Chapter Text
Ai Coração
[pt] a term of endearment that translates to "My Sweetheart" in English
Blanka had been called up by her manager for over a couple of times now. Something about an event at a nightclub that she got invited to perform in. For all she knows, they'll make her sing "Solo" and only "Solo". When Celine Dion once said "If I just count how many times I've sung it, maybe it'll get me sick. If she feels tired just hearing it, and, like, throwing up, I'm glad she was not the one singing it." when she was asked about how often she sang "My Heart Will Go On", Blanka felt that. This entire thought of being asked to perform is making her sick because all she ever does is perform "Solo". The only reason why she agreed to do the preparties and Eurovision is because those events were already pre-scheduled unlike this nightclub event that was brought up to her at such a short time's notice.
Blanka decided that she wanted to flee for a while - which is why she found herself on a platform in Warsaw's main train station. She decided to take a random train out of Warsaw in hopes that she could clear up her mind for a while and her management will finally give up and tell the nightclub that Blanka isn't available to perform on the evening of that day. The random train took her east of Poland, into a place called Garwolin. A place whose name she only encountered in her social studies books. A place that seemed insignificant to most Polish people other than the ones who live there.
Eventually, her train made it to Garwolin and she decided to walk around aimlessly and for once, feel like a normal person. That was until some old lady approached her and told her that she was being invited to a wedding.
"But why?" Blanka asked the old lady.
"Why not?" The old lady answered, "There's no such thing as having too much wedding guests here. Come on!"
"Alright..." Blanka answered. At least she'll be at a social event where she doesn't have to perform. Simply a guest. She liked that.
"You can't wear that!" A woman in her mid-30s told Blanka after the old lady had taken Blanka with her to a house where the bride was presumably staying in.
"Well do you have anything that I could wear to the wedding?" Blanka asked the woman in her mid-30s.
"Dorota, I think she'll look good in this!" The old lady tetlls the woman in her mid-30s as she shows a white lace dress to her.
"Babcia..." Dorota tells the old lady who turned out to be her grandmother, "...that looks perfect!"
"Wouldn't I end up outshining the bride?" Blanka asked in a concerned tone.
"No you won't!" Dorota answered, "Trust us, you look beautiful in this dress and the bride won't be upset about it."
"Well, if you say so..." Blanka said.
Blanka took a good look at the dress she was given. It was a long dress whose base fabric is satin and the same dress was overlaid with lace. It looked like one of those long dresses from the 2005 remake of Pride and Prejudice. Perhaps this dress in her hands was an antique once owned by the old lady who invited her to the wedding. She decided that the dress looked good and she should go with wearing it to the wedding she got invited to.
Next thing Blanka knew, she found herself on the back of the aisle in the Collegiate church of Transfiguration. There was a white curtain that separated her from the rest of the aisle. Why she was not allowed to go take a seat was a mystery to her. Perhaps one of the bridesmaids had backed out and she was there to stand in for the bridesmaid who did not make it.
Somebody tapped her on the shoulder and it was none other than Agata Starsiak.
"Hey, congratulations on your wedding!" Agata told her cheerfully.
"What do you mean about that?" Blanka asked in a hushed tone.
"You're getting married to Jan Rozmanowski, remember?" A woman, presumably one of the childhood friends of this Jan Rozmanowski, told her.
"Every woman in Poland wishes they were you right now." Agata told Blanka, "You are so lucky that you're about to marry Jan."
"I don't understand..." Blanka spoke, "Who is this Jan Rozmanowski? Where did I meet him?"
"Sweetie, you literally met him inside the Telewizja Polska studios." Agata told her, "Don't you remember?"
Then it hit her that this Jan Rozmanowski that she was about to marry was none other than the man who lost to her in Tu Bije Serce Europy (at least that's what TVP likes to make its viewers think - but reality is way different from that and even Edyta Gorniak knows).
Everything went like a haze to her - she was walking down the aisle
Jann was there at the other end of the aisle ready to meet her
Then the Priest made his entrance and the wedding mass had started
Somewhere in the middle, they exchanged vows
And before she knew it, she was now about to kiss the man she had just married
"I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Rozmanowski." The Priest announces, then he follows it up, saying, "You may now kiss the bride."
"Is this for real?" Blanka asks Jann, who is now her husband.
"It's as real as it can be, Ai Coração." Jann tells her.
"In Polish?" Blanka asks him, wondering what Ai Coração meant
"Moj skarbie..." Jann answers
Blanka and Jann are about to kiss when...
...Her alarm clock suddenly rang, jolting her awake
"K*rwa..." Blanka said to herself, "I thought that was real!"
Then she looked at her phone to see if she's got any important messages...
...and true enough, there was an important message for her to read
Sender: J. Rozmanowski
Blanka, you left your jacket in the studio yesterday. It's with me. I'll give it back to you later at the practice.
"Japierdole!" Blanka yelled, "I can't believe I left my jacket in the studio and its now with him!"
First, she dreams of marrying Jann and next, it turns out the man she married in her dreams has her jacket. Not just any jacket of hers but her favorite one. The one that she had been wearing since she first debuted as a singer back in the early 2010s.
Blanka hurriedly started with her day because she wanted to be at the studio as early as possible to get her jacket back before anyone...especially Agustin Egurrola, notices that her jacket has ended up with Jann. She was not about to let the people who have already ruined her career find ways to ruin it even further for her. In this case, Agustin might get Jann fired if he found out that Jann has her jacket - and she was not about to let that happen.
A part of her has developed a soft spot for Jann, and its only been a day since they first worked together.
Maybe working with him wasn't so bad, after all.