Inner Desires

18.

"Adrian just texted me. He's going to see a movie with Mark, so that will keep him entertained for about two hours" Johanna explained.

"Great!" Hanna exclaimed, as she finished cleaning up the kitchen counters "This should give us enough time to prepare the decorations and bring everyone here."

"Yeah. I'll prepare some snacks."

Hanna took a big cardboard box from her wardrobe, where she kept some decorative items. Amongst others, she had some shiny, colored letters made of plastic which could be hung on the walls without using pins or nails. There were also some other classics like balloons, Chinese lanterns and some candle holders in different funny shapes. She stood on a chair while she formed the words "Mark you rock" and stuck them to the living-room walls.

"Do you think he'll find balloons too childish?" she asked Johanna.

The redhead tilted her head, looking around the room and trying to picture it full of balloons.

"Well, deep down he's a child, so if you feel like hanging some balloons, go ahead" she finally said.

"Hmm... not sure" Hanna rubbed the back of her neck "Candles would be cute , though."

"Yeah, candles are always cool" her roommate laid two plates of crisps on the coffee table "And your holders are so original."

"I know right! I've been collecting them since I was like twelve. My favorites are the ones with dragons."

"Oh, I love them too! They were so perfect for the medieval party we threw on my birthday!"

The brunette giggled and searched the box to find something that could make a nice atmosphere.

"You know what?" she commented "If we had had more time to prepare this, we should have made it themed."

"Oh yeah!" Johanna squealed enthusiastically "I bet Mark would have loved a pirate party!"

"Haha, sure! It would have been so hilarious to dress him up."

"Totally" the younger girl sighed "Too bad he probably wouldn't be in the mood for that."

"Well, that's why we're throwing him a party!" Hanna pointed out "To cheer him up."

"Yeah, I hope it will help."

"Nah, I'm sure he'll feel better having all his friends around."

The Dutch girl hung some candle holders from the metallic hooks on the ceiling, one on each side. She placed some others on the shelves and different corners of the room. Then she stood by the wall, watching her composition and thinking about what she could improve. Meanwhile, Johanna had dished anything she had in her cupboards that could be used as a snack: olives, pretzels, nuts... She took the plates to the living-room and glanced at the work her roommate was doing.

"Oh, looks nice!" she approved "I was thinking, you know what could be nice for this kind of party? We could put up some pictures of him with us or with other friends."

"Sounds like a sweet idea!" the other smiled "I should have many of those."

"Glad you like it. Do you think we could need more food?"

"No" Hanna shook her head "Martin is bringing some Panini and something to drink, and Alex said she'd bake sweet and salty muffins."

"Very creative!" the Austrian exclaimed "I have strawberries and bananas, so I was thinking of making some fruit skewers."

"Ohhh, I love it! It's gonna be a great party!"

Again, the brunette went to her bedroom and had a look at her photo albums, selecting some pictures of her roommate and other friends. She had never realized how many she had of herself with her two roommates. It made her smile to think of how many moments they had shared – the three of them at their housewarming party, the three of them at the karaoke bar, the three of them on their trip to New York, birthdays, Christmases... She found it hard to believe almost three years had gone by. After picking some photographs, she headed back to the living-room and began putting them up randomly, sticking them to the wall with blu-tack. Johanna, who was already done with the snacks, stood on another chair and helped her decorate.