Depth Perception

8: Kill the Lights

10:20pm, Saturday

As they left the cinema, Fiona turned to Jules.

"You actually liked Happiest Season?" She asked, dumbfounded.

"It spoke to me!!" Jules playfully protested.

"I thought it was kinda mid..." Fiona said with a shrug.

Jules had protested that she'd pay for the movie, but Fiona wasn't hearing it. She still felt conflicted about it. She didn't want to seem like she was freeloading, but also, she didn't really mind Fiona paying.

It's not like Jules was 'short' on cash... She didn't earn that much, but she also hadn't really spent that much her whole adult life. The only two big outlays had been her car (which her mum had paid half for), and her orchiectomy (the surgical removal of her testicles).

To be honest, Jules had found it hard to focus on the movie... With Fiona sitting right next to her...

"What do you rate above it?" Asked Fiona, taking Jules out of her thoughts.

"Probably..." Stumbled Jules, presuming she was talking about how she had said she didn't hate 'Happiest Season', "Saving Face...?"

"What about 'But I'm a Cheerleader'?" Fiona continued inquiring.

Jules stopped walking, and felt incredibly sheepish.

"I... haven't seen it..." She admitted.

Fiona looked baffled, and Jules felt like she had to hand in her lesbian card.

"But it's a sapphic classic!" Fiona exclaimed.

"I know, I just haven't gotten around to it yet..." Jules said, trying to explain why she still hadn't watched a cult classic that had come out 2 decades ago...

Fiona just stood there and looked at her for a few seconds.

"You. Are. Fascinating." She said.

She started walking again, and Jules followed. They hadn't talked about what they were doing now, but they seemed to be just generally heading downstairs.

Jules rummaged through her backpack for her water bottle.

"Ahhh fuck..." She said as she realised something was missing.

Fiona gave her a concerned look.

"I forgot my house keys..." Jules explained.

She'd actually noticed a few hours earlier, but thought the information would work here to force them to talk about what was happening next.

"Now i'm going to have to wake my mum up, and she's going to give me a lecture about not taking my keys, and..." Jules rambled. "Urrgghhh..."

"You could stay at my place." Suggested Fiona, remarkably calmly.

Jules wasn't sure she'd heard her correctly.

"Huh...?" She said, confused.

"All i'm saying is..." Fiona clarified, "If you want to, you can... but you absolutely dont have to."

"Stay at your place?" Jules said, still not entirely sure her ears hadn't been deceiving her.

"Yeah." Came the confirmation.

"Are you sure?" She asked, partially dumbfounded.

"Yeah..." Fiona said with a confused look, "Why wouldn't I be?"

Fiona seemed to notice that she was struggling to figure out her answer, and sat them both down on a bench.

After a few seconds of trying to calm herself down, Jules looked up at the incredibly beautiful woman who had somehow just asked her to spend the night...