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"I don't think I'm in love with Spencer."
The silence is deafening and Martha turns towards her twin college bed, where Bethany sits with a shocked expression, camera abandoned onto her lap as she stares back in silence.
"Just needed to say it outloud," Martha says, moving her hands to her head and laughing nervously. Her best friend just blinks back at her and she closes her eyes. "To someone - to you, I think."
There's a loud sigh and the redhead opens her eyes to find the blonde standing next to her bed now, arms crossed in front of her and her expression a little incredulous.
"Wow," Bethany comments shortly. "That was...wow."
"Yeah - and maybe I was never in love with him?" Martha replies without too much of a push, throwing her hands up. "The whole Jumanji situation may have confused my mind and feelings beyond what I would like to admit outloud, if I'm being honest."
The blonde nods at her to continue and she does after a deep breath.
"Because, you know, it was this whole amazing adventure and this guy - this apparently really brave and nice guy - came up to me and said he liked me and I was shocked, just riding the adrenaline wave," Martha says and it's the first time she admits it outloud and the tears start to come, how they cannot do it, when she's barring what she has felt after two years of a relationship that has made her feel awfully hollow. "Never had someone said they liked me like that - I never had kissed someone before that."
And her eyes flash, looking directly into Bethany's blue eyes and the moment comes with the weight of the other secret that she has kept under seven keys after all this time.
Her heart races fastly and her ears buzz, but she still says it for everyone in the room to hear.
"I never had a friend either, but then I met you." Martha confesses tightly.
"Martha," Bethany warns and she shakes her head, holding up a finger, her expression falling into something that looks too much like distress. "Shut up your pretty mouth, right now."
"Why?" Martha counters with a shrug and her tears run down her face without care, the blonde flashes her an incredulous look, but she just pushes through. "If I'm going to come out clean about Spencer, I should do it about you too."
Bethany works her jaw up and down, but she doesn't say anything and her silence holds more than her words ever could.
"Spencer - he has never liked me for who I am," Martha tells with a quivering chin, walking up to the blonde, but ultimately stopping as Bethany raises her hand to keep the distance.
But that doesn't stop her from talking. "He likes what he thinks he sees, who he thinks I am and how I make him feel and when he went back to the game, it became pretty obvious for everyone to see."
"Spencer's selfish," Bethany recalls, crossing her arms and her eyes don't give space too much for questioning as a mocking smile appears on her face. "So what? I am too."
"Bethany," Martha replies with a sardonic grin and God, this feels almost surreal, three years ago this would have been unfathomable to even think about it. "You think you are selfish - but then you used one of your lives at the game to save Alex."
Blue eyes shine with surprise and unturn lips become soft at her words.
"Remember that you also taught me how to seduce those men," The redhead tells and a helpless laugh falls from her mouth at the memory. "Of course I sucked at it." she tells with a roll of her eyes.
Bethany shrugs, a small grin appearing too and her previous reluctance seems to not resist her own reaction. "It was alright - I think it was cute." and her cheeks blush with her words.
Martha doesn't hide the expression of adoration that comes to her face at the comment.
"I've always wanted for Spencer to see me like you do." She confides without preamble and Bethany's small grin remains, but she does shake her head from side to side.
"But I'm not gay," Bethany says intently and her brow furrows, her expression slowly hardening with her words and there is so much inner turmoil in her that it sounds painful to just hear it. "Not that there is anything particularly wrong with it - but I'm simply not." she states with a wry smile.
Martha swallows with difficulty.
"Well - I am gay - in fact, I think I am bisexual," She clarifies and the expression of surprise onto the blonde's face is almost worth laughing at, she looks practically horrified, like she had seen a ghost, but Martha's too affected to do anything, but continue. "College is great for self-discovery like that."
Bethany fiddles with the chord around her neck and then she shakes her head, looking down as her fingers pose onto the buttons of the black and grey camera.
"Good for you, Martha, but I don't feel like you think I do."
Her eyes are hard and unforgiving as they come back to look into her own and it's almost too much to bear.
"We are just best friends." Bethany remarks weakly.
Martha scoffs, starting to lose her temper. "Just best friends? I called you here because I broke up with Spencer, you took a goddamn flight to get here as soon as you could, but we are just best friends?"
Bethany bites her bottom lip, her posture losing height, but she doesn't reply beyond.
"Kiss me then," Martha offers at last, shaking her head and truly she's losing it, she can't bear to watch the utter ridiculousness of Bethany denying what has been brimming for years now and to blatantly lie to her face when she's being called out. "Prove you don't feel the same - if nothing happens, we can continue our lives as it is, I won't hold this over your head and we can still be friends."
The blonde looks terrified at first, but then she does step closer, her hands falling away from her camera and Martha could almost cry at the sight of blue eyes looking down at her lips and becoming half-lidded.
"Promise?" Bethany asks, against the stillness of the room and they become closer than seconds ago, voice low and fearful.
"Promise." Martha replies evenly as her own eyes process the sight in front of her.
And before she can give it too much thought, her own hands are reaching to hold onto a neck that looks soft and creamy.
Unsurprisingly, it is soft and creamy and Spencer's skin had never felt that good under her hands.
The time seems to standstill and Martha finally decides to break it as Bethany's eyes close in what seems like blind trust.
Slowly, but surely, the redhead moves to close the gap between them, her nose first nuzzling against her best friend's and then her lips fitting against the ones that seem to call to her.
It feels like winning a game and the prize is the kiss itself.
Then Bethany parts her lips with a long sigh, their mouths fitting into a shy kiss and there is one second more of slowness, before hands reach for her cheeks and she's being pulled more urgently into it.
And the previous predicament seems to find a final verdict as Martha breaks away just for Bethany to chase the kiss, bringing her back to her mouth with strong hands around her neck.
"Don't - don't you ever stop kissing me." Bethany pants against her mouth and she sounds desperate, Martha looks into her blue eyes and she also seems free.
So, Martha shakily nods, before kissing her best friend again. "Okay."
And if there is something to be talked about, they can manage it after they kiss some more as they are no longer inside a deadly game with the pressure and stress of it ticking above their heads.
the end.