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“Hey,” Ville answered. “Hey you,” Jaana said happily. “How’s your day been?” “Well, not as eventful at last night..” Ville started, causing Jaana to grin. “But pretty okay so far. Seppo told us about the tour.” “Are you looking forward to it?” “Of course I am! Are you? Congrats, Jaana, this is honestly pretty huge for you guys!” Jaana smiled. “I take it you are used to it by now, Mr. Rockstar?” she teased. “I didn’t mean it like that,” Ville said gently. “It’s a big tour for us, too, some venues much bigger than our last tour. I’m looking forward to it. I.. I called about something else, really,” he continued. Jaana suddenly felt nervous. He was going to tell her it was all a big mistake, surely. That he shouldn’t have kissed her, that he didn’t mean the things he said, that he.. “Our pictures showed up in Seiska today. Along with a whole stupid article about me, obviously. It seems they didn’t recognize you, though.” “Well, that’s flattering,” Jaana snorted. Ville continued: “But it will probably mean they’re gonna keep a closer eye on me. I’m really sorry that I dragged you into this. I had no idea that any of this would happen, really.”
“Do you regret it?” Jaana asked, sitting down on a park bench so she could more easily talk to Ville. “I don’t,” Ville said without hesitation. “Do you?” “No,” Jaana said, smiling. “I already saw the pictures this morning. It gave me quite the heart attack, but it seems indeed no one knows it was me. Well, except Damian.” “What did he have to say about it?” “He’s just happy I wasn’t recognized so that it won’t affect the band. He said it would suck if I'd become known as "the girl Ville Valo kissed", just as we are becoming more successful, especially with this tour," Jaana said. Ville paused briefly, the relief he'd felt at Jaana's relaxed response suddenly overshadowed. Her becoming known as the girl he kissed would lead to a lot of unwanted attention, both from the media and his fans, and was precisely why he'd been so worried. "But hey, it all turned out fine, right,” Jaana said, doing her best to reassure Ville as if she could hear his thoughts. Rain had suddenly started pouring from the sky and she was anxious to shelter inside the metro station. “Yeah, it did, but I understand his concerns. I wouldn't want you to get dragged into my mess,” Ville said. "My fans can get pretty crazy. I don't want them to start chasing you down." Jaana smiled softly. “I don't mind being part of your mess,” she said smiling, and she softly bit her lip as she heard Ville let out a low chuckle at the other end of the line. "You have no idea how happy that makes me," he said. "I was worried I'd scared you off." "Of course not," Jaana said gently. "I'm not.. wait, what is this?" She halted her movement, looking at the sign at the entrance to the metro station.
“What's going on?” “Well, I’m at Kamppi metro station, and apparently I’m stuck here due to a power cut.” Ville chuchkled, mumbling: “Well, you’re not gonna believe this..” “No way!” Jaana exclaimed, grinning. “Are you actually stalking me?” she teased. “I’m not, I promise,” Ville laughed. “I spent the day at my place with Linde and Mige, they left and I just made my way over to Tavastia because Seppo wanted to meet me there." Jaana had completely forgotten HIM’s official tour closure show was coming up this week. “But well, with the electricity out, I guess that’s no longer needed..” he continued. Jaana walked back outside, as crowds of stranded travelers started to form inside the metro station. “Excuses, excuses,” Jaana said, causing Ville to laugh. “I know it’s getting uncanny, but I promise I’m not stalking you.” Suddenly Jaana had an idea. Having her best friend’s trusted judgment would really help her make up her mind about whatever was going on between her and Ville. It would maybe even help her settle the doubt that Damian instilled in her if Sanna could meet him.
“I think I might head back to Sanna – my best friend, I was in town to attend her bakery opening. The event is over but she told me I could hang around while she cleaned up, and with the electricity out, everything else is probably closed. If you want, you can meet me there?” “I’d love to,” Ville said, feeling relieved that the doom scenarios his mind created for him turned out not to be true. They agreed to meet outside of the bakery, Ville not wanting to attract any more attention to them in such a crowded place like the metro station. As she made her way back to Sanna’s place through the rain, Jaana quickly called her best friend to give her a heads up and explain the situation, and Sanna happily agreed to spend more time with her best friend who she hadn’t been seeing much. “Oh, and by the way,” Jaana grinned, “I invited Ville Valo.” “You – WHAT?” Sanna exclaimed. “He was on his way to Tavastia when I called him, and since everything is closed due to the power cut, I invited him over.” While neither Jaana nor Sanna had been huge HIM fans, they'd always enjoyed their music, and the band was difficult to avoid in Finland either way. They'd seen them live together numerous times throughout the years and were always happily singing along to Join me in death or Poison Girl. “I need your take, San,” Jaana continued. “I don’t know what is happening between us, but you know I can’t do anything without your judgment.” Sanna chuckled. “You know that’s not true. But also, fuck yes, I want to get involved in this.” Jaana laughed. “I’m almost there. Ses (see you)!” Jaana hung up.
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She spotted Ville as she approached Sanna’s bakery, he waited on the corner of the – thankfully quiet – street. His face lit up as he saw her, which somehow seemed to make her heart flutter. “Hey you,” he grinned, pulling her in for a tight hug. “Hey you,” Jaana responded, her voice muffled against his shoulder. They both held on a little too long and were startled by Sanna opening the door and welcoming them in. Jaana was thankful for her best friend’s spontaneous and bubbly presence, removing any possible awkwardness from the situation of meeting the best friend of a woman who you’re not even sure you’re dating. Ville seemed in good spirits, and was asking Sanna all about her bakery and the opening event that took place today. Just as Ville took a quick call, Jaana snuck behind the counter to try some of the leftover pastries.
“Jag gillar honom (I like him),” Sanna said with a wink as she emerged from the kitchen with a pot of boiling water from the stove, startling Jaana who’d just taken a bite of brownie and proceeded to drop the remainders of it on the floor. Sanna laughed: “Vad vill du (What do you want)?” Jaana rushed to clean the brownie off her sweater: “Eh.. svart kaffe, tack (Black coffee, please),” she responded. “What do you want to drink, Ville?” Sanna said, noticing he’d ended his phone call and was looking at them with an amused grin on his face. “Can you make black coffee with that, by any chance?” he asked, nodding at the pot Sanna was carrying. “Sure,” she said. “It might not be the best you’ve ever had, but it will be hot.” Sanna and Jaana gave each other a knowing look – Ville clearly hadn’t heard Jaana already ask for black coffee, which meant he didn’t understand Swedish. Ever since childhood, in certain crowds Swedish had been almost their secret language, often instigated by Sanna to discuss boys in front of them. As though reading her mind, Sanna turned around and grinned at Jaana, who shot her a warning glance.
The three of them chatted comfortably and amicably, accompanied by the candles Sanna had lit across the store. Although their conversation was casual, Jaana could feel the ongoing tension between her and Ville, and memories of last night's kiss occasionally came back to her. Overall, she was happy that Sanna and Ville seemed to get along, especially after discovering a shared passion for karjalanpiirakat, a typical Finnish pastry that Jaana strongly disliked. She grinned as she watched Sanna bring out a plate, with a small side of pulla (cardamom bread) for her. “You’re spoiling me,” Jaana said in between bites. “It’s a thank you for making me dinner,” Sanna said smiling as she poured them both another cup of coffee. “I’m making you dinner?” Jaana asked. “Come on, it’s been ages since you cooked for me, I’ve been looking forward to this ever since you came home!” Sanna exclaimed.
“Don’t tell me Jaana didn’t tell you she’s an amazing cook?” Sanna said to Ville, grinning at Jaana. “Well, I heard something about a lemon risotto..” “Anything she cooks is fantastic. I’ve been trying for a year to convince her to abandon the band and open a restaurant with me, but it seems the luxuries of fame are more important to her,” Sanna said. Jaana smiled and rolled her eyes: “Yes, spending weeks on end in a tiny tour bus with Brandon somehow seemed like a better idea,” making Ville and Sanna laugh. “I can’t believe you’re able to put up with him for that long,” Sanna said. “I could never be in a tour bus with my ex for that long.” Ville choked on his pastry and coughed as Jaana rolled her eyes at Sanna. Did she have to bring that up?
“Brandon is your ex?” Ville asked, and although he intended to sound curious, Jaana spotted a hint of jealousy in his voice, which gave her a strangely satisfied feeling. “Ex is a big word,” Jaana said. “We dated briefly, it obviously didn’t work out. It’s a long time ago and we both agree it was a bad decision. We laugh about it now,” she said. “Brandon just seems like.. a lot,” Ville said, recalling the night when Brandon had joined his bandmates in drunk renditions of ABBA. A lot, and not good enough for you, he thought, surprised at his feelings of jealousy at this revelation. “He is,” Jaana and Sanna said simultaneously, laughing.
As Sanna walked into the kitchen area to clean up, chatting away about the time she and Brandon got stuck on a ferry where he befriended all the tourists and started a party, Jaana looked up to find Ville’s eyes looking directly into hers. “I’m learning some interesting things about you today, it seems,” he said grinning, after Sanna disappeared into the kitchen. Something about the look in his eyes, and the hint of jealousy in his voice when he found out, sparked a desire in her to kiss him more than ever. He seemed to notice, his eyes moving slowly towards her lips and back up. Is he flirting with me with his eyes? she thought, smiling as she softly bit her lip and grabbed her coffee cup, not breaking his stare. “Well, I learned some interesting things about you, too,” Jaana said. “What’s that?” Ville asked. “According to Seiska, you kissed some unknown girl last night.” Ville threw his head back and laughed, the deep sound reverberating across the empty shop. “I’m glad you’re not upset,” he said, a hint of vulnerability in his voice. Jaana smiled at him. “Were you really that worried I would be?” “I..” Ville hesitated, mindlessly stirring the sugar in his coffee that had long dissolved. “I was. It’s why I waited so long before calling you today. I guess I kind of spiraled and assumed everything between us had gone to shit,” he said, chuckling softly, but Jaana could tell he was serious.
Before Jaana could respond, a loud clatter arose from the kitchen, where Sanna had seemingly dropped some plates. Jaana got up to help her clean up, and they emerged minutes later, carrying three cold beers. “I’d left them outside and forgot about it, so they’re properly cooled now,” Sanna said as she handed Ville his beer. “Please tell me you’ve moved past the topic of Brandon while I was out.” Ville grinned. “We did,” he said as he looked Jaana directly into her eyes. “You know, if anything, I thought Damian was your ex,” Ville continued as he opened his beer.
Jaana and Sanna both snorted. "I get the feeling he doesn't like me, too," Ville continued, just as Jaana muttered "Absolutely not". “Wait, Damian dislikes you?” Sanna asked. “He doesn’t,” she intervened. “You know what he’s like. He’s gloomy and antisocial, but he means well. He is definitely not my ex, more like my brother,” she said.
“While we’re on the topic, do you have any interesting exes, Ville?” Sanna asked, smiling innocently. Jaana gave her an annoyed look, which Ville didn't seem to notice. “None particularly interesting, no, although I suppose I should be grateful since they provided all the inspiration for my songs. Well, until now, anyway,” he said, looking right at Jaana, who seemed to blush slightly at this comment. While Ville hadn’t mentioned it even to his bandmates yet, after months of struggling to write new music, new songs had started to emerge in his mind since the night he ran into Jaana at the hotel.
They continued chatting for a while about HIM, and Ville seemed happy – or at least patient – to sit through Sanna’s line of questioning. It was already 7pm when Sanna announced she needed to head home, the power being back on meaning the metro would be up and running again. Jaana wasn’t sure whether she should invite Ville to her home, but she was starving, and smiled as she remembered she had enough ingredients to make more lemon risotto. As if reading her mind, Sanna said: “Do you have any interesting plans tonight Ville?” Jaana rolled her eyes, getting up to put on her coat as Ville responded he’d go home and read.
As the three of them put on their coats, Jaana said in a hushed tone: “Är du klar med din utredning nu?” (Are you done with your investigation now?) “Vad menar du? Jag samlar bara fakta (What do you mean? I’m just gathering facts),” Sanna grinned, as she kissed her best friend on the cheek and pulled her in for a hug. “Du tröttar ut mig (You exhaust me),” Jaana mumbled, before noticing Ville giving both of them a puzzled look, and they burst out laughing. “Sorry, we tend to fight in Swedish,” Sanna said, leaving Ville even more confused as they exited the shop before saying their goodbyes.
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“So, you learned Swedish so you can talk about me in secret, huh?” Ville grinned, lighting a cigarette as they slowly made their way back towards the metro station. Jaana smiled: “Don’t flatter yourself. We’re both native suomenruotsi (Finland Swedish) speakers. It’s what got us to bond in primary school. These days she’s one of the few people outside my family I always speak Swedish to, and sometimes it comes in useful, although I promise we weren't gossiping about you.” Jaana shook her head as she recalled Sanna's blatant questioning. “Oh, and my cats. They might not even speak Finnish,” she laughed.
“What are their names?” Ville asked, and Jaana hesitated. “You’re gonna call me stupid,” she said. “Come on, tell me!” Ville insisted. “They’re Stevie and Chris,” Jaana said, drawing a laugh from Ville after he paused briefly. “You named your cats after Fleetwood Mac?” “I told you before, Fleetwood Mac is the best band in the history of music,” Jaana said, causing Ville to laugh and shake his head. As they came to a halt in a quiet corner of the busy metro station, Jaana realised she'd have to find a way to possibly invite him back to her home without seeming too forward. “So now that Sanna’s not here to question you, what are you really doing tonight? Aren’t you supposed to go see Seppo at Tavastia now?” Jaana asked, Ville now standing directly in front of her. “I probably should. If I cancel on him, he might just kill me,” Ville said, causing Jaana to laugh. “But then again, I would also hate to turn down the chance to be in your company once more,” Ville continued, looking straight into Jaana’s eyes as he inched closer to her while she slowly backed up against the wall. “If that was what you were getting at, of course,” he quickly added. A hint of nervosity passed over her at the thought of inviting Ville into her home, but something about his company made her want to be close to him. “Possibly,” Jaana teased, smiling at him as his stare seemed to grow more intense by the second.
The tension that was a constant between them suddenly seemed to reached its peak, with Ville’s lips only inches away from hers. The metro station was filled with people who were so glad they were finally able to travel again that none of them paid much attention to their surroundings, and it was so crowded that Jaana and Ville blended in seamlessly. Ville couldn’t help but stare at her lips, debating if he was going to kiss her again – and just at that moment, Jaana interrupted him. Grinning, she said softly: “You want to put up another show for Seiska?” Ville smiled and rolled his eyes. “Fuck. Don't tempt me," he grinned, but his darkening eyes revealed his desire. "I do, and I don’t,” he said, one hand moving up to stroke Jaana’s neck, goosebumps forming on her skin. Just as Jaana looked back up into his eyes, he kissed her softly, hand moving down to stroke her back and pull her closer towards him.
“Why is it that I can’t stay away from you?” he mumbled against her lips. Jaana felt that familiar combination feeling of butterflies and fear wash over her, as she asked herself the very same question. Did she want to stay away from him? Being around him felt so good, but she couldn’t help but feel scared at the prospect of falling in love. “Do you want to?” she asked, running her hand through his hair and down the back of his neck as Ville rested his lips against her forehead. “No,” he said, pulling back, a soft smile on his lips, but his eyes had a serious glance in them. “No, I definitely don’t,” he grinned, whatever serious thought was bothering him seemingly gone.
“Well, you know, if you’re still up for some risotto, me and the cats would be happy to have you over,” Jaana said. Ville’s face lit up. “I’d really like that,” he said, his hand gently moving the loose strands of hair out of Jaana’s face before softly kissing her forehead. They agreed to meet at Jaana’s place, as Ville would need to make some quick calls with Tavastia and Seppo to make up for their missed appointment. Smiling, Jaana couldn’t deny the feeling of butterflies in her stomach as she got onto the metro and called Sanna.