Page 86 of Tattooed Sweetness

In between, I pass around the plates with the appetizers I’ve prepared today, while Philipp has spent hours beautifying other people’s bodies…

…whereby I have not watched at all costs, of course!Even if I apparently can tolerate the sight of my own blood in the meantime: I do not want to challenge fate.

Sometime around half past one—after the last guest has left, and Philipp and I have cleaned up together—I let myself sink on the sofa in his apartment. With a sigh, I take off my brand-new ankle boots and massage my aching toes.

“Ouch.” Philipp gives me a pitying look. “Did I get the wrong size?”

“No!” I clear my throat because the word sounded too harsh. “Absolutely not,” I add more gently. “They fit perfectly. In principle.”

“In principle?” He raises an eyebrow.

“Well, yeah. Even with perfectly fitting shoes, it’s not a good idea to wear them right away for a party marathon without breaking them in.”

“Cha.” The hint of a smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “You should have listened to me before.”

“Why?”

“By wearing Crocs with your outfit, you would have not only set new trends—but saved yourself corns.”

“Corns?”Like I’m an old woman!I grab one of the sofa cushions and hurl it in his direction.

Laughing out loud, he dodges it and grabs some clothes from the closet. Then he heads for the exit. “You’re going to sleep here tonight. I’ll take one of the free apartments. Good night.”

“Good night,” I reply, but the door has already slammed shut behind him.

Although I’m dead tired, I can’t fall asleep for eons. The pillow, the blanket, and the whole bed smell like him. Exotic, masculine, and dangerous.

My stupid brain practices suicidal artistry on the trapeze of fool’s paradise.

How it would feel to share the queen-size bed with him. Held in his arms. His breath on my neck, the tantalizingly swelling bulge in his shorts against my…

Oh my God, Celine! With a tortured groan, I roll around. How stupid can a single woman be? He feels nothing for you! At most, something like companionship. Whereby the friendly leg-pulling between us makes the whole thing almost harder to bear.

Why can’t I be the woman of his dreams?

Life is unfair! But well, I will take it as manfully as I have managed all adversities before. Exactly!

Still, at the thought of the missed opportunity, a lonely tear rolls down my cheek.

Two days later, a conspiratorial meeting with the Antifa delegation takes place late in the evening. Philipp has arranged a meeting at the remote forest hut at the edge of the woods. Because from there you can see early on if anyone is approaching.

In the summer months, the youth of Mosbach hold hot and illegal party nights there—I still remember myroaring yearstoo well. But in contrast to that, at the beginning of January, after dark, not even a late dog walker makes their way out there.

Negotiations with Philipp about whether I could come along were tough.

My goodness! I don’t understand why he makes such a fuss about my safety when he is apparently so indifferent to me?

No matter. In the end, I played the trump card I had hidden deep up my sleeve until the end: Somebody has to drive thecarnoodle. Because we need his pickup to stow my stuff.

“Very well,” he said with ironic emphasis. “But let’s get one thing straight, sweetness: You will stay in the Dodge. But for real this time!”

That’s where I’m actually sitting now: namely in the back seat, where the black-tinted windows hide me.

Over Philipp’s shoulder, I look through the windshield.

Since he has turned the truck around, the wide panorama of the River Elz estuary spreads out in front of us. During the day, in good weather, we could see as far as Mount Cat’s Hump, the highest elevation in the Odin’s Wood’s uplands.That’s why I used to love this place so much. I don’t know why I haven’t been here for so long.

The lights of the street lighting now glitter in the winter-cold air; the orange-illuminated facade of New Fortress’ Castle on the other side of the Neckar River sets a skillful counterpoint to the light fog billowing in the same color above the Neckarelz’ shopping center to our right.

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