Pier

Klaus felt a sense of relief as he moved away from the crowd and got into the van. The buzz of the press still echoed in his ears, but now he could finally relax a little.

As the van began to move through the busy streets of Los Angeles towards the hotel, Klaus settled into the seat with a deep sigh and his cell phone began to vibrate frantically. Klaus took his cell phone out of his pocket and noticed that there were several unread messages. The most recent caught his eye:

'Ashley' flashed on the display.

He smiled, remembering his girlfriend, who had been incredibly understanding throughout the tournament, giving him space to concentrate on the competition. Immediately, he pressed the call button to make a call to her.

"Hello, love." He said as he answered the call, trying to sound calmer than he felt.