AFTER DARK | Johan Liebert

Chapter 16: Conversations at 4 AM

I lay in bed until 1 PM on Sunday, coughing and wiping my nose. I felt much better than I did on Friday, but I still had a terrible headache. Fortunately, the sun was shining outside, and I smiled as I listened to the birds singing.

I remembered how I woke up at 4 AM today. My phone was ringing, and when I looked at the number, it seemed familiar, but I didn't know who it was.

"... Hello?", I asked quietly.

"Klara."

My eyes widened. "Johan?"

"Are you alright?"

He sounded uneasy. 

"I am. What was supposed to happen?"

There was a pause, and I could hear him sigh.

"I'm sorry. I probably woke you up."

I walked towards my bed, lying down again. "I can't sleep properly, anyway. So, why did you call me?"

"I just wanted to hear your voice."

His words were flattering, truly, but something felt off. 

"But we only saw each other yesterday. Did something happen?" A thought crossed my mind, and he was not answering. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Silence.

"I'm fine, Johan. Don't worry about me." What did he dream?, I asked myself. It had to be something that involved me, right? 

"I won't be able to visit you for the next two weeks."

"I figured. You have a lot of uni stuff to do, right?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I can't do it later on."

"That's fine. You did more than enough for me."

Another pause. I was staring at the ceiling, then looked out of the window. It was dark, and the sky was cloudless.

"What a beautiful sky."

"Indeed", Johan answered. 

"The last nights have been so rainy."

There was one question I wanted to ask, but I didn't know how to put it. Actually, I enjoyed the few words we exchanged, the silence in between. Usually, when I talked to others, I always tried to talk a lot so the conversation wouldn't get awkward, but in that moment, knowing he was on the other side of the line was enough for me.

"Johan?"

"Yes?"

"How do you feel about our conversation yesterday?"

He was probably thinking since he didn't answer right away.

"It was... unusual."

"You mean uncomfortable?", I asked, worrying.

"No. I'm just... not used to talk to others about this. Especially when it comes to my past."

I could feel my heart aching. Why did this hit me so much?

"But I don't regret it. I'm glad you know."