Chapter 4 – Confession Attempts

This was it. He was going to do it. Klavier was going to tell Ema how he really felt and then he could breathe easy. Klavier was sitting with Ema at their usual café at their usual seats in the front window. They had ordered the usual – chocolate milkshake for Ema and a cappuccino for Klavier. They sat staring out the window, a silence between them – not awkward, but very pregnant.

'Not so long until the exam now, Ema. It's only next week.'

'Oh, don't remind me, fop. I've been studying so much but I can't help but wonder if I'll fail anyway, like I'm not prepared. What if there's a whole part that we've forgotten to study for? I-' Klavier grabbed her hand and turned to her, looking her in her perfect eyes.

'Ema, why are you worrying about that now? We have just over a week before the exam – plenty of time to revise everything and practise. Don't worry. I think we've done quite well, studying together. It's been fun, ja? But now is not the time to doubt yourself.' He squeezed her hand. 'Not when you're so close. You need to think positive.' Ema sighed.

'You're right, Mr. Gavin. It's weird though, I never thought I would enjoy studying with you.' She laughed. Klavier laughed too.

'Well I love studying with you, Ema.' He didn't mean for his voice to lower but it did. She gave him a knowing look at the familiar phrase. 'There's something else I need to tell you Ema. I…' He breathed, reminding himself to relax. 'Ema, I-I lo-'

'Coffee for you, Mr. Gavin and a milkshake for you, Ms. Skye.' Their drinks were placed in front of them and Klavier had never been so annoyed to see his familiar coffee in front of him. He muttered his thanks and sullenly turned to face the window. Silence followed as they sipped their drinks. Eventually Ema picked up the conversation again, turning it towards the weather and then her opinion of the current case that they were working on.

'I'm glad I managed to sneak in the fingerprint analysis before the other forensic detectives arrived. But the evidence against the suspect is quite convincing – the science is all there. And you know-'

'You can't argue with science.' Klavier finished for her with a laugh.

'Exactly, fop.' She laughed as well, never taking her eyes off him. She went to sip her milkshake, but like Klavier's coffee, it was all gone. They paid and left the café. Ema had places to be so they couldn't walk back to Klavier's office together like they usually did. He gave her a quick hug – purely platonic, he told himself. It didn't stop him from remembering the feel of her small hands on his back while she was on her tiptoes to place her chin on his shoulder as they quickly embraced.

He watched her walk away down the footpath – her small heels gently clicking on the concrete while her brown hair swayed with her movements. He had gotten so close to telling her. He just needed to try again.

It was two days before Ema's exam. Klavier and Ema were sitting at their usual spot, in their usual café with their usual drinks. Klavier made sure that this time, they already paid and had their drinks in front of them before he said anything. Ema sipped her milkshake.

'Two days.' She said with a sigh.

'Two days.'

'In two days, my whole career could change and I could finally work in forensics or I could stay working under you as a plain old detective and it would be the same.'

'In two days, you are just taking a forensics exam. It doesn't change much.' Ema glared at him.

'It could change everything, fop or it could change nothing. Yeah, it doesn't change much.' She scoffed.

'Ok, ok. I was only trying to tone it down so you would stop worrying. Because you need to stop worrying.' He sipped his coffee and put it down with a gentle clack on the benchtop. Ema refused to meet his eyes as she moodily played with the straw in her milkshake. 'In a sense, it won't change anything because it won't change our relationship. You could move to, I don't know, a different country and I would still want to keep in touch with my favourite Fräulein and my favourite detective. I will support you no matter what happens after we find out the exam results.' She looked at him now, mild surprise on her face.

'Favourite… Fräulein? I'm your favourite…' She turned away – processing what Klavier hadn't actually meant to say, although he now didn't regret saying it. She was still playing with the straw.

'That's all that you got out of what I just said?' He laughed. 'Of course, you're my favourite Fräulein. You have to admit, we work well together, Ema. In fact, we rock. I never thought my assistant detective could be as cool as me, ja? It's not everyday that I meet someone like you. Ema Skye, you rock my world and no matter what happens after this exam – whether you pass with flying colours or fail by 1%, I won't care because you'll still be you. And I will be there with you.' He held her hand – the one that was playing with the straw. She turned to him, a mixture of happiness and gratitude in her eyes but there was something else there.

'Fop… Klavier… I…' She looked away again. 'You don't know how much that means to me.' She finished in a small voice.

'There's something else I want to say, Ema. Something I've wanted to tell you for a while.' She turned to face him again, teal eyes locked on blue. Her gaze calmed him a little. It's now or never, Klavier. 'Ema. I realised a long time ago that you were unlike any other Fräulein I've met. Despite my initial attempts to win you over with my amazingly good looks, among my many other qualities that usually have all the Fräuleins falling for me, you simply threw a Snackoo at me and walked away.' Ema laughed – she fondly remembered that moment. 'I never truly realised how I felt until I was standing in Drew Studio all those months ago, watching you conduct your sneaky forensic experiments.' They were now completely facing each other, their knees touching. He reached to hold her other hand and there they rested – her cool hands enveloped gently by his hardened, guitar-worn fingers. There was a slight sparkle in Ema's eyes that set his heart racing.

'What are you trying to say, fop?' She was barely speaking, her voice was low yet demanded an answer. Klavier breathed, steadying himself.

'Ema, I can't hide it anymore. Please, tell me, you must have noticed.'

'Tell you that I noticed what?' Confusion was obvious on her face.

'How much…' It was hard to breathe but he pressed on. 'How much I am completely in lo-'

A ringtone sounded. It was a tune vaguely familiar to Klavier but the only things he could hear was him exhaling and Ema's slight groan. She pulled her hands out of his and checked her phone.

'I'm really sorry, Klavier, but I've got to take this.' Klavier barely nodded and she stepped outside to have the conversation with the annoying person who decided to call just as he was about to tell her his feelings. He finished the rest of his coffee and set the cup down with a little more force than usual. Ema was standing near the front window, talking with the mysterious person on the phone. Her back was mostly facing him but he could see her hand covering her face in what Klavier could only guess was annoyance. She turned around and met his eyes, mouthing 'Sorry'. 'Don't worry about it' he said with a shake of his head. It made him smile a little.

He sat there for a few minutes, trying not to watch Ema so intently, but he couldn't help it. As he watched her talk, he almost didn't need to hear the words or know what the conversation was about so see exactly what Ema was feeling. He smiled again as she ended the conversation, visibly took a breath and walked back into the café. The smile disappeared as he saw her grab her bag.

'I'm so sorry, Klavier. There's some rookie detectives down at the precinct who have absolutely no idea what they're doing, so I have to go in and sort them out. But before I go, did you want to finish what you were saying earlier?'

This was his chance. He knew he should take it, but the phone call had been the biggest buzz-kill. It wouldn't be right to just tell her now, as much as he would regret it.

'No, it's fine Ema. I can tell you another time. Go and help out the rookies – they'll need your experience.' He smiled at her and gave her his most charming wink. She just rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. She gave him a quick hug while he sat there – to his pleasant surprise – and left the café. She waved at him as she walked past the window and disappeared out of his sight.

Soon. Klavier told himself. Very soon.