The Sky We Seek (Love and Other Dreams #2)

Chapter 4

Noah

I size up the stranger with raised eyebrows. She looks like a freshly bathed, overly made-up mouse. Dark streaks run from the edges of her eyes down her cheeks, and her eyelashes are clumped together. Like thick spider legs, they touch her eyebrows whenever she blinks.

"I’m looking for Hanna Lakner’s house," she says in that dreadful Viennese slang that carries the essence of snobbery. Raindrops trickle down from her tightly pulled-back hair. As hard as she tries, she fails to wipe the wetness off her skin. All the while, she beams at me as if this entire situation were completely normal for her.

She furrows her brow. "Do you happen to know where it is?"

I instinctively cross my arms. This village doesn’t even have a thousand inhabitants. Here, everyone knows everyone, something a city dweller like her probably can’t imagine.

"Okay. Too bad. In that case, I’ll just..." She doesn’t move an inch but continues to look at me with her big blue eyes, pleading for help. Her teeth begin to chatter.

I turn my head toward the hallway. "Can you come over here, Hanna?" I call out into the house. Then I turn back to the drenched fashion doll with the puppy eyes and signal her to follow me. We're halfway to the kitchen when I come across my sister. She dries her hands on the dishcloth that is almost always in the front pocket of her jeans and brushes her overgrown bangs away from her face.

"You must be our new guest. Elina, right?" She smiles warmly and extends her hand to the city mouse. "Welcome."

"Thank you. I’m glad to be here." To my surprise, Elina seems a bit reserved now when shaking Hanna’s hand.

With a strong tug, my sister pulls her into her arms. It looks like a reunion between long-lost friends. Watching them makes me smile. This is the sort of unique person Hanna is. From the very first moment, everyone can feel her warmth. She doesn’t mind getting wet just to offer Elina a heartfelt welcome.

"It’s a good thing we just lit the fireplace," Hanna says as she ends their embrace.

"That sounds perfect. I’ll just quickly grab my luggage." She’s barely spoken the words before she turns around. A small puddle has formed on the tiled floor beneath her. She's shivering despite how warm it is in here.

She should by no means go back outside. "I’ll do it," I say quickly, turning to leave.

Hanna gives me a loving smile. "Thanks, dear brother."

With a brief gesture, I signal to her not to read too much into my willingness to help. Then I head toward the entrance door.

"Wait." Cold, damp fingers wrap around my forearm. Reluctantly, I turn to face Hanna’s new tenant, who once again has that strange puppy-eyed look on her face. "Um... well..." she stammers, embarrassed.

I free my arm and look at her inquisitively.

She clears her throat and intertwines her fingers. "I left the duffel bags and suitcases at the intersection up the road." The way she looks up at me could be interpreted as guilt. "The stuff weighs a ton, honestly."

Even ten pounds would be too much for such a delicate creature. "No problem," I say curtly.

There it is again. That beaming smile. Is she flirting with me or trying to convey some hidden meaning?

Something about her is off. I opt to quickly put on my raincoat. With heavy boots on my feet, I step through the door to face the wet and cold April weather and pull up my hood.

"You’re my hero. Thank you!" she calls after me, her voice filled with relief.

She’s mistaken. I certainly am not her hero.

I’m nobody’s hero.

With my hands buried in the pockets of my jacket, I set off. From a distance, I spot the city girl's luggage. Indeed, the two duffel bags are enormous, and the two suitcases look almost as big as her. The fancy style of her clothes seamlessly continues into the luggage. The clasps gleam, and the fabric looks elegant and new. A plastic bag sticks out of one of the side pockets. Inside it is a dark brown leather bag with golden trim.

Heaven, this is Semmtal, not Paris. And besides, no one needs this much stuff for a vacation.

Shaking my head, I grab the duffel bags. The handles are soaked through. It takes me two attempts to shoulder them. They weigh more than just ten pounds, that’s for sure. Probably closer to fifty. Even though I couldn’t care less, on the way back to Hanna, I speculate about what might be inside the luggage. Masses of dresses, blouses, and pleated trousers, most likely. A huge toiletry bag with enough makeup to beautify the entire village and stiletto shoes in every imaginable color.

Yes, that would be fitting for the city mouse. And she probably has a bunch of technical gadgets in there as well. Laptop, iPad, curling iron, those ultra-modern headphones, and whatever else exists that no one needs.

Meaningless stuff. Trinkets that only the types of people who don’t understand what truly matters in life could derive happiness from.

In essence, it’s none of my business, so I halt these thoughts. While the rain relentlessly pelts my hood, I press my lips together and quicken my pace.