Globetrotter Ingrid gets a fabulous fresh start when her job takes her to Melbourne, Australia. Here she meets wise and sweet Oliver, who makes her forget she doesn't have a heart.
This successful stability prompts Ingrid to accept an invitation to...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
June, 2008
Dust motes danced in tendrils of moonlight, disturbed by a stream of smoke flowing from Filip's cigarette. Ingrid sat up in bed and piled her sweat-streaked hair on top of her head. She needed some air that didn't reek of tobacco. Her damp locks dropped over her bare breasts as she fished for clothes on the carpet.
"Where you going?" Filip asked, exhaling more smoke.
Ingrid had opened the door, and picked her way down the dark hall, towards the living-room. Furniture cluttered every spare centimetre of the place, even on the balcony – which seemed better suited to a botanical garden than an eighth-floor flat.
Clouds and eerie whistles floated on the breeze. Ingrid shuddered, crossing her arms over her chest. The steam on her skin caught the chill through Filip's thin T-shirt. As if summoned by her thoughts, the boy himself stepped through the balcony door with a blanket which he wrapped around her shoulders.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" he whispered. "I never tire of this view." He kissed her neck and tightened his embrace. "Just how I never tire of you."
Ingrid rolled her eyes at the moon. "Don't you get sappy on me."
"It's not sappiness, it's sincerity."
"Yeah, right."
He chuckled, nibbling at her earlobe. "I'll be right back."
Ingrid found a stool to sit on after her boyfriend left. He returned with cold beers and joined her among the flowers. Leaning against the wall, he lit another cigarette.
"Cheers," she said.
They clinked their bottles. He took a quiet sip, puffed out some smoke, and offered her a go. She shook her head and drank more beer. Silence grew, fragile, broken by a long, heavy sigh from the depths of Filip's tortured lungs.
"What are we gonna do, Ingrid?" he wondered aloud.
She frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean... us." He waved a hand between them. "What are we gonna do with us? Do you want to... do you wanna try long distance or... To be honest, I think it could work. I can – I could come home every other weekend, my mum would love it. And you could visit me. Then after you graduate – "
"Filip – "
"I mean, your degree takes only, like, three years, right? You could move up to Bucharest for a job after – "
"Filip, listen – "
"– and we could move in together! How awesome would that be? If only we can make the long-distance work for three years – "
"Filip, I'm leaving the country."
Ingrid didn't look away from the moon, even though his eyes drilled holes into the side of her skull. A train screeched in the distance, its tracks hidden behind buildings. The smell of linden flowers wafted up with the wind.
