During the worst time in her life Waridi meets Nikolai and despite all the things that are going wrong, Nikolai becomes the only thing that's going right. But are they really meant to be? Is the difference between them too great?
Are Waridi and Nik...
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I stare at him for the longest time before I utter his name "Paulsen."
His back is straight, the only way he knows how to hold his posture. His face is stern as usual. He shakes his head in disapproval when he sees me.
I try to pace myself when I walk towards him. What does it mean that he's here and does he still care about my posture, would that mean that Nikolai still cares too.
"What a waste of my effort Lady Fumba," Foo-em-ba, he butchers my last name but his pronounciation of my first name isn't any better. More than once he's asked me if I was interested in changing it into something more suitable to which I smiled and tried not to take personally.
"You're here," my voice is hopeful. I want to reach out and touch him because seeing him here reminds me that Nikolai is real. After all this time without contact from him, I started wondering if I had imagined everything. How could I love someone this much, how could they own me to this extent.
"I need your help," Paulsen says and his mouth goes back into it's thin line. I can tell it took a lot for him to say that.
"Anything," I say because like Nikolai, Paulsen has helped me out tremendously. I'm pretty sure he would be proud of me for using that word instead of a lot.
"Very well. Pack a bag and come with me." He looks Ridley up and down and the turns to head for the stairs. I don't even offer my friend a proper explanation as I go into my apartment and pack my clothes. I don't know how many clothes to take with me but I just throw the first thing I see and lock it as soon as can.
"Ask for permission at school for me. I'll email them too. Say I have a funeral or something." I might be cutting it close when you consider my recent absence from college.
"Where are you going? Who is that?" Ridley is following close behind, he offers to carry my bag but I won't let him. I wonder why it took him so long to speak.
"I'll tell you when I get back."
Does this mean I'm forgiven? Am I going to see Niko? Am I finally worthy of entering his world? Of seeing Christopher, his assistant and knowing what country he's in when he isn't next to me?
I don't feel worthy but nothing will keep me from seeing him. From telling him how sorry I am.
"Shall we?" Paulsen says when I emerge from the building. He's standing next to a black car. Like the one I was forced to buy, it's big. And shiny. He opens the door for me and then drives to the airport. I am familiar enough with this town to know the roads we take, I watch the shops, the building I see on a daily basis pass us by. It might not be home, as in my country, but this place is so familiar it feels like a home away from home. For a second I think I'll miss it.
The airport is out of town, what with this being a small town. We have to drive all the way to the next city to board a plane. I don't know this city that well but I've been here enough times to know which part of it we are passing as we make our way to the airport.
