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It'd been almost two weeks since she had made it to the yoga studio; it was almost a record for the woman that found meditation in the exercise. Yet with time came some sort of clarity - at least enough to return, knowing full well that the person she had avoided would more than likely be there as well. Her yoga mat was strapped and secured at her shoulder, a nalgene water bottle in her hand when she pushed open the door.
Empty. It wasn't a surprise, really. The trainer often showed up early to stretch before the session began - so she walked inside letting the door close behind her as she laid her mat down on the wooden floor and sat down. Legs were outstretched in front of her, and her back curved as she reached forward, fingers wrapping around the base of her feet. Already, it was a relief to be back in the place she had been frequenting. It brought a little bit of comfort.
And when the door opened, she didn't even spare the thought to look, instead focusing on the burning stretch behind her knees for another few moments before sitting up straight and glancing in the direction of the door.
As much of a bummer as it had been having to stay away from Natalie the past couple of weeks, Lena tried to keep to her normal routine as much as possible. She missed Natalie something awful but she wanted to respect her friend's wishes.
So it was an absolute surprise when Lena arrived at the yoga studio to find Natalie already stretching on her mat. Lena just stood by the door, not knowing what to do.
She briefly contemplated on leaving but the morning slot was the only time she could fit in a stretch today. She pressed the heel of her palm against her brow bone and smoothed it over before walking in. She kept quiet as she unrolled her mat a ways away from Natalie. It was unlike Lena to be so cautious but after what had happened between them, she didn't know what to do anymore.
When Natalie did glance up, she caught sight of bright red hair, but the dancer was already on the move. Her silence was - frankly - a little surprising, but it was like she took the words Nat offered to heart. As she set her yoga mat down further away than she usually would otherwise, the trainer tucked a foot in, continuing with another stretch. But she watched, for a few moments.
"Hey," she greeted, finally. Her tone was light - friendly. Any strain that could have been influenced by the past couple of weeks was completely removed, replaced with a smile instead.
Lena was hyperaware of her surroundings more than usual so when Natalie greeted her, Lena was quick to turn to the trainer. Her smile was reciprocated with a slightly cautious one.
She raised a hand to the trainer before inching closer. "Hi." She responded.
"May I...?" She asked as she gestured to the space between them, indicating she wanted to close it. Whatever they were about to do had to be on Natalie's terms because the brunette knew where the redhead stood. Sort of.
Natalie's smile was met with something less than enthusiastic, it made her wonder how the dancer had taken her words and let them settle over the length of time they hadn't spoken. Still, she kept her own smile warm as she continued to stretch, at least until Lena dared to inch closer. She never believed she could see her lack her usual confidence. A question filled the space left between them, and it took Natalie a moment to figure out what she meant.
Slowly, she pushed herself up to her feet, breaching the distance left between them with arms spread. There, she pulled Lena into a tight embrace, arms wrapping around her form and hands pressed to her back. "It's good to see you." She replied honestly.
For the whole silent moment, Lena contemplated leaving entirely before Natalie moved and wrapped her arms around Lena. The redhead melted into the embrace, her arms wrapping around the brunette. "Jesus Christ." Lena breathed out in relief, burying her face in Natalie's neck.
The entire time they weren't speaking, Lena had really worried that she had lost the brunette as a friend. Now, with Natalie back in her arms this way, Lena's relief was palpable.
"Likewise." Lena said after a while before she pulled apart to place a sloppy kiss on Natalie's cheek. "How are you?" She asked, moving her arms from around Natalie so she could cup the brunette's face. "How have you been?"
Natalie could feel the tension melt away from Lena as she hugged her. She spoke like she believed she would never come back, despite the way she had tried to reassure her on the beach that it wasn't the case. Regardless, she squeezed the form her arms wrapped around, and after the dancer pulled away, she squeezed her arms lightly before letting her hands fall to the sides.
Lips pressed to her cheek, and it drew a small, genuine laugh out of the brunette. It seemed so like Lena.
Questions filled the air like they hadn't seen each other in years, and Nat realized that it had felt like longer than it had been. "I'm good. Really good," she explained with a bob of her head. "And how're you? How's are your classes going?"
Natalie's response drew a smile from the dancer. The turnabout question had her shrugging. "I'm okay, classes are classes. The girls are still wondering where you are."
Lena fell back on her rump as she began to stretch. "What's been going on with you? Tell me everything." She said, her attention fully fixed on Natalie. It may have just been a couple of weeks but for someone who relied on constant physical affection, two weeks was torture. Especially since she still felt guilty over the whole thing.
Once Lena backed down and started to stretch, Natalie followed suit. She sat down with her feet pressed together, palms pressing to her knees and applying pressure. Briefly, she glanced away, eyes dragging towards her small pile of things before looking back up at Lena. Her students seemed so determined to get her back into the classroom - at least given by the way her friend spoke of them.
Everything. Natalie's eyebrows quirked upward. "Oh, you know..." Though really, she didn't, given the question within itself. "Work has been a little crazy - you know how kids get after so many months of winter." She paused, watching her friend with a careful eye. "I started seeing someone."
Listening as Natalie responded to the question, Lena perked up when the brunette mentioned that she was seeing someone.
"Nat, that's great!" Lena reached a hand out and squeezed the brunette's knee, a smile evident on her lips. "What are they like?" She asked as she changed positions but still making sure her attention was on Natalie.
Of course she hadn't expected Natalie to wallow in self-pity, much like Lena had for a bit, so knowing Natalie found someone after Lena made her feel less guilty.
Natalie hadn't been quite sure what to expect as a reaction from the dancer - the last time she saw her, she offered sincere concern over what had happened. The news that Nat was seeing someone could surely bring tension to this delicate relationship, but honesty over the matter was well worth it. What she hadn't expected was an exclamation of excitement. Her knee was grabbed, throwing the trainer off balance both mentally and physically. A palm hit the floor to offer a little bit of balance.
Her eyebrows twitched together a little bit. "She." That clarity was imperative, and strangely the first thing she could think to say before considering continuing. "She's very sweet." Nat landed on, because it was hard to describe her in such a vague way but the word certainly fit, and as tempting as it could have been to go into details, she opted not to in her current company.
The distinction of pronoun had Lena smiling and nodding and she gave up stretching when Natalie gave her a short answer. Briefly, Lena wondered whether Natalie's hesitance to say more was because of their previous tension.
Which was why she pushed through, Lena style. "Where'd you meet her?" The Aussie asked, pressing on.
Finished stretching her legs, the trainer went on to cross an arm over her form, and with a slight pull she felt the stretch of her shoulder and arm. For a moment, she thought the conversation would drift towards another subject, but Lena seemed genuinely interested in Teddy, and she hadn't even learned her name yet. It was like she was genuinely happy for the brunette; and it conflicted with everything she considered over the past week about her friend.
"In a bar." Natalie offered her that much, and that within itself must have been a surprise for the dancer. She rarely went out unless a special occasion called for it. And before she could offer anything else, another person made their way into the room. The class was starting soon, and the room would inevitably be more crowded within minutes. "Are you still enjoying your work at that club?"
Another short response and Lena got the hint. She didn't press on and as more people came in, she found a perfect excuse not to ask anymore.
When the topic of conversation changed, Lena forced a smile and nodded. "It's been amazing. I'll be in a trio routine with a blonde and a brunette, which is going to be so bomb." The redhead enthused.
As more people filtered in, Lena decided to give Natalie some space. "I'll talk to you later, yeah?" She squeezed Natalie's arm lightly and went back to her mat.
With the change of topic, Natalie found herself able to get more settled. There was something irksome about Lena's curiosity, and fortunately the crowd that came in stopped her from voicing it too quickly. She still smiled genuinely to hear that Lena's career beyond teaching was going well. She was, at the very least, enthusiastic about it.
And like that, the redhead went her own way. A squeeze to her arm, and Natalie smiled, offering a nod of confirmation. It was silly to think that things would be able to be a little more resolved, but this felt a little worse. With her own stretches finished, she reached for her phone, only putting it away when the instructor came in. At least she could focus on the class they were taking.
