We return to the table, and the bartender brings us a large bottle of still water. Breathing heavily, I sit down, finally feeling my body begin to relax after the intense dance. Katrin sits beside me, and for a moment, everything around us seems to vanish. The room remains as noisy as ever, but it is as if we have entered our own world, a world where no one else exists but us.
"Thank you, this is just what we needed. We will pay later," I say to the waiter, reaching out to take the water. I feel Katrin's fingers gently brush against mine as she passes me the bottle.
The waiter smiles politely and speaks: "The water is complimentary. Consider it a reward for your dance. The club owner is gifting you a bottle of premium wine and asks me to let you know that you are always welcome here."
I raise an eyebrow, and Katrin gives a faint smile, still intoxicated by the sensations we have just shared.
"A gift?" she murmurs, as if thinking aloud, and then her gaze flicks toward me. I nod silently, and the waiter, understanding that we have grasped the message, steps away.
A few minutes later, the promised wine arrives. The label on the bottle is exquisite, and it exudes an air of elegance, as if it were crafted for special occasions. I carefully open the bottle, and the aroma of subtle fruity tartness, mingled with notes of oak and spices, fills the air, making it unusually rich. This scent is as deep and alluring as the night itself.
We begin to drink, savoring every sip. Silence envelops us once more, and this quiet is filled with something more than mere peace.
"Are you okay? It's just that you are silent," I remark, noticing how she has remained silent all this time. Her gaze is slightly clouded, and I cannot quite decipher what she is truly feeling.
"I am just still processing what happened out there…" she points her finger toward the dance floor, and her voice carries a mix of awe and a hint of embarrassment. "What we were doing there, that was something else."
"Absolutely. It was breathtaking. I would not mind doing it again," the same fire that burned during the dance begins to stir in my chest once more.
Rebel Girl smiles, and her eyes sparkle again, filled with the same light I had seen before we started dancing.
"Have you ever danced like that with someone?"
"Yes," after the answer, I notice how her face shows a little embarrassment.
She looks away and for a second becomes thoughtful, almost as if lost in her own mind. I feel the need to dispel any potential misunderstanding so as not to give cause for unnecessary questions.
"I danced tango and other dances with partners during classes at my school," I explain, trying to emphasize that I had not had to dance with anyone outside of those lessons. "We had classes twice a week. And each time we rotated dance partners."
Rebel Girl looks at me, and I notice how her expression changes slightly. Perhaps she realizes something or feels that there is something important in my words.
"Only with partners you danced?" her voice becomes a little cautious, almost as if she were trying to find a hidden meaning in my words.
I meet her gaze and try to speak calmly so that she does not feel uncomfortable.
"Well, you yourself know that I could not step outside the school and that I did not have a girlfriend before this," I continue, feeling my embarrassment growing. "So I had no one to dance with. I only danced with partners — either during lessons or at competitions we participated in."
I see her relax, but a strange understanding appears in her eyes, as if she did not immediately grasp the importance of these words for me.
"And what dances do you know how to dance? Besides tango, of course, that I know now."
"Folk, ballroom… Waltz, salsa, Latin, foxtrot. I know a couple of others, but not as well as these. We were taught many dances, but these were the ones we perfected. A minimum of three months of training until we brought them to perfection. Some continued to work on every movement for months to achieve the ideal. Honestly, I sometimes feel that if you wake me up at night, I could dance without even opening my eyes."
Her eyes fill with admiration, and I feel my heart tighten, as if I am seeing her look at me with such deep interest for the first time. In that moment, I feel that I am becoming something more for her than just a Nerd who dances. She amazes me.
"You were just amazing. I could never dance like that myself," she continues to smile, but I can see how every word she speaks seems to pierce straight into my soul.
We fall silent again. But this silence is not heavy; it is filled with something… unspoken. We both understand that there is something between us, something that does not yet have words. We both feel how this moment is becoming something more than just a conversation.
I cannot bear it. I want to break the silence, to show her what I feel. We both know that this moment is important, and I am ready to show it. I want to be closer, to share this moment with her.
"Come here!" I reach out my hand to her, and she, slightly surprised but holding a light smile on her lips, stands up.
We are so close that I feel her breath mingle with mine. I move the table, clearing space for us, and for a second, I feel as if everything in this world is eclipsed. Only this moment remains.
"Do you want to dance again? There is so little space here."
"You do not need much space for salsa. We will spin, but in one spot," I reply to her calmly, and that spark shines in her eyes again, the one that was there before the dance.
We both know that in this moment it does not matter how much space is around us. What matters is only this dance, only us two, who do not need space to be close.
I pull out my phone and turn on the music. The sounds of the melody begin to fill the space, and with every chord, I feel the moment becoming more intense.
My hand rests on her waist, and I feel how Katrin responds to this touch, her palm finding my shoulder. It seems that in this moment the world ceases to exist — there is only us, the music, and a moment that cannot be conveyed in words. In this moment, I lead her, taking the first step in time with the rhythm. It is a smooth and confident step back, and her feet follow mine with ease, as if she hears the music just as I do. We are one. This is not just dancing; it is an invisible connection. We begin to move in place; our steps are confident, each gesture filled with intention. The lack of space does not become an obstacle for us — in this small area, we are creating something much greater.
"Trust me," I whisper, looking her straight in the eyes. I want her to feel how I take responsibility for this dance, for this moment, with full confidence. "I will spin you, do not be afraid, I will catch you."
We begin to move to the beat of the music, and I carefully turn her in rhythm; her body follows my every gesture. A few steps to the left, then to the right side — this is the art of salsa, where we do not just move, but feel the music in every movement. With each turn, I gently catch one of her hands and then again softly embrace her by the shoulders, transitioning into the next step.
The movement is smooth and synchronized; our bodies almost do not leave the spot, but every gesture is full of passion, trust, and mutual understanding. We change positions, playing with each turn, exchanging energy without unnecessary words. She glides around me like a stream of water, and I lead her with a confident yet caring hand, knowing when to pull her in and when to give space for the expression of her own dance.
I feel her breathing becoming more and more uneven, and this adds fire to the moment. My heart beats faster, and the music sounds louder in my head, as if it is becoming part of our bodies. We are looking for something more than just a dance — it is something deep, alive, and real. In the moment when I lead her into a quick spin, she sparkles in the air, her feet almost do not touch the floor, and my hands confidently hold her, allowing the rotation to reach its climax. We become one whole.
When the music ends, we freeze in an embrace, breathing heavily, both excited. Time seems to stop.
Not realizing what I am doing, I lean over and kiss her neck. Katrin instantly presses against me; her body responds to this gesture, as if she is trying to dissolve into this moment, into our unity. Her head rests on my shoulder, and I feel her relax, trusting me with everything that is between us.
"Not here, sweetheart," I whisper, realizing that this place is not for us, that we are too close to continue here. "You are only mine, and I do not want anyone else to see what is between us."
I pull away from her, taking her hand firmly, and lead her to the table, trying to regain at least a small portion of control over the situation, although I know that no rules can stop this moment.