I woke up the next morning still wrapped up tightly in Richard's arms. He was snoring softly, and muttered in his sleep when I gently wriggled free. I pulled a hoodie on and smoothed my hair back, grimacing as I recalled the foam that was still plastered in it. It seemed that I would have to pay the ridiculous amount of money they charged for a shower, and wait in the stupidly long queue. I dug right into the bottom of my camping rucksack, and pulled out my emergency supply of travel sized shampoo, conditioner and bodywash. I put them all into a smaller bag, along with clean underwear and clothes. By the time I was finished, Richard was awake and watching me.

"Good morning." I smiled, crawling over and leaning forwards to give him a kiss.

"Hi." He grinned back. His hair was messy, but he looked absolutely perfect. "What's that you're packing?" He asked, nodding at my bag.

"I need a shower." I shrugged. "I didn't realise how badly I smell until you were next to me all clean! Plus, Till's foam has made my hair sticky." I pulled a face. He laughed at my last comment, and maneuvered free of the blankets. He pulled on the items of clothing he had lost the night before, and we climbed out of the tent into the fresh morning air. We walked towards the communal area between the tents and sat down near to the few people who were up early or hadn't been to bed yet. Richard shuffled his seat closer to mine, and lit up a cigarette as I rummaged in my bag for cereal bars and cartons of juice. I handed him some breakfast and opened mine, smiling at him as he took my hand. Sitting a little bit away from us, my friend Sarah and a girl called Mhairi who had travelled down with her waved, and I beckoned them over to come say hi.

"Morning." I grinned at them as they pulled up a couple of chairs. They greeted us back and nodded at Richard, who smiled back. Sarah pulled out a cigarette and motioned to Richard for a light. He let go of my hand briefly to pull his lighter from his pocket then took it back again quickly, folding his fingers through mine and rubbing my thumb gently with his. He seemed content to sit, eat his cereal bar and smoke, so I spoke to Sarah and Mhairi for a little while. Things with Mhairi were a bit strained due to a personal falling out, but we were civil enough to each other while we were in the same crowd. After a while, I decided that I really did need a shower, and Sarah decided to join me. I asked her where Emily had slept the previous night - I assumed she had decided against trying to share a tent with Richard and I - and she jerked her thumb towards David's tent which was still fastened securely shut. I giggled and shook my head - between David and Jay, Emily was surely getting her pick of good men at this festival. But, I thought, stealing a look at Richard's profile, I think I'm definitely the most lucky out of us both.

We groaned when we reached the shower area, as the queue was already quite long. Richard decided against waiting with us, intending to meet up with his bandmates for a proper breakfast and to get an update as to what their plans were, as they had a few more festivals to play around Europe in the next couple of weeks. He kissed me gently goodbye and promised to call me later. As soon as he was out of earshot - beanie hat on and hood up, very inconspicuous - Sarah started to bombard me with questions, all of which I answered as much as I could.

"So, that's the famous Richard then?" She asked, wiggling her perfect eyebrows at me. "He's much hotter in person. So, what's the story?"

"I met him yesterday, before they played...he gave a couple of us VIP passes because he felt bad for me falling." She laughed at the fact that I fell, I was definitely the clumsy one. "Nothing has happened." I insisted as she pushed more more details. "He kind of...has a girlfriend." Her face immediately transformed into a picture of indignated anger, so I quickly assured her that the situation was under control and would all be sorted out soon.

"Well." She shrugged. "He better not mess you around. Famous rock star or not, I'll rip his fucking balls off." I laughed at the ferocious way she said that.

"I don't think he will...he seems sincere." I said uncertainly. "But I don't exactly have the best track record with guys, do I?" She rolled her eyes.

"That's because you go for the immature ones. How old is Richard?"

"46." I answered. "But age is no accounting for maturity."

"True." She agreed. "Just wait and see how it goes I suppose. I can't believe it, you're fucking a famous musician!"

"Nope, not yet!" I disagreed.

"Seriously?!" She exclaimed. "You spent all night in a tent, were acting like a pair of newly weds this morning, and you've not slept with him? I don't believe you!"

"He refused to let me be 'the other woman'." I explained, and she looked impressed.

"Wow." She thought for a second. "Yep, he's a keeper!"

Shortly we reached the front of the queue and each made our way to a cubicle. I locked the door behind me and put my bag on the fold down shelf. I turned the water on and stripped, pulling a face as I realised just how bad I smelled. I took out my shampoo, conditioner and body wash and stepped under the stream of hot water, enjoying the feeling of it running over my body and through my hair, rinsing some of the excess dirt from it. I shampooed twice, conditioned, then washed myself twice, taking the time to shave and brush my teeth thoroughly. I dried off and moisturised, then got dressed into clean clothes. Stepping outside, Sarah was waiting for me, and we went over to the adjoining tent that had mini dressing tables containing hairdriers, straighteners and mirrors. Taking full advantage, I blow dried and straightened my hair, did my makeup carefully and plucked a few stray hairs from my eyebrows. Satisfied, I gathered up my belongings and Sarah and I returned to the camping ground. We threw our bags back into our respective tents and went back to our seats. There were loads more people up and about now, and we started to decide on our plans for the day. There weren't many bands I wanted to see, other than Slipknot who were headlining that evening, so I was happy to go along with what everyone else wanted to do.

We spent most of the day in the arena, watching a few bands and going on the fairground rides, and at around 2:30 I got a call from Richard to meet him at the entrance to the backstage area. I figured I'd bring a couple of friends, so I asked Sarah and Emily to come along with me. Emily immediately sent a message to Jay to say she would be around if he wanted a drink, and Sarah complained that she hadn't met a rockstar for herself yet, which made us laugh. Richard and Paul were waiting for us, and indicated for the three of us to get wristbands from the security guy at the gate before we came in. When we reached them, I asked why we needed wristbands today when we hadn't the night before, and Paul explained that there was a huge post-festival after party that night that all the bands who had stayed would be going to, and lanyards were too easily misplaced. I nodded and gave them both a hug hello. Emily hugged Richard and waved and Paul, and Sarah was unusually reserved and just said a quiet hello. We wandered around the backstage area for a while, Rammstein's huge convoy of vehicles were gone and there were a few others in their place, presumably from the bands who were playing that day. A band I didn't recognise were playing, and I nodded my head to the beat. Joining me in enjoying the music, Paul took my hand and started to spin me around, and dance with me as if we were in a ballroom. We goofed around for a while, making the others laugh with our antics. After a while Richard grabbed me around the waist and lifted me up, away from Paul and wrapped me in his arms. "Mine." He joked, miming shooing Paul away. Paul pouted theatrically, making Emily and Sarah laugh again. He grinned cheerfully and continued dancing by himself until we reached the others.

Schneider and Olli were deep in conversation with a couple of people I didn't recognise, Flake was nowhere to be seen and Till was standing with someone who I vaguely recognised but couldn't put a name to. Sarah went round introducing herself to all the Rammstein boys, and they all happily posed for pictures with her which Emily took. I grabbed a round of beers from the nearby stall and we all sat down to have a catch up. A man I didn't really know sat with us all, and they started to discuss their future shows - I correctly assumed that he was their manager. They conversed in German for a while, and the three of us girls soon got bored and went for a walk around to see who we could find. We found the boys from Bullet for my Valentine again, looking much more sober this time, and hung out with them for a while, taking more pictures and generally having a good time. Emily and Jay still seemed friendly, and I caught Moose's eye once or twice and nodded approvingly towards them. We said goodbye and moved along, enjoying our girly bonding time and pointing out hot guys, Sarah playfully rebuking us saying we had plenty hotness to do the both of us and leave some for her.

After an hour or so we made our way back to where Rammstein were sitting. We had met and taken pictures with Papa Roach, HIM, Five Finger Death Punch and Joey Jordison from Slipknot. We had seen Corey Taylor walking around too but none of us had the courage to approach him! We laughed at that, put us in front of six hulking Germans - well, five plus Paul! - and we were cool and collected, but threaten us with Corey Taylor and we turned into typical girls! The official Rammstein talks seemed to be over, and I immediately walked towards Richard and Paul. They were so cute as friends, they seemed to genuinely enjoy each other's company. Both men greeted me warmly, Paul with a hug and Richard with a kiss. He snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me to his side, subtly smelling my hair as he did so.

"You smell nice." He commented, smiling down at me.

"It's called 'clean'." I joked, earning a chuckle from Paul.

"Hey, a tattoo!" He exclaimed, pointing at my arm, which was more exposed today than it had been previously.

"Yep." I laughed, shifting around so he could see it more clearly. "I have a few."

"Can I see?" He asked, genuinely interested. "Only the ones it's appropriate to see!" He said, holding his hands up in mock-surrender to Richard. I shrugged and pulled my vest top off so I was wearing only my bra, making it easier to show them off. I pointed to each as I explained them.

"Your band logo, with roses on my shoulder; Sonne lyrics on the inside of my upper arm;" I blushed as I realised I had quite a few tattoos inspired by them and wondered if they thought it strange. Lifting my arm so they could see the piece that snaked up my side, I explained; "Vines and roses from Bullet for my Valentine with "Bittersweet Memories" lyrics; pendulum on a chain, inspired by Nightwish on the back of my neck...;" I pulled my top back on and lifted my skirt up a couple of inches so they could see the final one, "and an Amaryllis, inspired by Shinedown."

"You do love your music." Richard commented, pulling me back to him when I had readjusted my clothing.

"I do." I agreed.

"I like them." Paul stated. "Sometimes, on a woman, they can be too much. But yours are beautiful, and very well done."

"Thanks, Paul." I accepted his compliments graciously.

"You're beautiful." Richard said quietly to me.

"Aww," I laughed, kissing him gently.

"You two are cute." Sarah said, walking over to join us.

"I know." We both said at the same time, then started to laugh. Paul shook his head at us.

"Two days, and they're speaking the same things." He sighed. Something caught his attention at the other table, and he waved bye to us and left. Sarah took this opportunity to leave also, and started up a conversation with Schneider, leaving Richard and us to have a quiet moment to ourselves.

He led me over to an empty bench and pulled me onto his lap. "So." He started, wrapping his arms around me. "I had a talk today, with Margaux, about what we discussed last night."

"Over the phone?" I cut in, dismayed. I thought he would at least wait until he was home in Berlin and talk to her face to face.

"Don't worry." He said soothingly. "She was fine. I phoned to talk to my daughter, and in fact she brought it up. So we are no longer together - she was as unhappy as me, it turns out." He shrugged. "So don't worry your head, it was amicable, and alles gut."

"So." I sounded so much like he did saying that, that we shared a smile. "Where does that leave us, then?"

"I hope that leaves us free to start our relationship." He grinned. "If you still want to, of course."

"Of course." I agreed, bending my head to meet his kiss.

***

Hours later, after the final fireworks had been set off to indicate the end of another amazing festival, we were all backstage - Emily, Sarah, Billy, David and I - drinking and having a good time surrounded by some of the people we most looked up to. Someone had brought out an acoustic guitar, and it was being passed around between people who wished to play. I borrowed Billy's camera and snapped a few shots. Schneider, Paul and Sarah deep in drunken conversation about who knows what; Emily and Jay getting cuddled up inside the same hoodie (they were both so small that it worked remarkably well); David, Billy and Till telling jokes and taking shots, and a few of Richard that I snapped while he wasn't looking: one of him smoking while looking into the distance, another of him focused intently on playing the acoustic guitar.

Eventually I returned the camera to Billy and went back to my place by Richard's side and cuddled into him, noticing that it was getting distinctly colder the later it got. He took off his hoodie and wrapped it around me. It smelled of him - cigarettes, cologne and his own distinct smell, and I inhaled it happily. I wished we could stay like that for longer, but in reality we would be leaving the festival tomorrow. I would be returning to Scotland, and he would be travelling to his next country and venue.

"How are we going to do this?" I asked him seriously. He looked down at me, I was mostly on his lap and had the back of my head resting against his shoulder.

"We will have to take it as it comes." He replied. "Long distance can and will work. When we are finished touring, I'll visit you in Scotland, you can visit me in Berlin, and eventually, who knows?" He shrugged. "Nothing is certain, but we will make it work if we want to."

"I want to." I said softly.

"Me too." He responded, catching me in his green-blue gaze, leaning down to kiss me. It started off as a gentle kiss, but soon deepened, and soon he had one hand on my back of my head and the other supporting my back, while I had my hands on the side of his face. Without breaking the kiss, he stood up and clumsily, I rose too. I wrapped my legs around his waist and his hands supported my ass and held me close to him. He broke the kiss long enough to hoarsely say: "We'll be back," to whoever happened to be listening, then, still carrying me, hurried to the tour bus that they would be leaving in early the next morning.

He somehow opened the door without dropping me, then nearly tripped up the stairs. We were laughing as we reached the bunk that was presumably his, he pulled back the curtain and unceremoniously tipped me in, following soon after. I lay back and he leaned over me, kissing me once more, more urgently this time, almost frantic. I wriggled out of his hoodie, kicking my shoes off at the same time. He sat up long enough to remove his tshirt and I ran my hands down his chest, feeling the firm muscles and the heat of his skin. He tugged at the bottom of my vest top and it came off too, swiftly followed by my bra and jeans. I tried to unfasten his belt buckle, but my traitorous hands were shaking too much. He took over smoothly, kicking off his jeans and moving his attention to my neck, my chest and my stomach, kissing, licking and nipping me gently. My fingernails were tracing patterns along his back and shoulders, eyes closed and enjoying the sensations and the feeling of anticipation building up inside me. My eyes opened when he paused, and he was looking intently at me, as if gauging my reaction. I put my hand to his cheek and pulled his face to mine without breaking eye contact. I arched my back as he removed my underwear. He leaned back and shuffled out of his own, and positioned himself between my legs. He met my gaze again and slowly eased himself into me, the intensity with which he watched my eyes almost taking my breath away. I moaned quietly as he fully entered me and he took that as permission to continue, increasing his pace a little, still watching my face. I pulled his face back down to mine, wrapping my legs around his waist as I did so. He kissed his way from my mouth, along my jaw and down my neck, burying his face between my neck and shoulder, panting softly as he increased his pace once more.

I tangled my fingers through his hair, my other hand clasping his shoulder. His strength was ever present but he handled me so gently, as if I would break. We were trapped in our own world, kissing and tasting as much of each other as we could, trying to capture as much as we could to see us through our inevitable time apart. At one point I was so overwhelmed by the intensity that I felt tears leak from my eyes against my will. He wiped them away with his thumb and murmered "don't cry, baby..." softly by my ear.

Some time later we lay tangled together, a sheet wrapped haphazardly around both of us. My head was on his chest and the sound of his steady heartbeat was enough to lull me to sleep. However, we had to get back to our friends, and we dressed leisurely, stealing kisses and touches when the urge struck us.

No one said much when we returned, though Sarah gave me a smile and a wink when she caught my eye. Richard and I resumed our seats as before and I settled myself between his legs. Emily and Jay brought us over drinks, and I observed how they were around each other. Jay watched her protectively, his hand often on her back and he watched her intently as she spoke to Richard and I. As an older sister, it made me happy. Richard also seemed to like Jay, they chatted easily and I chuckled as they spoke about maybe-one-day touring together. Bullet for my Valentine and Rammstein in the same night...could anyone cope with such awesomeness? When I said as much, Emily replied: "Maybe if Halestorm supported too, then our heads would all explode."

"Lzzy is hot." Jay observed, earning himself an elbow in the ribs and laughter from Richard and I. As the hours passed, Richard's grip around my waist tightened almost subconsciously, we were both aware that we would soon be going our separate ways, at least for a while.

"Where are you going to play next?" Emily asked, setting down between Jay's legs in a reflection of the position Richard and I were in.

"Err...Germany. We have a few shows there, then we're going to Sweden, Finland, Belgium, France, Bulgaria, Romania, then back to Germany." He counted off the countries on his fingers.

"Wow." She said, impressed.

"Yeah...we get days off here and there, the whole festival tour takes us to the beginning of August." He started playing with strands of my hair, making me shiver.