"Did he just leave me with our guest so he can go and play games!", Giselle gasped in an exaggerated way that made Annie chuckle. After a brief silence, the blonde woman shrugged, "Guess so?". Both laughed and glanced at each other. Something clicked between them in that moment. The conversation came easier now, the older of the two inquiring curiously, "Why'd end up in journalism in the first place?". Annie, supported by three glasses of wine, went into a story-teller mode and gave Giselle her full rundown of everything that lead her to study journalism, from supportive friends over a lucky internship at a newspaper to doubting parents.

While they talked, Ian had gone to sleep. He snored so loud, the neighbors would be able to hear. Giselle's legs were under a blanket, similar to Annie's legs. She had shuffled closer to the pile of blankets that now contained only two, but had a bag of potato chips on top that both of them munched on.

Probably neither of them had assumed that hanging out would be this enjoyable. Both wore a bright smile and were quite open about sharing stories and asking questions. Maybe it was the alcohol involved, but Giselle even offered a few very embarrassing anecdotes on her dating life before Ian. Later, after both reached a level of near intoxication on that new bottle of wine, Giselle asked, "So what went wrong with that guy who was supposed to move in here?".

Annie glared at her for a while. It wasn't an annoyed glare, more similar to an uncertain one. Then she sighed and turned her glass between her fingers, circling it round and round, something she'd been doing most of the evening already. "Alright, I'll tell", she said and frowned.

"I had met her at University. Journalism required me to pick up another language and I chose Spanish. On the first lecture, I sat next to her and you have no idea, she was gorgeous.", the woman started her tale. Her eyes sparkled brightly at first, but her expression soon emanated a sadness or regret. "You know how it goes, we danced around each other for a bit, went on a date, then sidetracked, started texting each other again. That went on for almost a year.", then she sighed and avoided Giselle's eyes.

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"We were a thing for four years after that. Really ticked, if you believe that. I got that job for the newspaper, that magazine that you asked me about earlier. When I saw these apartments for sale, I wanted to buy one, and as it turns out she didn't. She went traveling, I got a loan instead", the memory was painful and when she had finished, she looked at Giselle with glittering, watery eyes, "And that's that". The brunette waited a long time until she spoke up. She'd been carefully studying the expressions Annie was going through. "Do you need a hug?", she offered sincerely. Annie just shook her head and carefully pushed the tears out of her eyes. Tears would've messed up the little makeup she wore.

"The apartment was a great choice though, except maybe, the walls are a little thin and we can hear the neighbors above us", Giselle smiled to cheer up her guest, who smiled back at her with a mischievous expression she didn't quite expect of her, especially after the tale she just shared. She wondered, "What? What did I say?".

Annie tilted her head and slowly started talking, taking breaks between every second word, "You know - when you - do things - I mean - you two - do things - I can - uh - hear you". Giselle stared with an open mouth. Hear her, did she get that right. She let her gaze fall on the bedroom door. The room bordered Annie's apartment, which was a mirrored version of their own, so Annie had the bedroom directly... and she breathed the last words, "... on the opposite side". When the realization struck her, she turned red like a tomato. She sunk down, trying to hide behind the small pile of blankets. Annie just watched her with an amused expression. But the conversation had come to a halt.

Giselle did not quite know how to react. Eventually she sought the eyes of Annie, who just stared back at her curiously. "Are you embarrassed that I heard you two fuck?", the blonde suddenly asked, and Giselle, who was usually composed and in control, looked even more uncomfortable now. The feeling of shyness and embarrassment filled her up. And she knew perfectly well, why. Ian wasn't the loud one, she was. She couldn't help it. "I am...", she whispered and Annie chuckled cutely. Then she leaned closer, "Don't worry, you're really cute when you're loud!"