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!

10.

"Want me to kick her ass?"
Angela slouched in her side of the couch as she took the beer bottle to her lips. It was just a joke, and she knew. Even so, Tarja took a moment to consider the offer, her chin resting against the rim of her glass. She was already quite tipsy from her neighbour's home-made gintonics; drunk enough not to care that much about anything anymore. Finally she shrugged it off.
"Nah. Too much trouble."
The blonde nodded in agreement. She put her bottle on the coffee table, from which she had already drunk more than the half. The green glass glistened in the faint light of the living-room. She observed it, almost hypnotized.
"You know what? It's her loss, anyway" she said "I never met her, but judging by what you've told me, she's a pain. That guy is only into her because of the whole damsel in distress act. God, I hate that kind of women! Men fall for them because they seem totally helpless and naïve, but deep down they're just manipulative bitches. Lucky that you got rid of her."
"I guess you're right" Tarja admitted "But what annoys me is that I'm sure she's just doing it to make me jealous. She knows nothing gets to me more than seeing my ex with a guy."
She was interrupted by Angela's dismissive gesture. As she had one more sip of her drink, the other woman spoke.
"Don't get into a sweat about it. If she's not into men, like you said, the whole story won't end too well. Plus she'd be stupid to get into a relationship that doesn't even make her happy just to hurt you."
"True. On the other hand, it wouldn't surprise me that she got together with him just because she didn't want to be alone."
Angela's expression said it all. The way she twisted her mouth showed her disgust clearly.
"Dude, you don't know what you saved yourself from!" she exclaimed "That's the worst kind of women! So needy and annoying! And sadly, that's the sort of girls men adore."
"Really?"
"Yeah! They love to play heroes and feel that someone needs them even though they are completely useless."
Tarja had a slightly longer sip of her gintonic as she processed what Angela had just said. Although she didn't know much about the topic, everything sounded pretty reasonable.
"You know, when it comes to screwing, it's all the same" Angela continued her monologue "As long as she's hot, it's fine. But then they marry the Disney princess, the one they have to rescue. They don't want a woman; they want... something between a mother and a daughter! Someone who washes their clothes and makes their food, but at the same time they want to be the strong, protective ones."
Not often did she have such deep conversations with her friend and neighbour. She was turning out to be quite a psychologist. It actually made sense. Angela watched her as she put her blond waves up in a ponytail, her body leaning against a corner of the couch. Her face looked even thinner and her features sharper.
"I don't know what it's like with you lesbians, but yups, that's how men work" she spoke.
"I'm afraid it's not that different" Tarja sighed "Just tell me one thing. What's left for strong, confident women like us? Are we just doomed to be forever alone?"
"Doomed? Please! We're the ones who get the good sex while their little ladies play house. In my opinion, we only get the good parts of romance without all the drama crap."
"You're so right!"
She nodded to her friend's words and smiled, thankful for her attempt to cheer her up. However, deep down she did wish for some drama. Perhaps it was a side-effect of the alcohol, but Angela's speech had only made her feel better partially. In her heart she felt that she wanted more than just some bedroom entertainment. She yearned for emotional depth, mutual admiration and respect, tenderness... and all the things she used to have and had lost not long ago.

11.

"I was really looking forward to meeting you guys" Mike smiled as he shook Marco's hand across the table.
"So were we" Johanna nodded as they all sat down.
As she looked through her colourful menu, which consisted of a single laminated page, Sharon sighed happily. She had often dreamt of the day in which she could ever go on a double date with her partner and some other couple. In fact, she couldn't help but think of all the usual couple things she had never had the chance to do with the few people she could call her partners.
Johanna had chosen the restaurant, and it was easy to see why. The girl was a huge fan of anything that looked retro. The red leather couches they were sitting in and the metallic round table rested on a draughtboard floor, which gave it a very sixties touch. It was in fact the kind of place that made you grin at the very sight of it. Even Mike had chuckled and admired a poster of The Beatles which was hanging on the wall first thing as he walked in. Right then, she knew her friends would like him.
"Sharon talks a lot about you both."
"Well, we hear a lot about you as well!" Johanna giggled "How did you guys actually meet?"
"I have to thank my dear friend Martin for that" Mike explained "I went out with him and some more friends... and there she was, kind of shy being the only girl amongst all the boys, so I decided to include her in the fun."
"So you're friends with Martin?" Marco intervened "We know him too. He's a great guy."
"Definitely! I'm actually closer to Adrian, but knowing that Martin has friends like you guys, he's definitely worth getting to know."
"Please! That sounds like we were VIPs or something!" the redhead laughed at Mike's comment.
"Everyone is a VIP in their own way" Mike winked "At least for those who love us."
"Good one!" the Swede nodded, impressed by that reply.
Sharon couldn't help but smile, loving her boyfriend's talent to make conversation. It wouldn't probably take him much longer to conquer them than it did to her. Mike was a charmer, and the greatest thing about him is that he didn't even seem to be aware of that; all his comments clearly came naturally.
"So, do you come to this place often?" the dark-haired man asked "Any recommendations?"
"Ask Johanna, she's the expert" Sharon informed.
"Well, I'm not the biggest fan of meat, so I usually take the salad sandwich. It's really good."
"Hmm..." Mike narrowed his eyes as he studied the menu "Doesn't sound bad, but boiled eggs and mayonnaise are not exactly my thing..."
"That's something you have in common with Sharon then" Marco grinned "That was a constant argument when she was still living with us - salad with or without boiled egg?"
"Nice to know that we won't have that fight when we move in together" the other man looked at his girlfriend with a soft smile.
Her heart skipped a beat as she returned the gesture. He said ‘when' and not ‘if'! Did that mean he wanted to live with her? That he was not afraid of commitment? If it hadn't been a public place, she would have probably tackled him with hugs and made love to him right on that couch.
"I think I'm getting the chicken burger" Mike announced happily in the end "It sounds really, really nice."
A few minutes later, a waiter came to take their order. In spite of the interruption, the conversation continued entertainingly as though nothing had happened. It felt as though they all had known each other for ages. Sharon could tell by the smiles on her friends' faces that they really liked him and were enjoying themselves, and that made her proud. Perhaps she had made the right choice for once. Sometimes as he spoke, his free hand rested on her knee or held hers below the table. Those little, affectionate gestures gave her shivers of joy.
"As much as I'm enjoying your company, I'm afraid I have some affairs to take care of. I won't take long" Mike winked as he stood up.
"That's a very classy way of saying that you need to go to the restroom."
A joking smirk was his only reply. So the moment had come. Once he was far away enough, Sharon turned to look at her two friends, expecting what was supposed to be next - their comments about the one who had just left. And they didn't disappoint her. Johanna leaned forward to be a bit closer and lowered her voice.
"I love him! Well, not in that sense but... you know what I mean. He's a real cutie and so much fun! I was grinning like crazy all the conversation... Seriously, if he wasn't dating you, I would've already jumped on him!" she looked at Marco apologetically as she added "No offence."
"It's ok, even I like him."
Sharon giggled triumphantly, happy to see that her best friends approved of her new boy.
"I know. He's great!" she spoke "It's hard not to love him when he always makes me laugh and treats me like a princess. Plus he's very affectionate."
"You're really lucky!" Marco nodded "Apart from being hilarious, you can tell that he's a genuinely good guy... and that he's absolutely in love with you."
The Dutch girl blushed slightly at this last remark. Yet she absolutely agreed. Not many had ever made her feel so special.
"And he's smart" Johanna completed "There doesn't seem to be a single topic you can't have a long, deep conversation about with him. Seriously, if he's as good in bed as he is at talking, you're definitely a lucky bitch" her eyes travelled again to her boyfriend "No offence again."
"None taken."
Yet Sharon apparently did take the offence. She bit her lip and raised her shoulders lightly.
"Oh, sorry!" the redhead apologized "Is anything wrong?"
"No, it's just" the brunette took a deep breath, embarrassed "We still haven't..."
"Oh!"
At that moment, a small alarm went off in Johanna's head. Even though she knew that her friend didn't consider sex to be the most important part of a relationship, she found it odd that they still hadn't slept together after two months.
"Really? Nothing at all?" Marco exclaimed.
Sharon shook her head. Her fingers rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.
"We just... do other stuff when we're together. We hang out, we kiss, we cuddle..."
"So you guys haven't even spent one night together?" the Austrian wondered.
"No. We don't want to rush things, you know? It's better to take it easy."
"Well, taking it easy is great, but... don't you think it's about time you... got to know each other at that level?" the blond man furrowed his brows "I mean, we all have our needs..."
"Don't give me that!" Sharon grimaced "Look, I'm a very sexual person myself, too, but going too fast hasn't caused me anything but trouble. I'd like to be respected for once."
"Be honest, Sharon" Johanna said seriously "Would you like to sleep with him at all?"
The other woman's reply took a bit longer than she was supposed to, which confirmed Johanna's suspicions. Sharon frowned, annoyed: There it was again, that brief look her two friends shared.
"Of course I would!" she finally responded, as though she felt offended that they could have any doubts about it "I'm really looking forward to our first time, but... I don't want to screw things up. Besides, do we really have to sleep together so soon?"
"Soon?" Marco almost laughed "Are you going to keep him waiting until you get married or something?"
"No!"
"Besides, are you sure that's the real reason why you don't want to..." the younger girl corrected herself as she noticed Sharon's protesting look "Sorry! Is that why you still haven't had sex with him? Are you putting him to the test? Or are you just putting it off because you deep down don't want to?"
A sigh escaped the Dutch girl's mouth. She ran a hand through her dark hair, not looking at the other two.
"It's not that I don't want to sleep with him - I'm just scared, I'll admit that. See, I haven't been with a man in years, and I haven't told him that I've dated girls. What if he noticed that I'm out of practice and started asking me questions?"
"Well, maybe you should tell him about your lesbian past" the man pointed out "It's just one more part of your life, and he deserves to know if you want to have an honest relationship with him."
"I can't tell him" Sharon shook her head nervously "It was probably just a phase I've grown out of, so it doesn't matter anymore. Telling him would just make everything more complicated."
"Why would it?"
"Because it's weird! Do you have an idea how lesbians react when you tell them that you used to be into men?"
"But he's not a lesbian" Johanna intervened "It's different with guys. Not to mention that he doesn't seem the kind of man who would judge you for that."
"Yeah, well... I'll think about it" Sharon mumbled "But even if I told him... I can't deny I am quite out of practice. What if I'm a mess in bed?"
"Is that what you're afraid of" Marco wondered "Or are you just scared that you might not like having sex with him?"
"Ok, this is just too much" the brunette snorted "Can't you guys just be happy for me and stop trying to find the flaws in the only good relationship I've had in a long time?"
"We're just trying to protect you" he retorted "You're right though. You guys make a great couple and we wish you all the best."
Sharon nodded.
"Can we talk about something else?"
"Sure" Johanna agreed.
"Alright" her brown eyes travelled to the ceiling distractedly, thinking of a new subject "You haven't told me anything about your new roommate. How are things going with her?"
"Pretty good" the Austrian replied "She doesn't spend much time at home, but she's pretty nice. And very talkative."
"That's an understatement" Marco grinned "I believe she doesn't even stop in her sleep."
In the meantime, Mike smiled to his slyness as he went into the restrooms. Sharon and her friends seemed to be too busy discussing something to notice that he hadn't gone straight to the toilet, but to pay for their lunch. He knew they would all protest if he offered to do so, and he wanted to have a nice detail to them. Those guys were surely the kind of people he'd like to be friends with.
Whistling some happy song, he washed his hands and got ready to step out when he heard some noises coming from the ladies' restroom. It sounded like someone was vomiting. His sympathetic part couldn't help but stand next to the door and ask:
"Are you alright, Miss? Need any help?"
"I'm fine" she called.
He blinked slightly when he realized that her voice sounded familiar to him.
"Johanna, is that you?"
"Mike?"
The young Austrian came out. Her skin looked so extremely pale that even her freckles seemed to be hidden. She took a deep breath and washed her face quickly before giving him an awkward look.
"I'm alright. Maybe you were right and those eggs and mayonnaise were not a good idea" she half-chuckled.
"Aw, I'm sorry!" he winced "Hope you're feeling a bit better now."
"Yeah, I think so. My stomach just didn't seem to like the sandwich."
"I see. So you have a delicate stomach?"
"No, not really. I don't have problems with food very often. It must have been a one-time thing."
Luckily for her, Mike seemed to accept her explanation. He wouldn't possibly know that she was lying...