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!

9.

"Have I told you how much I love this house?" Johanna stepped in, leaving her jacket on a hook by the door.
"Actually, that's what you always say when you come here" Sharon giggled and hugged her friend.
The Austrian fixed her auburn ponytail before closing the door. Her high-heeled boots clicked on the floor as she made her way to the couch, where she let herself collapse with a puff.
"Boy, it was a pain to walk here from the bus stop... I almost got lost."
"Oh, you came by bus?" the brunette wondered, sitting next to her friend "How come Marco is not driving you?"
Sharon noticed something strange in her former flatmate's expression when she mentioned him. The younger girl suddenly appeared nervous.
"He... he said he'd come a bit later from work, so we can both start making lunch."
"Alright" the Dutch girl raised her eyebrows skeptically "Let's get it started, then."
The redhead nodded and followed her friend into the kitchen. She always felt embarrassed of their own place when she saw how clean and tidy Sharon's was. At times she felt like asking her whether she could borrow Tarja for a couple of days.
"Is Tarja joining us?" she asked, her buttocks against one of the counters, almost sitting on it.
"No, she's seeing a friend of hers. So it's only family."
"Oh, nice! And what are we having, Chef Jansen?"
"How about..." Sharon opened the freezer and took something out, turning around to show Johanna "... a delicious home-made pizza? Here's the dough, and we have a wide range of ingredients to choose from."
"This is my big sis, always ready to work" the younger one giggled "Nah, just kidding. You know I love pizza."
Sticking out her tongue, the other girl started opening the plastic that surrounded the dough and put it on an oven tray. Meanwhile, Johanna had a look in the shelves and cupboards, thinking of what they could use as a topping. Apart from the obvious tomato sauce and mozzarella, they decided to add some other types of cheese, different spices and a little bit of ham. They were just putting it in the oven when the doorbell rang. Sharon strode quickly across the corridor and the living-room to answer. As she expected, Marco was there.
"Hey!" he greeted "Am I too late or too early?" he chuckled, seeing the empty living-room.
"You're just in time. The pizza will be ready in about fifteen minutes" she answered "Johanna is taking care of it in the kitchen."
Just as she said that, she noticed one more weird detail. Usually, Johanna would have run to say hello as well, especially knowing that it was Marco. She was about to ask the Swede whether something was wrong when Johanna emerged.
"Hello there!"
Although she made an effort to sound as cheerful as usual, the redhead avoided looking at her flatmate. That didn't let her realize that he was also looking anywhere else but at her. It had been like that for about two awkward weeks.
During lunch, everything was unusually silent. Sharon was starting to wonder whether her two friends had had a fight or something like that. The quiet made the tension even more obvious, since Marco and Johanna were not being their loud, goofy selves. Now it was always the Dutch girl who had to start any conversation.
"Soooo... how's that Deirdre girl?" she wanted to know, eyeing Johanna "You still see her?"
"Actually, she's in... Egypt, I think. She got a research grant or something like that."
"Ohhh, great! She must be really happy."
"She is; but oh well, you know her. Always finding a reason to complain."
"Yeah, I noticed that" Sharon laughed, then turning to Marco "You know who we're talking about?"
Barely looking at them, he shook his head. Nevertheless, he didn't look too interested. He seemed very concentrated on his pizza slice.
"Deirdre studies with Johanna. She tricked me into a date with her because she thought we could make a good couple. It's pretty funny, actually."
"Alright."
Marco hardly reacted. Something must have been troubling him a lot. And like this it was for the rest of the time the three of them spent together. Sharon would have wanted to ask them both what was going on, but whenever one of them noticed how puzzled she was, they started trying to act normal. When they both left together after lunch, the Dutch girl was still asking herself what kind of kindergarten they had going on.

Pretty much on the other side of town, two women were finishing the food they had ordered from the Chinese takeaway, curled up on the couch. The TV was on, but it was just some sort of background noise. Neither of them cared much for it. With a sly grin, Liv Isaksen stretched her leg, pushing her foot against Tarja's. The dark-haired girl gasped and then smiled back.
"You little tease!"
"Admit it, you love it" the blonde winked.
"Well, I do."
Laying her empty box of noodles on the coffee table, she slid closer to the other woman, placing her head on her shoulder. Her fruity perfume filled the Finn's nose.
"I've missed you a lot these three months" Liv sighed contently, closing her eyes "I didn't even see you in the gym or the choir rehearsals."
"I know. I haven't had much time for that."
"Aw, it's fine. I'm sure it was worthwhile. How are things going with Sharon, by the way? Is she finally recovering?"
"Oh, yes. She's doing very well."
"Nice! That means soon you can go back to your place, right?" the Norwegian raised her head and looked at Tarja "Speaking of which, if there was any problem, like someone else was already living there or something, you could move in here if you like."
The green-eyed woman's heart skipped a beat. It was time to be honest for once and for all. And even though it scared her a lot, there was no way out. Clearing her throat, she gazed into those blue eyes that watched her expectantly and spoke:
"Actually, there's something I need to tell you. I don't think I'm moving out of Sharon's... not anytime soon."
"And why's that?" the blonde frowned.
She hesitated for a moment. In the end, she thought it was time she took off the band-aid quickly to make the suffering shorter.
"Because I'm in a relationship with Sharon."
Any kind of expression was wiped off Liv's face. She merely stared at her ex-lover, reacting only a few seconds before.
"Since when?"
Tarja took in a breath. For a moment, she considered not answering, as it would only bring more pain. On the other hand, she knew about the Norwegian's inquisitive nature. She probably wouldn't stop until she had heard all the details.
"Since I moved in with her."
"I see" Liv tucked some blond locks behind her ear "And I assume that's the real reason why you wanted a break, and not the lack of time?"
"No, I wasn't with her yet when we decided to move in together. I just accepted as a friend to help her until she got over her depression" Tarja explained.
"Was that before or after having sex with her?"
She blinked. Could her friend really see through her like that or was she just probing her? In any case, she had no way out. Confessing was probably the wisest solution after all.
"I... actually slept with her a couple of hours after saying I'd move in. I'm sorry" she hurried to add "I know I should have told you."
"You're pathetic" the other woman said, firmly yet calmly "I thought you had more guts than that."
"Look, I just didn't think it'd be a big deal" the Finn justified herself "That's why I didn't tell you in the first place. She just came onto me and... well, I care a lot about her. Besides, you know what I'm like when I'm horny; my mind just stops working..."
"See? That's the sad thing" Liv interrupted "You're scared... No, wait! You're terrified of being happy with someone."
"What are you talking about?" the dark-haired woman frowned.
The blonde laughed sarcastically at that question. Clearly, denial was bliss in Tarja's world.
"This is not about you thinking with your pussy instead of your brain. It's just your need to boycott your relationships what made you go to bed with Sharon. You saw it as your golden chance to get rid of me. And even so, you were stupid enough not to think of the consequences. You couldn't see that you would end up falling for her."
Although she never thought it would happen to her, Tarja was speechless. For once in her life, she had no clue how to reply to that. Liv shook her head.
"I just feel sorry for you, Tarja. Honestly, I don't know what's so scary to make you act this pathetic. You're an amazing woman, but I don't see a very bright future for you unless you change."
"What are you saying?" the green-eyed girl exclaimed.
"I'm saying that you'll never find happiness if you go on like this. You're just like a little child - you whine until you get something; once you have it, it stops being fun."
"That's not true! I never whine about being alone. I really love my freedom."
"Yeah, you love to make yourself believe that" the Norwegian sighed "But you know what? You're not a loner or incapable of being faithful. Deep down you're dying to be with someone, but then you freak out when it finally works, so it's easier to ruin it and pretend that you're independent."
Tarja shook her head. In spite of her calm, confident attitude, Liv could see that it was a mere facade.
"You're wrong."
"The truth hurts, doesn't it? You know I'm right. Actually, it's just a matter of time that you'll screw up with Sharon. You'll run away screaming as soon as you realize that you're in love with her, just like what happened with me" one more sigh came out of her mouth as she walked towards her door and opened it "This is really sad. For her sake, I just hope you'll change the way you are before you break the poor girl's heart."