Chapter 13
"Good morning," Carlota smiles and hands a large thermos to Patricia, who sits in the car with a sleepy expression.
Patricia takes it and stares ahead, trying to remember when she thought it would be a good idea to wake up so early to drive the many hours ahead of her. Carlota, who was loading her things into the trunk, walks around the vehicle and drops into the passenger seat.
"Are you okay to drive?" asks the volunteer, watching her travel companion in the same position with the thermos in her hand.
Patricia blinks several times. It's not really that early, but since she knew she'd have to leave before dawn, Aida decided to stay at her house that night so Coco wouldn't be alone at any time. They stayed up talking late, and the result is that Patricia feels sleepy and has zero desire to drive.
"Yeah, yeah," she confirms, nodding her head. "I'll wake up properly soon."
The volunteer nods while fastening her seatbelt.
"We can take turns if you want," Carlota offers. "We can stop somewhere to rest and recharge. I came prepared."
Patricia smiles. She had already noticed during those nights at the shelter that Carlota likes to have everything arranged to be comfortable, and she has no doubt that besides the coffee thermos, she's brought other provisions.
The journey begins, and they both decide to play some music, mainly because they feel a bit awkward, and to avoid the uncomfortable silence, they fill it with a playlist that Carlota has prepared.
"Seriously?" Patricia bursts out laughing when she hears a Christmas song of dogs barking and howling.
Carlota's ears turn red.
"That slipped in," she says embarrassed while fiddling with her phone. "I use it to cheer them up at the shelter during the holidays."
Patricia realizes that the girl isn't just embarrassed but very flustered, and she thinks what's happening is that she doesn't want the cardiologist to have that image of her. In an uncontrolled movement, Patricia extends her hand and touches Carlota's thigh, who jumps slightly but tries to hide it.
"Leave it on," Patricia requests, referring to the song. "It actually sounds good."
Carlota looks up and, although Patricia can't see her, she knows her travel companion's eyes are sparkling. Maybe it's because of things like these that Patricia is starting to like her; the volunteer is a simple woman who appreciates these moments that, however silly they might be, seem to delight her.
"We could stop at that rest area," Carlota suggests when she sees a sign announcing it a kilometer away. They've been in the car for several hours, and she wants to stretch her legs.
"Yes, we can have breakfast, looks like there's a café," Patricia answers, squinting to scan the rest area.
"No way. I brought hornazo that I made last night and several homemade cookies," Carlota responds, almost licking her lips.
Patricia's stomach growls at hearing this; she knows it's a heavy breakfast, but being from Salamanca, she loves hornazo, especially when it's homemade. The cardiologist parks the car and while she goes to the bathroom, Carlota sets everything up for breakfast. When she returns, she discovers amazed that her companion hasn't just prepared a couple of delicacies, but there's also a small cooler with cold drinks.
"I wasn't sure what you'd want, so I brought juices, sodas and water, besides the coffee."
"I want it all, honestly," Patricia laughs, "driving makes me very hungry."
With a smile worthy of a child receiving a nice gift, Carlota cuts a piece of hornazo that she hands to Patricia and serves her a cup of coffee. The two veterinarians eat leisurely and talk about trivial topics; the weather, the car, and even the route they need to take to reach their destination.
The journey continues as planned and to Patricia's surprise, it isn't uncomfortable at all. They've both loosened up quite a bit and have moved on to talking about more personal things without touching on emotional topics. They discuss families, hobbies, and even some cases that have come to their clinics. Carlota is fascinated because, although she didn't want to specialize, she finds Patricia's work as a cardiologist very interesting.
"Finally, we're here!" Patricia exclaims exaggeratedly when they reach Gibraltar and find the hostel.
"It wasn't that bad," Carlota responds, stretching her back.
"Says the one who didn't have to drive," the cardiologist teases while parking.
Carlota raises her eyebrows. Patricia laughs.
"Hey, I offered to switch at least ten times so you could rest."
"You mean those ten times we stopped at different places because you wanted to buy a magnet or take a photo up close?" Patricia continues, teasing her.
Carlota turns red again; if she weren't such an insecure woman, she could surely take these comments as jokes because she knows Patricia is just kidding, but she struggles to control that feeling. Patricia notices and tries to help.
"I wanted to see those places too," she says after turning off the engine. "It's been a fun trip, I usually do them non-stop, but I liked it better this way."
"Then stop complaining," Carlota becomes bold, smiling as she gets out of the car.
They grab their suitcases and walk to the Blue Star Hostel, and as soon as they cross the door, they find Yolanda at the computer. The woman looks up and, seeing it's her friend Patricia, her eyes light up and she smiles broadly, though she can't hide her surprise at seeing her accompanied.
"You look gorgeous," Yolanda hugs her after coming out from behind the counter. "You didn't tell me you were coming with a hottie," she whispers.
Patricia pulls away from her friend; she hadn't told the married couple anything because she knew they would subject her to questioning that she wanted to avoid at all costs.
"This is Carlota, a former college classmate and volunteer at an animal shelter in Salamanca."
Yolanda's almost imperceptible gesture when realizing who the companion is doesn't go unnoticed by the cardiologist. Fortunately, hurried footsteps make all three women turn to see a very cheerful Sonia coming to greet them.
"Well, look who it is," exclaims Yolanda's wife while throwing her arms around Patricia's neck.
"Honey," Yoli calls her, "this is Carlota, Patri's friend," the girl says and winks at her wife.
Sonia gives Carlota two kisses, and all four engage in a conversation about their journey from Salamanca.
"Well, we'll take you to your room so you can drop off your things, and then you can come over to our place. People eat early here, but it'll be good for you to rest and recharge for tomorrow," Sonia explains.
"I need a shower," Patricia says, grabbing her suitcase.
"Your hostel is beautiful," Carlota comments as they walk to the room.
"The property was a mess, but the investment allowed us to do the renovations we wanted, we're very proud," Yolanda responds, well aware of all the efforts she and her wife have made to make the Blue Star Hostel what it is today.
After climbing some stairs, they reach a double door, painted in pale pink with a sign that reads Machacón. Each room in the hostel is named after towns in Salamanca, in honor of its owners' homeland.
Patricia's face is priceless when they enter; the bed - as it couldn't be otherwise in these cases - is a double, no sign of two separate beds.
"I'll talk to them to see if there's another room available," the cardiologist suddenly says.
Carlota, who was already unpacking, looks at her as if she were performing acrobatics in the middle of the room.
"If that comment came from me, I'd understand," says the volunteer, "but from you, I'm amazed. We've already slept together, Patricia, and not precisely in a spacious bed. Stop bothering your friends and go take your shower, because I'm starving."
Patricia is speechless; the way her companion has spoken to her, far from bothering her, has sent a dangerous current through her body, one of those that emboldens you to kiss someone who has dared to speak to her like that. But she just nods, rummages through her things, and goes into the bathroom. Half an hour later, they're in the married couple's house, a space within the same hostel that consists of an open-plan living room with kitchen and dining room with a wooden division that delimits the bedroom area.
"This is delicious," Carlota says while enjoying dinner.
"Calentita is a typical dish from the area, and this," Yolanda points to another plate, "is called Rostro and it's Sonia's favorite."
"It's very good, but I prefer the hornazo," Patricia blurts out without knowing her comment has delighted Carlota.
"They're completely different things, Patri," Sonia tells her while watching her friend just shrug her shoulders.
After dinner and talking for a while, the friends make plans for lunch the next day. Sonia and Yolanda have prepared a route through the center with several recommendations.
"We won't be able to see you until lunchtime," Yoli explains, "we have a guy who helps us in the afternoons or when we're really busy, and that's when we're more free."
"Don't worry, girls, we'll do some sightseeing and then come back to have lunch with you."
The women say goodbye and the veterinarians go up to their room. As they had done at the shelter, they coordinate well; while one brushes her teeth, the other puts on her pajamas and prepares the bed. Patricia feels an unusual nervousness and knows it's her conversation with Aida that has her like this; accepting that she likes Carlota and that it might be reciprocal leaves her mind corrupted knowing they'll share a bed.
"I'm exhausted," Carlota says, pulling Patricia from her thoughts.
"Me too, but when I'm this tired, I find it hard to sleep," the cardiologist responds, getting into bed.
Carlota, as soon as she covers herself with the comforter, falls into a deep sleep. Patricia sighs because she doesn't understand this woman's ability to fall asleep so quickly. She moves uncomfortably because she knows she might not be able to rest that night. She's wrong - very wrong - because that little sound Carlota makes while sleeping, which helped her fall asleep those nights at the shelter, works its magic on her again, and little by little she falls into a pleasant drowsiness that isn't even interrupted when she thinks about how wonderful it would be to hear it every night in her own bed.