Serena felt stupid for messaging Bernie, for thinking about her all day. There was no way she'd want to see her again. Serena felt defeated, yearning for the fire they'd started last night. Maybe it was just lust, maybe it was only destined to be a fling but they'd both wanted it. The devastated expression on Bernie's face had made it so much worse.
She looked at their WhatsApp screen and started typing again. Stopped. Deleted. Started again. Repeated it several times. She was still tapping when the door to her office opened and a voice interrupted her thoughts.
'So, last night. You didn't tell me about that woman in Stepney.'
Serena turned around.
'What?'
Bernie had been driven crazy watching the dots appear and disappear on the screen. She still wasn't sure how to proceed after receiving Serena's message. She left it until the end of the day, waiting to see how she felt about taking the next step. Because she knew how she felt. She'd spent the rest of the night denying it but deep down she knew what she wanted. Serena had made her feel like she deserved to look at another woman without shame.
That was it. She'd made her wait long enough and now Bernie marched up to her office, wondering what she was going to say.
She'd said something rather strange once she'd faced her. Now she'd have to admit that she had listened in on that conversation.