Chapter Text
As soon as I purchased the magazine from the shop, I practically sprinted to Robbe’s flat. Now… The only problem with that was, I would not consider myself to be particularly athletic. So, by the time I got to there, I was completely out of breath. I was also quite sweaty, the hair sticking to my forehead in a very unattractive way, yet Robbe did not seem to mind one bit. He greeted me with the same enthusiasm as always, stepping forwards and capturing my mouth in a sweet kiss, gripping the back of my neck lightly, not even mentioning the damp skin underneath his fingers.
“Hey, baby.” He said softly, once he had pulled away, “You ok?”
“It finally came!” I answered, too excited to hold it back any longer.
I flashed the magazine in front of his face, probably moving it around so much that he most likely could not even read what it was. But he seemed to figure it out anyway, matching my mood perfectly.
He then tore the item out of my hands (though carefully so that he wouldn’t crumple the pages) and walked off in the direction of his room, already thumbing through to find where my interview was.
“Guess I’ll invite myself in, then.” I muttered, rolling my eyes fondly, as I stepped into the flat and shut the door behind me.
I shrugged off my jacket and left my shoes by the rack, before heading in Robbe’s direction. It always made my stomach flip with happiness when I hung my coat up at his place. For many other people it was just a normal act, but round there it was just a reminder of how loved I was. All three of them had agreed to make room for me, since I was around so much. So, when I came there was always a hook free and a space to put my stuff. It was a small act but one that meant so much.
“What took you so long?” Robbe asked when I finally sat down next to him.
I poked him in his side, tickling him lightly and making him squeal.
“Well, if Mr Speedy Gonzales hadn’t run off and left me in the hallway, maybe you wouldn’t be moaning…”
“Oh, shut up.” He scoffed, elbowing me in retaliation, “I just couldn’t wait to read your interview!”
I settled into his side, making myself comfortable, “Ok, shall we read it together then?”
He nodded, turning the magazine so that I could see. To be honest, I was half expecting him to tease me about not needing to look at it, considering I was the one who gave the answers. But I think he was just so hyped up about reading it that the thought did not even occur to him.
So, I turned my eyes to the pages and began to read.
As many people know, recently the real person behind the pen name ‘Earthling Oddity’ was recently revealed. Sander Driesen is an incredibly talented author, one who has had many successes with his fantasy series and one who has many more in the works. We were very lucky to have him agree to this interview, so many thanks to him for being able to make this happen!
- Just to start, I would like to congratulate you on everything, you are a very talented writer!
Thank you so much!
Though I do think that it was unfair that you had to be shoved into the spotlight. So, we do appreciate you agreeing to do this interview. We would have understood if you had declined.
Yeah, it was something that I struggled with at first, but I have been slowly getting used to this new normal. I was actually a bit taken aback when I first saw your request, I had obviously never been asked to do an interview before, so it was totally unexpected.
Leading on from that… You said that you struggled, do you have anything to say to the person that may have caused that? Or people that spread the information?
I have made my piece with the situation and the person that did it. Not to say that I have forgiven them, but I have moved on. As for other people… I think that when it first happened, I was mad at everyone for sharing it around and wished that they wouldn’t. But, hey, that’s just social media, right? There is nothing I, or you, can say that would change the way people are on there.
It was interesting that you mentioned the person that did it, care to comment more on that?
Not really. If you are going to ask me who it was, I wouldn’t bother. They might have pushed me into the public eye, but I have no intentions of doing the same to them. It was a terrible thing to go through and I wouldn’t wish that on them, despite the way they acted.
- You have made a name for yourself in the fantasy genre. Would you say this is your favourite or is there another that you prefer when reading?
I actually really love fantasy; it was one of the main reasons why I wrote it. I found that it was easier for me to write from something that I felt comfortable with and since I had read many fantasy books from so many other fantastic authors, it came quite naturally.
I agree, it seems like you write with such ease.
[Laughs] well I can assure you; it is not always like that in the process. Though the end result might seem that way, there are lots of steps that make it happen. I have so many thanks for my editors, they are truly such a big help.
- Since you said you love to write and read fantasy, would you ever consider writing something of a different genre?
Oh, yeah, definitely. In fact, the new series that I am writing has no supernatural elements in it at all, it is more romantic. So, it’s quite new for me, but it is another thing that I have drawn from real life experiences, so it actually came more naturally than I first expected it to.
Is there anything else you can tell us about your new books? Any teasers that you are able to share?
I’m not sure about that [laughs] I don’t want to spoil it for anyone planning on reading it.
Ok, well you said you drew from your own experiences. Would you feel comfortable if I asked what those were?
Yes, that’s completely fine. I got the idea when I was with my boyfriend. Before then I had been struggling for ideas, but it just hit me that he was the greatest story that I could tell… Or rather, the story of us and our love. It is loosely based around that.
So, would you say that your boyfriend is a big inspiration for you?
He really is. Robbe is truly one of the people that push me to be better. When I am writing there is just this voice in my head – his voice that just helps a lot. It might sound weird, but that is the only way I can really explain it. He is just my biggest cheerleader and my biggest fan in the world and I’m grateful to have him in my corner.
- Are there any characters in your series that you based off yourself or someone that you know?
Actually, yeah. The character of Rini I kind of based off myself, in terms of the mental health issues. I have bipolar, so I thought it would be interesting for one of the characters to have a battle within themselves, something that they think they have to try and repress and struggle to control when not handled correctly. And the character of Juul is basically all modelled off my boyfriend. He was the main inspiration for her. All of his amazing personality traits went into fabricating who she was as a person, all of the courageous, headstrong, powerful stuff that she is made of… That’s him.
- Some of your readers were positively surprised when a romance brewed between Rini and Juul. Was it always your intention to have them end up together?
Contrary to popular belief, no. In the planning stages, they were supposed to just be best friends and I was going to create another character to be her love interest but once I started writing I thought it would be better to put the two of them together. Thankfully, the readers seem to agree.
- Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to your readers?
I guess just a massive thank you because, as cliché as it sounds, I would be nowhere without them, just another no name author. They have helped make my wildest dreams possible, I am so incredibly grateful. Especially to my biggest fan.
As soon as Robbe finished, he flung the magazine to the opposite side of the bed out of harm’s way. At first, I was not sure why, but it became very apparent when he rolled and flung himself on top of me, grinning so widely it looked like his face was about to split in two.
“I am so proud of you.” He confessed in a whisper, bumping our noses together.
“You are?” I asked, not expecting the tone to sound so hopeful.
Robbe nodded, “Of course! This was your first interview; it shows just how far you have come. To think, when all of this started, you wouldn’t even leave your flat and now you are a big star doing interviews…”
I laughed as he spoke, “Well I wouldn’t call myself a star.”
“I would. You’re my star.”
And did Robbe really expect me not to kiss him when said such sweet things? I lifted my head up, pressing my mouth against his, though not as delicately as I normally did. I kissed him with passion, pouring out the gratitude I felt for him. Because everything I had said in that interview was true, he was my biggest supporter, and I could not appreciate him enough.
I clung to his hair, pulling just slightly to feel him gasp. The sound always managed to send a shiver down my spine, and I was sure that he noticed every single time.
“I might have one thing to say about the interview, though.” He mumbled against my lips.
I pulled away to let him speak, raising an eyebrow as an indication for him to continue.
“You spent almost half of it talking about me… Surely you should have spent it talking about yourself?”
I considered his words for a second, “I don’t see it that way. It was actually hard not to talk about you the entire time, how could I not when you are one of the most important people in my life?”
“God, you are so cute.” He said, fisting his hand in my shirt and dragging me back towards him.
Robbe was so shy most of the time, cautious and sometimes bordering on unsure. I loved him for it, don’t get me wrong. It was totally endearing, and it was one of the things that made me fall for him in the first place. But when he had those waves of confidence, it completely took my breath away.
I could feel his hands on me, squeezing my arms and fingers wandering down my chest. It was entirely encompassing, and I just knew that he had completely ruined me for anyone else. There was no way that anyone else would ever be able to touch me, kiss me, love me as deeply, as much as Robbe. I would never be able to let him go, not that I ever had any intention of doing that anyway, but it was like this dawning moment that I just realised I truly would never be able to live without him.
Robbe must have noticed me gripping him harder, my fingers pressing into his back, as he stopped to look me in the eyes. Deep coffee and caramel staring deep into my soul.
“You alright?” he asked, brushing the hair off my face carefully.
I nodded, bringing him into a hug, prompting Robbe to bury his face in my neck.
“I’m great.” I replied, “How could I not be when I have you? We should just stay here forever, that would be more than enough for me.”
He smiled, the movement of it pressing against my skin.
“Oh, yeah? You want to stay here with Zoë and Milan?”
Shaking my head, I said, “No. Just you and me, right here.”
Robbe considered the proposition for a moment, before nodding. His hair tickled me, but I didn’t care one bit.
“That sounds like a good plan. I would love to spend my forever with you.”
“Great, because there is no place that I’d rather be than by your side.”