Spanish lessons

5. Hunting in a pack

Thursday morning, Charlotte was woken up by sunrise. Looking at her phone, she sighed. It was only 7 o'clock, they wouldn't leave for the city for another three hours. Her roommate was still sound asleep, but Charlotte couldn't find her way back to the land of dreams. The events of yesterday were causing her mind to run a mile a minute. At dinner, Emily had asked her if she was okay, pointing out the warm smile that was painted on her face and very unusual for Charlotte. Normally, she was not the person to show her emotions so openly.

"I am, why do you ask? Just very happy to be here finally. Can't wait for the city tour tomorrow, I finally want to practice my Spanish."

Charlotte was irritated by the question. She had no idea that her face gave away that she was mentally absent from the table. Emily wanted to give it a rest, it was none of her business. Plus, what happens in Barcelona stays in Barcelona.

The rest of the dinner with the group went by without Charlotte participating in the conversation. Not that she wasn't interested in the history of the city Mrs. Fletcher was telling as preparation for the scavenger hunt, her mind was just constantly wandering off. To a secret place with butterflies, roses, and a mermaid.

"Are you sure you are okay? I haven't seen you smile so much, like, ever." Emily really didn't want to probe, but her curiousity came in her way.

"I am! While you were checking out the locals at the beach, I had a lovely time at the hotel pool, not burning my skin completely on the first day because there was actual shadow. Being here fills me with joy, I have worked hard for this trip." Charlotte hoped the tease about her visible sunburn would get Emily to stop being so nosey.

With a sigh, Emily decided to really drop it, for now. It was time to go to bed anyway.

Since it was still so early and Charlotte couldn't find back to sleep, she decided to get up. Quietly as to not disturb her roommate, she put on her comfy beige cardigan she had worn on the flight over her pajamas and went up to the rooftop and pool area.

The view took her breath away. The water in the pool was shimmering from the rising sun, a few calm waves flowing through. Charlotte went up to the railing and let her gaze roam over the city. The mountains on her left were still in the shadow, but the more she traveled to the right, the more light was coming in and lighting up the city, reflecting in pastel oranges and pink from the windows of the buildings. A light breeze moved through her hair.

Charlotte stood there, with her eyes closed, enjoying the magic silence of the beginning of the day. Her breathing got deeper, her heart beat slowed down. A feeling of peace washed over her, her eyes welling up with tears of gratitude for being at this magical place. 

After a few moments, she opened her eyes again, and her gaze fell on the ocean. Watching the water, the image of a mermaid plopped into her head. Her first instinct was to wipe it away, but instead Charlotte chose to dive into it and explore. She knew where this was coming from. The afternoon with Harry at the pool had been a wonderful few hours, and Charlotte rarely truly enjoyed the company of another person. Although she did not know where this encounter and the follow-up beach day tomorrow would lead (was it a date? Charlotte wasn't sure, but Aria being there she decided it was just a hang-out), for once she decided to enjoy the uncertainty. She highly doubted that anything serious would come of this, as this was neither her nor Harry's goal (as far as she could assume). An encounter with a fellow brit on vacation, a nice chat, some time spent together, that's it.

Charlotte couldn't deny the fact that she was interested, even intrigued by him. Tomorrow it would be her turn to dip her toes into his waters, figuratively speaking. Her heart started to pound heavier in her chest. In Brighton, she had had the occasional date, but had someday decided to leave this part of life be for a while and focus on herself and her studies. She was perfectly fine with her own company and the wine-and-dine-dates with her few close friends once in a while. Her life was the perfect example of a textbook ECG. No exceptional highs or lows. A calm, steady rhythm, like waves on the ocean she thoroughly enjoyed watching during study breaks.