The front door swung open and a gust of the chill evening air blew into the lounge.
I didn’t flinch; I didn’t shiver.
My fingers ran through my violent pink fringe while the other arm draped protectively across Lela. With a smile cracking my lips, I settled back against the warm body of my sleeping friend, my eyes focusing on the new arrival.
Ingrid slammed the door shut behind her with a clatter that rattled the silver frame on the windowsill before taking a purposeful step into the room.
Her stride faltered, her eyes snagging on mine, her pursed lips trembling slightly.
“What’s going on, Heidi?” her voice snapped. It was a pleasant change from her usual irritating whine. Her gaze drifted down to Lela before returning to fix on me.
“Lela’s just resting,” I replied in a velvet tone. I didn’t move my arm from Lela. Instead, I let myself lie back deeper into her space, hitching my legs up onto the sofa and settling them beside hers. I met Ingrid’s gaze with a smug grin.
“She had a big night last night,” I continued. “It was such a shame that you didn’t make it. She was really looking forward to playing for you.”
Ingrid’s brows drew down, and the corners of her thin, colourless mouth tightened.
“I spoke to Gunnar today. He came past the hospital.” It wasn’t just a casual statement. Her voice was laced with the hard edge of accusation.
“She knows. She knows,” the voices hissed around me in frantic glee.
“Oh, Gunnar was a total lifesaver last night.” I parried her blame with practiced innocence. “Lela got a little carried away and had a few too many vodkas. Gunnar helped pack away all of her stuff and drove us back here. We’d have been completely stuck if it hadn’t been for him.”
Ingrid’s brows furrowed deeper. Her mouth, opening as if she had been about to say something, froze as the words died on her tongue.
A low murmur from beside me stole my attention. Lela’s eyes flickered open, blinking in the dim, fading twilight of the room.
“Hey, how are you feeling, babe?” My soft, honied tone dropped a tiny fraction at that last word.
Lela didn’t answer at first. I felt her body tense into a stretch beside me before she slowly tucked her feet underneath and pushed herself upright. Her gaze drifted from me to the black wolf’s head banner before finally focusing on her girlfriend.
“Ingrid?”
Ingrid took a single step forward before hesitating. The half-formed smile froze on her lips. With pupils dilated, she glanced back at me. The look that crossed her face reminded me of a stray dog, unsure if the hand being held out to her was about to feed her or beat her.
“What happened last night, Lela?” her voice was taut. “Gunnar said that the two of you were acting… strangely?”
“Oh, I really have no idea,” Lela replied with a low, melodic chuckle. “Heidi’s too rock ‘n’ roll for me. I couldn’t keep up with her.”
Ingrid flinched, her hands balling in the hem of the oversized, drab grey t-shirt that hung limply from her shoulders.
“You missed a good night… what I can remember of it. The crowd was amazing,” Lela continued, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper. “I kept looking out for you, watching the door…”
“I fell asleep, Lela,” Ingrid’s voice finally cracked, her breath shuddering in her chest. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to. I don’t really know what happened. I was fine when Heidi came by, but then I suddenly felt exhausted…”
“It’s ok,” I interjected. “There’s really no need to explain. We understand.”
I let my hand slide down Lela’s bare forearm, my index finger tracing a gentle line along her soft, smooth skin. I didn’t look at what I was doing. Instead, my gaze was locked onto Ingrid. Watching for the moment her eyes caught my innocent gesture.
“You’ve had a lot on your plate,” I continued. “All the stress probably just caught up with you.”
Ingrid’s eyes narrowed, her jaw stiffening as her gaze darted frantically between the hand resting on Lela and my face. A heavy silence crashed down on the room, and inside my chest, a warm glow began to radiate. I could almost hear her mind turning over, slotting together all the pieces of the puzzle. Pieces that I’d left scattered for her to find.
“Why don’t I go up to my room and give you both a bit of space,” I said, my voice dripping with false compassion. “There are probably a few things you two want to talk over.”
Standing with deliberate slowness, I could feel Ingrid’s eyes on me, tracking my movements. My hand lingered on Lela’s arm for just a moment before gently patting Bella’s flank.
“Come on, girl.”
“Thank you, Heidi,” Lela called out after me.
Ingrid was already settling onto the sofa before I was even halfway across the room.
As if reclaiming her spot in Lela’s life was going to be that simple.
My footsteps were silent on the carpet. Bella loped loyally alongside me, while the dry scuttling of claws scraped unseen in the shadows.
Pausing at the bottom of the stairs, I glanced back. Ingrid sat on the sofa, facing Lela. Lela returned her silent gaze with her arms wrapped around her legs and her knees pulled up to her chest.
Each step of the stairs groaned, the wood creaking under my weight. Reaching the top, I crossed the landing and pushed open the door to my bedroom. Bella bounded past me before leaping onto the bed, curling herself into a mound of black fur. I didn’t move. Instead, I leaned back against the hard, angled wood of the doorframe, letting it press against my spine. A high-pitched buzz rang in my ears as I strained to listen.
From the lounge, the low murmur of their voices drifted up to me in disjointed fragments of conversation. Despite my efforts, I couldn’t hear everything that was said, but I could hear enough.
“I have no idea why Gunnar would say that…” Lela’s muted voice reached my ears, muffled but distinct enough to catch. “…it’s ridiculous, you know that…”
As I listened, her voice faded back into a murmur.
Minutes passed, and I was unable to make out anything until Lela’s voice flared once again.
“That was Heidi’s idea! She wanted to make sure you were ok. She thought the chocolates would cheer you up. She’s worried about you too.”
A soft tingle swept across my body as I shifted my weight against the doorframe. A slow, predatory smile crept across my face as I listened to them. Listened to the pieces gradually slotting into place.
“Can’t you see the way she looks at you?” Ingrid’s voice screeched through the house. “The way she’s always touching you?”
“She’s my best friend, Ingrid!” Lela’s voice was firm now, carrying an edge that I hardly recognised. “She was the first friend I ever made when I came to Norway. I’ve known her longer than anyone.”
That was it, all I needed to hear.
Stepping backwards into my bedroom, I closed the door quietly behind me.
Kicking my shoes off, I didn’t bother getting undressed but simply climbed under the covers, welcoming the heavy, comforting weight of the big, black German shepherd softly snoring beside me.
The steel-grey light slipped into the blackness of night, but I wasn’t ready to sleep, not just yet. Instead, I waited, biding my time like a tigress lurking in the grass, waiting for her prey to walk past, totally unaware of the danger.
Time passed as I lay in the darkness. The buzzing in my ears had settled to a low thrum which kept perfect time with my heartbeat. Beside me, Bella let out a soft sigh, her paws twitching as she chased something in her dreams.
I don’t know how long I lay there, a couple of hours at least, but eventually I heard a creak on the stairs. Two low, whispering voices, gradually getting louder as they climbed.
The air stuck, heavy and humid in my chest. I barely dared to breathe as they first made their way to the bathroom and then, after what felt like an eternity, stretching my patience to the limit, moved into Lela’s bedroom, the door clicking shut like the cocking of a gun.
The minutes passed slowly. Every heartbeat that thudded in my ears drew out longer and longer.
As time went on, I grew restless, my toes twitching under the covers. Perhaps it hadn’t worked. Perhaps I had got it wrong. Had all that careful planning and manoeuvring been for nothing?
Then I heard it!
A frantic cacophony of voices. Ingrid’s incomprehensible squeal sliced through the quiet house first. Bella sprang upright in a jolt, and before I knew it, I was out of bed and striding with urgency towards my door.
When I got to the landing, Ingrid was already there. Her eyes snapped to me, red and bloodshot, matching the crimson blotches on her swollen face.
“You!” she spat the word at me, thrusting her hand forward. “I assume this belongs to you?”
Dangling from Ingrid’s trembling grip was a gold watch, its bracelet made of delicate links of alternating yellow and white gold. The mother-of-pearl face glinted with a strange red hue in the surreal light of the darkened house.
A sudden jolt of electric energy surged through me. My skin tingled as I desperately fought the smile that was tugging at the corners of my mouth.
“Oh, yes!” I exclaimed, allowing the quiver of elation to tinge my voice. “I had wondered what I’d done with that. I was worried that I had lost it last night.”
“What was it doing in Lela’s bed?” she fired the question at me like an icy barb. “You were together last night, weren’t you?”
“Please, Ingrid.” Lela pleaded, appearing at my adversary’s shoulder. “I thought we’d been over this.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, holding my hands out in front of me in an open gesture. “It must have slipped off when I was helping Lela into bed last night.”
“Don’t give me that, Heidi. Gunnar saw you last night. Everyone in the Kjelleren saw you.” Ingrid’s body trembled and her hands curled into tight fists. “He told me that you couldn’t keep your hands off each other.”
“Ingrid, please!” Tears were now streaming down Lela’s cheeks, her face flushing pink as she choked her words. “I was drunk. Heidi was just looking after me, like any good friend would have done. I don’t know what they think they saw, but nothing happened.”
“And you!” Ingrid took a step towards me. “You spent the night with her, didn’t you? She drank too much, and you took advantage of her.”
Taking another step, her face came just inches from mine. Her breath was hot on my cheek. It would appear that the timid rabbit had grown a backbone. Red eyes flashed in the shadows of the landing, hissing with gleeful laughter.
They knew the rabbit was facing down a tiger.
“Ingrid, please stop this.” Lela’s voice was close to a wail as she grabbed Ingrid by the shoulder.
Ingrid swatted Lela’s hands away; her eyes were locked onto mine with fiery intensity. She was teetering on the very edge of sanity.
Just a little further…
“What are you doing here, Heidi?” Her voice was a snarl, spittle flecked across my face as she hurled the words at me. “Why don’t you go back to your nice, big house on the hill?”
“Ingrid!” Lela’s voice begged desperately, but that didn’t stop her.
“You’re not wanted here!” Ingrid screamed, ignoring Lela’s pleas.
Letting myself stumble backwards, my back struck the wall. Quivering, my gaze fell to her feet. The creatures cackled, and my trap finally snapped shut.
“I… I can’t go back there…” I let my voice stammer and stutter, my eyes blinking away dry tears.
My knees buckled beneath me. Sliding down the wall, I fell into a crumpled heap on the floor.
“Don’t make this about your parents!” Ingrid pressed on with her tirade. She just wouldn’t stop. I had expected her to strike me, but right then she was playing into my hands better than I could have ever imagined. “You didn’t care about them. You were too busy in Copenhagen, hopping from bed to bed with God only knows who. While your poor brother had to deal with everything on his own.”
I looked up at Lela.
She was standing there, her eyes wide, her hand clamped over her mouth.
“Lars,” I let my voice break as I uttered his name.
Finally, I let the dam burst. All the hurt and torment that I had been stifling crashed into me like a cold, relentless tidal wave. It knocked me backwards, slamming the air from my lungs. My body slumped with ragged gasps that sent tremors through my shoulders. The tears that cascaded down my cheeks were real, tracing a warm, wet trail.
Lela was at my side instantly. Her arms wrapped protectively around my shoulders, pulling me into the soft warmth of her body.
“You have no idea, Ingrid.” I let the words tumble out, jagged and raw. “I was never in Copenhagen… that was his lie. While everyone thought I was there, Lars… he…”
“He what, Heidi?” She screeched at me.
Lela’s arm tightened around me. “Please don’t make her do this, Ingrid.”
“… he kept me locked in that room,” I muttered weakly. “While he beat me, starved me and… abused me.”
“You’re lying.” Ingrid spoke, but her voice was small. All her conviction had evaporated. “Surely you don’t believe any of this, Lela?”
Lela took a deep breath before answering. “It’s true, Ingrid. Copenhagen was a lie, one that we kept alive so Heidi wouldn’t have to face what really happened. He kept her locked up in a cabin in the mountains for nearly a year.”
A thick silence descended on the house like a heavy blanket. The only sound remaining was the fluttering thud of Lela’s heart beating in her chest as she held me, cradled me in her arms.
Lela slowly stood up, stepping over me to shield me from Ingrid’s view. Her voice was low and cold as she broke the silence.
“I think perhaps you should go home tonight, Ingrid.”