Iván is simply unreachable. He is also unpredictable. For instance, after making love, he’s like a little boy. He cuddles, hugs, caresses. It’s as if he wants to crawl under the other person’s skin. But sometimes, he gets offended, argues over trivial things, and becomes jealous. Madly jealous. And yet, Iván is handsome—very much so. All the girls are envious. Of course, if they knew what they would be signing up for with such a relationship! Sex isn’t everything. It’s essential, but not everything.
He probably suffers from anxiety. His parents’ boat business went bankrupt a few years ago. Everyone knows they went under, though they used to act high and mighty. Iván didn’t. He was a good kid even then, just with a lot more money. Now he works as an employee at a car dealership. Probably nobody cares, but Iván feels like he’s fallen from grace and is worth less. But he’s not. He’s smart and capable.
Still, the jealousy is maddening. He doesn’t make scenes, but with sad puppy eyes, he’ll say that he feels like Amira is going to leave him. At first, she didn’t want to. She loved him. More precisely, she had no reason to complain. They looked great together: the handsome, muscular, serious guy and the tall, slender, baby-faced blonde.
Iván never talked about himself. He didn’t share his joys or sorrows. Then, out of nowhere, the green-eyed monster would appear, bringing with it the sad-eyed puppy. Amira didn’t want to hurt anyone. Her grandmother had always warned her that she was too beautiful, too perfect, and couldn’t act irresponsibly. Amira was terrified that someone might take their own life because of her.
Dancing helped. It took a long time for his stiffness to ease, but he clearly enjoyed himself. He didn’t like dancing with others, probably because he feared his clumsiness would bother them. But in a beginner group, there are no professionals—he should have known that. By the sixth class, without being asked, he let go of Amira’s hand when it was time to switch partners and confidently moved to his next partner. Iván’s face lit up. With one young woman, they constantly laughed whenever they danced together. In fact, once they were supposed to switch again, but they hurriedly practiced a move once more and then high-fived.
The next morning, by the time Iván woke up, Amira had disappeared from his apartment with all her things. She no longer had to fear that her partner would harm himself.
How embarrassing it would have been if Iván had become so captivated by bachata that he went to the class even without Amira. Luckily, he didn’t want to think about dancing anymore.
Bogdán is funny. He’s not as handsome as Iván, and he doesn’t take care of his appearance as much, but he says what he feels. He enjoys sharpening his wit on others, especially men. He always notices the little details. He immediately spots if someone’s nose hairs are sticking out or if their shoes are dirty. Amira is always laughing around him. The sex is a bit different. He’s not very considerate as a lover, but that’s because he thinks she’s so attractive that he just can’t hold himself back. That’s a compliment, after all. At least he’s not afraid that Amira will leave him. Finally, a confident man. And so easygoing! He doesn’t care when his partner gets all dressed up for their date. Bogdán proudly walks next to Amira in a sports shirt and shiny athletic shorts.
Bogdán had no problem with dancing; he immediately agreed. He wasn’t anxious. He didn’t dance with other women simply because he didn’t want to touch anyone else. When Amira first told him about switching partners, he laughed and said it would be absurd to trade in such a beautiful woman. He pulled her close, and soon forgot about the partner-swapping nonsense.
Bogdán took the learning process much more casually. He added funny moves to the steps and improvised freely. Later, Amira gently suggested that they participate in the group’s shared activities and act like everyone else. A shadow passed over Bogdán’s face—not too serious, but noticeable. This time, he didn’t laugh. He gripped Amira’s arm a little tighter.
The instructor separated the couple with a light gesture during the explanation. He liked Amira and wanted her to have the chance to improve. He explained the step to the baby-faced beauty in great detail, one she hadn’t had the chance to practice because of Bogdán’s constant fooling around. Bogdán had no choice but to wait. His fists clenched, rage building up, his eyes bloodshot—but still, he waited.