Vodka Espresso

epilogue

August, 2017

Ingrid stirred the ice around her glass with her straw, checking her wristwatch. A shadow fell over her table as she stooped to sip her cocktail.

"You're late," she grinned up at Dale.

He offered a lazy smile back. His hair had grown out, his blond locks now dirtier in colour, and his baby blue eyes seemed to have darkened into waves of navy. His features seemed sharper, too – stronger, more assertive.

"It's good to see you, too, Ingrid."

She stood up to hug him and felt diminutive in his arms. He held her tight, breathing in her scent, and she reciprocated the gesture.

"You look good," she told him, pulling away.

He kept his hands on her elbows, while hers framed his waist.

"You don't look half bad yourself. Bit thinner, I think?"

She rose on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, then resumed her seat.

"A lot's happened in..." She counted on her fingers. "Goodness, it's only been six months! Not even that."

"Hope the vodka helped," he smirked.

"It sure did! Speaking of," she picked up her glass and sucked on her straw, "how did Russia treat you?"

"Rather well, I must say. Though I'm glad to be home."

A waitress came to take their order and Dale asked for a beer, alongside the large pizza they were going to share.

"You're paying," he warned her. "I'm a particularly broke student."

Ingrid laughed. "Of course you are. But don't worry, everything's on me. Feel free to go crazy."

She winked and he chuckled.

"It's really too bad you're leaving just as I've come back," he said. "You jetsetter."

"Well, you know me," she shrugged. "Can't stay too long in one place."

"Do I?"

His eyes held something that made her shudder.

"Better than I care to admit," Ingrid muttered over her glass.

"Do you think you'll go back to Berlin?"

"I think so, at some point. Technically, it's..." She searched for the word. "My home-base. Why? Getting nostalgic already?"

Dale tilted his head. "A little bit."

"Well," she wiggled her eyebrows, "there's one thing I know of that could help with that."

"I'd love to, but I can't. I'm seeing someone," he explained, clearing his throat, then his voice softened. "A guy, actually."

"What?" Ingrid's mouth hung agape in smiling shock. "Now that I didn't see coming!"

The familiar blush crept up his cheeks. His gaze darted sideways.

"Yeah..." He gulped. "I've always repressed that side of me, that... half of unorthodox urges. But you gave me the courage to be unabashedly myself and act on those urges. It's also allowed me to get back into swimming. You know, I blamed it on Uni, but I only ever quit because seeing naked boys was making it very hard to... to keep my skeletons in the closet."

"Oh, I bet it was hard."

His face flushed even redder. "Unintended pun."

"Those are the best kind," Ingrid retorted. "So, show me your beau. How did you meet?"

He whipped out his smartphone to show her pictures.

"We met in St. Petersburg. His name's Lukas, he's from Munich. Plays the piano. He was studying classical music in Russia."

"Ooh, he must have pretty hands, then." Ingrid kept swiping on the screen and stopped on a selfie in which Lukas fully faced the camera. "He's cute." She zoomed the picture. "Green eyes."

"Yeah," Dale mumbled, "turns out I've got a weakness for those."

Ingrid handed him his phone back. "Well, I hope you're happy. Truly."

His fingers, drawn to her like iron to a magnet, tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.

"I am," he whispered over her lips. "You don't need to worry about me."

"I'm not – "

But he shut her up with a kiss that knocked the wind out of her lungs. Her eyes fluttered closed and she reached up to rake her hand through his hair. Dale licked his lips when he pulled away, their noses still touching. His palm cupped her face and he brushed his thumb across her cheekbone.

"You're still one of the best things that's ever happened to me," he murmured, his hot breath tickling her skin, "still one of the kindest people I know. And I've learned my lesson, Ingrid. Letting me go was a kindness. So thank you."

He drew back to plant a kiss on her forehead, then straightened up in his chair. Their pizza arrived.

~the end~