The people in Barcelona are wild. They make the city what it is. I lived there for six months and got to know quite a few of them. I even dated and slept with some of them.
One of those was Elena. We met in a bar towards the beginning of my stay. It was packed and I was there with some international friends. I had the best Spanish of the group, so I was ordering drinks. Elena was sitting nearby and overheard my accent as I shouted my drinks orders to the barman.
'Where are you from? I can't place your accent,' she asked in a melodious voice. Her English was impeccable. I later learnt she was in international marketing and had also lived abroad.
'I'll take that as a compliment. I grew up in the UK. My mother's Spanish, so I learnt a bit from her, but we mostly spoke English at home. I learnt a bit more on various trips here.'
'You like my country, then.'
'It's alright.'
She smiled. 'Here on vacation? Bachelor party?'
'Neither. I live here. Well, for the next few months at least. I'm a music producer. Based in London normally but I've been brought over to work on an album.'
'So, there's a chance we bump into each other again.'
'There's a chance. Maybe more than that. You live here, then?'
'Born and raised.'
'So, what's your favourite...'
'Place to visit in Barcelona? I'm not gonna show you around. I'm not a free tour guide.'
'I know my way around. I was going to say, what's your favourite thing to drink? Let me add it to our order.'
'That's kind, but I'm with some friends. I should probably get back to them.'
I was a little disappointed. I thought we had a vibe going. A wave of boldness overtook me.
'ΒΏMe das tu nΓΊmero, entonces? Y tomamos algo otro dΓa.'
'There's that accent again. Your Spanish is actually alright. It makes you a little bit charming,' she said, as she entered her number into my phone.
Over the next month, we met up a few times for drinks, flirting and more. We were not yet exclusive, so we could still see other people if we wanted to. I was pretty sure she was doing that, as I noticed her surreptitiously checking dating apps on a couple occasions.
The first time we had sex was at my place. It was mostly awkward fumblings. The second time was at her place and it was mind-blowing. By then, we had gotten to know each other's bodies a little better. Elena was very loud and was practically screaming when she came.
We had arranged to hang out at her place the following weekend. I was already on my way when I got a text from her saying she had missed her train. She would be there in an hour or so. She said it was okay because her roommate Daniela was in.
Elena barely knew Daniela. They had matched with each other on a find-a-roommate app. Daniela was an aspiring actor and part-time waiter. Originally from near Madrid, she was here in Barcelona for a month filming something, mostly in the evenings. This meant the two women had completely different schedules and they barely saw each other. I do not think they liked each other much anyway. Daniela was quite untidy and never did her dishes, which annoyed Elena. Elena had to ask Daniela to clear up her mess and wrote passive aggressive notes to her, which annoyed Daniela.
When I knocked, there was a delay before anyone answered. Eventually, Daniela opened the door, not quite fully, and half hid behind it. Her hair was dishevelled and she was dressed in a large, baggy t-shirt with no pants or skirt. I could not tell if she was wearing underwear. She had a boyfriend but he was back home. It must have been one of his t-shirts.
'Oh, hi,' she said, pulling her t-shirt down to cover her crotch area. 'I wasn't expecting you. Elena's not in. Not sure where she is.' Daniela's breathing was a little heavy. I assumed that she had run to get the door.
'It's okay. She just texted me to say she missed a train and would be back in an hour. She said I could hang here to wait for her. Is that alright? She thought you would be in.'
'Sure. Come in.' Daniela had piercing eyes, long wavy hair, a cheeky smile and an incredible body. I could not help but admire her firm bum as she disappeared back into her room. The bottoms of her perfectly cupped cheeks were peeking out from under her t-shirt.
I sat on the couch and started flicking through the channels. After a short while, I went into the kitchen to get something to eat. Soon, Daniela re-appeared, in the t-shirt and some tiny cotton shorts. Again, she seemed slightly out of breath. She poured herself an enormous glass of water and started gulping it down.
I knew she was into yoga. 'Have you just been doing your hot yoga or something?' I asked.
'Something like that,' she said, flashing me a cheeky smile.
'I should get into yoga. You'll have to teach me some day.'
She ignored my comment and finished her water. 'So, you guys had a good time last weekend, then?'
'We didn't go out in the end, actually. We just chilled here.'
She looked at me for a bit without saying anything. 'I know you just chilled here. I also know that you had a good time. Well, I know for certain that Elena had a good time.'
'I see what you're saying now,' I said, feeling embarrassed. She must have been annoyed. 'Sorry if we woke you up or anything.'
'You didn't wake me up. I was awake. I was very much awake.' Another smirk.
I was feeling uncomfortable. I tried to change the topic. 'How's Juan?'
'He's good. We're trying to call each other a lot, but, you know, it's not quite the same.' She paused. 'I'm not getting all of my needs met, let's say.'
'It's hard doing distance.'
'It depends.'
'On?'
'On if you can find other ways to get your needs met.'
'I see. Like via other people, you mean?'
'Maybe.'