C2 Chapter 2

Intermezzo

“If you keep staring into space so depressingly, I’m going to kill myself.”

“What? What did you say?” Rebekka looked up irritably, as if she were waking from a dream.

Svenja laughed. “I’ve never seen you like this before. You’re not usually so crabby. Is your bicycle broken or something?”

“My bicycle?” Rebekka looked even more irritated. Then she shook her head. “No. My bike is fine.”

“Then kindly stop making that face. It could spoil a person’s entire day.”

Rebekka breathed deeply. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know my facial expression had so much influence over your mood.”

“Well, I didn’t come by to have you drag me down.” Svenja sat down on one corner of Rebekka’s desk and tilted her head to the side. “More the opposite.”

Rebekka leaned back in her chair. “What did you have in mind?”

“Oh, sweetie. You’re not that unimaginative.” Svenja laughed, bent forward, and stroked Rebekka’s cheek with a finger. “At least not usually.” Her voice sank to a whisper and her eyes flashed.

Rebekka dodged the finger and leaned over her desk. “I have a lot of work to do.”

Svenja raised her eyebrows. “Oh?” She slid down from the desk and tossed her hair as she shook her head. “You and your work. You two should get married, to legalize your relationship.”

“Yeah.” Rebekka shrugged. “You want to go shopping?” She glanced briefly at Svenja’s City outfit.

“I know, I can’t have you for that.” Svenja sighed like a martyr, as if Rebekka were burdening her with a great weight she was barely able to carry. “It bores you to death.”

“I don’t have time,” corrected Rebekka reluctantly. “And no, I don’t find it particularly exciting, either.”

“Not as exciting as your files here, anyway.” Svenja tapped a stack of paper on Rebekka’s desk. She gazed uncomprehendingly at them for a second, then a sweet smile crossed her face. “How about going out, then? I mean, not today . . . this evening.”

“Svenja . . .” Rebekka rolled her eyes.

“Oh, come on . . .” Svenja bent over again and locked eyes with Rebekka. “You can’t work around the clock, can you? Sometime you have to go home, eat something, even amuse yourself a bit. Do you even know what that’s like?” She tilted her head once more, and it was clear to see that she knew exactly what that was like.

“Life doesn’t consist of pleasure alone,” replied Rebekka sharply.

“You should really think twice about that.” Svenja smiled slightly. “But I can see that right now I don’t have a chance with you. I’ll wait for a better time.” Her smile became seductive. “It’ll come, I’m sure.”

Rebekka sighed.

“Okay, okay, I’m going now.” Svenja lifted her hands slightly. “By no means do I want to keep you from your oh-so-important work. Otherwise you’ll die of withdrawal.”

Rebekka frowned at her.

“I’m already gone.” Svenja laughed. “But you’re not getting entirely rid of me that easily!” She disappeared, with an elegant swing of her seductively shaped hips, through Rebekka’s office door.

The doorframe was hardly vacated before Rebekka sank back in her chair and the same reflective expression that had bothered Svenja so much took hold of her anew. Depressing, Svenja had said. Yes, maybe she was right. Rebekka had rarely felt so bad.

But she couldn’t give herself over to that feeling indefinitely. There were other things that were more important. With raised eyebrows, she let her eyes roam across her full desk. Much more important.

Determined, she pulled her chair up to the desk and picked up a pencil.