"Oh, he's such a lovely man," Caroline chuckled as the two women walked a weathered and beat down path. "We talked for about half an hour before he had to go. But we're supposed to meet tonight."

Adeline nodded, polite but bored almost to tears. She was sure this Alois was a sweet gentleman. If Caroline said so, it must be true. Adeline squeezed the other woman's hand, trying to smile for her sake. "Perhaps you can ask him tonight?" she offered.

"Right," she said, "You should ask Oliver if he'd take you out. I've never seen him by any other women."

Adeline hummed. She couldn't exactly see herself growing old with Oliver, any man really. The thought of being a solitary spinster in a large estate appealed to her quite a bit more.

Maybe it'd quiet her mother's protests for a few days. "If you and Alois would accompany us," she murmured, "I'm afraid I'd get too anxious without you there."

Caroline brought a hand to Adeline's arm, rubbing the skin to comfort the woman. "I know," she sighed, her rich brown eyes twinkling like gold. Adeline's gaze flickered down to her friend's slim waist. She was never one for eye contact.

"I miss the days when boys weren't so hard to talk to," Caroline said.

A disappointed expression crossed Adeline's face, her quiet voice mumbling, "Those days are long gone... Oliver is easy to talk to though."

"You never liked drunkards though," Caroline laughed softly.

Adeline looked down, shrugging as she messed with the sleeves of her white shirt, "He's not too bad. He's... pleasant."

"Pleasant is the nicest word I've heard you say in years," Caroline noted as she raised her eyebrows.

The two women paused before together laughing. The merry mood continued on as they walked to Alois' home. It was far more modest than Oliver's house, only made of wood. The windows were grimy, and it looked like no man lived there at all.

When Adeline commented on it, all Caroline said was it needing a woman's touch, blushing profusely afterwards at her own statement. She pulled away from Adeline and went up to the front door.

Her hand went to her cheek to check its temperature before she knocked, not much force behind it. It looked like the house was only about two rooms anyway, so it wasn't long before Alois and Caroline were across from each other.

"Well, good afternoon," he said. Caroline looked past him, her eyes widening.

"You have a camera here?" she asked, "I never knew that!"

Alois nodded, rubbing the back of his neck, "I haven't used it much since the war. Film went scarce... But I mostly just used it to get photos of the students."

"As in like a yearbook?" Caroline asked.

He nodded, "Sort of. I send the photos back home with the parents at the end of the term." Alois stepped outside and closed his front door, sighing, "Is your friend joining you for any particular reason?

Before Adeline could say anything, Caroline jumped to respond, "She wanted to meet up with Oliver, so I suggested we all meet. You two are friends, right?"

"You could say that," Alois said, "He hadn't been in town long. But if he stays, I'd be glad to continue meeting with him."

"I would too," Adeline said, trying to smile even though a familiar feeling made her itch. Jealousy. It was unfounded, Oliver had plenty of room for friends, and she wasn't supposed to care that much about them.

"You're Adeline, right?" Alois asked, snapping as he finally remembered, "You're one of the factory girls. I usually see you ladies come home from the evening shift."

Adeline was trying not to roll her eyes, her mind only associating one word with that statement: Gross. "It's what I do for a living," she muttered, "You're a teacher?"

"Of all ages," he said, sighing, "Gets a little boring on Sundays though. I'd like a break from this place."

Caroline looked over at Adeline, a hopeful smile on her face, "We could meet at Oliver's place then. Would that be all right with you?" Alois nodded, moving to hold her hand.

It was complicated now. No, it was simple. Something set Adeline off about this Alois man. She didn't like the way he carried himself.

It felt fake. But she wasn't sure if that was her or her jealousy talking.