THE MORNING STAR ENTANGLEMENT (PREVIEW)

3 | Iben

It had been a couple of weeks since Fey’s arrival in Munich. The rest of her housemates, Tara and Kiera, arrived a couple of days after Demi. Classes were going to start next week, and the friends were now on their way to the international students’ meet and greet. They had spent a couple of days since everyone’s arrival getting acquainted with their neighborhood and the bustling city of Munich in general. While Fey didn’t mind occasionally hanging out with her friends at the bars and clubs, she was more comfortable at a jazz lounge. Regardless, she enjoyed spending time with her housemates these past few weeks. All four of them were college friends, and they generally hung out together during the semesters. However, the fall semester would be starting soon, and with that, opportunities to socialize would drastically reduce.

After getting off the train, they walked to the venue. It was a short walk, and the friends arrived just as the International Student’s Union president was about to begin his speech. They joined several students who were also just arriving. Afterward, they walked around to all the different stands, meeting different people and getting information on where to take crash courses in the local language, best eateries, bars, volunteer opportunities, and so on. 

At some point, Fey broke away from her group to find out more about the different volunteer opportunities available. Back in the States, she never took the chance to get involved in serving the community. So Fey thought this was an excellent opportunity to gain experience while meeting with the locals and perhaps experiencing Munich on a different level. Fey intended to make sure that her study abroad time over the next few months would be a memorable one.

After signing up as a volunteer at a homeless shelter, she left to join her group at the agreed-upon meeting place. The bar was a few blocks away, and one that they had visited a few times in the last couple of weeks. Once inside, she found Demi and the other girls, and after a few drinks, they went home.

The next morning was Friday. After returning from a quick morning run, Fey received a text message from one of the volunteer coordinators that she met the day before at the meet-and-greet. She was paired with another experienced volunteer, and she had to meet up with the person around noon for onboarding and to receive details on the coming weekend’s activities. Fey was surprised to be contacted so soon but was also looking forward to getting involved. 

A few hours later, she was on her way to the meeting address, which happened to be an office building. Perhaps the person who she was supposed to meet with worked there. She finally located the building, and since it was right around lunchtime, she noticed a sudden rise in foot traffic in and out of the building. 

As she got closer to the entrance, she slowly got swept away in the rush of people coming in and out of the revolving door entrance. As people moved the door along, she quickly realized that this was probably the fastest moving revolving door she’d ever been through. Before she knew what was happening, the cycle ended unexpectedly as she was nudged forward straight into the lobby. Stumbling while trying to steady herself, she abruptly stopped moving as she bumped into a pair of strong arms. She quickly let go, stepped back to compose herself, and looked up to see a face she recognized. It was the same man who had paid for her meal a couple of weeks before.

“Hi there,” he said with a smirk. 

“Oh my gosh! This is the second time you’ve saved me from an embarrassing situation. I was certainly on my way to falling flat on my face if you hadn’t stopped me.”

He chuckled good-naturedly.

“I’m so sorry I bumped into you. I’m usually not this clumsy. I just got swept away in that madness!” Fey said, pointing towards the door. “Anyway, I’m here to meet someone, so I’ll let you get to lunch or wherever you were heading to.”

The man raised an eyebrow. “Really? I’m meeting someone here too.” He held out his hand. “I’m Iben.”

It was Fey’s turn to raise her eyebrows in surprise. “Oh my gosh! I’m Fey,” she said, accepting his handshake with a smile. 

“What a pleasant coincidence,” Iben said, holding her gaze and her hand a moment longer before letting go and shoving his hands casually in his pants pockets.

Is he flirting with me? Fey thought to herself. Nah, I’m probably overthinking it. “Yeah… so do you work here?” she asked.

“I do. When I’m not taking classes at TUM.” 

“I’m attending TUM as well. Study abroad semester… So, I didn’t see you at the meet and greet yesterday.”

“Yeah, it was a pretty big turnout. Easy to get lost in the crowd,” Iben said with a slight shrug.

“True… So how long have you been attending?”

“Two years. I’ll complete my master’s degree this academic year.”

“That’s great.”

Iben looked away and gestured towards some seats in the waiting area. “Why don’t we go over there?” 

They found an unoccupied sofa in the corner of the lobby and sat down, continuing their conversation.

“So, what’s your course of study?” Iben asked.

“Civil engineering.”

“Cool. Beautiful and smart,” Iben replied with a smile, holding her gaze.

Fey gave a short self-conscious laugh. Okay, he’s definitely flirting, she thought to herself. She, however, realized that she didn’t mind. She honestly wanted to know more about him, so she asked, “So, what brings you to TUM… from the UK?” She couldn’t miss his British accent and was hoping he’d divulge information about his background. Maybe his family migrated to the UK just like hers had migrated to the States.

“Well, I’m here for my master’s degree in intellectual property law. And after I graduate, I’ll be heading back home to continue working at my grandfather’s firm.”

“Your grandfather’s a lawyer?”

“No, the company’s pretty diverse, and I’ll be working with the legal department, overseeing contracts and stuff.”

“I see… What about your siblings? They’re also working at your grandfather’s firm, I presume.” Fey realized that she had just asked a personal question, so she hoped he wouldn’t be offended. This was the second time they’d met, but there was a cool but mysterious aura about him that drew her in.

Iben paused for a few seconds before answering. “Not at all. But I do have other family members who also work for my grandfather.”

Fey nodded.

It was Iben’s turn to pry. “So, what about your siblings?”

“I have a younger sister. She’s back in the States with my mom. Which reminds me, I need to give them a call this weekend before my mom sends a search party to Munich!”

That earned a chuckle out of Iben. “Sounds like you all are close.”

It was Fey’s turn to pause. She was enjoying this easy conversation with Iben, and she didn’t want to sour the mood by talking about her family drama and how happy she was to be away from her mom. “You know how mothers can be... overprotective and overbearing and such,” Fey responded with a light shrug. 

“Perhaps… but still, we wouldn’t be who we are today if it weren’t for our parents. They can be very demanding at times, but we just need to remember that it’s all out of love. I try not to take things too personally and just focus on being the best me.” 

Fey noticed a sad, yet determined look briefly cross his face. Oh my gosh! That got deep all of a sudden. Good job, Fey. I ended up souring the mood anyway. 

Then Iben asked, “So, what made you decide to be a volunteer?”

Fey was surprised at the sudden change in conversation, but volunteering was the reason why she was here today, after all. “Um… One of the things I’d like to do while I’m here in Germany over the next few months is to experience the country from different perspectives. Of course, I don’t understand the language very well, but I do feel that interacting with the locals in some way, other than college students like myself, is one way to achieve that goal.”

Iben nodded in understanding. He looked at the time on his phone and then said, “I’m sorry, but I have to get back to work.”

Fey was disappointed, but she tried not to show it.

Then he added, “Um—can I get your contact info so I can reach out to you later about the volunteer event for Saturday?”

Fey nodded with a smile and hoped Iben didn’t see the relief in her face. After handing her his phone, Fey entered her phone number and email address.

“Thanks,” he said and stood up. Fey joined him, and they started walking towards the exit.

“I apologize for having to leave so suddenly.”

“No worries. If I hadn’t peppered you with questions, we would’ve at least had the time to accomplish what I came here for.”

Iben shook his head. “Don’t say that. I really enjoyed chatting with you.” He held out his hand for a handshake, and Fey took it.

They said their goodbyes and Iben waited until Fey walked out of the building before letting out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. As Iben walked towards the elevator back to his office, he smiled to himself. He was honest with Fey when he told her that he was pleasantly surprised that she was the person he was supposed to be showing the ropes for the volunteer program. 

Since that day, when he met her at the cafe a few weeks ago, he stopped by the cafe almost every day after that to see if he would, by chance, bump into her again. She didn’t go there very often, but the few times he did see her there, he had chickened out on approaching her. What if she didn't recognize him? What if she didn’t care that he’d bought her breakfast and would think he was just a creep? He berated himself internally for feeling that way. He wasn’t one to be timid around women, but there was something about that woman that made him cautious, as he didn’t want to scare her off. She had a warm yet confident air about her that drew him in.

While chatting with Fey, he realized that he wanted to get to know her better, and he was not going to let an opportunity pass by. He pulled up her contact info on his phone and sent her a text message.

‘Hey, this is Iben. Since it’s your first time, we can go to the soup kitchen together tomorrow morning. If it’s okay with you, let’s meet up at the cafe tomorrow at 6:00 AM.’

A few minutes later, he got a response. ‘Sure thing!’

Iben smiled to himself again. He was undoubtedly looking forward to tomorrow.

***

Iben was already at the cafe when Fey arrived. When she came over to where he was seated, he gave her one of the two cups of coffee he was holding.

“I hope you don’t mind your coffee with cream and sugar.”

“Not at all, thanks!” Fey responded with a smile.

A few minutes later, they were on the way to the soup kitchen. After a 20-minute train ride, they walked for another ten minutes before arriving at their destination. Iben formally introduced her to the rest of the volunteer team, and then they went about their assigned tasks.

A few hours later, after helping with the cleanup, Fey looked around for Iben. They had been so busy, and she didn’t get a chance to chat some more with him as she had hoped, which was silly. After all, this wasn’t a social event, and they were there to serve. Disappointed when she couldn’t find him, she took out her phone and started to check for directions back to her place. Suddenly, a voice from behind startled her.

“Was I such a terrible companion on the way here that you’d rather go home by yourself?”

Fey turned around to find Iben, peering over her shoulder with a smirk. “Hmmm… you don’t know the half of it,” Fey joked, and he chuckled. “Anyway, I couldn’t find you, so I figured you were either busy or had left.” 

“You were looking for me?” He smiled, pleasantly surprised.

Fey shrugged nonchalantly. “Are you ready?” she asked.

He nodded, and they started towards the train station. They walked in comfortable silence for a few minutes before they walked past the bar that Fey and her friends went to the night of the campus meet and greet. Demi and her other housemates wanted to go back later, but she wasn’t feeling it. She sighed.

Iben heard her sigh and was curious to know what she was thinking. “Penny for your thoughts?” he asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh, it’s nothing…”

Iben pressed. “I’ve been told that I’m a pretty good listener.”

Fey smiled politely. “I’m good, really,” she insisted. It wasn’t like she was thinking about anything interesting or earth-shattering.

“I really must be a lousy companion if I’m making a pretty lady sigh so deeply,” Iben said jokingly.

Fey chuckled. “Fine, fine, nose-box.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll tell you…” She glanced over at Iben, who was all smiles. He looked pleased as punch with himself. “My friends want to hang out this weekend, and I’m thinking about bailing out on them.”

“Why?”

“The bar’s really not my scene. But I also don’t want to let the girls down.”

“So, what would you rather be doing?”

“I’d rather stay indoors, reading a book or watching TV. Classes are starting in two days, and I prefer not to be hungover on Monday.”

“I see… so what’s your scene then?” Iben asked. This girl was interesting. Most young ladies he knew wouldn’t say that they didn’t like bars.

“I love jazz music. Back in Atlanta, I had the opportunity to go to a small jazz music lounge once. It was a lot of fun.” She smiled at the memory.

Iben watched Fey as she spoke. He didn’t take his eyes off her for even a second. He was very attracted to her, and he meant what he said earlier about her being pretty. He continued watching as her face lit up while describing her experience at the jazz club.

“What about you?” he suddenly heard Fey ask, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“What would you like to know?” he asked smoothly, the corner of his lips lifting into a smile.

“Well, what do you like to do when you’re not working or volunteering?”

Iben rubbed his chin briefly and then said, “I like cooking, and I sometimes play chess at a Meetup here in Munich.”

“You don’t look like you can cook at all,” Fey said with a look of disbelief.

“I bet I can cook better than you,” Iben teased, a mischievous smile forming on his handsome face.

Fey snorted at his response. Even though she wasn’t a great cook like her sister Tutu, she believed she could certainly cook circles around this guy. “Don’t believe you!” Fey’s tone carried a teasing note, her eyebrows raised.

“How so? You’re judging a book by its cover?”

Fey stopped walking, turned to face Iben, and said, “Yes, I’m very judge-y right now, and here’s why I don’t think you can cook.” Suddenly, she held his hands and ran her fingers softly across his palms. “So soft, no calluses, smooth... I bet you can only cook... ramen noodles.” 

Iben watched speechlessly as Fey innocently ran her thumb across his palms to make her point. To his surprise, her touch sent exciting electric currents through his body. He lifted his eyes to meet hers, and for a few seconds, they held each other’s gaze. Iben said nothing as Fey’s eyes shone brightly. 

“Well, am I right?” she asked smugly. She truly believed she’d made a profound point, and that’s why there was no response from Iben. She didn’t realize what effect she was having on the young man standing in front of her. In fact, she didn’t realize that she had suddenly crossed a physical touch boundary with a man that she had only met a total of three times. Somehow, it just felt natural to her.

Looking at the beautiful woman in front of him, Iben had the sudden urge to pull Fey close to him. However, he quickly pulled himself together, shook his head slowly, and said smoothly without missing a beat. “Wanna bet?”

Fey let go of his hands and continued walking. She didn’t notice the flash of disappointment that crossed Iben’s face. He didn’t want her to let go of his hands.

“Are you suggesting a cook-off?” she asked.

Iben caught up to her and said, “Great minds think alike.”

“Hmmm... okay,” Fey agreed.

“The dish will be rice!” Iben declared.

Fey gave him the side-eye and raised a questioning eyebrow. Of all dishes, rice?

“Hey, I can make a mean rice dish,” Iben retorted proudly.

Fey chuckled. This guy was too funny. “Rice is rice. How tasty can anyone cook rice?”

“You just gotta be creative.”

“Fine... we’ll have a rice cook-off,” Fey said in mock defeat.

Even after they got on the train, the pair continued chatting and teasing each other like old friends. Before long, they arrived at Fey’s stop. She got up and was about to say goodbye when Iben mentioned that this was his stop as well. They continued walking together until they arrived at the cafe they’d met earlier.

“Thanks for the great company,” Fey said, smiling.

“Ah… glad I was able to redeem myself,” Iben responded, with a smile. He was referring to Fey’s earlier comment, teasing him about how he was a lousy companion.

Fey laughed softly and simply shook her head. She couldn’t remember the last time she laughed as much as she had with Iben in the previous hour. She glanced at her watch. It was almost 2:00 PM. She realized that she didn’t want their time together to end. But, despite how she felt, she didn’t think it was fair to delay him any further, as he probably had other commitments. She smiled instead and reached out her hand for a goodbye handshake.

Iben’s eyes met hers, and he reached out his hand in response. As soon as their hands touched, he suddenly remembered the moment from earlier when she had rubbed the palms of his hands, and he immediately felt some heat rush to his face. Good thing he was dark-skinned; otherwise, his thoughts would be exposed. Why the heck am I feeling like a hormonal teenager?! Iben thought to himself. Still smiling, he said, “I had a great time today, Fey.”

“Me too.”

Silence.

Iben self-consciously cleared his throat and then let go of her hand. “See you around,” he said with a wink before turning around and heading to his apartment.

“Bye,” Fey responded before walking the rest of the way back to her place.