"You know what he said then?" Gail was one a rampage, throwing things from her bed to her desk and then back again in a sad attempt to tidy her room. "He goes: 'sexually?' Like what are you, five? Christ, I nearly punched him." Raze was trying not to laugh out loud. "I see you giggling. I don't think it's very funny!" Gail's face only made Raze laugh harder.
"You're getting worked up over nothing, Gail. It was a joke. You know how Chide is. C'mon, he's always saying shit like that it's no different now." Raze paused. "Or is it? You're leaving details out Gail Harlow, tell me right now." Gail groaned.
"Really? Are you serious, Raze? You're on his side?"
"I'm not choosing sides, stupid. I just want the full story and then I'll tell you where he ranks on the 'you done fucked up john joe' scale."
Gail finished clearing off her bed for the third time and slammed a dresser drawer shut with her foot. "Do I have to?"
"Yes!"
"Fine. Yesterday, I kissed him."
Raze's jaw dropped so fast it hurt. "You WHAT?"
"Do NOT make me say it again."
"You sneaky bitch, you tried to get some!"
"No!" Gail was defending desperately, "You know it wasn't like that. Trust me, I don't even know where it came from." Gail looked so frustrated that Raze sat down beside her and smoothed her crazy hair.
"It's ok, you know, to love someone. Especially him. You don't need me to tell you that he's the best guy you could ever meet. You know that already. But, that also doesn't mean you have to love him. Its OK to just be partners, too." Raze said calmly and affectionately. She felt helpful and sounded almost motherly. "You don't need to feel bad for a kiss either. Feelings like this are easy to muck up."
Gail mumbled into her pillow, "I don't know." She peeked out at Raze, red faced and embarrassed. "I don't even know what I want. We aren't like you and Argos. Chide... He's my partner. He's my flatmate. But..."
"He's more than that."
Gail nodded glumly. "So much more. But I'm not ready for the word love to be thrown around yet. Or 'dating' or 'couple' or 'boyfriend.' I don't want any of that or the attention. I just want to be his partner and his flatmate."
"How does he feel about that?"
Gail shrugged. "He'd probably do anything I asked. He told me himself that he loves me. I just, I got scared I didn't know what to say. It was really awkward. But I don't want him saying that to anybody else. Or feeling that way about anyone else. I want him to be my partner and my flatmate. But i'm not sure if that's even possible. He probably wants to settle down and have a stable relationship and eventually have kids - i can't do kids, holy shit."
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down, you're 19 Gail, kids are definitely not on his mind."
"I know, I know." Gail looked really mopey. "I;m just worried if we go to long without some sort of, I don't know, label, than he'll get sick of it, of me and then he'll move on."
"Isn't he the one that say's label's are for soup cans?" That got a laugh out of Gail.
"True." She huffed. She squirmed over closer to her sister and rested her he'd on Raze's knee. "Why was it so easy for you and Argos? You to are practically going on your 50th anniversary, it's gross and endearing all at once."
"I mean, I knew from the get go that we got along. We chose our partnership, so i think it was easier for both of us to accept that it kind of derailed into something more than that. It was still weird and difficult to understand, but before i went crazy was when he asked if we were bold italic underlined JUST partners or if we were italic squiggly squiggly Just partners."
"Are you speaking a different language? What the fuck is italic squiggly bold dash underline bullshit!"
"You know what morning you woke us up and I was in his room?"
"Yeah?"
"I had sex with him."
Gail looked like a deer in head lights. She swatted a hand over her sisters mouth and screeched. "You are lying!" Raze laughed and plucked the hand away from her face.
"Yeah I'm totally lying, I just wanted to see what you would say." Gail looked disgusted with her sister.
"I hate you sometimes."
"Yeah, well, you asked! Anyway, I stayed in his room that night and was the best big spoon ever, and basically that was it. We didn't really talk about it any further, you know he takes thing the pace of a snail." Gail looked suspicious.
"I can't tell which of these stories is the lie and which is the truth. I don't want to know; let's stop talking about you and talk about me again before I puke."
"Ok, ok!"
"It's enough seeing you two in constant contact now. I don't wanna hear about your adventures under the covers."
"Then stop bringing it up, idiot! Anyway, I think you need to tell Chide what you told me. He won't leave you Gail. Just because you don't wanna put a name to what you guys are doesn't mean you're not something. You don't have to be the perfect nuclear relationship to be reality for each other."
"When did you get all advice-y?"
"Oh please, I know you and Chide like the backs of my hands."
Gail grinned up at her sister. "I love you, sometimes."
Raze stuck her tongue out. "I love you sometimes, too."
________BONUS________
"Argos! It was hilarious, she was totally skeeved out." Raze snickered that night in the shower.
He scrubbed shampoo into her hair. "You didn't have to tell her!"
"Relax," Raze said. She paused to enjoy the feel of his fingers in her hair. "She has no idea which one the truth is, trust me. Knowing you and me, it could go either way."
"You're a snitch, you know that?" He teased, turning her around and kissing her lips.
Raze smirked. "Should I tell her the truth?"
He kissed her again. "No, let her mull it over. She'll figure it out eventually."
