A few days pass and I have seen neither Ghost nor König. In the meantime, I've pushed what I've heard far away from me. That's bullshit, Anja. You don't even have to think about it. Besides, they're your superiors. No fucking way. I'm sitting at a table in the canteen with a few other rookies and we're eating lunch.
"Nick! Cut the shit." Liam laughs while Nick sticks a french fry between his lip and nose and makes it look like a blond moustache.
"What, jealous? Huh?" asks Nick and everyone laughs as Liam has absolutely no facial hair.
"Hey man! Not nice. Weak spot." Liam replies jokingly.
I listen to the jokes and laugh with them. These idiots just make it a lot more pleasant here.
As the day draws to a close, I go back to the gym. I'm here almost every day now. Perhaps also in the hope of seeing a certain Colonel again.
Today I'm all alone and try to lift a few weights again. As I carry the weights to the weight bench, I feel someone standing behind me.
"Quite a lot of weight for such a small woman," says König.
I grin and answer without turning around. "I may be small, but I'm not weak," I say, amused. He raises his hands in defense and nods.
"Hey, Anja... Can I ask you a question?" he asks.
I turn and probably look a little confused. "Sure." I answer briefly.
"Why are you here? Most women aren't interested in the military and certainly don't want to be part of it. Why you?" he asks, scrutinizingly.
I smile. "That's exactly the point. I want to show that there are women who do want to be part of it. Besides, no one ever expects a woman to be behind the action. Sometimes that's quite useful," I explain.
König may be wearing his mask, but I know he's grinning from ear to ear. "Ah. A feisty girl." he says with a laugh. "I'm glad you're on my side. You'd certainly be a strong opponent."
I blush a little at the compliment. "Yes, I probably would," I reply, full of self-confidence. I have no idea where that suddenly came from.
"Do you train every day?" König asks.
"Yes, almost. As often as I can. And you? Do you always hang out in the gym and flirt with rookies?" I reply teasingly.
"Don't tell me you're jealous. You almost act like you're my girlfriend." König replies teasingly with a mischievous grin.
"You wish." I say and roll my eyes.
"Oh? Did I hit a nerve?" he says jokingly. "Well, at least you don't seem to let everyone get to you. Even though I don't think anyone could convince you like I can." He says this to keep the teasing going.
"Colonel," I call him by his rank. "I think you're a little too full of yourself," I reply with a laugh.
"Oh come on. I know the effect I have on women." he replies with a laugh as he hunches his shoulders. I'm sure he's smiling smugly under that mask. "I bet I could have you in bed within the hour," he suddenly says in a low, soft voice as he takes a step towards me. I look up and swallow. Oh. My. God.
I laugh nervously. "Yeah. No. Maybe you should have listened to Lieutenant Ghost and really stayed away from the rookies." I reply, nervous and overwhelmed. Shit. Shit. Shit. I shouldn't have said that. Fuck!
König's eyes widen. "Um... Anja... what are you saying?" he asks, irritated.