For A Candy Cane A Day on the Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry Forum.
Mei and Miriam had been planning this for weeks. At long last, they were going to tell Mei's parents—they were going to tell Mei's mother—that their years of friendship had finally morphed into something more. And it wasn't that Mei was ashamed. It really wasn't. But she was scared. Even after sixteen years of ups and downs, she still had no idea how her mother might react to this particular piece of news.
And so, while her parents were out for the day, Mei had taken it upon herself to create the perfect environment for such a reveal. With Miriam's help, the house was squeaky clean. The floors were polished and the dishes were cleaned and dried (by hand, just the way her mother liked it). Mei had even dusted the bookshelves. She'd done it properly, removing the books and cleaning the space behind and under the books, not just the bit at the front.
It was all going oh so well until Mei, elbows deep in marinated chicken, heard a loud crash from the living room. She quickly ran her hands under the tap and then hurried towards the noise.
"Oh god." Mei stood behind Miriam. She squeezed her eyes closed, praying that she'd imagined the scene before her. "Please tell me you didn't break it."
Several large pieces of blue and white china, the remains of what used to be the Lee family fruit bowl, lay scattered on the ground. An orange rolled across the floor, stopping at Mei's feet. All of a sudden, Mei felt ill.
"I'm sorry," Miriam pleaded. "It was an accident. I just wanted to clean the table. I was trying to help."
"I know." Mei's mouth was dry. "It's just… my mum loves that bowl."
"Mei…"
Miriam's voice cracked, forcing Mei out of her shocked stupor. She looked at her girlfriend and was horrified to see that her eyes were shining with new tears. And so, Mei forced a smile on her face and took Miriam's hands in her own.
"It's okay," she said softly. "Don't worry about it."
"But you wanted it to be perfect."
"It's fine." This time, she said it with more force, prompting Miriam to look up and meet Mei's gaze. "Seriously. It's fine."
Saying it a second time and watching the corners of Miriam's lips finally tug upwards, Mei finally began to believe it. It was a clichéd image, the two girls with their foreheads pressed against each other as they smiled. If she'd be drawing it, Mei would've surrounded them in pastel swirls, feet hovering just above the ground. Because at that moment, Mei knew it was true. So long as they were together, everything would be fine.
