After rather a long break I was prompted to continue this story as leaving Naomi and Beth on a train seemed a little unfair!
"It's really good of your mum to let me stay Naomi – I could easily have gone to see Alex – like he's always got sofa space, though I'm not sure I could face that disgusting mess again – mum packs bleach and rubber gloves like when she goes down to visit. Much as I love my brother I much prefer seeing him at home".
Naomi wondered whether her motive for persuading her mother to clear the spare room had been entirely altruistic? After what Beth had said on the train she had felt a quiver of excitement at the very thought that Beth… She consciously banished the thought from her mind for it only to reappear a few moments later. The power of lust! Christ! What was she thinking? On her way to see her ex in a moment of extreme need and planning – well what was she planning?
"Ok, a few things Beth, don't encourage Kieran like he can be a fucking perv at times, he'll look down your top, up your skirt or anywhere else if you give him half a chance – tell him you've got a boyfriend in one of the Bristol rugby teams or something".
"Yeah, got that – but have you decided what you're going to do – I mean about Emily? Who could you see who's seen her recently –apart from Katie of course? Who was that girl you talked about, the one whose boyfriend disappeared?"
"Effie – she might know something but I've no idea where her head's at now – although when her brother came back from uni she like seemed a lot more stable. Last Christmas I saw her with Tony – that's her brother – and she was ok. She absolutely worshipped him and I think when he went off to Exeter she didn't have that support. We all thought that he would come back to see her after she tried to commit suicide but, well, who knows….
"Does Effie live at home?"
"No she's sharing with another 'troubled soul' – that's what my mum calls them – an older girl from our college called Cassie."
"Is that the one you told me about who went to work in New York?"
"Yes but something happened there that she would never talk about. Sid, this boy went out to try and find her but came back and then later she returned but Sid had gone off god knows where – a bit tragic really, we all thought they would get it together but it's like fate kept getting in the way."
"In five minutes we will be arriving at Bristol Temple Meads, this train terminates here, please check that you have all your luggage with you and thank you for traveling with SouthWest Trains."
"God Beth I feel so nervous, I'm being pulled one way and another- London and Bristol, Emily and…"
How could a train journey suddenly throw my mind upside down, thought Naomi? My best friend has suddenly become someone who could be a lot more than that. This took her back to when she had first met Beth and found her checking out all the other first years on view in Freshers Week. She knew there was little chance of her being gay but she had hoped. She started to think back about Beth – they had talked about retrospective reinterpretation in one of her seminars – and now she was doing it- like Beth was a subject in a sociology experiment to be analysed and written up. That time when two really fit guys came over to chat us up, when we stopped at the LGBT stall in Freshers Week, when we were both really drunk and I touched her but she didn't seem to mind…. God, where's this going I must…..
But the braking of the train invaded her thoughts and brought her back to the present where she knew she must confront what was in front of her not try to do the 'what ifs' that had too often been pointless in her past.
Walking up the hill towards Naomi's house the two girls were strangely silent, each buried in her own thoughts. What was Beth expecting? - Naomi wrestled with her thoughts and didn't notice her mother coming towards them. After all the hugs and kisses Gina told them to go on up – Kieran was out – and she would be back later.
"Sorry darling but we're going out later and are staying with Steve and Alice but we'll be back mid morning. We can have a real chat then, ok? Sort out Beth, she's in the spare room – I've made up the bed and towels are out."
Beth flopped down on her bed staring at the ceiling.
"Lovely house, is your mum happy with Kieran?"
From the doorway Naomi looked at Beth's gorgeous body spread out in a most inviting way – her perfect tits, nipples just showing through her white t- shirt, slim athletic legs and blonde hair spread across the pillow.
"Yeah – but thank god you won't have to listen to them shagging in the next room tonight…..
Naomi's phone bleeped.
"Oh shit, I'm not answering that now –it's Katie. I just haven't thought about…..
Naomi's voice tailed off and her eyes blurred. She wanted someone to tell her what to do but knew that she had to decide. Beth sat up. Naomi went over to her friend and sat down.
Whether it was being away from uni or the chat in the train…..
Beth put her arm round Naomi who dissolved in tears on her shoulder. Naomi raised her head and kissed Beth on the cheek.
"Thank you – you're so kind to me."
Rather than pull away Beth leaned in and looked into Naomi's eyes. Just a little bit longer than normal – the moment when you know something has deepened, a boundary has been crossed and things will probably never be the same again. The two heads both moved towards each other at the same time.
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