Destination Everywhere

Part 5

"You're kidding!" Leah laughs, sitting on the couch next to her best friend, Chloe. "I would never have guessed a guy like him would try to hit on you. But why did you turn down the date? It could have been a free meal," Leah pointed out.

"No way!" Chloe sticks her tongue out. "Guys are absolutely the worst and I never want to be seen with one of them. I get it your bisexual-ness doesn't understand that but you've gotta give me a break!"

Leah giggled, dropping some popcorn as she attempted to eat it. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. You can't be a lesbian with guys around or whatever."

"Hey! That's not how it works. I can still have male friends but I never ever want to be mistaken to have a boyfriend. Don't you understand that?"

Leah shrugs. "It's... Kinda mean."

"Mean?" Chloe exclaimed. "Now you're just trying to single me out," she pouted.

"I. Am. Not," Leah argued, setting her popcorn to the side. "I just... Kinda forget what to say sometimes."

Chloe snorts. "No, you don't. You're the most elegant speaker I know of! You've got the guys on hooks and girls swooning over you. I would do anything to have people care about me like they do to you... I'm not the outgoing one. I'm just boring, and I watch anime... Like? Where's the fun in that?"

Leah gives her friend a sympathetic look. "I would never single you out for having a good personality. You don't give in to peer pressure, and you know what you love to do. I would give anything to have your life."

"I don't think it works like that," Cleo admits.

"But what if it did?" Leah asks quietly. "What if we could have what we wanted when we wanted it? What if we could be together?" she turns her body to face her friend.

"You... Aren't serious?" Cleo's breath gets stuck in her throat. How many times had she wished their friendship would turn romantic? How many times had she read the cliche in books, imagining herself in the situation? Could it be coming true?

"I am..." Leah responded. She leans over, her arm going around Cleo's neck. And she kisses her. Not for a moment does Cleo hesitate, her arms going around Leah's torso to pull her in closer so they could continue to kiss. Everything else around them is completely forgotten, utterly distracted by kisses and soft shoulder and back touches.

Neither of them had noticed the time continuing to tick by as they would tell the stories of how they fell in love with each other. They didn't notice the romance movie in the background closeout and auto-play to another one. Nor do they notice the smoke.

What finally draws the lovebirds out of their romantic songs are the fire alarms.

Chloe gasps. "The dessert! Oh, no, I completely forgot about it!" she pushes Leah off her lap and scrambled towards the kitchen, where smoke is spewing out from.

"Chloe, no!" Leah screams and grabs her friend's arm. "It's too late for that, we need to get out of the house!"

The girls start to move, just about to make their way out of the house when the support beams creak and the roof of the porch falls in front of the front door. They're blocked from the main exit.

"Is there..." Leah coughs, already breathing in too much smoke. "Another door...?"

Tears had begun to fall from Chloe's face. "We're trapped! The back door is in the kitchen!"

"Window," Leah hardly manages to say, taking a step towards the window to the backyard.

The girls begin to move towards the window. Leah is coughing harshly from the smoke and trips over something that was left on the floor. "Leah!" Chloe cries and kneels to shake her. "Come on, you can't stay here!" But on the way down, Leah had smacked her head against the back of the couch and is out cold.