Hello

Friendship Test

When I finally came home, the house was exactly as I left it: Everything in its too-perfect place. Another reason why I desperately wanted to move.

The spare bedroom was barren, since Henry was 2 months early. The walls were white, the dark floorboards without a single scratch. I hated it. It ignited the fire inside me that reminded me I was living with a rockstar. The black bank card in my pocket was a reminder enough.

Vivienne hauled the bag over her shoulder and dropped it inside the lounge, the thump against the carpet echoing through the mansion.

"Well, Miss May, you're home!" She announced, flopping herself on the leather couch. I kissed the top of Henry's head lightly as he rubbed his face into my chest and yawned.

"Miss May just wants to eat nachos and watch Rocky Horror. Oh and not feel like a dairy cow when I breastfeed." I let my voice trail off, taking my seat in the recliner next to the couch.

"I can arrange that."

With Henry asleep in my arms and my News of The World shirt flowing over my legs, I watched Vivienne sing along to the Time Warp, complete with dance moves in her seat. I laughed at her, wanting to join in. When she fell back onto the couch, the feeling of the room changed. I looked at her face and I knew something was wrong. In my head, I tossed up between letting it go or asking her what was up.

Part of me thought it best to leave it. As her best friend, I saw it as my duty to make sure Vivienne never got pushed into any awkward situations. The reasonable half of me knew that there was a thought burning in her mind and that if I didn't bring it up, she could think I knew but didn't care enough to say. Or maybe that was the unreasonable part?

"Vivienne Rosemary Florence, what's going on in that head of yours?" I asked. To mirror me when I'm nervous, her fingers went to her lips as she turned to me. I kept a relaxed look on my face.

"I was wondering... Uh... Since its your house and all... If I could bring... Girls... Into the house?" She replied quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Babe, you could bring a hundred girlfriends into your house and it wouldn't bother me a bit!" I reassured.

"You don't mind if I like girls?" She asked, lifting her head up to face me.

"Vivienne, I've known you for 5 years. You can like anyone you want and be with anyone you want and I'm literally not going to care. Okay, I'll care because if anyone hurts you I will sue them but if you dig chicks I'm not going to think of you any different. Why would you ask? You know I'd love you, even if you had extra limbs."

"A lot of the people I've told about me being Bisexual haven't really turned out well." I could see the heartache and defeat in her body language. Unable to move due to Henry on my stomach, I play punched her on the arm.

"Screw them. If they can't love you for who you are, they don't deserve you. And pass me the Doritos, will ya?" I asked, watching her smile.

Just like that, our discussion was over. I wanted her to know that it wasn't a big deal and that it didn't change a thing.

As I annihilated my chips, I fell into deep thought. What else did I not know? Had I missed signs of her trying to tell me? Had Roger seen them? Speaking of Roger, I hoped my pumpkin head had arrived safely in South America. He was more nervous than Freddie that one time he drank marijuana-infused tea about going over and leaving me and Viv to deal with Henry on our own. He had been gone for only 2 days and I was already on the verge of a nervous breakdown without him.

Later that night, I rolled myself over onto his side of the bed, the side away from the window. I looked over at the bassinet at the foot of my bed, my first born son probably crapping himself in his sleep. I listened hard and heard Vivienne in the room next to mine, humming Pop-Eye the Sailor Man loudly. For one moment, everything was peaceful and beautiful.