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!

3.

In the meantime, in a block near the station, someone's belongings were being moved from one apartment to the one next door. Angela Woods puffed as she left one last box on the floor. On the side of it, the title "PHOTOS" had been written with a thick marker.
"This is the last one, so I think we're done" she panted.
"Yay, finally!" Tarja cheered as she closed the front door.
"Need any more help with unpacking?"
"No, I'm fine. This is the last box, so I think I can unpack the pics myself. You can just sit down."
Angela took a dive on the couch, closing her eyes as she rested her head.
"Good. That's what I was gonna do either way."
Tarja chuckled. She opened the fridge and took two bottles of beer. Angela welcomed the gesture with a smile, making space for Tarja to sit next to her.
"I. Love. You."
"I just figured out you'd need a drink after all the hard work" the Finn grinned.
"Aren't you the perfect wife?" the blonde said as she opened her beer "If you had a penis, I'd marry you."
"Well, if you had a penis, I wouldn't even consider you."
"True" she raised her eyebrows as she made the two bottles clink "Let's celebrate that you're back in your old place!"
"Yeah, I second that!"
Tarja took the bottle to her mouth and had a long sip. She then cast her green eyes all over the room with a small sigh.
"Isn't it funny that it hasn't changed at all? I kind of missed it..." she looked at her friend again "I'll miss you too, though. It'll be weird to be on my own again after staying in your apartment for two months."
"No, you won't, bitch!" Angela gave her a playful punch on the shoulder "You'll be delighted to finally walk around naked."
"Well, not that I couldn't do that when we were living together."
"Not in my presence! Those were the rules. You know I wouldn't trust you not to rape me, Koskela."
In response, the Finn gave her the most innocent look she could compose. It was something between a pout and a smile.
"Who, me? You know I'm a good girl, Ange."
"Of course, you're a total angel... one of those who got kicked out of heaven!"
"Thanks, I love you too!" Tarja shook her head and drank some more "That's what you say now, but I bet you'll miss me."
"No, not at all! I'm so happy I'll finally watch a movie tonight without anyone interrupting and talking to me..."
"Yeah, right. One of those stupid TV movies you've been torturing me Clockwork Orange style in the past eight weeks."
"Very nice! I see that's how you thank me for letting you stay with me for so long when you had nowhere to go" Angela made a face before having one more gulp of beer "No, now seriously, I'll miss you very much... especially when I have to cook for myself again."
While the blonde laughed, Tarja rolled her eyes. She gave her a playful whack, making her lean on the arm of the couch not to fall.
"You're so unromantic!"
In just one more gulp, Angela downed the remains of her drink. She glanced at the box that was lying on the floor close to the front door and pointed at it.
"Need help to unpack that?"
"It's fine" Tarja responded "It's just pictures, so there's no hurry to unpack that. And I think I can do it alone."
"Good" the other woman got up, stretching a little "In that case, I think I'm gonna go home. I have to get up early tomorrow. Thanks for the beer, and if you need anything, you know I'm next door."
"Please, that was the least I could do for invading your privacy!"
"Yeah, about that... we'll see how you pay me. And no, don't you dare to say ‘in sexual favours' because you know I won't accept that!"
"Damn!" the Finn giggled, showing her friend out.
The blonde leaned against the doorframe for a moment as they said their goodbyes. She repressed a small yawn, which made Tarja smile.
"I'm probably doing some shopping on Monday, want me to give you knock?" Angela asked.
"Sure" the dark-haired woman nodded.
"Alright. Enjoy your first night without me!"
"You too. And sweet dreams, especially if I'm in them."
"No, thanks, I don't like having nightmares" Angela called over the corridor before closing her apartment door behind herself.
Shaking her head with a smile, Tarja went back inside. The first thing she noticed was the last box. After a whole day unpacking and putting things to their place, she was very tired, but she was a woman of action. So she decided to finish the job, as she had nothing better to do.
Memories of her days as an aspiring actress. Landscapes of her home country - the one and only good thing about Finland, according to her. Childhood pictures. She took them all out of the box carefully, glad to see that no frame or glass had been broken. Once she had unpacked a few, she distributed them in all the different rooms of the apartment.
She was almost reaching the bottom when a recent one made her smile. It showed her and Simone hugging and smiling. The redhead had taken it in one of her last days in Baltimore. She had never laughed or fooled around in her life as much as she did during that visit.
Nevertheless, her smile was wiped from her face with the next photo. It was from one of her first nights out with Simone. They were both making faces at the camera, while Sharon grinned goofily on the foreground. She ran her fingertips over her ex-girlfriend's face, wishing she could be touching it for real. Even if it made her mouth look big, the gesture made her beautiful simply because it was one of the most sincere, infectious smiles she had ever seen. That had always been Sharon's distinctive trait - her honesty.
Her lip quivered, that picture reminding her of the time when she was happy and what she had lost. Those thoughts still haunted her every day. If only she had tried harder to be less opinionated and selfish. If only she had been more open about her emotions. If only she had told her the truth from the start. Maybe then she would still have the woman she loved by her side. Because she did love her, even after so long. And what she regretted most was not having had the chance to say it to her.
Tarja embraced the picture, pressing it against her chest. A few silent tears, which she had forced herself to hold back while she was in company, began to wet her cheeks.