The soft morning light drifted through the window pane as the two young girls slumbered. Both were jolted awake at the sound of the cell phone on the table nearby, set to go off at precisely seven. The brunette rose from bed with a groan, turning off the alarm as she turned to her friend. "I'll get breakfast started if you want to take a shower." She murmured before sliding off of the bed and smiling at the other girl. She tugged at her pajamas and slunk across the floor, making her way to the kitchen.
The redhead climbed out of bed, yawning as she glanced out of the window absentmindedly. She thought about last night and how close she'd gotten to accidentally letting something slip to Fiona. She grabbed her bag and carried it to the bathroom, placing it on the counter before taking a towel off the rack. Pulling off her pajamas she climbed into the shower, turning on the water and shivering as the cool water hit her body. She waited for the water to warm up and began to clean herself up, concentrating on her hair first before her body. She rinsed off and turned the knobs, pushing back the shower curtain and finding the towel again. Holly J dried off and put on the clothes she'd picked out for the day, brushing her teeth and her hair before walking down the hallway. The smell of bacon wafted through the loft and she felt her stomach growl as Fiona came into view.
"I made us bacon and eggs, and some toast. Do you want milk or orange juice?" Fiona asked her briskly, wearing her silk robe. Holly J took a seat at the table, where their plates were already prepared.
"Either's fine." She responded.
Fiona grabbed both out of the fridge and her eyes drifted over the date on the milk carton. It was expired. With a sigh, she threw the carton away in the trash can and began pouring the orange juice. "Guess it's OJ for us. Milk's expired." She told Holly J as she sat down across from her, placing a glass in front of her friend.
"That's fine. How'd you sleep?" Her friend asked after swallowing a bite of bacon. She herself hadn't slept well at all, she felt like she hadn't even slept and she knew the bags under her eyes revealed that all too well.
"Alright I guess." Fiona chomped down on her toast. She was nervous about saying goodbye to Imogen this morning. She couldn't decide what exactly she wanted to say. Nothing would sound good enough. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure?" She wasn't sure what Fiona was about to ask her but it probably wasn't anything to merit worrying over. She smiled as she waited for her friend to answer her.
"Last night, when I made that joke about the girls, you hesitated. You looked at me like I'd just discovered a huge secret. Then you tried to play it off as a joke...what was that about?"
Holly J's eyes widened a bit and she looked down, not meeting Fiona's eyes. It was a long story and not something she'd wanted to reveal to her best friend. She was afraid that Fiona would judge her harshly or be angry with her. "I'd rather not talk about it." She managed, hoping that the other girl wouldn't push it.
"Why? I'm not going to get mad or anything. Did you actually have a thing with a girl while you were at university?" Fiona's question was far too accurate and she felt her cheeks redden. Holly J pushed her plate away.
"I...was drunk...the first time it happened. Um." She swallowed and stood up suddenly. She hadn't told anyone this story and it felt unusual for the words to leave her mouth. She was telling her lesbian best friend, the girl who had been desperately in love with her for over a year, that she had hooked up with a girl. It wasn't an easy thing to admit. "But yes. She was in my women's studies class and we became friends. There was this party...and we hooked up. I didn't know what it meant. I mean yeah, I was drunk, but I don't know. I never believed that alcohol could change your sexuality like girls try to claim. So I explored it. We hooked up a few more times when I was sober. It didn't work out. That's pretty much it."
"Wow. Does this mean you're..." Fiona couldn't fathom what Holly J had just told her. She stood up as well, her eyebrows knitted together as she contemplated what this meant.
"Bisexual? I guess. Too bad I missed my chance with you, huh?" She joked, nudging her best friend. But there was often truth in humor and the other girl knew that, her heart pounding as she realized what Holly J had just admitted. Neither of them said a word as they looked at each other. Holly J was startled when Fiona moved closer, the younger girl's fingers brushing against hers.
"What if you didn't?" Fiona asked boldly.
"What about Imogen?" Holly J countered. She had been jealous when she first heard about Imogen, the new girl who had apparently stolen Fiona's heart away. She knew that Fiona would make new friends, but the fact that she'd made a new best friend, a girl, that she had a crush on, it felt too much like she was being replaced.
"Are you serious? I've been in love with you for over a year, Holly J. A little crush doesn't even begin to compare. I just thought you'd never be able to...is this really happening?" At Fiona's question, Holly J only nodded. Even if she'd had something to say, she wouldn't have had a chance before Fiona cupped her face in her hands and brought their lips together. Holly J's arms circled her friend's waist and she deepened the kiss, feeling the other girl trembling against her.
Reluctantly pulling away from one another, both girls were smiling. There was a knock at the door. Simultaneously their stomachs dropped. It had to be Imogen. Fiona scrambled toward the entrance, trying to act like the kiss between herself and Holly J hadn't just happened. She opened the front door and revealed a nervous looking Imogen, who was holding a stuffed pig. She smiled sadly. "Good morning." As she handed over the pig, she explained its origin. "I remember how you told me that you used to have a pet pig, so..I got you this. I thought maybe you could cuddle with it and think of me."
Across the room, Holly J rolled her eyes, returning to her breakfast and trying her best not to eavesdrop on the conversation. But she was curious as to what Fiona would have to say after what had just happened between them.
"Oh, um, thanks. That's really sweet." Fiona replied as she took the stuffed animal in her hands. She moved aside for Imogen to come in and closed the door behind her. "I just made breakfast, I think I have some extra if you're hungry."
"No that's okay, I had a poptart in the car. Hi Holly J, how are you?" Imogen greeted as the redhead came into view. Holly J forced a smile.
"Just great."
"I really need to get dressed. I'll be back in a minute." Fiona announced, shooting Holly J an apologetic glance. Imogen wandered over to the table awkwardly and sat down. Neither of them said anything for a minute.
Holly J looked at Imogen out of the corner of her eye as she finished her breakfast. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the younger girl. It was obvious she liked Fiona a lot, but there was no way she could compete with Fiona's long standing feelings for Holly J. Drinking the last of her orange juice, she looked up at Imogen who was studying her.
"Is she all packed up and everything?" Her voice was low. Holly J nodded solemnly.
"Yeah. After she gets dressed we're going to head to the airport." She answered, picking up the plates and glasses from the table and moving them into the kitchen. She poured the rest of the liquid down the sink and the food got thrown in the trash bin before she put the dishes in the sink. Holly J turned on the water and quickly washed them, not wanting to leave dirty dishes in the sink for the entirety of winter break. Imogen stood up and walked into the kitchen after her, leaning against the counter.
"Do you really think she's coming back to Degrassi? She promised she would but..." Imogen sounded insecure about the idea and Holly J didn't have the heart to be totally honest. Instead she decided to fib a little.
"I hope so, Imogen. It's really up to her mom but we're going to try our best to make sure she's back here in January." She tried her best to assure her as she shrugged, rinsing off the dishes and reaching for a dish towel. Imogen handed it to her and she gave her a grateful smile before she began drying off the now clean dishes.
Fiona was in her bedroom, already dressed. She shoved a few more things into a box and stopped, putting her fingers to her lips. Just minutes ago, she'd been kissing Holly J. Just minutes ago, Holly J had been kissing her back. With a smile she turned around and then let out a gasp. Imogen was standing there and she had startled her. The younger girl stepped toward her, reaching for hand. Numbly Fiona gave it to her, feeling Imogen's fingers tangle with hers and getting familiar butterflies in her stomach. God, this is so messed up, Fiona thought.
"I'm going to miss you."