Kätzchen
by byutane
by byutane
Chapter 1
Fate conspired that, on that particular morning, it should be exceptionally rainy in Celle. Lower Saxony overall had been having an unusually drizzly summer, but even so, the weather that day was excessive. Tourists ran for cover, the Aller river swelled, and museum assistant Christine Becker made a great show of sulking in her hotel room.
"I just can't believe it's the last day, and it's so horrible outside." She rolled onto her back and kicked her legs in the air irritably, keeping her phone pressed resolutely to her ear. "The Schlosstheater, and Hoppener Haus, the synagogue and the castle…"
"Look at it as a good thing that you didn't book more free days," came the voice of Elias, a fellow apprentice archaeologist. While his tone was always gentle, Christine couldn't help but read a certain amount of stereotypical German frankness into his words. "Your dedication is very popular with Professor Black." She did like his accent, though.
"I had to put in that much effort, dude. After my first day." She'd come perilously close to breaking a potentially important sample of bone.
"You read too much into things," said Elias, the now familiar image of him waving his hand passionately appearing in Christine's mind. He was an expressive kind of guy. "At least you caught yourself."
"Doesn't help me much right now, though." Christine looked gloomily at the drizzle-grey sky.
"We can still go to museums and the like. Make the most of it, okay, Schatzi?"
"Alright. I'll see you in a bit, tchotchke." The terms of endearment were because the two were - technically - an item. Christine had wasted no time in going after him after they first met, but it'd been agreed soon after that their relationship should only last for as long as Christine was in Germany. They weren’t particularly keen on trying the whole long distance thing, plus, while they did click, neither was really more than a summer romance prospect for the other.
Christine mulled this over while she showered and got ready - it seemed right to dress up a little bit for their outing, which was to be the longest time they'd get to spend together outside of the dig, in a soft pink skater dress with matching lip gloss and a long white coat for the rain. There was even a quick application of blush to brighten up her pale complexion. She took a minute to wrap Elias’s goodbye present in tissue paper, to make sure it didn’t get damaged in her purse, but despite the distraction her thoughts whirred like a beehive. Elias was cute. Fun. Part of her felt like, maybe she should feel worse about leaving him behind than she did. It was possible that she was bottling things up, that they hadn’t sunk in yet - but when she saw him waiting for her outside the hotel with umbrella in hand... all she felt was anticipation, totally untempered by sadness. She reflected that it was better that way.
Elias was of average height and had spiky blonde hair, with angular facial features despite his not insignificantly plump waist. He wasn't the heaviest person Christine had ever dated, but he was round and cuddly enough to keep her amused for the duration of her stay. A soft white t-shirt clung just enough to his chubby tummy and hips, visible thanks to his unzipped hoodie, with thick thighs showing through his blue jeans. He smiled, big and bright, when he caught sight of Christine.
"Chrissie!" Holding a clear umbrella over their heads, he pulled her into a warm hug. "This is cute, I like this." He touched her long black hair, which she'd pulled into a high ponytail and secured with a scrunchie.
"Me too. Little bit 80s, you know?" The two of them held hands as they walked, weaving to avoid puddles, occasionally stopping for Elias to explain something about a street or landmark.
"-and that's where I broke my nose on my bike when I was ten."
"Are you enjoying playing tour guide?"
"Absolutely!" He shot another winning smile at her. "I want to make your one tourism day worth it."
"Much appreciated." She squeezed his hand, feeling the roughness of his fingertips. "So. Which museum are you taking me to first?"
"Bomann. It's a good overview of the town, lots of different historical periods. It has lots of dioramas. And I can be your translator," he winked. "But first…" they took a turning and emerged into the town square, which was lined with beautiful half timber houses and bustling with people despite the rain.
"It's so colourful," said Christine, dazzled.
"There's an excellent cafe here we can go to for lunch. If you like."
"Sure. I trust your recommendations on where to eat," Christine replied, playfully elbowing his flabby side.
"I know all the best places, as my badge of honour can attest," Elias lightly patted his stomach, a shy but ultimately pleased expression on his face. "You really are terrible for me, Schatzi. You know I've put on more than a stone since you arrived."
"You love it really," Christine teased, cuddling up to him to avoid getting dripped on by other umbrellas.
"It has certainly been fun. Now, to Bomann." True to his word, Elias translated every exhibit for Christine, juggling between explanation and any extra relevant information he might know about the town's history. Afterwards they walked past a few more sights in the rain, Christine taking a turn to talk by telling stories about her family back home - every one of them in the entertainment industry in some capacity. Her scriptwriter father and session musician sister tended to yield the best results, since the colourful characters they came in contact with were always good for a laugh.
Around noon, they settled in at the café Elias had pointed out. The vibe was rustic, to blend well with the outside, but modern enough to feel trendy.
"Okay, what do you recommend?"
"The Baumkuchen here is excellent. I don't think you ever got a chance to have any of Susan's?"
"It was all gone by the time I found out she'd even brought it at all. It's fair enough though, I understand it's amazing." A small grin tugged at the corners of Elias's mouth.
"The one here is better. Also, Heidesand with our coffee, and the miniature Frankfurter Kranz - the cheesecake is good too..."
"You have such a sweet tooth," Christine chuckled, "I'll get a black bread sandwich so I don't overload on sugar, and you can order every cake and pastry you think I should try and we'll split them. I don't mind paying for half."
"Are you sure?" Elias arched a brow. "Even though your greedy date will almost certainly eat most of it?"
"When have I ever minded you being greedy?" Christine winked. "Go on, it's our last day."
"I suppose that's true," a cheeky look came over his face as he scanned the menu again. "Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, Bienenstich, apple pie…" he muttered, eventually getting up to order from the counter. Christine felt appropriately pleased with herself - she'd been increasingly successful in her efforts to get Elias to eat well around her, helped along by his already big appetite and the positive reinforcement from herself which inevitably followed. He'd once joked to her that he had not one but several dessert stomachs, such was his tolerance for sweet things, and Christine had insisted on their dropping by the 24 hour supermarket after their long day at the dig was over and keeping themselves up half the night with several bags of doughnuts and a Led Zeppelin CD. Summer antics. That had been a good evening… "I got you your sandwich too, and I ordered us coffee to go with our sweets."
"Can't wait," Christine clapped her hands gently, craning her neck to look at the cabinet full of samples. "Everything looks amazing!"
"If it were up to me we would have everything to ourselves, but we need to save room for dinner, right?"
"Don't tell me you have dinner plans too?"
"If you like." The two went back and forth for a little while about who would pay the bill, then moved on to some light gossip about the other people in their program, guilt free since they were unlikely to see any of them again any time soon.
"Brittany and Georgia, mark my words."
"You're right, but well, they don't have to rush things. They go to the same university, don't they?"
"But this town is an excellent place for romance, they should take advantage of it. That's all I think."
"Not everyone is as obvious as you and me. Let them have their slow burn."
"You have a point. We have to make the most of it, that's the difference." A warm wave of, maybe slightly premature nostalgia came over Christine. She thought about the rambling historical conversations she and Elias had shared while cleaning and sorting samples, the exciting knowledge that she was contributing to a real archaeological dig, even that moment right there in the café. The program had been perfect, and it didn't need to be anything more.
Well, maybe it was improved upon by the arrival of their food.
After a couple of trips by the girl at the counter, their table was covered in plates with slices of colourful cake, many of which were accompanied with fruit or cream, their large cups of coffee marking the far edges like bookends and Christine's sandwich perilously close to falling off.
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