Love breaks chains - English version

Chapter two

RobinHood
My dear Copperfield.
Handsome? Since when do you call me handsome? But all right. I'll take it as a compliment. Even if you don't know what I look like. Maybe I'm ugly and have a hump. Or maybe I'm as graceful as an elf. Who knows?

What awaits you at home I do not know. But I can tell you what awaits me when I step out of the house and onto the street. Cold, darkness, rain. I don't like winter either. Who wants to have a sore throat and a red nose like Frosty the Snowman?

You want to know how my day was? It was terrible until just now. My boss made me work overtime, so I'm stuck in the office for at least two more hours. And all I want to do is go home. Today is not a good day. But your message put a smile on my face. Because you're clearly worse off than I am. Why? I'll tell you when I'm on my way home.

Stay awake. Watch people, it helps. RobinHood

Two hours later I save the last changes and compose a sarcastic email to my boss. Okay she is not sarcastic. Neutral and busy. But in my mind there is something else. Many times I have wished I could just say what I think. But when the time comes, my voice fails, I start sweating and my head turns a nice bright red color.

It's different with Copperfield. We've had night-long discussions about the pros and cons of book adaptations. Or how some people get the idea that skydiving would be a wonderful adrenaline rush. He told me he was afraid of heights and I told him about my fear of spiders. That's actually what we always do. One of us tells something about himself and the other jumps in.

"Blue instead of red?" The voice close to my ear makes me wince. Fuck what else is she doing here?
"Did I scare you?", she asks, sitting down on the edge of my desk. Her overturned legs are tucked into gauzy nylon tights and her skirt is definitely too short for this time of year. The white blouse stretches suspiciously over her plump breasts and I pray fervently that she doesn't exhale too much. Because I'm afraid that the buttons of her blouse won't hold up to this pressure.

She wraps a strand of her blond hair around her index finger and grins at me lustfully. I know this behavior from women. Often I have observed it. My sister is a prime example when it comes to driving men out of their minds with such seduction tricks. I have often observed her using exactly this kind with her boss. And it paid off. Simon and Izzy have been a couple for two years now. However, this tactic doesn't work for me. However, I'm also too shy to point it out to my colleague.

"Yes", I answer her question.
"Yes what? Because of the color or that I scared you?" Her presence makes me nervous. She is too close to me and the smell of her heavy perfume gives me a headache. Yet they had just disappeared. Because of him.
"Blue fits better." She doesn't need to know that she scared me. I start packing up my things. She makes no effort to leave my workplace. It frustrates me. Because I want my peace, to go home, eat something and sleep.

"Are you still coming to Hunters Moon? A few others are going, too. And I figured since you're still here..." She doesn't continue talking and I interrupt what I'm doing to look at her. Her fingers brush over my forearm, I glance at her long red-lacquered fingernails, and a shiver runs through me. But not this pleasant shiver that settles on your body when the right one touches you. But the shiver when you feel that this is not right. I want to tell her that it makes me uncomfortable when she touches me. But I can't.

Instead, I shake my head and mumble an apology. The words tired and hungry still mingle with my muttering. She jumps off my desk, annoyed, and I see that she has crumpled the papers for my boss with her rear end. I groan in frustration and try to smooth out the damage a bit. I'm a neat and tidy guy and handing over documents in such a state is not in my nature. So I resolve to go to the office tomorrow half an hour earlier than usual.

Mentally, I'm telling her off about her impossible behavior. But I remain silent. And I leave my workplace just as silently. A general 'Have a nice evening' into the round says goodbye to me, like every day. In the company I am known as the quiet closed nerd. I'm in the office on time every day and get my work done. During my lunch break, I often talk to my sister on the phone or sit on a bench in the nearby park and watch the moms and nannies dry tears and hand out apple slices, tend to wounds and bring laughing little people on the swings ever closer to the clouds.

It always reminds me of the old days, of our childhood. Izzy and me at the park. Laughing on the slide or scuffling on the grass. Jace trying to beat me at building sand castles and always wanting to climb the highest trees. I was different then. Before my nature changed and I retreated into my world. My parents always say that I was already shy and reserved as a child. Only with Izzy and Jace I was different. And with him. Copp.

On the way to the subway, the cold wind hits me and light drizzle wets my hair with a wet film. I flip up the collar of my coat and hurry to escape this dreary weather. Since it is already late, I even have the luxury of a seat. The headache is back and my stomach makes itself loudly noticeable. Today is really not my day.

A message tone catches my attention. It is mine. And without looking at the display, I know it's a message from my stranger. I already have a smile on my face even before my fingers clasp the phone. And suddenly my mood changes.

Copperfield
Handsome, that was a mega good idea of yours. Why didn't I do this before? It's so much better than looking out the window and watching the 1,748,439th tree go by. I just saw an old lady proudly showing photos of her grandchildren. To a stranger. Imagine that. A stranger.

And for the last half hour, I've been listening to the mother behind me read a story to her son. Unfortunately, she had to get off already. And now I don't know if the little wolf with the golden eyes will find his way back home to his pack.

RobinHood what's wrong? Why was your day bad? Do you want to tell me?
Your slightly frustrated Copperfield

I smile as I read his message, I think I know that book. The Wolf with the Golden Eyes was my favorite book in my childhood. Next time I go to my parents' house, I'm going to take my copy and send him a photo of the pages that are still missing. And I hope he will be happy about it.