Page 3 of Meet Me in Berlin

She gave a remorseful groan and grabbed my hand. ‘I didn’t mean for that to sound so blunt. Please don’t get upset.’

‘I’m not asking you to make promises,’ I said quietly.

The light breeze blew a strand of hair across my face and she gently brushed it away, letting her fingertips linger on my cheek. ‘I think we should just enjoy the moment, yeah?’

‘But what if we lost one another right now? In this huge city?’

She lay back and pulled me down with her. ‘I know where you live.’

I sat up. ‘I don’t know where you live.’

‘I told you. I’m staying with my aunty.’ Her face softened. ‘We do have each other’s phone numbers.’

‘Okay, but what about other ways to contact you? You’re not even on social media.’

‘Because I’ve got a shitty temporary phone and a shitty laptop – it’s a hassle. Can’t we just call each other?’

I stretched out beside her and fiddled with the sleeve of her T-shirt. ‘But what if one of us loses our phone or something?’

‘Then I’ll sit by your door until you turn up.’

I searched her face, looking for signs that she meant what she said. It was unreadable, so I dug for more. ‘What’s your last name?’

Casey nuzzled my neck. ‘If I tell you, it takes away from the mystery and romance of this amazing time we’re having.’

I pulled away, narrowing my eyes at her. ‘Seriously? You won’t even tell me your last name? I told you mine the first day we met.’

Her brow creased, as though she was trying to recall that conversation. ‘Right. Mine is … Vassell.’

‘Vassell,’ I repeated.

‘Mmhmm.’

‘Spell it.’

She gave an exasperated huff. ‘V-A-double-S-E-double-L. Okay? Can I snog you now?’

‘See, that wasn’t so hard.’ I shuffled closer. ‘And yes, you can snog me now.’ Her lips pressed against mine, sweet and warm, making all my worries melt away.

When we stopped for air, I laid my head on her chest. ‘Sorry. That was too much. I just … I haven’t felt like this before.’

There was a long silence, and I was about to ask if she was okay when she said, ‘I tell you what. If we lose each other, then we’ll come back to this spot, on this day, at this time, every year until we find each other.’

‘Right here, under this tree?’

Casey nodded, peeked at her watch, then closed her eyes, a band of sunlight falling across her face. ‘Yeah, 6 pm under this tree.’

‘But this park is huge; you won’t remember what tree.’

Her eyelids slowly opened. ‘Big tree right in the middle of this grassy area.’ She sat up and pointed towards the river. ‘The Bode Museum is there.’ She shifted her arm to the left. ‘The Berliner Fernsehturm is there.’ She twisted behind her. ‘The fountain is there.’ Then she waved her hand in the distance. ‘And the Alte Nationalgalerie, where I met the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen, is over there. I’ll remember. This spot. On this day. At this time.’

The idea that either of us could travel to Berlin every year was unrealistic, I knew, but the fact that Casey had even suggested it made me weak. ‘That is the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.’

She shrugged and lay back down. ‘It’s the Berlin air. Has that effect on me.’

I ran my finger down her torso, stopping at the waistband of her jeans. ‘I thought it was the effect I had on you.’

‘It’s defo you. See – I even sound Australian now.’ She smiled, but her eyes didn’t glisten like they normally did.

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