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Olivia nodded in agreement, but the old man shook his head, speaking to Christian in Romanian. Olivia watched, glued to both of their lips.
“What did he say?” she asked when there was a break in their conversation.
“He says we’ll have to stay the night, rest and have dinner, and that he’ll sell me the part tomorrow morning.”
“Why not tonight?”
Just then, his wife Ana came in with a tray holding two steaming cups. She was wearing a pink flower-patterned long-sleeved dress with her silver hair pulled back into a braid. She had blue eyes and a warm demeanour.
“Ah, sweet Ana,” the old man said, smiling at her like they were newlyweds. Olivia picked up a cup from the tray and smiled back at the woman, Ana, who returned her smile before offering Christian the second cup of tea.
The old man then spoke to Ana in Romanian. Olivia watched, almost bemused, as the woman set down the tray and dramatically clasped her chest, her face full of surprise. Then she turned to Olivia.
“Dangerous,” was all Ana said. Olivia couldn't help but notice the look of genuine worry on the woman’s face.
“Dangerous?” Olivia turned to Christian. He frowned.
“Apparently, the bears in the forest have mated early this season. He said they’re aggressive,” Christian said. “They attacked a farmer after dark last week on the same road we just walked on.”
“Oh,” Olivia mumbled.
“We have a room. It’s empty,” the old man said. “It used to be for our son, but he lives in Bucharest now,” he added with a soft smile at Ana. “She misses him.”
Olivia couldn’t help but think it cute the way this old couple was with each other. Even all the money in the world, which she basically had, couldn’t give her that. She opened her mouth to ask about a hotel, but the old man added in a strong accent:
“You will stay the night. Come, I’ll show you where.”
There was no room for arguing. The old man led the way down a small corridor by the kitchen. Olivia raised her brows at Christian, who shrugged as if it was no longer in his hands.
The wooden bedroom door creaked as the old man pushed it open. Ana came up behind them and walked in first.
“I keep tidy for my son,” she said in broken English and with a wistful sigh. The room was simple, with a desk, bed, red curtains, and a large wooden dresser. Olivia’s gaze froze on the tiny bed next to the small wooden desk. Even if they had been married and allowed to share a bed, how on earth did Ana think they’d both be able to fit? Lying on top of each other? She turned around, her eyes wide at Christian, who smiled and said something to the old man and Ana before closing the door behind them.
Olivia crossed her arms; Christian avoided her gaze. They stood in the room, silent for a while until, finally, Christian exhaled and walked over to the small window. He looked up at the sky. “Beautiful night.”
Olivia ignored it. She was more focused on the whole sleeping-in-a-tiny-room-with-a-stranger thing. Although, after everything they’d been through so far, he almost didn’t seem like a stranger anymore.
She looked from the bed back to Christian, who was watching her intently.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, and his eyes moved slowly to the bed. Olivia opened her mouth to speak but shut it.
“You don’t have to worry. Of course we won’t sleep in it together.”
She looked at him. “I’m not worried.”
He raised an eyebrow at her. “Yeah? Your lip is twitching and”—he looked down at her waist—“if you clench those fists any harder, I’m pretty sure your knuckles will pop.”
She looked down at her hands, surprised to see that he was right. She released her fists and gave him aWhat now?look.
“I’ll sleep on the floor, and in the morning I’ll fix the van.” He grabbed one of the two pillows from the bed. She stepped quickly out of his way then felt stupid. It wasn’t like he was going to pounce on her. Was he?
“We should get some rest,” Olivia suggested. She quickly moved over to the bed and placed a hand on it. The soft blanket made her realize just how tired she was. She wanted to dive into it. She sat on the bed, feeling the slight depression of her weight against the mattress. All she wanted now was to take off her clothes and sleep for a few hours, but she doubted she could relax—let alone take off her clothes—with Christian in the room.
She took off her shoes, stretched out on the bed, and sighed again—actually, it was more of a groan mixed with relief. Her aching legs relaxed against the soft bed. For a moment, she was completely preoccupied by the relief of resting her body on a comfortable bed in a warm home—but her attention came back when Christian moved over to the wall by the door. He turned the lights off, and Olivia blinked, feeling nervous all over again.
Her heart skipped when she heard the familiar jangling of a belt. She sat up, definitely tense now.
“W-what are you doing?”
