"Do you have a girlfriend?"
"I don't"
"Oh! What kind of girl do you like then?"

She was listening to their conversation while pretending to be observing something in glass of somek. So he didn't have a girlfriend like the others had made it sound like. So, the girlfriend he had mentioned when telling a story was an ex. She felt somewhat relieved, but then she remembered his reaction when only half an hour earlier, when the elder had asked him if she was his girlfriend and his denial. Well, it was obviously only natural considering that they were no more than friends, but his way of doing it had hurt her a bit. And now… She took a sip of her somek, it wasn't as good as when he made it.

He was a, friend. 

"How much do you understand?" the elder asked, making her look up. She grinned awkwardly not wanting to admit she understood more of their conversation than they expected her to do.

"Maybe 30%?" the elder laughed at her answer and nodded raising his glass for a cheer. The rest followed.

The somek really wasn't good, the ratio of 2:8 was not something the elders cared about when they poured her another glass, and commented on her manners. She felt awkward, not quite sure if she was doing it wrong or not, but she didn't want to act disrespectful towards these people they just had met.

They had met the Elder, his friend and their Italian friends down the street, when they waited for the others to reply their texts. They ended up tagging along and she felt slightly amused by it. It was fun watching him suddenly acting all polite towards others as he suddenly met his countrymen.

It was only the two of them among all these strangers, and she felt a tiny bit awkward not sure who she should be talking to, resulting in her just looking at her somek and eating some snacks once in a while.  While remembering how he had described the kind of girl he liked. Short, cute and huggable. She was huggable; however, neither cute nor short. She was tall, maybe she was even taller than he was, she wasn't sure. But something in her mind told her he was the taller one. Right… and the most important, he wanted someone who didn't live far from him. This had made her frown mentally. Well, at the moment they only lived 10 minutes apart…

However, it would be a different matter when he would return home to his country. She glanced at him. Why did she even like him in the first place? He wasn't handsome… not like the friend he had introduced to her the night before. But his personality. No, it wasn't great either, he was just a social person. Her glance turned into a stare and she couldn't pull away. Even when he turned his face towards her and they got eye contact her eyes didn't budge.

"What about the others?" she found herself asking, sounding calm.
"They're on their way to the dormitory with their things now, they should be here soon" he smiled showing her his phone. She nodded. On one hand wanted them to come so it'd be less awkward, on the other. She liked it technically only being the two of them among all these strangers.

He sat beside her, close. She felt their cheeks touching and she did her best to calm down her heart. She hated singing in front of others, yet sharing a mike like this was great. At least when it was with him. She liked how he would always approach her if he wanted to sing a song in his native language, as if he was expecting her to have memorized the lyrics. She liked how he was always able to create a mood, no matter with what song he was singing. She wasn't able to do that, she barely sang at karaoke unless someone else sang with her. Singing in public wasn't her thing. The song ended and he moved to the opposite side of the table to join their other friend.

She couldn't help but make a metal note of it.

It always ended up the three of them. The three of them would always be together at some point. They had become a sort of drinking trio.  The ones always ending up returning home in the morning. She liked it only being the three of them. Being the only girl made her feel somehow liberated, and there were no other girls to judge her. However, now… She glanced at him and their eyes met.

He had been looking at her? Why would he be looking at her? He didn't like her.
He had been complaining a couple of times that he didn't have a girlfriend while she had been present, by now, she even knew what kind of girls he liked. She wasn't one of them. She had even promised to look out for a girl.

She laughed unconsciously, and gained the attention of the two others, but she didn't care. She had been friendzoned, just like she herself had friendzoned many.
She but laugh.

How Ironic.