❝Throw me back in the water
Covet me like a neighbor's daughter
Hold me like a deadly secret
Don't dare keep it
Don't you dare.❞

Chapter Nine:
The Silver Jubilee
(cont'd)

This couldn't be it.

The residential establishment in front of me was...modest, to say the least. I'd started to grow skeptical the moment the taxi driver had driven out of the hustle of downtown into more tranquil neighborhoods. They were the ghost-towns of Washington, with not but a few souls ambling along the sidewalks, a direct opposite to the lively crowds of the capital. But the real shock came after arriving in front of my final destination.

I was met by the sight of a five-story, red-bricked apartment building. It was gleamed with the silence that encompassed the quiet neighborhood, and not the eerie, spooky kind of silence but rather, a peaceful one. There was a tiny lawn out front, tinged with the yellow touches of an autumn long gone. Intersecting in the middle was a short set of stairs leading to a simple, plain door. I pictured Hans stepping out of it in his power suit and tie and found myself shaking my head fervently in disbelief.

No. Way. I must have gotten the wrong address. This place wasn't the kind meant for the song of a billionaire. It wasn't bad but it wasn't the picture of the American dream either. I clicked my phone screen open with my free hand one last time, and realized the building number given matched the one I stood in front of. Logical conclusions reigned victorious over my surprise and I ended up walking forward.

Luckily for me, I didn't have to buzz my way in through Hans' mercy as at the precise moment I was about to do so, another resident came trotting up the steps behind me. The elderly woman was friendly enough to let me in without much questions and within seconds, I was in the elevator up to the fourth floor, humming silently under my breath to calm my nerves. I stared down at the small box in my hand, wondering if I'd been a little too impulsive with all this. Maybe seeing me on his birthday was the last thing Hans needed. What if he had a woman with him?

The elevator dinged, opening up to a plush, carpeted hallway - God's way of saying I couldn't back down now. I'd come this far. Gulping down the nervousness, I set one heavy step in front of the other and walked down the hall, eyes counting down the numbers till I found Hans' door. I had spent the whole drive here practicing a convincing speech for him to let me in, at least so we could talk and have a decent conversation. The very possibility of him slamming the door in my face or treating me with the hostility he'd been showing for months made me want to run away.

Taking a deep breath, I steadied the box in one hand and used my right to ring the doorbell. Footsteps shuffled on the other side of the door, drawing near. My attention hadn't been brought to the peephole in front of me. One look through, and Hans would know. Consumed by panic, my hand shot out to cover the handy peeping device but the door swung open, and instead, I ended up smacking Hans right in the nose. Out of all the worst case scenarios I'd come up with, I certainly hadn't factored in 'Tris being a klutz'. I really should have.

An audible clap reverberated through the air at the contact and Hans went stumbling back a step into his own home with a hand covering his nose while I stood at the threshold, petrified in terror with my right hand frozen in mid-air.

"What the- Tris."

I dropped my hand to my side and felt stiff as a board as I stared up at him through wide eyes. He looked equally as surprised to see me standing in front of him, but my shock was for a different reason all together. It was the first time I was seeing Hans look...normal. He had on a white tank that hugged his muscular and toned chest in the perfect way, and baggy gray sweat pants but his comfort wear wasn't the most noticeable difference. Black-rimmed glasses sat perched on the tip of his nose and framed his rainbow orbs in a geeky, yet handsome way. I blinked, my eyes narrowing slightly. They made him look somewhat familiar.

"May I ask what you're doing here?"

Hans' unfriendly question snapped me out of my reverie. I blinked a couple more times before shuffling at the entrance, bowing my head in slight embarrassment.

"Um, well..." What were the starting words to my speech? I couldn't look him up in the eyes with a soulful, puppy dog face until I got it ready in my head but...of all the times to have a brain fart!

"If your purpose of visiting was to physically assault me then I'd say your job's done."

"No!" I half-shouted, head shooting up in protest. Hans simply stared down at me and took a step forward, crossing his arms across his chest to block my entrance into his house. His posture was almost predatory, but despite the caution I could make out in his eyes behind the thick rims of his glasses, he waited for me to explain myself.

"You see," I started, my voice quavering in nervousness. "The silver jubilee's being held tonight and I heard that you wouldn't be attending." There was more but that's all I could muster out before biting down on my lip and waiting for him to react to the fact that I had chosen to show up at his doorstep instead.

"And that's the dress you chose to wear?" He beckoned at my attire with a lazy hand and I glanced down at myself. Despite the fact that he was still mad at me...for whatever reason, there was a dash of amusement in his tone as he eyed me in my white dress, the one I'd worn the first night we met.

"No, actually." With a small, hopeful smile, I looked up. "I wore this for you."

Something clicked in his eyes that made me clutch the box tighter. Hans' eyes locked with mine and he didn't make a move to break the gaze and leave me hanging like he had every other time we had crossed paths. Without a word, he stepped to the side with his gaze still fixated on me, no longer blocking my path. Doing a whoop of victory in my head, I stepped inside and let out my breath, only for it to catch again in my throat as I surveyed the space in front of me.

The inside of his apartment was bigger than I had imagined it would be after my first impression of the building. It was spacier, or maybe that was just because Hans had a good sense of home decor to make it look so. The brick and wooden panel walls brought out a magical, antique-y feel to the place, especially at the parts where certain bricks jutted out unevenly. Although that pointed to poor construction, Hans had somehow transformed it to look eye-catching as he used them as perching spots for paintings and ceramic statues.

My eyes sauntered over the living room to my left where a single lamp stood in the corner, shedding the color of dawn over the couch and round-table atop which sat an open novel. Behind it was an open kitchen, built on a higher flooring with a step ascending to the inviting cooking space. There was a small strip of hallway to the right, leading down to where I assumed his bedroom and bathroom were. Over all, the place had a very welcoming feel to it, and the tapestries and pieces of art that lined the walls told me he had taken impeccable care into perfecting his home.

I turned to see him still looking at me, visibly more relaxed now.

"I like your place. It's very homey."

"Thank you," he answered, a little curt, a little proud. With Hans, it was always both. He jutted his chin out at me, gaze fixing on the small cardboard box I held. "Is that for me?"

"Yeah."

It isn't how I had pictured gifting him but questions sought answers and I had to give him one before Hans thought better of letting me in. I took a few steps forward, my heels echoing on the polished wooden floors as I drew nearer. Opening the box, I settled the lid under the bottom and held the box up, slightly higher with a growing smile on my lips when I heard his audible gasp.

The inside was lined with black felt to make for a comfortable bed. The little ginger munchkin inside was fast asleep, having grown tired of playing with me at some point through the drive here. I watched with growing anticipation as Hans took the box from me, his hands gentle as he tread his fingers over the soft fur of the cute kitten.

"Do you like her?"

Hans nodded. Through the glasses, I saw his eyes transform into absolute wonder as a smile tickled his lips. The kitten purred in her sleep, reacting to Hans gentle touch and rolled onto her back with her short legs pointing up at the ceiling. Her eyes opened up, silver and black rims zeroing in on Hans whose lips grew into a wide grin.

"Hey," he whispered, tickling her belly. She let out another soft meow, before flopping onto her side, lids drawing to a close again. Hans chuckled to himself and stroked her short coat before looking up at me, the grin on his face beaming at me in happiness. "You got me a kitten."

"A munchkin, to be precise."

He straightened and carried the box over to the long rosewood table to our right, pushing aside the several papers and files to make room for his new companion. Hans set the box down, tickling the little kitten, who was fast asleep again, affectionately before turning to face me.

"I'm guessing this was all Jasper."

"This...being?"

He gestured at me, "The girl," and then at the box, "the cat."

I avoided the urge to roll my eyes at the fact that he'd gone back to acting like a total douche again. Hans couldn't hide that he was happy. It was written all over his face in spite of the bored tone with which he addressed me.

"The girl, yes," I said slowly, taking a step forward. "I called him to ask about the party, and Jasper led me here instead. The cat, however, is all me."

Hans looked back at the kitten, a warmth coating his face at the sight of the adorable creature that was now his.

"Why?"

"You didn't think I'd come empty handed for your birthday, did you?"

There was only a foot's worth of distance between us. It was difficult to stand so close, and yet feel so distant from him, remembering what bridging the gap had done to us the last time. I wasn't sure what else to do apart from watch him, watch the way his hands curled into fists as I took the final step between us. It hurt to see him flinch from the contact but I didn't let him escape this time, my hand curling around his wrist in a tight hold.

"I'm not asking for much, Hans," I whispered, my voice almost brittle. He stopped fighting to get away from me and when I met his gaze, the struggle was gone. "I just want the truth." 

"The truth," he repeated, his voice metallic, heavy.

The pads of my fingers pressed into his skin, thumb brushing over the pulsing vein on his wrist. The slightest pressure there and I could feel his heart beat, just as fast as my own. Maybe I was asking for too much. The truth had nearly destroyed us, him more than me. But was that really the reason?

_____

Song: Be My Cure - The Rescues

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