one in a million

The little tippy taps of the goats hooves as it trotted between the rows of yogis filled Cynthia with absolute joy and her cheeks were hurting with how much she'd been grinning. ❝ ⸻ Honestly, yes and no—mostly no because I had expected more jumping and kicking. ❞ These goats had seemed rather tame or bored. Not like in the videos she'd seen on social media. ❝ I thought the whole point was to do yoga with a goat jumping on and off your back and faking like it was going to headbutt you, ❞ she laughed quietly as she spoke lowly to Natalie.

As another goat trotted past them but didn't stop at her mat, Natalie couldn’t help but comment, "I think someone needs to break this up a little bit. Where’s the goat who's going to headbutt us for real?" She grinned, making an exaggerated attempt at balancing herself in the current pose, knowing it probably wasn’t the most graceful but feeling that sense of playfulness starting to come back between them.

" what? no way! that's really neat, " she exclaimed, genuine surprise and interest lighting up her face. " i've never met anyone who works in sports. — well, " she corrected herself, a slight self-conscious laugh escaping her, " that's not technically true. i surf, and like you, it's taken me all over the globe chasing the perfect wave. so, in a way, we both understand that nomadic lifestyle. " she elaborated quickly, her curiosity piqued. " what kind of sports do you cover? is it any and all, or is there a niche interest? do you specialize in a particular sport? " her mind raced, a playful thought bubbling to the surface. she wondered if their paths had ever unknowingly converged at some point, maybe in a crowded beach or a bustling airport terminal, both drawn to the energy of athletic competition but never realizing the other's presence. the possibility of such a near-miss fascinated her.

Her smile grew when River expressed genuine interest in her work. It wasn’t every day she met someone who had their own sense of adventure and a similar lifestyle. "Surfing, huh?" Natalie asked, her eyes brightening. "That’s amazing. I mean, it's not something that I've ever tried my hand at before but I love seeing people enjoy it. I've been on the beach plenty of times people watching them out on the water." She paused, thinking for a moment. "I cover a mix of sports, but if I had to pick a niche, I'd say I’m most connected to baseball—or softball. Though I have to say that soccer has a special place in my heart too considering I help coach a team here." Her excitement came through in her voice as she spoke, a clear reflection of her love for the work. "I’ve definitely had some crazy travel stories, so I can imagine yours must be pretty wild too."

It wasn't like she was surprised by Natalie's presence or the fact that she'd chosen to be here during her shift. They'd both been aware of each other in town for the last few how many times they'd run into one another. But the pounding of her heart and hesitation never fully left her despite the many times they'd shared small talk.

Cassia walked up to her with her head held high and shoulders squared, figuring she'd fake confidence until she felt it. It wasn't like she was going to get interrogated about Sebastian since she'd never been before, and she appreciated that of Natalie, because she felt if someone had a right to do so, it was her.

"How's your day going? What can I get you?"

When the other approached, Natalie smiled through her indecision and was ready with an order at least. "A gin and tonic, please." Though even as she got the order out, there was a slight pause and stutter to her smile before she caught herself again. "It's been, good. Busy really, barely get a night out anymore that I've almost forgotten what it feels like. What about you?" She paused. "What have you been up to lately?"

She raised an eyebrow, waiting for Nia to elaborate, and with a knowing smirk, she added, "Come on, you can't just drop that without telling me how you ended up spilling a drink on someone… especially if it sounds like he deserved it."

Though her own perspective on Civan was something unique, or so she thought, considering how long the two of them had known each other over the years. "I promise I'll give as good as I get. You wouldn't even begin to know how many times I've run into Raj lately, it's like I can't get him out of my system before fate throws him right back in my face." Even if she might have been part of that cause too, but she was too sober to admit that out loud.

"No, evenings work good for me." Her mother was an early bird and most of her appointments were scheduled for early in the morning so she could get them over with as opposed to stress about them for most of the day so it meant that she had most of the day to do with as she pleased. "I bet there's more options for the afternoon so people have time to get off work." She opened her note application and made herself a to-do list which had to check their name, created a tik tok account, and then get signed up for classes. The last one had a start given that the first two was a unnecessary without a class for them to take.

"I think the first thing I'm purchasing if we get famous is a sauna and then I'm going to purchase one of those vibrating machines where you just have to stand on it and lose weight." Especially since she hated working out. Hence why she preferred doing something active and fun like classes. "That not be the worst thing. Famous for something stupid is better than not being famous at all."

She picked up her drink again, swirling it thoughtfully. "But I do like the idea of getting into a routine that's both fun and active. It’s about time I stop making excuses for why I’m not in better shape." She grinned, nudging Elsie. "And hey, if the ‘sexy’ thing doesn’t work with our name, we can always play up the quirky angle. Who doesn’t love a little nerdy charm?"

Natalie’s eyes gleamed with excitement as she leaned in a little, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "And don’t even get me started on how we can make this whole thing an absolute chaos storm. ‘Local legends’ might be an understatement." She gave a little laugh, clearly revved up by the thought. "We're going to have people talking, no matter what we do."

She quickly checked the other's phone, nodding at Elsie’s list. "Okay, so we’re starting with evenings and getting a class signed up. I’m in. Let’s make this happen." She smiled, feeling the familiar spark of adventure she hadn’t realized she’d been missing. "Everything else will fall into place, I know it. How could it not when we're at the helm of our own grand adventure?"

When Raj grinned at her, her stomach did a little flip. It was exactly the sort of smile that used to make her knees weak. She pushed the feeling down, reaching for her drink instead, as if the alcohol could dull the discomfort.

"Fine," she added, her tone softening a little as she adjusted herself in her seat. "I’ll give you the math section. But if you think I’m letting you take the entire win tonight, you’re sadly mistaken." She gave him a quick, challenging look, trying to steer the conversation into safer territory—the game itself. @rajendraxsingh

He raised his eyebrows, amused by the various methods Natalie explained she would use to escape a bad date. Perhaps Benny hadn’t been on enough dates to consider something so dramatic, but he found each option quite entertaining. He wondered if any of his future dates would end with him getting stood up in a similar way. It would certainly be a disappointment, but for now, he found the idea hilarious. "I especially love the telegram one. I can just picture you trying to sneak out," he chuckled, shaking his head. "Poor guy would probably get triggered whenever he came across a telegram."

Natalie raised an eyebrow, her smile widening as she playfully leaned back in her seat, eyeing Benny with a look that was part challenge, part amusement. "Cheat? Me?" she asked, her voice dripping with mock offense. "I wouldn’t dream of it. But I suppose I could teach you a thing or two about poker sometime," she added with a wink.

»» ⸻ monday afternoon-ish inside chapman's grocery

»» ⸻ with @nataliedcluca !

     Since his newly acquired home was undergoing renovations Niko was staying at the resort in the meantime. The suite was big enough and had a couple of rooms to it yet he still found himself downstairs occupying one of the conference rooms. It felt like a better separation between living space and work, two things he'd learned the hard way to never try and combine. There had to be boundaries. Even if he was destined to be a forever bachelor at this point.

Another benefit in being downstairs was his proximity to the complimentary coffee and snacks, something someone else was replenishing and refreshing rather than he having to make a new cup anytime he was in need. That alone was likely to make it difficult to leave the resort when the time came to move into his house and have to fend for himself all alone. But living out of a hotel room, even if it was the size of someone's apartment, didn't feel right either. 

The sound of his phone buzzing on the hard wood of the conference table annoyed him at first. Niko was mid-sentence in an email reply with one of his clients and hadn't wanted to lose his train of thought. One glance at the screen showed that it was his γιαγιά calling and he almost ignored it, figuring he could just call her back in a few minutes. Something snagged him though, maybe it was an unknown sense, and Niko pressed the green button on his iPhone screen.

But she'd made it years in her life without it, so what was one afternoon? Or so she thought when she caught sight of an elderly woman looking lost and confused around the produce. Natalie could relate, but as she kept one eyes on the other woman it seemed to be more than just a lack of understanding what all the vegetables were or even how to pronounce them as she decided to intervene with an offer of help. Of course before she made it over to the other woman, Natalie watched in silent horror as a cart knocked into the woman and knocked her over.

The owner of the cart disappeared immediately, looking for someone in charge to help in their stead as Natalie rushed to the woman's side and tried to help her. "Are you hurt? Can you stand?" Natalie's questions didn't seem too relentless, but she figured that she was talking too fast for the other woman who stared at her and spoke words in another language that Natalie didn't know. "I'm sorry, I don't know what you're saying." The woman made a face, but Natalie couldn't tell if it was from pain or Natalie's own ignorance before she pushed her phone in Natalie's hand. "Nikolai."

She tapped the phone again and looked to Natalie who was crouched by her side, trying to help the woman to her feet with one hand and search for the name in the phone in her other. Finally she found it, and managed to get the woman to a seated position as she kneeled by her and hit send on the call before putting the phone to her ear. They also spoke quickly in what Natalie could only assume was the same language as she grimaced before interjecting with a quick, "Hello, is this Nikolai?" She didn't know who that was supposed to be but the woman seemed to nod and wince less when she managed to do something right.

As much as Enzo didn't want to admit it, Natalie and him were a lot alike. They both struggled with accepting help from others, fearful that it would be seen as a sign of weakness or incompetence rather than simply acknowledging the fact that people cared enough to help. It was because of these similarities that he saw right through her, watching the gears in her head turning as she fought an inner battle with every word she spoke.

"No need to thank me. You shouldn't have had to know what to do, because he should have left you alone the moment you asked him to." Pressing his lips together, the man offered her a hint of a smile, though his eyes followed the stranger around the bar to ensure that he remained at a safe distance. "What're you doing here alone anyway?"

Natalie stared at her drink for a moment before answering, sure that the other man was someone in there still or at least might be outside waiting if they were going to take their level of creep up a notch. She couldn't sit there and think about that though, or else she'd be bound to be spiraling out all night. "I thought I could handle a drink on my own tonight after a shit day at work rather than drink alone at home," she answered too brutally honest for her taste as she tried to taper it down with a sip of her drink. "Unfortunately, I think I should have stayed at home. Maybe ordered some food or doom scroll like normal people."

Still, she wasn't about to turn down an opportunity to spend the night with Nia and catch up after what felt like too long since they'd last spent any time together. "I'm sure we both do, though I know at least one thing I wanna know more about has to do with you," she spoke with a small laugh. "I've been pretty boring, relentless even with it, but I'm sure I have something to share. It all just depends on who feels like going first."

"You know what, I like those names but I think that my favorite is 'the unlikely dualists." It was something she could see people saying and felt like it had a better ring to it. "Is the TUD a weird nickname though because they might call us that." She didn't know if it meant something else but it was probably best they do a quick google search to make sure they weren't stealing someone's name.

There was a few other details to figure out such as when they were available and if both their schedule mixed well with the classes being offered but that would all come with time. "Is there any time of the day or the week that you can't do?" She questioned with a tilt of her head. They'd start with one and then see if they enjoyed it enough that they could add another.

Smiling at the raised glass, she clinked her glass with hers. "We're going to have so much fun and we'll get in shape while we do it, and if we make money and find fame, then it's a bonus."

She took another sip of her drink, her mind already running through the logistics Elsie had brought up. "As for schedules, I’m pretty flexible, honestly. I’ve been craving a change in routine, so I’m open to almost anything. How about we start with evenings? Gives us the whole day to get our ducks in a row. But if mornings work better for you, I can make that work too. You know me, I’m all about going with the flow." She gave Elsie a teasing wink, thinking about how monotonous her life had become before Elsie had come back. It was too many days of early morning work shifts that were paired with a midday nap to spending nights at the bars to combat the loneliness of it all.

“And yes, getting in shape sounds like a win! But if we make money, I think I might need a bigger mirror to admire myself in when we’re famous.” She chuckled, imagining the chaos they could create with their unexpected venture. “Let’s just hope our chaotic energy doesn’t accidentally turn us into local legends for all the wrong reasons.”

His question about the photograph brought a mischievous spark back to her eyes. "Hmm, I think something like 'Local Woman Surprises Crowd with Graceful Dance Partner' would do the trick," she teased, making a mock-thoughtful face. "Or maybe 'Unexpected Duo Shakes Up the Ballroom', depending on how this goes."

Her smile turned playful again, her body moving with the music, enjoying the rare sense of freedom that dancing with Civan seemed to bring. For once, there was no pressure, no expectation. It was just the two of them, caught in the moment. She even found herself leaning in slightly, her hand resting more comfortably in his as she continued to tease him.

"You’ve definitely got the crowd’s attention, though. Who knew you were hiding such smooth moves under all that brooding?" she added, her tone light with humor as she found herself relaxing more with each step. It felt nice, this gentle back and forth between them, like a private world amidst the grandness of the ballroom. And from an unexpected place considering how little she actually knew about the other all the time they were growing up. He had always been Enzo's friends

"I’m impressed," she added with a sly smile, "No toe-stepping yet, but I’ll keep an eye on you."