───── ⨾ 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐍𝐄𝐖, 𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐎𝐍𝐄
requested by chwelsh

✧ ARTIST ♡ Andrew Lambrou
✧ WARNINGS ♡ None
✧ SYNOPSIS ♡ After a while of dancing around each other, Carlota and Andrew finally talk and get to know each other.

    CARLOTA GRIPPED THE microphone as a high note came in her song, the Spanish girl hitting it with ease. She was in the middle of rehearsals on the Eurovision stage. It was a dream come true and she just wanted to do her best. There was a lot of pressure to get a high placement and make her home proud of her but she wasn't the type that wanted to think about the negatives.

    There was a lot going through her brain at the moment but she powered through. She honestly was just thankful to represent the country she grew up in. Part of the girl had wished to know who was watching her from backstage and wanted to know their whole thoughts about the staging. She wondered if it was enough since there were other acts in the contest that had more elaborate stages.

    However, there wasn't anything that she could think of to change her mind. Everyone that knew of the whole vibe and aesthetic ahead of time loved it so she thought that it was just her being too hard on herself. That was something she had a problem with but it had gotten better.

    It was weird being on stage and not able to witness what was going on backstage. In her mind, she wondered if her friends were watching. Was Alessandra watching whilst she warmed up her voice? Was Noa trying to watch while she stretched?

    There was one person though that didn't really cross her mind; Andrew Lambrou, the representative of Cyprus. The two had yet to actually speak and be introduced for real. All they had done was exchange glances as they walked past each other or were in the same room. The two had mutual friends so it was difficult for everyone outside of their circles to understand how they hadn't said a word to one another.

    It was true though. The two were definitely intrigued by one another but just hadn't had the courage to introduce themselves. Of course, they knew of one another and thought the other was talented, but that had been it so far. Their friends were starting to get tired of it since they could see the emotions hidden behind each glance that would be given.

    Carlota and Andrew thought that the other was attractive and didn't do much to hide it when in public. This had gone of for weeks now and the group of friends wanted this to finally end, so Mae had spoken with Andrew about watching the Spanish girl's rehearsal, which he'd thought about doing anyway. How could he not?

    He thought that she had one of the best voices. He could see why she was chosen to represent Spain. She didn't know it yet but the Australian was watching her with a smile plastered on his features and this emotion in his eyes that resembled something similar to love or a crush.

    Alessandra laughed to herself before she focused back on warming up her voice. She would sure as hell be telling her friend about this when she was able to. The Norwegian's attention returned to him a time or two and it didn't take long for her to approach him. A glance was given towards the tv monitor but she didn't pay attention to that too much as she could still heard her friend rehearse.

    "You know, you should talk to her! Both of you exchanged glances and smiles but you have yet to have a conversation. It is not like she will bite you. What are you waiting for? I think you should get to know her." She tried to reason with the Lambrou.

    Neither of them were aware of this but so many of their friends thought they would be so cute together, the girls mainly. Of course, none of them wanted to hint around at this, but always attempted to get one another to converse with the other.

    Andrew gave her an expression of doubt, ever so slightly. "She's just so beautiful and so talented, you know. She seems so nice so I know she won't be rude, but I feel nervous about talking to her. I think I might've caught feelings for her already."

    The Aussie turned his head to eye the tv monitor and noticed that Carlota's rehearsal was over with. She would be coming back to the backstage area soon and he continued to contemplate whether or not to give in. He was just scared to say the wrong thing even though he didn't want to admit it. He caught feelings for Carlota through the talent she'd shown, through the exchanged glances over the past couple weeks, through the kind words that everyone described her as.

    Alessandra watched her friend walk back from rehearsals which prompted her to take hold of Andrew's left hand, pulling him over to the H/C haired girl. She stopped in front of the Spanish girl with a small smirk that she didn't hide too well.

    Her next words were a little faster but she was able to get her point across. "Carlota, I want to formally introduce you to Andrew. It has been weeks of you guys dancing around each other so for the love of all things good, just talk about something. We all know you two want to have a conversation so this will be the perfect opportunity."

    She didn't let either of them get a word in, the Norwegian-Italian walking away with the two singers watching her. They noticed that Teya and Noa were standing there watching with smirks of their own, the two girls giving Alessandra a high five before the three went to do whatever.

    The Spanish girl gave a confused look at first but realized what her friends were up to. Her eyes moved towards the Australian again, her confused expression replaced with a friendly one. The first thing she really paid attention to was his eyes which she swore she could get lost in if she were not careful enough.

    "Hi," she was the first one to break the silence. "I'm sorry about her but she is right. It's about time that we actually talk. I don't know why we didn't do it sooner. Our mutual friends talk about you quite often."

    Andrew smiled once more. "Oh really? It's the same for you, they always have such great things to say about you. You're quite popular with everyone but I can understand. Everyone tells me that you're really nice."

    Carlota didn't think that she would ever fall for an accent so quickly, but Andrew's voice was something she could listen to for hours on end.

    She was able to not get lost in his presence though, remembering to respond with the same kind tone that she used with her friends. "That's great! I always try to be as nice and understanding of people. There have been times in life where people weren't so kind to me and I never want anyone to go through that. I don't think it gets you anywhere."

    "It definitely doesn't," he agreed.

    "You did great on stage, for rehearsals I mean. Your voice and dance skills are great and you should be proud of yourself." Those words escaped his mouth before his brain could process them but he didn't regret it at all. It was the truth.

    "Thank you, that means a lot to me. I was watching you rehearse earlier and I can say the same about you. I haven't been able to stop listening to the song honestly, it's one of my favorites if I'm being honest." Carlota ran a hand through her hair which had not been tied up or anything, preferring to have it down most of the time when she had to dance.

    The Lambrou was grateful for her support and compliments. "Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. The song is something I'm very proud of and I hope it ends up doing well. It's just the fact that you never know, but I want to stay optimistic."

    She could understand that since felt the exact same way. "It's nerve wracking, isn't it? I'm wishing you the best, but I feel similar to you. Honestly, at first, I didn't know if my song would make it this far, but I'm happy it proved me wrong."

    "Are you kidding? Your song is amazing, it really embodies what Eurovision is about. It is well liked by so many people." He wanted to reassure Carlota, which he succeeded in.

    She took a breath before speaking again. "Well, thanks. I worked hard on it so I would hope that I did my job properly."

    "You did," Andrew confirmed.

    He asked not long after, "Would you like to go sit and continue chatting?" His words were referring to one of the nearby couches.

    She nodded and the two went to sit down, ending up right beside each other. The two singers continued their conversation, talking about random things such as their interests and how they discovered Eurovision. It was a nice change of pace for Carlota and she thoroughly enjoyed herself.