Thank you to everyone who has left comments, I am glad you're enjoying it. To those who asked, yes I have been to Stockholm but my knowledge isn't very extensive. We're getting closer to discovering why Hanssen answered Serena's phone in the middle of the night... This chapter was originally longer but I decided with the extra part the chapter ended awkwardly and so I removed the last part and included it in the next chapter. I have a busy week ahead but hopefully will get to update over the next couple of days.
Biet har gadd men också honung.
(The bee has a sting but honey too.)
They chatted easily about the day gone by and a little about the exchange programme. Serena noted there was something different about Hanssen this evening. He was more relaxed than she had seen him before, he openly smiled and laughed.
Reading the menu he tried to teach her the Swedish pronunciation of what she had ordered. He teased her gently when she got it completely wrong, before admitting that he himself had on more than one occasion been accused of speaking Swedish with an English accent. Serena was surprised by this admission. She had never known him to admit to not being perfect at something. If there was one thing Hanssen was not, that was shy about his abilities and accomplishments, even though he could be amusingly self-deprecating when it came to his personal attributes.
She thought about Maja, Nils and Fredrik and debated raising the subject with him but she was reluctant to spoil the harmony that had existed between them all day. Maybe it was best she didn't know. It wasn't really any of her business anyway.
A waiter approached the table.
'Är du och din fru njuter av din måltid?' The waiter asked.
'Ja, tack. Det är mest utsökta.'
Hanssen failed to supress a small smile as the waiter walked away.
'What?' Serena asked curiously.
'Nothing.' He shook his head and reached for his wine glass.
'No, tell me.' Serena insisted. 'Did he say something about me?'
Hanssen took a slow sip from his glass and watched Serena for a moment debating whether to explain.
'He… thought you were my wife. It was nothing.' He looked down at his plate. 'It's the third or fourth time since we arrived in Sweden that someone has mistaken you as my wife, that's all. It seems any man and woman seen near each other in Stockholm these days must be married!'
'Oh and I'm sure you've been very quick to deny it!' Serena said.
Hanssen said nothing. He had not corrected the waiter. He had not corrected the man who had returned the money Serena dropped in Ahlens the day before, nor had he corrected the attendant at the Vasa Museum who had made the same mistake. He had told himself it was because it didn't really matter and correcting them was making a bigger deal of it than it was. He didn't tell Serena this.
They continued their meal and Hanssen stole surreptitious looks at Serena when he knew she wasn't looking. Over the past year and a half he had seen different sides to Serena Campbell. Some he didn't particularly like and others which intrigued him. He had thought he had her figured out but the last two days had confirmed he knew next to nothing. All of his information and speculation about her was based on what he knew of her professionally and the brief glimpses he'd had of her personal life during her mother's illness. Obviously, that period of time during which she was coping with her mother's decline and the pressures of taking a complaint against her own colleagues had been a stressful time and could not be considered indicative of a usual state in personal circumstances. But it had prompted him to wonder what she might be like in everyday situations. It was when he found himself wondering what she did in her spare time and what she might be like first thing in the morning, he realised he had a problem.
Over the past few days he had learned some of these things. Although, he thought, being in Stockholm with him could hardly be considered a normal day for her either.
'What are you thinking about?' Serena interrupted his thoughts. She was smiling curiously at him.
'Oh nothing.'
'You were wearing your 'Concentrating Face'.' she imitated him by furrowing her brow slightly and looking serious before quickly breaking into a grin.
'Was I? I didn't realise I had a particular face for concentrating.' He said.
'You do.' Serena replied. 'You have a 'Pretending to Concentrate' face and a real concentrating face.'
Hanssen quirked an eyebrow. Serena raised one eyebrow in return reflecting his look back at him.
'Don't think I don't know when you're pretending to be busy so you don't have to deal with me. I'm surprised your laptop doesn't burst into flames you stare at its screen so hard sometimes.'
Hanssen's lips quirked into a smile. 'It's not about whether people believe that I'm busy or not it's that rarely does anyone have the courage to question me on it. All I have to do is make a slight effort to pretend for the sake of politeness.' He explained.
Serena looked at his wine glass curiously. 'How much have you had to drink?' she asked. 'You must be drunk if you're giving away so many secrets tonight. Admitting to faking your busyness to get rid of people, admitting to not being able to speak Swedish properly…'
'That is not what I said!' he cut her off. 'I said some people think I speak it with an English accent.' He corrected her indignantly.
'Which people? Swedish people? People who would know if you were speaking it properly or not?' Serena challenged with a teasing glint in her.
'You are quite maddening Ms Campbell.' he said with an amused smile and a pretend sigh of exasperation.
'Thank you.' She said cockily.
After their meal Hanssen led Serena out of the restaurant onto the walkway which led from Katarinahissen to show her the view of the city below. Despite the time there were a few other people also on the walkway. Mostly couples Hanssen noted. They walked to the end of the walkway where the old lift shaft provided a little shelter from the sharp breeze. Serena stepped up onto the ledge and looked out over the city through the wire barrier. Hanssen began to explain the history of Katarinahissen and then pointed out the various parts of the city they could see from their vantage. A young couple nearby who had been holding hands and giving each other little kisses appeared to forget their surroundings, losing themselves entirely to their lust as the kisses became more passionate and they pressed up against the walls of the walkway.
Hanssen tried to ignore them, concentrating on telling Serena about the different districts. But the noises coming from the young couple couldn't be ignored and Serena began to giggle, mostly because of Hanssen's expression.
A second, older couple, walking by coughed loudly and grumbled something in Swedish clearly with the intent of being heard by the young lovers. It had the desired effect and the young woman called a halt much to her partner's obvious disappointment. They wandered off sheepishly.
'Poor things, they were doing any harm.' Serena mused quietly watching the young couple walk away. 'I'm surprised he can walk so straight after all that stimulation!' she added, referring to the young man with a bold twinkle in her eyes. She held back a grin at the startled look on Hanssen's face. 'Well which couple would you rather be? The one definitely getting laid tonight or the people so startled at the idea of others showing a little affection there's no hope of them managing it themselves?'
'It was a little more than "showing a little affection" Ms Campbell.' Hanssen said.
'Yes.' Serena sighed. 'Lucky them! Certainly takes sightseeing to a new level.' she glanced sideways at Hanssen again.
'You're trying to provoke me again aren't you?' he asked.
'Provoke you?' Serena asked innocently. 'You didn't answer my question about which couple you'd rather be.' She reminded him.
'I'd have thought it went without saying.' Hanssen replied. He stared straight ahead avoiding her gaze. 'Shall we move on?'
Serena took a last look over the city. 'It's so beautiful.' She said in all seriousness. 'I'm not sure Cunningham would have appreciated it.' She added.
'I wouldn't have brought Cunningham.' Hanssen replied matter-of-factly. He stepped away a little and she watched him for a moment before following.
They were both quiet as they got the lift back down and when they stepped back onto the street Serena used the excuse of a patch of ice on the footpath to take hold of Hanssen's hand gently. His grip became firmer as they walked.
On their arrival at Hanssen's apartment a thought occurred to Serena.
'Would you have brought Cunningham to stay here?'
'No, probably not.' Hanssen admitted.
