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.

"I'll never understand women" Sharon sighed as she took the beer to her lips "You tell them you love them and they treat you like shit. Then, when you finally settle for a casual relationship, it's like they want to marry you on the third date."
Adrian put a hand on her shoulder, patting it in a friendly way. Martin nodded solemnly in agreement.
"Yeah, women..." the latter toyed with his bottle, his eyes on the rim "So beautiful yet so complicated."
"And sadly, one thing doesn't compensate for the other" she added.
"Well, being so complex is part of their beauty" Adrian intervened.
Sharon shook her head. Enough with the complications; all she longed for now was something simple and transparent.
"I'm tired of them. With you guys it's so different... you know what you want and say it clearly from the very beginning. There's no guessing or toying around."
With a raised eyebrow, Martin looked up from his drink.
"You mean you want to go back to men?"
She hesitated before answering. In the end, she brushed some strands away from her face and nodded. Both men gasped in unison.
"Are you sure about that?" Martin exclaimed.
"Why not?" she frowned.
The blond man shrugged. Adrian was the one to speak this time.
"We just thought you were... well, into women."
"That doesn't mean I can't be into men as well. I'm bisexual."
"Really?" Martin insisted.
"Well, yes" she blinked, slightly annoyed "Is there a problem with that?"
"No. It's just hard to believe after... well, you seemed so close to your girlfriends... we never so you like that with any guy."
Adrian nodded in agreement. Her brown eyes narrowed. The last thing she wanted was to be reminded of her previous relationships. Martin noticed how annoyed she looked, so he thought it was a good moment to change the subject.
"So... you're coming to the bar with us, too?"
"Of course!" she forced a smile "I just wanna have a fun night out and forget about everything."
"In that case, you've come to the right place" Adrian grinned.
They finished the beer between talk and laughter and decided to move on to some other place. Sharon was determined to be just one of the boys, so she let them choose where to. Apparently, one of their friends had recently got a new job as some club's bouncer, so that's where they headed. She was actually surprised to see that it was a big and popular one, judging by the long queue of people waiting to get in. It truly lived up to its name, at least according to its size - Cathedral of Sounds.
"Don't worry, they'll get us in" Martin whispered into her ear.
Right after saying that, he started elbowing his way to the start of the line. Adrian and Sharon followed; the latter trying not to let people's protests make her feel uncomfortable. The doorman was a huge, muscular guy; even Marco would look average and harmless compared to him. As soon as he recognized Martin, however, his menacing expression turned into a smile.
"Martin, bro! You made it!"
Sharon winced as she saw the friendly punch he gave him on the shoulder, which looked rather painful. Yet Martin merely returned it with the same intensity.
"Hey Ron! How's the night going?"
"All running smoothly, no trouble so far" Ron replied.
While Adrian took a step forward to greet his friend, Ron's eyes wandered to Sharon. He wasn't particularly discreet as he checked her out.
"Hey! Who's this beautiful lady?"
"Yeah, um, this is my friend Sharon" Martin introduced them "A hundred percent Dutch quality."
"Nice to meet you, Miss."
Seeing such a big man, who could probably break a wooden table into pieces with his fist, bending over and kissing her hand made her smile. Maybe he wasn't that much of a jerk after all. She chuckled and returned the bow.
"You guys can go in. Order whatever you like; the first round is on me."
"Ron, you totally rule!" Adrian gave him two thumbs up as he led Sharon inside.
Her eyes were immediately attracted to the stained glass windows. Those, together with the high ceiling, were the only things that could resemble a real cathedral. Nevertheless, it had been a long time since she had last been in such a big club with laser lights and electronic music, so she had no reason to complain. She followed her friends to the bar and ordered rum and coke. That night could be the beginning of a new era, so she felt like having something different from the usual vodka with orange. In fact, that's what she told herself as she looked around the place and had the first sip: Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
When she turned back to her friends, she was surprised to see them saying hello to three other boys she had never seen before. Curious, she moved a bit closer to them and let Adrian do the introductions. Seeing them reminded her of the conversation they had had before between sips of beer. What if she did go back to men? What if she actually gave being straight one more chance? Now she had many to choose from, even Martin and Adrian themselves, not to mention that the whole club was packed with men. Moreover, the three newcomers seemed like good guys. She couldn't hear much of what they were saying because of the loud music, but they didn't look or act like the usual morons she would encounter. They might not be paying much attention to her, but at least they all had smiled and shaken her hand as she greeted them, without staring at her cleavage or trying to find an excuse to touch her more than necessary.
"Are you alright? You seem kind of sad or... lost in thought" a voice spoke into her ear.
It was the tallest of the new boys. He smiled as she looked up at him.
"No, I'm fine. I just have an amazing ability to flee into a parallel world in the most unexpected moments" she replied with a chuckle.
The guy's grin widened at her comment. He was the kind of boy many girls would fantasize about - talk, dark-haired, blue eyes, handsome... Yet he didn't come off as arrogant or a player. Although Sharon wasn't sure whether to trust her intuition regarding other people anymore, she felt that his smile was honest.
"I just saw you standing there, so distant... and I thought I could make some conversation. You see, we are the two odd ones."
"Yeah, I noticed."
"So... I understand you're quite close to Martin?" he asked.
"Well, we've known each other for about eight years" she explained "We met at Schiphol Airport when we both flew here."
"Oh, you're Dutch, too? You've come a long way then."
"I know, right? I was quite tired of my hometown."
"Wow" he raised his eyebrows "I was born here and I've lived here all my life."
"Well, Baltimore is a nice city..."
"But I bet you have some really nice places in Holland, too! Everyone I know who has been there comes back saying how wonderful it is."
She couldn't help but smile. Although she was not particularly patriotic, it was always nice to hear such nice things about her home country.
"So you knew Adrian before, too?" he wanted to know.
"Yeah. He lives with Alex, who's very good friends with one of my best friends" she answered.
"So many connections!" the man chuckled "Tom and I are friends with Adrian, too, and we sometimes hang out with him and Martin. Really cool guys."
"They surely are" she agreed "I'm sorry, but I forgot your name... what was it again?"
"Don't apologize. To be honest, I didn't understand yours either" he grinned sheepishly "I'm Mike Harrison."
"Sharon Jansen" she shook his hand.
"Sharon... that's the name I'll call my daughter when I have one."
A sigh came out of her mouth as she shook her head, smiling wryly. Could it be any more obvious?
"Are you flirting with me, Mike?"
"No, I meant it seriously. I'd love to have a daughter one day and give her that name."
"Right" she chuckled "And do you tell this to everyone you meet?"
"Could happen" he shrugged "I'm a very random and talkative person. Besides, if you only talk about the weather, you'll never get to know anyone."
He did have a point in that. Still it was funny to meet someone who would get that personal after less than five minutes of conversation. They both had a sip from their glasses at the same time, thinking of what else to say. Mike's mind seemed to be faster.
"What do you do for a-living?"
"I'm a secretary. You?"
"I own a record shop" he nodded proudly.
"Sounds like a nice job."
"Yeah. I guess that's about as close as I can get to my childhood dream of becoming a rockstar. Well, this and my leather jacket."
The comment managed to get a smile out of her. She couldn't deny he was quite witty.
"Hey, it's never too late" she winked "I still have the hope to become a famous writer one day."
She was opening up and talking more about herself. He liked that.
"Oh, wow! And what kind of stuff do you write, if I may ask?"
"Mainly poetry" she responded.
"A poet, huh? Roses are red, violets are blue and the more I see you the more I fall for you?"
"No, not like that" she giggled and whacked him playfully "I write about myself, people's behavior, life in general..."
"No cheesy and dramatic love stories?"
"Haha, no, thanks."
"Good, because I don't like that" he took one more sip of whatever he was drinking "There's already enough drama in life."
"Amen!"
They both smiled. Sharon was still amused at the fact that it was the most original first conversation she had ever made with anyone. No small talk, no dirty comments or tasteless jokes.
"I have to admit that I don't know much about poetry" he said "But I love music and, unlike most people, I appreciate good lyrics. I guess that also counts?"
"Sure it does! That's poetry, too."
"Totally! Just think of The Beatles. Their songs might have been simple, or even seem pointless at first sight, but you know what? Anyone could feel identified with them sometimes. That's what made them special."
"I take it you're a Beatles' fan then?" she wondered.
"Well, who isn't? They are the origin."
"Hmm, you're right in that."
"Of course I am!" he winked "Sometimes I wish I had been born fifteen or twenty years earlier to be alive back when they were active."
"No, thanks, I think I'm happy I was born in the mid-seventies."
"Oh, a lady who's not afraid of telling other people her age. Nice!"
"Well, I haven't quite told you my age" Sharon pointed out "But yeah, I don't mind saying it. I'm turning 33 in July."
"So you're two years younger than me..." he calculated "And in July, huh? That makes you a... Leo? Cancer?"
"Cancer."
"I see... I'm a Gemini. Any clue what that means? Are we supposed to get on well or kill each other?"
"No, I have no idea" she giggled "But we seem to be getting along just fine."
"True."
He saw Sharon downing the rest of her drink. An idea occurred to him, and he thought it was the perfect moment to put it into practice.
"Wanna dance?" he offered her his arm.
"Sure!" she smiled as she linked it with hers.
The dance was, in fact, a positive surprise. She was ready for him to start using it as an excuse to touch her and try to make out, but he didn't. Besides, he could actually dance, which was quite rare in a man. She found herself actually having fun, forgetting about her emotional mess song after song. They only stopped when the shortest of Mike's friends announced that they were planning on going somewhere else. Seeing the slightly critical, questioning look Martin gave her, she decided to accept and go with them, as did Mike.
Between the Cathedral of Sounds and the next bar they visited there was a stark contrast. She swallowed when she realized that she was almost the only woman at Eric's. It reminded her of the pubs you see in films next to the side of the road, where track drivers stop to have a beer or two before continuing their trips. The wooden floor was rather sticky, and there didn't seem to be much space to sit down except for the bar. Loud rock music was playing, but no-one was dancing. The main pastimes were apparently drinking, playing pool or table football.
Adrian and the short guy, whose name she couldn't remember, being the thinnest and smallest of them, made their way to the bar, while the rest took over a billiard table. Some minutes later, all of them had a bottle of beer in their hands, including Sharon herself. She watched the game from one of the corners, trying to keep a reasonable distance not to get hit by a cue.
"You're not playing, Shaz?" Martin asked loudly across the table.
"I suck at this" she shook her head.
"Come on, we need one more player! Five is not a good number" one of the new guys said, wiping the tip of his cue.
Mike raised his eyebrows, pouting playfully at her. It actually looked strangely cute.
"You're gonna leave me alone with these guys who never want to play with me?"
"Because your shots suck ass!" Adrian teased.
"Shut up!" Mike yelled with a smirk before turning back to her "Whatcha say?"
She hesitated, biting her lip. It was flattering to see that he was so interested in including her in the game and the conversation.
"I don't know. I'm really bad at this."
"It's ok, you see what they say about me. We can always suck together."
"Alright" she finally said.
"Great! We are complete!" the boy next to her announced loudly.
As they all took their positions, she noticed Martin staring at her in a strange way. Before she could react, the shortest guy spoke, pointing at them.
"I think these two should start, as they have a lady in the team... and by lady I mean Mike."
Mike rolled his eyes playfully. Then he turned to Sharon, motioning ceremoniously.
"Real ladies first."
She took a breath before taking her cue and getting ready to aim. Trying to concentrate although she knew it was useless, she got up speed and hit the white ball. Surprisingly, she managed to slide one into the pocket, and it wasn't the black one - she had only played twice in her life, but she knew hitting the black one was no good. The rest of the guys cheered and clapped their hands for her, making her blush instantly. Mike patted her shoulder.
"And you say you're horrible at this? Well, I wish I was that horrible!"
"Just beginner's luck" she grinned.
Indeed, they didn't get many good shots like that one for the rest of the game, but that also caused many funny moments. She laughed like she hadn't in quite some time, forgetting completely that she was alone with a lot of men. Now she was one of the boys, which is what she had wanted since Martin and Adrian asked her to hang out with them.
After playing for about an hour, the guys hurried to the other side of the bar to play table football. Only Mike and Sharon stood by the billiard table, watching them amusedly.
"Just like kids, aren't they?" she giggled.
"Don't they say we all have an inner child? Well, or an outer child, in some cases."
His comment made her laugh again. She took her cue again and hit one ball randomly, not even paying attention to her body position or the little technique her friends had tried to teach her.
"You're not playing with them?" she asked.
"No, I hate table football... well, or any kind of football for that matter. To be honest, the only sport I like is basketball, and I'd rather play it than watch it."
"So you're a man of action..."
"Of course I am!"
"Good. I like that" the Dutch girl grinned.
"What about you, are you a woman of action?"
"Yes. And I guess that makes us a good match."
"Not for pool, though, seeing that we both have the same great technique" he chuckled.
"Who cares about pool? There are many other pair games which are a lot more fun."
Mike let his mouth hang open. She laughed loudly.
"Are you flirting with me, Miss Jansen?" he put his hands on his hips, trying to appear offended.
Her only response was a coy smile as she toyed with the tip of her cue. The truth was that she had been thinking about it for quite a while; more precisely, since they danced together in the club. She wanted to give men one more chance, and that Mike guy was handsome and quite a charmer. Perhaps that was a sign.
"What if I wasss?" she blinked innocently.
"I might have to kiss you" he warned her seriously.
"Is that dangerous?"
"Very dangerous."
As he spoke, he closed the distance between them and kissed her, his hands on her waist. Excitement ran through her veins as she responded to the contact. It had been such a long time since she had been this close to a man! She had forgotten what it felt like.
At the beginning, she found it odd, kind of rough compared to the women she had been with. His kiss was more passionate, slightly aggressive as he bit her bottom lip and pushed his tongue into her mouth. It had nothing to do with the way girls teased her lips with theirs, adding their tongues only very subtly after toying around shyly for a while. And it was actually a nice change...