A Better Boyfriend (GirlxGirl)

Twenty-four- Destiny

"I don't want to be alone," Scarlet mumbled, as she settled into bed next to me, later that evening.

"Are you kidding me, Scarlet? I would never, ever let you be alone," I vowed. That was the truth, too. For as long as I was around, Scarlet was never going to have to be by herself. She had a best friend in me, and I would remain loyal until she didn't need me anymore.

"Things between Chase and I simply feel discordant," Scarlet mumbled.

She had done that quite frequently in the past when she had been tired. Her vocabulary seemed to improve when she was completely shattered, as strange as it was.

"We're like a bad song. A bad melody. We don't go together anymore. He ignored me...on my birthday," Scarlet said.

I could hear the pain in her voice, and it made me want to reach out to her and pull her close and make sure everything was alright with her again.

"I'll talk to him. I'll see how that goes," Scarlet said.

She deserved more than to just see how things would go, but I knew my place in all of this. It wasn't right for me to continue to diss Chase. A part of me, even though it really didn't want to, was going to have to give Chase the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps he could become a better boyfriend in time. Perhaps he would realise that he had been absent. Perhaps he didn't care at all.

"I'm not joking, if he hurts you, I'll curb stomp his ass," I whispered to her in a humorous tone.

"That would be acceptable," Scarlet whispered back.

Our heart rates were slowing, and our breathing was, too. We were peaceful with one another, and I felt as though sleep was going to take me soon, but I had a lot to think about. I wasn't going to be sleeping any time soon, so long as I could fight the desire to.

"Chase doesn't treat you like a pretty flower," I mumbled back sleepily.

Scarlet released a soft laugh.

"Maybe he's not a match for me."

"He's prickly like a cactus...or is that me? I don't know," I said.

"Do you think he lies to me, Dest?" Scarlet asked. "When he says he loves me?"

"I..." it was a big question; one I wasn't sure of how to answer. "I don't know," I settled on saying, after a few moments. "He needs to show you that he loves you, if he really means those words."

Scarlet sighed and pushed her face into her pillow.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I'm not at peace with this," she said. "I've spent so many nights up waiting for his texts or replies."

"You've texted him since you got your new phone, I'm assuming," I said.

"I have...he'll reply like after...seven hours, on average, give or take," she said.

God. That was awful.

Nobody was that busy, I didn't give a shit what excuses they used. Nobody was ever that busy that it took them longer than seven hours to respond. Poor Scarlet. She did deserve way better than that.

"Perhaps I should simply knock some sense into him, WWE style," I joked. "Not to brag but I used to be an absolute god at Mortal Kombat."

Scarlet's lips twitched up at the corner. That was good. She seemed happier. More relaxed. Less anxious. That was the Scarlet I wanted to see the most. Of course, all versions of her were welcome in my life, but I didn't want to think of my best friend suffering, if I could make her feel better.

"Can I cheer you up at all?" I asked.

"You're already helping, just by talking to me," Scarlet said.

That made my heart warm a little.

"Can I say something?" she asked me.

"Go for it," I said.

"I swear, some days, you make me happier than I've ever felt in my relationship with Chase," she said.

I did not need to get my hopes up. She couldn't be mine. Even if she and Chase broke up... Scarlet liked guys. That was all she had ever dated.
"It's just easier to talk to you, Destiny. Zero judgement. Chase often said it was stupid if I was sad. Sometimes, if I was crying he would just leave me to it."

"What the fuck?" I whispered. That made me angry. "That isn't okay, Scarlet."

She shook her head in agreement.

"You are a beautiful and strong person who deserves someone who acknowledges that," I said.

"You do," she replied.

Yes, I did. That didn't mean much in this context, though. She couldn't be with me.

"Thank you for consoling me, Dest. I feel so stupid," she said.

"You're not at all, Scarlet. You just see the good in people. That's not necessarily a bad thing but..." I trailed off.

"It can lead to people taking advantage of me," she replied.

Yes. That was the gist of it.

"I liked it when we danced together," she went on to say.

"Me too," I replied with a grin. That had been a great memory, probably one of the highlights of my month so far, honestly.

"I think I'm going to need to speak to Chase tomorrow," Scarlet said.

"I think so too," I agreed. That meant that I was going to have to spend some time without her, which would suck, but it also gave me some space to think about everything that was currently rushing through my mind. I needed some time to think. This would be good for me, I was sure. I just hoped that nothing bad would happen to Scarlet in my absence.

"I dare you to do something that makes you happy," Scarlet thought aloud, as she turned to look at me again.

Without thinking about the consequences, I moved forward in the bed and pulled Scarlet into an embrace.

"Being around you makes me happy, Scarlet. So, dare complete," I said, before we ultimately drifted off to sleep.