at this time of day. So I quickly write back to her that I won't be in the chat for a while.
My favorite TV series is finally starting. And five minutes after it begins, he is already on screen. Immediately, I start raving. I no longer know what it's about, because I only see him. Although I'm actually in love with a fellow student, I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I see Flo on the screen. And so it goes every evening...
Two weeks later:
“Hey Tim, I hope you have a good vacation. If you have time and feel like it, we can go for a drink sometime,” I called to my crush before he was at the door. ‘Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'll get back to you.’ And just like that, he was gone.
“Hey Alec, did you notice that he was watching you the whole time again?” Liz suddenly asked me. ”Nah, not really. Well, but his answer wasn't exactly promising, was it? I don't know what to do, Liz. If only I knew whether he's gay or not. It's driving me crazy.”
“Well, Alec, there's only one thing for it: ask him yourself,” Liz said in a rather serious tone.
“Are you crazy? He'll know immediately what phase it is. What if I just imagined everything? Then I'll look like a fool. Well, let's see what else comes up.
But let's talk about something else.”
And so Liz told me that she was going on vacation with her boyfriend for two to three weeks. After all, we now have almost two months of semester break. Of course I thought that was a shame because I thought I could go out on the town with her. Well, but there was probably nothing I could do about it. Personally, I could have gone to my parents, but that would have been too stressful for me in the long run. My parents had both taken early retirement and eventually started to get on my nerves with their nagging. So I decided to stay in town.
The first three weeks weren't particularly spectacular. I met up with a few friends now and then and watched a lot of TV, mainly because of Flo. I didn't even meet up with Tim once in all that time. And at some point I started to forget him. Instead, I thought about Flo more and more often. Somehow I still wasn't in love with him, but I thought about him all the time anyway. One night, I was chatting again when my cell phone rang and it was Liz. She told me she was back in town and wanted to meet up with me. So we arranged to meet the next evening.
So we met at our favorite bar the next evening. She told me in detail about her vacation and how great it was, but somehow I wasn't quite with it. I kept thinking about Flo. And every time someone walked by the window with a hairstyle similar to his, my heart started beating faster. At some point she noticed that I was somewhere else. “Hey, say, what's actually going on with you? You've been acting weird the whole time. Are you even listening to me anymore? Alec, I'm talking to you,” she said, poking me in the side. Only then did I realize that she wanted something. ‘What's going on??? Did something happen that I don't know about?’ And so I started to explain everything to her.
“Well, somehow I haven't thought about Tim much in the last three weeks. We wrote to each other briefly from time to time, but I wasn't excited at all when he wrote. You know how it used to be when I got a message from him. I almost went crazy. But now it's over. I don't think about him at all anymore. But I think about Flo all the time. I'm not in love with him, don't worry, but I can't stop thinking about him. And I've decided that I'm going to go to where he lives, whether you come with me or not. I just have to give it a try.«
“Alec, what do you expect to achieve by this? You said yourself that he's into women. And besides, he's only on the road anyway. The chances of meeting him are pretty slim. Or do you want to ring his doorbell? I think it's a really stupid idea,” Liz tried to dissuade me from my idea.
“I don't care what the chances are. Whether I sit around at home or see something of the city doesn't matter. At least I'll get some fresh air. Now let's change the subject. You know I'll do it anyway and won't let you stop me,” I spat at her, whereupon we really changed the subject.
The next morning, the weather was beautiful outside and almost twenty degrees. So it was a perfect day to stop by my sweet Flo's place. I jumped in the shower, got ready, packed some provisions and a city map, and went to the S-Bahn. Now it could finally start. In my mind, I already imagined how the meeting might go. What should I say to him? How would he react to me? Would he be annoyed that yet another fan of his was showing up in front of his apartment?
At some point, I arrived at the right station to change to another S-Bahn. There, things went on immediately. I was only thinking about Flo. It didn't occur to me that I probably wouldn't meet him. So I continued on, feeling cheerful. When I arrived at the end of the line, I first had to look at the map to see how to proceed. Unfortunately, there was neither a tram nor a subway or suburban train station near Flo's house. So the only option left was the bus, because I didn't want to walk. That would have been over seven kilometers, which would have been a bit too much.
So I started to check all the bus stops to see if there was a bus that stopped near his house. And as it usually is, it was the last bus that I looked at on the timetable. Great, and it left three minutes ago. So I had to wait for the next one, which wasn't due for another half an hour. That got off to a good start.
After half an hour, my bus finally arrived and I was able to continue. After about half an hour, the bus finally arrived at the right stop. I got out and took my map to check again exactly which way I had to go. Slowly but surely, my heart and pulse rate increased and I clearly felt my excitement rising.
After a ten-minute walk, I arrived at the house where he lived. It looked a bit older, from the 1960s. Just a typical apartment building. Opposite the house, there was a bench by a wall, where I sat down. To make it less conspicuous, I rummaged through my bag for a book and pretended to read it with interest, although I was actually just watching the street and the entrance to the building. But then I started to think that it would look pretty stupid if he suddenly came and I got up and went to meet him. But what else could I do? If I kept walking up and down the street, it would attract just as much attention. So I decided to stay here.
Slowly but surely it began to get dark. I had been sitting on the bench for almost six hours. I was really getting frustrated. So I packed up my things and went back to the bus stop. But after only a few meters, I heard someone groaning and calling out. It sounded like someone was trying to scream for help. I looked around and listened more closely. It came from the property behind the wall. I was sure of that. Unfortunately, it was too high. I couldn't climb up. So I looked for a passage. I found one after a few meters. I looked around the corner to see what was going on. And what I saw shocked me. Three skinheads were beating and kicking a defenseless boy who was lying on the ground and could hardly move because of the pain. Fortunately, I hadn't taken part in my karate class too long, so I stormed at the three of them while throwing my bag on the ground. The three of them turned to me in shock, because I was screaming at them to leave the boy alone. After they had composed themselves, they positioned themselves so that they could attack me. Fortunately, though, I was faster. I kicked the first one right in the face, so that he was hurled backwards. The second one got a powerful kick in the stomach and also flew backwards. Unfortunately, I was too slow to avoid the third one. So I got his fist right on my lower lip. However, he slipped and so he did not hit me with all his might. Nevertheless, my lip started bleeding immediately. After I had caught myself, he immediately got a kick between his legs, causing him to start screaming. Then I reached into my pocket to get my pepper spray, which I always carry with me. One by one, all three got back up and were about to attack me again. Fortunately, my pepper spray canister has a lot of pressure and thus has a long range. Since all three were standing next to each other, it was easy to spray the spray in all three of their faces. Immediately, they started screaming and slowly began to retreat.
After I made sure that all three had disappeared, I went to the boy lying on the floor. I asked him how he was doing and wanted to turn him over when he slapped my hand away and said, “I'm fine. Leave me alone, please. Thanks for your help, but I can handle it on my own.” But I didn't believe him. Although he resisted, I managed to take his hood off his head and I almost had a stroke. “F F Flo???”, I stammered. I couldn't believe it. The boy who had been beaten up was Flo. I just didn't believe it. After I had gathered myself, I bent down to him and immediately took my handkerchiefs out of my jacket. Then I started to clean the blood off his face. He looked pretty bad. There were bruises all over his face and his lips were split in several places. After I had cleaned him up a bit, I asked him if he could get up. He didn't say anything the whole time. You could tell that he was embarrassed that someone he didn't know was helping him, but who knew him. “Yes, I said I'm fine. I'm not a little kid anymore. You can go now. I'll be fine. Like I said, thanks for your help, but you really can go. Oh, and it would be nice if you didn't tell anyone about this,” he said, quite annoyed. ‘Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but at least let me help you,’ I tried to reason again. This was not how I had imagined our meeting.
“No, damn it, I'll be fine. Now go,” he snarled. I thought to myself that it would probably be better. I'd better try again later. I didn't want to antagonize him before I even got a chance to meet him.
But as soon as I had walked five meters, I heard him scream loudly, “Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh And my shin hurts like hell, too.” ‘Okay, Flo, I'll take you on my back and bring you home. Are your parents there already?’ I asked, while I loaded him onto my back. ‘No, they're both on a four-week cruise.’ ”Okay, can you get your key for the door? And can you unlock it if you're on my back? Because I don't think standing it's not a good idea, “I asked him. It struck me how gentle his hands were, which he had wrapped around my neck. Suddenly I realized that he pressed his body like a little child who is afraid, to my back. ‘I'll manage,’ he stammered and then put his head on my neck.
After three minutes we were already in front of the building entrance. I turned a little to the side and he unlocked the door without much effort. “Ok, which floor do we have to go to?” I asked him while I was already climbing the first steps. “Fifth,” he said without raising his head. After another ten minutes we were standing in front of the apartment and he also unlocked this door without any major problems.
After I had looked around briefly, I spotted a sofa on which I carefully set Flo down. Then, without him resisting, I lifted his leg and freed it from his shoe. Then I carefully took off his sock and felt his foot. “Well, nothing's broken, but you shouldn't move your foot today or tomorrow. Do you have any ice anywhere? You should definitely cool it. Then the swelling will go down faster,” I said, looking him deep in the eyes. And that's when I noticed that he had tears in his eyes. He said, ‘There are ice cubes in the freezer in the kitchen.’ But I wasn't interested in that at all right now. I stood up and then squatted down next to him so that our faces were at the same level. Then I took his hand and began to stroke the back of his hand, which he allowed me to do. As I did so, I looked deep into his eyes and said, “Hey Flo, it's over. We're going to be okay, all right? They're not going to hurt you anymore. But if you want to cry, you can do that.” And with that, I suddenly hugged him. I didn't know what had suddenly come over me, but to my surprise he let go of my hand and put his arms around my neck and then began to sob. He kept asking, “Why me?” But unfortunately I couldn't answer that question myself. I had already thought about why. But I couldn't find an answer.
At some point, after he stopped crying and I had cooled his leg, he fell asleep. I carefully wiped the last remnants of blood from his face with a damp cloth and sat down in the armchair opposite him. I watched him for quite a while, lying there looking so peaceful. But eventually my eyes closed too and I fell asleep.
With a loud “Damn!” I was rudely awakened the next morning. I opened my eyes and saw Flo trying to get back on his sofa on all fours. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. “Say, what are you doing on the floor? Can I help you? You don't have to sleep on the floor,« I said with a cheeky grin, but as soon as I said it, I was sorry again. But against all expectations, he turned to me and said: »Ohhhh sorry, I didn't want to wake you. Oh, I was just in the bathroom and when I came back, I slipped on the blanket. That's why I'm lying down here.” ‘Does that mean you can step on the floor again with your foot?’ I asked him, a little surprised at how quickly he had recovered. ‘Yes, I can, can't I?’ he said, standing up straight. Then he walked a few meters to show me that everything was really all right. Well, at least one problem less, I thought. But his lip didn't look much better than it did yesterday. But I thought that it would get better over time. I was more concerned about his work. After all, he couldn't go in front of the camera like that, but before I could think about it any further, he pulled me out of my thoughts. “Say, what's your name, anyway? I didn't even get a chance yesterday to thank my lifesaver and ask what his name was.”
“Um, so I'm Alec. Well, you already thanked me yesterday over at the property where it happened,” I said a little shyly, because now I realized again where and with whom I was here. ”Oh God, I'm so embarrassed about yesterday. I'm really sorry that I was so rude to you yesterday. I really didn't mean to. You just wanted to help. So thanks a lot and I'm really sorry,” Flo replied, looking down in shame. ”Hey, it's okay. The main thing is that you're feeling better. But I think I have to go soon. I should take a shower and I could use some clean clothes. Will you be okay for a while? I'll come by again this evening and check on you, okay?” I replied and searched for my bag. ‘Thanks, but that's not necessary. You surely have better things to do than take care of a sick guy, don't you? Besides, I'm already feeling much better,’ he said, looking me deep in the eyes. ”Nope, I don't have anything better to do. I'm glad that I met you at all, even if I could have imagined other circumstances. But never mind. I'm glad to have met you. Because you are my absolute favorite actor. And it's an honor for me to take care of you.”
He looked around the room a bit embarrassed. “Ok, I'll go then. But I'll come back tonight. Don't worry, it won't be too late. I have to come home then,” I said and went towards the door, because I just remembered that my bag was still on the property where I had found Flo.
“Hey, then pack a few clothes and you can sleep here for a few days. Just to thank you,” he said, really surprising me with this suggestion. ‘Um, ok, then I'll pack a few things. See you,’ I stammered and went out the door as quickly as possible into the stairwell. Did he just offer me to stay with him for a few days? I couldn't believe it. I went home, dazed, got my bag and drove home. As soon as I arrived, two of my roommates stormed up to me and bombarded me with questions, because they could see my swollen lip from afar. It was only then that I remembered that I had also been hit yesterday. I told them some story or other so that I could keep quiet about Flo, because he had already asked me not to tell anyone when I found him.
Then my cell phone rang and it was Liz asking how it was and whether I had met him. Since Liz was my best friend and I could trust her with anything, I quickly ran to my room and then told her in brief what had happened.
After I had showered and felt more like a human again, I quickly rummaged through my clothes and stuffed everything into my overnight bag. And off I went again to the train. During the ride, I kept thinking about what had happened and that I would actually be sleeping at Flo's house.
After about an hour I finally arrived at Flo's. As I pressed the bell, my heart beat wildly. Suddenly I was extremely excited and nervous. The buzzer sounded and I went up the stairs as fast as I could. At the top, I was already expected by Flo, who stood grinning in the doorway. “Man, that was fast. I didn't think you'd be back so soon. But never mind. Come on in first. Say, do you like sushi? I'm about to order, if you eat that kind of thing,” he started blabbering before I could even take a step into the apartment.
“Sure, I love sushi. I can never get enough of it,” I replied as I entered the apartment. No sooner had he heard that than he ran to the phone and dialed the number. His foot seemed to be doing really well again.
And so the evening passed. We ate sushi, told each other about our lives and, above all, had a lot to laugh about.
It went on like that for a whole week. Sometimes I still couldn't quite believe it. I had been living with Flo for a whole week now. It was just wonderful. But unfortunately there was also something negative. I realized that I had slowly but surely fallen in love with Flo. And then came the evening that made me really aware of it. We had a lot of fun and laughed again when he suggested that I could sleep in his room after all. Until now, I had always slept in the living room on the couch.
And now I was supposed to sleep in his room? “Where? You don't even have room for a mattress there. Am I supposed to sleep on the hard floor?” I asked him, somewhat perplexed. “Nope, my bed is huge, there's plenty of room for both of us,” he said, looking at me questioningly.
Did he just suggest that we sleep in the same bed? That was too much for me. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't sleep in the same bed with him. What if I suddenly got aroused by him? I didn't know how I could explain that. I had to prevent that. So I started looking for all the excuses I could think of.
“Well, I don't think that's a good idea. I talk in my sleep and quite loudly. I also sometimes thrash about,” I tried. ‘So what? At least then I'll learn a bit more about you,’ he grinned, ‘and if you thrash about, a pillow will come flying.’ He tried to persuade me. But why did he want me to sleep with him at all costs? That confused me somehow. But I couldn't start making assumptions again, like with Tim. But above all, I had to come up with something quickly so that I didn't have to sleep with him. Suddenly, the thought of telling him the truth occurred to me. I don't know why, but the thought wouldn't leave me.
“Hey, what is it now?” Flo suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Flo, sit down. I need to talk to you,” I suddenly said. I don't know where I got the courage from, but I decided to confess it to him now. Flo looked at me a bit confused, but sat down anyway.
I slowly began to explain: ”Flo, it wasn't a coincidence that I was around when it happened. I had your address and really wanted to meet you. That's why I went here. I sat on the bench across from the house for almost six hours. Then I was fed up and wanted to leave when I heard you. Well, I would have liked to have met you under different circumstances. Well, never mind. The point is: I wanted to meet you because because... “Suddenly I faltered. “Because?” Flo asked impatiently. ‘Because I'm gay and I thought you were cute,’ I shouted and ran for the door. Flo just sat there and looked after me in disbelief. Now he also knew why I didn't want to sleep in his bed. He spent the whole night wondering why he hadn't realized that I loved him.
I ran out of the house towards the bus, which I just managed to catch. On the bus, I immediately called Liz and asked her if we could meet at my favorite place. She immediately realized that something was wrong and agreed right away.
Half an hour later, I arrived at our small boathouse on the lakeshore. I sat down on the dock and just started crying. I don't know how long I sat there like that, but eventually someone put their arms around me from behind. It was Liz. We sat there for quite a while until she asked me what had happened. I told her in great detail. She listened carefully and didn't interrupt me once. When I was finished, she asked me why I just ran away. “I don't know. It was all kind of unreal. I told him and he just looked at me in disbelief. And he didn't react at all when I ran away. What am I going to do now, Liz? I've totally messed up, “I began to sob again. So we sat for hours and hours talking and talking.
Three days later, I was just home alone, the doorbell rang. It was Liz, who went to Flo's to get my clothes. As soon as she was inside, I bombarded her with questions about what he had said and so on. “Well, he said almost nothing. Absolutely nothing about you. He just gave me your things and that was it, really. I'm sorry, little one,” she said and hugged me.
Unfortunately, she had to leave again because she wanted to go to her parents for four days and her train was leaving soon.
Two days later, I was in a friend's shop when I saw the headline ‘Flo, the gay hater?’ in a newspaper. It was like a slap in the face. At that moment, I didn't know what to do. Caro, the shop owner, must have noticed the look on my face. “Pretty crass, isn't it? That one of Germany's most respected actors would do something like that,” she said, handing me a coffee. “But what was the reason for the statement? Have you read it yet?” I asked, not daring to read the newspaper myself.
“Well, he was offered a role where he was supposed to play a gay guy, and he must have said some pretty nasty things. I didn't read it carefully either. But you're welcome to read it.”
“Nah, you leave it to me, I won't do that to myself. I'll quickly drink my coffee and then get going. I still have stuff to do.” I hastily finished my coffee and then went to call Liz right away.
Two days later, Liz had barely arrived when we were sitting at my place talking about the article. Meanwhile, we also learned that he had accepted the role after all. But I didn't care anymore. I didn't want to hear anything more from him, although I couldn't get him out of my head. I also didn't watch the show he was in anymore.
In the meantime, the winter semester had started again and the stress of university gave me some distraction. We wrote some exams and had to do some internships, and before I knew it, the semester was over without anything big happening.
During the holidays, Liz came to me one day and said I should put on something nice as soon as possible because she had two tickets for an awards ceremony. Since I had no plans anyway, I changed and we went out. I didn't know how she got the tickets, but we had one of the best seats. Right in the middle of the hall, so we could see the stage perfectly, and quite a bit in front.
Finally it started. A very popular talk show host moderated the show.
There were awards for best film, best actor, supporting actor and so on. The whole procedure had already lasted almost two hours. Now it was finally time for the last category. Best Actor. Five people were nominated. And among them was Flo. I just couldn't believe it. First there were such derogatory remarks about gays and then he was nominated for his role as a gay man. I would have liked to scream out loud. But unfortunately I couldn't.
I couldn't wait for the result anymore. I hoped so much that he wouldn't get the award.
But unfortunately all hope was in vain. He won the award. And I would have liked to boo him. Liz also noticed that I was furious. Now came his acceptance speech. But I didn't listen anymore, I was so angry. I wanted to storm the stage and smack him. He then said the usual things like thank you to my fans and family and blah blah blah...
“... but there is one person I would like to thank in particular...” I heard him say in between.
“I know I said some pretty nasty things about homosexuals when I was offered the role. But then I remembered someone who was very close to my heart. That's why I accepted this role. About half a year ago, I met someone who saved my life. I didn't think anything of it when he helped me. He took care of me and looked after me for days because my parents were on vacation. At some point, I suggested to him that he shouldn't continue sleeping in the living room but with me. And that's when he told me he loved me. I was totally shocked. And I didn't have any contact with him after that either. It had shocked me so much that I had also let this statement go. And I think he was even more hurt than before. And I can understand him. After I thought about it for a day, I accepted the role anyway. But only because I thought I had something to make up for. But after we finished the movie, I realized that I missed the person who had saved my life...”, Flo told me. And slowly but surely I pricked up my ears. “Liz, tell me what is he talking about? Does he want to scratch himself or what?” I asked her, but she just said, ”Shut up and listen.”
So I listened further, because I couldn't interpret her reaction, but I realized that I couldn't talk to her anyway right now.
“...And I felt very lonely without this person, even though I only realized that very late. But anyway. I want you to meet this person. I fell head over heels in love with this person. I know that some of you might think this is a PR stunt, but I'm completely serious. I fell in love. And I know that this person is here today. Because a friend of mine has kindly arranged all this...”
“Man Liz, can't we just leave already? I really don't want to see him smooching with someone on stage,” I grumbled at Liz, because somehow I didn't understand that he could only mean me. ‘My God, then don't look. But now wait and shut up,’ she grumbled back.
“If it's all right with everyone, I'd like to ask Alec on stage,” he said, and I looked first at him and then at Liz. ‘Say, what's that supposed to mean? Does he even know what he's talking about? Now he's naming girls after me... That's the last straw,’ I said. ”Damn it, Alec, you're meant. So get your ass up front at last,” Liz suddenly spat at me. I couldn't believe it. Was she serious? I looked at her, confused. I had only paid half attention to his speech. ”Now get up front. I'm the friend he meant.”
That was really too much for me. Was she serious? I no longer knew what to think or believe. “My God, just get up and go forward,” she said, pulling me out of my thoughts and giving me a push in the ribs. And it was so hard that I suddenly jumped up. Of course, everyone looked at me immediately. So I couldn't help it anymore. And so I began to descend step by step. When I arrived at the bottom, I began to tremble so badly that I almost fell over.
After I had recovered to some extent, I went up to Flo, who smiled at me from afar. At that moment, I didn't know whether he was serious or just trying to show me off. But when we met, he just took me in his arms and whispered in my ear: “I love you and never want to lose you again.” I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to say. After what seemed like an eternity, he let go of me, went to the microphone and said, “May I introduce you to my great love, Alec.” He didn't say anything more because then his voice failed and tears ran down his face. Then he came to me and said, “Alec, I'm sorry, I love you. And I never want to lose you again.” Then he took me in his arms and we began a long and passionate kiss. And with this kiss, the crowd not only began to clap, but to roar. Everyone was happy for us. That was the best day of my life.
“All right, here you go. Don't stress, it's just a few lines, that's all. And she's smoking a cigarette downstairs with Martin. So you have plenty of time.”
“Thanks. I'm sorry if I used the wrong tone. I'm just a bit stressed,” I tried to apologize to her. But Liz wasn't even listening anymore and was chatting with others from the course.
Liz and I are in the same degree program and best friends. We are always there for each other, no matter what. And that's even though we've only known each other a year.
“Right, let's get started. I suggest we cover chromosomes again today, because some of you had questions about them. And that's an important topic in biology...” our tutor started to explain, but I didn't listen. Genetics wasn't exactly my favorite subject. But I had to go through with it if I wanted to study biology to the end. “Liz, you know that guy on TV that I thought was so cute. I got his address. Would you like to come with me sometime? Maybe we'll be lucky and he'll be on the street or something,” I turned to Liz to distract myself a little from my boredom. ”What, you have his address? How? I don't know. Do you think that's such a good idea? He's sure to be smart and will realize what's what straight away.”
“Oh nonsense. Other people meet stars by chance on the street.” I tried to convince her. ‘Well, I don't know. I'd be...’ ”So I see you want to explain that to us, Liz. Well, come on then. You can bring Alec with you, to correct you if you get it wrong,' our 'nice' tutor suddenly interrupted us. 'Great, just because you're always coming up with crazy ideas,' Liz spat, standing up.
The day went by pretty quickly. After we finished, I ran to the subway to get home quickly. My sweet Flo was supposed to be on TV again today. Unfortunately, I had to stay at university a little longer than usual, so I had to hurry today.
Flo, whose real name is Florian, has the leading role in a very successful series. And I try to watch it as often as possible. So far, I have hardly ever missed an episode. My biggest wish is to meet him in person one day. Unfortunately, it doesn't look particularly good for me there. He is very successful and rarely has time because he is always busy. That's why the chance of meeting him in town is very slim, even though we live in the same city.
I'm not in love with him, but he is damn good-looking. And it can't hurt to get to know him.
As soon as I arrive home, I turn on the TV. Fortunately, I'm home a little earlier than I thought. So at least I can quickly grab something to eat on the way up. As soon as I arrive upstairs, it beeps out of the speakers on my laptop. My God, who is bothering me again? Everyone knows that I can't be reached at this time, I think, and get a little annoyed and irritated as I turn on my computer. It's Steffi, who else could it be? She'll never learn that I'm not on the computer at this time of day. So I quickly write back to her that I won't be in the chat for a while.
My favorite TV series is finally starting. And five minutes after it begins, he is already on screen. Immediately, I start raving. I no longer know what it's about, because I only see him. Although I'm actually in love with a fellow student, I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I see Flo on the screen. And so it goes every evening...
Two weeks later:
“Hey Tim, I hope you have a good vacation. If you have time and feel like it, we can go for a drink sometime,” I called to my crush before he was at the door. ‘Okay, I'll see what I can do. I'll get back to you.’ And just like that, he was gone.
“Hey Alec, did you notice that he was watching you the whole time again?” Liz suddenly asked me. ”Nah, not really. Well, but his answer wasn't exactly promising, was it? I don't know what to do, Liz. If only I knew whether he's gay or not. It's driving me crazy.”
“Well, Alec, there's only one thing for it: ask him yourself,” Liz said in a rather serious tone.
“Are you crazy? He'll know immediately what phase it is. What if I just imagined everything? Then I'll look like a fool. Well, let's see what else comes up.
But let's talk about something else.”
And so Liz told me that she was going on vacation with her boyfriend for two to three weeks. After all, we now have almost two months of semester break. Of course I thought that was a shame because I thought I could go out on the town with her. Well, but there was probably nothing I could do about it. Personally, I could have gone to my parents, but that would have been too stressful for me in the long run. My parents had both taken early retirement and eventually started to get on my nerves with their nagging. So I decided to stay in town.
The first three weeks weren't particularly spectacular. I met up with a few friends now and then and watched a lot of TV, mainly because of Flo. I didn't even meet up with Tim once in all that time. And at some point I started to forget him. Instead, I thought about Flo more and more often. Somehow I still wasn't in love with him, but I thought about him all the time anyway. One night, I was chatting again when my cell phone rang and it was Liz. She told me she was back in town and wanted to meet up with me. So we arranged to meet the next evening.
So we met at our favorite bar the next evening. She told me in detail about her vacation and how great it was, but somehow I wasn't quite with it. I kept thinking about Flo. And every time someone walked by the window with a hairstyle similar to his, my heart started beating faster. At some point she noticed that I was somewhere else. “Hey, say, what's actually going on with you? You've been acting weird the whole time. Are you even listening to me anymore? Alec, I'm talking to you,” she said, poking me in the side. Only then did I realize that she wanted something. ‘What's going on??? Did something happen that I don't know about?’ And so I started to explain everything to her.
“Well, somehow I haven't thought about Tim much in the last three weeks. We wrote to each other briefly from time to time, but I wasn't excited at all when he wrote. You know how it used to be when I got a message from him. I almost went crazy. But now it's over. I don't think about him at all anymore. But I think about Flo all the time. I'm not in love with him, don't worry, but I can't stop thinking about him. And I've decided that I'm going to go to where he lives, whether you come with me or not. I just have to give it a try.«
“Alec, what do you expect to achieve by this? You said yourself that he's into women. And besides, he's only on the road anyway. The chances of meeting him are pretty slim. Or do you want to ring his doorbell? I think it's a really stupid idea,” Liz tried to dissuade me from my idea.
“I don't care what the chances are. Whether I sit around at home or see something of the city doesn't matter. At least I'll get some fresh air. Now let's change the subject. You know I'll do it anyway and won't let you stop me,” I spat at her, whereupon we really changed the subject.
The next morning, the weather was beautiful outside and almost twenty degrees. So it was a perfect day to stop by my sweet Flo's place. I jumped in the shower, got ready, packed some provisions and a city map, and went to the S-Bahn. Now it could finally start. In my mind, I already imagined how the meeting might go. What should I say to him? How would he react to me? Would he be annoyed that yet another fan of his was showing up in front of his apartment?
At some point, I arrived at the right station to change to another S-Bahn. There, things went on immediately. I was only thinking about Flo. It didn't occur to me that I probably wouldn't meet him. So I continued on, feeling cheerful. When I arrived at the end of the line, I first had to look at the map to see how to proceed. Unfortunately, there was neither a tram nor a subway or suburban train station near Flo's house. So the only option left was the bus, because I didn't want to walk. That would have been over seven kilometers, which would have been a bit too much.
So I started to check all the bus stops to see if there was a bus that stopped near his house. And as it usually is, it was the last bus that I looked at on the timetable. Great, and it left three minutes ago. So I had to wait for the next one, which wasn't due for another half an hour. That got off to a good start.
After half an hour, my bus finally arrived and I was able to continue. After about half an hour, the bus finally arrived at the right stop. I got out and took my map to check again exactly which way I had to go. Slowly but surely, my heart and pulse rate increased and I clearly felt my excitement rising.
After a ten-minute walk, I arrived at the house where he lived. It looked a bit older, from the 1960s. Just a typical apartment building. Opposite the house, there was a bench by a wall, where I sat down. To make it less conspicuous, I rummaged through my bag for a book and pretended to read it with interest, although I was actually just watching the street and the entrance to the building. But then I started to think that it would look pretty stupid if he suddenly came and I got up and went to meet him. But what else could I do? If I kept walking up and down the street, it would attract just as much attention. So I decided to stay here.
Slowly but surely it began to get dark. I had been sitting on the bench for almost six hours. I was really getting frustrated. So I packed up my things and went back to the bus stop. But after only a few meters, I heard someone groaning and calling out. It sounded like someone was trying to scream for help. I looked around and listened more closely. It came from the property behind the wall. I was sure of that. Unfortunately, it was too high. I couldn't climb up. So I looked for a passage. I found one after a few meters. I looked around the corner to see what was going on. And what I saw shocked me. Three skinheads were beating and kicking a defenseless boy who was lying on the ground and could hardly move because of the pain. Fortunately, I hadn't taken part in my karate class too long, so I stormed at the three of them while throwing my bag on the ground. The three of them turned to me in shock, because I was screaming at them to leave the boy alone. After they had composed themselves, they positioned themselves so that they could attack me. Fortunately, though, I was faster. I kicked the first one right in the face, so that he was hurled backwards. The second one got a powerful kick in the stomach and also flew backwards. Unfortunately, I was too slow to avoid the third one. So I got his fist right on my lower lip. However, he slipped and so he did not hit me with all his might. Nevertheless, my lip started bleeding immediately. After I had caught myself, he immediately got a kick between his legs, causing him to start screaming. Then I reached into my pocket to get my pepper spray, which I always carry with me. One by one, all three got back up and were about to attack me again. Fortunately, my pepper spray canister has a lot of pressure and thus has a long range. Since all three were standing next to each other, it was easy to spray the spray in all three of their faces. Immediately, they started screaming and slowly began to retreat.
After I made sure that all three had disappeared, I went to the boy lying on the floor. I asked him how he was doing and wanted to turn him over when he slapped my hand away and said, “I'm fine. Leave me alone, please. Thanks for your help, but I can handle it on my own.” But I didn't believe him. Although he resisted, I managed to take his hood off his head and I almost had a stroke. “F F Flo???”, I stammered. I couldn't believe it. The boy who had been beaten up was Flo. I just didn't believe it. After I had gathered myself, I bent down to him and immediately took my handkerchiefs out of my jacket. Then I started to clean the blood off his face. He looked pretty bad. There were bruises all over his face and his lips were split in several places. After I had cleaned him up a bit, I asked him if he could get up. He didn't say anything the whole time. You could tell that he was embarrassed that someone he didn't know was helping him, but who knew him. “Yes, I said I'm fine. I'm not a little kid anymore. You can go now. I'll be fine. Like I said, thanks for your help, but you really can go. Oh, and it would be nice if you didn't tell anyone about this,” he said, quite annoyed. ‘Don't worry, I won't tell anyone, but at least let me help you,’ I tried to reason again. This was not how I had imagined our meeting.
“No, damn it, I'll be fine. Now go,” he snarled. I thought to myself that it would probably be better. I'd better try again later. I didn't want to antagonize him before I even got a chance to meet him.
But as soon as I had walked five meters, I heard him scream loudly, “Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh And my shin hurts like hell, too.” ‘Okay, Flo, I'll take you on my back and bring you home. Are your parents there already?’ I asked, while I loaded him onto my back. ‘No, they're both on a four-week cruise.’ ”Okay, can you get your key for the door? And can you unlock it if you're on my back? Because I don't think standing it's not a good idea, “I asked him. It struck me how gentle his hands were, which he had wrapped around my neck. Suddenly I realized that he pressed his body like a little child who is afraid, to my back. ‘I'll manage,’ he stammered and then put his head on my neck.
After three minutes we were already in front of the building entrance. I turned a little to the side and he unlocked the door without much effort. “Ok, which floor do we have to go to?” I asked him while I was already climbing the first steps. “Fifth,” he said without raising his head. After another ten minutes we were standing in front of the apartment and he also unlocked this door without any major problems.
After I had looked around briefly, I spotted a sofa on which I carefully set Flo down. Then, without him resisting, I lifted his leg and freed it from his shoe. Then I carefully took off his sock and felt his foot. “Well, nothing's broken, but you shouldn't move your foot today or tomorrow. Do you have any ice anywhere? You should definitely cool it. Then the swelling will go down faster,” I said, looking him deep in the eyes. And that's when I noticed that he had tears in his eyes. He said, ‘There are ice cubes in the freezer in the kitchen.’ But I wasn't interested in that at all right now. I stood up and then squatted down next to him so that our faces were at the same level. Then I took his hand and began to stroke the back of his hand, which he allowed me to do. As I did so, I looked deep into his eyes and said, “Hey Flo, it's over. We're going to be okay, all right? They're not going to hurt you anymore. But if you want to cry, you can do that.” And with that, I suddenly hugged him. I didn't know what had suddenly come over me, but to my surprise he let go of my hand and put his arms around my neck and then began to sob. He kept asking, “Why me?” But unfortunately I couldn't answer that question myself. I had already thought about why. But I couldn't find an answer.
At some point, after he stopped crying and I had cooled his leg, he fell asleep. I carefully wiped the last remnants of blood from his face with a damp cloth and sat down in the armchair opposite him. I watched him for quite a while, lying there looking so peaceful. But eventually my eyes closed too and I fell asleep.
With a loud “Damn!” I was rudely awakened the next morning. I opened my eyes and saw Flo trying to get back on his sofa on all fours. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. “Say, what are you doing on the floor? Can I help you? You don't have to sleep on the floor,« I said with a cheeky grin, but as soon as I said it, I was sorry again. But against all expectations, he turned to me and said: »Ohhhh sorry, I didn't want to wake you. Oh, I was just in the bathroom and when I came back, I slipped on the blanket. That's why I'm lying down here.” ‘Does that mean you can step on the floor again with your foot?’ I asked him, a little surprised at how quickly he had recovered. ‘Yes, I can, can't I?’ he said, standing up straight. Then he walked a few meters to show me that everything was really all right. Well, at least one problem less, I thought. But his lip didn't look much better than it did yesterday. But I thought that it would get better over time. I was more concerned about his work. After all, he couldn't go in front of the camera like that, but before I could think about it any further, he pulled me out of my thoughts. “Say, what's your name, anyway? I didn't even get a chance yesterday to thank my lifesaver and ask what his name was.”
“Um, so I'm Alec. Well, you already thanked me yesterday over at the property where it happened,” I said a little shyly, because now I realized again where and with whom I was here. ”Oh God, I'm so embarrassed about yesterday. I'm really sorry that I was so rude to you yesterday. I really didn't mean to. You just wanted to help. So thanks a lot and I'm really sorry,” Flo replied, looking down in shame. ”Hey, it's okay. The main thing is that you're feeling better. But I think I have to go soon. I should take a shower and I could use some clean clothes. Will you be okay for a while? I'll come by again this evening and check on you, okay?” I replied and searched for my bag. ‘Thanks, but that's not necessary. You surely have better things to do than take care of a sick guy, don't you? Besides, I'm already feeling much better,’ he said, looking me deep in the eyes. ”Nope, I don't have anything better to do. I'm glad that I met you at all, even if I could have imagined other circumstances. But never mind. I'm glad to have met you. Because you are my absolute favorite actor. And it's an honor for me to take care of you.”
He looked around the room a bit embarrassed. “Ok, I'll go then. But I'll come back tonight. Don't worry, it won't be too late. I have to come home then,” I said and went towards the door, because I just remembered that my bag was still on the property where I had found Flo.
“Hey, then pack a few clothes and you can sleep here for a few days. Just to thank you,” he said, really surprising me with this suggestion. ‘Um, ok, then I'll pack a few things. See you,’ I stammered and went out the door as quickly as possible into the stairwell. Did he just offer me to stay with him for a few days? I couldn't believe it. I went home, dazed, got my bag and drove home. As soon as I arrived, two of my roommates stormed up to me and bombarded me with questions, because they could see my swollen lip from afar. It was only then that I remembered that I had also been hit yesterday. I told them some story or other so that I could keep quiet about Flo, because he had already asked me not to tell anyone when I found him.
Then my cell phone rang and it was Liz asking how it was and whether I had met him. Since Liz was my best friend and I could trust her with anything, I quickly ran to my room and then told her in brief what had happened.
After I had showered and felt more like a human again, I quickly rummaged through my clothes and stuffed everything into my overnight bag. And off I went again to the train. During the ride, I kept thinking about what had happened and that I would actually be sleeping at Flo's house.
After about an hour I finally arrived at Flo's. As I pressed the bell, my heart beat wildly. Suddenly I was extremely excited and nervous. The buzzer sounded and I went up the stairs as fast as I could. At the top, I was already expected by Flo, who stood grinning in the doorway. “Man, that was fast. I didn't think you'd be back so soon. But never mind. Come on in first. Say, do you like sushi? I'm about to order, if you eat that kind of thing,” he started blabbering before I could even take a step into the apartment.
“Sure, I love sushi. I can never get enough of it,” I replied as I entered the apartment. No sooner had he heard that than he ran to the phone and dialed the number. His foot seemed to be doing really well again.
And so the evening passed. We ate sushi, told each other about our lives and, above all, had a lot to laugh about.
It went on like that for a whole week. Sometimes I still couldn't quite believe it. I had been living with Flo for a whole week now. It was just wonderful. But unfortunately there was also something negative. I realized that I had slowly but surely fallen in love with Flo. And then came the evening that made me really aware of it. We had a lot of fun and laughed again when he suggested that I could sleep in his room after all. Until now, I had always slept in the living room on the couch.
And now I was supposed to sleep in his room? “Where? You don't even have room for a mattress there. Am I supposed to sleep on the hard floor?” I asked him, somewhat perplexed. “Nope, my bed is huge, there's plenty of room for both of us,” he said, looking at me questioningly.
Did he just suggest that we sleep in the same bed? That was too much for me. I couldn't believe it. I couldn't sleep in the same bed with him. What if I suddenly got aroused by him? I didn't know how I could explain that. I had to prevent that. So I started looking for all the excuses I could think of.
“Well, I don't think that's a good idea. I talk in my sleep and quite loudly. I also sometimes thrash about,” I tried. ‘So what? At least then I'll learn a bit more about you,’ he grinned, ‘and if you thrash about, a pillow will come flying.’ He tried to persuade me. But why did he want me to sleep with him at all costs? That confused me somehow. But I couldn't start making assumptions again, like with Tim. But above all, I had to come up with something quickly so that I didn't have to sleep with him. Suddenly, the thought of telling him the truth occurred to me. I don't know why, but the thought wouldn't leave me.
“Hey, what is it now?” Flo suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Flo, sit down. I need to talk to you,” I suddenly said. I don't know where I got the courage from, but I decided to confess it to him now. Flo looked at me a bit confused, but sat down anyway.
I slowly began to explain: ”Flo, it wasn't a coincidence that I was around when it happened. I had your address and really wanted to meet you. That's why I went here. I sat on the bench across from the house for almost six hours. Then I was fed up and wanted to leave when I heard you. Well, I would have liked to have met you under different circumstances. Well, never mind. The point is: I wanted to meet you because because... “Suddenly I faltered. “Because?” Flo asked impatiently. ‘Because I'm gay and I thought you were cute,’ I shouted and ran for the door. Flo just sat there and looked after me in disbelief. Now he also knew why I didn't want to sleep in his bed. He spent the whole night wondering why he hadn't realized that I loved him.
I ran out of the house towards the bus, which I just managed to catch. On the bus, I immediately called Liz and asked her if we could meet at my favorite place. She immediately realized that something was wrong and agreed right away.
Half an hour later, I arrived at our small boathouse on the lakeshore. I sat down on the dock and just started crying. I don't know how long I sat there like that, but eventually someone put their arms around me from behind. It was Liz. We sat there for quite a while until she asked me what had happened. I told her in great detail. She listened carefully and didn't interrupt me once. When I was finished, she asked me why I just ran away. “I don't know. It was all kind of unreal. I told him and he just looked at me in disbelief. And he didn't react at all when I ran away. What am I going to do now, Liz? I've totally messed up, “I began to sob again. So we sat for hours and hours talking and talking.
Three days later, I was just home alone, the doorbell rang. It was Liz, who went to Flo's to get my clothes. As soon as she was inside, I bombarded her with questions about what he had said and so on. “Well, he said almost nothing. Absolutely nothing about you. He just gave me your things and that was it, really. I'm sorry, little one,” she said and hugged me.
Unfortunately, she had to leave again because she wanted to go to her parents for four days and her train was leaving soon.
Two days later, I was in a friend's shop when I saw the headline ‘Flo, the gay hater?’ in a newspaper. It was like a slap in the face. At that moment, I didn't know what to do. Caro, the shop owner, must have noticed the look on my face. “Pretty crass, isn't it? That one of Germany's most respected actors would do something like that,” she said, handing me a coffee. “But what was the reason for the statement? Have you read it yet?” I asked, not daring to read the newspaper myself.
“Well, he was offered a role where he was supposed to play a gay guy, and he must have said some pretty nasty things. I didn't read it carefully either. But you're welcome to read it.”
“Nah, you leave it to me, I won't do that to myself. I'll quickly drink my coffee and then get going. I still have stuff to do.” I hastily finished my coffee and then went to call Liz right away.
Two days later, Liz had barely arrived when we were sitting at my place talking about the article. Meanwhile, we also learned that he had accepted the role after all. But I didn't care anymore. I didn't want to hear anything more from him, although I couldn't get him out of my head. I also didn't watch the show he was in anymore.
In the meantime, the winter semester had started again and the stress of university gave me some distraction. We wrote some exams and had to do some internships, and before I knew it, the semester was over without anything big happening.
During the holidays, Liz came to me one day and said I should put on something nice as soon as possible because she had two tickets for an awards ceremony. Since I had no plans anyway, I changed and we went out. I didn't know how she got the tickets, but we had one of the best seats. Right in the middle of the hall, so we could see the stage perfectly, and quite a bit in front.
Finally it started. A very popular talk show host moderated the show.
There were awards for best film, best actor, supporting actor and so on. The whole procedure had already lasted almost two hours. Now it was finally time for the last category. Best Actor. Five people were nominated. And among them was Flo. I just couldn't believe it. First there were such derogatory remarks about gays and then he was nominated for his role as a gay man. I would have liked to scream out loud. But unfortunately I couldn't.
I couldn't wait for the result anymore. I hoped so much that he wouldn't get the award.
But unfortunately all hope was in vain. He won the award. And I would have liked to boo him. Liz also noticed that I was furious. Now came his acceptance speech. But I didn't listen anymore, I was so angry. I wanted to storm the stage and smack him. He then said the usual things like thank you to my fans and family and blah blah blah...
“... but there is one person I would like to thank in particular...” I heard him say in between.
“I know I said some pretty nasty things about homosexuals when I was offered the role. But then I remembered someone who was very close to my heart. That's why I accepted this role. About half a year ago, I met someone who saved my life. I didn't think anything of it when he helped me. He took care of me and looked after me for days because my parents were on vacation. At some point, I suggested to him that he shouldn't continue sleeping in the living room but with me. And that's when he told me he loved me. I was totally shocked. And I didn't have any contact with him after that either. It had shocked me so much that I had also let this statement go. And I think he was even more hurt than before. And I can understand him. After I thought about it for a day, I accepted the role anyway. But only because I thought I had something to make up for. But after we finished the movie, I realized that I missed the person who had saved my life...”, Flo told me. And slowly but surely I pricked up my ears. “Liz, tell me what is he talking about? Does he want to scratch himself or what?” I asked her, but she just said, ”Shut up and listen.”
So I listened further, because I couldn't interpret her reaction, but I realized that I couldn't talk to her anyway right now.
“...And I felt very lonely without this person, even though I only realized that very late. But anyway. I want you to meet this person. I fell head over heels in love with this person. I know that some of you might think this is a PR stunt, but I'm completely serious. I fell in love. And I know that this person is here today. Because a friend of mine has kindly arranged all this...”
“Man Liz, can't we just leave already? I really don't want to see him smooching with someone on stage,” I grumbled at Liz, because somehow I didn't understand that he could only mean me. ‘My God, then don't look. But now wait and shut up,’ she grumbled back.
“If it's all right with everyone, I'd like to ask Alec on stage,” he said, and I looked first at him and then at Liz. ‘Say, what's that supposed to mean? Does he even know what he's talking about? Now he's naming girls after me... That's the last straw,’ I said. ”Damn it, Alec, you're meant. So get your ass up front at last,” Liz suddenly spat at me. I couldn't believe it. Was she serious? I looked at her, confused. I had only paid half attention to his speech. ”Now get up front. I'm the friend he meant.”
That was really too much for me. Was she serious? I no longer knew what to think or believe. “My God, just get up and go forward,” she said, pulling me out of my thoughts and giving me a push in the ribs. And it was so hard that I suddenly jumped up. Of course, everyone looked at me immediately. So I couldn't help it anymore. And so I began to descend step by step. When I arrived at the bottom, I began to tremble so badly that I almost fell over.
After I had recovered to some extent, I went up to Flo, who smiled at me from afar. At that moment, I didn't know whether he was serious or just trying to show me off. But when we met, he just took me in his arms and whispered in my ear: “I love you and never want to lose you again.” I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what to say. After what seemed like an eternity, he let go of me, went to the microphone and said, “May I introduce you to my great love, Alec.” He didn't say anything more because then his voice failed and tears ran down his face. Then he came to me and said, “Alec, I'm sorry, I love you. And I never want to lose you again.” Then he took me in his arms and we began a long and passionate kiss. And with this kiss, the crowd not only began to clap, but to roar. Everyone was happy for us. That was the best day of my life.