En El Beso

It was our very last night in Buenos Aires and I wanted to dance like it was my last night on earth. I felt like Cinderella in my brand new Comme Il Fauts.
I had started seeing someone recently and this new "friend" happened to be in Buenos Aires, too. He was entertaining a group of friends at a milonga, so I stopped by to say hello before heading off to El Beso. Malena and I took a table, ordered our Champan and Jamon y queso sandwiches. The beginner tango class was ending. I looked around and realized we probably will not dance much, as the room was filled with mostly spectators and beginners.

What happened in the next 4 hours left me with a storm of emotions that still haunts me today. I can't seem to shake out of this dreamy state. It was my very first encounter of this kind indeed, dancing the Argentine tango.

Malena and I were sipping champagne when I noticed a handsome man with boyish looks from across the room. He got up from his seat and appeared to be walking in our direction. There were only 4 couples on the dance floor, I watched him walk straight up to our table. "Would you like to dance?", he asked. I nodded eagerly with a smile. From the moment I put my hand in his and felt his arm closing in on our embrace, I knew this was a different animal. I felt a tenderness I hadn't known before. It was only our first song, already I felt my eyelids closing and my mind and body completely surrendering to him. From that moment on, I had forgotten there were people in the room, including my "friend". I probably couldn't have told you my own name. So I allowed myself to indulge in this sweetness. Our tanda felt like an eternity and when I opened my eyes and saw him smiling at me, my face turned bright red. For the first time, I felt exposed and embarrassed. I was afraid everyone in the room knew what I was feeling. I was disoriented and started to walk in the wrong direction when he escorted me back to my seat. I sat down and chugged the rest of my champagne. Took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure.

My "friend" didn't feel like dancing much, so he came by our table to chat for a bit. I couldn't help myself, while trying to remain focused on the conversation, I watched the handsome stranger dance with another girl. I wondered if she was feeling what I felt. When that tanda ended he made his way again to our table. I thought for sure this time he will ask Malena to dance. With sheer intention, he extended his hand to me and lead me to the dance floor. There were only two other couples left standing when a milonga tanda started. With my "friend" watching and knowing it was our first milonga together, I felt a slight hesitation. So I took a deep breath and said to myself, "Oh, the hell with it, I am here to dance!" Just like that, we stepped into oblivion. Miraculously we executed a flawless first milonga. His lead was so smooth and clear. I felt every syncopation and nuance in our dance. It wasn't till later that I learned he's a concert pianist from a neighboring town, which explained his impeccable musicality. It went on like this for some time... visits with my "friend", sipping champagne and tango with the handsome stranger.

Malena was meeting a friend at El Beso. When I casually mentioned to the handsome stranger, he said he was heading over there also. Without thinking, I offered to share a taxi. I obviously didn't think that through. My "friend" had to tend to his friends and I was now leaving with a another man, whom I had been in a locked embrace with for a few hours. So I asked Malena to take him outside, while I said goodbye to my "friend". All seemed fine... we made plans to meet up after El beso.

The room was full when we arrived. Malena reminded me that we only had a few more hours of dancing in BsAs and we should make the best of it. I was torn because I so enjoyed dancing with him. When we took to the floor, I explained it was perfectly fine to dance with others. He agreed but added how much he loved dancing with me. That familiar tenderness washed over me after our first tanda at El beso. I tried to resist and accepted a cabeceo from a man whom we'd met on our last trip. It was not the same and our connection was nowhere near as good. When I sat back down and looked into handsome stranger's eyes, we knew we would dance the rest of the evening together.

With each tanda, it became more and more enticing. Our movements fluid, giving new meanings to each step. Our souls intertwined above us and appeared to be making passionate love. There was no doubt, our senses were heightened. I felt our hearts beating louder and louder. With my eyes closed, I felt him take a deep breath, inhaling the scent of my hair and the perfume of my skin. I was now allowing this mood to dictate my tango. Our slow tangos were the most erotic, our bodies moving together ever so slowly. We were dizzy with desire and had lost our balance a couple of times. I made sure I kept my eyes shut because the few times I opened them, I saw curious eyes around the room starring back at me.

When we returned to our table, we were still breathing heavily. I looked at my phone and noticed missed calls from my "friend". This brought me back to reality. I stepped outside to return the call. He said he had been waiting for me and that he was coming to pick me up in 20 mins. I didn't know what to say, "Fine, give me 30." When I went back inside, I told my handsome stranger I must go soon. I could tell from the look on his face that he hadn't realized our night would end so abruptly. He took me to the dance floor for the last time, it was heaven but with a hint of melancholy. We could not break away from each other and danced two more tandas. I was hearing loud gongs in my head by that point, as the stroke of midnight has descended upon us. I knew it'd been well over 30 minutes because I saw more missed calls on my phone. He looked at me with such intensity, it made my head spin. I asked him to please wait outside with me, while Malena said goodbye to her friends.

We walked down the stairs in silence, anticipating our final minutes alone. Without speaking, he gently took my face in his hands and kissed me deeply. The kiss was like having the last glass of the most rare and expensive wine that you have ever tasted. How could we not complete the night with a kiss at El Beso? It felt like we'd lived a thousand lifetimes together in 4 hours. We had danced every emotion imaginable. I quickly pulled away when I saw Malena approaching. My phone started to ring again. My friend was on his way to pick us up in a taxi. After I reluctantly gave him our location, I turned to my handsome stranger and put my hand on his heart and said, "I must go now. It was amazing. You are so amazing!" He gazed into my eyes and replied, "I will never forget this night for as long as I live." I kissed his lips lovingly one last time. He was crossing the street as our taxi pulled up. A sweet sadness overcame me as I watched my handsome stranger walk away and disappear into the night. I said silently to myself, "Goodnight Buenos Aires... goodnight."

"Gracias mi amor, por ponerle el romanticismo a mi tango."