Less talking | Maneskin |

Hierarchy

— Of course, it will stay between us only, - I nodded. Thomas looked back at the house to make sure nobody was about to come out, then turned at me.
— I have a dilemma, - he put out his cigarette,- there's a girl I've been seeing for a little while now. She's beautiful, fun to be around, we have a lot in common and I feel really good when we spend time together.
— That's wonderful to hear! - I got excited hearing it.
— But... - he sighed, - I don't know if her feelings towards me are genuine or not. Like, I feel she's only interested in me because I'm famous and... I don't know, I may be seeing things, but she seems to be very excited whenever I mention Damiano.
— Oh... - I had to think how to respond, - Maybe she just wants to meet your friends?
— I don't know... Wouldn't she have the same reaction when I mention others too? It's not the case. And you know, it's really hard to be me sometimes... - he looked at his hands.
— Why would you say that? - I asked worried.
— Because it is. I may be famous, I may play well, but I would be nothing without them, - he leaned his head towards the house.
— Stop this nonsense, - I turned his face to me, - I don't want to hear this bullshit. Why would you ever think that? Your guitar solos are out of this world! You play with so much passion that you would get recognised even if you would have never met them! - My heart broke seeing him so down and even more because of the things he said about himself.
— I love you, Sky, but let me explain, - he smiled a little.
— There's nothing to explain, stop putting yourself down, you're worth so much more.
— I may think of myself as highly as you can imagine, but being in a band comes with it's pros and cons, - he continued, - There's a hierarchy in every band. If it was up to us, we would all be equal, but unfortunately the audience puts us into place against our will. Someone always has to take the lowest spot and in our case that's me.
I wanted to object, but he silenced me.
— You can disagree all you want when I'm finished, okay? - he looked at me smiling and I nodded, although it was so hard to listen to his words.
— So, in our hierarchy Damiano takes the top, then it's Vic, Ethan and me. And although you would like to argue, we all have felt that so many times, we just came to accept it. It doesn't mean that Damiano thinks he's better than we are, he struggles as much as I do, because he never wanted to steal the spotlight to himself, - he looked at the house, to check if he could continue talking, - It's hard to be me, because I'm almost never somebody's first choice. Why have me when you could have Damiano? And if Damiano is not awailable, then there's Vic, who's really hot or if we're talking from a straight girl's perspective - Ethan, that charms everyone with his athletic body and perfect hair. I can't compete with their looks. I may have talent, but it's not enough to get someone to fall for you.
— Can I speak now? - I asked. Thomas nodded in response.
— I won't argue that Damiano gets the most attention. It's to be expected, because he's a vocalist. What I don't agree with is that you lack in your looks, because that's simply not true. It takes a really shallow person to only care about that vanity and fame. I think you just surrounded yourself with people who are not genuine. I was lucky enough to be in a state that made me not recognise who you are when I first met you, rmember? - I chuckled.
— Oh yeah, - he laughed too,
— And let me tell you, I definitely didn't care to rate you from best to worst then. I saw who you are, I got to know you and I really liked you. Even the second time we met here, I was very pleasantly surprised at how friendly you were and you honestly made my day brighter, because Ethan was intimidating and stone cold to me, - I giggled again, lifting my eyes to see what others were doing. 
— I know it would be different if people formed an opinion about us when they got to know us, but you know it's easier said than done now, - he shrugged, smiling.
— Yes, but it doesn't mean you have to doubt every person that shows interest in you. You might push away the love of your life. By the way, did she do something today? The sudden shift in your emotion...
— We texted a little and when I mentioned I'm having a dinner with my friends she asked if Damiano's with me, - he rolled his eyes.
— Ohh... - I bit my lip, - Well, it seems weird for sure. Did you ever confront her about this?
— I didn't. I know I probably should, I'm just procrastinating, because I know I may get hurt...
— Hey, I know it's hard, but if she's with you just to get closer to Damiano, it will be good riddance anyway. Did you tell Damiano still has a wife and a girlfriend? - I nudged him playfully and he widened his eyes.
— I wasn't expecting you to joke about that, - he chuckled.
— Well, it won't disappear if I cry over it, so I might as well make fun of it then, - I laughed.
— Of course I didn't tell her. If she ran to the media with that info...
— Yeah, I can imagine... - I sighed.
— Thank you for listening, it's actually easier now, - he smiled at me.
— You're welcome, - I responded happy.
— I think I will talk to her about this tomorrow and for now, - he switched off his phone, - I should give my attention to you all. Let's go? - he stood up and offered me a hand. I took it and we went back inside.

*THE DAY OF SKY'S FLIGHT HOME*

— I hate that I can't go with you, - Damiano said, zipping my suitcase.

— I know, baby, I will miss you so much... - I felt like crying already and we weren't even at the airport yet. 

— Well, let's not forget it's only ten days, not a month and you will have a fun time with your family that misses you a lot, - he hugged me smiling. I knew this separation may be even harder for him than for me, but he tried to stay positive and hide his sadness. 

We got to the airport too early, but I couldn't handle waiting around at the house, because every minute spent there made me want to cancel my flight. Vic brought me some gifts to give to my family as I completely forgot to take care of that and buying something from "Duty free" felt like not buying anything to me. 
— So you have one transfer in Spain, right? - Ethan made sure, checking my tickets.
— Yeah, just a two hour wait, nothing big, - I smiled, but felt the nervousness begin to rise in me.
It continued to rise until it was time to say goodbye. I dreaded that moment. I hugged Victoria and we stood like that for a while. Then it was time for Thomas.
— Text or call me if you need any advice, - I whispered into his ear while hugging him tightly.
— I will, have a safe flight, - he chuckled.
I turned to Ethan and he opened his arms for me. I got squeezed like always.
— Be safe and text me when you land. Both times. - He said, planting a kiss on top of my head.
Damiano was the hardest one. I wrapped my arms around him and immediately felt the tears, I tried to suppress, stream down my cheeks.
— Heyy, baby don't cry, you should be happy now, - he wiped my cheeks, but I saw him struggling too. 
— I would be if all of you came with me, - I smiled, a little embarassed.
— It's okay, only ten days, we will survive, - he smiled, - Now kiss me and go, don't be late.
I did as he asked, pulling him into a deep kiss. I know it sounds dramatic, but it felt like I was kissing him for the last time, so I wanted to make it count. I reluctantly let go of him when the speakers called passengers from my flight. 
— Text us when you land in Spain! - Damiano called after me waving.
— I will! - I nodded.

...

"Okay I'm about to board the plane now" I texted Damiano one last time, standing in a queue by the plane, in the heat of Madrid. Although the flight to Spain wasn't long, I already felt tired and knowing the longer one is still ahead of me, I wanted to  get to my seat as fast as possible, so I could skip that time sleeping. 


*DAMIANO'S POV*

I felt relieved when she texted me about her safe landing in Madrid. I don't know why, since this morning I had a bad feeling about this whole trip. I knew it may be because I just didn't want to let go of her, even if it's just ten days of not seeing each other, so I didn't tell her anything, because I saw she needed so little to actually cancel her plans. I knew she missed her family, maybe even more than her family missed her, so I decided to do everything I could to make her feel better. 

Once she boarded the second plane, I got paranoid again. It's stupid, I know, but I couldn't shake that bad feeling inside of me, so I turned on every possible media channel, to run in the background. I couldn't focus on doing anything, so I just sat in my balcony, smoking cigarette after cigarette, passing the time. 

Three and a half hours passed and it felt like a year. I knew it was still about an hour before her landing, but it made me breathe easier. At least until I heard a radio report.

"Breaking news: An Airbus A320 plane operating as American Airlines Flight 8608 having 180 people on board including crew, crashed in the Pacific ocean. According to reports, the Airbus A320 plane made one landing attempt that the pilot decided to abort. A senior aviation official told the news media that the plane had a technical issue. We do not have any information about the fatality of the crash yet. We will update you as soon as we get more information."