L'Allemand et l'alliée (Englisch, Reylo)

Chapter 21

I'm just going down the stairs to do the washing up, humming. Florille said she still had work to do in her room that she wanted to finish in peace. As always, I took care of the housekeeping.

But I was just about to let the water in when the front door was thrown open. "Hello?" I turn to the door in amazement and Ben came towards me sweaty. "Did you run all the way here or what?" I ask while he is still panting heavily for air. Only a nod came from him.

"Do you need something to drink?" But I ask concerned and he leans with his hands on his knees as he raises his finger. I was just still and waiting for what he wanted to say now, but it actually seemed as if he just wanted me to keep my mouth shut.

"My goodness Lieutenant, do you always have to fall through the door so loudly? I thought someone would break in here." Florille stood behind him with a gun pointed at him. He quickly raised both hands when she still didn’t take the gun down after realizing it was just Ben.

"Florille, take the gun down." I admonish her and immediately she nods as if torn from a daydream. "Yeah right, I have to apologize." She smiles politely now. "Can I go back to work then?" She ask politely and I nod.

"Then when you would finally talk to me? I have to keep the house clean." I turn around to wash the dishes now. "My captain, he knows." He says quickly but I can only throw incomprehensible glances at him. "Know what exactly?" I ask him to get to the point. "He has the note." He continues to breathe hectically and my heart skipped briefly. "But not the note that I think it is, right?" But instead of taking my worries away, he nods again.

"Why are you telling me that?!" I ask loudly in panic, because I assumed that this was his wish. "What? I thought you wouldn't want me to show it to my captain." He draws his eyebrows questioningly together and straightens up. "No of course not, but why are you telling me. I thought you wanted to hand it over." We look at each other confused. "No, that was a stupid joke. I like you." He speaks way too fast, but I understood him too well and I wish I hadn't understood. "Once again." I ask him to repeat himself. "That was a joke." He repeats but I shook my head. "No, what came after that." I ask that he put it in his mouth again.

"I like you?" He says hesitantly. "Well, that's not some stupid joke, is it?" I'm sure but he shakes his head. "For real." He swallows hard and I sigh.

"Can we stay with the opening topic, please?" I'm only distracting because I didn't want to say that I like him too. Of course I liked him too, but this moment would be just too inappropriate. Besides, it's wrong, he believes in his ideology and that makes him a murderer, I'm just another one of his victims. But how could he believe in the ideology if he would help me protect Poe?

"Yes, well, as you mean." He gives in. "Why are you helping Poe?" It bursts out of me. "Uh ... I guess because I like you?" Disoriented, his gaze wanders only briefly to mine before looking elsewhere again. "But you're a Nazi, you believe in Hitler's ideology. You can't just do it because you like me." I cross my arms. "That doesn't matter now, do you want to help your friend or not?" He's getting impatient now. "Yes of course, how did that happen?" I inquire. "It was in the backpack you gave me. But I had forgotten it, because I hid it there because I was sure you wouldn't look there. Anyway, I had to justify myself to my captain because of the murder there and it fell out of my pocket. Before I could pick it up again he was holding it in my hands. I couldn't help but pretend I wanted to give it to him. At the end of this week they are planning a big execution in front of the town hall. You have to get him out of here at once." It keeps getting quieter, but I nod. "I'll get him out of France." I'll keep my plan short and he smiles compassionately. "I'll keep the border free for you."

I just memorized his sad smile for a moment before I turned around quickly and disappeared out of the door with the car key.