Ch. 26

Jack was packing last night. He is finally looking forward to getting to know the environment in which both live and feel comfortable. Finn will move back into the villa for the next few days and take turns, first Mia then Summer, to investigate.

" Ready for a new adventure?" Said friend pats him encouragingly on the back. "Always! You know me! ”“ That's exactly why. That's exactly why, Jack. ”He shakes his head and disappears into the kitchen. “I'll stow my luggage in the car,” he calls after him. He's a little nervous after all. Although he has known Summer for three weeks and a blind date.

He politely rings and waits ... and waits and waits. What's going on there? He is about to reach for his key when the door opens. A haunted buzzer with sticking hair stands in front of him. "I'm sorry. I'm almost done. I don't know why Mia didn't open. ", She shakes her head angrily. “Please come in. I'll be back with you in 10 minutes and then we can go. “, Jack is more concerned with whether something is wrong with Mia and what. Determined, he goes up the stairs and knocks. No Answer. "Mia?", No reaction.

Now a little worried he turns the handle and enters. It's dark in the room. The shutters are down and everything is quiet. Confused, he confirms the light switch. His eyes have to get used to the light first. At first glance it looks empty, but where is Mia then? "Mmmh!", The covers rustle and a head peeks out from under the covers. "Mia?", She turns around. Eyes still closed. "Jack? Why are you there? Don't you want to go with Summer? ”He lets out a sigh of relief. Everything OK. She just slept a long time. While he answers her, he pulls up the shutters and turns off the light. “She's still packing. I guess she didn't do that yesterday, "Mia grunts.

" So bright!", Jack carefully sits down next to Mia on the bed. “Why are you still sleeping? Aren't you the early riser? ”, She finally opens her green eyes. "You just want to kill the time until Summer is finished." Unfortunately, that doesn't sound like a joke. Can't you be serious? Does she really think he doesn't care about her? "Mia, you know that I really like you. I worry about you. Usually by this time you are already in top shape. I thought something was wrong and checked on you. ”He caresses her cheek. “It's good. It's good. I talked to Kim for a long time. ”She grimaces. “Probably more of an argument. That really drained me. ”, Her smile is crooked. “What was it about? Maybe I can help. ”, A sarcastic laugh escapes her. "You're the reason for the argument." Jack raises his eyebrows. "Well ... I live with Kim and she really liked you for the first two weeks. However, something must have happened on the other dates that she doesn't like you anymore. Kim didn't want you to come to us. That you spend more time with me and choose Summer on decision day. That, she thinks, would be my downfall. "

WHAT? Does it cause quarrels between friends? “Mia, I would never break your heart. I promise you. ”, Her eyes evade him. "I know it. You can also stay with us. I finally got it around. However, I had to promise to be able to speak to you seriously. "" No problem. I don't want to be the reason for arguments. ”, She sits up. "You just tore me out of a very nice dream.", He grins. "And what was this dream about?", Her eyes become enthusiastic and veil. "I could drink as much chocolate as I wanted without gaining a gram."

He didn't expect that. Is that what women dream of? Not to be kissed by the man you fall in love with? Wait a minute, who says Mia fell in love with him?

" And of course you sat next to me in front of a fireplace.", She laughs at the look on his face. “You've been waiting for that, haven't you? You can rest assured, you were part of my chocolate obsession. ”, His mouth goes dry and his eyes widen. You don't mean ... “But that's exactly what I'm saying. Chocolate tastes good on the skin too. ”Now images fill his head that make him slide around uncomfortably.

" JACK! I'm done. "At that moment, a long forgotten voice whistles. Mia nods to him. “Come on, Casanova. Have fun the next two days. We'll see you. ”As if this were routine, as one observes with longtime couples, she gives him a chaste kiss. “Up, up! Before she finds you in here. ”Without answering, he gets up and leaves. Amazed how normal and right everything feels with Mia. Two puzzle pieces that harmonize perfectly with each other.

Below he meets Summer. She stands there with a huge suitcase. Looks like she packed EVERYTHING back up. "I can hardly wait to show you my apartment." She dances to the car as happy as summer. He has seldom found someone so open and free. Completely satisfied with himself and his surroundings. It's something he admires very much.

You will drive his car. He has no problem lending his car to Summer if she needs a wheelchair during the day.

Everything in his body vibrates. Then let the adventure HOMEGIRL begin.

#

Mia watches the car. Was it right to tell him about her dreams? Didn't it come across as a little cheap, even though it was true?

In any case, it is now too late to change anything. "Well, do you miss Jack already?", Mia turns around and discovers Finn in her room, followed by Max. "You better try it: I finally enjoy having time for myself after such a long time." , but it doesn't sound very convincing. "Get changed and come down with something to eat.", Max pulls Finn by the sleeve and they disappear. As soon as she is alone again, she is plagued by questions like: What if he likes Summer more? What if he chooses her? Can she just go on as if she never knew him?

And the big question: why is she worrying so much about it? What if - Sentences are actually absent in their vocabulary. Of course she likes Jack, as well as not. Maybe she's looked into him a bit, but she has never thought so much about ONE man.

Before she drifts any further, she changes clothes and flees from her thoughts below. She nimbly steals Finn's half of the bun that he has just spread with jam. "Hey, smear your own.", Mia bites with relish into her captured piece. "Mmmh!", Finn shakes his head with a laugh. "Mia, Mia. You are a nasty little thief." "Finn, pulls a pout and Mia gives Max a kiss on the cheek.

" Change of subject. How are you and Sophia? ”His dark eyes light up. Forgotten is the bun. "She is fantastic. With every day I learn something new about her, I love her more. I invited her here too. At least for today and tomorrow. I don't think the buzzer wants that. ", Mia dopst around the table. "YES A! I'm really happy. And about that with Summer, just ask. The two became friends. ", Finn grumbles something incomprehensible. Mia can't be stopped. Like a child looking forward to a new toy, she hops around, looks out the window and hugs the two overwhelmed men. "When does she come? Did I just hear something? Say what finn Why are you just silent Back out with the language! ”, It won't be long before the long-awaited car pulls up. Before it comes to a standstill, Mia is already outside. Seconds later, Sophia gets out.

The sight of the running women and the subsequent doomsday hug does not imply that they haven't seen each other for just a week and have only known each other for a month.

Finn stands next to them and waits impatiently for his greeting, which unfortunately is less enthusiastic than he expected.

Deep in conversation, the friends run into the house and leave poor Finn standing alone, puzzled.

#

“ This is my apartment. I've lived here alone for five years. I'll show you around a bit ”, Jack stands in a hallway from which four doors lead away. To the left of him is a larger than life hanging mirror. At his feet are high heels of all colors and heights. Jackets hang on simple hooks on the right. A helmet, like a winter jacket, and a pair of trainers are stored on a makeshift shelf above their heads. “A little tight here, I know. The first time I'll show you the bathroom. “, Summer opens the first door on the left. In it are a toilet, a shower, a washbasin that is littered with make-up utensils and pots and a wall cabinet with a mirror and a small chest of drawers.

There is even a small window to ventilate. Everything kept white or blue. “More spacious than I imagined.” And more messy, he adds with a glance at towels on the floor. The last time she was here was a few weeks ago. Very hygienic. "Really cute, isn't it?", She smiles and leads him into the room opposite: the kitchen. The big plus here is definitely the cleanliness. No dirty plates or glasses. Here, too, the colors white and blue dominate. "I like it!" "Should go shopping later so that we have something to bite tomorrow morning." "No problem."

As expected, the living room is largely blue. Blue sofa, white table, blue carpet on the parquet, a desk under the large window and a huge living room cabinet with flat screen and all sorts of other consoles. "Hey, your collection is not bad." Is it turning red? Indeed, Summer turns red and looks down at the ground. “My dad is an enthusiastic electronics tinkerer, if he gets a broken device from friends he pisses it off to the point where it can be used again. I couldn't afford it that way. "

Humility. Another character trait that he values ​​very much in people. “You can sleep here. The sofa can be pulled out. " She skillfully steers the conversation in a different direction. "Sounds good." Before they go into the last room, Jack puts down his luggage. "

" This is my bedroom, in case the couch doesn't fit you, you can see that there is still enough space in my bed. " That is definitely a king size bed. It takes up most of the room. The other half is taken up by an oversized wardrobe. The walls are light blue, but the bed is made of dark wood, the bed linen is black and the wardrobe is yellow-orange. A total breakout opposite the other rooms. "Let's see how it is in the living room.", Summer tries not to look ashamed. She can be really cute. Sometimes he saw the claws in the villa. This seems to have moved her into her normal life or her normal environment. That's why Jack wanted to get to know the women in their own home.

" I'll change my clothes for a moment and freshen up, then we'll go shopping." "All right!", Curious he goes into the living room and looks for photos. A shelf behind a glass door has pictures of her and other ambassadors. A second with family photos. You as no child with your parents, as a teenager and baby. It has decreased in recent years because the cheeks that were unmistakably there a few years ago have disappeared.

Jack reaches into his pocket and takes out a new t-shirt. Less than a second later, Summer is back. The dark blonde curls tamed in a braid and jeggings with a top. "Let's go." They are already out the door.

“ My supermarket is just around the corner. It's super practical. How often have they been my saviors in need when we ran out of champagne or ice cream at a girls' evening. Are you allergic to something I should know? ", Summer pushes the car in front of him and reaches for pasta, rolls, pizza, mushrooms, peppers, apples and lots of spreads and toppings. “I can't think of anything right now ... I do. I'm allergic to cranberries. ", I get muesli and milk before I go to the checkout.

Paid and everything is bagged, everything is dragged into the apartment, which incidentally is on the third floor. Like in a bad soap opera, the elevator is broken and they have to climb the stairs.

#

“ You really found each other. I'm so glad we don't both want Jack. That would have been trouble between us. ”, Mia and Sophia are still talking, snuggled comfortably on the sofa. "No. Girlfriends in front of guys. We would have shot him down together. Should he give a damn? ", Sophia laughs heartily. Mia's look is a little more tortured. “I don't know if I could have done that. I couldn't do it now. He is so charming and elegant. Open hearted and warm. Loving and humorous. Jealous and .. "" It's good. I understand Jack is your dream man, but you think jealousy is good? ", Mia hesitates to answer a little. "Well .. can be very cute to a certain extent. You know that you mean something to the man. “, Sophia leans her head to one side. "I've never looked at it from this side.", She looks over at Finn. “We were out two days ago and a guy smiled at me. I didn't think anything about it and answered with one. Finn stared the guy into the ground until he avoided our line of sight. This obsessive Neanderthal thinking didn't go through me. He knows that he has me and won't get rid of me anytime soon. I even asked myself if he didn't trust me enough .. But now, looking back and looking at it with different eyes, he only shows me that he is afraid of losing me. ", Her friend stands up and pulls her friend out of the conversation with Max and kisses him stormily. Out of breath, he asks: "How did I deserve this?" "I love you!", She has that idiotic grin of lovers on her face. "I love you too, baby!", The two lose each other in an embrace. Max trots to Mia and sits down next to her. "Why aren't you shooting with Jack and Summer?" He shakes his head. “I don't like to see them both. Don't get me wrong, Summer is a great personality, but they don't go together. It's a lot nicer for me to film you guys. You harmonize perfectly with each other. You are in tune with each other. You move as if an invisible bond connects you. If he doesn't take you at the end of the week, I'll take the evil away from him. ”Max smiles. Apparently he's very sure that Jack will choose her. "I didn't even notice that we were moving like that.", Mia thinks hard, but doesn't find the connection that Max sees. “It started with your blind date. At the same time, or if one has moved backwards, the other has slipped afterwards. Or dance the tango. When you were still with your partner, less than five seconds passed in which your eyes did not find each other. Even when you were dancing, your hips were welded tight. There are still so many moments even here in the house when you run into each other by chance. ”“ Is that the same with Summer? ”Mia thinks it's great that their bodies are so coordinated. That gives her hope, not that she's already written off Jack, but Summer is a tough competitor. “Did you even listen to me? I said that I would rather have Jack and you in front of the lens. ", Max shakes his head in amusement. "Lovers!", She turns red and looks at the ground. One hand rests on her shoulder. "Do not worry. Jack doesn’t let himself be lulled easily, I have the feeling and you two are already behaving as if the whole theater is over here. ”How can he be so sure about that?

The best thing to do is to try to change the subject. Inconspicuous. Mia grabs her head in the silence for something that doesn't sound abrupt and wanted. She looks up and turns her body to Max. The sofa is wide enough to sit sideways, cross-legged. "Max? Speaking of relationships. How is Miriam? Don't you miss her You could take your day off tomorrow. Nobody is filming here for the next few days or calling you about a tangle of cables. ”He sighs. A sound she's never heard from him before. “We talk on the phone and in the evenings I've often driven home, but it's not worth it. I don't get much sleep with Miriam. ”He grins. “And arriving at work tired is a no-go.” Mia is often not really awake when she goes to work. With a cameraman, it's probably bad to be tired. Imagine a live show and your image keeps tilting because the man fell asleep or can't concentrate. “Of course I miss her. I do that every hour that I'm not with her. And she knows what she got into with me. We enjoy every second we have. After this job, I only have small one or two day assignments for any broadcaster for the whole six months. That means normal working hours. ”Mia would like to receive such love as Miriam obviously does. It would be best if Jack were the one. However, that is still in the stars. “You are really cute. You absolutely have to introduce her to me. "Then something else occurs to her. "Wait a moment! You've been a couple for five years and it looks like this will never end. So why ... haven't you proposed to her yet? ”His mouth pops open. "An application?", Oh man (s). Sometimes the guys just stand on the line. From the look on his face, he didn't give it a thought. "Yes, Max. A marriage proposal. Have you never received any hints from Miriam? ”He slowly shakes his head. Then he nods. “Something like- I love you and we'll get old and gray together- or - look at the lucky ones - when we passed newly married couples on a photo shoot. That sort of thing. "He looks stunned. “But we can just live together like that, have children and be happy.” Mia must have thrown him completely off course. “I didn't mean to make you feel guilty or anything. Just that you should think about it. "Now she feels miserable. Why did she say that?

So that he lets go of you, her inner voice whispers.

Max's eyes have become spongy. "Max? Are you still there? "" I ... think you are right. Miri has been waiting for an eternity. ”His eyes focus on the present again. “I'll ask next week. Thank you Mia! ”“ Always happy. ”, She replies, unsure whether to be pleased or worried. "Max, you know that Miriam loves you and doesn't want you to feel compelled to do something, right?" "Yes, but somehow I like the idea. She in a stunning white dress with my ring on her finger. Visible to every guy who tries to flirt with her. ”, A gigantic grin spreads across his face. He's probably going through such scenarios in his head right now. A guy digs at his WIFE, she raises her hand to demonstrate that he has no chance. "That's perfect. Why didn't I think of it earlier? I'll send you an invitation to the wedding. ”“ You don't have rings yet, but you already have guests! ”Max ignores that. He'd rather turn to Sophia and Finn. "Hey, you two. Stop eating. You are invited to my wedding. “, Finn breaks away from Sophia within a second and jumps up.

" Congratulations buddy! Congratulation! When do I get to know the bride? But hopefully before the big day. “, Mia's attempt to suppress her laugh fails miserably. Max looks embarrassed. "Dude, she doesn't know about her luck yet.", Sophia pats his arm while Finn joins Mia. “She will say yes. Stop laughing, you kids. “, Sophia turns to her. Your voice serious and slightly angry. Finn stops immediately. Christ, it really got him. "I'm sorry honey. That shouldn't sound derogatory. It is not a good omen to inform the guests before the bride knows. ", He bends back to laugh.

Maybe Sophia has less influence after all. It doesn't take long for the two of them to join in.

#

In the evening there was sausage bread. Usually he's not the type of sausage, but he's so hungry after the day he looks over it. They played and laughed. Tickled each other and romped around. It was an enlightening day. Summer is much more relaxed than in the villa, but he didn't even notice that she was tense. She's never been so relaxed with him, except when they were drunk in the bar.

Jack knows a lot more about her family now. That they are very close to each other, that their older sister died at 7. Why did she not want to say and he accepts that. Not everything has to be exposed. She still has the rest of the week if she chooses to tell him. In her job as an ambassador's secretary, it turned out that she lied about her blind date to look better, she receives a lot of mail from children from other countries. Children you know from TV or personally, as she is active in many charities. A really intellectual and compassionate woman. You don't even notice how much suffering she has already seen and experienced herself. Why did she feel compelled to lie about her job? Every now and then he thought about which country she is from to be ambassador here. Now it turns out that she is only the secretary of an ambassador from Germany who lives in Turkey.

Because of her job, she is often out and about and sometimes not at home for weeks to personally discuss all appointments with her boss and make changes. That's probably why she's never had a long relationship. The men all cheated or were overly suspicious after a few months. It's not easy to live such a life. It's even harder to be happy with it. Summer has a strong will and knows what she wants. She not only earned his respect, but also a piece of his heart.