Ch. 2

Mia mechanically gets ready for work. Kim slept with Lukas last night, so it's eerily quiet in the apartment. Usually the radio is in the bathroom and the television is in the living room.

She works off her morning routine like a ghost. Briefly practice her friendly and understanding face in the mirror before heading to work without having breakfast.

Punctually to the second, she begins to do her usual rounds. She stops by Tina who is only looking for an apartment, then she moves out with her little one. The conversation with her is still pending. Mia is not yet convinced that she can release Tina into the big wide world. After Sarah caught up with her Abitur, she looked for an apprenticeship position and will therefore stay with them for a while. Lara now also wants to catch up on her secondary school leaving certificate. Sarah, her little girl, is brimming with health and attracts everyone's attention. Incredibly cute, the little one. She is the highlight of the day for Mia. Here she sometimes forgets that her heart was broken. However, with every additional hour she feels the pain subside. It is replaced by the endorphin that your body releases at work. Jack didn't deserve it any other way and she knew she wasn't his only one. Mia still handled it easily at the time. Not afraid of what happened afterwards.

Sighing, she shuffles into the kitchen to make tea for a girl who is still suffering from morning sickness. The poor thing has no parents and the boyfriend doesn't have enough money to look after her. After all, he accepts his responsibility and comes to visit her regularly. The two of them are so happy with each other and try to look into the future with confidence. Mia wishes them all the luck in the world.

While the water is boiling, her cell phone rings in her pocket. A picture of Lola and her in front of the villa appears on the display. They have become friends and have met several times. "Hey! How long do you have to toil today? ”Lola begins the conversation. "Hey! You know that I don't call what I do slave. I'll be busy here until six at the latest. But Mona wants me to break up earlier. ”, For whatever reason. "Perfect! Say my regards to Mona and give her a smack for wiggling your ass into town at five. "" But that's already in ... "" That's it! I don't want to hear anything. We briefly go through a few shops before we treat ourselves to dinner. There is this shop that I absolutely have to show you. ”“ Mmmh ”, what else can you say? Your life will be determined over your head in the last few days. "Exactly! So we'll meet a quarter past the church. Woe to you are not on time. ”Lola simply hangs up. There's something about her that Mia finds both admired and annoying. At least if it's directed against them. The tea is brewed and Mia brings it to Melanie. Then she sneaks into the common room. "Moona ??", she is uncomfortable. The one mentioned turns around in amazement. “What then?” “Can I call it a day today at five? Would that be okay with you? ”, A smile appears on the face of the person opposite you. "Clear! Just go! Go out! Don't come back until you're in a better mood. ”Mona laughs and takes her in her arms. "By the way, greetings from Lola and a kiss for being able to leave earlier." "I should pay more attention to the woman. If she makes you smile, I'll kneel in front of her. "

They skirmish a bit before Mia goes on one last lap. Everything seems calm and exuberant. She has the assumption that they no longer trust her with everything, because they believe she has other suctions. Mia has to fix it as soon as possible.

But she spends the rest of the day with Lola. Walking past shop windows, she sees her reflection in the mirror. Long black hair that is messy in a pigtail, eyes surrounded by dark shadows and an expression on her face as if she had just learned that the world is saying goodbye, but is trying to smile bravely.

Damn! Stop thinking about it, then it will be better, Mia chimes to herself. Instead of looking further, she now looks at the clothes behind the window. "There you are!", Lola hugs her tightly. "So go ahead, let's not waste any time. I need a new skirt and thicker tights. Summer is coming to an end again. ”Lola presents herself today in a casual look. Oversized shirts were combined with hot pants. She has curled her blonde hair slightly and draped it around her shoulders. A model as it is and lives.

Feeling infinitely later, Lola has opted for a beige skirt that plays around her knees. As well as dark green tights in which, surprisingly, she doesn't look like a frog, as Mia showed later that evening. “Why didn't you buy the dress? In it you looked like a goddess! “, Lola speaks of a cocktail dress also in green but with silver elements on the neckline and the hem. It actually didn't look bad, just Mia just doesn't feel like it. Where is the point in shopping if you can't be happy about it? So she left it. "Isn't the time of year for it.", Her friend doesn't go into that. "OK! Then let's go eat now. You will like the shop, I promise you. ", She runs forward with light steps, turns around and calls to her:" Come on, come on! ", With a silent twitch of her lips, she follows Lola's command.

Soon afterwards they step into a side street. Hardly anyone can be seen. A single old lantern stands there and lights a couple of tables and chairs. Both with flourishes. “That's pretty here,” breathes Mia. “Really romantic. What you up to? Ask me out on a date? ”Her old self slips out. “You might wish that! Let's look for a place inside. "

The restaurant consists of a huge room with a number of nooks and crannies. This guarantees privacy. The walls are beige and the ceiling is raised by rustic support pillars. A candle burns on every table, but the lamps are still on. It is well filled and she can hardly see any seats. “It's probably a real secret tip.” “Logo!” Lola waves to a somewhat older and well-built man to come over. "Hey! Nice to see you again. Do you still have a free place for us? “, The man actually blushes. "For you always! Follow me. “, Mia throws her friend a questioning look. She just shakes her head and forms a 'later' with her lips.

#

Summer woke up in the morning with a big smile. She smiled, stretched, and snuggled up against Jack. He was watching her the whole time. He had been awake a little longer and just couldn't pull himself up to get up. He much preferred to admire the beauty next to him. “Good morning!” She whispered and started the day with a kiss. An almost stunning kiss, mind you. A kiss that has degenerated into more, but the alarm clock startled them both.

That was probably 12 hours ago and there is not much left of this cosiness.

His first case awaited him at work. It was about the rights of a book. Everything was fine when it was released. The book received high praise and became a bestseller in just a few weeks. The author has received all the praise and his plaintiff claims that he sent this exact book to the publisher, but that it was rejected. There is even multiple evidence of this. Because other publishers have reported that have also received the script from their client and rejected it. In addition, he has saved the document in question on his stick and the creation date is months, almost years, before the publication date. In addition, and that must be a coincidence, the current author is employed by this publisher. So far the company ... still supports him. But the more evidence that is exposed against him, the faster it will drop him like a hot potato.

The reporters are already fighting this issue. His client didn't contact the law firm he works for until the morning and now there is a mob lurking at every exit. Fortunately, they do not yet know who of all people is ER, who just a few weeks ago contributed to the entertainment of the population and who is the lawyer in this case. Summer and Jack actually wanted to spend the lunch break together, but he had to refuse her for fear of being recognized.

Now he's stuck in his office, in this building. Work started a few minutes ago, but the crowd is not going away. He hears them talking to each other, sees the flash of flashlights on the windows. His colleagues all make their way outside. Everyone has a different entrance. You want to try to distract the reporter enough that he can slip through unnoticed.

Pressing the bag tightly against him, Jack tries to find out which route seems safest. He came to work on foot, which means he doesn't have to go into the underground car park. The front and back entrances are the most besieged. There are two emergency exits through which he could 'escape'. Just which one does he choose?

He turns spontaneously in one direction. The decision has been made. Jack disappears to the right. In a crouched position, he peers through the window next to the door. The reporters are currently taking apart Gerd, his new secretary. This lets everything go through. He shouldn't underestimate Gerd. With a relieved smile, he sneaks away. He waits a few more street names before calling each and every one of his colleagues to let them know that they can now get rid of the annoying noso. Why does the press have to interfere in everything? Anyone interested in the case will come to court and if there is still an article in the newspaper after the spectacle.

Sighing, he walks the last few blocks home and breathes in the fresh air. It smells like rain. With a look up, his suspicions are confirmed. The sky is covered with a heavy cloud cover. Neither moon after sun has a chance. He made it with a brisk step just in time. The key is in the lock and the first drop lands on his hand.

In his mind he enters his apartment and doesn't even notice that the light is already on. His only thought right now is to shower, munch on bread and fall into bed. Who would have thought that their first case would be such a blast? Jack loosens his tie, opens the top buttons of his shirt and lets his jacket fly onto the sofa.

"What stopped you?", He turns around to the person. There is Summer in his T-shirt. "How did you get in here." They hadn't exchanged the keys yet. “Your neighbor let me in. Recognized me from the television. ”He has to have a word with her. She can't just let people in here, even if it's his girlfriend. “Aha!” “And? What stopped you? ”Is it starting again? Just yesterday Summer promised to change. Jack takes a deep breath. "For the same reason why we had our lunch date.", One of her blond eyebrows jerks upwards. "Oh yes? So the reporters stopped? Did you give them an exclusive interview something? Without me? ”As the words slip out of her mouth, her angry face collapses. "Jack! I've done it again. Just why? I'm not like that at all! What are you doing with me? “, Summer's hands fly up before she pulls her hair. "I made dinner," she whispers.

His breath escapes. What about them? In the beginning everything went really well. Are you still out of breath for two weeks? Can't be.

"What's delicious?", Still ashamed of herself, she lifts her head. "Fried cheese noodles.", Simply delicious. "What are you waiting for? Let's go into the kitchen and eat. ”, Jack won't say another word about this incident. That doesn't mean that he's not getting annoyed by it.

You have to pull yourself together.

#

The food is being brought to the table. Mia is almost starving and immediately takes the fork to get started. "Tell me, are you a regular here?" Lola nods. "Weifer?", Mia has her mouth full of lasagne. “I was here for the first time when I was still very fresh in the big city. I also worked here in the meantime. Then I got a foothold in the modeling industry. Well and I told everyone how good and tasty the food is here. Since then, the shop here has been an insider tip for connoisseurs, ”she winks. "I've got a tiny surprise for you.", Lola grins from ear to ear and waves to someone behind them. She turns around, puzzled. Sophia and Finn! She quickly swallows the bite before jumping up and pouncing on the two of them. “Always careful. I don't need your cheese mouth stuck to my shirt. ", Laughs Finn and she quickly wipes her mouth with a servant and then gives him a peck on the cheek. "It's only been a week since we saw each other," he growls, amused. "Much too long, if you ask me," taunts Sophia.

The table is almost covered with four plates, but they don't mind. Everyone steals what he wants from the other. Like a big family gathering at Christmas. You don't even get the idea that they only met six weeks ago. "How does it look like? What did I miss? ”And everyone starts talking at the same time. Mia can't stop laughing. She hasn't been so relaxed and happy in ages. Even before the show, she was just a robot. How life can change completely in such a short time.

“I had a shoot in our zoo. For an animal welfare organization, you can't believe how much I had to get up close and personal with these animals. ”Lola shudders briefly. “Scary, at least with insects, in case you had to do something like that. Finn and I went to a wellness paradise over the weekend. You don't believe how cool that was. Everyone asked about their wellbeing. You were really pampered. A dream and my sweetheart over there didn't want to leave. Acted like a toddler when it came to packing and heading home. ", A shameful grin follows. "Change of subject. Mia, tell me what your protégés are doing! ", She grins at her new best friend's boyfriend. “You just want to distract from the fact that you were wax in the hands of these masseurs, but I'm going to let it go. Some have moved out, others will probably enjoy the help for a while and with some I have the feeling that they don't want to move out at all. Many move together in a shared flat to support themselves. ”Further stories from life are told. They don't even notice that the store is slowly emptying. "Did you also get an invitation to dinner from Max and Miriam?", Finn joins in at some point. All nod in agreement. “Then we'll see you tomorrow. Do you think he invited Jack too? ", Suddenly everything is quiet. Everyone is watching Mia. She herself waits for the stabbing pain. He doesn't come with the same force that she's got used to. This time it is not the mass murderer with the battle ax who works on her heart but rather a professional robber who goes to his work with steel gloves. Still painful, but a lot more comfortable. "I do not know. He looked really angry the day after Mia left. Why does he even make it so formal. A text message or a phone call would have been enough. “, Mia has a clue. Keep them to yourself, however. "We'll see." At that moment, her cell phone vibrates. While checking Jonas's text message, she does not notice the confused expressions of her friends. You suspected that it was falling back into its 'sleep mode'. Jonas has just agreed to accompany her to dinner tomorrow. Perfect, now she is prepared for any eventuality. She looks up smiling. Straight into Sophia's open mouth. “Are you okay?” Your mouth is open. “Before she can answer, the man from earlier comes up to her.

“I'm sorry, but we're going to close in a moment. I would be connected if you could pay so slowly. "

So the evening comes to an end. After saying goodbye for a long time, she worries about tomorrow on the way home.