293 Chapter two, 2017, schism: 5 (2/2)

A sudden gust of wind guided him to the low wall where he got drenched together with Yukio last summer, and wasn't it somewhere around here they met Ai the first time? Ulf briefly wondered what had happened to her. Some of the club members said she showed up at the Haven together with her friends occasionally.

Then he got to the last corner and saw the mall ahead. That sight, walking on foot, brought more memories to him. There had been a time, after he found the Stockholm Haven café, but before they finally abandoned the one in the mall, which mean there had been a time when Christina spent time here as well.

Ulf grimaced at the thought. He'd been too busy with a manhunt to give her the attention she needed, and deserved. With a smirk he corrected that thought a little. He'd been too afraid of falling in love with her, even though he already had by that time.

'I really am an idiot, am I not?' He sighed. 'Well, I pushed her into a corner, and she broke up.' Any healthy person would.

Should he have told her he loved her? Probably. He never waited over half a year doing so with any other girl, or in Maria's case, woman. Christina's as well, if he was to be honest. And while being honest; he never left wife and kids behind before neither.

His feet brought him to the bike, and he quickly checked it for any damage, but here in Japan vandalism was all but unthinkable, and the bike was as shiny clean as when he left it in the morning.

Thinning traffic signalled the end of evening rush hour, and Ulf shouldered his bag and went inside.

The stairs he'd climbed so many times last year took him to the second floor. Yukio waved from their old table, and Ulf waved back. Then he did his usual, stupid semi circle walk towards the counter, but even though Yukio shook his head none of the waitresses showed any sign of recognition.

'New staff, I guess.'

They had little more than an hour before they needed to leave for a nearby office building. That should be enough time to put the finishing touches to his presentation, especially given Yukio's scary ability to ruthlessly cut away everything non-essential.

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”Ready when you are,” Kyoko greeted him.

As if by magic a waitress materialised by the table, and Ulf placed his usual order. Yukio and Kyoko were already halfway through theirs.

Ulf was about to dig up a laptop when his phone suddenly danced around in his pocket. A little bit dumbfounded Ulf grabbed it and looked at the screen.

'Christina?'

She hadn't called even once since she broke up with him, and Ulf wondered what could possibly be the reason for a call now. His heart beat furiously when he took the call. No matter how grown up he was childish fantasies and wishful dreams played in his mind.

”Ulf Hammargren,” he said, and cursed himself for being so formal.

Christina's call amounted to one sentence only. Ulf listened to it, said bye and killed the call. Then he looked up and met Yukio's and Kyoko's quizzical looks.

'I have to tell them.' ”Guys, we have a problem.”