Chapter Text
Becky's POV
I stood in front of a metal door, holding a rather large bag in one hand and supporting a spacious wheeled suitcase with the other. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the intercom button and waited for a response.
Upon reaching the second floor, I rang the doorbell, wearing a broad smile on my face.
"Hi, how are you doing?" I greeted the tall girl inside the apartment as I entered and started carrying my belongings.
"Charlotte, is that her?" came a voice from somewhere deep within the living space, and a moment later, I saw my friend, who also stepped into the hallway, wiping her hands with a towel.
"Hi," I nodded, genuinely happy to see her.
"You showed up, you wanderer," she playfully replied with a stern voice, draping a colorful towel over her shoulder, "sweetie," she turned to the girl standing next to her and kissed her cheek, "I'll handle things here. Could you please make some tea for us?"
The tall, brown-eyed brunette raised an eyebrow, giving me a disapproving look, and then headed towards the kitchen.
"And please, no poison," I added, unable to resist making a remark.
"I can't promise that," came her reply from the hallway.
"Well, at least try," I said, placing my bag on top of the suitcase and starting to take off my shoes.
"Can you behave normally for just a couple of minutes?" my friend asked, pushing my things against the wall.
"What did I say?"
"You know this situation involves all of us. There's no need to be so..."
"So what?" I looked at her, perfectly understanding what she meant.
"Freen is her friend, and she'll be on her side. Isn't that obvious?"
"And you are my friend, and you should be on my side," I insisted.
"I'm not on anyone's side. I don't want to get involved in all of this," the girl retorted, turning around and heading to the kitchen, "let's go, have some tea, and figure out what to do with you."
When we entered the small but very cozy kitchen, there was a table pushed against the wall with a kettle, a sugar bowl, a small vase of cookies, and some mugs. I sat on a chair, leaning my back against the wall, and tucked my feet under myself.
"Sit properly," Engfa said, taking out some spoons.
I obediently put my feet down, genuinely amazed at how she manages with Engfa. Although she probably doesn't "growl" at Charlotte like that.
My friend poured us tea and looked questioningly at Engfa.
"Darling? Weren't you planning to go to bed?" Charlotte said, looking at me.
Engfa glared at me with her dark eyes and said in a sweetly venomous voice, "Oh, I really want to hear the story of how my friend called me and asked me to host her ex-girlfriend."
"Actually, I asked Charlotte to host me. It's not my fault you two live together," I retorted.
"So, Freen wanted to make sure you wouldn't have to spend the night at the train station," Engfa continued.
"Oh, please," I scoffed, "don't worry, I won't be at your place tomorrow."
"Enough," Charlotte finally intervened, "both of you. Engfa, she's my friend. Please, be a little more understanding. And you," she pointed her finger at me, "shut up and stop making a scene. Stay as long as you need. We have three rooms here."
We both fell silent and lowered our heads.
"Tell us now, what happened?" Charlotte poured sugar into her cup and started stirring it, tapping the spoon gently against the edges.
"Well... we had a misunderstanding, and we decided it would be better if we broke up," I shrugged.
"You were making out with some girl!" Engfa exclaimed.
"That's what I'm saying," I nodded, "a misunderstanding. She didn't get it. And she didn't appreciate it, I guess."
"Are you completely clueless?" the girl interrupted my words, glaring at me angrily.
"Oh, is it that obvious?" I replied in a surprised tone.
"Stop it! You both act like children!" Charlotte slammed her hand on the table, silencing our argument, "Wait. Did Freen saw you kissing another woman?" Charlotte's expression was quite strange. It seemed like she was embarrassed to have such a wayward friend.
"Well, it's hard to call it a kiss," I waved it off, "more like a quick peck, that's all..."
"Freen told me your tongue was almost in that woman's stomach!" Engfa interjected again, and Charlotte looked at me inquisitively.
"Okay, fine," I sighed heavily, "maybe it wasn't just a peck. But it doesn't mean anything!"
"Of course!" I felt like Engfa and I were about to start a fight.
"Why would you... Who is this girl anyway? Do you have a thing with her?" Charlotte asked, looking surprised at the emerging information.
"There was no 'thing'! I just..."
"You just can't keep your damn hands to yourself!" Engfa hissed.
"Honey, go to the bedroom. Please. We'll talk to Becky for a bit, and I'll come, okay? You're a bit..."
"Bitch," I finished Charlotte's sentence and encountered two angry glares.
"A bit angry," my friend looked at me reproachfully, "please. I'll be there soon."
"I hope this bitchiness isn't contagious," Engfa threw at me as she got up from the chair.
"You know, I think she definitely likes me," I sarcastically remarked with a smile as the girl left the kitchen.
"She's just concerned about Freen," Charlotte sighed, stretching her legs, "so what about you and this girl? Love?"
"Oh, come on," I frowned, "it was just one time..."
"Did you sleep with her?" Charlotte widened her eyes, not believing her ears.
"Well...
"Oh my God. You're an idiot, you know that? Seriously. Why, Becky? What was wrong with Freen? She's intelligent, beautiful, independent, and well-off. A woman. What's wrong with you?
"Hey, I know I messed up, but let's calm down," I frowned.
"I just want to understand," she looked at me with her gray eyes, trying to read something from my facial expression, "are you in love?"
"No," I sighed, "I don't know, really. I don't know why I did it."
"Where did you even find her?"
"Remember that lesbian gathering at Irin's a couple of months ago? You didn't go?" Charlotte nodded silently.
"Right there. Freen also declined to go, but I decided to attend. We had an argument about her job, and it led to..." I took a deep breath and pushed the cup away, "...to that night."
"So it's been going on for two months now?" she asked, looking concerned.
"Around that. Well, to be more precise, at first, we were just talking. Nothing serious. But a couple of weeks ago..." I hesitated, "a couple of weeks ago, we had a fight with Freen. She accused me of behaving like a child, and I responded. Long story short, I ended up at this girl's place, and things happened."
"Damn," Charlotte said softly.
"It was just one time. I never intended for it to happen again. I was upset that day, and we had a few drinks, and I regretted it afterward. And yesterday... she came over to talk, I told her there's nothing between us, that it was all wrong, but she kissed me. Then Freen saw us. But the funny thing is, I didn't even try to explain anything. I just..." I sighed, "maybe it's better this way?"
"What's better this way?" Charlotte inquired.
"That she saw it and kicked me out. Charlotte I'm tired. She's too independent, too serious. Damn, she even mentioned wanting kids! Kids? Can you imagine?"
My friend looked me up and down and tilted her head.
"But... a year and a half, Becky. Was it all just meaningless?"
"You know, it's like a joke about a sweater. 'Sometimes I wonder why the hell I bought it.' It's the same here. I don't know how we lasted so long... I mean, I don't want this. It's hard for me. I don't want responsibilities and commitments. I just want to do what I feel like."
"You're not fifteen anymore. It's time to grow up," Charlotte said firmly.
"Damn, I'm 27. But who said I have to be all responsible now?"
"You're obviously having a mid-of 27. You act like a little kid. 'Don't want to go to school, want a candy.' It's not right," my friend shook her head.
"Maybe, but it's my decision."
"You're right about that. Okay, let's go, I'll give you some bedding. It's better to talk with a clear head," she got up from her chair and went to the hallway, leading the way to the distant room.
I lay on the small bed and stared at the ceiling, where strange shadows from the headlights of passing cars in the courtyard reflected. It had been a tough day. I pondered how I would live now. Alone. Yes, I acted like a real jerk, and Freen didn't deserve to be treated that way. It was awful that she found out like that, seeing me with someone else. I wouldn't have had the courage to confess to her myself. That's why I didn't try to justify or deny anything. Perhaps it's for the best. Now I can live the way I want, and Freen can move on with someone better than me. And finding such a person shouldn't be difficult.
So, I can consider that I helped both of us.