Somewhere Else

Chapter 20: The Next Step (ii)

I had been worried that I wouldn't be able to recognise him, but my eyes land on the tall, lanky guy in a black beanie the moment I plunge into the rush of cold air outside. His gaze had already been fixed on the entrance to the train station, but what gives him away is the way he is frowning, as if he's waiting for someone he isn't quite sure of.

Our eyes meet. I can see the uncertain recognition that lights his face.

I walk briskly towards him.

"Juhani?" I ask when I'm within earshot, even though I'm already sure.

He smiles. "Yes." He sticks out his hand for a shake. "Juhani Laukkanen. Hei."

"Hei," I reply. "Emilie Hoffmann. Nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," he says.

"Or maybe we should speak in German?" I say, with a cheeky quirk of my eyebrow.

The way his face freezes makes me laugh. He grimaces, "Maybe not yet."

"So," I say, pushing my hands into my coat as a chilly gust of wind brushes past me. "Where should we go?"

"There's a café within walking distance," Juhani says, ducking his head so that he can look me in the face. All the Finnish guys I've met are so tall. Aksel always had to bend over a little to look into my eyes, too.

I blink away the turn my thoughts have taken. "Sure," I nod, gesturing for Juhani to lead the way.

With everything else that has been going on in the past few weeks, I had almost forgotten about Essi from the bakery in Töölö. I had given even less thought to her offer of sending my number along to her friend, the one she had told me about. The one who had been looking for a German tutor.

But she had come through. Two days ago, her friend Juhani had texted me an enquiry, which I then responded with an offer for a trial session. He will be paying me for one session at market price, before we decide if the arrangement suited both of us well.

The small café he takes me to is the perfect cozy place for a study session. Swallowing the butterflies fluttering about in the region of my throat, I follow him to a table and slide into the chair.

He is jittery, too. "Do you want to order first?" he asks. I can see his Adam's Apple bobbing.

"We can go together," I say, looking around. There are still several empty seats available.

He shrugs and gets up. He casts a glance at the table, then around the café. "I'll leave my bag here. Nobody will take it."

When we return to the table with our drinks – a coffee for him, an earl grey for me – I clear my throat and say, "Did you bring your textbook?"

He nods. It takes him a while to place his coffee mug onto the table. I watch him the whole time, noting how he moves in a slow, relaxed manner. They're both Finnish, but he is so different from Aksel.

Reaching into his bag, he finally pulls out the book, laying it on the table in between us.

I smile at him. "Let's begin, then. May I?" At his nod, I open the book and flip through it, hoping that he can't see my fingers shake just that little bit.

***

By the end of the ninety minutes, Juhani has shed his original reserve.

"You're a godsend, you know," my student declares. He flashes me a quick smile even as he flips his textbook shut and begins packing up the rest of his things.

His overstatement sends a blush rising on my cheeks, and I smile awkwardly at him to hide my embarrassment.

"I'm serious," he insists. "I thought I was done for, until Essi told me she met someone who could help."