Susanne glared at her in a way that would have made the blood freeze in Anja’s veins two weeks ago. But now it just made her grin more broadly.

A yawn interrupted Susanne’s glaring. She stretched, and her slightly wrinkled blouse pulled taut over her breasts.

Anja tore her gaze away. Maybe she should rest her eyes for a while too. It would definitely be safer.

Neither had the energy to trudge up the stairs to the streetcar, so they stepped onto the escalator as if by unspoken agreement. The wind tugged on Susanne’s blouse, making her shiver, and she quickly buttoned her coat.

God, she was tired. She had forced herself to keep her eyes open the rest of the way to Freiburg because she’d been afraid that she’d use Anja as a pillow again. Somehow that felt even more intimate than being pressed against each other from head to toe this morning. That thought warmed her shivering body.

When they reached the streetcar stops, they had to go their separate ways because Anja had to take the streetcar on this side of the street, while Susanne had to wait for the one leaving from across the street.

They stood next to the tracks and turned toward each other.

Anja bobbed up and down on the balls of her feet. She had slid one hand under a strap of her backpack while holding on to a heavy bag with the other.

“Want me to take that?” Susanne pointed. “I could bring it to work on Monday along with the bag I have and then drive you home so you don’t have to take it on the bicycle.”

“No, that’s okay. Thanks.”

Susanne smiled. “Don’t want to be separated from all those free notebooks over the weekend, hmm?”

“Well, as you said this morning, how can I recommend products to our customers if I don’t inspect them carefully?”

“Right.”

In the distance, a streetcar approached from the direction of the city center. A red sign at the top of the windshield indicated which line it was, but Susanne couldn’t yet tell them apart, and it was still too far away for her to be able to read the number.

“That’s mine,” Anja said.

“Oh, then, um, good night and have a nice rest of the weekend.”

“You too.”

They stood without moving and looked at each other.

As exhausted as she was and as glad as she would be to get home and put up her feet, Susanne realized she didn’t want to say goodbye. What the hell? She’d never had a problem spending her evenings alone.

The streetcar whooshed past them, slid to a stop several meters away, and opened its doors, but Anja made no move to get in. “You know what? I’m pretty hungry, and I’m not up for cooking. Want to go grab that dinner you owe me?”