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The yoga studio was one of the few places Natalie didn't bring her dogs to. Part of her always felt a little lost without them, but it also helped clear her mind when two other voices weren't constantly in it. A bright blue yoga mat was stretched out on the floor as her palms pressed against the squishy material, taking in a slow, steady breath inward, bringing her face down towards the floor, eyes closed. She held the pose for a few moments before the instructor stated it was the end of today's session. When the brunette sat up, she rolled her shoulders back, feeling the refreshing new energy that came after an hour of intense yoga.
She brought a towel to her face, wiping away small beads of sweat that had formed across her forehead. The towel went around her neck before she reached for her water bottle, taking her time to pack up while most people with busier schedules rushed to get out and onto the next part of their life, contradicting half of the lesson all together.
Yoga was a good way to stretch herself out before dance classes so she was usually seen at the yoga studio a few rooms away from her classroom. It was also there that she had a few friends she went out with occasionally, including the tall brunette she had grown close to.
"Hey gorgeous!" The Aussie greeted the brunette as she slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to head out. "Would you like to grab a smoothie with me downstairs? And if you're not too busy, come sit with me during my class." Lena gave the other woman a bright smile.
A familiar accent rang out, drawing Natalie out of the daze she put herself in. Her eyes lit up as she turned to the bright haired woman, a smile spreading across her features. She remained bent down, rolling up her mat, but her attention was entirely on the mimic. "Lena," Natalie smiled, drawing the straps around the mat to secure it into place.
The idea of a fruit packed smoothie peaked her interest, and a hum passed her lips. "Yes, I'd love one." She pushed herself up from her knees, finger curling around the strap at her shoulder. "And I'll sit in, as long as you don't expect me to embarrass myself in front of your class." Her eyebrows quirked upward as she spoke, humor shining in her eyes as she walked towards the door.
Lena pumped her fist downwards at her companion's agreement, laughing when she refused to dance, as always. "Oh come on, Nats. My beginner's classes are always filled with embarrassing people anyway. You'll fit right in." She teased, throwing an arm around Natalie's shoulder and pulled them both towards the door.
"Besides, you won't embarrass yourself if you learn. You've got the body, babe and!" Lena smacked Natalie's butt. "Everybody can dance."
Lena was probably the wildest of the people she knew. Her bright hair matched her personality, and the trainer laughed at the idea of actually participating in her class. "I will consider it," Natalie offered with a small smile as they made their way to the smoothie bar. "Though I think you overestimate my abilities." Dancing was something she reserved for a night alone at home with the animals - and even then, Adam judged her.
A small gasp slipped from her lips when she felt the force of a hand make contact with her. Pink flushed her cheeks as she tried to offer another laugh.
Approaching the smoothie bar, her gaze shifted towards the menu, glancing through the options. "I would like the Dream Team, please." Natalie started to the person behind the counter. "With almonds. And would it be possible to use oat milk instead of soy? Oh, thank you." Sparing a glance towards Lena, she tilted her head. "What would you like? My treat."
"Yes!" Lena exclaimed and giggled before waving a dismissive hand at her friend's self-doubt. "No way babe. You're built for dancing. I'm pretty sure you can move." She nodded, encouraging Natalie. As a dance instructor, Lena always saw self-doubt in people and it was something that she felt quite sad about. People beating themselves up over something they had no control over. Dancing was probably the best way to let loose and feel comfortable in their own skin so yes, she was absolutely certain that Natalie was someone who needed and could dance.
"Ooh, thank you honey!" Lena squeezed Natalie's arm at the offer and scanned the menu before settling on one. "One Strawberry Blast please. Extra bananas, if you will." Lena smiled at the cashier before turning to Natalie.
Pulling her wallet out of her backpack, Natalie paid the cashier, tossing a couple extra dollars into the tip jar. She placed a hand over the one that squeezed her arm, offering a couple light pats as she lead them towards the pick up counter. Her mind settled on wondering what it would be like to participate in a beginner's dance class. Of course, it wouldn't be long before she found out.
But a question pulled her thoughts back to the dance instructor, eyebrows raising up as if she genuinely hadn't expected the question. There were so few things that Natalie planned out in advance. Her lips pressed together as she pondered on it for a few moments.
"I have nothing planned," she finally confessed. "Do you?"
When the question was turned back to her, Lena couldn't help the grin on her face as she thought of her answer. "I just got a gig at this club as a dancer. I was hoping you'd come. Maybe bring some of your other girlfriends? Or boyfriends, the more the merrier. I'd love an audience." Lena grinned as she wondered whether she should tell Natalie the nature of the club.
"But anyway, if you can round up your friends, just let me know how many are coming so I can book a table for you guys." The Aussie nodded and looked at the cashier when they called out her drink. Natalie's drink came soon after and Lena grabbed it so they could sit.
It appeared that Lena lead quite the life. In comparison to Nat's, she was so active. "That's wonderful! Congratulations." The trainer couldn't fathom that it would be anything different than a professional dance recital sort of performance. It worked out that she left an open schedule most of the time; it would be fun to go and watch her preform. "I'll definitely be there."
As for her friends? Natalie pressed her lips to the straw, humoring the idea of Clarke or Caleb joining her to such an event. She had a limited number of humans she could call her friends, and of those two, neither really seemed to fit the bill to want to go out to a dance club. "It might just be me."
Lifting her shoulders and beaming, Lena nodded. "Thank you! The club just opened and it has such a wonderful line up. The other dancers and musicians are phenomenal."
Lena pouted before sipping on her ice blend. "Bummer. But no matter. Just you would be perfect too." Lena grinned. They spent the next half an hour drinking and chatting idly until a little girl came up to Lena, yelling her name.
"Lena! Lena! I learnt that arabic thing you taught last week and mommy thought it was perfect!"
Lena laughed and let the girl hug her as she ruffled her hair. "Arabesque, Hannah and that's wonderful! Why don't you go upstairs and I'll be right with you. Hello Mrs. Walsh." She waved to the woman right behind Hannah, who waved back and nodded, ushering her daughter to the stairs.
She turned to Natalie and reached out to grip her hand. "Come on. Class is starting." She grinned and got up, disposing of her cup and moving towards the stairs to her class where three girls and their parents were already standing in front of the closed door.
"Lena, we're a bit behind on our payment, do you mind if I pay it next month?" One of the parents asked and Lena smiled gently. "Of course Mr. Frank. It's absolutely fine. There's no rush." She shook her head and patted his shoulder before going in with his daughter.
The girls' chatter filled the vast room and Lena took off her t-shirt, leaving her in a bright blue sports bra with yellow lining and her yoga pants. She turned to Natalie and gestured for her to come closer. "Hey guys, say hello to Natalie."
They chorused their hi's and immediately bombarded her with questions and compliments.
When a little girl approached them, Natalie immediately smiled down at her. It appeared that she was a student of Lena's, and she was adorable. The excitement the girl wore was hard not to ignore, and she had to wonder if everyone carried the same sort of energy that would be participating in that class. She finished her smoothie, nodding when Lena stated they should get going.
The crowd at the door was diverse, and Natalie couldn't help but to smile at the interactions between the students and Lena. She seemed to care so much about them as individuals. Though, it didn't surprise her that Lena treated her students that way.
Standing at the red head's side, Nat gave a small wave at the introduction, laughing lightly at the questions thrown at her. "Thank you," she replied sheepishly. "I'm not a dancer. I'm just like you."
Smiling at the girls' enthusiasm, Lena pulled Natalie close by her waist and squeezed the younger woman lightly. "You guys are gonna be as much a teacher as I am today because Nat's not going to be the only newbie today!"
The girls squealed and hugged each other and walked away chattering about what they were going to teach the others when they come and Lena giggled. "I love their energy, don't you?" She looked up at Natalie with a beam before walking over to the corner to get the wireless speaker to the center of the room.
A few more children and adults trickled in, greeting Lena with just as much enthusiasm as the little girls as they dropped their bags in the corner and talked among themselves.
"Nat, you can sit at the back first, just watch. I would recommend you just get into the thick of things. You'll have plenty of space to move don't worry." Lena beamed at Natalie as she moved to the front of the class. Almost immediately everyone got into position.
"Good afternoon everyone! I hope you're all pumped for today's class! As always, we'll start with our warm ups so give each other some space and let's stretch!"
She pressed play on the speaker and a familiar upbeat tune started to fill the room. Lena showed them what they needed to do and once everyone was in position, she walked around to check everyone's posture, all the while counting them down and then changing directions.
Natalie kept mostly quiet as the room began to fill up, pressing her back against the far wall and observing. It was only when Lena spoke out to her again did she open her mouth. "Okay." Still, it was quiet as she stood upright. They started with stretching, and Natalie smiled. That, she could certainly handle. The trainer was flexible, given her interests in yoga and outdoor activities.
Her body bent to her will, eyes drawing shut as she exhaled with the exercise. She could feel the burn of her muscles, but it offered a relief, knowing she was doing well to stretch out her body. If this took up most of the class, she would be more than happy to join more often.
She moved with the change of positions, feeling her shirt rise upwards and get in the way. Briefly, she broke pose to pull the material off, giving the freedom of wearing just a sports bra underneath before she resumed.
Fifteen minutes of stretching later, Lena stopped the music player and asked everyone to hydrate as she walked over to Natalie. "How's everything so far?" She asked.
She knew it must be very daunting being a newcomer to anything, especially something that requires comfort in your own skin but she had a feeling Natalie would be very up to it.
"We'll be starting some basic salsa soon. Everyone will be new to these so you don't have to worry about looking awkward because everyone's learning at the same time." She grinned and ran her hand up and down Natalie's bare arms. "Just tap out whenever you're getting uncomfortable, alright?"
It was convenient that Natalie had just come from yoga. It took practically the same supplies, and the trainer lifted her water bottle to her lips, taking a slow sip before tightening the cap again. "So far, so good," she confirmed lightly, head bobbing with a nod. She smiled at the contact, glancing towards the rest of the class before letting her attention settle on Lena again.
"We'll see how I do." By no means did she want to give up, but the brunette was unsure how she would move forward once there was a tempo to follow. "I trust you." She added for good measure. She doubted there would be many more that she would let pull her into a dance studio like this.
