I found it appealing, and if I were honest, a little surprising. I hadn’t expected Kieran to say yes so quickly, with very little hesitation. That, more than anything, had caught my attention.
We reached Wittenbergplatz, and I pointed across the street. “That’s KaDeWe, Berlin’s biggest department store.” I smiled. “And probably its most expensive too. It has a bread department to die for.”
Kieran stared at me. “Bread?”
I had to laugh. “You will soon learn that in Germany, we love our bread.” When he didn’t respond but lapsed into silence once more, I knew I had to say something.
I wasn’t sure what to lead with, so I went with the obvious.
“You’re very quiet.”
Kieran let out a small breath, as if I’d pulled him back from wherever he’d been. “Sorry. I was just… thinking.”
“I’d noticed.”
Kieran glanced at me, and a flicker of amusement broke through. “Is it that obvious?”
“Yes.”
He laughed.
We walked on for a few steps in comfortable silence, and Kieran seemed to take in everything: the shop fronts, the traffic, the cafés spilling out onto the pavement, and the men passing us by in leather, harnesses, and boots. The city was already shifting with the energy of the week.
Kieran noticed, and I watched it happen in real time—the quick glances, the second looks, the effort not to stare.
I felt sure I was witnessing curiosity, not discomfort.
As we neared Kurfürstendamm, Kieran cleared his throat. “Can I ask you something?”
“You can ask,” I replied. “Whether I answer is another matter.”
He smiled at that. “Fair enough.” He took a breath. “Yesterday—on the train… Why were you flirting with me?”
I blinked. “For the most obvious reason.” I smiled. “I find you attractive.”
He swallowed. “You’re very straightforward.”
I smiled again. “It saves time.”
Kieran let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “I’m not used to that.”
“I can tell.”
A pause.
“And to be honest, I don’t know what to make of it,” he admitted. After another moment’s hesitation, he said in a low voice, “And what about now?”
I looked at him. “Now what?” I echoed as we stopped and waited to cross the street.
Kieran’s expression was careful, but there was something beneath it, something more deliberate than before.
“Now… are you still flirting with me?”
I didn’t break eye contact. “Yes.”
He exhaled slowly. “Right.”
This is delicious.And Kieran was a delight.