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Realistic or Modern Brushstrokes, Coffee, and I Think I'm Falling for You
- Thread starter katsch_99
- Start date
Knudeli
The forgotten
11:43pm. They had been here since nine, but the real party was starting now.
The rounds of beer pong were gradually growing louder, the first sweaters were already dropping and Teddy was nursing her fourth beer. She was lounging on the undoubtedly expensive leather couch next to a dude with bright pink hair who had lost his battle against sleep. His paint stained clothes and dark circles told Teddy all she needed to know - likely pulled some allnighters to meet today’s deadline. She could relate.
A girl with a blue ombré bumped into the sofa and burst into laughter before swaying away.
Art students really had a thing for dyed hair it seemed.
Not that Teddy was in a position to say anything, her own blonde bob was only so light and pretty because of monthly bleaching and dying. It was a pain in the ass, but she liked how it contrasted with her blue eyes and dark clothes so she put up with it.
Turns out watching somebody snore isn’t all that entertaining. Even the buzz of alcohol couldn't make it interesting for more than ten minutes. Teddy wasn't planning on joining the guy anytime soon, so she should find someone else she knew to hang out with.
Nadia had been really persistent on Teddy meeting all her friends, it would have been great if Nadia's people were Teddy's kind of crowd - but they weren't. At least not anymore, in high school they might have gotten along great. Now Teddy was done with people like that. In the end she had excused herself when five faces full of heavy makeup started ranting about ugly, fake girls hiding behind their shitty makeup. Yeah, no thanks. At least the beer had made these first few hours bearable.
Teddy raised her bottle for another sip but it was empty. As she got up the amount of beer she had already drunk without a bathroom break hit her. The room swayed for a moment and she reconsidered joining pink haired guy, but it was no use, she needed to pee. She adjusted her cropped turtleneck, snatched her purse and took a trip to the bathroom.
Said bathroom was just as spacious and expensive as the rest of the apartment, there was even a slick jetted tub. Teddy wanted to try it out really bad. But she wasn't drunk enough to justify it.
Hannah really had it good living in her parents second city place. Lots of space, her own bathtub and no roommates – living the dream. Nadia wasn’t too bad at home, she definitely got worse in company of her friends, and booze. Sure, they had their issues. Nadia smoked inside when Teddy wasn’t home, as if the smell didn’t linger. There were other things too, but the worst part was the size of the flat, there wasn’t nearly enough room to avoid each other. Hannah didn’t have that problem, her apartment could probably fit Teddy’s six times. One month worth of rent must be higher than what Teddy earned in a year.
Then again, that's just Berlin.
She touched up her red lipstick before leaving and wandering around the living room, stopping near the music boxes. Here the bass of Dancing in the Moonlight made the floor vibrate lightly. There was more of a crowd here because everyone made trips to the refreshment table in the far corner. Teddy also wanted to get to it but stopped when she heard someone slur,
"Du bist ja mal geil, dich würd ich sofort knallen. Bläst du mir einen?"
Teddy snapped her head around. Just a few feet away was a guy looming over a pretty girl who had her back to the wall. She had dark hair that fell in loose waves around her face, a red solo cup clutched in one hand. A cropped white top left her midriff exposed, but was partially covered by a loose, tri-coloured windbreaker that had slipped off of one shoulder. She seemed uncomfortable at best and panicky at worst, repeatedly glancing to her right and left as if looking for an escape.
"Vergiss es. Sie hat Standards du Depp!" Teddy exclaimed.
The douche had no time to react. She grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her away through the crowd. She muttered apologies to all the people she shoved away until they stopped by the balcony door across the room. Teddy let her hand go.
"Was ein dreister arsch, kannste das glauben?" Teddy huffed.
The rounds of beer pong were gradually growing louder, the first sweaters were already dropping and Teddy was nursing her fourth beer. She was lounging on the undoubtedly expensive leather couch next to a dude with bright pink hair who had lost his battle against sleep. His paint stained clothes and dark circles told Teddy all she needed to know - likely pulled some allnighters to meet today’s deadline. She could relate.
A girl with a blue ombré bumped into the sofa and burst into laughter before swaying away.
Art students really had a thing for dyed hair it seemed.
Not that Teddy was in a position to say anything, her own blonde bob was only so light and pretty because of monthly bleaching and dying. It was a pain in the ass, but she liked how it contrasted with her blue eyes and dark clothes so she put up with it.
Turns out watching somebody snore isn’t all that entertaining. Even the buzz of alcohol couldn't make it interesting for more than ten minutes. Teddy wasn't planning on joining the guy anytime soon, so she should find someone else she knew to hang out with.
Nadia had been really persistent on Teddy meeting all her friends, it would have been great if Nadia's people were Teddy's kind of crowd - but they weren't. At least not anymore, in high school they might have gotten along great. Now Teddy was done with people like that. In the end she had excused herself when five faces full of heavy makeup started ranting about ugly, fake girls hiding behind their shitty makeup. Yeah, no thanks. At least the beer had made these first few hours bearable.
Teddy raised her bottle for another sip but it was empty. As she got up the amount of beer she had already drunk without a bathroom break hit her. The room swayed for a moment and she reconsidered joining pink haired guy, but it was no use, she needed to pee. She adjusted her cropped turtleneck, snatched her purse and took a trip to the bathroom.
Said bathroom was just as spacious and expensive as the rest of the apartment, there was even a slick jetted tub. Teddy wanted to try it out really bad. But she wasn't drunk enough to justify it.
Hannah really had it good living in her parents second city place. Lots of space, her own bathtub and no roommates – living the dream. Nadia wasn’t too bad at home, she definitely got worse in company of her friends, and booze. Sure, they had their issues. Nadia smoked inside when Teddy wasn’t home, as if the smell didn’t linger. There were other things too, but the worst part was the size of the flat, there wasn’t nearly enough room to avoid each other. Hannah didn’t have that problem, her apartment could probably fit Teddy’s six times. One month worth of rent must be higher than what Teddy earned in a year.
Then again, that's just Berlin.
She touched up her red lipstick before leaving and wandering around the living room, stopping near the music boxes. Here the bass of Dancing in the Moonlight made the floor vibrate lightly. There was more of a crowd here because everyone made trips to the refreshment table in the far corner. Teddy also wanted to get to it but stopped when she heard someone slur,
"Du bist ja mal geil, dich würd ich sofort knallen. Bläst du mir einen?"
Teddy snapped her head around. Just a few feet away was a guy looming over a pretty girl who had her back to the wall. She had dark hair that fell in loose waves around her face, a red solo cup clutched in one hand. A cropped white top left her midriff exposed, but was partially covered by a loose, tri-coloured windbreaker that had slipped off of one shoulder. She seemed uncomfortable at best and panicky at worst, repeatedly glancing to her right and left as if looking for an escape.
"Vergiss es. Sie hat Standards du Depp!" Teddy exclaimed.
The douche had no time to react. She grabbed the girl's wrist and pulled her away through the crowd. She muttered apologies to all the people she shoved away until they stopped by the balcony door across the room. Teddy let her hand go.
"Was ein dreister arsch, kannste das glauben?" Teddy huffed.
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katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace stared into the bottom of her cup, watching tiny bubbles rise to the top of the amber liquid. Her brain felt fuzzy, the thumping bass sounding from the speakers causing a dull throbbing to flare up in the back of her head. Around her, strangers and students she recognized alike were having a great time; dancing, drinking, shouting and laughing, making out and passing out. She'd already narrowly avoided several collisions with a number of sweaty, heavily intoxicated partygoers in the short time she'd been here. Her face felt uncomfortably hot, and she was reminded once again why she tended to avoid most of these events--the noise, the crowd, the heat. Her pounding headache persisted, making her close her eyes for a few moments. Her head hurt now, but after all she'd had tonight she was certain it would feel worse in the morning.
Anja had dragged her through the crowd of mingling students upon their arrival an hour prior, heading straight for the refreshments table. "We'll have to catch up fast, everyone's already trashed," she'd explained, a lopsided grin curling onto her lips as she eyed the various bottles laid out on the table. Her friend had eventually settled on a shot of vodka each, followed by a glass of some German liquor Grace wouldn't even attempt to pronounce. It burned all the way down her throat, but Grace was more interested in numbing her nerves than enjoying the beverage anyway. She had since traded the glass for a red solo cup, filling it to the brim from a keg of cheap beer. By now, the cup was half empty, Anja was nowhere to be found, and she was finding it increasingly more difficult to keep her head up. She sighed and blinked her eyes open, making direct eye contact with a man stumbling towards her.
"Heilige Scheiße, du bist so verdammt sexy, baby," he slurred, coming to a stop way too close to her. He was taller than her by a few inches, with a lazy smile and light eyes that wandered from her face downwards.
Grace offered a weak, apologetic smile, leaning back against the wall behind her to create some space between them. "Sorry, das habe ich nicht verstanden!" she shouted over the music. "Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch, kannst du das vielleicht auf Englisch sagen?"
"Du bist ja mal geil, dich würd ich sofort knallen," he shouted back, stepping closer to her and letting his hand fall to her shoulder and linger there. "Bläst du mir einen?"
Her response didn't seem to deter him--if anything, he'd only become more persistent. Grace frowned--though she was unable to translate much of what he said, she didn't need to speak German to understand his intentions. "I'm--look, sorry, but I'm not interested," she told him firmly, shaking her head but avoiding his gaze. Her fingers had curled into a tight fist at her side. An anxious glance to her left confirmed that the others hadn't taken notice, likely too drunk to care.
"Komm schon baby, komm mit mir--" he insisted, reaching to take a hold of her arm.
"--Vergiss es. Sie hat Standards du Depp!"
Grace turned to find a pretty blonde girl striding briskly towards them, clearly on a mission. She scowled at the taller man with narrowed eyes, her red-painted lips set in a firm line as she reached the pair. When Grace found the girl's light eyes turned onto herself, they seemed to soften as she grabbed onto her wrist. Without much thought, the brunette dropped her cup at the man's feet and let herself get towed through the crowd by the stranger, disappearing from his view.
"Was ein dreister arsch, kannste das glauben?" the blonde remarked after they'd reached the other end of the room. She cast a glare in his direction before focusing on her. The crowd was thinner here, away from the refreshments table. Grace's eyes darted to the balcony door, realizing how badly she needed some fresh air. She swallowed and nodded in response somewhat hesitantly--once again, she couldn't understand much of what the girl said, but her tone said it all.
"Um--ja, können--können wir auf Englisch reden?" she stammered, rather flustered after the encounter. "And--can we go outside for a second?" she added, gesturing to the balcony and hoping that even if she didn't speak English, she'd at least get the message.
Anja had dragged her through the crowd of mingling students upon their arrival an hour prior, heading straight for the refreshments table. "We'll have to catch up fast, everyone's already trashed," she'd explained, a lopsided grin curling onto her lips as she eyed the various bottles laid out on the table. Her friend had eventually settled on a shot of vodka each, followed by a glass of some German liquor Grace wouldn't even attempt to pronounce. It burned all the way down her throat, but Grace was more interested in numbing her nerves than enjoying the beverage anyway. She had since traded the glass for a red solo cup, filling it to the brim from a keg of cheap beer. By now, the cup was half empty, Anja was nowhere to be found, and she was finding it increasingly more difficult to keep her head up. She sighed and blinked her eyes open, making direct eye contact with a man stumbling towards her.
"Heilige Scheiße, du bist so verdammt sexy, baby," he slurred, coming to a stop way too close to her. He was taller than her by a few inches, with a lazy smile and light eyes that wandered from her face downwards.
Grace offered a weak, apologetic smile, leaning back against the wall behind her to create some space between them. "Sorry, das habe ich nicht verstanden!" she shouted over the music. "Ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch, kannst du das vielleicht auf Englisch sagen?"
"Du bist ja mal geil, dich würd ich sofort knallen," he shouted back, stepping closer to her and letting his hand fall to her shoulder and linger there. "Bläst du mir einen?"
Her response didn't seem to deter him--if anything, he'd only become more persistent. Grace frowned--though she was unable to translate much of what he said, she didn't need to speak German to understand his intentions. "I'm--look, sorry, but I'm not interested," she told him firmly, shaking her head but avoiding his gaze. Her fingers had curled into a tight fist at her side. An anxious glance to her left confirmed that the others hadn't taken notice, likely too drunk to care.
"Komm schon baby, komm mit mir--" he insisted, reaching to take a hold of her arm.
"--Vergiss es. Sie hat Standards du Depp!"
Grace turned to find a pretty blonde girl striding briskly towards them, clearly on a mission. She scowled at the taller man with narrowed eyes, her red-painted lips set in a firm line as she reached the pair. When Grace found the girl's light eyes turned onto herself, they seemed to soften as she grabbed onto her wrist. Without much thought, the brunette dropped her cup at the man's feet and let herself get towed through the crowd by the stranger, disappearing from his view.
"Was ein dreister arsch, kannste das glauben?" the blonde remarked after they'd reached the other end of the room. She cast a glare in his direction before focusing on her. The crowd was thinner here, away from the refreshments table. Grace's eyes darted to the balcony door, realizing how badly she needed some fresh air. She swallowed and nodded in response somewhat hesitantly--once again, she couldn't understand much of what the girl said, but her tone said it all.
"Um--ja, können--können wir auf Englisch reden?" she stammered, rather flustered after the encounter. "And--can we go outside for a second?" she added, gesturing to the balcony and hoping that even if she didn't speak English, she'd at least get the message.
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Knudeli
The forgotten
Teddy glared into the direction they had come from, she couldn't see the guy from before. Right so, he'd better stay the fuck away. Creeps like that made her skin crawl, straightforward flirting wasn't all that bad – she did it herself, but closing in on someone who's clearly uncomfortable? Fuck No. He could count himself lucky that she was only tipsy, in a drunken state she wasn't above throwing punches in such situations.
Her attention returned to the girl, noticing her flushed face. Teddy couldn't tell if it was because of the alcohol or the situation. Perhaps both. The girl's eyes kept darting to the balcony door, she swallowed, she seemed hesitant to speak for some reason. Was she too drunk to respond? Too shaken up? Should Teddy search for a friend? Teddy was about to ask but she spoke up first.
"Um– ja, können– können wir auf Englisch reden?"
Ah, so that's the reason. She's one of the international students attending the uni. Sometimes Teddy forgot that they weren't all fluent in German like Nadia was.
"And– can we go outside for a second?" The girl added.
Before nodding Teddy eyed the tense set of her shoulders, how she had her arms crossed and the lowered gaze. Being cornered must be even scarier if you couldn't fully understand what was being said.
”Yeah, sure. I’m Teddy by the way." Teddy smiled.
The girl looked so lost, Teddy almost wanted to wrap her up in a big hug. She didn't, she wasn't sure if that would be appreciated right now. Instead, she opened the balcony door and ushered the girl outside following right after. Immediately the frigid mid-November air hit every inch of exposed skin, they should have brought their jackets. Teddy pulled her sleeves down while watching the brunette, "You doing alright?"
Out here the sound of the music was faint, it blended with the laughter and cheering into dull background noise. What a nice break from the racket inside.
The adrenaline was disappearing quick, leaving Teddy tired and tense. This, as well as scrambling to submit her assignment on time had been enough excitement for today, she decided. She could really use her joint right about now.
She glanced around. You couldn't see too much with only the light from inside lighting the balcony. The balcony was about how Teddy had expected it to be. Long, high up and with an impressive view of Berlin.
To her right she spotted a neatly folded purple blanket sitting on a big lounge. She snatched it and joined the brunette by the railing, standing close enough to wrap it around their shoulders. It wasn't much but should keep them warm enough for at least a few minutes. Then Teddy took a second to really take the view in.
She could make out the TV tower in the distance and tons of buildings stretching out underneath them, their illuminated windows littered the dark cityscape like stars the horizon back home.
Berlin was beautiful, but didn't feel like home. However, it wasn't like her hometown had either. She wondered where the girl beside her was from, did she miss her home country? Did she feel at home here in Germany?
Teddy smiled and bumped her shoulder against the brunette's, she had an idea.
"So.. how do you feel about smoking weed? I still got a joint in my purse, we could share it. Well, only if you're into that of course, no pressure. Just thought I'd ask, cause –ya know we deserve it."
Her attention returned to the girl, noticing her flushed face. Teddy couldn't tell if it was because of the alcohol or the situation. Perhaps both. The girl's eyes kept darting to the balcony door, she swallowed, she seemed hesitant to speak for some reason. Was she too drunk to respond? Too shaken up? Should Teddy search for a friend? Teddy was about to ask but she spoke up first.
"Um– ja, können– können wir auf Englisch reden?"
Ah, so that's the reason. She's one of the international students attending the uni. Sometimes Teddy forgot that they weren't all fluent in German like Nadia was.
"And– can we go outside for a second?" The girl added.
Before nodding Teddy eyed the tense set of her shoulders, how she had her arms crossed and the lowered gaze. Being cornered must be even scarier if you couldn't fully understand what was being said.
”Yeah, sure. I’m Teddy by the way." Teddy smiled.
The girl looked so lost, Teddy almost wanted to wrap her up in a big hug. She didn't, she wasn't sure if that would be appreciated right now. Instead, she opened the balcony door and ushered the girl outside following right after. Immediately the frigid mid-November air hit every inch of exposed skin, they should have brought their jackets. Teddy pulled her sleeves down while watching the brunette, "You doing alright?"
Out here the sound of the music was faint, it blended with the laughter and cheering into dull background noise. What a nice break from the racket inside.
The adrenaline was disappearing quick, leaving Teddy tired and tense. This, as well as scrambling to submit her assignment on time had been enough excitement for today, she decided. She could really use her joint right about now.
She glanced around. You couldn't see too much with only the light from inside lighting the balcony. The balcony was about how Teddy had expected it to be. Long, high up and with an impressive view of Berlin.
To her right she spotted a neatly folded purple blanket sitting on a big lounge. She snatched it and joined the brunette by the railing, standing close enough to wrap it around their shoulders. It wasn't much but should keep them warm enough for at least a few minutes. Then Teddy took a second to really take the view in.
She could make out the TV tower in the distance and tons of buildings stretching out underneath them, their illuminated windows littered the dark cityscape like stars the horizon back home.
Berlin was beautiful, but didn't feel like home. However, it wasn't like her hometown had either. She wondered where the girl beside her was from, did she miss her home country? Did she feel at home here in Germany?
Teddy smiled and bumped her shoulder against the brunette's, she had an idea.
"So.. how do you feel about smoking weed? I still got a joint in my purse, we could share it. Well, only if you're into that of course, no pressure. Just thought I'd ask, cause –ya know we deserve it."
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katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
"Yeah, sure. "I'm Teddy by the way."
Grace breathed a sigh of relief as the other girl replied in her native tongue. She was far too mentally drained and intoxicated to try and translate anymore German tonight. More than anything, she wanted to escape somewhere quiet and lay down for a while.
"Grace," she replied, nodding curtly at the other girl. "Um--hang on a second," she added.
Before heading outside, Grace turned to briefly scan the crowd for Anja, but to no avail. There was still no sign of the brunette, which irked her slightly. As grateful as she was to have someone so kind and considerate as her roommate, her friend had a bad habit of dragging her to these parties and then disappearing for half the night, leaving her to wander aimlessly from stranger to stranger until they decided to head back to their flat for the night. That wouldn't be such a problem back home, but many of the students here didn't take into account that not everyone was fluent in German. Because of that, she often felt overwhelmed and isolated with everyone around her shouting and chattering away in the strange language. It was exhausting.
Grace sighed, turning back to Teddy. She offered the sweet blonde a weak but grateful smile, running her fingers through her hair and releasing a slow breath as she stepped out onto the balcony. Teddy followed closely behind her, sliding the door shut again as they passed through. Outside, the sounds of the party were muffled and distant sounding, almost as though they'd been submerged underwater. Her breath hitched as soon as the brisk night air hit her exposed arms, and she soon realized her jacket must have slipped off when they'd weaved through the crowd back inside. Imagining her new jacket getting trampled didn't do wonders for her nerves, but she tried to push the thought aside for the time being. Sighing, Grace folded her arms over her chest and tried to relax, glancing over as the taller girl joined her against the railing. In her arms was a folded purple blanket, which she promptly unfurled and draped across both of their shoulders. Grace stifled a content sigh as the blanket drew them closer together, warmth from the other girl's body quickly seeping into her skin. Fresh air and the lovely scent of whatever perfume she'd used swirled together pleasantly, and Grace finally felt her tense shoulders loosen slightly.
From up here, the view of Berlin was stunning. In many ways, it reminded her of home, standing on her balcony overlooking Toronto's thousands of lights. The cool, acrid city-borne breeze. The sounds of car engines and horns in the distance. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine it--her family's apartment, the room she'd shared with her sister all her life, the park just around the corner where she used to paint. Per usual, the thought gave her a pang of sadness, a reminder that she wasn't home. In fact, she was over four thousand miles away from home, in a city where she knew a handful of people, spoke very little of the language, and was only just beginning to learn her way around.
Grace tried her best not to think of that often, but too much alcohol had its way with her.
Despite her spiraling thoughts, Grace found that the fresh air had already begun to clear her head, and she let out another small sigh. She was so tired. Beside her, Teddy seemed to be pondering something. Grace couldn't help but notice how the moonlight turned her hair a striking platinum blonde, lending a nice glow to the short waves. Grace's dark eyes drifted down to her cheeks, her light eyes, her full lips. Her already clear skin had an almost airbrushed look in the light, smooth enough for one to envy. Grace was struck then by how attractive the other girl really was.
She caught herself staring only after Teddy bumped her shoulder lightly. "How do you feel about smoking weed?" she asked her. The question caught her off-guard slightly, but by no means surprised her. From her realtively short time in Berlin, she'd come to find that most of the other art students were pretty laidback about the drug. Anja felt the same way, which was a pleasant surprise. She and her had shared a joint a few times already, the first time being the night right after Grace had moved in.
The brunette listened quietly as she continued, nodding along. "Yeah, I'd love to if you don't mind," she replied as casually as she could, offering her a small smile. "I think I kind of need that right about now," she added, gesturing to the chaos inside with a small chuckle. Grace paused for a second, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the balcony railing. "So," she continued, allowing her gaze to wander over the cityscape below them. A beat of silence passed between them, Grace pausing to tuck a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. She turned her head slightly to glance up at Teddy, a coy half-smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Do you make a habit of rescuing girls from guys like Blondie back there, or is it just my lucky night?"
Grace breathed a sigh of relief as the other girl replied in her native tongue. She was far too mentally drained and intoxicated to try and translate anymore German tonight. More than anything, she wanted to escape somewhere quiet and lay down for a while.
"Grace," she replied, nodding curtly at the other girl. "Um--hang on a second," she added.
Before heading outside, Grace turned to briefly scan the crowd for Anja, but to no avail. There was still no sign of the brunette, which irked her slightly. As grateful as she was to have someone so kind and considerate as her roommate, her friend had a bad habit of dragging her to these parties and then disappearing for half the night, leaving her to wander aimlessly from stranger to stranger until they decided to head back to their flat for the night. That wouldn't be such a problem back home, but many of the students here didn't take into account that not everyone was fluent in German. Because of that, she often felt overwhelmed and isolated with everyone around her shouting and chattering away in the strange language. It was exhausting.
Grace sighed, turning back to Teddy. She offered the sweet blonde a weak but grateful smile, running her fingers through her hair and releasing a slow breath as she stepped out onto the balcony. Teddy followed closely behind her, sliding the door shut again as they passed through. Outside, the sounds of the party were muffled and distant sounding, almost as though they'd been submerged underwater. Her breath hitched as soon as the brisk night air hit her exposed arms, and she soon realized her jacket must have slipped off when they'd weaved through the crowd back inside. Imagining her new jacket getting trampled didn't do wonders for her nerves, but she tried to push the thought aside for the time being. Sighing, Grace folded her arms over her chest and tried to relax, glancing over as the taller girl joined her against the railing. In her arms was a folded purple blanket, which she promptly unfurled and draped across both of their shoulders. Grace stifled a content sigh as the blanket drew them closer together, warmth from the other girl's body quickly seeping into her skin. Fresh air and the lovely scent of whatever perfume she'd used swirled together pleasantly, and Grace finally felt her tense shoulders loosen slightly.
From up here, the view of Berlin was stunning. In many ways, it reminded her of home, standing on her balcony overlooking Toronto's thousands of lights. The cool, acrid city-borne breeze. The sounds of car engines and horns in the distance. If she closed her eyes, she could almost imagine it--her family's apartment, the room she'd shared with her sister all her life, the park just around the corner where she used to paint. Per usual, the thought gave her a pang of sadness, a reminder that she wasn't home. In fact, she was over four thousand miles away from home, in a city where she knew a handful of people, spoke very little of the language, and was only just beginning to learn her way around.
Grace tried her best not to think of that often, but too much alcohol had its way with her.
Despite her spiraling thoughts, Grace found that the fresh air had already begun to clear her head, and she let out another small sigh. She was so tired. Beside her, Teddy seemed to be pondering something. Grace couldn't help but notice how the moonlight turned her hair a striking platinum blonde, lending a nice glow to the short waves. Grace's dark eyes drifted down to her cheeks, her light eyes, her full lips. Her already clear skin had an almost airbrushed look in the light, smooth enough for one to envy. Grace was struck then by how attractive the other girl really was.
She caught herself staring only after Teddy bumped her shoulder lightly. "How do you feel about smoking weed?" she asked her. The question caught her off-guard slightly, but by no means surprised her. From her realtively short time in Berlin, she'd come to find that most of the other art students were pretty laidback about the drug. Anja felt the same way, which was a pleasant surprise. She and her had shared a joint a few times already, the first time being the night right after Grace had moved in.
The brunette listened quietly as she continued, nodding along. "Yeah, I'd love to if you don't mind," she replied as casually as she could, offering her a small smile. "I think I kind of need that right about now," she added, gesturing to the chaos inside with a small chuckle. Grace paused for a second, leaning forward and resting her elbows on the balcony railing. "So," she continued, allowing her gaze to wander over the cityscape below them. A beat of silence passed between them, Grace pausing to tuck a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. She turned her head slightly to glance up at Teddy, a coy half-smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Do you make a habit of rescuing girls from guys like Blondie back there, or is it just my lucky night?"
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Knudeli
The forgotten
"Yeah, I'd love to if you don't mind," Grace said and offered her a small smile which Teddy returned with a big grin.
Now that she had the time to really look at her it became blatantly obvious why that guy had targeted her — she was absolutely gorgeous. From the slope of her nose and slender fingers to the clothing she was wearing, everything screamed beautiful, sophisticated artist to Teddy.
Wait, hadn’t she been wearing a jacket earlier? She must be cold. Teddy shuffled closer to Grace so their sides were almost touching. She could already feel her fingers going stiff even though she had long sweater sleeves in addition to the blanket, hopefully the alcohol was numbing the cold for Grace.
Teddy wondered whether Grace was in the art department with her. Surely she would have noticed her at some point? Then again, it wasn’t like she had met every art student, plus she didn’t even know if Grace was a freshmen too.
Teddy opened her small black purse in search of the empty magnesium pill bottle she used for storing her weed, it had proven to be easier than zip bags as well as looking a lot less suspicious. When her fingers found the smooth plastic she popped the cap off and pulled out her pre-rolled joint. She’d had a feeling she would need one today. Usually it was either weed or alcohol for her, but she was barely tipsy and Grace looked like she needed something to take the edge off. As if she had read her mind Grace said,
"I think I kind of need that right about now," she gestured to the party inside.
Teddy glanced over her shoulder, the party was getting heated up from the looks of it, big deadlines meant big hangovers. Usually Teddy was right in the middle of the crowd, downing beer after beer, shot after shot. Not today.
She pulled out her small pink lighter which had ‘Babygirl’ written across in a bubbly font. Grace had leaned forward, letting her elbows rest on the railing while looking out into the night, Teddy followed suit, leaning one elbow against the rail so the blanket wouldn’t slip off either of them. Teddy lit the joint.
“Do you make a habit of rescuing girls from guys like Blondie back there, or is it just my lucky night?"
Grace’s smile didn’t look forced this time, her expression almost seemed flirty, at the very least challenging. Teddy took a drag, holding the smoke in whilst studying Grace’s face and mulling over her answer. She passed the joint with a smile and blew out the smoke.
Grace watched the blonde with hooded eyes, quietly admiring the way her prominent jaw jutted out slightly as she took a long drag from the joint. Perhaps it was the alcohol, but Grace found herself a lot less inclined to avert her gaze when Teddy's eyes met hers, studying her face as she mused on a response to her remark. Grace held steady eye-contact with the other girl, maintaining it as she was offered the cigarette.
"Well, you're not the first girl I 'rescued', but you're the first I offered a joint to," Teddy replied with an easy smile. At Grace's response--a soft laugh, she added, "I know, romantic innit?"
"Well, consider me flattered," she chirped back. Grinning, Grace took the joint, placing it delicately between her own lips and taking a slow pull from it. She closed her eyes as she held in the smoke, savouring the familiar sensation before eventually blowing a cloud out in front of her face. The smoke lingered in the air, longer than it normally might have due to the chill of the November night, but was soon dispersed into the darkness by a gust of wind.
Grace opened her eyes slowly, feeling slightly dizzy for a brief moment. She leaned on the railing for support, pausing a few seconds before handing the other girl the joint back.
"Woah, fuck," she mumbled, slowly getting her bearings. A lopsided smile had curled onto her lips, and she let out another soft laugh, watching Teddy for a few seconds without saying anything.
After a few beats of silence, Grace tilted her head up at the taller girl. "Are you studying at the art school here in Berlin, by any chance?" she asked. She shrugged. "I…sort of get that vibe from you, and I know a lot of the people here are students, that's all," she added, offering her a soft smile.
Teddy giggled at Grace's dazed face, then she took the joint back and took a drag herself. Her shoulders were sagging and she already felt soothed and relaxed. The city looked much more beautiful and everything felt fine.
"I do actually, I'm in my first semester majoring in fine art. I'm guessing you attend the school too. You're an international student, aren't you?"
Grace beamed. "No way, I'm actually majoring in fine art as well! What are the chances," she remarked, adjusting the blanket on her shoulders as she watched Teddy take another hit. "Yeah, I'm from Canada. Is it obvious that I barely understand a word anyone says?"
“Yeah, that’s so cool, weird that I haven’t seen you around. We could go grab a coffee after class some time.” Teddy said winking at Grace.
“And no, it’s not like you can just see it. Well, I guess it was obvious when I said something in German and you hesitated. At first I thought you were just realllly drunk.” Teddy chuckled and passed the joint again. She tried blowing the smoke out in an O shape but it didn’t really work, she giggled at her failed attempts. She snapped her attention back to Grace.
“But I admire the dedication to studying abroad.” Teddy looked at Grace like one might look at a question on a test you didn’t know the answer to.
“You’ve come a long way from home, why’s that? Why Berlin?”
Grace pinched her lower lip between her front teeth, smiling as she took the joint from the other girl. "It always takes me a while to translate, and the alcohol certainly doesn't help," she giggled. "And yeah, we totally should," she eagerly agreed, glancing away as she took another drag from the cigarette.
Teddy piped up at the obvious interest, she’d gone on two dates since her arrival in Berlin but both hadn’t gotten her so giddy and excited as this small agreement just had.
Grace’s gaze fell to a streetlight on the sidewalk below and across the street from them then, and she studied the yellowish-orange glow the lamp emitted for a few moment as she held the smoke in her lungs. "I suppose it does take some dedication," she commented thoughtfully, almost to herself, pinching the joint between her forefinger and thumb as she exhaled. "Why Berlin? I...well, I don't really know for sure, to be honest," she admitted. Grace sighed after a beat of silence, shrugging.
"I guess I just needed a change of scenery, you know? I wanted to meet some people, try to learn a new language, find work and new opportunities in a new place...find something that keeps me on my toes everyday." She paused, considering her next words.
"I suppose it could have been Berlin, or anywhere really," she decided. Grace held the joint up to her lips again and inhaled slowly before passing it off to the taller girl. A trail of smoke spiraled slowly from her mouth, rising and disappearing into the night before she added, almost in passing, "Germany is really stunning...as are some of its inhabitants, I've come to find."
A flirty smile curled onto her lips, but she avoided the other's girl's gaze. Another sigh slipped past her lips, and the playful expression look was gone.
"There's lots of things to inspire me here while I live here, so that's not going to be a problem, but...it does have its downsides. For one, German is a hell of a lot harder to learn than I thought it would be," she went on. "I mean, the grammar structure is a nightmare, and all those compound words, the cases, even the pronunciation is difficult to get the hang of. It all seems pretty daunting," she told her. "And…I also get homesick. Germany is lovely, but it's not...home. I've lived in Canada all my life, up until now. It gets lonely here sometimes, especially when I don't speak the language very well," she finished, propping her chin up with the palm of her hand and staring out across the darkened cityscape. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't have friends--my roommate Anja is an absolute angel, you'll have to meet her some time--but…it's just...I don't know," she finished, sounding rather defeated as she struggled to articulate her thoughts into words in her hazy state. "It's just different."
Grace, according to Anja, had a bit of a habit of rambling when she got high, sometimes talking in circles for a half hour until either of them realized. Unfortunately, she found she'd gone off on a tangent and overshared a little too late, having already spilled her guts to the kind, pretty almost-stranger.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to push that all onto you," she apologized sheepishly, her cheeks flushing. Grace internally thanked the darkness for concealing her easy blush. Turning her head, she searched Teddy's face for any sign of irritation at her rambling. "Do you...know what I mean?" she asked hesitantly.
Teddy nodded slowly while taking a hit of the dwindling joint before holding it out for Grace, she dragged her eyes from Grace’s lovely face to the unmoving cityscape.
Berlin.
The city she would stay in for the next three years. A long time for someone as aimless as Teddy.
“Yeah, I hear you. And, it’s fine I don’t mind listening, it’s good to get stuff off your chest ya know.”
Pressing her body more against Grace’s side she tightened the blanket around them, her nose was numb and her fingers felt like popsicles. They’d need to get inside soon.
“I get the love hate relationship. I needed a change of scenery too – well, rather an escape, I guess. I mean, I’m not from freaking Canada or, I dunno – Asia, so I can’t really imagine how that is, but I’m from Rheinland-Pfalz, it’s like, a 6 or 7 hour train ride from Berlin, pretty much halfway across Germany. I lived in a small village near a bigger city. It was suffocating me. My family, my former friends, the people, the city, the house I lived in… everything. It wasn’t home anymore, I didn’t feel welcome there. I applied here and was gone as soon as opportunity struck. I thought everything would fall into place as soon as I arrived here, that everything would make sense. But life doesn't work like that, does it. Now I’m here, kind of happy but also kind of homesick of a home I don’t have. It’s wild. At least the city buzzes with art, culture and talent. It keeps you busy enough to forget all that for a while.”
Teddy sighed heavily, she seemed to deflate with the breath leaving her mouth like a balloon without a knot. Hunched over a forlorn expression flashed over her features.
It wasn’t her dad’s fault, but she kinda hated him for what he’d done, they had been fine. She knew she was the only one who was hung up on it, it had driven them apart in the end.
Fuck. She was 20 years old for fucks sake. And it didn't even happen recently but six years ago. Way to go you petty fucking child. Get a grip.
Now she was in Berlin, 400 miles away.
Did they miss her? Did the dining table feel incomplete without her space occupied? Did it hurt that she didn’t call? Or were they happy? Forgetting about her already, not even two months after? Glad to have finally gotten rid of her?
Her head hurt, or maybe her heart, what did it matter anyways?
She looked back to her company, the beautiful girl, thousands of miles away from home. From what she said Grace was no stranger to the misfit, outsider feeling that crept up from time to time, while you stood among the thousands of other people in Berlin without belonging.
Teddy studied Grace, she had the urge to do.. something. She wasn’t sure what, her mind was hazy from the weed. All she knew was she didn’t want to lose this moment. It was inevitable, they would have to go back inside soon, but she hoped Grace had meant it when she said they’d get coffee sometime.
“Well, if you ever feel lonely, or need someone to translate you’ll have me from now on.” Teddy peered into Grace’s dark eyes from below dark lashes as if she’d find a secret revelation there. A few beats of silence passed between them. Gently she grabbed her hand and turned it over, pulling a ballpoint pen from her jeans she scrawled down her number onto the soft pale skin of Grace’s wrist.
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katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace took the remainder of the joint with a grateful smile, cupping her hand over the lit end to keep it from going out in the breeze. Pressing it to her lips a final time, she took a long draw from the cigarette before rubbing it out on the railing and flicking it off the balcony. Grace was quiet for a few seconds, watching the other girl yet again. She wondered briefly whether she was cold--the breeze had picked up, icy wind tousling the dark strands of her own hair, turning her cheeks rosy and making her fingers go partially numb. Her eyes followed the blonde's hair as it mimicked her own, dancing this way and that with every gust of wind. Moonlight glinted off of something above Teddy's eyebrow, and Grace realized then that she had a piercing. That's...so hot, she thought to herself decidedly. Should I tell her? No, not now. The buzz of weed in her system was more intense after the few hits, and her senses felt heightened. She found herself fixated on the tiny dots of metal until Teddy moved closer to her, pulling her from her daze. The other girl's side felt incredibly hot, now pressed right against her own, the shared blanket pulled taut across their shoulders. The warmth was welcome, allowing her to almost forgot about the cold altogether, if only for a moment. Grace's dark eyes found their next resting place on Teddy's lips. Up so close, they looked incredibly soft.
Grace listened intently, nodding along, glancing up into her light eyes every so often, then back down. She examined how her mouth changed shape to form different words, how her straight teeth appeared and disappeared with each few syllables. Her voice is so nice. She figured she could have listened to it for the rest of the night and never grown tired of it.
"...My family, my former friends, the people, the city, the house I lived in… everything. It wasn’t home anymore, I didn’t feel welcome there. I applied here and was gone as soon as opportunity struck. I thought everything would fall into place as soon as I arrived here, that everything would make sense. But life doesn't work like that, does it? Now I’m here, kind of happy but also kind of homesick of a home I don’t have. It’s wild. At least the city buzzes with art, culture and talent. It keeps you busy enough to forget all that for a while."
I didn't feel welcome there. I'm homesick of a home I don't have.
Grace's eyes softened with sympathy. The other girl looked...drained, as though sharing her story had completely sapped the energy from her. The brunette studied her face quietly, trying to read her expression. Standing on the dark balcony next to each other, a few stories from the street, miles away from whatever place they'd once called "home", Grace saw something in Teddy that mirrored her own heart's turmoil. These days, it felt like she was in a constant state of limbo--not totally restless, but not quite satisfied either. Neither completely uncertain, nor sure of whether she was on the right track or not. Constantly searching for something that was just out of reach.
Grace felt more connected to Teddy then--hardly more than a sweet, gorgeous stranger she'd met at a party--than she had to anyone she'd known in Berlin, or anywhere else for that matter. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to wrap the other girl up in a tight embrace, and tell her softly that she understood her. That she would listen, that they were the same.
In the end, Grace merely nodded, staring out at the darkened city with an earnest expression. "I get that," she said. "I used to think moving out would help me figure out exactly where I'm supposed to go in life, and how to get there. That I'd, like, find myself or whatever the fuck they always say," she went on, air quoting the last bit. "Turns out, I'm just as lost as before. Except now I'm physically lost most of the time too--Berlin is hard to navigate," she finished, sighing.
"Well, if you ever feel lonely, or need someone to translate you'll have me from now on," Teddy told her, her tone genuine. Grace smiled to herself and turned to look at her again. Opening her mouth to reply, she found herself mere inches from the other girl's face, so close she could smell the alcohol that lingered on her hot breath. The blonde was watching her intently, studying her, searching for answers in her eyes that she couldn't find elsewhere. And before long, Grace was doing the same.
Just metres away from at least thirty others, from thousands more in the city around them, she felt like they were the only two people in the entire world.
The brunette barely registered as Teddy glanced away and took her hand, far too caught up in the intensity of the moment to notice much more than the taller girl's lips. Grace sucked in a sudden, sharp breath as the cold tip of a pen pressed against the skin of her wrist, warmed from their shared heat. Her eyes fell to the writing scrawled across the tender area, next to her small tattoo of the same colour. Upon further inspection, she realized it was her phone number. Grace pinched her lower lip between her teeth and grinned, glancing back up to her face. "In case I don't remember this tomorrow morning?" she asked softly, her eyes glinting playfully in the light. "I doubt I could forget a face like yours, even after everything I've had tonight."
By now, Grace's cheeks were flushed, the tips of her ears crimson with cold. She edged closer to Teddy, closing more of the distance between their faces until their foreheads nearly touched. Her eyelids fluttered closed, her pulse quickening in anticipation.
And then the door slid open behind them.
-hat sich echt mit der Falschen angelegt."
"Ja, Nadia wird die so auseinander nehmen."
Grace pulled back and looked over her shoulder. Their voices preceeded them, and a second later a couple of students stumbled out onto the balcony, apparently not noticing the pair already standing there.
"Wir sollten- oh, scheiße. Sorry, wir haben euch nicht gesehen, lasst euch nicht stören!"
Two sets of eyes flicked between Grace and Teddy as she struggled to translate the boy's words in her state. She glanced back to Teddy expectantly, but a tumult of shouting erupted from inside the flat and drew her attention away again. Grace narrowed her eyes curiously, trying to catch a glimpse of the commotion through the open door.. "What's happening in there?" she asked.
Grace listened intently, nodding along, glancing up into her light eyes every so often, then back down. She examined how her mouth changed shape to form different words, how her straight teeth appeared and disappeared with each few syllables. Her voice is so nice. She figured she could have listened to it for the rest of the night and never grown tired of it.
"...My family, my former friends, the people, the city, the house I lived in… everything. It wasn’t home anymore, I didn’t feel welcome there. I applied here and was gone as soon as opportunity struck. I thought everything would fall into place as soon as I arrived here, that everything would make sense. But life doesn't work like that, does it? Now I’m here, kind of happy but also kind of homesick of a home I don’t have. It’s wild. At least the city buzzes with art, culture and talent. It keeps you busy enough to forget all that for a while."
I didn't feel welcome there. I'm homesick of a home I don't have.
Grace's eyes softened with sympathy. The other girl looked...drained, as though sharing her story had completely sapped the energy from her. The brunette studied her face quietly, trying to read her expression. Standing on the dark balcony next to each other, a few stories from the street, miles away from whatever place they'd once called "home", Grace saw something in Teddy that mirrored her own heart's turmoil. These days, it felt like she was in a constant state of limbo--not totally restless, but not quite satisfied either. Neither completely uncertain, nor sure of whether she was on the right track or not. Constantly searching for something that was just out of reach.
Grace felt more connected to Teddy then--hardly more than a sweet, gorgeous stranger she'd met at a party--than she had to anyone she'd known in Berlin, or anywhere else for that matter. In that moment, she wanted nothing more than to wrap the other girl up in a tight embrace, and tell her softly that she understood her. That she would listen, that they were the same.
In the end, Grace merely nodded, staring out at the darkened city with an earnest expression. "I get that," she said. "I used to think moving out would help me figure out exactly where I'm supposed to go in life, and how to get there. That I'd, like, find myself or whatever the fuck they always say," she went on, air quoting the last bit. "Turns out, I'm just as lost as before. Except now I'm physically lost most of the time too--Berlin is hard to navigate," she finished, sighing.
"Well, if you ever feel lonely, or need someone to translate you'll have me from now on," Teddy told her, her tone genuine. Grace smiled to herself and turned to look at her again. Opening her mouth to reply, she found herself mere inches from the other girl's face, so close she could smell the alcohol that lingered on her hot breath. The blonde was watching her intently, studying her, searching for answers in her eyes that she couldn't find elsewhere. And before long, Grace was doing the same.
Just metres away from at least thirty others, from thousands more in the city around them, she felt like they were the only two people in the entire world.
The brunette barely registered as Teddy glanced away and took her hand, far too caught up in the intensity of the moment to notice much more than the taller girl's lips. Grace sucked in a sudden, sharp breath as the cold tip of a pen pressed against the skin of her wrist, warmed from their shared heat. Her eyes fell to the writing scrawled across the tender area, next to her small tattoo of the same colour. Upon further inspection, she realized it was her phone number. Grace pinched her lower lip between her teeth and grinned, glancing back up to her face. "In case I don't remember this tomorrow morning?" she asked softly, her eyes glinting playfully in the light. "I doubt I could forget a face like yours, even after everything I've had tonight."
By now, Grace's cheeks were flushed, the tips of her ears crimson with cold. She edged closer to Teddy, closing more of the distance between their faces until their foreheads nearly touched. Her eyelids fluttered closed, her pulse quickening in anticipation.
And then the door slid open behind them.
-hat sich echt mit der Falschen angelegt."
"Ja, Nadia wird die so auseinander nehmen."
Grace pulled back and looked over her shoulder. Their voices preceeded them, and a second later a couple of students stumbled out onto the balcony, apparently not noticing the pair already standing there.
"Wir sollten- oh, scheiße. Sorry, wir haben euch nicht gesehen, lasst euch nicht stören!"
Two sets of eyes flicked between Grace and Teddy as she struggled to translate the boy's words in her state. She glanced back to Teddy expectantly, but a tumult of shouting erupted from inside the flat and drew her attention away again. Grace narrowed her eyes curiously, trying to catch a glimpse of the commotion through the open door.. "What's happening in there?" she asked.
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Knudeli
The forgotten
"In case I don't remember this tomorrow morning?" Grace asked, so soft it was barely audible, her eyes glinted playfully in the weak light, Teddy returned her smile. "I doubt I could forget a face like yours, even after everything I've had tonight."
Grace edged closer. Time slowed down. There was no space left between them. Eyes met. Enveloped in the musky scent of marijuana and sour lingering traces of alcohol – just then, nothing but Grace existed.
Teddy’s lips parted slightly, heart thumping away inside her ribcage. In her own ears it was so loud she wondered if Grace could hear it. The latter’s cheeks were flushed, radiating heat.
How easy it would be to close the distance. She wasn’t cold anymore. Breath mingled. Grace’s eyes fluttered close and Teddy let her hands come to rest on her hips. She angled her face, closing her eyes.
The balcony door screeched.
“-hat sich echt mit der Falschen angelegt."
"Ja, Nadia wird die so auseinander nehmen."
Grace pulled back slightly, without her the cold returned. Teddy snapped her eyes open, focusing on the two boys coming out onto the balcony. The music and noise returned full force without a shut door blocking it out.
"Wir sollten- oh, scheiße. Sorry, wir haben euch nicht gesehen, lasst euch nicht stören!" One of them said, looking awkward and hesitant as they stood there barely out the door.
Teddy sighed and let her head fall against the back of Grace’s for a second. Her mind was spinning. She took at deep breath and straightened again. Grace glanced at Teddy looking confused. Right, she probably didn't even know what was going on. Teddy was about to translate when shouting erupted from inside.
“What’s happening in there?” Grace asked.
Whatever it was it couldn't be good, from what the boy said, it had something to do with Nadia. Shit. Teddy should look for a new place as soon as possible.
“Uh, I’m pretty sure my roommate talked shit again and started something.”
Teddy ran her hand through her hair, closing her eyes in defeat. She really wasn’t in a condition to deal with this shit.
“Uhm, let’s go- let’s go check on her before someone gets hurt. It’s, it’s getting cold anyways.”
With that Teddy stepped back, a frown on her face, still, she was gentle when she grabbed Grace’s hand. On their way to the door she threw the blanket onto the lounge. Without saying anything she passed the boys who hadn’t said anything else and stepped inside Grace in tow. Immediately hot stifling air hit them like a brick wall. That combined with the music ruined Teddy’s mood even more, her head hurt.
It wasn’t hard to find Nadia, a small crowd had gathered by the refreshment table. Right in the middle were Nadia and a girl, when they came closer Teddy recognised her, it was Anja.
She and Anja were in the same figure drawing class and had bonded rather quickly over their love for portraits. However, they weren’t actually close by any means, their relationship didn't go further than easy banter before and during class and casual conversations over school. Hopefully this didn’t ruin that.
“Who are you calling dramatic, huh? Just because I actually had to work to get into this school? You stupid spoiled bitch, your Daddy bought you in here and everyone knows it!” Nadia shouted, clutching her red cup so tight that beer spilled over her hand. She glanced down at her hand, then back to Anja who was shouting back. Teddy saw it coming, but wasn’t fast enough to do anything. Dread filled her. Nadia raised her arm and threw the full cup into Anja’s face, drenching her in beer.
Grace edged closer. Time slowed down. There was no space left between them. Eyes met. Enveloped in the musky scent of marijuana and sour lingering traces of alcohol – just then, nothing but Grace existed.
Teddy’s lips parted slightly, heart thumping away inside her ribcage. In her own ears it was so loud she wondered if Grace could hear it. The latter’s cheeks were flushed, radiating heat.
How easy it would be to close the distance. She wasn’t cold anymore. Breath mingled. Grace’s eyes fluttered close and Teddy let her hands come to rest on her hips. She angled her face, closing her eyes.
The balcony door screeched.
“-hat sich echt mit der Falschen angelegt."
"Ja, Nadia wird die so auseinander nehmen."
Grace pulled back slightly, without her the cold returned. Teddy snapped her eyes open, focusing on the two boys coming out onto the balcony. The music and noise returned full force without a shut door blocking it out.
"Wir sollten- oh, scheiße. Sorry, wir haben euch nicht gesehen, lasst euch nicht stören!" One of them said, looking awkward and hesitant as they stood there barely out the door.
Teddy sighed and let her head fall against the back of Grace’s for a second. Her mind was spinning. She took at deep breath and straightened again. Grace glanced at Teddy looking confused. Right, she probably didn't even know what was going on. Teddy was about to translate when shouting erupted from inside.
“What’s happening in there?” Grace asked.
Whatever it was it couldn't be good, from what the boy said, it had something to do with Nadia. Shit. Teddy should look for a new place as soon as possible.
“Uh, I’m pretty sure my roommate talked shit again and started something.”
Teddy ran her hand through her hair, closing her eyes in defeat. She really wasn’t in a condition to deal with this shit.
“Uhm, let’s go- let’s go check on her before someone gets hurt. It’s, it’s getting cold anyways.”
With that Teddy stepped back, a frown on her face, still, she was gentle when she grabbed Grace’s hand. On their way to the door she threw the blanket onto the lounge. Without saying anything she passed the boys who hadn’t said anything else and stepped inside Grace in tow. Immediately hot stifling air hit them like a brick wall. That combined with the music ruined Teddy’s mood even more, her head hurt.
It wasn’t hard to find Nadia, a small crowd had gathered by the refreshment table. Right in the middle were Nadia and a girl, when they came closer Teddy recognised her, it was Anja.
She and Anja were in the same figure drawing class and had bonded rather quickly over their love for portraits. However, they weren’t actually close by any means, their relationship didn't go further than easy banter before and during class and casual conversations over school. Hopefully this didn’t ruin that.
“Who are you calling dramatic, huh? Just because I actually had to work to get into this school? You stupid spoiled bitch, your Daddy bought you in here and everyone knows it!” Nadia shouted, clutching her red cup so tight that beer spilled over her hand. She glanced down at her hand, then back to Anja who was shouting back. Teddy saw it coming, but wasn’t fast enough to do anything. Dread filled her. Nadia raised her arm and threw the full cup into Anja’s face, drenching her in beer.
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace's eyes flicked back and forth between Teddy and the scene unfolding inside, a puzzled look on her face. The boys had said something about a girl...Nadia...messing with someone...was there a fight happening? That's what it sounded like to her, but then again, the actual message may very well have been lost in translation. After a moment, Teddy came to her rescue for the second time that night.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure my roommate talked shit again and started something," she practically groaned, looking like an irritated parent who'd just found out their child had gotten themselves into trouble at school again. Grace released a quiet sigh, feeling any lingering traces of whatever had almost just happened between them evaporate into the frigid air. The moment had passed. Grace could hardly feel her fingers.
"Uhm, let’s go- let’s go check on her before someone gets hurt. It’s...it’s getting cold anyways," Teddy added, noticeably flustered. Grace nodded in acknowledgement and untangled herself from the blanket. She was silent as Teddy took her hand, tossing the blanket presumably where she found it and leading her back into the party without another word.
The air was just as stuffy and comfortable as before, the music just as loud, if not louder now that it felt like her senses were on high-alert. Whether that came from the weed or the other girl's presence, she didn't care to decide. She was more tired than annoyed at this point, her fatigue from earlier returning now that the cold wasn't keeping her awake.
The pair navigated through the gathered crowd around the refreshments table, and now that they had come closer she was able to to make out bits and pieces of the escalating argument.
"--because I actually had to work to get into this school? You stupid spoiled bitch, your Daddy bought you in here and everyone knows it!”
A chorus of ohhhh's rippled through the group. A number of partygoers had their cellphones out, recording the altercation while others laughed and encouraged the pair. Grace couldn't see past the few students ahead of her, but she sure as anything recognized the voice that shouted back at the other girl.
"Yeah? At least I don't throw a fit every time someone tries to have a conversation that doesn't directly involve me, because God forbid the spotlight isn't on you twenty-four seven!"
Anja. Her sweet, mild-mannered, heavily intoxicated friend. The reason she was here in the first place. At least she'd finally found her, regardless of the circumstances.
"Everyone just has to know how hard done by you are, how life's been so fucking difficult for you, but how you've somehow managed to stick it out and thrive anyway--good for you!" Anja spat, her words dripping with sarcasm. Grace ignored the uproar that followed, weaving her way to the front of the crowd with Teddy in tow, wanting to be certain it was her friend. When her eyes fell onto the two girls, she looked at back at Teddy, seeming rather distressed.
"Teddy, that's my fucking roommate!" she shouted over the chaos, pointing to the taller girl. She and the girl Grace didn't recognize, Nadia, stood facing each other, teeth bared, Grace's roommate towering over the other girl by a good five inches.
Grace tried to get her attention, but it was clear she wasn't finished just yet.
"Oh, and you love to make yourself out to be the victim, then you turn around and talk shit behind everyone else's backs while you hide behind twenty pounds of makeup, you fake fucking cow!" Anja snarled, straightening her back and swaying slightly as she jabbed a finger at the other girl to emphasize her point. Grace realized how drunk she must've been, having never seen her friend this openly hostile towards someone. She wondered briefly if perhaps she'd taken something else that night, but she pushed the thought aside.
Grace had grimaced at her jibe, but now that she'd caught a glimpse of what Nadia actually looked like, she could see where it had come from. As scathing and low as it was, the dig was rather accurate.
Nadia seemed to bristle with rage at the comment and the group's reaction, her cheeks visibly flushed beneath her dark foundation. Grace watched the retaliation in horror, unable to look away. In a matter of a half a second, the shorter girl had jerked her hand forward, completely dousing Anja with the contents of the crumpled red solo cup clenched in her fist.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd, Grace bringing her free hand up to cover her mouth.
Fuck.
Anja stood frozen, looking something like a puppy that had been rescued from a frozen lake. Beer dripped from her chin and the ends of her hair, the front of her shirt saturated with the stuff and sticking awkwardly to her chest in places. Grace couldn't decide whether her friend was about to cry or murder the other girl, so she broke away from Teddy and stepped between them.
"Anja! Anja, let's go. Come on," she insisted, taking the taller girl's arm. Around her, light from the flash of various cellphones partially blinded her, and she lost Teddy's face in the sea of people for a second when she searched for her. Just as she met the blonde's eyes again, Anja ripped her arm from Grace's grasp and stormed away, towards the door of the flat. "Anja--wait! Anja--!" she started, turning to try and find her friend before she disappeared into the crowd completely. The dim lighting made it difficult to see. Her head throbbed. What a fucking mess.
Frowning, she turned back to where she'd seen Teddy. When she finally caught her gaze again, an apologetic look crossed Grace's face. She mouthed a defeated 'sorry' to the other girl, disappointment evident in her face and body language, before whirling back around and following in the direction her roommate had gone.
"Uh, I'm pretty sure my roommate talked shit again and started something," she practically groaned, looking like an irritated parent who'd just found out their child had gotten themselves into trouble at school again. Grace released a quiet sigh, feeling any lingering traces of whatever had almost just happened between them evaporate into the frigid air. The moment had passed. Grace could hardly feel her fingers.
"Uhm, let’s go- let’s go check on her before someone gets hurt. It’s...it’s getting cold anyways," Teddy added, noticeably flustered. Grace nodded in acknowledgement and untangled herself from the blanket. She was silent as Teddy took her hand, tossing the blanket presumably where she found it and leading her back into the party without another word.
The air was just as stuffy and comfortable as before, the music just as loud, if not louder now that it felt like her senses were on high-alert. Whether that came from the weed or the other girl's presence, she didn't care to decide. She was more tired than annoyed at this point, her fatigue from earlier returning now that the cold wasn't keeping her awake.
The pair navigated through the gathered crowd around the refreshments table, and now that they had come closer she was able to to make out bits and pieces of the escalating argument.
"--because I actually had to work to get into this school? You stupid spoiled bitch, your Daddy bought you in here and everyone knows it!”
A chorus of ohhhh's rippled through the group. A number of partygoers had their cellphones out, recording the altercation while others laughed and encouraged the pair. Grace couldn't see past the few students ahead of her, but she sure as anything recognized the voice that shouted back at the other girl.
"Yeah? At least I don't throw a fit every time someone tries to have a conversation that doesn't directly involve me, because God forbid the spotlight isn't on you twenty-four seven!"
Anja. Her sweet, mild-mannered, heavily intoxicated friend. The reason she was here in the first place. At least she'd finally found her, regardless of the circumstances.
"Everyone just has to know how hard done by you are, how life's been so fucking difficult for you, but how you've somehow managed to stick it out and thrive anyway--good for you!" Anja spat, her words dripping with sarcasm. Grace ignored the uproar that followed, weaving her way to the front of the crowd with Teddy in tow, wanting to be certain it was her friend. When her eyes fell onto the two girls, she looked at back at Teddy, seeming rather distressed.
"Teddy, that's my fucking roommate!" she shouted over the chaos, pointing to the taller girl. She and the girl Grace didn't recognize, Nadia, stood facing each other, teeth bared, Grace's roommate towering over the other girl by a good five inches.
Grace tried to get her attention, but it was clear she wasn't finished just yet.
"Oh, and you love to make yourself out to be the victim, then you turn around and talk shit behind everyone else's backs while you hide behind twenty pounds of makeup, you fake fucking cow!" Anja snarled, straightening her back and swaying slightly as she jabbed a finger at the other girl to emphasize her point. Grace realized how drunk she must've been, having never seen her friend this openly hostile towards someone. She wondered briefly if perhaps she'd taken something else that night, but she pushed the thought aside.
Grace had grimaced at her jibe, but now that she'd caught a glimpse of what Nadia actually looked like, she could see where it had come from. As scathing and low as it was, the dig was rather accurate.
Nadia seemed to bristle with rage at the comment and the group's reaction, her cheeks visibly flushed beneath her dark foundation. Grace watched the retaliation in horror, unable to look away. In a matter of a half a second, the shorter girl had jerked her hand forward, completely dousing Anja with the contents of the crumpled red solo cup clenched in her fist.
A collective gasp swept through the crowd, Grace bringing her free hand up to cover her mouth.
Fuck.
Anja stood frozen, looking something like a puppy that had been rescued from a frozen lake. Beer dripped from her chin and the ends of her hair, the front of her shirt saturated with the stuff and sticking awkwardly to her chest in places. Grace couldn't decide whether her friend was about to cry or murder the other girl, so she broke away from Teddy and stepped between them.
"Anja! Anja, let's go. Come on," she insisted, taking the taller girl's arm. Around her, light from the flash of various cellphones partially blinded her, and she lost Teddy's face in the sea of people for a second when she searched for her. Just as she met the blonde's eyes again, Anja ripped her arm from Grace's grasp and stormed away, towards the door of the flat. "Anja--wait! Anja--!" she started, turning to try and find her friend before she disappeared into the crowd completely. The dim lighting made it difficult to see. Her head throbbed. What a fucking mess.
Frowning, she turned back to where she'd seen Teddy. When she finally caught her gaze again, an apologetic look crossed Grace's face. She mouthed a defeated 'sorry' to the other girl, disappointment evident in her face and body language, before whirling back around and following in the direction her roommate had gone.
Last edited:
Knudeli
The forgotten
"Anja! Anja, let's go. Come on," Grace was by Anja's side immediately, grabbing her arm. Anja didn't react. She was completely still while beer dripped down her front, reuniting with the puddle by her feet. Anja's face was blank while Nadia's twisted into an ugly sneer. People associate me with her, was all Teddy could think.
Everything was happening at once, but Teddy was still on the sidelines, frozen in place. Her arm hanging in the air useless, as if someone had paused her movement in the middle of reaching out. Who was she even reaching out to? Certainly not Nadia. Teddy's stomach churned. Around her the phone cameras' fake shutter went off. Flashed lit up the room. Again and again, a thunderstorm confined into Hannah's living room.
Teddy felt the bile rise.
Grace panicked eyes met Teddy's for a second, then Anja ripped her arm away as if she had been burnt and stormed off. Grace's head snapped around as she tried to keep track of her friend. She shouted, "Anja--wait! Anja--!"
She looked back at Teddy a frown etched into her face. A distressed sound escaped Teddy's throat. It drowned inside the crowd's noise before anyone could hear it.
People were still taking photos. Grace was lit by the harsh camera flashes coming from every direction. It made her skin look pasty white, whilst her features were cast in ever changing shadows. It reminded Teddy of a movie scene in a weird way.
Their eyes met one last time. Grace's posture withdrawn, tense, defeated. She mouthed something at Teddy. Sorry? Then she disappeared like Anja.
This will be all over social media tomorrow.
Teddy's stomach twisted. She didn't have time to think. She puked all over her favourite boots.
Without Anja the crowd dissolved. Teddy was left alone, doubled over hands clutching her knees, throwing up onto the nice wooden floor.
What had she done to deserve this?
She wasn't sure where Nadia was and she couldn't see much while her eyes watered like crazy. Waves of nausea rolled over her, her body still tried to get rid of food that just wasn't there anymore. She gasped for breath. Even the air tasted like sour bile.
With every music note pain shot up Teddy's temples. Head spinning she wiped at her mouth. When her stomach stopped rebelling she carefully she picked herself up. Just in time to see Nadia make her way over, arms crossed. She eyed Teddy with a weird look. Teddy fixed her with a glare.
"Ugh, you look disgusting." Nadia hissed, wrinkling her nose. "Anyways, can you believe that fucking bitch, like, seriously. Totally deserved that." Nadia slurred. A strong alcohol and cigarette stench had followed her, she must have smoked at least a pack this evening. Teddy's sensitive nerves bristled. She gagged. Nadia shot her a dirty look. Once her stomach had settled again she looked Nadia dead in the eye.
"Seriously? What the Fuck was that." Nadia opened her mouth in response but Teddy cut her off, "No. I don't care what you have to say. You know what? I'm going home, do what you want but leave me the fuck alone." she spat.
Nadia didn't have the right to defend herself, Teddy decided. She turned around, stalked over to the door and slipped into her dark red trench coat. Before leaving she glared At Nadia one last time, then she' slammed the entrance door. Outside she sagged against it, tears prickling in her eyes. She wasn't sure why, her mind was a mess, everything was too much. She had been about to make a real connection with someone she clicked with, now this.
She pressed the elevator button, while she waited she shook out her feet trying to get them a bit drier. She stepped into the elevator once it arrived. It had a red carpet, walls out off wood adorned with gold ornaments and everything was doubled off with a spotless mirror.
To say she looked out of place would be a huge understatement. What a fucking joke.
Teddy's reflection made her Even sadder, she looked as bad as she felt.
Her hair was in disarray, the mascara ran in streaked down her cheeks and the red lipstick was smeared to the point that it looked like she had been punched in the mouth. Scrolling at herself she pulled her purse close in search for the hand wipes she kept on herself at all times. When she found them she pulled one out of the package and roughly wiped her face. The lipstick came off quick but the eyeliner and mascara were resistant, she was still wiping her eyes when the ding announced her arrival at the ground floor. She stayed inside until she had most of the makeup off.
She looked slightly better. Although her skin was red form the rough treatment and the leftover black mascara smears brought even more attention to her eye bags, now without concealer to hide them away. She sighed and started her way to the subway.
It took her a good 37 minutes to get home. She's never felt so alone like just then, sitting inside the subway with strangers. She didn't have in in her to talk to anyone anymore.
By the time Teddy stumbled through her apartment door the sadness was at it's peak. The effect of the joint was pretty much gone, leaving her sluggish and blue.
It will be all over social media. Filmed. Posted. Available for everyone to see. Anja, Grace, Nadia. Grace hadn't looked good. Was she alright? There was no way to check on her. No adress. No phone number. No snapchat. No Instagram. No Twitter. Not even a email to write. She had said Anja was her roommate. Anja was confident, stable and tough, she will bounce back from this, right? Yes, fo course. There's no way she wouldn't. She had to.
That night Teddy didn't bother with anything. She locked her bedroom door, lost her clothes around the room and collapsed into bed with nothing but her panties and half a sock. The cold sheets welcomed her into the blissful world of unconscious.
Everything was happening at once, but Teddy was still on the sidelines, frozen in place. Her arm hanging in the air useless, as if someone had paused her movement in the middle of reaching out. Who was she even reaching out to? Certainly not Nadia. Teddy's stomach churned. Around her the phone cameras' fake shutter went off. Flashed lit up the room. Again and again, a thunderstorm confined into Hannah's living room.
Teddy felt the bile rise.
Grace panicked eyes met Teddy's for a second, then Anja ripped her arm away as if she had been burnt and stormed off. Grace's head snapped around as she tried to keep track of her friend. She shouted, "Anja--wait! Anja--!"
She looked back at Teddy a frown etched into her face. A distressed sound escaped Teddy's throat. It drowned inside the crowd's noise before anyone could hear it.
People were still taking photos. Grace was lit by the harsh camera flashes coming from every direction. It made her skin look pasty white, whilst her features were cast in ever changing shadows. It reminded Teddy of a movie scene in a weird way.
Their eyes met one last time. Grace's posture withdrawn, tense, defeated. She mouthed something at Teddy. Sorry? Then she disappeared like Anja.
This will be all over social media tomorrow.
Teddy's stomach twisted. She didn't have time to think. She puked all over her favourite boots.
Without Anja the crowd dissolved. Teddy was left alone, doubled over hands clutching her knees, throwing up onto the nice wooden floor.
What had she done to deserve this?
She wasn't sure where Nadia was and she couldn't see much while her eyes watered like crazy. Waves of nausea rolled over her, her body still tried to get rid of food that just wasn't there anymore. She gasped for breath. Even the air tasted like sour bile.
With every music note pain shot up Teddy's temples. Head spinning she wiped at her mouth. When her stomach stopped rebelling she carefully she picked herself up. Just in time to see Nadia make her way over, arms crossed. She eyed Teddy with a weird look. Teddy fixed her with a glare.
"Ugh, you look disgusting." Nadia hissed, wrinkling her nose. "Anyways, can you believe that fucking bitch, like, seriously. Totally deserved that." Nadia slurred. A strong alcohol and cigarette stench had followed her, she must have smoked at least a pack this evening. Teddy's sensitive nerves bristled. She gagged. Nadia shot her a dirty look. Once her stomach had settled again she looked Nadia dead in the eye.
"Seriously? What the Fuck was that." Nadia opened her mouth in response but Teddy cut her off, "No. I don't care what you have to say. You know what? I'm going home, do what you want but leave me the fuck alone." she spat.
Nadia didn't have the right to defend herself, Teddy decided. She turned around, stalked over to the door and slipped into her dark red trench coat. Before leaving she glared At Nadia one last time, then she' slammed the entrance door. Outside she sagged against it, tears prickling in her eyes. She wasn't sure why, her mind was a mess, everything was too much. She had been about to make a real connection with someone she clicked with, now this.
She pressed the elevator button, while she waited she shook out her feet trying to get them a bit drier. She stepped into the elevator once it arrived. It had a red carpet, walls out off wood adorned with gold ornaments and everything was doubled off with a spotless mirror.
To say she looked out of place would be a huge understatement. What a fucking joke.
Teddy's reflection made her Even sadder, she looked as bad as she felt.
Her hair was in disarray, the mascara ran in streaked down her cheeks and the red lipstick was smeared to the point that it looked like she had been punched in the mouth. Scrolling at herself she pulled her purse close in search for the hand wipes she kept on herself at all times. When she found them she pulled one out of the package and roughly wiped her face. The lipstick came off quick but the eyeliner and mascara were resistant, she was still wiping her eyes when the ding announced her arrival at the ground floor. She stayed inside until she had most of the makeup off.
She looked slightly better. Although her skin was red form the rough treatment and the leftover black mascara smears brought even more attention to her eye bags, now without concealer to hide them away. She sighed and started her way to the subway.
It took her a good 37 minutes to get home. She's never felt so alone like just then, sitting inside the subway with strangers. She didn't have in in her to talk to anyone anymore.
By the time Teddy stumbled through her apartment door the sadness was at it's peak. The effect of the joint was pretty much gone, leaving her sluggish and blue.
It will be all over social media. Filmed. Posted. Available for everyone to see. Anja, Grace, Nadia. Grace hadn't looked good. Was she alright? There was no way to check on her. No adress. No phone number. No snapchat. No Instagram. No Twitter. Not even a email to write. She had said Anja was her roommate. Anja was confident, stable and tough, she will bounce back from this, right? Yes, fo course. There's no way she wouldn't. She had to.
That night Teddy didn't bother with anything. She locked her bedroom door, lost her clothes around the room and collapsed into bed with nothing but her panties and half a sock. The cold sheets welcomed her into the blissful world of unconscious.
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
It wasn't long before Grace reached the door of the flat, still ajar from her friend's exit, and slipped out into the hallway in pursuit of Anja. Her head was spinning at this point, her dark eyes unable to focus clearly on the brunette ahead of her. The taller girl was leaning against the metallic doors of the elevator shaft, repeatedly jamming her thumb into the 'down' button when Grace managed to catch up to her.
Just as she extended a hand out to her, Anja broke down in tears and turned away, pacing towards the neon red 'exit' sign at the end of the hall.
"Anja, hey!" she called after her, letting out a frustrated sigh as her friend disappeared behind the door without a word. Grace groaned, digging the heel of her palm into her temple and squeezing her eyes shut. A splitting headache overpowered any effect the weed had left on her, and a wave of nausea rolled over her as she opened her eyes again. The acrid stench of whatever cleaning product was being put to use in a room down the hall left a bitter taste in her mouth. Curling her fingers into fists at her side, she stumbled after the other girl, towards the stairs.
"Okay, what the fuck, Anja?" Grace confronted her friend as soon as she pushed through the heavy emergency door. On the landing below her, Anja stood crying--dark jacket falling off one of her shoulders, black mascara streaking her cheeks, partially damp hair in complete disarray. One hand clamped onto the cool metal railing, Grace picked her way as carefully as she could down the stairs to reach her. Here, in the stairwell, the air was stale and hot and suffocating, threatening to choke her out if she dared stay too long. Grace let out an irritated huff as she reached her friend, her narrowed eyes softening. "Look, I get that you're upset--you have every right to be--but--"
"--Where were you?" Anja interjected, leveling a cold glare at Grace, her eyes already red-rimmed and puffy from crying. "I had to listen to that bitch Nadia shoot her mouth off all night alone, where the fuck were you?" she demanded, eyes narrowed into accusatory slits. She studied Grace, scrutinizing every detail of her appearance. "Off with some guy, were you? You smell like weed--you were smoking, weren't you? Did you hook up with him too? Well, good on you, Grace," she scoffed angrily. "I hope you had fun tonight. I sure as fuck didn't."
Grace stared blankly at her friend for a few seconds after she'd gone quiet, as if she couldn't quite believe what her roommate had said. "Where--where was I?" Grace repeated, blinking slowly at the other girl. A moment later, she released an exasperated breath as her friend's words began to sink in. "Where was I? Where the fuck were you? You dragged me to this party that I didn't even want to go to, then you fucked off somewhere and left me to wander around alone all night!" she retorted, scowling at her. "You weren't even answering your phone, how was I supposed to know you were looking for me? And it's not my fault that you picked a fight with that bitch!" she continued, her voice raised and sounding increasingly more strained. Her throat was painfully dry. She had to tighten her hold on the railing suddenly as she was hit with another dizzy spell, nearly losing her balance.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Grace knew she wasn't herself. She wasn't being reasonable, she was projecting--all her pent up anger, humiliation, worry, and disappointment swirling together into a dangerous mixture inside of her. Deep down, she knew she should stop before she said something she regretted, but Anja's words had sparked the powder keg of emotions inside her, and there was no stopping it now. And so she carried on.
"Oh, and my apologies for actually trying to make the best of a shitty night," she snarled. "You know what? I was actually starting to have some fun before you decided to get into it with that girl. Then that's somehow my fault, because I wasn't there to handle you while you got too fucked up to control your temper? Give me a break. You're so fucking selfish, Anja!" Grace felt tears begin to prick at her eyes, and she swallowed against the sandpaper in her throat. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse-sounding. "I shouldn't have come tonight," she said. Grace knotted her fingers into her dark hair, shaking her head. "Fuck. I shouldn't have come tonight."
Anja let out an irritated snort, shaking her dismissively head in return. "Oh, get over yourself, Grace," she snapped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Grace didn't answer, glaring back at one of the only friends she'd known in Berlin with a look of pure disdain.
After a few seconds of silence passed between them, neither of them giving the other any ground, Anja rolled her eyes. "I--" she began to say something, but broke off with another firm shake of her head. "Whatever, I'm leaving," she finished decidedly, pushing off the wall. Grace watched her go, feeling a lump form in her throat that made it even harder to swallow.
Grace found herself in a sort of daze for the next few minutes. She barely heard the metallic clang as a door closed several floors below her, the first indication that her friend had meant what she'd said about heading back to the flat for the night.
Fuck.
Grace let go of the railing.
The room swayed, and she felt herself stumble into the wall on her left, though the pain hardly registered in her brain. She'd feel that tomorrow.
Grace allowed herself to sink down onto the carpeted floor, wrapping her arms around herself and tucking her knees up to her chest, her back curled against the cold stone behind her. The last thing she remembered seeing was the messy writing scrawled across her wrist, slightly smudged dark ink glaring back at her as she surrendered to the persistent urge to close her eyes and sleep.
Just as she extended a hand out to her, Anja broke down in tears and turned away, pacing towards the neon red 'exit' sign at the end of the hall.
"Anja, hey!" she called after her, letting out a frustrated sigh as her friend disappeared behind the door without a word. Grace groaned, digging the heel of her palm into her temple and squeezing her eyes shut. A splitting headache overpowered any effect the weed had left on her, and a wave of nausea rolled over her as she opened her eyes again. The acrid stench of whatever cleaning product was being put to use in a room down the hall left a bitter taste in her mouth. Curling her fingers into fists at her side, she stumbled after the other girl, towards the stairs.
"Okay, what the fuck, Anja?" Grace confronted her friend as soon as she pushed through the heavy emergency door. On the landing below her, Anja stood crying--dark jacket falling off one of her shoulders, black mascara streaking her cheeks, partially damp hair in complete disarray. One hand clamped onto the cool metal railing, Grace picked her way as carefully as she could down the stairs to reach her. Here, in the stairwell, the air was stale and hot and suffocating, threatening to choke her out if she dared stay too long. Grace let out an irritated huff as she reached her friend, her narrowed eyes softening. "Look, I get that you're upset--you have every right to be--but--"
"--Where were you?" Anja interjected, leveling a cold glare at Grace, her eyes already red-rimmed and puffy from crying. "I had to listen to that bitch Nadia shoot her mouth off all night alone, where the fuck were you?" she demanded, eyes narrowed into accusatory slits. She studied Grace, scrutinizing every detail of her appearance. "Off with some guy, were you? You smell like weed--you were smoking, weren't you? Did you hook up with him too? Well, good on you, Grace," she scoffed angrily. "I hope you had fun tonight. I sure as fuck didn't."
Grace stared blankly at her friend for a few seconds after she'd gone quiet, as if she couldn't quite believe what her roommate had said. "Where--where was I?" Grace repeated, blinking slowly at the other girl. A moment later, she released an exasperated breath as her friend's words began to sink in. "Where was I? Where the fuck were you? You dragged me to this party that I didn't even want to go to, then you fucked off somewhere and left me to wander around alone all night!" she retorted, scowling at her. "You weren't even answering your phone, how was I supposed to know you were looking for me? And it's not my fault that you picked a fight with that bitch!" she continued, her voice raised and sounding increasingly more strained. Her throat was painfully dry. She had to tighten her hold on the railing suddenly as she was hit with another dizzy spell, nearly losing her balance.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, Grace knew she wasn't herself. She wasn't being reasonable, she was projecting--all her pent up anger, humiliation, worry, and disappointment swirling together into a dangerous mixture inside of her. Deep down, she knew she should stop before she said something she regretted, but Anja's words had sparked the powder keg of emotions inside her, and there was no stopping it now. And so she carried on.
"Oh, and my apologies for actually trying to make the best of a shitty night," she snarled. "You know what? I was actually starting to have some fun before you decided to get into it with that girl. Then that's somehow my fault, because I wasn't there to handle you while you got too fucked up to control your temper? Give me a break. You're so fucking selfish, Anja!" Grace felt tears begin to prick at her eyes, and she swallowed against the sandpaper in her throat. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse-sounding. "I shouldn't have come tonight," she said. Grace knotted her fingers into her dark hair, shaking her head. "Fuck. I shouldn't have come tonight."
Anja let out an irritated snort, shaking her dismissively head in return. "Oh, get over yourself, Grace," she snapped, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. Grace didn't answer, glaring back at one of the only friends she'd known in Berlin with a look of pure disdain.
After a few seconds of silence passed between them, neither of them giving the other any ground, Anja rolled her eyes. "I--" she began to say something, but broke off with another firm shake of her head. "Whatever, I'm leaving," she finished decidedly, pushing off the wall. Grace watched her go, feeling a lump form in her throat that made it even harder to swallow.
Grace found herself in a sort of daze for the next few minutes. She barely heard the metallic clang as a door closed several floors below her, the first indication that her friend had meant what she'd said about heading back to the flat for the night.
Fuck.
Grace let go of the railing.
The room swayed, and she felt herself stumble into the wall on her left, though the pain hardly registered in her brain. She'd feel that tomorrow.
Grace allowed herself to sink down onto the carpeted floor, wrapping her arms around herself and tucking her knees up to her chest, her back curled against the cold stone behind her. The last thing she remembered seeing was the messy writing scrawled across her wrist, slightly smudged dark ink glaring back at her as she surrendered to the persistent urge to close her eyes and sleep.
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Knudeli
The forgotten
There's only one logical thing to happen after a overwhelming night you don't want to think about or deal with yet, that's right, it's waking up early.
Teddy didn't get up at 6am by choice, no, the freezing cold wafting in through the window forced her to.
You see, Teddy had been running late with her acryl portrait assignment. Putting it off until she literally had less than 24hours to complete it, not her her smartest decision. So, Friday, all through the night to Saturday she had painted with that god awful, fast drying shitty paint from hell. She hated every second of it.
Because she's stupid she started painting the thing inside her bedroom, instead of the uni's 24/7 open studios and was determined to finish it there as well. By the time the final coat of vanish had dried her room smelt weird and stuffy, she had the bright idea to turn the heater off and open her window halfway before leaving for the party. Nice one, Teddy.
Teddy shivered violently, her skin was riddled with goosebumps and her fingers ached when she tried to pull her covers up. Somehow the bed felt strange against her body, then she realised why, right, she was essentially naked. Outside the wind whistled. Her window was banging open and close, allowing a chilly gusts of air inside. Teddy peeked at the window from below her blankets. There wasn't much of a choice here. She grabbed the heavy duvet, wrapping herself up in it like a hug and scurried across her cramped small room to shut the window. It clicked, keeping the cold where it belonged. Bleary eyed she fumbled with the heater, the duvet almost slipped off without two hands holding it in place. She wasn't sure if she would have cared about flashing her neighbours at this point. She wanted to go back to sleep, NOW. True to her words she climbed right back to bed, stubbing her toe on a stray canvas on her way back. Exhausted she fell back into bed and was asleep within seconds.
Teddy didn't get up at 6am by choice, no, the freezing cold wafting in through the window forced her to.
You see, Teddy had been running late with her acryl portrait assignment. Putting it off until she literally had less than 24hours to complete it, not her her smartest decision. So, Friday, all through the night to Saturday she had painted with that god awful, fast drying shitty paint from hell. She hated every second of it.
Because she's stupid she started painting the thing inside her bedroom, instead of the uni's 24/7 open studios and was determined to finish it there as well. By the time the final coat of vanish had dried her room smelt weird and stuffy, she had the bright idea to turn the heater off and open her window halfway before leaving for the party. Nice one, Teddy.
Teddy shivered violently, her skin was riddled with goosebumps and her fingers ached when she tried to pull her covers up. Somehow the bed felt strange against her body, then she realised why, right, she was essentially naked. Outside the wind whistled. Her window was banging open and close, allowing a chilly gusts of air inside. Teddy peeked at the window from below her blankets. There wasn't much of a choice here. She grabbed the heavy duvet, wrapping herself up in it like a hug and scurried across her cramped small room to shut the window. It clicked, keeping the cold where it belonged. Bleary eyed she fumbled with the heater, the duvet almost slipped off without two hands holding it in place. She wasn't sure if she would have cared about flashing her neighbours at this point. She wanted to go back to sleep, NOW. True to her words she climbed right back to bed, stubbing her toe on a stray canvas on her way back. Exhausted she fell back into bed and was asleep within seconds.
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katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Generally speaking, the floor isn't exactly an ideal place to wake up. It certainly doesn't compare to a mattress in terms of comfort, even the cheap one on Grace's single bed, where you can sometimes feel the springs poke into your back. But a hard, unforgiving carpet floor with a scratchy texture that makes your entire body itch is especially awful. And with no blankets to ward off the cold, the chill slipping in beneath the door a few stories down would seem to seep right into one's bones. It should also be noted, that there are few instances where one might find themselves in such a place for any good reason. Falling out of bed? Maybe. Had a little too much to drink? Likely. Friend left you alone after a crazy night, mid-breakdown, and you were too drained to pull yourself back up and head home?
(Answer: both 'b' and 'c').
After all, not many people would willingly fall asleep on the floor of a stairwell alone, in a complex that's utterly unfamillar to them apart for one expensive flat.
But that's just the way it is sometimes.
Grace let out a low whine, blinking her bleary eyes open slightly. Harsh white light glared down from fluorescent bulbs, causing her to groan again and squeeze her eyes shut. When she managed to force them open a good minute later, it took her a few seconds to regain her bearings.
Where the hell...oh. Right.
Memories from the previous night began to slowly trickle back into her conscious mind, and the jarring realization that last night wasn't some strange dream hit her like a truck. And physically, she guessed she looked like she'd suffered the same fate. When her slow fumbling for her phone eventually produced results, she tried to turn the device on but found a low-battery symbol blinking back at her. With a frustrated sigh, Grace tilted the phone towards the light and managed to catch a glimpse of herself in the black mirror. The sight nearly made her do a double take.
Dark bags under her eyes, combined with the mascara smudged beneath her lashes gave her the appearance of a sad raccoon. Her cheeks and forehead glistened with a thin layer of sweat, contradicting the goosebumps that had formed on every other inch of her exposed skin. Her cheeks were flushed, her mouth drier than she'd ever felt it. Every time she swallowed, she could almost hear the scraping of her tongue on the back of her throat. Her neck ached from the awkward angle it had been pinched at throughout the night, and her head throbbed angrily. Over and over and over. To say Grace wasn't feeling too hot would be a severe understatement.
The brunette managed to shift herself into a kneeling position so she could better assess her surroundings. A quick scan of the stairwell confirmed that she was indeed alone, but a small piece of paper next to her caught her eye. Picking the note up, she translated the messy German as best she could:
Sorry about your cash! Sleep well x
Grace narrowed her eyes and flipped the phone in her other hand over. Unsurprisingly, the twenty euros she'd kept in her phone case had been nabbed, leaving her without any money to take the train back to her flat. Grace wondered then if her morning could possibly get any worse. She was reminded once again why she hated drinking. After a while of moping around on the carpet, scared to move too quickly for fear of upsetting her stomach any more than it already was, she dragged herself to her feet and set off towards the flat where the previous night's events had unfolded; hungover, grumpy, starving and parched, determined.
The writing on her wrist remained.
(Answer: both 'b' and 'c').
After all, not many people would willingly fall asleep on the floor of a stairwell alone, in a complex that's utterly unfamillar to them apart for one expensive flat.
But that's just the way it is sometimes.
Grace let out a low whine, blinking her bleary eyes open slightly. Harsh white light glared down from fluorescent bulbs, causing her to groan again and squeeze her eyes shut. When she managed to force them open a good minute later, it took her a few seconds to regain her bearings.
Where the hell...oh. Right.
Memories from the previous night began to slowly trickle back into her conscious mind, and the jarring realization that last night wasn't some strange dream hit her like a truck. And physically, she guessed she looked like she'd suffered the same fate. When her slow fumbling for her phone eventually produced results, she tried to turn the device on but found a low-battery symbol blinking back at her. With a frustrated sigh, Grace tilted the phone towards the light and managed to catch a glimpse of herself in the black mirror. The sight nearly made her do a double take.
Dark bags under her eyes, combined with the mascara smudged beneath her lashes gave her the appearance of a sad raccoon. Her cheeks and forehead glistened with a thin layer of sweat, contradicting the goosebumps that had formed on every other inch of her exposed skin. Her cheeks were flushed, her mouth drier than she'd ever felt it. Every time she swallowed, she could almost hear the scraping of her tongue on the back of her throat. Her neck ached from the awkward angle it had been pinched at throughout the night, and her head throbbed angrily. Over and over and over. To say Grace wasn't feeling too hot would be a severe understatement.
The brunette managed to shift herself into a kneeling position so she could better assess her surroundings. A quick scan of the stairwell confirmed that she was indeed alone, but a small piece of paper next to her caught her eye. Picking the note up, she translated the messy German as best she could:
Sorry about your cash! Sleep well x
Grace narrowed her eyes and flipped the phone in her other hand over. Unsurprisingly, the twenty euros she'd kept in her phone case had been nabbed, leaving her without any money to take the train back to her flat. Grace wondered then if her morning could possibly get any worse. She was reminded once again why she hated drinking. After a while of moping around on the carpet, scared to move too quickly for fear of upsetting her stomach any more than it already was, she dragged herself to her feet and set off towards the flat where the previous night's events had unfolded; hungover, grumpy, starving and parched, determined.
The writing on her wrist remained.
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Knudeli
The forgotten
Around 12 Teddy woke up again, this time it was significantly warmer in her room. For a good 10 minutes she stayed in bed enjoying the quiet.
She would take a shower, change into her oversized Tsuki hoodie and eat some cereal.
Her phone started vibrating underneath her pillow. She didn't remember putting it there last night... oh well, she hadn't lost it, that's what mattered. She swiped the green button without looking and rolled around, phone pressed to her ear.
"Yeah?" She grunted, she expected it to be Thomas, maybe even Nadia.
"Theresa? Hier ist deine Mutter. Kannst du nicht wenigstens ordentlich grüßen wenn du dich schon nicht meldest?"
"Ich bin gerade erst aufgewacht, Helen."
Helen, her stepmom, liked to play pretend, 'oh we're such a happy family, yes Theresa is a bit grumpy, but she has such a bright future, she speaks English so well!'. She insists that Teddy should call her mother. Teddy calling that woman mother was as likely as her eating pineapple on pizza. Hell no. Helen was also the reason everyone back home believed she was studying English abroad, so 'it's less embarrassing when she drops out and comes back home'. Teddy loves art, but even if she didn't, she'd finish university just to spite that skank.
"Bitte? Du bist gerade erst aufgewacht? Hast du nicht gesagt du würdest hart arbeiten für 'deine Zukunft'? Wenn du in Berlin nur faul rumliegest kannst du auch Heim kommen und einen echten Beruf lernen."
Called it, here we go again.
"Was auch immer, wolltest du jetzt was von mir oder kann ich auflegen?" Teddy sighed.
"Theresa!" Helen screeched, Teddy hated her voice with burning passion. "Hör auf in so einem Ton mit mir zu reden. Ja, ich habe einen guten Grund anzurufen. Dein Bruder hat nächsten Monat Geburtstag, ich hoffe du hast ein Geschenk. Bei dir kann man sich ja nie sicher sein."
The 'brother' Helen mentioned was actually her little stepbrother, they weren't related and Teddy had never made the biggest effort to get close to him. Actually, she had avoided him as much as she could. That boy made her sad. Whenever she saw dad, Helen and Dennis sitting at the dining table eating breakfast she felt her chest tighten.
"Das wars? Ich besorg ihm was. Tschüss."
Before she could say anything more Teddy ended the call. Her good mood was gone. She let the phone fall onto the covers. Her body felt heavy, she dragged herself out of bed. With her pink hoodie, underwear and socks in hand she left her room.
The whole bathroom was foggy and her skin the colour of a lobster by the time she finished. Their bath was a small, muddy green relic from the 80s, that alone wasn't too bad, but it didn't have a window. They either had to rely on the lousy vent or leave the door open. Both weren't ideal nor convenient for obvious reasons.
Teddy stood on a towel in front of the sink, she put her damp hair back with a hairband. She slipped on her panties, fluffy socks and the hoodie. It went down to her mid thigh, she didn't bother with a bra. Comfortable and satisfied she ate breakfast.
Later Teddy was on her laptop scrolling through Pinterest collecting references, she kept to her room even though Nadia hadn't come home, at this point, Teddy was pretty sure she wouldn't see her today. An alert popped up informing her of a new email, she opened it.
we're busier than usually and could really use a hand. If you have time the manager said they'd pay 50% more. No need to respond, call in and just swing by if you can. If not see you next Saturday.
Before you give me shit for emailing you. I forgot my phone at home, I'm sending this from the laptop in the break room. Your shitty luck is rubbing off, go get a blessing spell or some shit. Now I'm realising I could have just used the cafe's phone to call you... your stupid is rubbing off too! Well, I've come this far and I won't back down now!
Ttyl nerd
Maybe this is just what she needed right now. Thomas' stupid jokes, and work. Her mind had repeatedly returned to last night and the call earlier, but she refused to let it get her down. She would get Dennis a gift. And she'd have to apologise to Anja on Nadia's behalf eventually. Smoothing things over with Grace was also high on the list. How she didn't know yet.
She was reminded once again that she didn't know anything about the people around her. Anja had a roommate, Grace, which she hadn't known until now. Teddy didn't have Anja's address, so she couldn't apologise in person unless she did it in or after class. Although, she supposed that was still better than dming her on Insta. How come she didn't have Anja's number after one and a half months of talking? Her mind returned to Grace. Had she kept her number? Would she call? Maybe she was so pissed off that she had washed the numbers away as if they were splatters of dirt. After yesterday Teddy wouldn't blame her.
It didn't take her long to change into black pants and a brown button down, her make up was applied quickly too. Everything was alright. Nothing a good, strong espresso couldn't fix. That's how it always is, this time is no different. This will pass too. Armed with her coat, keys, wallet and beanie she headed to work.
She would take a shower, change into her oversized Tsuki hoodie and eat some cereal.
Her phone started vibrating underneath her pillow. She didn't remember putting it there last night... oh well, she hadn't lost it, that's what mattered. She swiped the green button without looking and rolled around, phone pressed to her ear.
"Yeah?" She grunted, she expected it to be Thomas, maybe even Nadia.
"Theresa? Hier ist deine Mutter. Kannst du nicht wenigstens ordentlich grüßen wenn du dich schon nicht meldest?"
"Ich bin gerade erst aufgewacht, Helen."
Helen, her stepmom, liked to play pretend, 'oh we're such a happy family, yes Theresa is a bit grumpy, but she has such a bright future, she speaks English so well!'. She insists that Teddy should call her mother. Teddy calling that woman mother was as likely as her eating pineapple on pizza. Hell no. Helen was also the reason everyone back home believed she was studying English abroad, so 'it's less embarrassing when she drops out and comes back home'. Teddy loves art, but even if she didn't, she'd finish university just to spite that skank.
"Bitte? Du bist gerade erst aufgewacht? Hast du nicht gesagt du würdest hart arbeiten für 'deine Zukunft'? Wenn du in Berlin nur faul rumliegest kannst du auch Heim kommen und einen echten Beruf lernen."
Called it, here we go again.
"Was auch immer, wolltest du jetzt was von mir oder kann ich auflegen?" Teddy sighed.
"Theresa!" Helen screeched, Teddy hated her voice with burning passion. "Hör auf in so einem Ton mit mir zu reden. Ja, ich habe einen guten Grund anzurufen. Dein Bruder hat nächsten Monat Geburtstag, ich hoffe du hast ein Geschenk. Bei dir kann man sich ja nie sicher sein."
The 'brother' Helen mentioned was actually her little stepbrother, they weren't related and Teddy had never made the biggest effort to get close to him. Actually, she had avoided him as much as she could. That boy made her sad. Whenever she saw dad, Helen and Dennis sitting at the dining table eating breakfast she felt her chest tighten.
"Das wars? Ich besorg ihm was. Tschüss."
Before she could say anything more Teddy ended the call. Her good mood was gone. She let the phone fall onto the covers. Her body felt heavy, she dragged herself out of bed. With her pink hoodie, underwear and socks in hand she left her room.
The whole bathroom was foggy and her skin the colour of a lobster by the time she finished. Their bath was a small, muddy green relic from the 80s, that alone wasn't too bad, but it didn't have a window. They either had to rely on the lousy vent or leave the door open. Both weren't ideal nor convenient for obvious reasons.
Teddy stood on a towel in front of the sink, she put her damp hair back with a hairband. She slipped on her panties, fluffy socks and the hoodie. It went down to her mid thigh, she didn't bother with a bra. Comfortable and satisfied she ate breakfast.
Later Teddy was on her laptop scrolling through Pinterest collecting references, she kept to her room even though Nadia hadn't come home, at this point, Teddy was pretty sure she wouldn't see her today. An alert popped up informing her of a new email, she opened it.
Send New Email
New Email Received
Thomas
Are you free to work?
Hey Ted,we're busier than usually and could really use a hand. If you have time the manager said they'd pay 50% more. No need to respond, call in and just swing by if you can. If not see you next Saturday.
Before you give me shit for emailing you. I forgot my phone at home, I'm sending this from the laptop in the break room. Your shitty luck is rubbing off, go get a blessing spell or some shit. Now I'm realising I could have just used the cafe's phone to call you... your stupid is rubbing off too! Well, I've come this far and I won't back down now!
Ttyl nerd
Maybe this is just what she needed right now. Thomas' stupid jokes, and work. Her mind had repeatedly returned to last night and the call earlier, but she refused to let it get her down. She would get Dennis a gift. And she'd have to apologise to Anja on Nadia's behalf eventually. Smoothing things over with Grace was also high on the list. How she didn't know yet.
She was reminded once again that she didn't know anything about the people around her. Anja had a roommate, Grace, which she hadn't known until now. Teddy didn't have Anja's address, so she couldn't apologise in person unless she did it in or after class. Although, she supposed that was still better than dming her on Insta. How come she didn't have Anja's number after one and a half months of talking? Her mind returned to Grace. Had she kept her number? Would she call? Maybe she was so pissed off that she had washed the numbers away as if they were splatters of dirt. After yesterday Teddy wouldn't blame her.
It didn't take her long to change into black pants and a brown button down, her make up was applied quickly too. Everything was alright. Nothing a good, strong espresso couldn't fix. That's how it always is, this time is no different. This will pass too. Armed with her coat, keys, wallet and beanie she headed to work.
"Theresa? This is your mother. Can't you at least greet me properly if you can't be bothered to call us?"
"I just woke up, Helen."
"Excuse me? You just woke up? Didn't you say you'd for hard for 'your future'? If you just laze around in Berlin you can just come home and learn a real job."
"Whatever, did you actually have a reason for calling or can I hang up?"
"Theresa! Stop talking to me like that! Yes, I do have a good reason for calling. Your brother's birthday is next month, I hope you have a gift for him. You can never be sure if it's you."
"That's it? I'll get him something, bye."
"I just woke up, Helen."
"Excuse me? You just woke up? Didn't you say you'd for hard for 'your future'? If you just laze around in Berlin you can just come home and learn a real job."
"Whatever, did you actually have a reason for calling or can I hang up?"
"Theresa! Stop talking to me like that! Yes, I do have a good reason for calling. Your brother's birthday is next month, I hope you have a gift for him. You can never be sure if it's you."
"That's it? I'll get him something, bye."
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katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace waited with her arms crossed over her chest for the door before her to open. Finding the right flat in a hallway of identical closed doors would have been a difficult task in itself, even if she had been sober, but trying to do so while hungover was ten times worse. It took a serious amount of effort to recall which dorm she'd left the night before, her foggy memory and dead cellphone providing little assistance. Not to mention how out of place she felt, wandering from room to room in the upscale complex, donned in her torn jeans and plain top, makeup smudged across her pale cheeks. At this point though, she was too tired to worry much about her appearance. More than anything, she wanted her jacket, a hot shower, and a coffee. In that order.
After the second repetition of knocks, the maple door opened a crack and a sliver of a girl's face appeared from the other side. A few beats of silence passed between them before either spoke; Grace staring at the other girl with a blank expression, a single, narrowed green eye staring right back.
"Um...Kann ich dir helfen?" the girl--Hannah, she recalled--asked softly.
Grace hesitated, the throbbing in her head seeming to grow more intense as she translated the other girl's words. She squeezed her eyes closed for a second, shaking her head a few times as if trying to shake the fog right from her brain. "Um, hey! Sorry, Guten Tag," she began, opening her eyes and offering her a weak smile and wave. She swallowed against the dust in her throat. "Um--tut mir leid, ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch," she explained, her hands clasped together in front of her. "Ich heiße Grace, um, I was at your party last night, and I was just wondering if my jacket's anywhere around here?" she asked. "It's just that it's new, and it's also my only hope of getting back to my flat besides walking because all the other money I had on me got stolen last night," she finished. Grace released a slow breath and fell silent, allowing the girl some time to process the situation. Surely Hannah would recognize her, or at least understand her enough to see that she wasn't some crazy junkie going door-to-door begging.
...Right?
Something flashed across Hannah's face then--recognition? Pity? She couldn't be sure. And then the door closed.
Grace blinked a few times, taken aback by the abrupt gesture, but the metallic jingle of a chain being undone on the other side of the door soon relaxed her nerves. The door swung wide a second later, the shorter girl beckoning her inside with a sympathetic smile. Grace attempted another weak smile herself, which likely ended up resembling more of a grimace.
Despite her good fortune with the kind party host, it seemed her luck would run out there. Her jacket was nowhere to be found, and she still had no money to take the train home. Grace returned to Hannah, shaking her head to demonstrate her disappointment. "Couldn't find it," she told her. Hannah frowned. Grace continued slowly, trying her best to smile. "Um--well, danke. Einen schönen Tag noch, Hannah."
As she turned to leave, Hannah called out to her.
"Wait, Grace! Hold on a moment," she told her, holding up a finger, turning on her heel and disappearing into another room. Grace nodded and was left to look around the otherwise empty flat in her absense. She saw the refreshments table, or where it had been anyway. The wall where she'd been cornered by the blonde guy. The dance floor. And at last, her eyes settled on the balcony.
Memories from the night before returned to her immediately. The pretty blonde girl--Teddy, that was her name. The cold fresh air, the purple blanket. Berlin at midnight--the sea of orange and gold lights, the sounds of the city and the party behind them. The joint, that...moment they'd almost shared. Everything going to shit after that.
Grace remembered something else then, and glanced down at her wrist. Her heart picked up its pace as she spotted it: Teddy's phone number! She could still make out the individual numbers, even with the slightly smudged ink. Grace ran her finger across the dark printing distractedly. Perhaps her luck hadn't run out completely after all.
But the incident, the argument, what about all that? Had Anja really picked a fight with Nadia, or had Teddy's roommate been as insufferable as Anja had described? What if Teddy was angry at her after what happened? Or at Anja? And she couldn't help but wonder if what Anja said was true--if so, why would the blonde associate with someone so...unlike herself?
And the videos. Surely the photos and videos would be all over social media, what if Teddy saw them? No, it didn't matter--she'd witnessed the incident firsthand anyway. Even better, a voice scoffed internally, What a great first impression. Grace was almost glad her phone was dead, so she didn't have to check. Almost.
"Here, for you," a voice drew Grace from her dreary thoughts. Hannah returned to her side, holding out her hand with an offer: a twenty euro bill, and a makeup wipe. Both were gently pressed into her open palm, prompting Grace to raise her eyebrows in surprise.
"What? No, Hannah, I couldn't--"
"--No, take it. For the train, and breakfast," she insisted. "Tut mir leid wegen deiner Jacke."
Grace swallowed and nodded after a moment, at a loss for words. "Well--danke, Hannah, das ist sehr nett von dir," she responded, trying her very best with the German. "I owe you one, seriously."
"Bis später, Grace," she nodded, smiling and waving her off. Grace beamed back at her in return--her first genuine smile of the day--and left the flat without another word.
The train ride felt longer than usual, and much colder without anything to ward off the November chill. She received a few strange looks, walking around the city in a t-shirt, but less than she would have if she hadn't been given the makeup wipe. At least now, her face looked somewhat better, her cheeks rosy from the cold and the contact with the wipe. Her hair was slightly more tamed now as well, Grace having twisted it into a bun in the elevator mirror on her way down to the lobby. For most of the ride she was lost in her thoughts, either musing over Teddy or the uncomfortable churning in her stomach.
When she reached her stop, Grace exited the train and jogged the rest of the way to her shared flat, too cold to care about how nauseous she felt.
"Anja?" Grace's voice preceded her as she slipped her keys back into the pocket of her jeans. The flat was quiet, apart from the click of the door closing behind her--Anja was either asleep, or not home. Either way, she was happy to not have to face her friend right after their fight. Grace sighed, pacing into their kitchenette and plugging her phone into the cord on the counter. She slipped out of her converse then, and headed straight to her bathroom to throw up.
After the second repetition of knocks, the maple door opened a crack and a sliver of a girl's face appeared from the other side. A few beats of silence passed between them before either spoke; Grace staring at the other girl with a blank expression, a single, narrowed green eye staring right back.
"Um...Kann ich dir helfen?" the girl--Hannah, she recalled--asked softly.
Grace hesitated, the throbbing in her head seeming to grow more intense as she translated the other girl's words. She squeezed her eyes closed for a second, shaking her head a few times as if trying to shake the fog right from her brain. "Um, hey! Sorry, Guten Tag," she began, opening her eyes and offering her a weak smile and wave. She swallowed against the dust in her throat. "Um--tut mir leid, ich spreche nur ein bisschen Deutsch," she explained, her hands clasped together in front of her. "Ich heiße Grace, um, I was at your party last night, and I was just wondering if my jacket's anywhere around here?" she asked. "It's just that it's new, and it's also my only hope of getting back to my flat besides walking because all the other money I had on me got stolen last night," she finished. Grace released a slow breath and fell silent, allowing the girl some time to process the situation. Surely Hannah would recognize her, or at least understand her enough to see that she wasn't some crazy junkie going door-to-door begging.
...Right?
Something flashed across Hannah's face then--recognition? Pity? She couldn't be sure. And then the door closed.
Grace blinked a few times, taken aback by the abrupt gesture, but the metallic jingle of a chain being undone on the other side of the door soon relaxed her nerves. The door swung wide a second later, the shorter girl beckoning her inside with a sympathetic smile. Grace attempted another weak smile herself, which likely ended up resembling more of a grimace.
Despite her good fortune with the kind party host, it seemed her luck would run out there. Her jacket was nowhere to be found, and she still had no money to take the train home. Grace returned to Hannah, shaking her head to demonstrate her disappointment. "Couldn't find it," she told her. Hannah frowned. Grace continued slowly, trying her best to smile. "Um--well, danke. Einen schönen Tag noch, Hannah."
As she turned to leave, Hannah called out to her.
"Wait, Grace! Hold on a moment," she told her, holding up a finger, turning on her heel and disappearing into another room. Grace nodded and was left to look around the otherwise empty flat in her absense. She saw the refreshments table, or where it had been anyway. The wall where she'd been cornered by the blonde guy. The dance floor. And at last, her eyes settled on the balcony.
Memories from the night before returned to her immediately. The pretty blonde girl--Teddy, that was her name. The cold fresh air, the purple blanket. Berlin at midnight--the sea of orange and gold lights, the sounds of the city and the party behind them. The joint, that...moment they'd almost shared. Everything going to shit after that.
Grace remembered something else then, and glanced down at her wrist. Her heart picked up its pace as she spotted it: Teddy's phone number! She could still make out the individual numbers, even with the slightly smudged ink. Grace ran her finger across the dark printing distractedly. Perhaps her luck hadn't run out completely after all.
But the incident, the argument, what about all that? Had Anja really picked a fight with Nadia, or had Teddy's roommate been as insufferable as Anja had described? What if Teddy was angry at her after what happened? Or at Anja? And she couldn't help but wonder if what Anja said was true--if so, why would the blonde associate with someone so...unlike herself?
And the videos. Surely the photos and videos would be all over social media, what if Teddy saw them? No, it didn't matter--she'd witnessed the incident firsthand anyway. Even better, a voice scoffed internally, What a great first impression. Grace was almost glad her phone was dead, so she didn't have to check. Almost.
"Here, for you," a voice drew Grace from her dreary thoughts. Hannah returned to her side, holding out her hand with an offer: a twenty euro bill, and a makeup wipe. Both were gently pressed into her open palm, prompting Grace to raise her eyebrows in surprise.
"What? No, Hannah, I couldn't--"
"--No, take it. For the train, and breakfast," she insisted. "Tut mir leid wegen deiner Jacke."
Grace swallowed and nodded after a moment, at a loss for words. "Well--danke, Hannah, das ist sehr nett von dir," she responded, trying her very best with the German. "I owe you one, seriously."
"Bis später, Grace," she nodded, smiling and waving her off. Grace beamed back at her in return--her first genuine smile of the day--and left the flat without another word.
The train ride felt longer than usual, and much colder without anything to ward off the November chill. She received a few strange looks, walking around the city in a t-shirt, but less than she would have if she hadn't been given the makeup wipe. At least now, her face looked somewhat better, her cheeks rosy from the cold and the contact with the wipe. Her hair was slightly more tamed now as well, Grace having twisted it into a bun in the elevator mirror on her way down to the lobby. For most of the ride she was lost in her thoughts, either musing over Teddy or the uncomfortable churning in her stomach.
When she reached her stop, Grace exited the train and jogged the rest of the way to her shared flat, too cold to care about how nauseous she felt.
"Anja?" Grace's voice preceded her as she slipped her keys back into the pocket of her jeans. The flat was quiet, apart from the click of the door closing behind her--Anja was either asleep, or not home. Either way, she was happy to not have to face her friend right after their fight. Grace sighed, pacing into their kitchenette and plugging her phone into the cord on the counter. She slipped out of her converse then, and headed straight to her bathroom to throw up.
Knudeli
The forgotten
"Ahhh, if that isn't my favourite angsty emo girl! Hey Ted!", Thomas shouted from behind the counter. A few customers glanced in their direction. A lot of people who frequented the shop were used to the occasional banter and didn't bat an eye anymore. Teddy smiled and rolled her eyes. Thomas was tall despite being half Korean. He looked rediclious next to most other employees who were petite females. But the potential intimidating effect Thomas could have had was ruined by the long hipster hair and enthusiastic waving.
"Sup loser. You're getting used to the new English rule I see." Teddy said when she stepped behind the counter.
"Yes, ma'm!" Thomas grinned, "But it's so annoying Teddy. If I speak English all night while streaming and then here as well I'll forget how to speak German."
Teddy glanced at him as she tied her apron. "You realise that you can switch anytime and only have to speak in English if the costumer isn't fluent in German, right?"
"Oh... stimmt. Du redest so oft Englisch, dass ich das immer vergesse."
Teddy shook her head and headed into the back room to store her phone and wallet. In the small mirror behind the door she pinned back her hair and gave herself her best customer smile before leaving.
Once she came out again she understood why Thomas had called for backup - the cafe was unusually busy for a Sunday. Apparently she had chosen a quiet moment to enter the shop, because now six people were waiting to get their to-go orders while Thomas tried his best to keep up with the orders. Teddy joined him and was soon whisked away alternating between waiting the tables and running the register.
"Oh you're right. You speak English so much that I always forget."
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Head tilted upwards at the shower head, Grace allowed the steady stream of warm water to pelt her against skin as she closed her eyes and groaned. Hangovers were the fucking worst. Her first bad hangover occurred shortly after she'd settled in Berlin, and that alone was enough to put her off drinking completely for a good couple of weeks. But Anja had a funny way of making her forget all that whenever she wanted to go out for a night. There was something about her friend's presence that was nearly as intoxicating as the drinks--it was one of the reasons Grace was so fond of her. She wondered then how her friend was coping with the previous night's events. If she knew her at all, she guessed the answer would be "not well".
Grace stayed in the shower much longer than usual, taking her time washing her hair and body. It was eventually the heat and lack of food in her stomach that prompted her to get out, contributing heavily to the wave of light-headedness that had hit her as well. Begrudgingly, she stepped out into the humid, steam-filled bathroom. The room was just big enough for a small vanity, a toilet, and the pink vintage bathtub the flat's landlord had described as "chic and antique". It wasn't as functional as some, but she did like the colour.
Grace wiped some steam from the oval mirror above the sink with the corner of her towel and stared back at her reflection in the spot of clean glass. Considering how awful she felt inside, her physical appearance was half-decent. The bags under her eyes were more prominent without any concealer to hide them, but her cheeks had a healthy colour to them that surprised even her.
Grace nodded at herself and turned away, wasting no more time drying off and heading to her room. She picked through the tops she had hanging by her bed, eventually settling on the over-sized black hoodie her dad had sent her at the start of the semester. A small insignia of a Canadian national park she'd visited with her family was stitched into the left breast, and the mountain scene depicted in the worn thread always made her smile. Despite how often she'd worn and washed it since, the pullover had also managed to hold on to the comforting scent of the detergent her mom always used, never failing to remind her of how much she missed having someone to do her laundry. Beneath the sweater, Grace threw on the pair of jeans she'd worn the night before and began to braid her damp hair in a simple plait. Just as she was finishing up, she heard the jingle of keys in the door of her flat and greeted Anja in the kitchen a few moments later.
"Morning," she said, watching the taller girl as she set her keys on the table and glanced up at her voice. The box in her hands indicated she'd visited the bakery across the street from their complex, and Grace was reminded of how hungry she was. Anja nodded in acknowledgment, giving the brunette a slightly awkward smile.
"Morning. You look...better," her friend replied. There was a pause, and she tilted her head at her curiously. "I didn't hear you come home last night, where did you stay?" she asked.
"It's...kind of a long story," Grace responded, shaking her head with a soft chuckle. She twirled a stray piece of dark hair around her finger in the silence that followed, unsure of how to begin what she was about to say. "Um--look, Anja...about last night, I wanted to say I'm so--"
"--No, no. I'm sorry, Grace," Anja interjected, holding up a hand to quiet her. "I said some shitty things--well, I don't remember all of it--but I know you didn't deserve any of it," she went on earnestly. Grace released a slow breath, relieved that she'd managed to avoid any more confrontation. Anja glanced down then and her face lit up as if she'd suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I brought these for us. They're make up muffins, I figured you'd be hungry," she added, gesturing to the box on the island counter with a gentle nod.
Grace smiled fondly at her friend, making her way to Anja's side. "Girl, you know me so well," she grinned, opening the familiar packaging and selecting a raspberry muffin. She took a ravenous bite, groaning with delight. "Mmph, oh my god, I love you," she managed through the mouthful of food, leaning into her friend's side affectionately. Anja gave her a relieved smile. Grace swallowed the treat and took on a more serious expression after a moment, turning and meeting the taller girl's gaze. "But...seriously Anja, I really appreciate you," she told her. "I don't say that enough and I'm also sorry about what happened last night. That was such a mess."
"Agreed," Anja smiled weakly, selecting a muffin for herself. Both ate in satisfied silence for a few minutes before Anja's mouth eventually curled into a grin. "So...a 'long story', huh?" she prompted, smirking. "Did you go home with someone, or what?"
Grace scoffed, taking another muffin and shaking her head. "Oh no--it's more embarrassing than long, I guess," she admitted. "I didn't make it all that far after you left. Take my word for it: the floor of a stairwell--even in some extravagant place like that--is not a nice place to sleep," she continued, giggling. "Oh, and someone fucking robbed me! I would have had to hitchhike or something if Hannah hadn't lent me some cash, bless her heart."
Anja's face turned from concerned to amused, and she let out a soft laugh. "Girl, I had no idea, why didn't you call?" she asked, finishing her muffin.
"Phone died," Grace answered flatly, shaking her head in disbelief. "God, dude, what a fucking morning," she chuckled.
A short while after they'd devoured half of the muffins, Grace leaned against the counter and scanned the kitchen with narrowed eyes. She groaned. "Oh my god, Anja, are we out of coffee?" she called to her roommate, who had since migrated to their couch to lay down. There was a beat of silence followed closely by a muffled curse from her friend, laying face-down on the worn cushions. Grace gave a pained smile. "I'll take that as a yes?"
"Mmhmph. Mmsorry, Gracie."
Grace sighed and glanced back at the counter where her phone lay. She still had at least a good fifteen dollars left after the train ticket, and she knew what she had to do. "Alright. It's fine, I'll go grab us some--but only since you brought home those muffins," she told her, grinning as she took her phone and keys. "Drink some water, it'll help with the headache. I'll be back soon!" she called, slipping into her sneakers and blowing her friend a kiss on her way out the door.
The walk to the coffee shop was pleasant now that she was dressed more appropriately. She took in the brisk fresh air, the chatter of civilians around her, the scent of fresh bread wafting her way from the bakery down the street--it was nice, Berlin in the fall. Though she still saw many people in coats, she was warm enough in her thick pullover that she could push the loss of her new jacket from her mind for the time being.
Bohnenbar, not only the closest to her flat, but arguably the most popular among students and others alike, was a quaint little coffee shop just five minutes from her complex. It boasted excellent ratings and a handful of friendly staff, some of whom even recognized Grace from how often she frequented the joint. She enjoyed the space for its laidback vibe, comfy chairs and stylish decor, as well as the expertly prepared lattes she always ordered. Naturally, this was the place she defaulted to when she was in need of a caffeine fix.
Grace crossed the familiar street when a break in traffic appeared and followed a slender woman ahead of her inside. She felt her shoulders relax almost instantly as the pleasant aroma of the freshly brewed coffee greeted her--somehow, this little place felt more like home than her own flat did at times. With a content sigh, she made her way to the end of the orders line, scanning the bustling café with a soft smile.
Grace stayed in the shower much longer than usual, taking her time washing her hair and body. It was eventually the heat and lack of food in her stomach that prompted her to get out, contributing heavily to the wave of light-headedness that had hit her as well. Begrudgingly, she stepped out into the humid, steam-filled bathroom. The room was just big enough for a small vanity, a toilet, and the pink vintage bathtub the flat's landlord had described as "chic and antique". It wasn't as functional as some, but she did like the colour.
Grace wiped some steam from the oval mirror above the sink with the corner of her towel and stared back at her reflection in the spot of clean glass. Considering how awful she felt inside, her physical appearance was half-decent. The bags under her eyes were more prominent without any concealer to hide them, but her cheeks had a healthy colour to them that surprised even her.
Grace nodded at herself and turned away, wasting no more time drying off and heading to her room. She picked through the tops she had hanging by her bed, eventually settling on the over-sized black hoodie her dad had sent her at the start of the semester. A small insignia of a Canadian national park she'd visited with her family was stitched into the left breast, and the mountain scene depicted in the worn thread always made her smile. Despite how often she'd worn and washed it since, the pullover had also managed to hold on to the comforting scent of the detergent her mom always used, never failing to remind her of how much she missed having someone to do her laundry. Beneath the sweater, Grace threw on the pair of jeans she'd worn the night before and began to braid her damp hair in a simple plait. Just as she was finishing up, she heard the jingle of keys in the door of her flat and greeted Anja in the kitchen a few moments later.
"Morning," she said, watching the taller girl as she set her keys on the table and glanced up at her voice. The box in her hands indicated she'd visited the bakery across the street from their complex, and Grace was reminded of how hungry she was. Anja nodded in acknowledgment, giving the brunette a slightly awkward smile.
"Morning. You look...better," her friend replied. There was a pause, and she tilted her head at her curiously. "I didn't hear you come home last night, where did you stay?" she asked.
"It's...kind of a long story," Grace responded, shaking her head with a soft chuckle. She twirled a stray piece of dark hair around her finger in the silence that followed, unsure of how to begin what she was about to say. "Um--look, Anja...about last night, I wanted to say I'm so--"
"--No, no. I'm sorry, Grace," Anja interjected, holding up a hand to quiet her. "I said some shitty things--well, I don't remember all of it--but I know you didn't deserve any of it," she went on earnestly. Grace released a slow breath, relieved that she'd managed to avoid any more confrontation. Anja glanced down then and her face lit up as if she'd suddenly remembered something. "Oh, I brought these for us. They're make up muffins, I figured you'd be hungry," she added, gesturing to the box on the island counter with a gentle nod.
Grace smiled fondly at her friend, making her way to Anja's side. "Girl, you know me so well," she grinned, opening the familiar packaging and selecting a raspberry muffin. She took a ravenous bite, groaning with delight. "Mmph, oh my god, I love you," she managed through the mouthful of food, leaning into her friend's side affectionately. Anja gave her a relieved smile. Grace swallowed the treat and took on a more serious expression after a moment, turning and meeting the taller girl's gaze. "But...seriously Anja, I really appreciate you," she told her. "I don't say that enough and I'm also sorry about what happened last night. That was such a mess."
"Agreed," Anja smiled weakly, selecting a muffin for herself. Both ate in satisfied silence for a few minutes before Anja's mouth eventually curled into a grin. "So...a 'long story', huh?" she prompted, smirking. "Did you go home with someone, or what?"
Grace scoffed, taking another muffin and shaking her head. "Oh no--it's more embarrassing than long, I guess," she admitted. "I didn't make it all that far after you left. Take my word for it: the floor of a stairwell--even in some extravagant place like that--is not a nice place to sleep," she continued, giggling. "Oh, and someone fucking robbed me! I would have had to hitchhike or something if Hannah hadn't lent me some cash, bless her heart."
Anja's face turned from concerned to amused, and she let out a soft laugh. "Girl, I had no idea, why didn't you call?" she asked, finishing her muffin.
"Phone died," Grace answered flatly, shaking her head in disbelief. "God, dude, what a fucking morning," she chuckled.
A short while after they'd devoured half of the muffins, Grace leaned against the counter and scanned the kitchen with narrowed eyes. She groaned. "Oh my god, Anja, are we out of coffee?" she called to her roommate, who had since migrated to their couch to lay down. There was a beat of silence followed closely by a muffled curse from her friend, laying face-down on the worn cushions. Grace gave a pained smile. "I'll take that as a yes?"
"Mmhmph. Mmsorry, Gracie."
Grace sighed and glanced back at the counter where her phone lay. She still had at least a good fifteen dollars left after the train ticket, and she knew what she had to do. "Alright. It's fine, I'll go grab us some--but only since you brought home those muffins," she told her, grinning as she took her phone and keys. "Drink some water, it'll help with the headache. I'll be back soon!" she called, slipping into her sneakers and blowing her friend a kiss on her way out the door.
The walk to the coffee shop was pleasant now that she was dressed more appropriately. She took in the brisk fresh air, the chatter of civilians around her, the scent of fresh bread wafting her way from the bakery down the street--it was nice, Berlin in the fall. Though she still saw many people in coats, she was warm enough in her thick pullover that she could push the loss of her new jacket from her mind for the time being.
Bohnenbar, not only the closest to her flat, but arguably the most popular among students and others alike, was a quaint little coffee shop just five minutes from her complex. It boasted excellent ratings and a handful of friendly staff, some of whom even recognized Grace from how often she frequented the joint. She enjoyed the space for its laidback vibe, comfy chairs and stylish decor, as well as the expertly prepared lattes she always ordered. Naturally, this was the place she defaulted to when she was in need of a caffeine fix.
Grace crossed the familiar street when a break in traffic appeared and followed a slender woman ahead of her inside. She felt her shoulders relax almost instantly as the pleasant aroma of the freshly brewed coffee greeted her--somehow, this little place felt more like home than her own flat did at times. With a content sigh, she made her way to the end of the orders line, scanning the bustling café with a soft smile.
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Knudeli
The forgotten
Work was therapeutic. Cleaning dishes, small talk with customers, making coffee and getting the order to the right person. Routine. Without it ever getting boring. Teddy loved it.
She had just turned sixteen when she got her first job at a local cafe. The owner knew her grandfather and was willing to give someone as inexperienced as Teddy a chance. The first weeks were rough, she messed up orders, forgot tables and spilled coffee. But she stuck with it until it started to be fun. Now coffee shops, bakeries and cafes were her go to whenever she needed money. Of course not in the long term, she's still searching for something. A calling, a puporse. She knows she wants to do art. But what job? Another perk of studying at uni besides getting away from 'home' – more time to figure out your life.
The shop had calmed down again, for an hour people were steadily pouring into the small space as if they advertised free coffee – which they didn't, it still cost 1,99€. Since all costumers were served for the moment, it left Teddy to cleaning the counter. The spilled milk and pastery crumbs needed to go. She chatted with Thomas who brought out what was left from their food selection to lay out. Thomas told her about how he had met a fan on the way to work who had asked him for a photo. Apparently he had possibly been more excited than the fan. When it was Teddy's turn she recounted last night's events. Thomas cringed in sympathy.
Teddy had had some less than good party experiences here in Berlin, mainly because her drunk self was even more impulsive than her sober self and way more aggressive at that. She knows that she almost broke a nose at her first party in Berlin, the dude had grabbed her butt which she had promptly returned with a fist to his face. She only found out about it later. She had woken up with bruised knuckles but merely a vague idea how she had gotten them. She still can't remember his face.
The conversation moved on to who has stayed awake the longest. Thomas kept weird hours too, but not in the way Teddy did, or the other students for that matter. Being a barista wasn't his part time job to support school. Rather it was his part time job to his more controversial job. 'A safety net' for whenever streaming wasn't going well.
Teddy was pretty sure he had nothing to worry about, whenever she checked in the donations were rolling in and the viewcount was high. But who was she to judge? So what if Thomas had another reason for staying besides money. Maybe it was the social aspect, the internet could get pretty lonely even while you're connected to hundreds. Anywho, she was glad to have him around.
Teddy grabbed her tray and moved through the sitting area, she collected empty cups with small wisdoms, compliments or jokes on them, the cafe called them 'fortune cups'. Teddy loved watching first time customers discover them, the best reactions came from the most unexpected of people. Gruff older men in suits that bark their order, and when they sit down and read the line their whole face transforms with a smile like the sunrays breaking through the clouds on a rainy day. The cups on her tray had 'You are a wonder - you can't comprehend yet' and 'You are doing amazing, keep it up.' scrawled along the white porcelain. Teddy smiled.
Thomas was working the register while Teddy washed the dishes, when there wasn't too much it was way quicker than waiting on the dishwasher to fill up. She was drying her hands when the bell chimed, a gust of cold air tickled Teddy's neck. She was sure Thomas would handle the orders and she could move right to preparing them.
Except when she turned she heard a hauntingly familiar voice, a second later she saw a brunette girl from behind Thomas massive shoulder. A girl none other than Grace. What were the odds? Teddy blanked, it felt strange seeing her again so soon after that night. Plus she barely looked affected by the shitshow that had gone down. Teddy pushed a imaginary strand of hair behind her ear. Fuck, that must have looked stupid! Did her makeup look okay? If not it wasn't like she could fix it now, might as well bite the bullet. She stepped beside Thomas with her customer smile, stomach fluttering uncomfortably.
She had just turned sixteen when she got her first job at a local cafe. The owner knew her grandfather and was willing to give someone as inexperienced as Teddy a chance. The first weeks were rough, she messed up orders, forgot tables and spilled coffee. But she stuck with it until it started to be fun. Now coffee shops, bakeries and cafes were her go to whenever she needed money. Of course not in the long term, she's still searching for something. A calling, a puporse. She knows she wants to do art. But what job? Another perk of studying at uni besides getting away from 'home' – more time to figure out your life.
The shop had calmed down again, for an hour people were steadily pouring into the small space as if they advertised free coffee – which they didn't, it still cost 1,99€. Since all costumers were served for the moment, it left Teddy to cleaning the counter. The spilled milk and pastery crumbs needed to go. She chatted with Thomas who brought out what was left from their food selection to lay out. Thomas told her about how he had met a fan on the way to work who had asked him for a photo. Apparently he had possibly been more excited than the fan. When it was Teddy's turn she recounted last night's events. Thomas cringed in sympathy.
Teddy had had some less than good party experiences here in Berlin, mainly because her drunk self was even more impulsive than her sober self and way more aggressive at that. She knows that she almost broke a nose at her first party in Berlin, the dude had grabbed her butt which she had promptly returned with a fist to his face. She only found out about it later. She had woken up with bruised knuckles but merely a vague idea how she had gotten them. She still can't remember his face.
The conversation moved on to who has stayed awake the longest. Thomas kept weird hours too, but not in the way Teddy did, or the other students for that matter. Being a barista wasn't his part time job to support school. Rather it was his part time job to his more controversial job. 'A safety net' for whenever streaming wasn't going well.
Teddy was pretty sure he had nothing to worry about, whenever she checked in the donations were rolling in and the viewcount was high. But who was she to judge? So what if Thomas had another reason for staying besides money. Maybe it was the social aspect, the internet could get pretty lonely even while you're connected to hundreds. Anywho, she was glad to have him around.
Teddy grabbed her tray and moved through the sitting area, she collected empty cups with small wisdoms, compliments or jokes on them, the cafe called them 'fortune cups'. Teddy loved watching first time customers discover them, the best reactions came from the most unexpected of people. Gruff older men in suits that bark their order, and when they sit down and read the line their whole face transforms with a smile like the sunrays breaking through the clouds on a rainy day. The cups on her tray had 'You are a wonder - you can't comprehend yet' and 'You are doing amazing, keep it up.' scrawled along the white porcelain. Teddy smiled.
Thomas was working the register while Teddy washed the dishes, when there wasn't too much it was way quicker than waiting on the dishwasher to fill up. She was drying her hands when the bell chimed, a gust of cold air tickled Teddy's neck. She was sure Thomas would handle the orders and she could move right to preparing them.
Except when she turned she heard a hauntingly familiar voice, a second later she saw a brunette girl from behind Thomas massive shoulder. A girl none other than Grace. What were the odds? Teddy blanked, it felt strange seeing her again so soon after that night. Plus she barely looked affected by the shitshow that had gone down. Teddy pushed a imaginary strand of hair behind her ear. Fuck, that must have looked stupid! Did her makeup look okay? If not it wasn't like she could fix it now, might as well bite the bullet. She stepped beside Thomas with her customer smile, stomach fluttering uncomfortably.
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
When she was younger, Grace had always wanted to work at a coffee shop. Something about the constant buzz of activity--every day, a never-ending stream of new and familiar faces alike, along with the challenge of preparing each customer's drink just right drew her in for some reason. Unfortunately for her, nearly all of the cafes around her home only hired legal adults, so she'd ended up settling for a job busing tables at the old diner by her house instead. It didn't pay that well and her manager was a bit of a dick, but she still got to strike up conversations with the people who came in. Being so close to a major highway, the diner saw mostly of tourists and folks who were on the road a lot--those were the types of people who'd talk your ear off if you let them, Grace had come to find, but she was more than happy to listen. Especially if it meant they would tip her well because of it.
It had also prepared her somewhat for her current job: bartending at one of the local pubs near the university. It was a popular hangout spot among students, and it was an excellent way for her to practice not only her conversational German, but her French too from time to time. She often met her classmates and other allumni during her shifts, but most of the people who went there weren't sober long enough to make any meaningful connections anyways. Grace had initially thought it to be tourists who talked the most from her experience, until she'd worked her first Friday night shift at the bar. The one or two talkative families she got in a shift at the diner was no match for a horde of intoxicated college students, most of whom drunkenly chatted or flirted with her right up until close. At this point, she'd lost count of the number of times she'd gotten a guy's phone number on his bill instead of a tip.
Grace watched the woman ahead of her pay and stepped up to the counter herself, scanning the menu posted on the back wall carefully. It was a fun habit of hers, pretending she was going to order something other than the latte she always ended up with. After a few seconds, she glanced back down at the barista, and found herself staring into a familar pair of piercing blue eyes. Teddy's very blue, very beautiful eyes. A soft, "Oh--fuck," was all Grace could manage at first.
Teddy looked different in this light. Not in a bad way, no; a wow, holy shit, take-your-breath-away kind of different. Teddy was even prettier than she remembered, with an air of confidence and a natural beauty about her that made the other girl's heart flutter. In the daylight, Grace could make out the individual flecks of grey in her irises, the dark ring of blue around the outer edge, her full lashes. Somehow, her pale skin looked even clearer today, and she could now see the light dusting of freckles that painted her cheek bones.
Grace remembered some moments from the previous night vividly despite her haze, like watching the blonde take drag after drag from the joint, for instance. She remembered how her hair had seemed to glow in the moonlight, and saw now that that same hair was peeking out from beneath a beanie. It gave her a hipster sort of look, paired with her button-down and apron--it all suited her quite well, unsurprisingly.
Grace remembered then that social interactions were generally two-sided and promptly shook her head, chuckling in an attempt to diffuse the building tension. "Shit, uh, sorry," she apologized, habitually tucking a piece of already-tucked hair behind her ear again. Unfortunately, she no longer had the cover of night to conceal her light blush. "Teddy, right?"
As if I could forget.
She laughed again. "Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't expect to see you here I guess. You...work here?" she asked, gesturing to the rest of the place, trying desperately not to sound as awkward as she felt.
No, Grace, I'm sure she just spends her free time behind the counter here, hanging out with the workers. Oh, she probably wears that apron for fun too, she chided herself. Grace offered her a grin. "I mean, you obviously work here, I just don't think I've ever seen you around before, that's all," she corrected, resisting the urge to glance away in the presence of the other girl. Her grin went slightly lopsided. "Um, so did you...get home alright?"
It had also prepared her somewhat for her current job: bartending at one of the local pubs near the university. It was a popular hangout spot among students, and it was an excellent way for her to practice not only her conversational German, but her French too from time to time. She often met her classmates and other allumni during her shifts, but most of the people who went there weren't sober long enough to make any meaningful connections anyways. Grace had initially thought it to be tourists who talked the most from her experience, until she'd worked her first Friday night shift at the bar. The one or two talkative families she got in a shift at the diner was no match for a horde of intoxicated college students, most of whom drunkenly chatted or flirted with her right up until close. At this point, she'd lost count of the number of times she'd gotten a guy's phone number on his bill instead of a tip.
Grace watched the woman ahead of her pay and stepped up to the counter herself, scanning the menu posted on the back wall carefully. It was a fun habit of hers, pretending she was going to order something other than the latte she always ended up with. After a few seconds, she glanced back down at the barista, and found herself staring into a familar pair of piercing blue eyes. Teddy's very blue, very beautiful eyes. A soft, "Oh--fuck," was all Grace could manage at first.
Teddy looked different in this light. Not in a bad way, no; a wow, holy shit, take-your-breath-away kind of different. Teddy was even prettier than she remembered, with an air of confidence and a natural beauty about her that made the other girl's heart flutter. In the daylight, Grace could make out the individual flecks of grey in her irises, the dark ring of blue around the outer edge, her full lashes. Somehow, her pale skin looked even clearer today, and she could now see the light dusting of freckles that painted her cheek bones.
Grace remembered some moments from the previous night vividly despite her haze, like watching the blonde take drag after drag from the joint, for instance. She remembered how her hair had seemed to glow in the moonlight, and saw now that that same hair was peeking out from beneath a beanie. It gave her a hipster sort of look, paired with her button-down and apron--it all suited her quite well, unsurprisingly.
Grace remembered then that social interactions were generally two-sided and promptly shook her head, chuckling in an attempt to diffuse the building tension. "Shit, uh, sorry," she apologized, habitually tucking a piece of already-tucked hair behind her ear again. Unfortunately, she no longer had the cover of night to conceal her light blush. "Teddy, right?"
As if I could forget.
She laughed again. "Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't expect to see you here I guess. You...work here?" she asked, gesturing to the rest of the place, trying desperately not to sound as awkward as she felt.
No, Grace, I'm sure she just spends her free time behind the counter here, hanging out with the workers. Oh, she probably wears that apron for fun too, she chided herself. Grace offered her a grin. "I mean, you obviously work here, I just don't think I've ever seen you around before, that's all," she corrected, resisting the urge to glance away in the presence of the other girl. Her grin went slightly lopsided. "Um, so did you...get home alright?"
Knudeli
The forgotten
Grace looked like she had just seen a ghost, which wasn't the reaction Teddy had been hoping for.
"Oh—fuck." Grace's voice was quiet but Teddy still managed to catch it, her smile became even more strained. Her buttoned up collar felt more constricting than a minute ago.
Suddenly Grace shook her head, laughing lightly. "Shit, uh, sorry. Teddy, right?" Grace asked.
"Yeah. Hey Grace." Teddy muttered.
Did Grace have trouble remembering because of the alcohol? Or had Teddy just been one of these girls you aren't sure what their name was by the time the party ends? Teddy had met plenty of people at parties who she hadn't remembered when she had run into them again. But yesterday had been different, hadn't it? That hadn't been a meaningless run in or small talk to pass the time. It had been too intimate for that, right?
"Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't expect to see you here I guess. You...work here?"
Teddy bit her lip and nodded.
"I mean, you obviously work here, I just don't think I've ever seen you around before, that's all." Grace added with a grin.
"Yeah, eh, I work here. Actually since the start of the semester... ehm, so do you come here often? Cause I haven't seen you around either."
Grace looked different today, not in a bad way, just way more casual and student like, in her oversized hoodie and with the braided hair. Properly lit by the store's lights and up close Teddy could really appreciate her beauty for the second time. Last night's memories were clouded over with alcohol, pot and emotions.
Memories sometimes reminded Teddy of impressionistic paintings. The general feel and idea are there, but somehow they don't actually display reality. But rather a morphed reflection of the moment she you were trying to remember.
The shadow of Grace lashes cast on her cheeks. The slope of her neck when she took a long drag. The way her hair fell over her shoulder. How warm Teddy had been everywhere they touched. The desire to wrap her up in a hug.
Teddy sighed, she wished the night had ended different.
"Um, so did you...get home alright?"
"Yeah, I left shortly after you did and went straight to bed." Teddy smiled, relived the conversation was going somewhere, "What about you? Oh, wait, let me get your order first."
Teddy glanced to her right, Thomas had removed himself from the conversation. He was rearranging the pastries. There wasn't no need for it. Teddy was grateful. She glanced down at the treats, wondering what kind Grace would enjoy.
She looked back at Grace, her smile going from forced to easy. "What will it be?"
"Oh—fuck." Grace's voice was quiet but Teddy still managed to catch it, her smile became even more strained. Her buttoned up collar felt more constricting than a minute ago.
Suddenly Grace shook her head, laughing lightly. "Shit, uh, sorry. Teddy, right?" Grace asked.
"Yeah. Hey Grace." Teddy muttered.
Did Grace have trouble remembering because of the alcohol? Or had Teddy just been one of these girls you aren't sure what their name was by the time the party ends? Teddy had met plenty of people at parties who she hadn't remembered when she had run into them again. But yesterday had been different, hadn't it? That hadn't been a meaningless run in or small talk to pass the time. It had been too intimate for that, right?
"Yeah, sorry about that, I just didn't expect to see you here I guess. You...work here?"
Teddy bit her lip and nodded.
"I mean, you obviously work here, I just don't think I've ever seen you around before, that's all." Grace added with a grin.
"Yeah, eh, I work here. Actually since the start of the semester... ehm, so do you come here often? Cause I haven't seen you around either."
Grace looked different today, not in a bad way, just way more casual and student like, in her oversized hoodie and with the braided hair. Properly lit by the store's lights and up close Teddy could really appreciate her beauty for the second time. Last night's memories were clouded over with alcohol, pot and emotions.
Memories sometimes reminded Teddy of impressionistic paintings. The general feel and idea are there, but somehow they don't actually display reality. But rather a morphed reflection of the moment she you were trying to remember.
The shadow of Grace lashes cast on her cheeks. The slope of her neck when she took a long drag. The way her hair fell over her shoulder. How warm Teddy had been everywhere they touched. The desire to wrap her up in a hug.
Teddy sighed, she wished the night had ended different.
"Um, so did you...get home alright?"
"Yeah, I left shortly after you did and went straight to bed." Teddy smiled, relived the conversation was going somewhere, "What about you? Oh, wait, let me get your order first."
Teddy glanced to her right, Thomas had removed himself from the conversation. He was rearranging the pastries. There wasn't no need for it. Teddy was grateful. She glanced down at the treats, wondering what kind Grace would enjoy.
She looked back at Grace, her smile going from forced to easy. "What will it be?"
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace smiled politely as Teddy replied, tilting her head endearingly as she not-so-subtly admired the other girl's pretty face. At her final remark, the brunette raised her eyebrows, drawing a hand up to cover her face with a chuckle. "My order, right. What I came here for in the first place," she said, smiling and gently shaking her head. "Sorry, it's sort of hard not to get distracted around you," she commented passively, not entirely sure if she'd meant to say it aloud or not. "Um--anyway, yeah. Okay, so I'll have two of your prettiest lattes, and...I think that will be all, thank you" she smiled, folding her hands together on the countertop and beaming at Teddy.
Her lower lip was pinched in between her front teeth as she mused over how to answer her question, as well as how to keep the conversation going without holding up the line. Grace dug into the pocket of her sweater for the change she'd grabbed on her way out of the door. She produced the remaining money from Hannah's generous gesture, sorting through the coins until she had the right amount, and handing it over to Teddy. "Yeah I got home...eventually. It's a bit of a long story," she giggled, shaking her head at the memory. She sobered up a few seconds later, taking on a nore serious look. "It's a shame things ended like that, huh?" she added. "Is...your roommate okay?" she asked, trying and failing to recall the other girl's name.
Her thumb rubbed anxiously at her wrist, brushing the same spot Teddy had scrawled her phone number the night before.
With a sudden sinking feeling, Grace glanced down at the skin and almost groaned aloud: Teddy's phone number was almost completely illegible, merely a mess of smudged ink after her shower. The sight prompted a distressed look from the brunette.
Grace casted a glance back at the lineup, then to Teddy, who was likely preparing to take the next order. "Um--hey, Teddy? I don't want to keep you if you're busy, but...I sort of forgot to write down your number last night, and I think it got washed off in the shower," she admitted sheepishly, glancing back at the lineup again. "And, um...I also...meant to ask about what you...said last night. About getting coffee...sometime?" she asked hesitantly, her voice slightly hushed.
Her lower lip was pinched in between her front teeth as she mused over how to answer her question, as well as how to keep the conversation going without holding up the line. Grace dug into the pocket of her sweater for the change she'd grabbed on her way out of the door. She produced the remaining money from Hannah's generous gesture, sorting through the coins until she had the right amount, and handing it over to Teddy. "Yeah I got home...eventually. It's a bit of a long story," she giggled, shaking her head at the memory. She sobered up a few seconds later, taking on a nore serious look. "It's a shame things ended like that, huh?" she added. "Is...your roommate okay?" she asked, trying and failing to recall the other girl's name.
Her thumb rubbed anxiously at her wrist, brushing the same spot Teddy had scrawled her phone number the night before.
With a sudden sinking feeling, Grace glanced down at the skin and almost groaned aloud: Teddy's phone number was almost completely illegible, merely a mess of smudged ink after her shower. The sight prompted a distressed look from the brunette.
Grace casted a glance back at the lineup, then to Teddy, who was likely preparing to take the next order. "Um--hey, Teddy? I don't want to keep you if you're busy, but...I sort of forgot to write down your number last night, and I think it got washed off in the shower," she admitted sheepishly, glancing back at the lineup again. "And, um...I also...meant to ask about what you...said last night. About getting coffee...sometime?" she asked hesitantly, her voice slightly hushed.
Knudeli
The forgotten
"My order, right. What I came here for in the first place," Grace smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, it's sort of hard not to get distracted around you," she added. Teddy froze for a second. She stared at Grace before looking down and smiling at her shoes. She glanced back at Grace, eyes crinkling. "Oh, really?"
"Um--anyway, yeah. Okay, so I'll have two of your prettiest lattes, and...I think that will be all, thank you" Grace also smiled, folding her hands together on the countertop.
Gosh, she was adorable.
Teddy's fingers brushed Grace's hand on purpose when she revived the money. To her delight she found that Grace had given her the exact right amount. It was rare for customers to do that, usually she got bills which drained the register of coins over the day. She punched the order into the register and put the money in.
Teddy grabbed two cups and turned to the coffee maker. She glanced over her shoulder.
"Thomas, could you take care of the line?"
Thomas looked up, eyes darting between Grace and Teddy before he got that smirk that meant no good.
"Of course, my dear. Wouldn't want to cut your adorable coffee date short." He leaned over and whispered, " You should give her these lovely chocolate cheesecake muffins, look at them, the cheesecake makes a heart."
He pulled away and winked at Teddy in the most obnoxious way. Teddy should have known it. He had been listening in. She rolled her eyes, "Thomas, get your ass back to work."
She turned her attention back to a Grace.
"Yeah I got home...eventually. It's a bit of a long story," Grace giggled. So cute. Teddy smiled at her.
Suddenly Grace looked serious, "It's a shame things ended like that, huh? Is...your roommate okay?" She asked.
Teddy's smile faltered. "Yeah, it- uhm, let's just say it wasn't really how I had imagined the night to end." Teddy cleared her throat. Hopefully that hadn't come across wrong. She furrowed her brows. "I'm pretty sure Nadia is fine. I, actually I haven't talked to her yet. I might have thrown a hissy fit and left right after." Teddy rubbed her neck and switched the cups so the machine could get coffee into the other one.
"Nadia has a habit of pulling shit like that. I'm more worried about Anja, she didn't deserve that, I feel really bad."
Teddy looked behind Grace, there were still 3 people in line even though Thomas was working a second line.
The shop got busy at the worst of times. Grace seemed to have noticed it too, she was fidgeting and glancing back.
"Um--hey, Teddy? I don't want to keep you if you're busy, but...I sort of forgot to write down your number last night, and I think it got washed off in the shower," Grace said looking sheepish. Teddy set the cups on the counter and got the milk jug.
"And, um...I also...meant to ask about what you...said last night. About getting coffee...sometime?" she added, her voice low as if telling a secret.
Teddy grinned as she tried pouring a heart into the foam. But she messed up halfway through, resulting in a weird swirling circle.
Teddy bit her lip and tried again on the second cup, her hands shaking slightly from excitement. The heart came out a bit uneven but she felt giddy nonetheless. She pulled the pen from her apron pocket and scrawled her number on the side of the heart latte. She regarded the cup for a second, then she added 'text me ♡' for good measure.
"You know, I've always wanted to do that. Writing your number on a cup is such a movie moment. Hold on a second"
She grabbed a cup holder from underneath the counter, put the cups in and dropped a cheesecake muffin into the two remaining slots. Damn Thomas and his stupid suggestions. Upon seeing what she was doing Thomas waggled his eyebrows at her. Teddy felt like kicking him in the shin. Instead she handed Grace the holder.
"Here you go, this should fix the phone number issue. Consider the muffins a free sample from your new favourite barista or something. When you feel like getting coffee, just text me or grab me if you see me on campus. I'm sure I'll have time, if not I'll just make time for you."
"Um--anyway, yeah. Okay, so I'll have two of your prettiest lattes, and...I think that will be all, thank you" Grace also smiled, folding her hands together on the countertop.
Gosh, she was adorable.
Teddy's fingers brushed Grace's hand on purpose when she revived the money. To her delight she found that Grace had given her the exact right amount. It was rare for customers to do that, usually she got bills which drained the register of coins over the day. She punched the order into the register and put the money in.
Teddy grabbed two cups and turned to the coffee maker. She glanced over her shoulder.
"Thomas, could you take care of the line?"
Thomas looked up, eyes darting between Grace and Teddy before he got that smirk that meant no good.
"Of course, my dear. Wouldn't want to cut your adorable coffee date short." He leaned over and whispered, " You should give her these lovely chocolate cheesecake muffins, look at them, the cheesecake makes a heart."
He pulled away and winked at Teddy in the most obnoxious way. Teddy should have known it. He had been listening in. She rolled her eyes, "Thomas, get your ass back to work."
She turned her attention back to a Grace.
"Yeah I got home...eventually. It's a bit of a long story," Grace giggled. So cute. Teddy smiled at her.
Suddenly Grace looked serious, "It's a shame things ended like that, huh? Is...your roommate okay?" She asked.
Teddy's smile faltered. "Yeah, it- uhm, let's just say it wasn't really how I had imagined the night to end." Teddy cleared her throat. Hopefully that hadn't come across wrong. She furrowed her brows. "I'm pretty sure Nadia is fine. I, actually I haven't talked to her yet. I might have thrown a hissy fit and left right after." Teddy rubbed her neck and switched the cups so the machine could get coffee into the other one.
"Nadia has a habit of pulling shit like that. I'm more worried about Anja, she didn't deserve that, I feel really bad."
Teddy looked behind Grace, there were still 3 people in line even though Thomas was working a second line.
The shop got busy at the worst of times. Grace seemed to have noticed it too, she was fidgeting and glancing back.
"Um--hey, Teddy? I don't want to keep you if you're busy, but...I sort of forgot to write down your number last night, and I think it got washed off in the shower," Grace said looking sheepish. Teddy set the cups on the counter and got the milk jug.
"And, um...I also...meant to ask about what you...said last night. About getting coffee...sometime?" she added, her voice low as if telling a secret.
Teddy grinned as she tried pouring a heart into the foam. But she messed up halfway through, resulting in a weird swirling circle.
Teddy bit her lip and tried again on the second cup, her hands shaking slightly from excitement. The heart came out a bit uneven but she felt giddy nonetheless. She pulled the pen from her apron pocket and scrawled her number on the side of the heart latte. She regarded the cup for a second, then she added 'text me ♡' for good measure.
"You know, I've always wanted to do that. Writing your number on a cup is such a movie moment. Hold on a second"
She grabbed a cup holder from underneath the counter, put the cups in and dropped a cheesecake muffin into the two remaining slots. Damn Thomas and his stupid suggestions. Upon seeing what she was doing Thomas waggled his eyebrows at her. Teddy felt like kicking him in the shin. Instead she handed Grace the holder.
"Here you go, this should fix the phone number issue. Consider the muffins a free sample from your new favourite barista or something. When you feel like getting coffee, just text me or grab me if you see me on campus. I'm sure I'll have time, if not I'll just make time for you."
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace watched Teddy worked, eyes softening with admiration at the other girl's focused expression. She leaned against the higher part of the counter, hands folded beneath her chin as she listened to her, feeling more relaxed now that she wasn't holding up the line. "Anja's doing surprisingly well, actually," Grace commented, nodding her head decidedly. "These coffees should cheer her up some more, she's a bit of a caffeine fiend," she added playfully.
Though she couldn't quite see what Teddy was doing, the sound of the espresso machine chugging away told her that one of her lattes was in the process of being made.
Her eyes flicked briefly over to the enormously tall but kind-looking barista with whom Teddy was working alongside. She recognized him immediately as one of the regular baristas from his trademark flow, and offered him a polite smile when he turned in her direction. Thomas, was it? she pondered. Grace had never been very good at putting names to faces, but she swore she recognized him from somewhere besides his work.
Thomas wore a cheeky grin as he glanced over at the pair of them, watching Teddy almost as intently as Grace had been, like he was trying to tell her something with his eyes. The brunette gave a small wave, though she wasn't sure he recognized her after all the customers the cafe saw daily.
An English song Grace recognized was playing over the cafe's speakers, which she found herself quietly humming along to as Teddy finished up her drinks. The blonde seemed to be writing on the side of her cup, likely her phone number, but Grace couldn't quite make out what else she'd written from where she stood. Teddy clicked her pen and returned it to her apron with a satisfied smile. "You know, I've always wanted to do that. Writing your number on a cup is such a movie moment. Hold on a second," Teddy told her shortly after, ducking down to grab a cup holder for her.
"Agreed," Grace replied, laughing softly at the spot-on remark. She found herself covering her face with her hand then, smiling to herself at how utterly smitten she'd become--she was definitely more eager than she'd ever been to get a coffee, that was for certain. A light blush remained painted on her cheeks, despite her every attempt to conceal it.
When Teddy resurfaced, Grace straightened up, letting her hand fall from her face, and gasped at the coffees that were pushed towards her. "Oh, they're so pretty!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together with delight. "Okay, you've got to teach me how you did that with the foam sometime, I've always wanted to learn," she beamed, looking up at Teddy as she replied.
Upon the blonde acknowledging the added treats, Grace's smiled widened. "Aw, you're the sweetest," she purred, scrunching of her face affectionately. "You don't need to bribe me with baked goods, you know, but that's certainly secured your spot at the top of my 'favourite baristas' list," she added, grinning. Grace neglected to mentioned the batch of muffins Anja had surprised her with earlier, appreciating the other girl's kind gesture nonetheless.
"When you feel like getting coffee, just text me or grab me if you see me on campus. I'm sure I'll have time, if not I'll just make time for you," Teddy continued, looking at Grace with an adorably easy smile. Sliding the tray off the counter and stepping back slightly, the brunette smiled back at the other girl.
"Well, duly noted. I'll be sure to hold you to that," she replied casually, trying not to sound as excited as she felt. Warm brown eyes flicked downwards for a moment, then back up as Grace continued with a small shrug. "Hey, I don't know if you're familiar with it, but I actually work at a pub near the university called Auslandsverbindung--you should come sometime," she went on, hardly struggling with the pronunciation of the German after having spoken the name so often. She pinched her lower lip between her teeth and gestured to the lattes after a beat. "I mean, I doubt I can make anything as creative as this over there, but I can make a mean cocktail," she grinned, quirking an eyebrow. "First one's on the house, if you're into that scene," she added.
With a final nod, she slowly began to work her way back from the counter, still facing Teddy. "Alright, uh, text me! Well, after I text you! Or, yeah, I'll talk to you after class," she told her, nodding a few times. "We'll work something out--!" As she took another step backwards, she almost tripped on the corner of one of the display cases, stumbling slightly but miraculously managing to catch herself and keep the tray from swaying too much.
Grace cursed quietly and shot Teddy a lopsided smile from beside an older man, who cast a disapproving look down at her. "Ah--well, anyways, see you around Teddy!" she called, turning away and heading to the smaller counter with lids and cardboard sleeves for the cups. She felt her face heating up, but couldn't stop smiling as she grabbed what she needed and headed back outside onto the bustling street.
Though she couldn't quite see what Teddy was doing, the sound of the espresso machine chugging away told her that one of her lattes was in the process of being made.
Her eyes flicked briefly over to the enormously tall but kind-looking barista with whom Teddy was working alongside. She recognized him immediately as one of the regular baristas from his trademark flow, and offered him a polite smile when he turned in her direction. Thomas, was it? she pondered. Grace had never been very good at putting names to faces, but she swore she recognized him from somewhere besides his work.
Thomas wore a cheeky grin as he glanced over at the pair of them, watching Teddy almost as intently as Grace had been, like he was trying to tell her something with his eyes. The brunette gave a small wave, though she wasn't sure he recognized her after all the customers the cafe saw daily.
An English song Grace recognized was playing over the cafe's speakers, which she found herself quietly humming along to as Teddy finished up her drinks. The blonde seemed to be writing on the side of her cup, likely her phone number, but Grace couldn't quite make out what else she'd written from where she stood. Teddy clicked her pen and returned it to her apron with a satisfied smile. "You know, I've always wanted to do that. Writing your number on a cup is such a movie moment. Hold on a second," Teddy told her shortly after, ducking down to grab a cup holder for her.
"Agreed," Grace replied, laughing softly at the spot-on remark. She found herself covering her face with her hand then, smiling to herself at how utterly smitten she'd become--she was definitely more eager than she'd ever been to get a coffee, that was for certain. A light blush remained painted on her cheeks, despite her every attempt to conceal it.
When Teddy resurfaced, Grace straightened up, letting her hand fall from her face, and gasped at the coffees that were pushed towards her. "Oh, they're so pretty!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands together with delight. "Okay, you've got to teach me how you did that with the foam sometime, I've always wanted to learn," she beamed, looking up at Teddy as she replied.
Upon the blonde acknowledging the added treats, Grace's smiled widened. "Aw, you're the sweetest," she purred, scrunching of her face affectionately. "You don't need to bribe me with baked goods, you know, but that's certainly secured your spot at the top of my 'favourite baristas' list," she added, grinning. Grace neglected to mentioned the batch of muffins Anja had surprised her with earlier, appreciating the other girl's kind gesture nonetheless.
"When you feel like getting coffee, just text me or grab me if you see me on campus. I'm sure I'll have time, if not I'll just make time for you," Teddy continued, looking at Grace with an adorably easy smile. Sliding the tray off the counter and stepping back slightly, the brunette smiled back at the other girl.
"Well, duly noted. I'll be sure to hold you to that," she replied casually, trying not to sound as excited as she felt. Warm brown eyes flicked downwards for a moment, then back up as Grace continued with a small shrug. "Hey, I don't know if you're familiar with it, but I actually work at a pub near the university called Auslandsverbindung--you should come sometime," she went on, hardly struggling with the pronunciation of the German after having spoken the name so often. She pinched her lower lip between her teeth and gestured to the lattes after a beat. "I mean, I doubt I can make anything as creative as this over there, but I can make a mean cocktail," she grinned, quirking an eyebrow. "First one's on the house, if you're into that scene," she added.
With a final nod, she slowly began to work her way back from the counter, still facing Teddy. "Alright, uh, text me! Well, after I text you! Or, yeah, I'll talk to you after class," she told her, nodding a few times. "We'll work something out--!" As she took another step backwards, she almost tripped on the corner of one of the display cases, stumbling slightly but miraculously managing to catch herself and keep the tray from swaying too much.
Grace cursed quietly and shot Teddy a lopsided smile from beside an older man, who cast a disapproving look down at her. "Ah--well, anyways, see you around Teddy!" she called, turning away and heading to the smaller counter with lids and cardboard sleeves for the cups. She felt her face heating up, but couldn't stop smiling as she grabbed what she needed and headed back outside onto the bustling street.
Knudeli
The forgotten
Teddy watched Grace fall over herself and awkwardly make her way to the door. Teddy pursed her lips to keep from laughing but she couldn't help but smile.
"I'll swing by sometime, can't say no to a free drink. See you soon Grace!"
Teddy waved even though Grace was already out of sight. She put her hands on the counter, smiling while shaking her head. Thomas whistled at her.
She shot him an unimpressed look before flicking her attention back to the next costumer, a lady with bright red hair. Actual primary colour red, not natural ginger hair. The woman rattled off her order. Two drinks they didn't serve. People tended to forget that Bohnenbar was in fact not Starbucks. Teddy sighed.
In the end she made the drinks anyway, they weren't the real thing, but as close as you'd get with only a vague description and a weird name.
Soon she slipped into 'the zone'. Preparing the drinks became more and more automatic and she felt her mind wander.
Teddy wondered who the second Latte was for. Probably Anja, since they lived together. Maybe a friend.. but who meet up with friends on a Sunday morning, the day after a long party? Certainly not Teddy. But that could also be due the fact that Teddy didn't have many friends to meet up with. The latte was for Anja Teddy decided.
She would definitely check out Grace's bar. She could ask Grace for the weirdest drinks they had and then flirt with her through the cocktails names.
Teddy smiled while staring into space. Thomas raised an eyebrow.
At exactly 4pm Teddy started her way home. She drew her shoulders up against the cold bite and started walking. She was glad when she fumbled with the key to her apartment, her keychain was heavy with lots of keys. She thought it was kinda cool to have so many keys. But most of them she had no idea where they were from. She knew that some were from diary's she had in her tween days, others from bikelocks she never used and others she had simply found. In retrospect keeping a lost key wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she only did if the key was pretty.
Teddy stepped into the empty living room. She wasn't sure if she was surprised or not that Nadia wasn't there. Her phone vibrated and she dug it out the depths of her pocket. Social media notifications were popping up repeatedly, but what caught her attention was the WhatsApp notification from 2 hours ago. She tapped on it.
Nadia's chat pooped up:
Hey, we good?
Are you fucking kidding me?
I guess. You can come home, idc
Nadia is typing...
Last online 04:24
Teddy chucked her phone onto the sofa. Kicking the armrest with all her might. Not her smartest decision, with an unsatisfactory hollow thud her foot flamed up in pain. The sofa didn't move an inch, there was no dramatic hole or fabric rip, just more misery.
Teddy huffed, limping over to make coffee.
"I'll swing by sometime, can't say no to a free drink. See you soon Grace!"
Teddy waved even though Grace was already out of sight. She put her hands on the counter, smiling while shaking her head. Thomas whistled at her.
She shot him an unimpressed look before flicking her attention back to the next costumer, a lady with bright red hair. Actual primary colour red, not natural ginger hair. The woman rattled off her order. Two drinks they didn't serve. People tended to forget that Bohnenbar was in fact not Starbucks. Teddy sighed.
In the end she made the drinks anyway, they weren't the real thing, but as close as you'd get with only a vague description and a weird name.
Soon she slipped into 'the zone'. Preparing the drinks became more and more automatic and she felt her mind wander.
Teddy wondered who the second Latte was for. Probably Anja, since they lived together. Maybe a friend.. but who meet up with friends on a Sunday morning, the day after a long party? Certainly not Teddy. But that could also be due the fact that Teddy didn't have many friends to meet up with. The latte was for Anja Teddy decided.
She would definitely check out Grace's bar. She could ask Grace for the weirdest drinks they had and then flirt with her through the cocktails names.
Teddy smiled while staring into space. Thomas raised an eyebrow.
At exactly 4pm Teddy started her way home. She drew her shoulders up against the cold bite and started walking. She was glad when she fumbled with the key to her apartment, her keychain was heavy with lots of keys. She thought it was kinda cool to have so many keys. But most of them she had no idea where they were from. She knew that some were from diary's she had in her tween days, others from bikelocks she never used and others she had simply found. In retrospect keeping a lost key wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she only did if the key was pretty.
Teddy stepped into the empty living room. She wasn't sure if she was surprised or not that Nadia wasn't there. Her phone vibrated and she dug it out the depths of her pocket. Social media notifications were popping up repeatedly, but what caught her attention was the WhatsApp notification from 2 hours ago. She tapped on it.
Nadia's chat pooped up:
Hey, we good?
I guess. You can come home, idc
Nadia is typing...
Last online 04:24
Teddy chucked her phone onto the sofa. Kicking the armrest with all her might. Not her smartest decision, with an unsatisfactory hollow thud her foot flamed up in pain. The sofa didn't move an inch, there was no dramatic hole or fabric rip, just more misery.
Teddy huffed, limping over to make coffee.
katsch_99
✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ* ･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
Grace just barely caught Teddy's reply over the buzz of activity she was greeted with as she hit the street, but a satisfied smile crossed her features regardless.
Hm. Not bad.
For a Saturday afternoon, there were certainly a lot of people out and about. Tourists, sharply dressed business men and women chattering away on phones, and locals out for a stroll on the overcast day alike weaved around her, some mumbling an apology as they occasionally bumped into her. Grace stood in the middle of the sidewalk for a moment--albeit in everyone's way--almost dazed as she held her tray of drinks and smiling to herself as she fully took in her encounter with the other girl.
Not bad at all.
A giddy smile remained on her lips as she set off towards her flat, absently musing over the pretty blonde girl, the sweet treat she'd been given, and the even sweeter message on her cup.
Grace hurried home, fearing that the chill in the air would cool her drinks off. She generally preferred iced beverages for that reason. Plus, the window of ideal drinking temperature for a hot beverage was incredibly small, and she was a slow drinker to begin with--iced drinks could be enjoyed over a longer period of time, and she never had to worry about burning her tongue in a miscalculation of temperature.
Juggling the tray of treats in one hand, Grace fumbled around in her pocket for her keys, tapping her foot against the pavement as the chill began to seep into her as well as the drinks. After a moment of thought, she tried the door handle and realized she hadn't locked the door in the first place. An irritated huff preceded her as she slipped into her flat.
"Honey, I'm home!" she called in a singsong voice, closing the door behind herself. Her cheeks were now rosy from the cold wind, rather than the blush she'd worn at the cafe, and her braided hair had begun to dry.
A few seconds of silence followed her remark before a messy head of brown hair emerged from behind the back of the couch, Anja smiling sleepily over at her.
"Ugh, I could kiss you right now..." the taller girl groaned, sitting upright and scooting over to make room for Grace as she padded towards the couch. Anja paused after being handed the tray, eyeing the side of one of the coffee cups quizzically. "...But it seems like someone's already got eyes for you," she went on, pointing at Teddy's writing as Grace slipped out of her sneakers and sat down. "Who's number?" Anja prompted.
Grace's cheeks darkened, and she reached across Anja's lap for her drink. "A friend's," she answered hurriedly, failing miserably in her attempt to brush the question off. She cursed her complexion for betraying her and took a long sip of her drink. It was cold.
"A blush-worthy friend, huh? I'm dying to meet them. He works at Bohnenbar then, hm?" Anja prodded, a cheeky grin playing at her lips.
"You're relentless, you know that?" Grace replied, smiling slightly despite her irritated tone. "And yeah...she does," she went on slowly, taking another sip of her drink as she corrected her friend.
She enjoyed the genuine look of surprise on Anja's face courtesy of her remark, though it was short-lived. "A girl, huh? Interesting..." Anja nodded thoughtfully, taking a sip of her latte. She scrunched up her face, reading the sticker on the cup that displayed her order. "Jesus, did they accidentally make this iced or something? And where's my cute little love note? God, she's such a cliche." she teased.
Grace laughed, covering her face with her hands as she shook her head. "I hate you."
It wasn't until much later that night that Grace finally decided to text Teddy--after all, the last thing she wanted was to seem too eager. It had killed her, but she hadn't even picked up her phone since she'd returned from the cafe. Instead, she'd gone on a caffeine-fueled cleaning spree while Anja picked up groceries for the week. Her empty coffee cup remained on the counter of the island in the kitchen, reminding her of Teddy every time she glanced over at it. Needless to say, the apartment was spotless by the time she finally gave in and decided to text the other girl.
Grace grasped the cup and pulled her phone from her hoodie, flopping down onto the couch with a heavy sigh. She opened her messages app and started a new conversation, carefully copying Teddy's number into her phone before beginning her message:
Hey! This is Grace from the party. Those muffins were incredible, it was hard to share them--I guess having a favourite barista really does have its perks.
Delivered 9:26pm
After a lot of re-wording and an embarrassingly long moment of hesitation, Grace hit send. She shut her phone off and tossed it beside her, wondering how long it had been since she'd gotten so worked up over a single text.
High school, probably.
Hm. Not bad.
For a Saturday afternoon, there were certainly a lot of people out and about. Tourists, sharply dressed business men and women chattering away on phones, and locals out for a stroll on the overcast day alike weaved around her, some mumbling an apology as they occasionally bumped into her. Grace stood in the middle of the sidewalk for a moment--albeit in everyone's way--almost dazed as she held her tray of drinks and smiling to herself as she fully took in her encounter with the other girl.
Not bad at all.
A giddy smile remained on her lips as she set off towards her flat, absently musing over the pretty blonde girl, the sweet treat she'd been given, and the even sweeter message on her cup.
Grace hurried home, fearing that the chill in the air would cool her drinks off. She generally preferred iced beverages for that reason. Plus, the window of ideal drinking temperature for a hot beverage was incredibly small, and she was a slow drinker to begin with--iced drinks could be enjoyed over a longer period of time, and she never had to worry about burning her tongue in a miscalculation of temperature.
Juggling the tray of treats in one hand, Grace fumbled around in her pocket for her keys, tapping her foot against the pavement as the chill began to seep into her as well as the drinks. After a moment of thought, she tried the door handle and realized she hadn't locked the door in the first place. An irritated huff preceded her as she slipped into her flat.
"Honey, I'm home!" she called in a singsong voice, closing the door behind herself. Her cheeks were now rosy from the cold wind, rather than the blush she'd worn at the cafe, and her braided hair had begun to dry.
A few seconds of silence followed her remark before a messy head of brown hair emerged from behind the back of the couch, Anja smiling sleepily over at her.
"Ugh, I could kiss you right now..." the taller girl groaned, sitting upright and scooting over to make room for Grace as she padded towards the couch. Anja paused after being handed the tray, eyeing the side of one of the coffee cups quizzically. "...But it seems like someone's already got eyes for you," she went on, pointing at Teddy's writing as Grace slipped out of her sneakers and sat down. "Who's number?" Anja prompted.
Grace's cheeks darkened, and she reached across Anja's lap for her drink. "A friend's," she answered hurriedly, failing miserably in her attempt to brush the question off. She cursed her complexion for betraying her and took a long sip of her drink. It was cold.
"A blush-worthy friend, huh? I'm dying to meet them. He works at Bohnenbar then, hm?" Anja prodded, a cheeky grin playing at her lips.
"You're relentless, you know that?" Grace replied, smiling slightly despite her irritated tone. "And yeah...she does," she went on slowly, taking another sip of her drink as she corrected her friend.
She enjoyed the genuine look of surprise on Anja's face courtesy of her remark, though it was short-lived. "A girl, huh? Interesting..." Anja nodded thoughtfully, taking a sip of her latte. She scrunched up her face, reading the sticker on the cup that displayed her order. "Jesus, did they accidentally make this iced or something? And where's my cute little love note? God, she's such a cliche." she teased.
Grace laughed, covering her face with her hands as she shook her head. "I hate you."
It wasn't until much later that night that Grace finally decided to text Teddy--after all, the last thing she wanted was to seem too eager. It had killed her, but she hadn't even picked up her phone since she'd returned from the cafe. Instead, she'd gone on a caffeine-fueled cleaning spree while Anja picked up groceries for the week. Her empty coffee cup remained on the counter of the island in the kitchen, reminding her of Teddy every time she glanced over at it. Needless to say, the apartment was spotless by the time she finally gave in and decided to text the other girl.
Grace grasped the cup and pulled her phone from her hoodie, flopping down onto the couch with a heavy sigh. She opened her messages app and started a new conversation, carefully copying Teddy's number into her phone before beginning her message:
Hey! This is Grace from the party. Those muffins were incredible, it was hard to share them--I guess having a favourite barista really does have its perks.
Delivered 9:26pm
After a lot of re-wording and an embarrassingly long moment of hesitation, Grace hit send. She shut her phone off and tossed it beside her, wondering how long it had been since she'd gotten so worked up over a single text.
High school, probably.
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