Little Did I Know

Chapter ten

Emma

"Well, I think that's it. Unless you have anything extra to add we didn't cover?" I asked Frederik Rønnow, the Danish footballer currently playing at Union Berlin. The paper I freelance for wanted a piece on him and his life in Germany both on and off the field.

"No, I think we're good. You're sure you got everything you wanted?" he asked right back.

The interview had gone smoothly and very well. Better than anticipated. I was beyond distracted by the events of yesterday as well as the day before. But as the professional I am, I left my personal stuff at the door before the interview began.

And it worked perfectly until I made the mistake to grab my phone and see the screen light up with 12 missed calls from Jakob and several texts gone unanswered. My face immediately fell.

"Something wrong?" Frederik asked gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

I quickly gathered my wits and shook it off. "Yes. Sorry, it's nothing important," I said and plastering on my professional smile and persona. "I got everything I needed, and I really think it will turn out great. Thank you so much for your time once again."

"It was my pleasure. If there's anything extra you need you have my agent's number, right?"

"Yes, I got it. I'll be in touch," I said shaking his hand, happy the interview went well but just as happy that it was over, because it meant I could return home to Copenhagen and put distance between myself and this city. Or more particularly one person in this godforsaken city.

Speaking off, the phone went off again. I rushed to decline the call. Now was definitely not the time to answer a personal call.

I know I was probably acting a bit childish and avoiding the issue instead of just talking about what had happened with Jakob first at the party and then yesterday at the park. But I wasn't ready for it. My head couldn't find out what the hell was going on!

I'd escaped the fallout yesterday with Jakob by walking and talking with Matthew and simply just walking away from Jakob and leaving him at the park. I was furious at him for the way he acted towards my friend who was nothing more than that. Jakob acted incredibly immature and like a little boy, which he honestly had no right to do.

I was embarrassed that he could even consider acting the way he did and then he actually went and gone all caveman on me and marking his territory. A territory he had no place pissing all over. The only thing he pissed on was me, my mood and my feelings. I mean, what the hell was he thinking?!

Maybe that was it, he didn't think at all.

As my mind was rambling on, I collected my things and sat down to drink the rest of my coffee before my phone went off again and without thinking I answered.

"Hello, it's Emma," I said in my professional voice.

"Hey Emma. It's Tom. How are you?"

Oh, my fucking god. Of course, it had to be Tom! Always screen your calls, Emma. Even your weak moments.

"Tom, hey. Why are you calling?" I asked straightforward. No point in beating around the bush.

"He's a mess, Emma," Tom said with hesitation.

"I don't want to hear it, Tom. He acted like an immature little brat yesterday. There's no excuse for it. I don't have time for it. Look, I'm very sorry. I know he's your friend so sorry for calling him a brat."

He chuckled down the line, "he can be kind of a brat sometimes. You should've heard him yesterday and today for that matter. He called himself much worse than that, so no worries."

I didn't really know how that made me feel. Good? Happy? Sad?

I sighed. "Was there anything particularly you wanted, Tom? I just wrapped up an interview and I'm about to leave, sooo..."

"Oh, like leave-leave for Copenhagen or just?" he let the words hang there.

"Yes, I'm flying back to Copenhagen later today."

"Wow, that fast? You just got here."

"Yea, well, no point in sticking around any longer. Originally, it was always just a short trip anyway."

Maybe I had planned on staying a day or two longer but he didn't need to know that so he could go all blapper mouth on it to Jakob.

"Oh," Tom said. I could practically hear the disappointment through the phone. As well as some wheels turning but I didn't want to read too much into it.

"Do you think you could find time to meet up before you fly back? I would like to say goodbye in person," he asked.

I scrunched up my face and let my head hang. Why he gotta go and be so sweet? I was well aware that it could be a ploy somehow to help Jakob, but Tom was a genuinely nice person, and it would be kind of nice to say goodbye to at least one of the guys and leave Berlin on a good note.

"Um, well..."

"I won't take up too much of your time, I promise," Tom interjected.

"Okay, sure."

"Great! Where you at right now? I could come to you."

"I'm actually just a couple of blocks over from your house, at that little café with the awesome donuts you guys raved about," I said looking around at nothing in particular.

Thankfully, there weren't that many people here in the middle of the day, but some students were still using it as a place to study.

"Perfect! I'll be there in a couple of minutes. See you, Emma," Tom said before hanging up.

***

As I walked out, it didn't take long to notice the handsome figure standing opposite me leaning up against a lamp post looking all kinds of eatable. I stopped dead in my tracks. Better get this over with.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" I hissed at Jakob.

There was a long stretched out silence between us, where neither of us spoke. People walked between us but we didn't break eye contact once. I was not gonna loose this fight.

"How did I not know you wore glasses?" Jakob finally said scrunching his eyes together looking pensive.

"That's what you're going to focus on? You came all the way over here to talk about my glasses? Really? Well, if that'll be all, I'll be on my way."

"No, wait. Stay," he said while reaching out to me.

I looked down at his outstretched hands. "I'd rather not."

"I'm sorry," he blurted out.

"Why are you really here, Jakob?" I asked exasperated.

This better be good.

"To apologise for yesterday. I don't know what came over me," Jakob finally said on almost a whisper.

My head fell backwards on an exhale before I mustered up a reply. It's nice to be wanted but it's not nice to be made to feel like someone's property. "It was deeply inappropriate. It was a former colleague of mine. I mean, what the hell, dude?!"

"The hug was deeply inappropriate then," Jakob retorted.

"Oh my god! Don't even start. He's a former colleague and a good friend I hadn't seen in a really long time. And who are you to say the hug was inappropriate? I gave the guy a hug. A hug. It wasn't like I was sticking my tongue down his throat, unlike someone else. And even if I was, then so what?! You. Are. Not. My. Boyfriend."

"Well, thank you very much for clearing that up!" he all but shouted back at me.

Why was he mad at me right now?