IV

   

Aya woke up with a bad headache. Lou wasn't by her side. He was probably awake already. She reached for her phone by the bedside drawer. 

It was already 10:23am. Fuck.

She was supposed to wake up early to finally meet her dad. 

But she had a great night. 

She smiled, remembering Lou's mouth on hers, his hands running through her hair, his arms holding her close... How gently he held her. How softly he planted kisses all over her. Lou stirred something inside of her. It's as if she's finally woken up from a bad dream.

She picked up Lou's white tee from the floor and slipped it on. After fixing herself in Lou's bathroom, she stepped out and searched for him in the kitchen. 

He was sitting in the couch across the counter and was typing in his laptop. 

"Guten morgen," Lou greeted. His eyes at her.

She was already walking toward him, biting her lower lip as she tried so hard to stop the smile that was creeping up on her face. His stare sent delicious tingles throughout her entire body.

Lou reached for her hand and pulled her into his lap, then buried his face on her neck, breathing her in. 

Aya took a sip from Lou's glass of water in the coffee table then planted him a kiss. "Guten morgen." 

Bartosz bolted from his room and noticed the two of them cozying up on the couch. "Oh, ho, ho. What is this?" he teased, surprised. "Guten morgen, Aya," he raised his eyebrows at her.

They both smiled at him. Aya shook her head. "Guten morgen, Bartosz," she greeted.

"Lou, du hast etwas vergessen," he held up his hand, then went back to his room. After a few seconds, he reappeared, holding Lou's blue collared shirt and Aya's gray top in a ball. 

They were peeling each other's clothes last night and left them on the kitchen floor. 

All the blood went to Aya's cheeks.

Bartosz threw their clothes at Lou and Aya's direction, laughing and teasing.

"Kümmere dich um deinen eigenen Dreck!" He shouted at Bartosz, smiling. He glanced back at Aya and playfully bit her shoulder. "I just told him to fuck off."

"Are you going with me?" She asked, changing the topic. She was still on his lap, her arm rested around the back of his shoulders. She lifted her hand and combed her fingers through Lou's dark brown wavy locks.

Lou nodded with a smile, looking up at her face. "I'm just going to wrap up my research papers." He bit his lip, his hands around her waist and clasped right above her belly button. "Shall we take a shower first?" He raised his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Aya playfully pushed Lou's face with her palm then stood up. "You finish your research, I'll make us a proper brunch."

Lou's gaze was locked at her as she walked into the kitchen. 

She opened the fridge and bent down to reach for some strawberries. 

The sight of her made him stir from his seat. He was still feeling high after last night. He can still remember how her body responded when their kiss deepened, how little moans reverberated low on her throat. How she lingered for his touch. How she clawed her fingertips on his arms whenever he kissed her clavicle. How she arched her back whenever his stubble brushed her neck and shoulders, all the way down to her torso. How she breathed. How she called for his name. Everything was just too vivid.

Bartosz went out from the bathroom across the kitchen and caught Lou's daydreaming and perverted stares at Aya. He smirked at Lou mockingly.

Lou just smiled and shook his head, turning his attention back to his laptop. Stealing glances back and forth Aya.

---

   

Aya was in a real good mood. Her smile never left her face. She felt as if it was the happiest she's ever been in quite a while. 

It's never felt so right, that it suddenly kind of made her scared. Her emotion just took a quick 360.

"Seryoso ka nanaman, Batman," Lou teased Aya. 

She was staring out the car window while he was driving. She smiled at him. "Maybe I'm just nervous." She was indeed feeling jittery. The rolling views of trees and fields calmed and distracted her. 

Lou reached out to hold her hands knotted on top of her lap. "You'll be alright, kid," he guaranteed, gently kissing the back of her hand.

Aya leaned in toward him and gave him a peck on his cheek. That calmed her down. "You're way too good to me."

"Just the best CouchSurf host ever," he turned to face her quickly and planted her a quick and soft kiss.

She closed her eyes as she leaned on his arm, feeling dreamy. 

A few minutes later, Lou pulled over by the side of the road just at the end of the forest trail.

Lou unlocked the car doors. "I'll show you something," he invited, then stepped out of the car.

Aya followed and went by the other side of the car, beside Lou. She glanced where his eyes were fixed. And there it was. 

Across the field, she saw the ranges of the Bavarian Alps. It was nothing short of majestic. She gasped at the sight of it. "Alps" by Novo Amor was playing in her head. 

"I'll take a photo of you." Lou grabbed his phone from his pocket.

Aya turned to him, then shyly smiled back at the camera. The Alps served as her backdrop. 

Click, click.

She looked back at it again, breathless.

Lou took some more candid photos of her. Admiring Aya's ethereal beauty. It was as if she was one with nature at that moment. She looked so serene and beautiful in her yellow button-down dress, the light and flowy fabric dancing with the breeze. She held her brown hair with her one hand as the wind lightly breathed through it.

Aya was oblivious of what Lou was doing. She was too captivated by the beauty of it all. Everything seemed perfect indeed. 

She turned around towards Lou and wrapped her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. 

Lou kissed the top of her head. He, too, felt overwhelmed. 

He was scared that he was already catching feelings for her.

---

   

Aya's heart was pounding through her ears as Lou parked in front of a concrete and timber house. It was her dad's home. 

She couldn't feel her hands and her face, like something cold was buried deep in her gut.

Lou felt how nervous and anxious she was. He grabbed her hand tight and ran his thumb over it. "You ready?" He asked, worried. 

Aya nodded, reluctantly. This is what she came for after all. 

"Do you want me to come with you?" He looked at her with intent.

She shook her head with a smile. "I'm gonna be alright."

"I'll just be here, okay?" He brushed his thumb on her cheek.

Aya took a deep breath, got out of the car and started walking up the pavement.

She was so nervous she felt like she was about to pass out and faint. She could actually hear the wild beating of her heart in her ears.

Aya stopped by the front porch, then took a few steps up leading to the entryway.

She lifted her hand to knock on the old, dark oak door. She closed her eyes and hesitated for a moment. 

She took another deep breath, dragged up her hand again and finally knocked.

Someone from the inside of the house stirred. The floorboards creaked, and it made Aya's knees felt weaker as the person approached the front door.

The door finally opened and a man in his early 60s showed up on the entry.

"Guten tag," Aya started, the creaking of the door almost made her jump. 

"Hâllo," he greeted, his eyebrows raised as if asking what she needed from him.

"I'm looking for Albrecht Schmidt," she mumbled, her voice breaking. 

The man just nodded slowly, staring at her with intent.

"Um, my name is Aya," she stuttered, "Helene... Malaya Schmidt". She held out her hand for a shake. 

The man took her hand reluctantly, his eyes fixed at hers.

"I'm just wondering, if by any chance, you knew this person?" she fished for the photo in her jacket pocket. She handed it to him. It was her mom's photo from 1991. Her smile was bright as the sun.

He took the photo, his eyes widened and pupils dilated. 

"The woman in the photo is my mother, Eliza Fernandez," she explained. "I'm looking for my father - Albrecht Schmidt."

The old man turned sideways, contemplating, looking alarmed. 

Aya felt panic. 

She pulled out another photo from her pocket, it was the only photo she had of her mother and father, together. They were sitting on an old wooden chair set. It was still in their home in Manila. His father lived with them for almost a year - until he left, and never returned.

He reached for the photo, blue eyes wide. He flipped it and read the writings on its back. 

Sampaloc, Manila. 1993.
Ich liebe dich.
- Eliza

He swallowed, and handed the photos back to Aya, his hand squeezing hers. "Jemanden um Verzeihung bitten," he muttered. "I'm sorry."

He turned and shut the door at Aya.

She didn't hear the floorboards creak. He was still at the door. A lump formed in her throat.

All the blood drained from her face. Her lips were trembling. Before she knew it, tears were welling up in her eyes. They freely streamed down her cheeks and splattered at the tip of her nude ballerina flats where her gaze was fixed, dumbfounded.

***

German to English Translations:

"Guten morgen" - Good morning.

"Lou, du hast etwas vergessen" - Lou, you forgot something.

"Kümmere dich um deinen eigenen Dreck!" - Mind your own shit!

"Jemanden um Verzeihung bitten" - I'm deeply sorry.

"Guten tag," - Good day.

"Seryoso ka nanaman, Batman" (FILIPINO) - You're brooding way too much again, Batman.