Toxic [Richard Kruspe]

Paul Landers

I almost run to the university cafeteria holding my breath and I don't care when I get weird looks from other students. Some of them try to stop me, but I ignore them without blinking. I feel like shit. The man I adore the most in music and recently in real life, appeared out of nowhere in my class pretending to care about teaching me and my classmates and didn't lose the chance to try to humiliate me in front of a full auditorium. This is so messed up. Everything happened too fast with this man and I still don't know the reason why.

Luckily, the cafeteria is almost empty, except for a man sitting on the bar, drinking coffee. He's wearing a beanie and a black leather jacket. A green scarf is casually tied around his neck. I don't blame him. It's almost snowing outside. He was smart enough to dress warmly today, unlike me. I can't see his face though because he's busy checking his phone. Nevermind. I need to calm down.

I walk to the bar and sit on a chair, hiding my head inside my palms. Crying is something I desperately wanna do at the moment, but I don't want to be humiliated more in this place. I sigh loudly as Duran Duran's "What happens tomorrow" starts playing on the speakers. I feel a hand on my shoulder and a calm voice speaks to me.

- "Is everything alright, girl?"

I keep hiding my face, but I manage to answer as politely as possible.

- "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

- "You don't look fine to me. Maybe you're in need of a drink. I'll buy you a coffee.", he leaves my shoulder and heads to the coffee machine.

- "No need, I drank coffee like, half an hour ago.", I continue denying, with no emotion in my voice.

- "Hm, maybe some whiskey will definitely help.", the man insists.

- "Dude, it's 10 am."

- "Not a problem for me.", he supports his statement happily. "Okay, a glass of water fixes everything, it's a scientific fact."

I lose my composure and I slide my palms over my forehead, desperate, revealing my face.

- "Okay, listen, I don't know if you're trying to flirt me, but that's a terrible way to do so. And you chose the wrong day and person. So... later.", I snap and the second I get off the chair, our eyes meet.

- "I was right from the beginning. You really are not fine." He half smiles and his eyes brighten up when he notes my shocked facial expression. I can't help but smile too.

- "Paul Landers??"

- "One and only! You must be... Anna?", he wonders with a playful look on his face.

- "Yes.. yes I'm Anna and uhm..." The words are stuck on my tongue while we shake hands. This is so unexpected. "Wha- Why are you here? Oh and... How do you know my name?" I take a step back, still shocked.

- "Do you really need to ask me that?" He pauses and makes a theatrical shovel move with his hands for emphasis. "Dig deeeep."

- "Of course." I come back to reality. "Richard."

- "I'd rather say that I heard the introduction inside your classroom, just before you sang 'Ohne Dich', but yeah, the Richard card works equally fine."

- "You could have just asked me my name like normal people though. Not by annoying me with beverage offers."

- "Ah, see, that was the perfect way to provoke you till you finally showed me your face. You looked so unapproachable.", he smiles proudly.

- "Paul... can I tell you something?" I take one step closer and he looks at me suspiciously.

- "Anything."

- "Your friend is a dick."

- "Damn, girl." He laughs at my statement and sits back on the chair fixing his scarf. "If I had one euro every time someone told me this... I wouldn't need Rammstein for a living. Like, ever. Well, my band is more than just a money machine of course, but..."

- "Hey hey, slow down." I follow him and sit back on my chair too. "He's done some terrible things to me and I'm a hundred percent sure that you are aware of them."

- "Sure, I've been informed for all of them, yes. But I love Reesh like my brother. Even though he can be a plain dick sometimes, like you said, his heart is pure."

- "I suppose that his heart's purity is confirmed by my kidnapping, then.", I roll my eyes.

- "What can I say, Richard has a strange way expressing his interest to some people." He supports him like he just heard the most normal thing ever.

- "So in other words, you are implying that he's interested in me?", I ask him, tapping my fingers on the bar.

Paul stands up and puts his hand in his jacket's pocket. He holds a small card with two of his fingers and plays with it.

- "How about discussing everything later in the night? Let's say... at 9?" He hands me the card which has a bar's name written on it and winks at me. "I'm looking forward seeing you again."

He walks casually to the exit door, not looking behind, one hand holding the coffee cup. I put the card in my backpack and ran after him.

- "Wait! You didn't answer me why you're here!" I stay still and wait for his response. He holds the doorknob and looks at me.

- "The Richard card is still on the game, little one. Don't forget. At 9. Have a good day.", he gets out of the cafeteria, leaving me with extra question marks and super intrigued.