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!

5.

Liv released a moan as Tarja's thumbs pressed her shoulders one last time. Closing her eyes, she rested her head on the black-haired woman's chest, enjoying the feel of the warm water against her upper body.
"Mmm, this feels so nice" she whispered "I had no idea massage was one of your multiple talents."
The Finn responded with a giggle.
"I just like to take care of my girls."
"Ah, I see. Then you must have lots of admirers."
Playfully, Tarja took some foam with her hand and put it on the blonde's head, earning a small splash. Both women laughed at their goofiness.
"Hey, for your information, I don't do this to everyone I meet" Tarja replied "In fact, not many girls see much from my place besides my bedroom."
"Oh, wow!" Liv exclaimed with mocked surprise "Then I guess I have to be honored to be here."
"You should!"
"Not to mention the fact that I actually get to have an extra pair of contact lenses in this bathroom."
"No, that's just a mistake. I'll never forgive myself for letting you trick me into that" the green-eyed girl teased.
"You meanie!"
The Finn smirked. Her girlfriend's jokes about her allergy to compromise showed that she knew her truly well, even if they hadn't been together for such a long time. But most of all, the fact that she was so nonchalant about it made Tarja feel even more comfortable around her. She loved her no-pressure policy. Actually, if she had even accepted to let her start invading her home, it was exactly because of that. The Norwegian wouldn't cling to her like many others did; she was just as independent as she was, and also clever enough to make her moves in such a subtle way that she wouldn't realize it until it was already too late to turn back. And still, she didn't regret a thing. Letting out a happy sigh, Liv kept talking.
"But seriously - home-made sushi, massage in the bathtub... you've outdone yourself this time!"
"I wanted this night to be perfect" Tarja explained, kissing her hair and stroking her underwater "And what I have in store for you is going to be even more special. I'll just give you some hints: bed, chocolate, grapes."
Hearing that, the blonde moaned just at the thought. She turned around to face her girlfriend, her blue eyes reflecting the candlelight that surrounded them.
"Jeez! Someone's in a playful mood tonight! May I ask what the occasion is?"
Keeping her usual calm exterior, the Finn thought about how to express what was coming next. Mentally, she prepared herself for some big drama.
"I'm... moving out of this place" she began "So I was hoping this evening could be some sort of farewell party."
"Oh... and why's that?" Liv wanted to know.
Tarja laced her fingers with the other woman's, her gaze on their hands as she toyed around.
"You know my friend Sharon, who's been going through hard times?"
"What about her?" the Norwegian wondered with a nod.
"Well... I offered to move in with her. She needs some company. Besides, she's not working at the moment, so she could really use someone who helps her pay the rent... especially because she's horribly stubborn and doesn't want to leave her house" she snorted.
"Aaaw!" the blonde bit her lip as she caressed Tarja's face "Sharon's very lucky. I see you're a great friend!"
"I try, at least... The thing is that I probably won't have much time for you once I'm there. And I don't think it'd be fair to have you sit around and wait for me when I don't even know whether I'll be able to meet you."
"So you're suggesting... that we should break up?"
"No, not exactly" the Finn explained "It'd be something temporary. I mean, I'm only staying with her for a few months until she gets back on her feet. After that, I should have all the time in the world for you."
"I see" Liv sighed "I suppose I can handle that. It's a good cause, after all. So... how long do you think you will need?"
Although the Norwegian was doing a good job not sounding clingy, Tarja could see that she wasn't really happy with the situation and truly wanted their relationship to go on. She felt flattered by this realization, as she liked the girl very much - probably a lot more than just like - but there was no way around it. Part of her ego, though, was a tiny bit disappointed by the absence of drama. Still, it was a lot easier this way.
"I'm not sure" she finally responded "Say three months?"
"Well, that's not much" the other woman admitted "A few weeks of freedom never hurt anyone."
"Don't think of that now. Remember that we still have whole night of wild passion ahead of us?" Tarja whispered sensually before pulling the Nordic beauty closer to herself.
"I like how that sounds" the blonde smirked before tasting her girlfriend's lips.
Minutes later, she did keep her promise to give her an unforgettable night. She had intended it to be a good farewell, since she honestly had no clue how long those three months would actually be or how much things could change during that time. However, the reason why she had soft-soaped the truth was not a sign of cowardice. Tarja Koskela had a certain policy regarding cheating. In her opinion, all that counted was being emotionally faithful. Sleeping with someone else didn't matter to her as long as there were no feelings involved. As she valued honesty above all, in such cases she felt that it was perfectly alright to confess. On the other hand, if she actually fell for someone who happened to be interested in her while she was in a relationship, the right thing to do about it was to break up without mentioning it. It was better not to hurt someone unnecessarily.
Regarding the incident with Sharon, she wasn't completely sure what the situation was. She cared deeply for the Dutch girl and had desired her for a long time. Her friend was not a random stranger she had met in a bar after having had a few too many drinks. Not to mention that the way she was clinging onto her gave her the impression that it could turn into something more than that - even if she had her doubts that was what she wanted. Another possible solution would have been pretending it had never happened and continuing her relationship with her girlfriend happily; yet it was already too late for that. She had already promised to move in with the brunette, and doing so while Liv was still around would just make both parts suffer. Besides, she was worried how Sharon, in her fragile state of mind, would react if she told her that it had just been a one-time thing. It scared her to think that she could hurt herself. A white lie was a far better option.

Except for that one time, Sharon and Tarja spent every night together for three weeks. The Finn had already paid for the month's rent, and that also gave her enough time to pack her belongings.
"What?! She's moving in with you?" Johanna exclaimed.
With a big grin on her face, the Dutch girl nodded. Her two former flatmates exchanged a worried look.
"Hey, what's wrong with that?" Sharon wanted to know.
"Nothing" the redhead replied "But... are you sure about it? I mean, how long have you guys been together?"
"And even more important" Marco intervened "Are you both really dating?"
"She's been at my house every night for three weeks..."
"That still doesn't mean living together is going to be easy."
"And it doesn't make you a couple either" he pointed out "Have you actually talked to her about it?"
The brunette shook her head. She had assumed right away that if Tarja was so often with her and had accepted to move into her place, they were automatically in a relationship. Her friend did have a point. Seeing the doubt and the sadness in her face, Johanna reached over the table to take her hand.
"Maybe you should discuss it before you guys take that step. We just don't want you to suffer again."
"I know you don't..."
"And if it's just about company, you can always move back here. This will always be your home."
Marco nodded in agreement.
"We will support you no matter what to do though. But to be honest, I don't really trust her."
Disappointed by the lack of enthusiasm from her friends, Sharon looked down, letting out a sad sigh. All she asked was for them to be happy for her. Johanna read her like an open book and knew that she needed to give her an explanation.
"Honey, we didn't mean to make you feel bad or anything. We know that you're still a bit... frail. The last thing you need is one more disappointment."
"I know... I just... really care for her..."
The tall blond man gasped, almost dropping his can of beer.
"Oh my god! She's falling in love!"
"Wait! What? I just said I cared for her..." the Dutch girl frowned.
"Drop it, Jansen" Marco said "We know what it means when you use that phrase. Besides, the grin on your face when you mentioned that she was moving in with you..."
"Uh-huh. Symptom number 2" the redhead nodded solemnly.
Sharon bit her lip. Was she really that transparent? Not even she was a hundred percent sure she was in love with Tarja... However, her friends had often proved to know more about her than herself.
"Not that there's anything wrong with that" Marco added more softly "We're just afraid that someone will use you..."
"Oh... well, I don't think she will."
"Really? She does look like one of those to me."
That comment earned Marco a hard nudge from Johanna. He knew he shouldn't be that blunt, but he couldn't help it when it came to protecting one of his best friends, who was actually more like a little sister to him.
"Well, if she treats you well and makes you happy, I say go ahead" the Austrian spoke "Be careful though."
"Does she treat you right?" he questioned.
"Yes."
Both flatmates looked at each other again. Sometimes it felt as though they had developed some sort of telepathy with the years. The first one to break the silence was Marco, who sighed before saying:
"Well, if it makes you happy, then we wish you all the best."
"And whatever happens, remember you can always count on us. We're family; we have to take care of each other."
Sharon nodded, squeezing Johanna's hand softly.
"I know."
The sound of her mobile phone interrupted the emotional moment. Even before she checked the caller ID, she knew who it would be. In fact, all of them did. And the smile on the brunette's face as she answered confirmed it ultimately.
"Hello?"
"Sharon, sweetie, how are you?" Tarja's voice replied at the other end of the line "I was trying to bring some of my stuff, but I forgot my key..."
"Oh, I'm at Johanna and Marco's, but I can be there in a minute."
"That'd be nice. But if you're busy, I can come back a little later."
"No, honey, I'm not busy."
"Alright. Say hi from me" she blew a kiss over the phone before hanging up.
Looking at Johanna as she put her phone down, Sharon announced:
"I gotta go."
"When someone starts to drive you away from your friends, that's not a good sign" Marco chimed in, shaking his head.
The redhead whacked him once more. She then turned to look at Sharon.
"It's fine, hon."
Sharon sighed as she stood up. Her former flatmate did the same, hugging her as she made her way to the door.
"It'll be alright" she whispered some encouraging words into her ear.
"Thank you!"
When she arrived, Tarja's car was already parked in her driveway. The Finn was waiting for her outside, leaning against the hood with her sunglasses on. She flashed her a smile as soon as she saw her.
"Hey!"
"Hey you!" Sharon returned the gesture, walking up to her.
"Sorry, I really don't know how I can be so forgetful..." her girlfriend chuckled.
"It's fine."
As she unlocked the door, Tarja took two big suitcases from the trunk. While she was already dragging them into the house, Sharon changed her mind.
"Can I talk to you for a minute?" she asked.
Blinking a little, the Finn left her luggage resting by the doorstep.
"Sure... is there a problem?"
Sharon shook her head and swallowed. Not knowing how to put the question, plus being afraid of the reply, she remained silent for a moment before wondering:
"What is this? I mean... what are we?"
"Oh..." her green eyes moved to the ground "I don't know... something like... friends with benefits, I suppose?"
"I see."
"Why are you asking now?"
"I don't know..."
Tarja took one step closer to her and rubbed her arm. Her other hand moved up to tuck some strands of Sharon's dark hair behind her ears tenderly.
"Look, when you asked me to move in with you, we were just friends. I don't think anything has changed just because... well, we started sleeping together."
Even she realized how harsh that sounded. Sharon's disappointment was visible, and it made her feel like a horrible person. She lifted her chin to look into those caramel eyes.
"That doesn't mean I don't care about you. I really do. Why would I be here otherwise?" she took a breath before adding "You know, I'm not good at relationships at all. But I know that's what you need. And thinking about it, as we're moving in together anyway... why not give it a shot?"
"Really?" the Dutch girl's face seemed to light up.
The Finn nodded. Her hand moved from Sharon's hair to her cheek, stroking it tenderly.
"I know - you asked me twice and I said no both times... but I think I'm ready to try. After all, we've been seeing each other for three weeks and we're not yet tired... in fact, I feel I'm getting sort of... attached."
Happily, the brown-eyed beauty pulled her into a kiss. Although she had meant everything she said, Tarja regretted it right away. She truly appreciated Sharon and wanted to make her happy, but her mind was telling her that it was not the best way to do so. Just as she had pointed out, she was too independent for relationships. She would even say she had a difficult personality. However, deep in her heart, she felt that her friend was worth the effort. It could ruin their friendship forever... but it could also bring them a lot closer than they had ever been.
"Thank you" the Dutch girl whispered.
"What for?"
"Giving it a chance."
"I think you deserve it" the green-eyed woman placed her hands on her new found girlfriend's shoulders and gazed deeply into her eyes with a smile "So... should we start unpacking?"