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In the midst of it all, Eric encounters a woman as mysterious as she is unpredictable. As passion and paranoia collide, Eric struggles to balance a growing fascination with the fear of a truth he perhaps should never uncover. Is her love a chance at happiness—or a death sentence?.. (Image generated by AI-Midjourney)

A story of desire, deception, and the perilous path between love and chaos. Would you dare to know the secret, even if it costs you your life?

On substack

COFFEE BREAK – SHORT STORY: »If I tell you, I might have to kill you. « Eric smiled at her thinking that she would never do so anyway.

»What are you going to tell me? « He replied freshly and acted cool realizing that she actually was a bit anxious. He was confused. He had only asked her about how long, she had been single, how many dates and so on. Polite stuff. Now she seems a bit too serious, he thinks.

»First you must swear that you really want to hear this, and you won’t tell, what you hear… to anybody. Swear it. «

Her seriousness surprised him. He felt they were just beginning to get to know each other.
He said, it was not the time to get so bossy and added: »It’s way too early for that, I think. « He laughed out loudly.

The heat was almost unbearable. In 140 years of recording temperatures, this was the hottest June scientists had ever witnessed.
But she was not laughing, so it couldn’t get any hotter, he thought.

He ran his hand through his hair and tried to make himself presentable as fast as possible. He cleared his throat and drank some of his Americano before he continued the conversation much more seriously than he felt like.

»But will it have some effect on me? «

»Yes. It will affect you. «

»Well, am I able to live with it? « He smiled trying to divert the tension from a somewhat dramatic situation, but apparently without luck. She looked at him with her bright light blue eyes, and she appeared so weak but trustworthy.

»I seriously don’t know…« she said.

She was strangely unprovoked by the heat. Her suit was immaculate, and she wasn’t sweating. The mental strain made him even hotter, and he felt the sweat dripping on his back.

»Are you sure, I want to hear this at all? « He replied.

»No.«

They were sitting in front of the open window at the café. Outside people were avoiding the sun, eager to get home from work or school or anything that kept them in the sun. He glanced at a couple, who was struggling to close a defect car door while thinking about the killing at Vesterbro last Friday.

A disabled construction worker who’d argued with an old couple upstairs in their building near the theater “Det Ny Teater” on the street Gl. Kongensgade was shot. Maybe it was the heat. People get so crazy in weather with such high temperatures. Anyway, the day before he “snapped” the neighbors said. They were a kind couple around 78 years old. Hans and Vera. They were too nosey, he argued. Perhaps they were. In fact, they were able to tell that he seemed a bit depressed. Maybe because he had been seeing a woman. That’s for sure, the old couple said. Later he was found shot in Copenhagen Harbor.

Eric looked at her wondering, how grim the secret could be. After all they had just met. But he didn’t like the fact that she wasn’t making any fun. The whole situation was too serious, and it was too soon for that.

»I think, I will pass. « He slowly said, not even sure that he meant it.

»Okay. «

»Sure? « He was surprised.

»You decide. « She leaned back, and her slim hand was resting calmly on the table. On her right hand she wore a ring with a big stone. It seemed a bit too oversized for her. Too gigantic and too heavy. He had never seen anything like it. The color was deep and shifting in different light from black to dark grey. Her nails were similar to the color on the ring in a way. He couldn’t resist himself, grabbed her hand, and accidentally stroked her ring.

Instantly she moved her hand away. He sensed that she didn’t like his hand to be on top of hers. And she didn’t like him to fiddle with her ring. Instead, she squeezed his hand too and smiled at him. A wonderful sunny smile, as he felt the heat even more intense. Happiness or some similar, gave him added encouragement to throw away his cautions along with his ordinary life.

With his free hand he loosened his tie a bit. He was struggling between his fear of hearing something that would destroy the perfect happy moment or make his wish to run away and never come back-feeling go away. He felt like a little boy deemed to choose between ice-cream or staying home from school.

They were looking at each other in silence. She nodded slowly.

»It’s okay«, she said it to calm him down. She squeezed his hand some more, before she grabbed her Espresso. He felt, as she was leaving him already. He just wanted to feel her warmth, even if it only was through her hand.

He had developed a growing desire for her. He wanted her, and his eyes were intensely following her small movements. He already loved the look of her lips taking quick small sips of a strong drink. Her cupid’s bow was rippled perfectly, when her lips touched the cup.

He gave up. »Ok tell me. Tell me the secret, « he said.

Slowly she placed the cup on the table. Without looking directly at him, she smiled mysteriously and seemed very satisfied. For a moment he felt like, he got caught in a trap all by himself.

»You are sure? « Just for a second, she looked at him in such a strange way that his intuition was telling him that he should run and never come back. Then her eyes shifted, and he realized that he had just fallen in love. How could he resist such bright blue eyes? He hesitated but not for long.

»Yes, I’m sure«, he said even though he really wasn’t.

»Then we will meet again. I will call you, « She got up. Her suit wasn’t even creased. He was holding her hand disappointed as well as anxious about facing a new meeting. He felt childish wanting her to stay and hardly able to let go. Keeping her hand in his ignoring that he was sweating. How could she look so good at 52? He wondered.

The coffeeshop felt abandoned, when she left. She took the air and a meaningful life with her. He felt alone, abandoned and unloved and already longing for the next meeting.

At first, he was counting the minutes then hours and now days hoping to see her again. But she didn’t call him back.

For weeks he struggled with the silence. He suffered losing self-esteem, wondering why she didn’t call him. He managed not to contact her even if, he could just see her Insta-profile which was highly attractive. Nearly every day he looked. Sometimes just to look at her pictures. She drank a lot of coffee, ate at fancy restaurants and visited famous places.

But nothing about family, work, sports or some other private stuff. And she didn’t call.
Every day he hoped that there would be a new photo of her or some disclosing private details of her daily life.

Suddenly the profile was gone. He almost cried.

Days went by. He got up. He took the bus to Copenhagen City Hall. He spent the day accounting. He went home. Eating and watching games TV was boring, and he was hurt.

Sometimes on weekends he went to the cemetery: “Vestre Kirkegård”. Sat there for hours, sometimes the whole day, sat in the shadow under some big trees, looking at a tombstone from the Smith-family. A rough stone with the RIP inscription on top. He felt like a stone himself. A stone that someone had doomed to rest in loneliness.

After nearly two months of silence, he lost any hope that she would ever contact him again.

When he finally got a text message, where she suggested they should meet, he was both skeptical and surprised. Mostly skeptical.

He got up. Took the bus to City Hall, did some work on his accounts, arrived in good time at The Old English Pub. He knew the bar would be crowded, but he managed to find a spot in the back by waiting for some younger people to leave. He immediately jumped down the bar stool and conquered the vacant booth.

He waited.

He was constantly looking back and forth between the door and his watch.

She was late.

That gave him devastating thoughts, while his heart pumped with hope and enthusiasm. Maybe she wouldn’t come. Of course, she would. Maybe she was standing him up. Of course not. He got nervous, lost confidence, then got a hold of himself. “Yeah, I’m old. 58 is old. But I have money to buy some good appearance,” he said to himself and pulled down his knit bomber jacket from Michael Kors.

Clothes like that kept him years younger than he actually was. His appearance usually surprised women. Unfortunately, he had lost the taste of meeting women for a long time. But now this one did something to him that left him helpless. He became sensitive and was longing for her.

When she finally arrived, he could see no-one else but her. He couldn’t even say anything. He looked at her, while she was striding through the crowd with great elegance. Only staring at him. He was fascinated and automatically got up to welcome her. A thousand questions went through his mind, but he was only saying this:

»A last. «

She smiled and asked for a glass of Chardonnay.

The first minute or two he couldn’t say anything except to look at her and shake his head.

» I feel, as if I’m dreaming. « He finally uttered. He forgot all about being skeptical. He forgot all about the months, he had been suffering.

» Why now? Why all those months? « His voice was too high. He heard it himself, but he was too stressed to reflect badly about it. His eyes were focused on her lips taking quick and small sips of wine. He inhaled the look of her perfect cupid’s bow, while her lips touched the glass, and the upper lip made an adorable wrinkle.

» I have been busy, « she said, while she was placing her glass on the table.

He grabbed both her hands. Once again, she gently managed to remove her hand. He unconsciously noticed that she didn’t like someone to be near that ring, but he was too busy looking at her wanting her and not make her go away. But as he had learned the last time, humor was not her style. So, he didn’t dare say anything funny about the ring, since she seemed so fond of it. Even if it seemed too big and the embedded stone so wrong for her. But exactly why was the stone on that ring so big?

» Nice ring you have, « he said. » You seem so fond of it. Did you inherit it? «

» Just something I have from my grandmother « She seemed to be watchful, as she wasn’t sure of whether, he was pulling her legs.

» You like it? « She asked.

» I think it’s big. Why is it so big?

» Maybe there is room for something inside, « she replied, and for she briefly looked, as she would laugh. He didn’t understand why she didn’t.

» Maybe coke? « He whispered hoping to get her to laugh.

» Maybe poison? « She whispered back to him, and he caught a clear warning by the sound of her. From somewhere near to cruel her laugh was unwomanly cold, and her response immediately took the thrill out the conversation. For a second his intuition warned him not to interfere with this woman.

The frightened look on his face made her stop and observed him intensely. When she spoke, he noticed once again that the color of her eyes shifted.

» Dating can be dangerous you know. « Her voice was low and threatening, and even if it scared him off he ignored his bad thoughts with humor.

» Maybe later you will drug and abuse me? « He said with a grin on his face ignoring the nagging warning voice back in his head screaming at him to get his memory back. To get him to remember, how he suffered the last couples of months. But he didn’t listen, how could he? She was so tiny and elegant. So perfect.

She was playing with her ring spinning it around her finger. She was looking at him with a distant glance and he got afraid of her thinking of someone else. He panicked. Afraid that he would lose her.

» Tell me your secret. Or tell me anything. I want to see you. I want to know you. Why didn’t you call? What do you want? « He responded desperately.

She just sat there and looked at him, until she suddenly took his hands and placed them on her cheeks. As if she decided to be kind.

» It is so nice to see you again, « she said with such a gentle soft voice that his hearth immediately was touched.

» You are so handsome. I nearly forgot how good-looking you are. Are you wearing Kors? You seem so young, « she said, and he was thrilled by her words and totally forgot all about her misconduct and his painful couple of months.

» You are too kind. When I see you, I’m overwhelmed « he replied.

She kissed his hands and kept them in hers. He was drowning when looking into her eyes and saw her pupils get larger and the iris turn in to a new level of ice blue. Everything came back. All his previous feelings. He was longing for her. He wanted her badly, and it seemed that the last several months of pain had disappeared. He smiled eagerly to get something back like a smile, a kind word or a promise.

» Tell me why you left me. « He was persistent and wanted to know, how to undo everything, he might have done wrong. To do it better. Make her happy. To make her stay. To make her want him back.

» I think, we need to get something to eat. I know a good place around the corner, « she spoke.

» I have reservations at Alberto K. « He said it like in trance and for the first, she seemed a bit surprised by his great initiative.

» I’m impressed, « she said. The restaurant was at the 20th floor of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. The best view in town and often fully booked. He was so thrilled to please her. Her admiration made his confidence grow.

» Tell me something about yourself. « He asked.

» What do you do? «

» I work in an art gallery. I’m art director, « she replied and not that interested in talking about herself.

» Do you have kids? «

» No. «

» Dog? Cat? «

» No and no. «

» Parentes? «

» Sweetie let us talk about something else. «

» Certainly. You name it. « He said.

» I want to take you home with me tonight. « She said it just like that without any reason.

At first, he was a bit shocked. Maybe it would be more accurate to say, he was upset, because he was provoked by her aggressive outgoing boldness. For some minutes he was speechless thinking about his own move. How could he reply to such a demand without losing his own self-respect? Without letting her know that he would rather die than say no to her. But he felt the need to respond in a way that kept him in charge. However, whatever he decided to do – he would for nothing in the whole world dare to push her away.

He moved her glass of wine aside, stretched out his hands towards her with the palms up. Hesitantly she put her hands in his.

» Ingrid. Lovely you. I’m so moved, « He paused and looked her in the eyes. Again, he noticed that the iris was changing color this time like a melting iceberg with reflection on the frozen water.

He gently squeezed her hands carefully without touching her ring.

» I want you to know that I cannot imagine anything that I would rather do than be with you. This is so hard for me to decide, because all I want is only to surrender to your request…give in to you. You are important to me, and I really need you to like me. I truly want you to know me. I sincerely want you to choose just me, as if you really, really care, « he said.

It was a moment of true honesty from a vulnerable heart. A moment where everyone with bad intentions has to make a big decision in their lives about how to act upon another human being, choosing between right or wrong, good or bad, pain or love.

She was silent, briefly looked at him, before she turned her eyes away. He was beginning to understand that her eyes were both the most appealing and the most revealing thing about her. For a moment he could swear by the look of her shiny eyes that she was really touched.

» I think we need to get out of here. Maybe something to eat? « She quietly said.

Later as they walked the streets, it felt so right for him to have her along his side, holding her hand, talking about politics, river rafting and their mutual feelings. Feelings he had. And surprisedly she also talked a little about hers.

This was the best six minutes of walk he had ever had. Inside he felt like his chest was a big balloon, light, expanded and filled with helium. He felt like, he was walking on the moon with heavy legs on light air slowly walking around in moon boots.

Something had changed. He didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was a shift in power. He felt more powerful, even though he had exposed himself. On the other hand, she seemed more balanced. Or maybe the whole dynamic situation between them had become more balanced.

The next morning, he happily jumped out of bed. Satisfied with himself. At the bathroom mirror he looked at himself, smiling, telling himself that he was a stud and a very good-looking fellow. In addition, he was telling himself that he was a success that he was healthy and appreciated, checking his nose for long hair and counting the hours, until he would see her again.

He took the bus to City Hall. He noticed several times that he was whistling happily, also during working hours while checking the accounts of large clients. He arrived home whistling. He looked at the phone, checked the email, stopped whistling and began to get anxious, walking restless around the apartment. With mixed feelings he realized she wouldn’t call him back.

It is nearly quite meaningless to get into a description of how badly he had felt for months. He barely managed to keep his job. He was often grumpy and got a lot of complaints. Only because he was an outstanding accountant, did he avoid getting fired.

For a period, he lost interest in looking younger. The hair in his nose was growing and he was awful black under his eyes a sign of stress caused by too many nights without a propper sleep.

For a period, he lost interest in looking younger. The hair in his nose was growing and he was awful black under his eyes a sign of stress caused by too many nights without a propper sleep.

He lost a lot of weight, because he didn’t cook properly. Daily he ate junk food. On weekends he stayed at home in front of the TV drinking too many beers, ate too many chips, looking at too much bad news about the increasing number of killings and dead bodies in the river. The media was talking about the dating-killer. All men his age.

But suddenly one cold morning in March, when the sun was struggling to shine through the haze, he seemed to be wide awake and breathing again.He got out of bed. He took a walk to the grocery store, shopping for food, cleaned the house, bought a cat named Sammy.

The next day he got out of bed, took the bus to City Hall as usual. He worked and was a bit kinder to people. He shopped some for good food, cleaned the house, talked to Sammy.

He cooked and asked friends over for dinner. He put his life back in order. He was living again. Weekends he often went to the cemetery with Sammy, who enjoyed running around in the sun, playing with leaves, hunting birds or sleeping for hours in front of the Smith-family tombstone, while Eric was resting under the big trees.

Again, it was one of those days in June, where the heat was almost unbearable. In 141 years of recording temperatures, this was the second hottest June scientists had ever witnessed.

He was resting under the big tree at “Vestre Kirkegård” Cemetery. Nearly suffocating while Sammy also was too tired to chase anything, and therefore was sleeping peacefully beside him.

He held his head back and took a sip from a bottle of cold water. The bright light from the gravel on the road in front of him bothered his vision. He squeezed his eyes together, drank some more, and it was exactly in that minute, he saw her.

It was Ingrid.

Slowly he lowered the water bottle. His brain immediately went into a state of denial, as if he could not believe his own eyes. His hearth stopped and his body went into alert. In a moment of great joyfulness, he forgot all his painful months of torment, before he froze in panic, as he realized, she had recognized him and moved across the grass directly towards him.

He was unable to move, he just sat there facing his waterloo.

» Eric… is that you? «

He swallowed quick. Maybe unsaid words, shame or hidden pride.

» No, it’s not, « he replied very fast.

She was smiling, and he briefly considered, if someone would notice, if he killed her right away.

He felt something pressing heavily against his chest. He coughed to clear his throat. The cat woke up, and Sammy, being a totally disloyal friend, jumped up clinging around Ingrid’s legs, like a tom cat in heat.

She was kind enough to sit down with some distance. Sammy went crazy enjoying all the attention from petting.

» I really can’t talk to you. I was hurt. I was exceedingly hurt. I still am « he whispered.

Silently she still petted the cat, and Sammy got completely ecstatic about her touch.

» Sammy come here «, he said in an authoritative voice to the cat using some goodies as bait, but he didn’t respond.

» I really need you to leave«, he said, and she nodded.

»Anyway, what are you even doing here, « he said without emotion and without giving it a thought that they were at a cemetery.

She smiled very sadly so that he instantly felt bad about himself.

» Sorry, « he mumbled.

She nodded and looked at the cat which happily circled around her.

» I really want you to understand, « she said.

» I will never understand. « He felt rage growing inside.

» I gave you something precious. I thought I could make you happy…give you happiness. In return you nearly destroyed me, « his response was fiery and loud. He was breathing heavily, as if he had been running.

» I know, « she said and continued:

» You will never understand. Despite everything that I did to you, it was because I really care for you. You touched me. I was moved. Therefore, I had to take care of you.«

»Care of me? Are you nuts? You sound like a psycho. I nearly died. I was totally degraded. And you were just playing with me, laughing at me, « he raised his voice even more.

» If you don’t go now, I’m not sure that I won’t hurt you, « he added.

» I really understand you, « she said looking down at her lap, where Sammy now was lying while she daringly stroked him.

» Please, let me have my cat, « he plead.

» Actually, I was saving you, « she continued.

» Please. Please leave, « he begged her to leave them alone.

For a brief moment they were sitting in silence. The only noteworthy noise came from the traffic on Sjælør Blvd. and a steady purr from Sammy.

» Eric, I need you to know that I’m dating a lot of men. It has nothing to do with you. I just need to, « she said.

» Maybe someday, you will understand. Maybe someday you will know that I really cared for you. « She stood up and handed him the cat.

Sammy cuddles up to Eric’s leg.

» Why can’t you settle with one? With me? « He petted the cat not daring to look at her.

» I can’t. I simply can’t, « She made a sweeping gesture.

» Why? « he continued to ask, even though he knew he was nagging.

» They…move on. They disappear. They are gone « she replied in a softly tone.

» What happens to them? « He asked again looking for a creditable explanation.

She was already walking away, when she changed her mind and turned around.

» If I tell you, I really have to kill you, you know …« She smiled and turned around. He caught a glimpse of hers once so bright pale blue eyes, before they once again turned into dark slippery rocks.

DANGER AT FIRST SIGHT

In the midst of it all, Eric encounters a woman as mysterious as she is unpredictable. As passion and paranoia collide, Eric struggles to balance a growing fascination with the fear of a truth he perhaps should never uncover. Is her love a chance at happiness—or a death sentence?.. (Image generated by AI-Midjourney)

Written by

Anita Cramer Corpas

in

A story of desire, deception, and the perilous path between love and chaos. Would you dare to know the secret, even if it costs you your life?

On substack

COFFEE BREAK – SHORT STORY: »If I tell you, I might have to kill you. « Eric smiled at her thinking that she would never do so anyway.

»What are you going to tell me? « He replied freshly and acted cool realizing that she actually was a bit anxious. He was confused. He had only asked her about how long, she had been single, how many dates and so on. Polite stuff. Now she seems a bit too serious, he thinks.

»First you must swear that you really want to hear this, and you won’t tell, what you hear… to anybody. Swear it. «

Her seriousness surprised him. He felt they were just beginning to get to know each other.
He said, it was not the time to get so bossy and added: »It’s way too early for that, I think. « He laughed out loudly.

The heat was almost unbearable. In 140 years of recording temperatures, this was the hottest June scientists had ever witnessed.
But she was not laughing, so it couldn’t get any hotter, he thought.

He ran his hand through his hair and tried to make himself presentable as fast as possible. He cleared his throat and drank some of his Americano before he continued the conversation much more seriously than he felt like.

»But will it have some effect on me? «

»Yes. It will affect you. «

»Well, am I able to live with it? « He smiled trying to divert the tension from a somewhat dramatic situation, but apparently without luck. She looked at him with her bright light blue eyes, and she appeared so weak but trustworthy.

»I seriously don’t know…« she said.

She was strangely unprovoked by the heat. Her suit was immaculate, and she wasn’t sweating. The mental strain made him even hotter, and he felt the sweat dripping on his back.

»Are you sure, I want to hear this at all? « He replied.

»No.«

They were sitting in front of the open window at the café. Outside people were avoiding the sun, eager to get home from work or school or anything that kept them in the sun. He glanced at a couple, who was struggling to close a defect car door while thinking about the killing at Vesterbro last Friday.

A disabled construction worker who’d argued with an old couple upstairs in their building near the theater “Det Ny Teater” on the street Gl. Kongensgade was shot. Maybe it was the heat. People get so crazy in weather with such high temperatures. Anyway, the day before he “snapped” the neighbors said. They were a kind couple around 78 years old. Hans and Vera. They were too nosey, he argued. Perhaps they were. In fact, they were able to tell that he seemed a bit depressed. Maybe because he had been seeing a woman. That’s for sure, the old couple said. Later he was found shot in Copenhagen Harbor.

Eric looked at her wondering, how grim the secret could be. After all they had just met. But he didn’t like the fact that she wasn’t making any fun. The whole situation was too serious, and it was too soon for that.

»I think, I will pass. « He slowly said, not even sure that he meant it.

»Okay. «

»Sure? « He was surprised.

»You decide. « She leaned back, and her slim hand was resting calmly on the table. On her right hand she wore a ring with a big stone. It seemed a bit too oversized for her. Too gigantic and too heavy. He had never seen anything like it. The color was deep and shifting in different light from black to dark grey. Her nails were similar to the color on the ring in a way. He couldn’t resist himself, grabbed her hand, and accidentally stroked her ring.

Instantly she moved her hand away. He sensed that she didn’t like his hand to be on top of hers. And she didn’t like him to fiddle with her ring. Instead, she squeezed his hand too and smiled at him. A wonderful sunny smile, as he felt the heat even more intense. Happiness or some similar, gave him added encouragement to throw away his cautions along with his ordinary life.

With his free hand he loosened his tie a bit. He was struggling between his fear of hearing something that would destroy the perfect happy moment or make his wish to run away and never come back-feeling go away. He felt like a little boy deemed to choose between ice-cream or staying home from school.

They were looking at each other in silence. She nodded slowly.

»It’s okay«, she said it to calm him down. She squeezed his hand some more, before she grabbed her Espresso. He felt, as she was leaving him already. He just wanted to feel her warmth, even if it only was through her hand.

He had developed a growing desire for her. He wanted her, and his eyes were intensely following her small movements. He already loved the look of her lips taking quick small sips of a strong drink. Her cupid’s bow was rippled perfectly, when her lips touched the cup.

He gave up. »Ok tell me. Tell me the secret, « he said.

Slowly she placed the cup on the table. Without looking directly at him, she smiled mysteriously and seemed very satisfied. For a moment he felt like, he got caught in a trap all by himself.

»You are sure? « Just for a second, she looked at him in such a strange way that his intuition was telling him that he should run and never come back. Then her eyes shifted, and he realized that he had just fallen in love. How could he resist such bright blue eyes? He hesitated but not for long.

»Yes, I’m sure«, he said even though he really wasn’t.

»Then we will meet again. I will call you, « She got up. Her suit wasn’t even creased. He was holding her hand disappointed as well as anxious about facing a new meeting. He felt childish wanting her to stay and hardly able to let go. Keeping her hand in his ignoring that he was sweating. How could she look so good at 52? He wondered.

The coffeeshop felt abandoned, when she left. She took the air and a meaningful life with her. He felt alone, abandoned and unloved and already longing for the next meeting.

At first, he was counting the minutes then hours and now days hoping to see her again. But she didn’t call him back.

For weeks he struggled with the silence. He suffered losing self-esteem, wondering why she didn’t call him. He managed not to contact her even if, he could just see her Insta-profile which was highly attractive. Nearly every day he looked. Sometimes just to look at her pictures. She drank a lot of coffee, ate at fancy restaurants and visited famous places.

But nothing about family, work, sports or some other private stuff. And she didn’t call.
Every day he hoped that there would be a new photo of her or some disclosing private details of her daily life.

Suddenly the profile was gone. He almost cried.

Days went by. He got up. He took the bus to Copenhagen City Hall. He spent the day accounting. He went home. Eating and watching games TV was boring, and he was hurt.

Sometimes on weekends he went to the cemetery: “Vestre Kirkegård”. Sat there for hours, sometimes the whole day, sat in the shadow under some big trees, looking at a tombstone from the Smith-family. A rough stone with the RIP inscription on top. He felt like a stone himself. A stone that someone had doomed to rest in loneliness.

After nearly two months of silence, he lost any hope that she would ever contact him again.

When he finally got a text message, where she suggested they should meet, he was both skeptical and surprised. Mostly skeptical.

He got up. Took the bus to City Hall, did some work on his accounts, arrived in good time at The Old English Pub. He knew the bar would be crowded, but he managed to find a spot in the back by waiting for some younger people to leave. He immediately jumped down the bar stool and conquered the vacant booth.

He waited.

He was constantly looking back and forth between the door and his watch.

She was late.

That gave him devastating thoughts, while his heart pumped with hope and enthusiasm. Maybe she wouldn’t come. Of course, she would. Maybe she was standing him up. Of course not. He got nervous, lost confidence, then got a hold of himself. “Yeah, I’m old. 58 is old. But I have money to buy some good appearance,” he said to himself and pulled down his knit bomber jacket from Michael Kors.

Clothes like that kept him years younger than he actually was. His appearance usually surprised women. Unfortunately, he had lost the taste of meeting women for a long time. But now this one did something to him that left him helpless. He became sensitive and was longing for her.

When she finally arrived, he could see no-one else but her. He couldn’t even say anything. He looked at her, while she was striding through the crowd with great elegance. Only staring at him. He was fascinated and automatically got up to welcome her. A thousand questions went through his mind, but he was only saying this:

»A last. «

She smiled and asked for a glass of Chardonnay.

The first minute or two he couldn’t say anything except to look at her and shake his head.

» I feel, as if I’m dreaming. « He finally uttered. He forgot all about being skeptical. He forgot all about the months, he had been suffering.

» Why now? Why all those months? « His voice was too high. He heard it himself, but he was too stressed to reflect badly about it. His eyes were focused on her lips taking quick and small sips of wine. He inhaled the look of her perfect cupid’s bow, while her lips touched the glass, and the upper lip made an adorable wrinkle.

» I have been busy, « she said, while she was placing her glass on the table.

He grabbed both her hands. Once again, she gently managed to remove her hand. He unconsciously noticed that she didn’t like someone to be near that ring, but he was too busy looking at her wanting her and not make her go away. But as he had learned the last time, humor was not her style. So, he didn’t dare say anything funny about the ring, since she seemed so fond of it. Even if it seemed too big and the embedded stone so wrong for her. But exactly why was the stone on that ring so big?

» Nice ring you have, « he said. » You seem so fond of it. Did you inherit it? «

» Just something I have from my grandmother « She seemed to be watchful, as she wasn’t sure of whether, he was pulling her legs.

» You like it? « She asked.

» I think it’s big. Why is it so big?

» Maybe there is room for something inside, « she replied, and for she briefly looked, as she would laugh. He didn’t understand why she didn’t.

» Maybe coke? « He whispered hoping to get her to laugh.

» Maybe poison? « She whispered back to him, and he caught a clear warning by the sound of her. From somewhere near to cruel her laugh was unwomanly cold, and her response immediately took the thrill out the conversation. For a second his intuition warned him not to interfere with this woman.

The frightened look on his face made her stop and observed him intensely. When she spoke, he noticed once again that the color of her eyes shifted.

» Dating can be dangerous you know. « Her voice was low and threatening, and even if it scared him off he ignored his bad thoughts with humor.

» Maybe later you will drug and abuse me? « He said with a grin on his face ignoring the nagging warning voice back in his head screaming at him to get his memory back. To get him to remember, how he suffered the last couples of months. But he didn’t listen, how could he? She was so tiny and elegant. So perfect.

She was playing with her ring spinning it around her finger. She was looking at him with a distant glance and he got afraid of her thinking of someone else. He panicked. Afraid that he would lose her.

» Tell me your secret. Or tell me anything. I want to see you. I want to know you. Why didn’t you call? What do you want? « He responded desperately.

She just sat there and looked at him, until she suddenly took his hands and placed them on her cheeks. As if she decided to be kind.

» It is so nice to see you again, « she said with such a gentle soft voice that his hearth immediately was touched.

» You are so handsome. I nearly forgot how good-looking you are. Are you wearing Kors? You seem so young, « she said, and he was thrilled by her words and totally forgot all about her misconduct and his painful couple of months.

» You are too kind. When I see you, I’m overwhelmed « he replied.

She kissed his hands and kept them in hers. He was drowning when looking into her eyes and saw her pupils get larger and the iris turn in to a new level of ice blue. Everything came back. All his previous feelings. He was longing for her. He wanted her badly, and it seemed that the last several months of pain had disappeared. He smiled eagerly to get something back like a smile, a kind word or a promise.

» Tell me why you left me. « He was persistent and wanted to know, how to undo everything, he might have done wrong. To do it better. Make her happy. To make her stay. To make her want him back.

» I think, we need to get something to eat. I know a good place around the corner, « she spoke.

» I have reservations at Alberto K. « He said it like in trance and for the first, she seemed a bit surprised by his great initiative.

» I’m impressed, « she said. The restaurant was at the 20th floor of the Radisson Blu Royal Hotel. The best view in town and often fully booked. He was so thrilled to please her. Her admiration made his confidence grow.

» Tell me something about yourself. « He asked.

» What do you do? «

» I work in an art gallery. I’m art director, « she replied and not that interested in talking about herself.

» Do you have kids? «

» No. «

» Dog? Cat? «

» No and no. «

» Parentes? «

» Sweetie let us talk about something else. «

» Certainly. You name it. « He said.

» I want to take you home with me tonight. « She said it just like that without any reason.

At first, he was a bit shocked. Maybe it would be more accurate to say, he was upset, because he was provoked by her aggressive outgoing boldness. For some minutes he was speechless thinking about his own move. How could he reply to such a demand without losing his own self-respect? Without letting her know that he would rather die than say no to her. But he felt the need to respond in a way that kept him in charge. However, whatever he decided to do – he would for nothing in the whole world dare to push her away.

He moved her glass of wine aside, stretched out his hands towards her with the palms up. Hesitantly she put her hands in his.

» Ingrid. Lovely you. I’m so moved, « He paused and looked her in the eyes. Again, he noticed that the iris was changing color this time like a melting iceberg with reflection on the frozen water.

He gently squeezed her hands carefully without touching her ring.

» I want you to know that I cannot imagine anything that I would rather do than be with you. This is so hard for me to decide, because all I want is only to surrender to your request…give in to you. You are important to me, and I really need you to like me. I truly want you to know me. I sincerely want you to choose just me, as if you really, really care, « he said.

It was a moment of true honesty from a vulnerable heart. A moment where everyone with bad intentions has to make a big decision in their lives about how to act upon another human being, choosing between right or wrong, good or bad, pain or love.

She was silent, briefly looked at him, before she turned her eyes away. He was beginning to understand that her eyes were both the most appealing and the most revealing thing about her. For a moment he could swear by the look of her shiny eyes that she was really touched.

» I think we need to get out of here. Maybe something to eat? « She quietly said.

Later as they walked the streets, it felt so right for him to have her along his side, holding her hand, talking about politics, river rafting and their mutual feelings. Feelings he had. And surprisedly she also talked a little about hers.

This was the best six minutes of walk he had ever had. Inside he felt like his chest was a big balloon, light, expanded and filled with helium. He felt like, he was walking on the moon with heavy legs on light air slowly walking around in moon boots.

Something had changed. He didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was a shift in power. He felt more powerful, even though he had exposed himself. On the other hand, she seemed more balanced. Or maybe the whole dynamic situation between them had become more balanced.

The next morning, he happily jumped out of bed. Satisfied with himself. At the bathroom mirror he looked at himself, smiling, telling himself that he was a stud and a very good-looking fellow. In addition, he was telling himself that he was a success that he was healthy and appreciated, checking his nose for long hair and counting the hours, until he would see her again.

He took the bus to City Hall. He noticed several times that he was whistling happily, also during working hours while checking the accounts of large clients. He arrived home whistling. He looked at the phone, checked the email, stopped whistling and began to get anxious, walking restless around the apartment. With mixed feelings he realized she wouldn’t call him back.

It is nearly quite meaningless to get into a description of how badly he had felt for months. He barely managed to keep his job. He was often grumpy and got a lot of complaints. Only because he was an outstanding accountant, did he avoid getting fired.

For a period, he lost interest in looking younger. The hair in his nose was growing and he was awful black under his eyes a sign of stress caused by too many nights without a propper sleep.

For a period, he lost interest in looking younger. The hair in his nose was growing and he was awful black under his eyes a sign of stress caused by too many nights without a propper sleep.

He lost a lot of weight, because he didn’t cook properly. Daily he ate junk food. On weekends he stayed at home in front of the TV drinking too many beers, ate too many chips, looking at too much bad news about the increasing number of killings and dead bodies in the river. The media was talking about the dating-killer. All men his age.

But suddenly one cold morning in March, when the sun was struggling to shine through the haze, he seemed to be wide awake and breathing again.He got out of bed. He took a walk to the grocery store, shopping for food, cleaned the house, bought a cat named Sammy.

The next day he got out of bed, took the bus to City Hall as usual. He worked and was a bit kinder to people. He shopped some for good food, cleaned the house, talked to Sammy.

He cooked and asked friends over for dinner. He put his life back in order. He was living again. Weekends he often went to the cemetery with Sammy, who enjoyed running around in the sun, playing with leaves, hunting birds or sleeping for hours in front of the Smith-family tombstone, while Eric was resting under the big trees.

Again, it was one of those days in June, where the heat was almost unbearable. In 141 years of recording temperatures, this was the second hottest June scientists had ever witnessed.

He was resting under the big tree at “Vestre Kirkegård” Cemetery. Nearly suffocating while Sammy also was too tired to chase anything, and therefore was sleeping peacefully beside him.

He held his head back and took a sip from a bottle of cold water. The bright light from the gravel on the road in front of him bothered his vision. He squeezed his eyes together, drank some more, and it was exactly in that minute, he saw her.

It was Ingrid.

Slowly he lowered the water bottle. His brain immediately went into a state of denial, as if he could not believe his own eyes. His hearth stopped and his body went into alert. In a moment of great joyfulness, he forgot all his painful months of torment, before he froze in panic, as he realized, she had recognized him and moved across the grass directly towards him.

He was unable to move, he just sat there facing his waterloo.

» Eric… is that you? «

He swallowed quick. Maybe unsaid words, shame or hidden pride.

» No, it’s not, « he replied very fast.

She was smiling, and he briefly considered, if someone would notice, if he killed her right away.

He felt something pressing heavily against his chest. He coughed to clear his throat. The cat woke up, and Sammy, being a totally disloyal friend, jumped up clinging around Ingrid’s legs, like a tom cat in heat.

She was kind enough to sit down with some distance. Sammy went crazy enjoying all the attention from petting.

» I really can’t talk to you. I was hurt. I was exceedingly hurt. I still am « he whispered.

Silently she still petted the cat, and Sammy got completely ecstatic about her touch.

» Sammy come here «, he said in an authoritative voice to the cat using some goodies as bait, but he didn’t respond.

» I really need you to leave«, he said, and she nodded.

»Anyway, what are you even doing here, « he said without emotion and without giving it a thought that they were at a cemetery.

She smiled very sadly so that he instantly felt bad about himself.

» Sorry, « he mumbled.

She nodded and looked at the cat which happily circled around her.

» I really want you to understand, « she said.

» I will never understand. « He felt rage growing inside.

» I gave you something precious. I thought I could make you happy…give you happiness. In return you nearly destroyed me, « his response was fiery and loud. He was breathing heavily, as if he had been running.

» I know, « she said and continued:

» You will never understand. Despite everything that I did to you, it was because I really care for you. You touched me. I was moved. Therefore, I had to take care of you.«

»Care of me? Are you nuts? You sound like a psycho. I nearly died. I was totally degraded. And you were just playing with me, laughing at me, « he raised his voice even more.

» If you don’t go now, I’m not sure that I won’t hurt you, « he added.

» I really understand you, « she said looking down at her lap, where Sammy now was lying while she daringly stroked him.

» Please, let me have my cat, « he plead.

» Actually, I was saving you, « she continued.

» Please. Please leave, « he begged her to leave them alone.

For a brief moment they were sitting in silence. The only noteworthy noise came from the traffic on Sjælør Blvd. and a steady purr from Sammy.

» Eric, I need you to know that I’m dating a lot of men. It has nothing to do with you. I just need to, « she said.

» Maybe someday, you will understand. Maybe someday you will know that I really cared for you. « She stood up and handed him the cat.

Sammy cuddles up to Eric’s leg.

» Why can’t you settle with one? With me? « He petted the cat not daring to look at her.

» I can’t. I simply can’t, « She made a sweeping gesture.

» Why? « he continued to ask, even though he knew he was nagging.

» They…move on. They disappear. They are gone « she replied in a softly tone.

» What happens to them? « He asked again looking for a creditable explanation.

She was already walking away, when she changed her mind and turned around.

» If I tell you, I really have to kill you, you know …« She smiled and turned around. He caught a glimpse of hers once so bright pale blue eyes, before they once again turned into dark slippery rocks.

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