Langour ・❥・Joost Klein・❥・

55.

Five excitable canines rushed through the hallway. Teun, who sat with his headphones on while working on his laptop, jumped in fright as barks echoed throughout the house. He yanked his headphones off his head and stood from the sofa. He walked through the living space to the door to attempt rounding up the dogs from the front door.

With a suitcase and his mask over his eyes, Aggu shuffled into the house. He waded through the dogs who leapt up to try and lick his face. He resisted a cringe and let Teun steer the labradors away, leaving the barzoi and schnauzer to bounce around Aggu's feet.

'You'll be in the living room, by the way. We've set up a bed,' Fenne filled him in as she walked in behind him. 'But the dogs will be in our room at night, so they won't bother you.'

'I find that hard believe,' Aggu mumbled. Daan and Stuntje walked in last and were hounded next by the dogs, letting Aggu make it to the living space with his suitcase.

'Where's the married couple?' he asked as he opened the fridge.

'Apson's picking Hanna up from work.'

'Can you not raid our fridge as soon as you walk through the door? Those are my beers,' Daan said, snatching the bottle from Aggu's hand. The German peered at the hairless man through his goggles and resisted the urge to bark a seething insult.

'Daan, can I please have a beer?'

'Yes, Aggu. Thank you for asking so nicely.'

Aggu was back in The Netherlands for the wedding. After already attending one Dutch wedding that year, the masked man was back in the country for Fenne and Joost's ceremony. Apson and Hanna had been officially married for four months now and it wouldn't be long until their two best friends would be tieing the knot. Aggu would be rooming with the team until then and was hoping for one hell of a bachelor party.

Fenne scratched at Ootje's ears while the men ceased their bickering and noticed Teun retaking his place on the sofa. His laptop showed his usual editing software and he went to put his headphones back over his ears.

'Teun,' she called and he paused to look over his shoulder. 'Where's Joost?'

'Upstairs.'

'Did you finish recording?'

'No. He wanted to finish it tomorrow so I'm working on something else.'

Fenne wouldn't have found this strange on it's own circumstance. Recording music took a lot of energy and brain power, so producing it over a number of days was normal. But with Teun sitting on his lonesome in the living room and Aggu's arrival being vocalised to the whole neighbourhood, Joost still hadn't come down stairs.

Slipping from the scene, Fenne made her way to the top floor. She heard Stuntje shush a rogue bark back in the kitchen before she made it to her shared bedroom. It wasn't a surprise to find the bed unmade and the floor covered in Joost's mess. Fenne had lived with the Klein long enough to brave through it and was aware that she was marrying one of the messiest and most disorganised people on the planet.

The state of the room made Fenne look to the balcony. The sliding door was closed but the smoke wafting from a cigarette told Fenne where her boyfriend was. She assumed that this was why Joost hadn't come downstairs to greet Aggu and headed for the door to let him know.

Sliding it open, she poked her head out while saying,

'Aggu's here. Did you not hear-'

Fenne stopped when she was met with watery eyes and a red nose.

At her appearance, Joost leaned forward to stamp out his cigarette in his ashtray. Fenne heard a sniffle, which further drove the ache in her chest. The yellow sunglasses that Joost had been wearing before Fenne left for the airport sat folded on his chair's arm. This let Fenne see the tear stains on Joost's cheeks and the pools in his eyes.