A few minutes passed. Ruediger chuckled as he smoothened Lariette’s hair and shirt collar after finally letting her go. He was tempted to kiss her again but held it back lest she would be late for work.
"Stay warm and stay safe, Lettie," he whispered, fingers skimming through her soft bangs, "I’ll be back ho soon."
She humd, and then replied, "You too. Don’t run around making trouble, en?"
"Hehe, isn’t that you?"
The pair finally left the apartnt, heading downstairs to the waiting car. Despite the layers, both still shivered from the cold. The temperature would drop further in the coming days.
Ruediger only had a small suitcase, including the chest bag slung over his shoulders. The driver ca out once he saw them coming out of the apartnt lobby.
"Good morning, sir, madam. I’ll bring you to your destinations safely."
"Good morning," Lariette returned the greeting.
"Morning," Ruediger smiled at the younger man, "Please bring us to my wife’s school first."
"Yes, sir!"
While Lariette thought the e-hailing driver acted more polite and formal, Ruediger held back from laughing. Edmund had already warned the younger man to act like an ordinary driver but it seed like he was still nervous.
The ride to the middle school was quite smooth despite the morning traffic. Because more cars lined at the curb to drop off the students, Ruediger told the driver to pull over a distance away.
"I’ll go and send my wife to the gates," said Ruediger while opening the door.
"Yes, sir. I’ll wait here," answered the driver, sounding quite rigid.
Ruediger held Lariette’s hand as they headed to the gates, walking alongside the passing students. Humming, she glanced at him and saw his smile in return as if asking if there was anything she wanted to say.
"The driver’s too polite. Not that it’s a problem," Lariette shrugged before adding, "Reminds of Grandpa’s chauffeur."
"...yes, you’re right."
Ruediger stopped himself from saying anything further. Squeezing Lariette’s hand, they continued walking, the soles of their shoes stepped on the gravel and dried fallen leaves.
"If only this road is longer," he whispered, a little dissatisfied.
"Hehe, don’t be so dramatic," she chuckled, playfully patting his arm.
The pair stopped right before the open gates. They looked at each other, their eyes and smiles told stories of their own as their hands still linked together.
"I’ll go in now," Lariette tilted her chin to the gates, "Text before your boarding. And also later when you touch down."
Ruediger exhaled a sigh, and then nodded, "I’ll do that. Rember to ask Maddie about accompanying you. Go inside now."
"Later. Bye, Eddy."
"Bye, Lettie."
Lariette reluctantly let Ruediger’s hand go. She took a few steps forward before looking back and walking again, a helpless smile was carved on her lips.
Ruediger remained at the sa spot, his eyes following Lariette’s back as she got closer and closer to the school administration building. The breeze tousled her hair, and the golden morning light cast a sheen on her locks.
He smiled when she turned around for the last ti, waving at him, and disappeared inside. Her warmth still lingered on his hand.
Then, Ruediger spun on his heels, returning to the car, his steps steady. A slight frown marred his forehead before it disappeared as his lips tugged into a smirk.
He had to do sothing right before the final act — revealing his other identity to her.
Ruediger boarded the plane as scheduled at ten in the morning. He didn’t forget to send a ssage to Lariette, including a selfie of himself as he sat comfortably in the business class suite.
Because Lariette was busy in class during that ti, she didn’t see Ruediger’s text until much later. He had just left, but she missed him already.
Sitting behind the teacher’s desk as the students did their tasks, she read the ssage. A slight smile curled on his lips.
’He should get there at noon. I think we’re quite lucky the tizones do not differ much.’
Norvonna was only one hour ahead of Velondia. They didn’t have to worry about disturbing each other’s sleep ti if they wanted to call each other later at night.
Lariette replied by saying Madeline agreed to a sleepover but the latter could only co tomorrow. Then, she focused back on her students.
Ti continued flowing and the clock continued ticking.
That noon, Lariette buried herself with work in the teachers’ lounge. Nora and Phoebe ca over, one of them knocking on the wooden surface of her desk.
"Lari, wanna grab so lunch? We’re going to the cafeteria," Phoebe asked. She looked tired even though it was only noon.
Lariette looked up from the essays she was grading. She smiled lightly at the two ladies while patting the papers, "You guys go first. I’ll have lunch once I’m done with this."
Nora and Phoebe nodded, understanding this busy period was critical for all of them. The forr asked, "How about so finger foods? Want us to get them for you?"
"Sounds great. Just grab so sandwiches or anything," Lariette quickly agreed, "Thanks, Nora, Phoebe. I’ll pay you back later."
The cafeteria also sold various kinds of finger foods to both staff and students. Lariette had bought them a few tis when she was too busy for a al.
"Ah, don’t think much about it," Nora waved her hand.
Phoebe chuckled, "See you after lunch, Lari."
The two ladies stepped out of the teachers’ lounge. Lariette returned her focus to the essays, but her eyes did drift to her phone. She couldn’t help but anticipate texts or calls from Ruediger.
Then...
Bzzt. Bzzt.
"...?!"
He called!
In a quick reflex, Lariette grabbed the phone, pressed the Answer icon and stood up. She placed the sleek tal next to her ear as she walked out of the teachers’ lounge.
"Hello, Eddy," she said, almost a whisper.
His familiar laughter echoed from the end of the line. The sound unknowingly eased a little part of her ssy heart.
"Lettie, dear, you’re not busy?"
"No. I can spare a minute or two."
"Hehe, that’s already generous enough for ."
Lariette instinctively smiled. She stopped at the closed window outside the teachers’ lounge, her gaze wandering to the overcast sky.
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