Steam fogged up the mirror above the sink, but the silhouette was unmistakable: slim, surrounded by wild copper-coloured curls that caught the candlelight. She stood there, dripping rainwater onto the tiles, her eyes wide open and not focused on my face, but on the murky broth splashing against my sternum. Her gaze followed a stray noodle stuck to my collarbone.


Silence. Only the frantic crackling of the dying tea lights under the tub interrupted it. Her expression did not reflect shock, not directly. It was... an assessment. Clinical. Like a biologist observing a specimen in its natural habitat – a very wet, very endangered habitat. She tilted her head slightly, a loose red curl brushing her cheekbone. Rainwater ran down her leather jacket. Her lips parted, not to speak, but as if she were tasting the damp, spice-scented air.


Her eyes, an astonishing bright green, darted from the submerged curve of my knee to the floating ginger root beside my elbow, and finally met mine slowly. Time didn't just slow down; it froze. The heat, the absurdity, the tingling awareness of my own nakedness beneath the opaque liquid, all merged into a single, suspended moment under her analytical gaze. Was she disgusted? Fascinated? Was she calculating the heating power needed to keep so much water simmering? Her absolute silence was unsettling.


I looked her over, a woman perhaps 30 years old, with long red hair. White trousers and a crop top. Her black leather jacket seemed to have been thrown on hastily. Overall, she had an athletic figure with an upright posture. Her sudden laughter made me flinch briefly.


‘Oh, I'm Anja,’ she said, leaning against the doorframe. Her green eyes wandered around the steam-filled room. ‘Hey, excuse me, I'm your new neighbour. The rain caught me by surprise after I accidentally locked myself out of my new flat. Your front door was wide open, so I sought shelter here.’ A pause. Her gaze fell demonstratively on the broth stuck to my collarbone. ‘Oh, and you should put your tools away outside in the yard.’ Her lips twisted into an amused smile.