12

Nerthus

I climb up the stairs on the dimly lit-up staircase to the third floor and every step I take seems to have my heart skip a beat.

This is not healthy.

My heart squeezes as I feel his presence following me silently. The pleasant anticipation I feel when I open the door to my alibi apartment is worrying me.

“Here we are. Home sweet home.”

I switch on the light after he is already standing in the living room with an open kitchen, and I walk over to the cupboards.

“Would you like a glass of wine?”

He is mustering the apartment with squinted eyes as he answers me without even sparing me a glance. “Yes.”

I proceed to open a bottle of wine from the always stocked wine fridge and pour the blood red liquid into two glasses.

“The door…” He is holding his glass and still mustering the paintings on the walls. “…it says Flannings/Gregori.” I take a sip from my glass and sit down on the white leather couch, pulling my feet beneath me.

“Yes, Gregori is my friend's name. We share thi