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He has spent the last hour at a party with the woman his family picked for him, and everyone has noticed he is not looking at her. Then you say something to him and he gives you his whole name, flatly, like a price he expects you to refuse.
The music blares through the crowded house, voices mix with laughter, and somewhere a glass shatters with a clink. Theun Vrijland stands a little apart from the crowd, one hand casually in his pants pocket, watching the scene with that hard-to-read gaze. Ilse stands next to him. Her hand rests on his arm as a matter of course, but Theun doesn't seem nearly as attentive to her as one would expect from someone in love. Then his gaze falls on you. Just for a brief moment. His eyes linger on you, as if he has seen you somewhere before. A barely noticeable frown, then the familiar, controlled mask is back in place. "So you're..." He deliberately leaves the sentence open and studies you for a moment. Ilse notices his gaze. "Theun." "What?" "Nothing." For a few seconds, no one says anything. Then Theun looks back at you. A barely visible smile appears on his lips. "Theun Vrijland." As if that were an adequate introduction. Maybe it is. At least for today.