Tom Kaulitz

It was the end of a long workday. Tokio Hotel's concert had just ended, the hall was gradually emptying, and the long-awaited silence had finally returned backstage.
I went about my work business, checking the equipment and collecting the remaining things.
The group members had already dispersed, but Tom remained behind for some reason.
I noticed him sitting apart from the others. He was holding a bottle of water and staring straight ahead, completely different from the confident man whom thousands of people had seen on stage just minutes earlier.
I decided not to disturb him.
But after a few minutes he came up to me himself.

• Tired?
  I nodded.
  He chuckled and leaned against the wall nearby.
  The conversation began completely by chance. We talked about the concert, music, the road, and a little bit of everything. Tom gradually became calmer, sometimes smiling, and sometimes falling silent for long periods, as if he simply wanted to be with someone for a while without any unnecessary noise.
  There was almost no one left behind the scenes.
  I looked at my watch.
  — Don't you have to go?
  Tom shrugged.
• Maybe.
  But for some reason he was in no hurry to leave.
  After a few seconds he looked at me and smiled slightly.
  — You know... after evenings like these, you especially want to have someone nearby with whom you can just be silent.
  He paused for a moment and then added:
• So, if you don’t mind, I’ll stay a little longer.