Another pause. “And Berlin had nothing to do with that?” Her tone was light but not careless.
I looked her in the eye. “No—it hadeverythingto do with it.”
A small, knowing smile appeared. “I thought as much.”
I gazed at her, thankful she hadn’t analysed it into existence or questioned it to death.
“Well,” she said, picking up her glass again, “it sounds as if you’ve got something worth figuring out.”
“Maybe.”
I knew that wasn’t true. This wasn’t something I needed to figure out. I already knew what had changed.Whereit had changed. And why I couldn’t seem to ignore it.
The question wasn’t whether it mattered. It was whether I was prepared to do anything about it.
I leaned back, my gaze drifting towards the window, to the darkened street beyond it. And for a moment, I let myself imagine not being here, but somewhere else. A different rhythm, a different life. One that didn’t feel like something I was trying to return to, but moving towards.
The thought didn’t feel dramatic or overwhelming. If anything, it was clear.
And once it was there, I couldn’t make it go away.
Stefan
I set my keys down in their usual place, removed my coat, and moved through the space with the same efficiency I always had. The day had been unremarkable—work completed, meetings attended, decisions made without hesitation. Everything as expected.
I poured a drink, more out of habit than inclination, and carried it into the living room. My gaze shifted toward the piano.
No. Don’t go there.
I set the drink down without taking a sip and went back to the kitchen, reaching for my phone where I had left it on the counter. I unlocked the screen, confirming there’d been no new notifications.
He’s gone back to his life.
I hadn’t contacted him. That had been a decision.
Maybe it had been the wrong one.
Except the more I thought about it, the more certain I became that there was nomaybeabout it.
Kieran
Karl appeared on screen with his usual lack of ceremony.
He leaned back, studying me in his direct, familiar way. “You look tired. How was your day?”
“The same as it’s been every time you’ve asked. And it’s usually me who calls you, so forgive me for sounding intrigued.”
He shifted in his chair. “A rather interesting opportunity has arisen here.”
That got my attention. “Oh?”
“The Universität der Künste Berlin is currently seeking a pianist to join the faculty,” he said. “It’s a teaching contract, starting in April, and would include piano performance and chamber music coaching. Undergraduateandpostgraduate.” He paused. “They are particularly interested in someone with a strong background in the German Romantic repertoire, and experience at conservatoire level.”
I blinked. “I thought you’d retired. Are you considering going back into teaching?”
He gave me a wry smile. “I wasn’t planning on it. But as soon as I heard about the position, I thought of you.”
Oh.