Page 2 of Hearts of Resistance
‘Because I have to,’ he said, taking a step back but leaving one hand on her shoulder. ‘Because there are people in this world worth believing in.’
His hand fell away and Sophia kissed his cheek, gently pressing her lips to his skin and hoping he knew how much she loved him.
‘One day it will be over,’ he said, turning to look out the window. She watched as he leaned on the low bookcase, careful not to get too close to the glass in case he was seen. ‘One day, people like you will be remembered, revered even, for what you’ve done.’
‘The others like me, we’re just doing what any decent human being would do,’ Sophia replied. To her, she was doing nothing special by rescuing Jews and securing them safe passage. But she was doing more than many, who were too afraid to stand up for what was right.
‘Do we have any more visitors coming?’ he asked, turning back to face her.
She shrugged. ‘That’s for me to know and you to wonder.’
‘Don’t tease me unless you can handle the consequences,’ he replied with a wink.
Alex ran for her and she pounced in the other direction, running away from him. She burst out laughing when he caught her around the waist, giggling when his teeth skimmed her neck as he pretended to bite her.
Knock, knock, knock.
Sophia froze as the rapping echoed through her apartment. At the same time, Alex scrambled, instinctively making for the middle of the room. A scream ached in her throat, desperate to be released as she silently swallowed it instead. She lived in fear of a knock at her door, knowing that at any moment the precious world she’d so carefully crafted could come crashing down around them.
‘Just, ah...,’ she stammered, trying to pull herself together, knowing that she needed to keep herself calm. ‘Just a moment,’ she called out loudly.
Sophia watched as Alex disappeared into the large rectangular ottoman in the centre of the room, positioned between her sofa and the armchair. She darted after him to help, carefully putting the end back together and folding a blanket to place on it, the hem hanging down to cover the entrance to the secret compartment. They were fast – they had to be – and within seconds she was back on her feet and hurrying across the room.
She took a deep breath as another knock sounded out, before pulling the door open, smile fixed perfectly, though her body trembled.
‘I’m sorry, I was...’ The words died in her throat as relief washed through her. It was only her neighbour, a young boy from the same apartment block whom she’d seen numerous times with his mother.
‘Can you help me?’ he asked, big eyes fixed on hers as he spoke. ‘Mama said to ask if you had any food to spare? She’s sick and it’s been too cold for her to go out.’
Sophia remembered that his mother had been expecting. The other woman had always smiled and said hello when they’d passed each other, and Sophia knew how desperate she must be to ask for help. Residents had been fortunate to still have a reasonable supply of food in Berlin despite the war, although rations still made life less comfortable than many were used to.
She nodded, bending so she was eye level with him. ‘Has your mother had her baby yet?’
He shook his head, hands wrapped together tightly at his chest.
‘Let me get you something and I’ll be straight back out,’ she said. ‘Wait here.’
Sophia gave a sigh of relief and shut the door on the boy, leaving him alone for a moment. She let her back rest against the timber, eyes shut as her hands slowly stopped shaking. She’d been certain this time that it would be them. That the Gestapo would be standing there with their evil eyes and their grinning mouths, ready to storm her place and find her secrets. She’d helped so many people now, had been the overnight stop for so many Jews who needed somewhere safe to hide, but it was Alex who was her biggest secret of all. She’d had him hidden in her apartment now for so long, right under everyone’s noses. Even her father, the loyal Nazi that he was, had been sitting in a chair while her boyfriend was folded into his hidden compartment only footsteps away. She could still remember the smile on her father’s face as he’d sat across from her, placing his cup on the ottoman that had been Alex’s safe place for so long, while she fretted that one sneeze or cough would give their secret away. She’d wondered at the time if her father would murder her himself if he ever found out, but she’d consoled herself with the thought that even he couldn’t harm someone he loved.
She pushed off from the door and crossed the room, bending low beside the ottoman. ‘Alex, it’s nothing. I’m just going to get the boy some food.’ She paused, waited for him to tap twice to indicate that he’d heard her low whisper. She placed a hand against the soft fabric, trying to give him some of her strength. ‘I’ll be as quick as I can.’
Their rule was that he had to stay hidden. Whenever she wasn’t there or if there was any danger, he had to stay out of sight, for her safety as much as his. Being crammed into a piece of furniture wasn’t ideal, but it was the only way.
Sophia collected some things together in a cloth napkin – bread and cheese, some cold meat, and a piece of chocolate. It wasn’t as much as she’d have liked – because she was supporting Alex secretly, they often didn’t have any surplus food.
She returned to the door and passed the boy the bundle. ‘Take this straight back to your mother,’ she said, patting his head, then shut the door and locked it behind her. Then she dashed to the ottoman and helped Alex out.
Alex looped his arm around her, and she leaned into him as he dropped a kiss into her hair. His lips lingered, his breath hot against the top of her head. They didn’t need to say anything; they both knew how high the stakes were.
‘I have to go and see my mother in a few days’ time,’ Sophia said, still holding on to him. ‘Will you be okay here alone? Do you think it’s too much of a risk?’
She’d been putting off saying anything to Alex, but if she didn’t visit soon, her father might become suspicious. She was in Berlin to study and she knew that not visiting her family outside of term time could easily blow her cover. They lived on a beautiful estate in the country, and it wasn’t unreasonable for her father to expect her to spend longer periods at home. Growing up, she’d had an idyllic childhood, surrounded by luxury and with her parents doting on her, but now the grand estate felt more like a prison, her father no longer the sweet, kind man she remembered.
‘I’ll be fine,’ Alex assured her.
He turned her around in his arms, kissed her again, his lips sending ripples of warmth through her body.
‘You know I’m going to marry you when this war is over, don’t you?’ he muttered. ‘One day we’ll be telling our children all about my time in your apartment, how I endured it all to survive and marry their mother.’
