The Perfect House

Chapter 16: Macy's request

Another birthday was coming up, Adele was turning nineteen in May and she was going home for the weekend to spend her birthday with her family. Macy wasn't going with her.

Adele left straight from uni on the Friday afternoon. She had intended to drop Macy off at their flat, but the latter decided to stay at the uni and walk home later (a walk of around half an hour). Florian could tell that Macy wanted to talk to him.

They sat on a bench away from the general throng of students.

"You're wondering, aren't you?" Macy asked with a slightly strained smile.

"Yeah, but it's none of my business."

In fact, Florian had been wondering for some weeks now about his two lesbian friends. Following her birthday party, Macy seemed to become a bit quieter. She was still lively, but not as much. Maybe it was simply that, now as a legal adult, Macy felt that she should behave in a more 'adult' manner, or maybe it was something else; and possibly it had something to do with Adele because Florian could see that the relationship between the two girls had changed.

"I'd rather tell you about it, Flori, if you don't mind listening."

"Of course not."

Macy took a big breath as though preparing herself for a difficult task. "Adele and I were at high school together for the last two years. I'd won a scholarship to this fancy private school, not as fancy as the one you and your friends went to, I might add. Adele and I knew each other of course, but we didn't hang out together; we each had our own groups of friends."

"I had a few dates with boys . . . and girls, during that time, and I know Adele had a couple of boyfriends. We connected up at a graduation party and hit it off. When we found out that we were both going to the same university and studying medicine . . . well, Adele invited me to come and share a flat and live together. I'm pretty sure that I'm her first girlfriend."

"As you know, Adele has met my family, but I've never met any of her family. Adele tells me that her family is very close-knit and she's worried about how they will react to her being in a same-sex relationship. I can understand her concern because, from the little she has told me about them, I suspect that they are probably pretty strait-laced."

"Adele has told her family about me but indicated that I'm merely a flatmate, nothing more. She has asked me to stay in the background 'for the time being'."

With an amused grimace, Macy concluded, "I guess it's not exactly ideal, Flori, but that's the way it is."

It seemed a rather uncomfortable situation to Florian, and he had to force himself not to ask the question, "But how do you feel about it?"

And he also felt that Macy wasn't telling all.

Macy abruptly changed the subject, and with obvious relief, "You're eighteen, aren't you, Flori?"

"Er, yeah, a whole two months older than you."

"Have you ever been to a nightclub?"

"No, I haven't, not yet. Towards the end of last year, my friends went a couple of times, but I didn't go with them. I was underage and looked very underage, so a waste of time trying to get in. Preston still goes sometimes, but Harold's now focussed on his studies and Bobba's not keen; he used to do ballroom dancing and reckons that the dancing at nightclubs is just 'jigging about' rubbish."

"Well, I've never been either, but I'd like to go and I thought maybe you'd come with me . . .?" Macy was looking at Florian with sweet appeal.

He felt an unexpected surge of affection for this girl and an odd thought jumped into his head. What had Macy meant when she had said, "Flori would be more my style" to Preston on that day the girls had first met his friends?

Florian gave Macy a very dubious look. "You would want me to go as Florina, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, please," Macy returned with a coy smile, "I think two girls would have more fun."

"And while the cat's away . . ."

"Oh, I'll tell Adele when she gets back if that's okay with you."

"I haven't said I'll go, Macy."

"Please . . ."

"Oh, all right."