This thing between us, whatever you want to call it, had been going on for a while now. If you'd asked me after it had first started, I'd have told you it was just a casual shag to relieve stress. No though, I could tell something had changed. At first I hadn't really noticed it, how harsh bites and sharp scratches turned into soft kisses and tender caresses. We were no longer fucking, we were making love. Trust me, I know how cheesy that sounds. But it was true. I think I started falling for her the moment we first locked eyes, but it was over a year later until I realised how deep I had fallen.
The freak had, once again, caused chaos to erupt within the prison. The crazy bitch had followed Jess towards the storage room under the kitchen to 'save' Doreen's kid. She had killed Jess in cold blood, a heroic action in her mind, and proceeded to light a fire to destroy and damning evidence. What a great idea that was, setting a fire directly under the fucking kitchens.
Of course, in the several minutes leading up to this discovery, me and red had no idea what we were walking into. All we knew was that Jess had taken Joshua, and by god we were going to find him. Doreen could be a bit of a bitch at times, but she was family. Family always looks out for each other. We had both gone different routes around the prison, not aware of which entrances would be easier to pass through.
Once we reached the basement, we knew this wasn't going to be easy. There was a fire blazing in the background, licking up the walls and squeezing through the widening cracks in the ceiling. Ferguson was crawling slowly in our direction, Josh in one hand, the other clawing at the ground. As if that would help her case. In any other circumstance I would've taken pleasure in seeing her so shaken up, but now really wasn't the time.
After me and red fully entered the room, we could see the worrying extent of the damage. The ceiling looked to be not far away from collapsing and the smoke was getting thicker by the second, we needed to act now. Red ran straight to Josh, plucking him from Ferguson's grip as I hauled her to her feet. Red ran straight to the only exit, not sparing a glance backwards until she'd reached it. I looked back at her, telling her to carry on, reassuring her that I'd follow soon behind though it already felt as if we were miles apart.
Only seconds after she made her exit, one of the ceiling's beams collapsed, temporarily blocking the exit. I roughly shoved Ferguson to the floor, not caring about the state she was in, and began pushing with every ounce of strength against the beam. After sparing her a glance I could tell the freak was passed out, the smoke obviously having gotten to her. I pounded relentlessly for the next few cminutes, stupidly exhausting all of my energy until I too was overcome by the smoke filling my lungs. I fought briefly, with my last will power fading away I allowed myself to succumb to the darkness. The last thing I heard before my eyes fully closed being an eerily familiar voice screaming out to me, begging me to stay awake.
I was drifting in and out of consciousness for the next few moments, not having decided which one I preferred. Sleep was so tempting, yet there seemed to be something willing me to stay conscious.I was yanked from my pondering when I felt large, muscular arms lifting me, handing me off to somebody else. Less muscular, yet a lot more familiar. I was being carried, my addled mind told me, as the heat from the flames seemed to grow further and further away. I was set down gently and I heard my saviour calling for me, pleading for me to return to them. I was trying, believe me I was, but the light seemed so far away and I didn't have the energy to reach it.
That is, until a weight was moved over my mouth and oxygen hit me like a ton of bricks. My chest began expanding rapidly as I sputtered for breath, finally returning to the land of the living. My vision was still blurry, but nonetheless I could identify the shock of red that stood out against the dull backdrop of everyday life. Looking up into those eyes that were still filled with fear and regret, I knew this was more than lust between us. Even if neither of us had said it, I knew we both felt it at this moment.
I stared into those gorgeous eyes, brimming with tears, and knew that nothing meant more to me in that moment than her. I pulled her to me, locking our lips in a chaste kiss before I was once again fighting for breath. My forehead rested against hers and I knew that in that moment, nothing else mattered. We could deal with repercussions later, though our audience didn't seems too bothered, some even letting out cheers and wolf whistles. For know, the whole world would just have to wait. I needed to tell my girl how I really felt and nothing was going to stop me.
This was the day I realised I was in love with Bea Smith.