No. 36 Have a family
twenty-eight
August
Bea stayed at my place, letting Cas and Nina have the cottage for the night.
She asked me questions about Meghan, which I answered even though I really didn’t want to talk about her anymore, but Bea deserves all the information she wants.
We cuddled up in bed and fell asleep after a physically and emotionally trying day and I woke up in the early hours of the morning to her straddling my hips and laying featherlight kisses to my chest.
“Oh good, you’re awake.” She grinned against my skin, the sun not quite risen, leaving the light in the room low and blue. We made love until it was high in the sky, and we’d worked up too much of an appetite to do anything more before eating.
Bea in her little pyjama shorts and a tank, and me in my sweats and a t-shirt head down to the kitchen in search of sustenance when there’s a loud, singular thump against the door.
I frown in the direction but Bea skips down the hall and opens up.
Cas and their girlfriend come in, both in their pyjamas and holding empty mugs.
“Please tell me your boyfriend has a decent coffee machine,” Cas yawns, making their way into my kitchen without even a glance at me before flopping down on a chair and resting their cheek on the table.
“Morning!” Nina chirps, giving me an adorable wave, their mess of brown curls looking particularly wild.
“No coffee machine,” Bea says, following them in while I blink helplessly at the scene in front of me. My house has been overrun. “But a percolator and a fairly decent roast.” She grabs the bag of my fancy coffee from the counter and shakes it toward her friend.
“That’ll do,” Cas sighs, sliding their mug over toward Bea, who collects it and goes about making coffee.
I guess it’s not just the two of us for breakfast. I go back to the fridge to pull out more bacon to add to the pan I already have over the heat.
“I can help,” Nina says, taking the pack from me, proceeding to lay strips into the pan.
“Nina, how do you take your coffee?”
“Half coffee, half milk and four sugars, please,” Nina answers, focus still on the pan.
Bea stops what she’s doing and slowly turns to look at Nina, looking like she’d just been asked to add cyanide to the brew.
“Nina doesn’t actually like coffee,” Cas says, cheek still pressed to the wooden tabletop.
“Yes, I do,” Nina complains, taking the pack of sausages from my hand as soon as I retrieve them from the fridge and adding them to the pan with the bacon.
Bea just blinks at Nina’s back and Cas laughs. “Careful, babe. Bea’s got that look like she’s going to try and fix you.”
“No, I won’t,” Bea says innocently. “I like milky, sweet coffees too. Just not first thing and usually iced.”
“She’s totally judging you,” I tell Nina, finding myself wanting to be a part of this dynamic.
“I am not,” Bea protests.
“Pringles is right, you’re totally judging.” Cas sits up and grins.
“Pringles?” I say not getting that nickname at all.
Bea throws a tea towel at her friend with a glare before turning to me with a sweet smile. “Don’t worry about it.”
We sit and eat breakfast together. Darcy is enamoured with so much company, trotting under the table from lap to lap to rest his head on for strokes and pats.
Heathcliff joins us around halfway through, sitting up on my shoulder as I finish my plate.
Cas looks surprised by the cat’s chosen spot and gives a look to Bea, a silent conversation happening between them that has Bea smiling one of her sunshine smiles and Cas nodding like they’re impressed.
Bea suggests we ask Eli and Joanie over for a game night as Cas and Nina are leaving tomorrow and before you know it, even more people are descending on my home.
I pick up snacks from the shop and Bea makes some delicious pastry things I’m reluctant to share.
It’s agreed Bea and Joanie should be on separate teams as they’re equally competitive and squabbled too much at the pub quiz.
We have Pictionary set up, wine poured in glasses, and there’s a rumble of chatter and laughter that can be heard wherever you go in the house.
When I bring the snacks out and place the tube of ready salted Pringles down on the coffee table there’s a moment of silence in which Cas rolls their lips between their teeth and stares at Bea wide eyed, like it’s painful not to say whatever it is they want to say.
Bea stares back with a definite no in her eyes.
Nina picks up the tube, wraps both hands around it and gives an impressed nod.
“Kudos,” she tells me lifting the tube in salute before putting it down.
Bea buries her head in her hands.
Joanie frowns at the tube. “What did I miss?”
But Eli throws his head back and laughs like he’s in on this joke I have absolutely no idea about.
“Nothing,” Bea, Cas, and Nina say in unison before all three of them fall about laughing.
Joanie and I share a confused look, but both end up laughing, too, while Cas makes senseless jokes about once you pop, you just can’t stop, because the atmosphere is infectious.
I take a look around the room and decide I’m in love.
With Bea, yes, but also with this life. With friends and family and feeling light and happy.
I’m going to marry Bea one day; I know the truth of it in my bones.
But it won’t be today or tomorrow. Right now, I pull her onto my lap and hold her against me while she argues with Joanie about the rules of Pictionary.
I smile into her shoulder blades and allow myself to be happy in this little bubble of perfection.