I N S I D E | Your time is over

Chapter 3

She tried to calm down. Her eyes were closed and under her hands she felt rough, cold wood. There was something comforting about it that helped regulate her pulse.
What happened? She didn't remember. It had suddenly felt like someone had pulled the ground out from under her feet and she had felt like she was falling. She had braced herself for the hard impact on the ground, but the pain hadn't come.
Suddenly something touched her shoulder and Judie flinched. Her eyes widened in panic and she saw a man's worried face. She knew him, but from where.
She tried so hard to remember that she saw his lips move but couldn't make out the words that had just slipped out of them.
A gentle hand touched her cheek, drawing Judie's attention to the person in front of her.
She shook her head slightly to organize her thoughts and then looked steadily into the man's eyes.
And suddenly there was the name that had been on the tip of her tongue the whole time: Robert.
Her colleague, whom she had only met a few hours ago and whom she had liked right away.
She tried to get up, but failed and felt a warm hand on her back.
She lifted her head and looked over her shoulder. The hand belonged to Robert, who was still kneeling beside her, looking worried, waiting for her to say something.
But Judie didn't know what to tell him. She had neither memories nor an explanation for what had happened.
"What happened?" Robert asked worried after they had been silent for a few minutes.
"I...don't know," Judie felt a salty taste in her mouth and when she ran her fingers over her tightness, it was wet with tears.
"Shit," she cursed, trying to make out if her makeup was smudged.
But Robert gently took her hand away and gently stroked the skin under her eyes.
Goosebumps spread over Judie's body and she grabbed Robert's hand when he wanted to take it away.
He smiled at her briefly and - as Judie put it - shyly and then straightened up, supporting her.
Someone Judie hadn't noticed cleared his throat behind them.
She turned around immediately and saw a young police officer standing there in confusion.
"Are you okay? You just suddenly passed out like that?"
His voice sounded even younger and Judie had the feeling he was just out of puberty. Either he had been so good for the police that he would go far or it was the worst decision of his life and he had wasted his talent on something else. Not that the police were bad, but there were better-paying and, at the same time, safer jobs.
"Um," Judie didn't know what to say. She didn't know anything and just wanted to go home. "I'm fine, I just suddenly got so black before my eyes"
"You really should rest," Robert told her softly. He put an arm on her shoulder. The touch felt good to Judie. A little too good maybe. She nodded and turned her back on the boy.
"I'll drive you home," Robert added.
Judie shook her head in confusion.
"It's my car, so I can drive home by myself," she explained.
"Do you think I'll let you drive home in your condition?" he wanted to know.
Judie heard a note of concern in his voice and felt instantly transported back to her childhood. Her mother had sounded just like that when Judie got sick and she was really worried about her. It was sweet of him that he seemed to feel the same way right now, but she felt it was completely unnecessary.
"I'm fine," she said, sounding more irritated than she intended.
Behind herself she heard a door slam, the clock revealing that she and Robert were now alone in the room. Judie was about to apologize for her tone when she found herself in a hug she wasn't expecting from her colleague. That's why she wasn't relaxed at first and didn't reply, but after a few seconds, she let herself fall, snuggled up to him and enjoyed the strong, warm arms that encircled her.
When she broke away from him, she no longer resisted his offer and thanked him while he led her down the hallway and into her car with an arm around her shoulders. Once there, he drove her home. Judie was dazed during the drive and barely responded to Robert's questions about her health.
She thanked him in front of her front door, got out and was about to go to her apartment when Robert grabbed her sleeve.
"Do you mind if I have a coffee at your place before I go back?" he asked.
She shook her head and a little later they stood in front of her apartment door.
Judie finished, almost dropping the key, but Robert had wrapped his hand around hers and held it at the last moment. With a smile that Judie couldn't interpret, he unlocked the door with her hand and hung his coat on the coat rack.
In the meantime, Judie switched on the coffee maker and sat down in one of her chairs. She tried to cool her hot cheeks with her palms.
She didn't even know what was wrong with her.
She had never behaved like that before.
Was that the case? Or something about Robert?
Could she really have fallen in love with him within hours? Hardly likely. It was probably just the flu. The short fainting would also fit in with this.
"Are you feeling better?" a voice suddenly asked next to her ear.
She jumped and felt a small laugh on the back of her neck, causing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up straight away.
Robert had bent down to her and supported his hands on the chair.
He was so close that she could have touched her face to him if she turned it a little to the right.
But why should she do that?
Robert's nose tickled her neck and she turned her head to look at him.
His eyes made her blood rush to her head.
She licked her lips briefly, which her colleague followed attentively with his eyes.
Judie's mind kicked in and she jumped up.
But she didn't get far because Robert blocked her way.
She looked at him in amazement and he smiled.
He took a step towards her and Judie instinctively took a step back. A second to the front, another to the back. This went on until her back hit the wall.
Robert went even further forward and now stood so close in front of her that no sheet of paper would have fit between them. Then he bent such am just in front of her face.
Judie was breathing way too loud. She held her breath briefly and closed her eyes.
When she wanted to breathe out the pent-up air again, she felt his rough lips on her neck. The breathing turned into a moan and Judie covered her mouth with her hand.
What they were doing here felt wrong. Infinitely wrong, and yet so good and right.
"Are you feeling better?" Robert whispered against her neck.
She didn't answer because his lips were already on her neck again.