Aka. "Destination Anywhere", "The Boy and Girl from County Bavaria"... After a very intense year in Würzburg (Germany), I'm back in Salamanca. I probably won't have that many experiences to write, but there's always an excuse to post a new entry!

4.

If she had known to what point her intuition was right... As she had predicted, the fact that her new friends had trusted her so soon brought them closer right away. Yet she was probably the last one to notice how the situation developed.
Zach no longer had to try too hard to talk her into going with him to the gay clubs. He didn't have to go there on his own anymore, since now he had three companions. It became a tradition for them, just like it was a habit for Sharon to hang out with her flatmates every Friday evening. In fact, The Rainbow Garden was their destination every two weeks, if not every week. That, however, didn't mean a decrease in the number of times she would hang out with Kimberly and Tarja. The three of them would still go out for dinner during the week, or they would visit each other for a coffee and some girly talk.
The fact that the two new acquaintances were into women was never an issue. Both Tarja and Kim had always been quite open and natural about it, so soon the whole circle of friends knew. Sometimes they would discuss what girls were prettier with the guys, especially with Adrian and Martin - Marco was in a relationship and a bit more reserved.
"Sharon just called" Johanna announced as Marco came out of his room "We don't have to wait for her; she's having dinner at Kim's."
"That girl will accept anything as long as she doesn't have to cook" he chuckled "Are you hungry?"
"A little" the girl confessed, standing up from the couch "I'm gonna make some curry vegetables, fancy some?"
"Yeah, sounds nice" he followed her into the kitchen "Can I help?"
"Sure!"
Johanna opened the fridge, studying its content. In the end, she chose some zucchini, carrots and sun-dried tomatoes, as well as canned artichokes and curry powder from her cupboard. She handed some of the vegetables to Marco.
"Can you cut them?"
He nodded, tying his long, blond hair into a ponytail so that it wouldn't get into the food. Then he picked up a plank and a knife and began working on it, while she prepared the sauce, humming.
"I think I have a boiled egg in the fridge" Marco commented, chewing on a piece of the carrot he was dicing "We can add it if you like, now that there's no-one who protests."
Johanna stopped her stirring for a moment to get the egg. She chuckled gently as she said:
"I miss her, though. How many times have we eaten with her this week? Two?"
"Oh, someone getting a little bit jealous?"
"No! Well, maybe a bit."
"It's ok - I feel a bit abandoned, too" he admitted.
Flipping her auburn braid to the side, Johanna turned around to look at her improvised kitchen assistant.
"Abandoned is a bit of a harsh word, I'd say. But yeah, sometimes it feels as though she wasn't living here anymore."
"I know right? Anyway, she seems to be having fun, so I'm glad for her."
"Yeah, me too."
For the next instants, the silence in the kitchen was only broken by the sound of the knife and the wooden spoon against the frying pan, stirring the curry sauce. After the pause, Johanna spoke:
"Don't you find it a bit strange?"
Marco, looked up from the sliced zucchini, an eyebrow raised.
"What do you mean?"
The truth is that something had been going through Johanna's head in the past weeks, but she never dared to comment it. Now that the topic had been brought up, she saw it as a good chance to let it out.
"She spends a lot of time with those two. I was wondering if I'm the only one who thinks it's a bit odd, you know."
"But why?"
Johanna swallowed, suddenly feeling slightly uncomfortable. She didn't know how to express it in a way in which it wouldn't be misunderstood.
"Well..." she started, trying to put the words into order "The other weekend, Alex and I were planning a girls night out, and she normally comes with us, too. But instead of that, she preferred to go to the movies with Kim and Tarja and then to the gay club."
"I see. I guess you felt a bit disappointed?"
"No, not exactly" Johanna explained "It's just... why go to a bar where you don't really belong instead of going out on the make with your friends?"
Marco shrugged, as he slid the vegetables down the plank into a frying pan. Taking advantage of the oil in the sun-dried tomatoes, Johanna poured the sauce and heated up the stove, mixing it.
"Maybe she... really felt like seeing that film?"
"Well, she could have gone to the movies and then joined us at the bar, don't you think?"
"What are you exactly getting at?" Marco frowned, leaning against the counter.
Johanna inhaled, stirring the mixture with more energy. She didn't take her eyes off their soon-to-be dinner as she replied:
"I'm just saying - why would you rather go to a bar where you're sure not to get any?"
Marco considered it for a moment. He knew what his flatmate meant; even so, he didn't understand why that would matter to her. He himself hadn't even thought about it. No other explanation occurred to him, so he simply responded with another question.
"You think Sharon could be interested in women?"
"I'm just saying it's possible" Johanna replied, her tone slightly higher than usual, fighting the blush.
"I'm not really good with these things, but I don't really think she is. We all know she likes Adrian."
"Hey, I wasn't meaning she's exclusively into women" she pointed out "But if she's completely straight, why does she spend so much time in a gay bar? Or even better - why does she hang out so often with two girls who are into her?"
"You think she's into Kim or Tarja?"
"I have no idea about her, but I know for a fact that Kim and Tarja are into her."
"Well, now that you mention it" Marco exclaimed "I remember a couple of times I've had the impression that she and Tarja were kind of flirting."
"See?" Johanna grinned triumphantly "It's so obvious! I think we all had noticed it, but no-one dared to say it."
"Perhaps. But... Kim?"
"Oh, Kim hits on her a lot, too. Haven't you noticed that she's very distant to everyone except for her?"
"That doesn't have to mean anything" Marco contradicted "And in any case, I don't think Sharon likes either of them back. Or rather, I pray she's not into Tarja."
Johanna couldn't repress a giggle.
"Why? Don't you like her?"
"Er... no" he admitted "I mean, I don't mind her, but the way she always gives her opinion as though nothing else was valid annoys me a lot. And she's a bit arrogant at times."
"Oh, that she is" she agreed "But just tell me one thing; if she doesn't fancy either of them, or any other woman for that matter, why does she hang out with them so often? In the gay bars?"
"Hmm... maybe she just feels flattered?" Marco tried to guess "Anyway, why are you insisting so much? Do you have a problem with her being into women?"
"Not at all! It's just that... well, it would make sense..."
"What would make sense?"