3.

                                    

                                          
"I'm still tired, Grisu."
Rafe shuffled closer, face buried in the big fat pillow. 
"Yea same," she said softly and grunted when she heard her grandparents downstairs. 
"We should still go eat breakfast with them," she added and touched the tip of his nose softly. 
(Song: Shut up~ Greyson Chance) 
"Nah," he said, grinned and pressed her down against the mattress. 
"Sleep with me. Only a little more."
"Sleep with you?" She asked teasingly. 
"Later comes the heavy part. Now I wanna nap," he said and planted a sweet kiss onto her lips.
Every morning she woke up with him next to her felt wonderful. 
Every morning, every little minute, every sunrise and moonlight-night. 
She loved him so much that it brought tears to her eyes. 
They had all the time of the world now. She wouldn't deny their ups and downs, nor say that something like that was never going to happen again. But she knew, she loved him and right now it was perfect. 
It was wonderful. 
She would show him Germany. 
Would show him the Easter traditions here, would show him the Dippemess-festival, her friends, her old school and all the things she had missed so much while being abroad. 
She loved her new home but still, this was her home. The old house with her grandparents, the beautiful yard, the little stone-table that stood abandoned in the front yard, the bright red roof of the neighbors, the ocean-wallpaper, the yard that was connected to Jay's, one of her best friends. 
She wanted to show him the full school-busses, wanted to show him the huge fields, Frankfurt, the surrounding villages and all it's ugly-glory that held so many memories. 
Her home wasn't something special and the little village was in fact boring as hell, but it was home...
And she wanted Rafe to be a part of those memories.
"Ich habe das Gefühl ich kenne dich schon ewig, auch wenn wir uns erst seit so kurzer Zeit kennen..."
"What did you say?"
"Learn a little bit of German and you'll know," she smiled and kissed his temple. 
"Will do. It sounds so absolutely beautiful when you speak in your mother tongue. It's so real and clear. Somehow German sounds like an angelic language whenever you speak in it. I love it so much!"
Aresu giggled and blushed hearing that compliment.
"Will you teach me something, baby?"
"Fine."
And so they spent the time in bed, Aresu trying to teach him a little bit of German and him trying his best not to sound too American. 
The word Eichhörnchen made him feel like giving up, though. 
"We should definitely get up now. My grandparents will think we're dead otherwise."
Rafe nodded sleepily and sat up, his face puffy and droopy.
"The more I look into your eyes, the more I'm drowning," he said and his eyes sparkled in the warm light that flooded through the white curtains. 
Aresu smiled sweetly, shuffled closer and kissed him passionately. 
"You said the same thing yesterday during the flight, silly. Don't drown, dear."
"Won't-won't."
(Change the song to:  Feeling Good~ Epic Version)

                            
                              
                                
                                
                              
                            
                            
                          
They got up and dressed and walked down the cold stairs into the hallway. 
Aresu walked before Rafe, not really noticing that he stood still, eyebrows drawn together and eyes darted towards the stairs down into the basement. 
The small carpet on the floor couldn't hide the coldness that seeped through the rough wool and to his feet. He smelled the typical basement-smell, saw the darkness underneath the cold tiles-stairs and shivered involuntary.
One step back.
He took one tiny step back. 
One fatal step...
The beginning of the end...
"Rafe? Are you coming?"
And Rafe was startled by his own shaking hands. 
They seemed miles apart from his other limbs, floating in ice cold water. 
Weird...
So weird...
He did not really know why that was happening—for as he would realize the horrendous truth of what his feelings meant way too late— he only wanted not to scare Grisu. 
And so he ignored it, bit down the disgusting bile that built up in his throat, covered his shaking hand and looked at at her—smiling.
Everything was fine...
Totally...
But his heart turned ice cold, his organs twisted weirdly and sweat poured down his forehead. 
He felt like bathing in hot boiling water and ice-cubes at the same time. 
One step is all it took, one glance, one smell...
He joined Grisu and her grandparents at the breakfast-table, hands clasped together to stop them from violently shivering. 
Smiling through the pain...