Tesla bolted awake in the darkness, breath ragged, heart rampaging.
Calm down, she told herself. It was just a nightmare. Just a stupid old nightmare.
She swung her head in Nane’s direction as Nane stirred and moaned. “W–waz going on?” Nane mumbled sleepily.
“Nothing,” Tesla said, slowly lying back down.
“What happened?” Nane asked again, more persistently this time.
“I just had a bad dream.”
“About what?”
Tesla thought fast. “Wolves were chasing me.”
“Oh,” Nane yawned, rolling over and draping a long, slender arm across her. “Did they catch you?”
Trying not to squirm from the unwanted contact, Tesla said, “No.”
“Good. That leaves you for me to catch.”
And for me to break away, thought Tesla.
A few minutes later, Nane’s soft, even breathing signaled that she was asleep. Tesla gently tried to move her arm. As thin as it was, it felt as heavy as a tree limb. It took forever to ease it off, but finally, it flopped to the side.
Now onto the next frustration: Nane was practically on top of her, leaving her with barely any room. She considered waking her and asking her to slide over, but didn’t want to risk setting her off. Better to deal with the lack of space than the weight of that arm again. Eventually, sleep reclaimed her.
A few weeks later, on a Monday, Tesla checked the clock every few minutes as if it might speed up the mail. The morning dragged on as she cleaned, cooked, and ironed.
Then, finally, she ran out to the mailbox shortly after lunch.
Her ticket had arrived.
Tesla sprinted back to the apartment like someone might snatch the envelope from her hands and deliver it straight to Nane.
Inside, she tore it open and scanned the date—two days from now. A weekday. Relief poured out of her in one of the most audible exhales of her life. Nane stuck to her like glue on weekends. But a weekday… thank God her aunt had thought of that.
She ran into the bedroom. People always hid things under the mattress, but she needed to be smarter than that. Rather than placing the ticket near the headboard, she slipped it deeper toward the foot and center of the mattress. Hopefully far enough out of reach if Nane got suspicious.
She stood upright and eyed the bedroom door, half expecting Nane to be standing there, ready to shred her ticket to pieces.
It was going to be a long two days.
Nane eyed Tesla across the dinner table the next evening. What the hell was up with the sexy little American?
“Everything okay?” she asked.
Tesla glanced up from her plate, startled. “Yeah. Why?”
“I don’t know,” Nane said with a shrug. “You seem jumpy. A bit distracted.”
“I’m okay,” Tesla said, trying to sound as natural as possible. “I’m just… determined to please you. Not say or do the wrong thing.”
“Oh, don’t be so hard on yourself. You’re doing fine. It’s me that’s a bitch at times, and I know it.”
No kidding, Tesla thought. It was just sad that it took her this long to admit it—not that it would change anything. Nane was who she was. Tesla felt like an idiot for not seeing her clearly before she got involved, before she got stuck in Germany.
Even so, she noticed the skepticism in Nane’s eyes. She forced herself to look calm, nonchalant. One foot out the door, she reminded herself. Don’t blow it now.
The day had come.
“What’s wrong, Nane?” asked her coworker in German.
Nane turned. She hadn’t realized Sabine had crept up behind her. “Oh. Nothing, Sabine.”
Sabine stepped closer. “It’s your lady, isn’t it?”
Nane fiddled with some papers on her desk. “Well…”
“You know I’m a good listener.”
“Yes, I know. I just… I don’t know. I can’t quite put my finger on it. Something’s off.”
“You think she’s up to something?”
“I thought we were doing better. But now I’m not so sure. There’s just this… nagging feeling.”
Sabine looked thoughtful. “You don’t think she’s planning to leave you?”
“I don’t know.”
Sabine smiled gently. “From what you’ve told me, she sounds sweet and honest. I can’t imagine she’d just walk out like that. Besides, she doesn’t seem very sociable and doesn’t know much German. Who else would take care of her like you do? She’d be crazy to leave.”
Nane smiled. “She does have it good with me.”
“And if she walks, then she doesn’t deserve it,” Sabine said. “Now, how about an early release from this prison?”
“Oh, no. I wouldn’t want to impose.”
“Nonsense. Go home, surprise your girl, have a spontaneous afternoon together. It’s been slow today anyway.”
Nane hesitated. “Well… are you sure?”
“Positive. Go. Maybe pick up some roses on the way—really set the mood.”
Nane stood, smiling. “Thanks, dear. I owe you one.”
“No, you don’t. Get out of here.”
Outside, Nane wrapped her coat tighter against the chill. She considered the roses… but something tugged at her gut.
Don’t be silly, she told herself. What difference would ten minutes make?
Still, the unease persisted.
She pressed harder on the gas pedal. Then had to slow at an intersection. And again when an elderly woman blocked her way in the apartment lot.
“Finally,” she muttered in German as she parked the car.
She stepped out into the icy air and hurried toward the building.
Then she froze.
Just ahead, rounding the corner and heading away from the building—Tesla.
With a suitcase.
And a bag slung over her shoulder.
“What the hell?” Nane whispered.
Then she broke into a run.
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