By the time our trans-country bus pulled into Berlin, the heat had reached its highest point that day, it was getting close to check in time at the youth hostel we were staying at, and Leo could barely walk a straight line. I almost felt sorry for him as he staggered off of the bus steps onto the concrete sidewalk. I did feel badly that the long hours of sitting had done a number on his circulation, but I was not sorry that two blowjobs had sapped him of any energy reserves he may have had. A giggle escaped me as I remembered how Leo was surprised I could get him so excited so soon after the first one.
"Good lord, what do you think you're doing??"
Smirking, I had caressed the bulge that slowly rose under my finger tips.
"Taking care of an old friend."
With that, I had quietly sucked Leo off to a satisfactory, if not very exciting, orgasm. The fact that we were not the only ones on the top level of a cross-country bus added to the excitement. We may have been adventurous, but neither one of us was really into exhibitionism. We spent the rest of the ride dozing and watching the countryside glide by.
After claiming our luggage and procuring city pass books, Leo pulled out his ever-present map. I swear he had one for every hamlet and town in the entire country.
"So...now what should we do," I inquired, glancing around at signs I couldn't read.
Studying the map, he replied, "Head for the hostel. It's getting close to check in time and we don't want to lose our rooms."
Rooms. Yes, plural. We would be staying in separate wings with our respective genders. Neither one of us was particularly ecstatic about the arrangement, but it was better than answering the parents' and siblings' probing questions. Leo had the advantage of being able to converse with his bunkmates while I would lapse into silence after bumbling around enough to introduce myself. As it turns out, that would have been much preferred to my first actual night there.
I clung to Leo as we navigated the streets of the German capitol. Not being able to understand the language put me into a state of mild paranoia. What if I got lost? Where would I go to get help if he suddenly collapsed with appendicitis? Where was the American embassy if the hostel got bombed? Even I knew this last one was absurd, but it was plausible enough to a post-9/11 American who was off US soil for the first time ever. Leo allowed me to dig my finger nails into his palm the entire time we walked. He seemed to take a lot of pleasure in being my knight in shining armor. He was protecting me from all sorts of catastrophes, real and imagined. Just the mention of "Fahrenheit" sent shivers down my spine.
We arrived at the Ernst Reuter Hostel just before nightfall. A fine mist was starting to fall and we were both chilled through. Shivering, we hustled into the hostel and checked in. After unpacking my things into the assigned locker in the girls' wing I made a beeline for the showers. They were located in the basement and I found them to be a bit on the dank side and far too similar to my university dorm showers to feel properly clean. At least I had thawed out. Standing in front of the mirror, I made sure my long curly hair was contained enough so that I wouldn't be eating it in my sleep. An older woman stood next to me applying lotion to her face. Catching her eye in the reflection, I smiled a greeting. Her reaction of utter disgust caught me off guard. Turning on her heel, she left the room muttering under her breath. Feeling a bit taken aback, I finished trapping the strands into a bun and went back upstairs.
Guess who I found standing in my communal room when I got back to my locker? Yep, my cheerful companion from the bathroom. It took a second flat for me to stuff everything in the locker, latch it and high tail it back to the common area in the foyer.
"Do NOT make me stay in that room tonight," I hissed at Leo when I found him.
He jerked away from me like I had stung him.
"Why not?" He was completely bewildered.
"Some nut job is sharing the room with me and I swear she's trying to curse me in some ancient Gypsy language. No," I said, back pedaling, "that would be unfair to Gypsies everywhere. She's completely deranged. Please find me another room!"
Of course, there was no other bed to be had in the whole place. I had to stay put, although I was assured the hostel would empty out the next day and I could move then. Fabulous. I get to share a room with Hilda the Horrible because there is no other room in the inn.
There were six bunk beds in my room and all six of us were up all night long. Hilda the Horrible kept rattling on. It was like she was lecturing the other girls in my inferiority. The other four girls huddled together and shot me sympathetic looks whenever the ranting witch turned her gaze back on me. I did catch the word for half-breed more than a few times, so I finally figured she was some political extremist who thought I was some dirty mutt. With that thought firmly in my head, I told her in no uncertain terms to go stuff herself and got into bed with my back to her. While I didn't sleep more than a few hours because she kept going on and on, my anger outweighed my fear and I was able to catch a few winks.
"I want to sleep with you tonight."
Leo gagged and spit out the mouthful of quark he had just spooned in.
"Excuse me," he coughed out.
"Hilda the Horrible kept all of us up last night while she went on some political tirade and made me her scapegoat. I will NOT spend another night in her presence." I lifted my chin and glared in the direction of the girls' wing.
Leo smirked faintly.
"How on earth do you know it was political? You can barely say good morning."
"Guten morgen, smarty pants. Anyway, she kept looking at me and calling me a half-breed. Any history teacher worth their mettle knows THAT word."
Leo's smirk faded and a cold stare stole over his handsome features.
"She called you that?"
"Yep. And while I don't necessarily find the word itself insulting, I do resent the implication behind it."
"You aren't insulted by the term? How is that?" Leo was genuinely confused.
"If I wasn't a half-breed, and let's face it, that's exactly what I am, I wouldn't be me. So, I get the best of two or three cultures, combine them all, and turn it into something outstanding...Me!" I made a grand gesture to emphasis my point. Leo smiled at my dramatic pose, in spite of himself. Lowering my arms, I continued.
"It's the dirty, corrupted, contaminated aspect of the word that I don't like. Do I look contaminated to you?"
Leo's gaze met mine.
"Contaminated? Hardly. Corrupted? Perhaps a bit and getting more so every time we touch," he hurried as I began to glare at him. My scowl turned into a smile and we both snickered at my "corruption."
The fine mist of the night before turned into a raging deluge that morning. Leo and I spent the day in the hostel foyer snuggling on the couch, chatting with other visitors staying in out of the elements, and reading the newspapers. Being in the capitol afforded me the luxury of having English-language papers. We ventured out to forage for food, since the hostel only provided breakfast and vending machine snacks.
We were soaked through two seconds after leaving the building. Our teeth were chattering after five minutes in the cold rain, and we finally ducked into a building after ten. The sign outside said it was a free art gallery, but no one else was around. Leo called out several times, but there was no answer. It was almost eerie strolling around the art but never seeing another soul.
"Um...I have to find the bathroom. Cold elements plus warm building equals a need for the toilet," I whispered. I was still convinced someone was going to walk in from their lunch break at any moment.
Looking around, he found the unintelligible signs pointing the way. We held hands down the hallway until we found our respective spots.
Coming back out of the ladies' room, I found Leo standing outside a door labeled "Erotika". I was fairly sure this was a word that didn't need translation. The feigned interest in the door paneling convinced me that Leo wanted to step through as much as I did. Without saying a word, I turned the knob and led the way inside.
The lights were dim, the windows darkened, and an electricity ran up and down my spine. Just a brief glance at the paintings, sculptures and other exhibits made my jaw drop.
"Close your mouth, you're drooling," Leo murmured in my ear. His breath tickled my still-cold flesh. I shivered with delight. Strong arms encased me and Leo's body pressed up against mine. We swayed for a moment, enjoying our solitude.
Continuing our walk around the room, we came upon a sculpture of a man with very large genitalia. His erection was completely out of proportion to the point of being comical. The sign named the creation "Ecstasy."
"Not for any woman in the human race. Look at that monster! He'd split any mere mortal into about a million pieces!"
I felt Leo's own member stir between us. His hold on me tightened and I rubbed myself against him. Our breathing caught and became ragged. The more my body slid against the front of his, Leo's erection became more pronounced.
"Oh, so you wouldn't want him coming after you in some wine-induced romp in the woods," he asked, his voice husky.
"Absolutely not! I want to be enjoyed and loved, not devoured and abused. That...thing...couldn't get within a mile of me if I had any choice," I declared. Leo's hands left my waist and traveled upwards to envelope my sensitive breasts. A light tweak of the nipples made me shriek.
"So what would you allow within a mile of you, if you had a choice, of course," was breathed into my ear. Again, the touch of his warm breath sent shivers through me.
"Mmmmm, I do think I've seen one that would be enough to send me into oblivion without torturing me first."
