When Kaija was offering her final bows to the audience after finishing her performance, she caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the furthest back row.
With her 10/10 vision, it wasn't hard for her to tell it was Juho Isota. She could see the small black bag Juho always carried everywhere, along with the black leather jacket he always wore to their weekly photoshoots.
Though everyone else was on their feet, Juho remained seated coolly. He was alone among the empty red chairs, arms folded in front of him like he refused to join the crowd cheering for her.
Not that Kaija was upset Juho didn't appreciate her performance. What surprised her was the memory of asking him, during their shoot just a week ago, whether he'd come to see the festival.
"I'm not a fan of crowded places," Juho'd said nonchalantly when he packed his gear.
Kaija paused briefly at the memory, before quickly retreating backstage.
