![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Chapter-Two-Image.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The melded smell of fresh paint and heated rubber fills your airways as you step inside the unfinished building, the compact space teeming with the energy of a typical South Oakland afternoon\u2014save for the sounds of power drills and hammering mingled with the yells of construction workers.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You bypass a few vaguely familiar faces, nodding in acknowledgment as you walk toward the single elevator. You hit the button pad a few times, frowning when it doesn’t light up\u2014until you see the tiny “Out of Order” notice to the left.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nat\u00fcrlich. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Der eins<\/em> time you actually choose to take the damn thing and it’s busted.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Das bekomme ich, wenn ich in den Ferien komme. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You exhale audibly, too out of it to so much as sigh in frustration. You make your way to the stairwell begrudgingly, wishing for the very first time that you were cuddled up in your apartment instead of making an exhausting ascension to yet another office.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You mount countless stairs in something of a daze, feeling both tired and restless. That interview took its toll, and you didn\u2019t realize just how much until now. You should be relieved it\u2019s over, and you suppose a part of you is, but honestly, you\u2019re even more anxious now than you were going into it.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You want desperately to not dwell on it; to not think about what the outcome will be, but you\u2019re more desperate for finality to this year-long process. For a conclusion that\u2019s set in stone so that you can move on, regardless of what it is.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Das wird aber erst in zwei Wochen passieren.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You have to play this torturous, mind-wrenching waiting game for two whole weeks just to find out whether you\u2019re rejected or not when you can\u2019t even take two more Protokoll<\/em> sich so zu f\u00fchlen.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019re completely winded when you reach the top, an unusual occurrence given how frequently you run\u2014and another major sign of just how much life that interview sucked out of you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n With diminished strength and enthusiasm, you push, nudging the bulky stairwell door a few times before it relents. Unlike your breathlessness, das ist<\/em> one hundred percent normal; an inconvenience that has evolved into something of a ritual over time. As it is, this exit is a major potential fire hazard but, in spite of all the complaints you\u2019ve filed for it, it\u2019s still not fixed after almost a year. Even with all the reconstruction going on, you\u2019re not holding your breath that that\u2019ll change any time soon.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A queue of office doors lie just beyond it, and you come to the first one, distinguishable only by its fading knob. You\u2019re already reaching into your bag for its keys when you realize it\u2019s cracked open. You frown, your forehead creasing as irritation laces your already dampened mood.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Verdammt, wer hat schon wieder vergessen abzusperren?<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A sense of urgency fills you, and your heart sinks into your stomach at the thought of office files and equipment either stolen or destroyed.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instinctively, you reach for the pepper spray in your bag, gripping it tightly as you shove the door all the way open, hoping to startle any potential intruder…only to come face to face with a man’s figure.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n He turns around, his brow arched, clearly confused and shocked by your sudden, forceful entrance.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019re just as surprised by his presence, but relief quickly washes over you when your eyes meet.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “Oh, thank God,” you breathe, stepping inside and closing the door. “I didn’t hear you so I freaked out when I saw the door open. I thought someone forgot to lock up again.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n "Ah. So das ist<\/em> Warum siehst du aus, als w\u00fcrdest du mich in zwei Sekunden zu Brei schlagen.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You chuckle, shaking your head. “Sorry. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be here.”<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201eEbenso\u201c, l\u00e4chelt er und schlie\u00dft die vor ihm ausgebreitete Mappe. \u201eIch dachte, du w\u00e4rst jetzt immer noch in Kansas, reitest auf Elchen oder tust, was die Leute von Kansan zu dieser Jahreszeit tun.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n In spite of his humor, your smile tightens without your permission.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201eIch bin fr\u00fch zur\u00fcckgekommen.\u201c<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your very first lie of the New Year.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ich bin nie weggegangen. <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n But you\u2019re not about to get into that whole fiasco\u2014especially not with him.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “What about you?” you deflect, walking through the confined space and squeezing between repurposed desks until you reach yours.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201eDasselbe\u201c, zuckt er gleichg\u00fcltig mit den Schultern und atmet aus, als h\u00e4tte er die Luft angehalten, ohne es zu merken. \u201eDie Feiertage dieses Jahr waren nicht gerade \u2026festlich<\/em> F\u00fcr mich."<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n “I hear you,” you blurt, giving yourself away without meaning to, but you don’t divulge any further, even though you want nothing more than for you to be able to elaborate on your seasonal woes with each other.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You set your bag on the table and sink into the chair of your makeshift cubicle, kicking off your shoes and sighing from the pressure release on your feet.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You look over your shoulder, glancing his way inconspicuously.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam Walker.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The words he just uttered resonate a little too well with you, and you can\u2019t help but wonder what exactly he means by them. But, in spite of your burning curiosity, you know you won\u2019t ask. Because no matter how drained or vulnerable or courageous you\u2019re feeling, you can\u2019t go back down that road.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You just can\u2019t.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nonetheless, it’s kind of weird to think it\u2019s just you right now, alone for the very first time with no one to act as either a buffer or distraction because everyone else is still on winter break. That would have definitely been an issue before, but things are different now.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Du bist<\/em> anders.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Still, he’s the absolute last person you expected would turn up today and, as it turns out, to Auch<\/em> den Stress anderer Dinge in seinem Leben mit Freiwilligenarbeit \u00fcbert\u00f6nen.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n It wouldn\u2019t be the first time, you guess.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n For either of you.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n This tiny office has become something of a sanctuary; what started out as a deteriorating, downtrodden storage room half a decade ago has morphed into the headquarters of Peace by Peace: the environmental activist group you\u2019ve been a sehr<\/em> active part of since you were a freshman, even before you switched majors to environmental science\u2014though it definitely played a major role in that decision\u2014which you\u2019re now the vice president of.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam, the president, yourself, five other full-time volunteers and a few part-timers currently make a total of thirteen members. It’s become a family of sorts for you over the last five years.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n You can’t believe it’s already been that long. You can\u2019t help but think about how the dynamic of your relationship has changed over time. Even though it’s about surface, trivial stuff, it\u2019s kind of hard to believe you\u2019re conversing with him so casually\u2014for a girl who was raised to think that if you so much as looked a boy’s way, you’d end up pregnant and consequently sentenced to an eternity of fire and brimstone.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your parents\u2019 dogma notwithstanding, you had the biggest crush on Adam when you first joined, and you\u2019d never admit it to anyone, but he’s a big part of why you\u2019ve stayed with this group over countless others.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ein hei\u00dfer Typ, der wirklich nett ist und<\/em> ein gro\u00dfartiger Anf\u00fchrer.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perfektes Boyfriend-Material ... wenn er nicht schon vergeben war.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ***<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Der verschmolzene Geruch von frischer Farbe und erhitztem Gummi erf\u00fcllt Ihre Atemwege, wenn Sie das unfertige Geb\u00e4ude betreten, der kompakte Raum voller Energie eines typischen Nachmittags in South Oakland \u2013 abgesehen von den Ger\u00e4uschen von Bohrmaschinen und H\u00e4mmern, gemischt mit den Schreien der Bauarbeiter . Du umgehst ein paar vage bekannte Gesichter und nickst anerkennend, w\u00e4hrend du auf den einzigen Aufzug zugehst. Sie dr\u00fccken ein paar Mal auf das Tastenfeld und runzeln die Stirn, wenn es nicht aufleuchtet \u2013 bis Sie den winzigen Hinweis \u201eAu\u00dfer Betrieb\u201c sehen \u2026 Weiterlesen<\/a><\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[96,93],"tags":[],"series":[107],"class_list":["post-5487","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-contemporary-2","category-romance","series-21-questions-role-play-edition"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Role-Play-Edition-Cover-Image-640x1024.jpg","blog_images":{"medium":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Role-Play-Edition-Cover-Image-188x300.jpg","large":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Role-Play-Edition-Cover-Image-640x1024.jpg"},"ams_acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5487","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5487"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5487\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5484"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5487"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5487"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5487"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=5487"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/emendedhearts.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/21-Questions-Page-Chapter-Heading-Image-232x300.jpg\")
<\/span><\/p>\n