Page 7 of Meet Me in Berlin

With my order in hand, I grab two free seats by the window overlooking Orchard Street and give Eva a wave. By the time she sits, I’m already biting into my sandwich and moaning as the warm, salty beef mingles with the tangy sauerkraut and nutty cheese. ‘These sarnies are the best,’ I mumble through my mouthful.

Eva picks at her salmon buddha bowl. ‘Oysters and champagne would’ve been nicer.’

‘Nicer than a Reuben? Are you for real?’ I take another huge bite.

She rolls her eyes, jabbing her fork through a piece of salmon, and I gaze at the flurry of pedestrians passing by while I chew. A woman with honey-coloured hair falling loose around her shoulders stops in front of the window. Nostalgia washes over me as I scan her body, take in her clothing, the way she moves, searching for something familiar.

‘What are you thinking about?’ Eva asks.

I take another bite and home in on the woman’s face.

‘Casey!’

I twist in my seat and gulp down my mouthful. ‘Sorry. Work. I was thinking about work.’

Eva sips her sparkling water and eyes me thoughtfully. ‘You work too hard.’

‘That’s because I’m curating exhibitions in two countries.’

‘Well,’ she says, running her hand up my thigh. ‘There will be zero working when we’re on our honeymoon.’

‘None?’ I say, only half-joking.

She leans closer with a coquettish smile. ‘None. Because we’ll be too busy doing honeymoon things.’

I lick a drop of Reuben sauce from the crust. ‘Drinking cocktails and smoking loads of weed?’

She sits back and scrunches her face. ‘You are not taking weed to Bora Bora.’ She resumes the flirty smile. ‘I meant other honeymoon things.’

I swallow the last bite and wipe my hands on a napkin. ‘We shaggin’ every minute of every day for two solid weeks? We can do that in our flat here.’

She huffs and fixes me with a deadpan expression. ‘Yes, we’re shagging every minute of every day for two solid weeks. That’s what newly married couples do. And they do it in a location that’s not their home.’

I grin. ‘You’re so easy to wind up. Okay. No weed and no working on honeymoon. But it goes both ways – no constant social media updates either.’

‘Babe. Influencers don’t get paid holiday leave. My job is twenty-four seven.’ She clicks her fingers rapidly as though that correlates with the pace of her online presence. ‘I’m always on the pulse.’

‘I’m sure you won’t lose all your followers if you don’t post for a few days.’ I finish my coffee and glance at my watch. ‘I really need to go. See you at home tonight, yeah?’ I lean forward to kiss her goodbye, but she places a hand against my chest.

‘No, not at home. We’ve got the cake tasting, remember?’

I groan. ‘Fuck, Eva. I’ve got to finish a funding application today. I probably won’t even leave work until seven.’

‘I know. That’s why I made it for seven-thirty and in Soho, so it’s close to the gallery.’

My shoulders slump. ‘I’ll be exhausted and hungry and I don’t want cake for dinner.’

She pouts and walks her fingertips up the inside of my thigh, stopping a centimetre from my crotch. ‘It won’t take long. I’ve already narrowed it down to seven cakes, and then we can go home and’ – her eyes flick downward then back up to my face – ‘have an early night.’

I clear my throat and peer about, my face warm. ‘Fine. Text me the address. I really need to go.’

‘Go on, then. I have to get home to do a live feed of some new make-up I’m trialling.’

I give her a quick peck and exit the heavy glass doors, waving at her through the window as I pass, but she’s busy snapping a photo of a new gold bracelet that appeared on her wrist this morning. I merge with the throng of people heading towards Oxford Street. It’s mid-August and the crowds are lapping up the warm weather in their T-shirts, shorts and summer dresses as they amble along the wide footpaths and stroll in and out of shops. I jump on the number 139 bus and pull out my phone to message Jaz.

Wedding doing my head in.

Not only is Jaz my best mate, she’s the only person I’ve been honest with regarding my conflicting feelings about Eva and marriage. Feelings that began as a tiny spark of uncertainty a few months ago, but as the date has drawn closer, have quickly gathered oxygen and ignited a fire that’s hard to ignore.

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