Author's Notes: Except for a handful of occasions long ago, I'm not a weed-smoker so this is based on things I've read or watched in movies. I hope it doesn't come across as hopelessly unrealistic.

As always, I'm truly sorry for the long delay.

To the people who read my previews on the Discord server – turns out this isn't the final chapter after all. Those previews will appear next chapter, which will definitely be the final chapter.

I hope this was worth the wait. It feels very slight to me and maybe missing a section and possibly too much of a jump from where I left Otis but I'm not sure what I can do differently at this moment. So I'll publish and hope.

Chapter 08

Weed, Wine And Pizza

Maeve opened the door to her caravan and did everything she could not to fling herself at Otis as he stood on the step, a small clinking carry bag in each hand.

"Where's the pizza?" Maeve asked, pretending to be outraged. "We're starving."

"I couldn't carry everything on my bike," Otis protested, amused. "It's coming. I've ordered it."

Maeve stepped back and Otis entered the caravan.

"Do you want to bring your bike in?" Maeve asked, looking around for it. "We can put it in the bedroom."

"Jeffrey's letting me keep it in the shed," Otis said, putting the bags on the floor.

"You've spoken to Jeffrey?" Maeve asked.

"Yes, and he gave me these," Otis said, taking two joints from his pocket. "I told him I wasn't sure if I'd try them and offered to pay but he said they were mine to do with as I liked."

Otis held out the joints to Maeve who stared at them for a moment before tentatively asking, "You don't mind me smoking, do you?"

"No," said Otis as if this was the strangest question ever to be asked.

Maeve took the joints from him. "It's just… Jeffrey said you didn't smoke when you were with him and Ruby's dad."

"I don't have any moral compunctions against cannabis consumption," Otis said. "I spent months getting a passive hit from Roland and Jeffrey every Wednesday night anyway." A thought occurred to him. "Maybe that's actually why I felt so good after bowling nights with…" His voice trailed away.

"You don't have to hide her name from me," Maeve said, softly. "Don't have to pretend you didn't care about her. Don't still care about her."

Otis looked around the room, searching for a subject change. "Did Aimee leave?"

Maeve shook her head and put the joints on the bench. "She's in the bathroom."

"She's too embarrassed to talk to me?" he asked.

"She's just glad we weren't on video."

"For the record, my answers are 'someday' and 'please don't be offended, but no', respectively."

Maeve giggled.

"Do you always get so giggly and frisky when you get high?" Otis asked.

"Sometimes," Maeve murmured, blushing.

"I love your giggle. I'm glad you called to giggle at me for forty minutes."

"Haven't felt like this in ages. Since before things started going to shit between me and Jackson. I don't like smoking when things are shitty. One day after we start talking again and… this."

"It's been really shitty for you and Aimee for a long time," Otis murmured. "You both needed a release."

"Mmmmm," Maeve hummed, pressing her lips together.

Otis noticed her reaction, hesitated, then asked, "Did you mean what you were saying? Or was it only the weed talking?"

Maeve shrugged, embarrassed. "Smoking makes me horny."

"Sounds like it makes Aimee horny, too."

"I think she was just feeling left out," Maeve said, smiling to herself.

"We could be friends who hug," Otis said. "I haven't had a hug for a few weeks. And touch… it's important for many people."

"That'd be nice," Maeve murmured.

Otis held his arms out and Maeve almost dashed into them, embracing him as he enclosed his arms around her.

"Hugs are benefits," Maeve murmured. "So we are friends with benefits."

"You are going to be friends with benefits?" Aimee squealed happily as she stepped into the room. "I told you it was okay to ask him. No more cobwebs."

"Put them away, Aimes," Maeve said without looking at her.

"I didn't," Aimee protested. "I didn't. Tell him I didn't."

"Please don't be offended, Aimee, but no," Otis said.

"I didn't. That's mean," Aimee said. "I'll tell Jean."

"I'm sorry," Otis said contritely. "I shouldn't tease."

Aimee shrugged. "Friends tease. Where's the pizza?"

"It's on its way," Otis said.

"Where's the wine?"

Otis and Maeve sat on the floor, leaning against the lounge, shoulders touching as they seemed to synchronise the eating of their slices of pizza while watching and listening to Aimee.

"And then I said, I'm going to be a baker, and you know what she said?" Aimee asked, outraged.

"What?' Maeve asked through a mouthful of pizza.

"'What am I going to do with the sewing machine?'" Aimee said.

Otis and Maeve frowned in confusion.

"What?" Maeve asked.

"I told you, I was going to be a dressmaker," Aimee said, hurt that Maeve didn't remember.

"Oh, yeah," Maeve said guiltily as she took another bite of pizza.

"I've got lots of ideas. I can be lots of things," Aimee said. "I can be a dressmaker and a baker."

"And a candlestick maker," Maeve said.

"Yeah," Aimee said firmly then frowned. "How do you make candles?"

"That's part of being a candlestick maker. Learning how to make candles," Maeve said.

"You're making fun," Aimee pouted.

"Just read up about it," Maeve said. "Google it. There's got to be something on the internet."

"You're really quiet," Aimee said to Otis.

"Talking while eating is a good way of choking," Otis said.

"You talking from experience?" Maeve asked.

"I just… I'm just enjoying this," Otis said. "Listening to you two talk."

"Listening to me blarney on," Aimee said.

"Listening to you discussing your plans for the future," Otis said.

"Why didn't you want to come over?" Aimee asked.

"Aimee," Maeve murmured.

"I'm just asking. Why didn't you want to come over?" Aimee asked again.

Otis was silent for a moment.

"You don't have to say anything, muppet," Maeve said quietly.

"No, it's okay," Otis said.

"Why didn't you want to come over?" Aimee asked again, her voice softer this time.

"I was being selfish," Otis said, quietly.

"You're not selfish," Maeve said softly.

"I've only been thinking from my perspective," Otis said. "Of what I was wanting to do to get us back to what our friendship was. Of what I perceived as the shape our friendship should be. I wasn't thinking of how you wanted our friendship to manifest itself."

"I'm high, Otis," Maeve said. "Don't listen to what I was saying."

"Does weed make you say things you don't mean?" Otis asked.

"No," Maeve said, quietly. "But I can take things slowly. We can just hang out like we used to."

"No, you can't," Aimee said. "You wouldn't admit you loved each other before. Now you have. It won't be like it used to be."

"Aimee, it's only been a day," Maeve said.

"I just don't want to go too quickly because I don't want to screw things up," Otis said.

"A slow-motion car crash is still a car crash," Aimee said.

"What?" Maeve asked as Otis hitched a breath.

"If you're going to fuck it up, you're going to fuck it up whether it's fast or slow," Aimee said. "Do you rip Band-Aids off one hair at a time?"

"Aimee, let it go," Maeve gently pleaded.

"Are you saying I should stop trying to carefully orchestrate things and just go for it?" Otis asked quietly.

"Yes," Aimee said, firmly.

"Look, if Otis isn't ready to have sex with me—" Maeve began.

"I'm not talking shagging. I'm talking dating," Aimee said. "Forget trying to be just friends. Go on a fucking date."

Aimee stood up.

"Where's the spliff?"

Aimee held her breath and passed the spliff to Maeve who was still leaning against the lounge while her head was on Otis' shoulder and his arm was around her waist.

"And when he was sitting there pretending to read Virginia Woolf—" Maeve took the spliff. "—I knew he was pretending to read Virginia Woolf. I mean, guys like him don't read Virginia Woolf for real." Maeve took a hit and held her breath.

"Have you read Virginia Woolf?" Aimee asked Otis.

Otis nodded and tilted his head in Maeve's direction.

"I knew he was just trying to get into my pants," Maeve said as she released the smoke from her lungs.

"He'd already gotten into your pants," Aimee said.

"Then maybe he wanted to get into my arse. I probably thought he was wanting to get into my arse. You know, I'll give him my arse because he's reading up on Virginia Woolf and shit," Maeve said. "But I'm not giving anyone my arse because they're pretending they know what a major twentieth century feminist icon is. You have to do a lot more than pretend to know what a major twentieth century feminist icon is to get me to give up my arse."

"Otis is blushing," Aimee said.

Maeve raised her head and quickly looked at him as he studiously avoided looking at her while his entire face turned red.

"You look so cute," Maeve said, quietly awed. "Do you want my arse?"

"You… you were talking about the things Jackson was doing while he was…" Otis said unsteadily, still refusing to look at her.

"Wooing her," Aimee said, amused.

"Yeah, yeah," Maeve said, resting her head on Otis' shoulder again as she handed the joint to Aimee. "While you were doing your all Cyrina… Shirino…"

"Cyrano de Bergerac?" Otis suggested.

"Yeah, Cyrinhoe da Burgerhack," Maeve said and began giggling.

"Does she always get this inaccurate when she's in the giggling phase?" Otis asked Aimee.

"She's playing up to you," Aimee smirked.

"I am not," Maeve giggled.

"She played up to Jackson," Aimee said. "Pretended she was interested in his swimming."

"I was being supportive, Aimes," Maeve protested. "His swimming was important to him."

"How did you know Maeve liked all that stuff?" Aimee asked Otis.

"I pay attention," Otis said.

"We should play some Sløtface. I like Sløtface," Maeve said. "Do you like Sløtface? He pretended to like Sløtface. He couldn't like Sløtface. Guys like him don't like Sløtface. He asked me to Pussyfest when he was listening to Sløtface. I didn't go. I wonder if he went. Did he ask you to go to Pussyfest?"

"No," Otis said. "We—"

"It would have looked really wrong, you two guys turning up to Pussyfest without me," Maeve said. "You could have turned up to Dickfest. Nobody would have noticed anything strange about you turning up to Dickfest without me. Who's Zelda?"

It took a moment for Otis to register the question. "Oh, she's a character in a game. Eric and I—"

"Sean played games," Maeve said. "Don't know what they were called. He kicked this other guy in the head. He played games with his mates. I never played games. His game thing is probably still here. What do you call those game things?"

"Console?" Otis suggested.

"Yeah, his console is probably still here. I can find it. We can play games. You can teach me how to kick you in the head. I'll go find it."

Maeve stood up, swaying for a moment.

"I gotta go pee," she said. "Then I'll find it."

Maeve hurried out of the room.

Aimee smirked at Otis.

"She's deflecting," Aimee said. "She's got cobwebs."

Maeve shoved a plate containing pizza slices into the microwave and pressed the button as Aimee leaned against the kitchen bench and watched her while Otis stood near the breakfast table.

"I always just heat them up in the microwave," Maeve said. "It's easier. It doesn't matter. I don't mind. They were really nice. Do I still owe you money?"

"It's fine," Otis said.

"No, no," Maeve said. "Tell me what I owe you."

"Let me pay for this and you can pay for pizzas some other time," Otis said. "Or something."

"She doesn't like me paying for things," Aimee said. "Says it makes her feel like a charity case."

"I thought you two were friends," Otis said.

"We are," Maeve said, affronted.

"We are," Aimee said.

"Don't friends let friends help them when they need it?" Otis said. "That doesn't make them a charity case. That just makes them a friend."

"See?" Aimee said, triumphantly.

Maeve pouted. "What should I wear for dinner with your mum?" she asked.

"Whatever you like," Otis said, concealing a smirk.

"Aimee said I shouldn't look like me when I met Jackson's parents," Maeve said.

"Why would you say that?" Otis asked, shocked.

"That was Jackson's parents," Aimee said, defensively. "I'd met Jackson's mum. She didn't like me. Jean's not like Jackson's mum."

"You could wear a burlap sack for all mum would care," Otis said. "She'd think you were making some sort of statement about the commodification of women's bodies in the service of fashion fascism."

"It'd be itchy," Maeve said as the microwave pinged.

"Is there somewhere I can get changed after seeing Jean?" Aimee asked. "I don't want to wear my uniform to dinner."

"You can use my room," Otis said as he took a plate from Maeve with a couple of slices of reheated pizza on it.

"Are you sure you really want me there?" Aimee asked, taking a plate from Maeve. "Don't you think it's a bit condescending to think Maeve can't handle Jean? And Jean's nice. She'll love Maeve."

"I know," Otis said. "Mum will be so relieved that Maeve isn't—" He stopped, changed tone, uncertain. "I'm worried she's going to be too overwhelming."

"I told you, you don't have to hide her name," Maeve said quietly as she carried her plate with pizza slices to the breakfast table. "She's a part of your life."

Otis sighed and sat down, shuffling along the seat to allow Aimee to sit beside him. "It's just… Mum didn't dislike Ruby but they were never… it was cordial relations. Ruby got softer as things went along but… she was kind of… Ruby's like Adam. She has a lot of defences to deal with… with the things in her life. Adam's was physical. Ruby's were verbal. We've seen Adam change—"

"Ruby's changed," Maeve murmured.

"But I don't think things ever got past the days when Ruby was still… Ruby. Mum would love you anyway but I'm worried she's going to be overwhelming because you're not Ruby."

"You're just thinking about me running away from Jackson's mums, aren't you?" Maeve asked. "Hoping Aimee will stop me this time."

"Should I get worried if you ask to use the bathroom?" Otis asked.

"Are Ola and Jakob going to be there?" Aimee asked.

"They should be," Otis said.

"Does Lily come over?" Aimee asked.

"Sometimes," Otis said.

"How come Ola was there in the background?" Maeve asked. "I thought she'd be with Lily tonight."

Otis hesitated a moment then said, "She came home while you were giggling at me. She didn't look happy. I asked her if she wanted to talk about it before I left but she just locked herself in her room and turned the music up."

"Don't let that stop you dating Maeve," Aimee said firmly. "Just because Ola and Lily and Steve and me and Jakob and Jean are having problems, doesn't mean it has to be that way with you and Maeve. Don't let thinking about our problems create problems in your relationship. Don't try to weigh your relationship against other people's relationships. If you're going to fuck up your relationship, do it because you're fucking up your relationship, not because someone else is fucking up their relationship."

Otis turned to Aimee and studied her fondly. "You really are picking up a lot from mum," he said, softly admiring.

"I don't think you'll fuck up your relationship," Aimee said.

Maeve stood in the doorway of her caravan and watched Otis as he wheeled his bike over to the steps, put the pedal down then walked up the steps to stand before Maeve. He held out a key to her.

"Please don't forget to give that to Jeffrey in the morning," he said.

"I'll try not to," Maeve said then studied his face. "Thanks for coming over," she continued, softly.

"The giggle to word ratio was getting so bad that I was hoping seeing you in person would help me figure out what the hell you were talking about," Otis said.

"I never giggled with Jackson," Maeve said.

"Sorry I didn't join in, but I did get a good secondary hit," Otis said. "I'm floating."

"I don't need you to smoke to feel close to you," Maeve said.

"Maybe one day I'll try it," Otis said.

"I don't want you to ever feel pressured," Maeve said.

"It's just I can't separate it from mum and I can't separate it from Adam," Otis said.

"Adam?" Maeve asked, puzzled.

"He had to come over for an English assignment. He had some grass and he and mum started smoking. Then mum started talking about the possible effects of frequent cannabis use toward early onset impotence. That's why Adam sent the video around. He didn't know any other way of responding to the embarrassment."

"And you still helped him," Maeve said quietly.

Otis was about to say something when a loud snore came from the direction of the lounge.

"She's louder than mum," Otis said, amused.

"I'll roll her over," Maeve said. "She'll stop then."

"Say goodbye to her for me when she wakes up," Otis said.

"Uh-huh," Maeve said.

They stood in silence for a moment, staring at each other then Otis dropped his gaze to her lips before looking back into her eyes.

Slowly, lips parting, he leaned forward and Maeve responded, meeting him halfway and pressing her lips tenderly against his.

When they parted, she murmured, "Our first kiss."

"I thought we should get it out of the way," Otis murmured.

"Aimee's dead to the world if there's other things you want to get out of the way," Maeve said quietly, studying his face.

After a moment, Otis said, "Ask me again and I will."

Maeve hesitated then said, "Maybe there needs to be a bit more wooing first."

"Maybe after our first date," Otis said.

"Yeah, maybe," Maeve said.

"Wednesday," Otis said.

"I remember," Maeve said.

"And I'll check with Adam about Aimee," Otis said.

"I'll still be there if it's not okay," Maeve said. "She's not cramping my style."

"I'll see you on Monday," Otis said then held his arms out.

They embraced and kissed again and then released each other.

"Second kiss," Maeve murmured.

"Are you going to count our kisses?" Otis asked.

"Just till there's too many of them," Maeve smirked.

Maeve glanced at Aimee lying spread along the lounge, mouth open, breathing threatening to turn into another snore.

Maeve smiled to herself then carefully sat down, back against the lounge, carefully placing her glass of wine on the nearby table before grabbing a slice of pizza from the plate in her other hand.

"Has he gone?" Aimee murmured.

Maeve startled, then relaxed and turned to look at the bleary-eyed Aimee.

"Yeah," Maeve said. "He said to say goodbye."

"He didn't stay?" Aimee asked.

"That's what gone means, Aimes," Maeve said.

"You know what I mean," Aimee said.

Maeve hesitated then said, "He offered but… he's right. We shouldn't go too fast. This… this was enough."

"You just don't want to fuck him before you go on your first date," Aimee murmured.

"I was fucking Jackson before we went on our first date," Maeve pointed out.

"Jackson was a hook-up," Aimee said. "You didn't love Jackson."

"I'm not some fucking Barbie princess waiting for a forest-glade fantasy with her Prince Charming, Aimes," Maeve snapped.

"He's your Westley," Aimee said.

"Of course, he's my fucking Westley," Maeve said.

"Was it a good night?" Aimee asked, sleepily.

Maeve was silent for a moment then said, quietly, "It was the best night I've had in years."

Otis stepped into his kitchen, surprised to see Ola standing at the bench, finishing making herself a sandwich.

"Oh, I thought you'd be asleep," Otis said.

"Did you have a good time with Maeve?" Ola asked.

"Yeah," Otis said and walked to the fridge. "It was a good night," he continued, taking out a drink. "Made me realise something."

"What?" Ola asked, carrying her plate and drink to the table.

"That I still have a lot to learn," Otis said as he sat at the table opposite her.

"Don't we all?" Ola said.

"Maeve and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend," Otis said after a moment.

"I thought you were already," Ola said. "After yesterday."

"No," Otis said. "I was telling myself we could just be friends for now and then, when I felt comfortable, we could move on from there. Everything would be okay if we did it that way. I could be in control and…" He sighed. "Aimee pointed out we could never go back to when we were just friends."

"So you decided to go forward?" Ola asked.

"Aimee said it was the thing we should do," Otis said. "And mum said to me yesterday, we often cause problems for ourselves when we try to pretend things aren't what they actually are."

"How do you feel about it?" Ola asked.

"I'm scared of hurting her again," Otis said, quietly.

"You're still overthinking things, Otis," Ola sighed. "You're not going to deliberately try to hurt her and if you do hurt her, apologise to her as soon as you can and try to make up for it."

"I am uptight, aren't I?" Otis said with a sad smile.

"You're getting better," Ola said.

"Do you want to talk?" Otis asked.

Ola was silent for a long moment then said, "Lily can be really selfish sometimes. All I wanted… we're always using the tentacles. And it's fun and it's weird and they feel good but tonight, I just wanted it to be us. No tentacles, no toys, nothing. Just us. And she freaked out. Said I'd been lying. Said I really didn't like the tentacles, after all. Said the tentacles were just as much a part of her sexuality as her pussy was and if I was rejecting the tentacles then I was rejecting her. And I couldn't get through to her. She just wouldn't listen to me. It's not that I don't like the tentacles, it's just that sometimes I want something other than the tentacles."

"That's understandable," Otis murmured when he realised she wasn't going to continue.

"Can you talk to her?" Ola asked.

"Do you think that would help?" Otis asked.

Ola leaned forward and lowered her voice. "I've heard you'll be starting your clinic again. I'll tell her to go and see you."

"That… that would very likely be counterproductive," Otis said.

"Well, then, just go and see her. Talk to her. She might listen to you since you helped her with her vagina problem," Ola said.

"Why don't… why don't we make it a couples session?" Otis asked. "Tell her that you think it would be beneficial to your relationship if you had a disinterested third party observing your dynamic."

"Don't call yourself that," Ola protested. "She'll think you find our problems boring."

"Not 'uninterested'," Otis protested. "'Disinterested'. Unbiased. Someone who wants the best for both of you."

"Then say 'unbiased'," Ola said. "Don't confuse people."

Otis thought for a moment then said, "I'll tell Maeve not to book anybody for a lunchtime session until we know whether Lily is willing to attend."

"What are you going to say to her?" Ola asked.

"I have an idea but I'm still working it out," Otis said.

"So where are you taking Maeve on your first date?" Ola asked.

"What makes you assume I'm the one choosing our first date?"

"Where are you going?" Ola sighed.

"Bowling," Otis said.

Author's Notes: I hope this worked and Otis' much less angsty demeanour doesn't seem too soon after the last chapter. I just couldn't make work even the beginning of the 40 minute giggling fest before he decided to go see Maeve so I scrapped it completely. That's where the change should have happened.

I almost certainly won't be writing a bowling scene. It's hard to compete with perfection.