Ruby & The Rose (lesbian stories)

Chapter 13

BenjaminBeaumont had been the only true best friend Rose had ever had-perhaps, until she met Mallory. She had always been quite popular atschool, and had dozens of friends, and even one or two goodfriends.But never a best friend. Not until Benjamin.

Atfirst, he'd had a bit of a crush on her. He didn't admit it, buteven the staff could see the eyes of a lovesick puppy in his wheneverhe looked at her. Rose soon sensed it too. And she felt a littleguilty. Because ever since she was eight years old, and a girl atschool had kissed her on the nose in the Wendy house, she knew thatshe didn't-swing-that-way.

Andso, after much deliberation, she told him. She sat him down in theempty games room just after supper, and told him, "I am gay."She'd never told anyone before. It felt rather liberating. Andwhile Benjamin sat there on the red beanbag with a stunned expressionon his face, she may or may not have laughed uncontrollably at thesensation of such a weight off her shoulders.

Afterher confession, Benjamin's crush faded away, and their friendshiphad become even stronger- even if Rose wasn't sure why. The onlything that had changed was the fact that when they went to the parkand Benjamin saw a girl he liked and would whisper "Wow", in atone which would really require cartoon hearts in his eyes for fulleffect, he would now nudge Rose with his elbow in request for herthoughts. Sometimes she too would whisper "Wow", and two sets ofeyes would follow the girl's bottom down the path. But sometimes,of course, they just weren't Her Type. "She's very pretty,"she would offer kindly, then return to her book and leave Benjamin tohis ogling.

Othertimes Rose wondered if the girls minded their bottoms being ogled bya sixteen year old boy and a fourteen year old lesbian with far toomuch acne and far too little to do. But then she would think toherself that if you couldn't even admire a nice bottom in publicanymore then the world was heading in a direction she did not wish itto go. Once she shared this opinion with Benjamin, who had agreedwholeheartedly.

"Butwhat about boobs?" he'd asked.

"Ithink that that, my friend, is where a line must be drawn."

Benjaminwas not pleased with this answer, and had declared that he would goand pinch one of Jack Foster's naughty magazines and look at allthe boobs he wanted.

Yearslater, as they still sat in the pub, the awkward tension between thetwo old friends soon faded. The afternoon passed slowly. And theylaughed. And Rose realised how much she had missed Benjamin. Theyended up drinking an inordinate amount- all five of them. Mallorywould later protest that it had nothing to do with her, yet she hadbeen first to stand on wobbly legs when they finished each glass anddeclare whom the next round was on. It was never on her.

"Sheseems fun," Benjamin said, when she had finally lost the battle,and was forced to finally put her hand into her pocket and buy somedrinks. Mallory nearly tripped over an elderly dog snoozing at thefeet of its owner, and called out, "Sorry! Sorry!" so loud thateveryone turned around.

Rosegave a small smirk. "Fun isone word for it I suppose."

"Completelyinsane is another," said Ruby, her voice just a little slurred.Ella was sitting just a little too close to her for Rose's liking,with her tailored blazer and her creamy skin.

Itwas half past five when they decided to leave. Although, the moretruthful statement would be that the barman got fed up of theirdrunken giggling, and discreetly asked them to leave.

"Ifeel really -hic- rebellious," said Ella, as they stumbled downthe street. She now had one arm hooked around Benjamin's, and theother around Ruby's. Mallory was walking backwards and snorting.

"Ithought you could hold your liqueur better than all of us," Rosesaid. Mallory shrugged.

"Theremayhave been more rum in those drinks than coke. In which case, it'snot my fault, so.... there. Whoops."

Roseapologised to woman and her shopping- the latter of which was nowstrewn across the pavement- on Mallory's behalf.

Theydecided at some point to go to Benjamin and Ella's house. It was acute, white bungalow just outside of the town centre. Rose was surethat she'd appreciate the colourful, well-tended garden if shewasn't suffering from severe double-vision.

Ittook Benjamin quite a few tries- eyes squinting, hands trembling- toget the key into the lock. They all cheered when the door opened. Asthey stumbled into the hallway, they tripped and ended up as a tangleof arms and legs on the floor. Rose groaned as elbows ofunidentifiable owners landed in her stomach. And she made up hermind, with her nose squashed into the carpet, that she would never dogetting drunk as a group again.

Elladug out some old vodka from the cabinet beneath the telly. She, Ruby,Rose, and Mallory sat cross legged on the carpet and shared itbetween them. Benjamin collapsed onto the sofa as soon as he got intothe lounge, and soon started snoring.

Rosehad never liked vodka much. She thought it tasted of nail polishremover. Brandy and whiskey were her tipples of choice. But at thecurrent moment she was so plastered that Ella could have poured ameasure of dog piss into her glass and she would have drank it.

Ella,still looking immensely refined, even if she could barely string asentence together¸ wasn't a bad sort really. Rose was quiet,mostly, but when she did lower her glass from her mouth to join inthe conversation, Ella was friendly enough.

Butthey were both very different people. Had it not been for Benjamin orRuby, they would never have given each other the time of day.

Rose'snose still stung with carpet burn.