Through the Gap in the Curtains

All the Time

"I just don't understand, Keefe," Biana paced around the room, stomping angrily and casting the occasional glance at the blonde boy sitting on her bed.

"First you lie to me, and have a boys night out or whatever, with Tam Song, of all people- he was in Exillium for years! Then you come back- after midnight may I add, I was waiting up, worried out of my mind. Do you have any explanation for this?"

Keefe sighed. Biana had been exploding at him like this for a while. And he knew why. Biana could always tell when he was keeping a secret, and now he had something that he was desperate to share, but didn't know how to.

"Biana- lately I've been thinking-" he began, and then she cut him off.

"Keefe, if you're trying to tell me that you want out of this relationship, then fine! Did you ever even care about me?"

Keefe sighed. "Biana, I care. But I guess I care for you more like- like a sister?"

She burst into tears. "I knew it! I'm never good enough for anyone! Save it, Keefe. I'm leaving."

She was about to run out of the room when he sprang up and hugged her from behind.

"Biana, please listen," he said. "It's not you. It's me. Biana I- Biana... I'm gay."

She stopped struggling, and turned to face him. "Really?" she whispered. "It's not me?"

His lips stretched into a smile as he planted a kiss in her hair. "Really. I love you, Biana, but it's not going to work out."

She sighed, and stepped away. "Thank you for telling me this, Keefe. Is it- is it okay if I tell people? I know that it's probably kinda new to you- so..." she trailed off.

Keefe sighed. If she told people... then everyone would know. But he guessed that it was better then, because he wouldn't have to do the talking.

"Sure. Yes. It's fine."

"Does anybody else know?"

He knew that this question was coming. "Tam Song."

"WHAT?"

"Look, Biana, I know what it seems like-but-"

"You were cheating on me with TAM SONG?"

She pushed him away in disgust. "I don't care if we're not together anymore, but you can't just tell me that you were cheating on me with a guy! Was our whole relationship a lie?"

"No, Biana- I was just coming to terms with things-" he ran a hand through his hair angrily.

"You could have told me! I would have understood! I'm going now-"

He tried to cut in, to tell her that she was making a mistake, but she wouldn't listen.

"I need some time. Goodbye, Keefe."

He sighed, and sat down on the bed, running his hands through his hair. Biana... he had loved her, really loved her. Sometimes he didn't even want to be gay, because she was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen, but Tam... when he was with him, he had never felt so... home. Tam was a light in his darkness, and he intended to cherish that light until the day he died.

Keefe pulled out his imparter, and dialed Tam.

He answered withing two rings. "Hi, Keefe."

"Tam. I just told my girlfriend-" he reconsidered. "Ex- girlfriend, that I'm... well, you know. Gay."

Tam nodded. "Yeah. It can be hard. I remember telling Linh, and I think she took it pretty well, but it was still hard to do, you know?"

Keefe nodded. "Yeah. I know. It was going well, until..." he paused.

"What?" Tam asked.

"I told her I was dating you. She blew up at me for cheating on her with you, and even though she was okay with the whole coming-out thing, she got really mad at me for that. She said that I should have told her as soon as we started dating. She was right, I guess." he fidgeted uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, Keefe. But don't blow it up to be worse then it is. You have me now."

He smiled. "Yeah. I love you. Bye."

"Love you too."

%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

"... I just felt so worthless. I didn't want to live."

Sophie nodded and adjusted her position on the edge of Dex's bed, taking another bite of her delicious Mallowmelt. She was glad that Dex was opening up to her, because after what he tried to do to himself by the cliff... she didn't want to have to live knowing that any time it could happen again, and her best friend would die.

"Oh, Dex. I don't even know what to say." she patted his hand. "I just want to be here for you. If you need anything..."

He nodded. "Thanks, Sophie."

She smiled, and leaned over to hug him. Then she stood up. "I'm going to go now, but you are going to go to bed, and close your eyes, and think only about... happy things. Not girls. Okay?"

He nodded.

"Good." she raised her home crystal to the moonlight, and glittered away. She had lied about one thing; she wasn't going home.

Sophie appeared outside the gates of Everglen, and the blinding doors scanned her registry pendant and swung open. Sophie hurried along the garden pathways to the huge willow tree, where Fitz's Imparter message had said he would be. She stood there for a minute, looking around, before seeing a glimmer of movement behind the tree.

"Fitz!" she squealed, as he swept her up into his arms.

"Sophie..." he murmured, "I missed you..." he planted kisses up her neck and along her jawline, before spinning her around and enveloping his mouth in hers. She sighed against his lips, and pulled him closer, feeling his hands trail over her body...

"As much as I'm loving this, you two should really get a room," Biana said from behind them.

They jumped apart hurriedly, and blushed, looking anywhere but eachother.

"Um... Biana hasn't seen you in awhile, right, Sophie?" Fitz said. "Why don't you two catch up?"

Sophie smiled, abashed, and shook her head. "Actually, Fitz, that's a great idea. Why don't you go inside?"

Biana nodded. "We'll catch up with you." she linked her arm in Sophie's and the two girls walked away together.