Natasha sat on the edge of the bed in Marion’s apartment, her fingers tapping anxiously on her phone screen. The apartment, located in the heart of Munich, was a blend of modern minimalism and cozy Bavarian charm. The walls were adorned with Marion’s collection of art prints, and the aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air. Natasha would be arriving at the bus station soon.
Marion, an accounting manager, had always been a law-abiding citizen. Her life had been neat and orderly until that fateful vacation in Turkey. She replayed the video on Natasha’s phone in her worried mind, the footage grainy yet incriminating. Sometimes she wondered if she was allowing Natasha to stay with her more out of curiosity or more to see what she could do to destroy the video and any copies of it that may exist.
Taking a deep breath, Marion rose from her chair and stepped out of her fourth-floor apartment to head for the bus station. She barely remembered the short ride there because her mind was focused on Natasha. She couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next and what it would be like having Natasha around. She definitely liked having her chores done for her, but she also wanted her travel buddy. Even if Natasha had stolen money available to her, she wasn’t sure if she liked the idea of indulging her in trips she would probably otherwise not take, or if she could even stand to be around the woman for that long.
After giving it much thought, she finally decided that being upfront and honest would likely be her best bet. If Natasha thought she was the only one with the upper hand, that might tempt her to share the damning video if she got pissed at her. If worse came to worst, she wondered if she could get away with claiming it was AI-generated. This was becoming a big thing that everyone was so worried about, after all.
She parked her car and went into the station. She spotted Natasha sitting on a bench and focused on her phone. On the seat next to her was a carry-on bag and at her feet was a large suitcase. Natasha glanced up and spotted her in return. She smiled and stood up. Marion couldn’t help but notice how much younger than her 43 years she looked. She was dressed casually in jeans and a plain pale pink T-shirt but looked nice. As she drew closer, she could see that she wore matching pale pink lipstick and a touch of mascara.
“Hello,” Natasha greeted with a bright smile as if they were old friends.
“Natasha,” Marion said with a curt nod, determined to keep the upper hand and let Natasha know she wasn’t going to be pushed around.
“How are you doing?” Natasha asked.
Marion glanced at her new houseguest. “Well, we’ll see.”
Most of the ride back to Marion’s apartment building was made in silence. She sensed it made Natasha a bit uncomfortable. She was glad, too. Finally, she got down to business. “Natasha, we need to talk once we get you settled.”
“Sure, no problem.”
They pulled into a small parking lot. Without Marion offering to help her carry any of her stuff, Natasha slung her purse over one shoulder, the carry-on over the other, and pulled her suitcase behind her. Once in the building, they walked partway down a corridor with ten doors on each side and got into an elevator. They never passed anyone along the way. When they stepped out of the elevator, they walked all the way to the end of the corridor. Marion inserted a key into the dark wooden door and opened it.
Ushering Natasha ahead of her, Marion led her through the living room and into the second smaller bedroom that was off of it. Marion then clasped her hands together and said in a very businesslike voice, “OK, use the bathroom and do what you need to do to get comfortable, and then meet me in the kitchen.”
“Got it,” Natasha said with a nod.
Marion went into the kitchen. From her vantage point, she could see across the living room and into the short hallway. Natasha darted across the hallway and into the bathroom. Then she went back into her room and rummaged through her belongings for a few minutes. Judging by the movements she could hear, she guessed she was sorting through and setting up some things.
A few minutes later, Natasha emerged from the room and headed into the kitchen. “Can I help with anything?”
“Have a seat,” Marion said, ignoring her.
Natasha sat at the stylish kitchen table. Marion sat down a second later with a cup of tea, not bothering to offer Natasha anything.
“Ok, so we’re both crystal clear on the rules, here’s how it’s going to be,” Marion began. “I work Monday through Friday, normal business hours of 9 to 5. Every Friday night, I order groceries online to be delivered the following morning. Over the weekend is when I do my cooking, cleaning, and laundry.”
“Ok,” Natasha interjected.
“You will order your groceries on Friday nights along with me.”
Natasha nodded in agreement.
“Half of the rent and utilities amount to about 600 US dollars. Between four and six hundred dollars per month is what people typically make for cooking daily meals, cleaning, and doing laundry. You will only be cooking dinner and only during the week. This is more than a fair agreement. Do we understand each other here as far as the financial aspects and responsibilities are concerned?”
“Definitely.”
“You pay for your own phone and any extras you want.”
Natasha nodded again.
“You are absolutely forbidden from accessing my internet in any way. You will get your own mobile hotspot and pay for your own internet. I will show you where to go and how to go about getting anything you need, but the rest is up to you. Are we clear on that?”
“Absolutely.”
“You are also forbidden from accessing my bedroom unless it’s to clean or put away laundry. Is that also clear?”
“Crystal.”
“Any questions?”
“Nope, just that it’s a good thing it’s Friday night because I’m awfully hungry.”
“OK,” Marion said, leading Natasha over to a desk in the corner of the living room where a laptop sat. “We’ll order groceries and then proceed to the next step.”
“What’s that?”
“We have some secrets to discuss.”
ns216.73.216.122da2
and then Add to home screen.