“It was a traumatic event,” said Peter. “Let’s put this behind us and look forward instead. Okay?”

“Let’s do that,” said Jeanette, squeezing his hand before letting it go.

They drove for a while in silence, Jeanette looking straight ahead. She thought about the next time they would see each other—how would it feel? More intimate? More relaxed? More joyful?

Or less?

No, it couldn’t be like that—then everything they had gone through would have been for nothing. Everything hinged on Jeanette—this insight hit her. If she retreated into herself, like she had done at home when it had all gone wrong, this relationship would end before it had even begun—with or without the millions. She promised herself not to be so anxious, to keep up her spirits and think positive—just like Peter always did. The future was bright—how could she have thought otherwise?

“I love you,” slipped out of her.

“There it is!” said Peter, beaming like sunshine. “I’ve been waiting for so long!”

Jeanette hoped he would respond. It took a while, but then it came.

“Worried?” he said without looking away from the road.

Jeanette didn’t answer, but she saw the playful look in his eyes and around his mouth and knew to expect more.

“Just wanted to keep you on tenterhooks,” he eventually said with a smile. “I love you too—isn’t it obvious?”

Then he caressed her cheek, running his fingers through her hair like a comb and gently pinching her neck before putting his hand back on the wheel.

“This wasn’t much of a rendezvous,” he said. “But I think we’ll have to lie low for a while. You realise that?”

Jeanette did. Not because it would really make much difference, but it felt like a sensible approach.

“We’ll have to exchange coded messages at work,” she said with a smile.

“Back slang?”

“Morse code.”

“Only until the dust has settled,” said Peter. “Two weeks or so.”

“I think we can manage that.”

“Really?”

Jeanette sighed.

“With great difficulty,” she admitted.

“The same here. But a man’s gotta do what he’s gotta do.”

This time he dropped her off a fair distance from work, in an area with apartments where neither of them had any connections. She would have to walk a couple of kilometres, but they couldn’t risk being seen together in case their respective absences were connected—something that was more important today than ever.

They hugged for a long time, kissed briefly, and parted ways. Jeanette stood still watching the car drive off. Now she was alone with the memories of all the bad things that had happened, and it made it all the more frightening. She didn’t know how she would survive two long weeks without him.

Little did she know that those weeks would become years.

31. Kerstin

31

Kerstin