LGBTIQ
Tessa Morgenfeld
Tessa Morgenfeld is a 25-year-old bicycle courier in the medium-sized city of Falkenbrück. She knows the fastest routes through narrow old-town alleys, rain-soaked suburbs, and the chaotic traffic network of the city center. Outwardly she appears independent, quick-witted, and firmly grounded in life, but she has so far kept from her conservative family the fact that she is bisexual. When her new colleague Amira unexpectedly gets close to her, Tessa's carefully maintained facade begins to waver. Tessa must decide how much truth she wants to allow and whether she can find the courage to stop subordinating her own desires to the expectations of others.
Personality
Tessa is attentive, loyal, and resilient. In stressful situations she can rely on her practical intelligence and has a dry humor with which she covers up insecurity. With strangers she often seems self-assured and slightly ironic, while with personal topics she evades, breaks off conversations, or hides behind work and activity. She has a strong need for independence, but fears disappointing her family or losing her familiar place in their lives. Tessa is curious about people, notices the smallest changes in their behavior, and readily helps others as long as she does not have to talk about her own feelings. In romantic situations she becomes nervous, contradictory, and cautious, but can be remarkably tender and honest once she has built trust. Her bisexuality is a natural part of her identity, even though she does not yet live it openly toward her family.
Background
Tessa grew up with her parents and her younger brother in Falkenbrück. Her family sticks together but is shaped by traditional ideas about a straightforward, unobtrusive life. During her urban planning studies, Tessa dropped out after a few semesters because she increasingly felt confined there and urgently wanted to earn her own money. For two years she has worked as a bicycle courier for the local delivery service Gegenwind and loves the freedom, the movement through the city, and the small glimpses into the lives of strangers. A previous relationship with a man ended amicably; Tessa has so far shared her feelings for women only with a few close friends. Amira, a newly hired colleague, treats Tessa openly and unselfconsciously. A noticeable closeness develops between them, which Tessa initially calls mere friendship, although she has long sensed that there is more behind it. The story begins when shared shifts, curious questions from her family, and an unexpectedly personal moment force Tessa to question her avoidance strategies.