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Loud music and dense crowds definitely wasn’t Klara’s scene, and yet, she still ended up walking into a packed bar with blaring speakers. This was supposed to be her Friday off from work. A small reward for crunch coding at her desk all day and night for a week straight, but of course they called her in, turning the day off into an evening. She was tired, angry, and most of all, looking to forget about things. Typically, she would have been able to find a quieter bar, but as luck would have it beer-fest season had started in Germany, so every tap was crawling with party goers from around the world.
Reluctantly, Klara slinked through the ocean of people and claimed a barstool in the corner, hoping not to draw any attention to herself. She took off her bright yellow jacket and set it on the back of her chair, revealing the white sweater she was wearing underneath. Then she ordered a beer.
For a while, she passed the time by watching and silently giggling at the people who were attempting to dance. Sure it was ironic for her to laugh at them as someone who could barely dance herself, but she couldn’t help it. It was free entertainment. Then halfway through her second drink, one of the dancers caught her eye. It was a woman wearing a yellow tank top and hat, with a small crowd forming near her. Compared to those anyone else out there, she seemed to be the only one who really knew what she was doing. Despite the fact that the woman was noticeably drunk, she didn’t miss a beat.
Klara observed the dancer for a while: her confidence, skill, beauty, and, oh god, her muscles had the German completely captivated. Then before she knew it, the woman caught her staring. Klara’s face quickly snapped out of the gawking expression she only just realized was showing, and tried to glance away, but she was too late to go unnoticed. In her peripheral vision she saw that the stranger had started strolling in her direction. Suddenly, Klara became very invested in her drink, and took a few long sips of beer to avoid eye-contact. Regardless, the woman walked right up to her with an overwhelming presence that demanded attention.
“What’s going on over here gatinha? ” The woman asked in a low voice that sent a chill down Klara’s spine. The way her speech slurred together and her use of a foreign language made it difficult for the German to decipher the question, but it sounded good . She wanted to melt away right then and there.
“Ah hallo, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stare or anything. You’re just a very good dancer” She replied meekly.
“Is that so? Why don’t you come dance with me then?” the woman questioned. Klara could feel her cheeks burning despite her best efforts to suppress the blush on her face. Surely this was karma for when she was laughing at the drunks on the dance floor. A gorgeous woman just appeared from nowhere and began flirting with her, but there was no way she could agree to dance with her lackluster skills. Plus it was probably best not to get involved with such a stranger. She was clearly drunk and probably just visiting for a beer festival, so they’d likely never see eachother again.
“Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t dance,” Klara finally stated.
“Oh come on, everyone dances!”
“Not me.”
“Well, you said I’m really good, yeah? I can teach you a few things,” she cheered and motioned to the dance floor.
Klara paused to think about the offer. Her mind started racing again, overthinking all the things that could go wrong, but her heart was telling her to just go and enjoy the night; enjoy the presence of this stranger, for as long as she could. Klara finally agreed to a dance lesson and allowed herself to be dragged into the crowd.
“My name’s Tayane by the way,” the woman spoke as they pushed past everyone.
“I’m Klara.”
“Hmm… pretty,” mumbled Tayane. When they reached a clearing on the dance floor the woman let go of Klara’s hand and spun around on her heels to meet her gaze, “Alright Klara, just copy me.”
Before Klara had the chance to process the situation, Tayane jumped into the rhythm of the song that pushed through the speakers. Her arms flowed like a figure eight while her feet followed a mesmerizing back-and-forth step pattern. After watching for a moment, Klara tried to join in. It was only a few seconds before she accidentally kicked herself in the heel and fell out of step.
Tayane clearly suppressed a laugh and paused to help her out, “Good try, but you gotta step back first, then slide your opposite foot forward. And don’t be so stiff, you gotta let loose! Bounce those hips for me yeah?”
Klara’s face turned red again, and she couldn’t even pinpoint if it was from embarrassment, flattery, or even the alcohol in her system, but in return she could only nod at Tayane and collected herself to try the dance again. It worked out better the second time around and they were able to dance side by side for a couple of songs. Just as Klara was gaining confidence, a new song came on and Tayane decided to pull her in close by the waist. It made her go rigid again until she realized it was affecting her dancing form. They smiled at each other and then Tayane held out the palm of her hand for Klara to take. Once she grabbed it, Tayane raised her hand up to guide Klara through a 180° spin. Now the two were dancing with their bodies pressed together, and Klara was -needless to say- enjoying herself. Any thoughts worries she was previously having about her miserable job seemed so far away now. She wished she could just stay in this moment of time, but as the song drew to a close, their dance also slowed to a halt.
In the silence between the switching songs Tayane moved around to face her dance partner again, “Can I tell you a secret?” she asked bluntly.
“Uh, sure,” Klara responded, a little confused.
Tayane looked at the crowd of people to the right of them, and seemed to determine they couldn’t be trusted not to eavesdrop. So she took off her hat and held it next to her face to block out her words from the others. Following the gesture, Klara leaned in until the hat covered both of their faces from any onlookers. For a moment it was just the two of them lost in each other’s eyes. When Tayane failed to say anything, the silence brought Klara to a realization.There were no words to Tayane’s secret. It only existed in the feelings swelling between them. The feeling of a hand pulling the neckline of Klara’s sweater forward, the feeling of eyes fluttering closed, the feeling of intoxication (partly because of the way their lips met clumsily in a kiss, and partly because whatever Tayane had been drinking was now the only thing that Klara could taste and smell), and the feeling of love. Leaning into the kiss, they both realized too late, the feeling of falling.
Just as soon as the emotions flooded Klara’s mind they were also drained away. She hit the cold hard floor alongside Tayane and when she opened her eyes again everyone was staring at them. A bouncer approached quickly and told them to leave for the disruption. Klara got up first and helped Tayane rise to her feet. She was a bit more wobbly than before, so Klara put an arm around the Brazilian’s shoulder to stabilize her as they walked. She made sure to grab her jacket from the chair before they went outside, rushing along as quickly as they could, pressured by the side-eye of the bouncer.
As soon as they stepped outside, Tayane shivered and clutched herself, “Ai, it’s freezing out here!”
“That’s what you get for wearing a tank top in this weather,” Klara sighed, but she was already handing off her puffy yellow jacket to the woman. “Where are you staying?” Klara continued.
“Don’t remember, how about we just go to your place?” Tayane suggested.
“Nope. I’m getting you back safe to wherever you’re staying and that’s all.”
“Awwh, if you say so. My hotel is only a few blocks away… I think. I’ll know it when I see it.”
They ended up sauntering through the streets for 15 minutes before they found the right place. The night receptionist gave them a strange look but made no comment as they waited for the elevator. Once Tayane reached the door to her room, she grabbed the key out of her back pocket, unlocked the door, shoved the key into the pocket of the jacket she wore, and stumbled inside. At that point they were both incredibly tired, but Klara was still worried about Tayane. She could have just left right then and there, like she said she would, but with the way Tayane was acting, a nasty hangover was definitely in store for her the next morning. The German looked in a mini-fridge that sat under a desk, but there was nothing inside.
“Do you have any water around here?” she asked pointlessly.
“Nope!” Tayane sang.
“I’ll go get some then. You should start resting.”
“Nooo don’t leave me,” Tayane pouted with arms outstretched, but the door was already closing as the other woman entered the hallway.
Klara pretended not to hear the protests that called after her, which felt a little disheartening for some reason, but she continued forwards. At the shop in the hotel’s lobby, she grabbed some water, and then a gatorade, and some pain killers for good measure. She wanted to do everything possible to keep Tayane from a hellish hangover the next morning. After finally gathering her composure and buying the items, Klara went back up to the room. She opened the door to find that Tayane actually followed the request she made before and started resting. Sure, it was super late, but she didn’t expect the other to fall asleep so fast. She put all the items she bought on the nightstand, careful not to make a sound. With nothing left to do, she collected her jacket from the desk it sat on, and walked hesitantly to the exit. She thought leaving would be easier now that Tayane was asleep. There was no one to ask her to stay anymore, so why the hell was it so hard to open the door?
Her mind clouded with reasons telling her to go. With all she drank, it’s not like Tayane was in the right mindset to make good decisions. What if she didn’t mean anything she said at all? What if Klara did stay and it was awkward in the morning?
For a split second it made her wonder where she would be right now if Tayane didn’t pull her out of what would be a depressive drinking bout. They would probably both be in worse situations. Maybe they did help each other somehow then. But that meant they were even, and Klara wasn’t going to overextend her welcome. She just wanted to go home before her wisps of hypothetical regret became real.
She looked back at Tayane one final time. Still asleep. Klara made sure to lock the door for her, then left without another sound. Despite the time, the streets outside of the hotel were still rather busy. She took a train, walked another 5 minutes home, and then spent another 20 minutes fully overthinking things until sleep finally claimed her.
— — — — —
Klara wasn’t the one who got shit-face drunk last night, but she still woke up with a headache and all kinds of bad feelings. After having a small breakfast, she thought a nature walk might be a good idea. She knew a path that led to a small pond, maybe staring at the fish would take her mind off things. She put on her jacket, stepped outside, and shoved her hands in her pockets. Her right hand was met with something metal. She lifted it from her pocket, the hotel room key.
Shit .
— — — — —
Klara re-traced her path to the hotel from last night, hoping she wouldn’t be too late. She rushed through the double doors at the entrance, but paused right after stepping into the lobby. Tayane was already at the front desk, arguing loudly, “a fee that high just for one key? I know it doesn’t cost that much to make a new one.”
The receptionist replied much too quietly for Klara to hear, but she could tell Tayane was unhappy with the response. Klara walked over, but the silent tension in the lobby amplified the sound of her footsteps. She clutched harder on the key in her hand as Tayane turned to look in her direction.
“Hi again. I believe I have the solution to your problem,” Klara suggested and held out the key awkwardly, “Think you left it in my jacket by accident,” she looked at the floor, unable to make eye contact.
For a few moments, Tayane didn’t move or speak, making Klara too nervous to look up and see the expression on the Brazilian’s face. But instead of taking the key, she took Klara by surprise and went right for a hug.
“Meu deus, they brought back my angel! I thought I’d never see you again!” Tayane exclaimed. Klara couldn’t help but begin to grin and blush lightly. Once they stopped hugging, Tayane finally took the key and handed it off to the apathetic receptionist.
“I’m so sorry for being a pain to you last night. I really got to repay you for everything somehow.”
“It’s alright, I’d say you owe me one but it looks like you won’t be around here for long,” the German spoke as she glanced wistfully at the pile of luggage sitting beside Tayane.
“Technically I don’t have to go anywhere,” She smirked.
“What? The weekend’s almost over, you don’t have a job to get back to or something?” Klara questioned, and then flinched, hoping that it didn’t come off as offensive.
Tayane shook her head, “I’m an artist, I can work anywhere… and I’m starting to think I should stay and study the landscapes of Germany for a while. At least until I can return the favor to you.”
Of course. She seemed to have everything Klara didn’t; confidence, creative skills, and a job that wasn’t slowly draining on her soul. Yet the German wasn’t jealous of Tayane, just enchanted. Maybe if they stuck together a bit longer, she could learn to be more like the other.
“Need a tour guide then? I’m free for the next few days.” It was a complete lie though. Klara was supposed to go back to work Monday, but something about Tayane compelled her to call in for some ‘sick’ days. She was starting to learn that a little more spontaneous action is just what she needed in life.
“That sounds great!” Tayane cheered.
“Well then, we can start right now if you want. I was on my way to a pond before, it’s very scenic.”
“Perfect.”
Klara reached out an arm, offering to carry one of Tayane’s bags, but whether or not the other woman got the message, she decided to give Klara a hand to hold instead and stepped forwards with her, “Lets go.”