Chapters tagged flr

by Levantin

Chapter 175

The three of us sat in Nadja's living room. The warm glow of the floor lamp fell softly over the coffee table, where two empty wine glasses and a half-full bottle stood. The silence between us was not hostile, but carried that familiar, burdensome weight that always set in whenev...

by Levantin

Chapter 176

The heavy double doors of the living room fell shut with a solid, definitive click. The muffled sounds from Nadja’s hallway—the faint clink of glasses from the kitchen, the low, satisfied laughter of both women, and the distant murmur of the radio—were reduced in an instant to a...

by Levantin

Chapter 177

The drive through the evening streets of Berlin passed in near-total silence. Outside, the city lights streaked across the windows, while my resolution echoed deep within me. There was no turning back. I had given my consent. Both Loona and Nadja had dressed to the nines for thi...

by Levantin

Chapter 182

On Friday evening, that peculiar, crackling tension settled over the Steglitz flat—the kind that always took hold whenever the familiar walls lost their sheltering purpose. The scent of hairspray, expensive powder, and the pungent leather of clubwear had completely claimed the ro...

by Levantin

Chapter 184

We followed Mira's fluid steps away from the warm glow of the lounge, past the thumping main dance floors, and into the rear, labyrinthine depths of the club. Here, the wooden floorboards gave way to historic Berlin industrial masonry. The lighting shifted to a deep, almost arter...

by Levantin

Chapter 186

Monday morning in Lecture Hall 3 at the Charité smelled as it always did: damp autumn air, cold linoleum, and the first cheap coffee from the vending machine in the foyer. At ten to eight, I was sitting in the second row. Lowering myself onto the old, hard wooden folding chair h...

by Levantin

Chapter 189

Mira considered for a moment. "Timo… yes, John has mentioned him in passing once or twice when old school friends came up. I have never met him, though. But he knows nothing about all of this, I take it?" "Of course not," Loona scoffed with amusement. "To Timo, John is still the...

by Levantin

Chapter 190

Saturday evening began with an oppressive calm. In the Steglitz flat, Loona helped me into the dark blue tailored suit with taciturn precision. The collar band sat precisely so that the leather strap at my throat remained invisible, while the fine wool of the trousers rubbed agai...