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Ed fucking loves roller coasters. When Ed was nine years old and her shitfuck dad finally keeled over for unknown reasons, her mama packed all their stuff and drove them away to start a new life at a lovely beach side town. Mama found work in the local amusement park and every weekend she would use her employee discount to treat herself and little Ed to a day of pure, sunny delight. Ed remembers holding Mama’s hand as they walked down the boardwalk, oohing and aahing at the spinning teacups with seahorse handles and the huge ferris wheel and all the colorful candy stands.
But one ride had fascinated her like nothing else. It caught her eye from the distance, causing a sudden, desperate need to see it up close. She tugged her Mama’s hand, chanting come on, come on! I want to see the roller coaster! and they zoomed past the milling crowd before drawing to a halt right in front of it. There it was. The Dream Chaser. It was a towering structure, especially for a scrawny little girl like she had been. She would crane her neck to see the whole thing, stunned silent by the glittering lights adorning the rail and the joyful screams from the passengers zooming past her eyes. The park’s annoying jingle blasting from the speakers and the chatter of the crowds seemed to fade away to the background, as if nothing mattered more to her than the magic and the promised adrenaline rush of this roller coaster. She wanted nothing more than to run to the operator lady and beg her to let her ride it. But she was glued to her spot, tightly clutching Mama’s hand, still nervous and a tiny bit scared to take on the challenge.
Then she met her.
Or rather, she collided into her.
1985
“You want to go on the roller coaster, Eddie?” Mama asked, thumb gently rubbing the back of Ed’s hand like she knew how nervous her daughter was.
“I’ll go with you, honey - I bet it’s going to be fun!” And just like that, all of Ed’s worries vanished into thin air, her nine-year-old body now buzzing with excitement again at the prospect of zooming on one of the pretty carts and holding her Mama’s arm on the loop-de-loop.
“Heck yeah! Let’s go, Ma, let’s– oof, ow!” she grunted, toppling slightly because something, or rather someone, had crashed into her arm.
Mama rubbed Ed’s sore arm as Ed looked at the girl who had very rudely ran into her. Ed wanted to be angry but that feeling started to fade as she took a better look at the girl. First, she must have been around Ed’s age and Ed didn't like being yelled at so she had made a rule for herself that she wouldn’t yell at anyone, especially not someone her own age. Secondly, she had very pretty blond hair. Ed wanted to touch it because it looked so soft but Mama said it was not polite to touch strangers. So, no hair touching. But she couldn’t possibly get angry at a girl with pretty blond hair, no way. Thirdly, she seemed to be crying and trying to catch her breath like she had just been chased by a scary dog. Huh. Was there a scary dog running loose at the park? That would be a bummer.
“You okay, sweetheart?” Mama asked, crouching so she could look at Ed's face. Ed nodded. It didn't really hurt, and the shock was already fading away. Not to mention she was very thoroughly distracted by this pretty, crying girl.
“Good girl,” Mama said, planting a smoochie smooch on Ed's arm. Mama then turned to the pretty blond girl, who looked as if she wanted to be anywhere but here but didn't have anyone to hold her hand and guide her away.
“Hey, sweetie, are you okay?”
“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going!” the girl said, voice trembling from crying. Ed felt like she wanted to give her the biggest hug.
“It’s okay, honey,” Mama said to her, "we're not mad at you. Right, Ed?”
“Nope, not mad. Just a bit shocked, really, wasn't expecting anyone to run into me like that,” Ed said, in what she hoped sounded like a kind tone. She didn't want the pretty blonde girl to become even sadder.
The girl didn't say anything; she just nodded and looked at the ground.
Hmm, Ed thought. Maybe she doesn't like talking to strangers. Okay. Then they just have to be not-strangers.
“Hey, um, my name's Ed. What's your name?”
She looked up at Ed, and oh her eyes were soooo pretty!! Kinda green and gold and yellow at the same time. Ed thought they were the most beautiful pair of eyes she'd ever seen. Even if they were a bit wet at the moment.
“I'm Stede.”
Stede. Funny name, but it suited her, Ed thought.
“Nice to meet you, Stede! This is my Mama. We're going to go on the rollercoaster!” Ed said. Stede didn't say anything, but Ed was pretty sure she saw a hint of a smile at the corner of Stede's lips.
“Are you here on your own? Why were you running?”
Stede’s face fell again, and so did Ed’s at the disappearance of that glimmer of a smile.
“My mum dropped me off so I could ride the rollercoaster. But the terrible Badminton boys saw me walking alone and, um, they picked on me. So I tried to run away from them,” Stede said. Ed didn't know who these Badmintons were but she wanted to kick their tummies for scaring Stede
“The Badmintons?” Mama said, pulling her little work notepad from the pockets of her trousers to scribble something on it. “I know their parents. I promise I’ll take care of them, Stede, sweetie. Next time you come here you’ll have nothing to worry about!” She smiled reassuringly, and Stede quietly thanked her, finally smiling herself .
Ed thought Stede looked even prettier when she smiled, cute dimples popping into existence on both of her cheeks. And she reckoned she could make Stede smile even wider.
“Hey, Stede?”
“Yeah, Ed?”
“Why don’t you come ride the roller coaster with us? We can sit together and Mama can sit behind us!” Ed offered. She glanced at Mama for confirmation then beamed at Stede after Mama nodded her approval.
“I think I might like that,” Stede said, expression soft.
“Great!! Then let’s go, let’s go, let's go!”
Ed took Stede’s hand and sprinted to the entrance of the roller coaster, her heart soaring when she heard Stede’s giggle and Mama’s bright laughter.
Stede stuck with them for the rest of the day, the three of them trying every ride together, and Mama even bought them a huge ice cream sundae to share, three spoons clacking together in the bowl.
It had been a perfect day and the best part was Stede hadn't let go of her hand the entire time.
1989
Ed had been looking forward to this day for what felt like forever. She had asked for Stede's landline the last time they played together so they could plan their next amusement park outing (date? No, Eddie, you're not going on a freaking date with Stede) and that outing was today. Ed had had a crappy week at school and she knew that seeing Stede would immediately make her light her up again. Ed couldn't wait.
The minute Mum dropped her off, she ran to Miss Livvy at the ticket counter and asked whether or not she had seen Stede. By now every employee knew about Ed and her best friend Stede, so Miss Livvy just chuckled at her enthusiasm and pointed at a girl sitting alone on a park bench.
“She's been waiting for you, sweetie. Go go go!”
"Hell yes!! Thanks, Miss Livvy!" Ed said, before dashing off to greet her friend.
Running down the cobblestones of the park, Ed screamed Stede's name as loud as she could, and Stede, hearing her name, jumped up from the bench and screamed Ed's name in return. They barrelled into each other and met halfway in a hug that lasted for an eternity. Well. More like three minutes. But Ed felt like it went on forever and it still wasn’t long enough, immediately missing the feeling of Stede's arms around her once they let go.
"Hi, Ed," Stede said shyly.
"Hello, Stede! I see you've grown out your hair."
"Do you like it?" Stede asked, twirling a golden lock of her new hair with her finger.
"Reminds me of Goldilocks. I think it suits you. Very pretty."
“Thank you, Eddie,” she said, smiling that pretty little smile of hers that showed off her dimples and made her nose go all scrunchy. Ed would do absolutely everything in her power to keep that smile on Stede's face. So with a “Come on, Goldilocks!” she took Stede’s hand and dragged her to the Dream Chaser, a surefire way to make Stede happy. Stede’s giddy laugh rang bright and echoed through Ed’s heart as they ran together to their rollercoaster, dodging families and cartwheeling children and snack-selling people dressed in stripey shirts, with Stede's hand never once letting go of Ed's.
1994
Ed found Stede sitting on the edge of the pier, leaning her shoulder against one of the railings, knees swinging softly under her. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she fiddled with the hem of her jumper.
“Hey, Goldilocks,” Ed greeted softly. Stede flinched, and Ed didn't miss the way she had to collect herself first before putting on a smile.
“Hi, Ed,” Stede said. Ed frowned at the lack of the exuberance that usually shone from her voice when they saw each other.
She lowered herself down to sit on the pier with Stede, letting her shoulder brush against her and gently tangling their ankles together as their legs swayed.
“Stede, is everything alright?” Ed asked, placing her hand on top of her best friend’s. Stede looked down at their intertwined hands for a while before she spoke.
“I'm afraid I won't be able to see you again.” Stede said and Ed's heart dropped.
What the fuck?
“What do you mean? Are you moving somewhere?” Ed asked, forcing her voice to not betray the sensation of being ripped to shreds.
Stede burst into tears at her question, shaking like a leaf, and Ed could do nothing but wrap her arms around her and let her break down.
“I've been set up to marry someone,” Stede said amidst the sobs that wracked her body. Ed gasped but she kept rocking Stede back and forth in the hope that it would offer her even the tiniest bit of comfort.
Stede haltingly explained how her parents had arranged her to be married to a guy called Martin Allamby, the son of Stede's father's biggest business partner. How she and her husband were expected to provide heirs for their families. How she had to beg her parents to let her see Ed first so she could say goodbye.
“But you're only 18, surely they can't do that to you?” Ed said, trying to convince her that this was not right.
“So is Martin. I don't think we have a say in this,” Stede said dejectedly. “You know, I always thought that when the time came, I'd marry for love. Never in a million years would I choose a man I’ve never even met. I just hope that I'll grow somewhat fond of him. I'm sure he's not that bad.”
Ed wanted to fucking scream. Stede deserved a love that could make her jump for joy. Stede didn't deserve to be forced to settle for a fucking stranger.
Ed wanted to put Stede in her pocket and fly away to some place where Stede could be safe from everyone that wanted to hurt her. But she couldn't, so she just hugged her again, pouring every ounce of love and comfort that she could manage into it.
Time seemed to slow down around them and they stayed wrapped up in each other for what felt like an eternity. But it turned out eternity had an ending too, in the shape of Stede's father calling out her name from the far end of the pier. Stede pulled away and moved to stand up. Ed stood up with her, not wanting to miss a single moment of Stede, especially not when this could be their very last time looking into each other's eyes.
Stede offered her a small smile.
“Thank you for everything, Ed,” she said, giving Ed's hand one last squeeze.
“Take care, Goldilocks. You still have my number, yeah? Call me anytime, okay? I'm gonna miss you so fucking much,” Ed said, squeezing back because god she didn't want to let Stede go.
Stede's dad called out her name again.
“Well then,” Stede said, and Ed felt like the pier had disappeared from underneath her feet.
“I guess this is it. Goodbye, Ed. Take care.”
Stede let go of her hand and walked away, out of their little beach side town and out of Ed's life. Leaving Ed standing on the pier. Alone.
Stede never called. After a while, Ed stopped trying to call her too.
2024
Ed still fucking loves roller coasters. She’s made a life in the big city but whenever she gets the chance to visit her mama, she takes her out to the amusement park, the way mama used to take her, and holds her hand until they reach The Dream Chaser.
Her Mama doesn’t really do roller coasters anymore (even though she still goes on the giant fucking swing, for some reason) so this time, like every time they visit the park ever since Mama turned 67, Ed takes the single riders line. Besides, Mama's here for a date with the local florist lady, and she told Ed not to wait up for her. She “won't be coming home with Ed tonight,” if Ed gets what she means.
Ed doesn’t care who she gets paired up with. As long as she gets to scream her fucking brains out when the drop hits then she’s content. At least that’s what she tries to tell herself. Deep down, though, year after year, she hopes and hopes and hopes that she would see a head of sparkly blond hair (or what if Stede has streaks of silver in her hair too? She must look so fucking pretty), or those twinkling hazel eyes, or hear her Mama’s accent but in that sweet, slightly squeaky voice. She knows she shouldn’t get her hopes up. Stede left town more than three decades ago and the fact that she’s still this fucking hung up over her is fucking stupid–
“Ma’am, ma’am please step over here and hop into the cart,” the ride operator says, breaking her out of her reverie. Fuck yeah! Dream Chaser time! She did a little skip towards the cart, still unable to hold her excitement over riding The Dream Chaser after all these years.
But a small voice in the back of her head is taunting her, saying “yeah, Eddie, time for another Stede-less Dream Chaser ride.” Ed is actively choosing to ignore that pesky little bastard for the time being though; she can still enjoy the ride without Stede, thank you very much.
There’s already a woman in the cart, facing away from Ed because she’s busy taking pictures of the scenery. She’s blonde, with fucking amazing shoulders and the sheer resemblance to Stede does nothing to tamp down that annoying voice in her brain.
Deep breaths, Edward, Stede hasn't showed up in thirty fucking years and she's definitely not going to show up now. Pull yourself together.
“‘Scuse me mate, just gonna scoot in here, if that's okay with you,” Ed says, although she's already mentally prepared to dash to another cart in case this lady looks too much like Stede. She doesn't want to accidentally clutch not-Stede’s arm during the drop then cry about it for a week.
The lady startles at her voice, and she turns her head to see who has dared to interrupt the cute amateur photographer thing she’s got going on, when her eyes land on Ed and she lets out a gasp. Ed can see her jaw drop.
Ed feels her own jaw drop too, and all the noise in her ever-busy brain comes to a halt; no more random voice reminding her to clean out the bathroom, no more “touch me baby, touch me touch me touch me touch me,” that's been bouncing in her head all week long. For once it's blissfully quiet in her head, there's only one word left in it.
One name.
"Stede?"
"Ed?" Stede asks, almost breathless, and oh, how Ed has missed hearing Stede call her name.
"Hi, Goldilocks," Ed says, the old nickname rolling easily off her lips. Stede beams, a smile brighter than the fucking sun blooming on her face.
"Oh my god, it really is you!” Stede says, and Ed is pretty sure there are tears in both of their eyes.
Stede reaches out her hand to pull her down into the cart. Ed takes it. Of course she fucking takes it. Could never even consider resisting.
The roller coaster starts slow, but Ed knows it won't be long until they gain speed. The structure is situated right next to the beach and Stede suddenly pulls her hand out of Ed's grip to point at a seagull circling the pier. Ed laments the lost of Stede's hand but she doesn't get a single moment of sadness because Stede, the beautiful fucking lunatic, cups her hands in front of her mouth, and squawks.
Ed stares at her for a split second before she busts out laughing, already exhilarated even though the ride has barely started.
“Stede, what the fuck?”
“I'm a seagull!!” she crows, and fucking hell, Ed missed this, she missed the way Stede could make her laugh and the glint in her eyes that shine when she's being mischievous and the dimples that decorate her pretty little face when she smiles. Ed missed her.
“You call that a seagull?” Ed teases, “I'll show you a fucking seagull, Goldie,” she says before she cups her hands in front of her mouth and fucking squawks herself, loud and carefree as an actual seagull.
Stede cackles at Ed's admittedly quite lousy seagull impression then responds to her with another loud as shit squawk, and before long they are having full conversations as seagulls. Mating calls, maybe. At least that's what Ed wants to believe.
They must be a crazy sight; two middle aged women crowing and squawking and laughing their asses off on the fucking rollercoaster. Ed doesn't care. She's having the time of her fucking life.
Ed's brain is loud again as she laughs at Stede for a particularly squeaky bird call, “that was a baby gull, Ed,” but this time her inner monologue is that flock of seagulls from Finding Nemo squawking “mine, mine, mine.”
Stede doesn’t know that Ed feels like there’s a flock of seagulls carrying heart shaped candies and stupid love letters in her belly, pecking the inside of her ribcage so they can soar out of her and drop all that proof of Ed’s lifelong crush right into Stede’s palm.
In seemingly no time at all, their cart picks up speed and they're getting closer and closer to the highest peak of the ride. The view's beautiful up here, and for a fleeting moment Ed thinks about how Stede would love taking more pictures from this vantage point. But all thoughts cease to exist as she hears Stede repeatedly saying ''oh my god, oh my god, oh my god,'' next to her, anticipating the sharp drop and the double loop-de-loop that awaits. For a millisecond Ed hesitates, but then she says "fuck it," to the annoying little voice in her head and clutches Stede's hand.
To the delight of the seagulls in Ed’s stomach, Stede instantly clutches back, squeezing Ed’s hand with hers. It’s still soft. A bit calloused in some places but still as soft and warm and squishy as Ed remembers.
Ed feels like she's simultaneously nine and thirteen and eighteen years old again, heart pumping from the thrill of the ride and the press of Stede's shoulder against hers, nervous and giddy and excited at the same time because for once she can carelessly clutch a pretty girl's hand without worrying how the world might perceive them.
But alas she's not a kid who just collided with the one person she believes to be her soulmate, or a teenager getting her heart torn to pieces for the first time. She's forty-eight years old and she's not going to let their first meeting in three fucking decades be the last because she couldn't keep herself from confessing her undying love to her best friend.
But the universe is against her, it seems, because Stede keeps Ed's hand safely held in hers the entire ride and it takes fucking everything in her not to let the stupid love letter-carrying seagulls in her belly give her stupid fucking crush away. Besides, Stede's married, for fucks sake.
Although a little voice in her head that sounds suspiciously like eighteen year-old Ed keeps telling her that Stede is not, in fact, wearing a ring. On either hand.
In the blink of an eye, the ride slows to a jolting halt and the employee promptly instructs them to mind their belongings and step out of their carts. They walk off the ride together and Stede seems to have forgotten about the fact that Ed's hand is still nestled in hers. Not as if Ed's going to tell her, anyway.
They wander around the park together, hand in hand as if they've never spent a weekend apart since 1994, and Ed marvels at how easy everything is with Stede. They can talk about anything and everything until the albatross touches ground and still come up with a blueprint for an albatross bed and breakfast aka nesting spot.
“Ed, imagine all the new albatross parents who need a safe space to hatch and raise their babies! I think we could make a fortune with this BnB!” Stede says, eyes twinkling, probably already imagining what kind of grass and wood and straw would be best for an albatross family.
“It would be loud as hell, mate, but I fucking love the idea. These albatross-lings would be the most pampered baby birds in the history of baby birds,” Ed responds, never one to back down from yes-anding whatever weird shit Stede comes up with.
So yes, it's still easy to talk to Stede. As they walk around the park they talk about Ed's job and Ed's mum as Ed buys them a huge cotton candy to share. They talk about growing up as they ooh and ahh watching the singing fountain in the middle of the park light up to Pink Pony Club. They talk about the woes of dating in their forties (“I've dated men, women, and everyone in between and beyond but I still haven't found the one. It's fucking rough out there, Stede,” Ed says). And as Ed watches Stede shoot moving rubber duckies in what is definitely a rigged carnival game, they talk about love.
“I got a divorce two years ago,” Stede says unceremoniously while aiming at one of the stupid fucking ducks.
Ed halts mid-candyfloss bite.
The absence of love too, then.
“Fuck, that must've been rough. I'm so sorry, Stede,” Ed says. That explains the lack of a ring.
“Oh, don't be,” Stede says cheerfully, “I had been looking for an out for a long time, I think, and it turns out he'd been cheating on me with his male painting instructor and his girlfriend. At the same time! I was so happy when I found out about them, to be honest with you,” she laughs, before chanting an excited fuck yes when she shoots down one moving duck.
“Holy shit, Stede, that's a lot. Great fucking shot though, I never managed to shoot these little fuckers,” Ed says, clapping Stede on the shoulder.
Stede preens. “Now, you see those big prizes, Ed?” Stede asks, pointing to the big stuffed animals that are the reward for shooting three ducks in a row. “Which one do you want?”
Ed raises an eyebrow at her and smirks at Stede's confidence. “Give me the cool unicorn, Goldilocks,” she challenges.
“One cool unicorn coming right up!” Stede goes back to the little shooting range and prepares to aim again.
“Can I tell you something, Ed?” she asks with her eyes trained on another duck, like she hasn't been telling Ed stuff all day.
“Of course.”
“Seeing Martin with a man, it made me realize that neither of us were as straight as our parents hoped.” Ed's heart leaps to her throat; is Stede–
“I've known for a long time, I think, but last year I decided to proudly call myself a lesbian. I haven't acted on it, but I am now a proud lover and admirer of the fairer sex, as one would say,” Stede announces proudly before successfully striking down her second duck.
Ed's so happy she could fucking scream. Stede's a lesbian! And single! She might have a chance!
Ed squeezes both of Stede's shoulders, wanting so badly to hug her but Stede seems quite focused on the game, so the hug has to wait.
“Welcome to the women loving club, mate!” Ed says instead. “We have a lot of fun in here.”
“Thank you, Ed, I felt so much lighter and happier when I came out. My kids were so excited for me too, they said it's very cool to have queer parents,” Stede says and Ed's heart could burst with how happy she is for Stede.
“Umm, excuse me, ma'am, I'm happy for you,” the stand employee suddenly says, breaking Ed and Stede's little moment. “I really am, but could you maybe speed things up a little bit? You only need to shoot one more duck.”
Then the fucker fucking speeds up the movement of the stupid little duckies, no doubt making it nearly impossible for someone to shoot them.
“Hey, did you rig the game?” Ed complains on behalf of Stede.
“No, ma'am, just part of the game,” the stand employee says with a hint of a challenge in their voice.
Stede rolls her shoulders back and cracks her neck, getting into battle mode.
Ed thinks she looks hot as shit.
“Don't worry, Ed, I promised you a cool unicorn and you will get your cool fucking unicorn,” Stede says with a wink.
Ed fucking swoons.
She's not gonna lie to herself, the little yellow shitheads are moving so quickly she doubts that Stede's going to get the last duck.
But of course, of course, this crazy, beautiful, absolutely magical woman she's fallen ass over teakettle for guns down three moving rubber ducks in a row because nothing can get in the way of Stede Goldilocks Bonnet when she wants something. And what she wants is to win the huge fucking rockstar unicorn plushie for Ed.
Bang. The last duck goes down and Stede whoops, before demanding the long-suffering employee to “hand over the beautiful unicorn, please, dear game guardian, or I'll be obliged to unleash my vengeance!" as she digs out her purse to give them a very generous tip.
Stede holds the unicorn to her chest for a cuddle before passing it over to Ed with a smile, trading it with the still huge cotton candy that Ed has been holding.
Ed takes the unicorn with a giggle, giving it a big cuddle.
“Thank you,” she says softly, squeezing Stede's hand with hers, heart soaring when Stede's smile widens.
“Of course, Ed. Are you going to name the unicorn? She’d be very sad without a name,” Stede says, and well, Ed simply can’t leave a unicorn sad, right? What if that makes Stede sad too? Ed mulls over for a bit before making up her mind.
“Stede, please say hello to your new monarch, Princess Jeff,” Ed says with a flourish, holding Jeff over her head like a prize with one arm.
“Jeff?”
“Very cool name, Jeff,” Ed says, hugging Jeff close to her chest.
“Well then, pleasure to meet you, Princess Jeff! Please take care of my good friend Ed, here, alright? The day is almost over and she deserves someone warm to cuddle with tonight,” Stede says.
Ed's heart stops. The day is almost over.
No.
No no no.
“The day is almost over” means “goodbye” and “I have to go” and “see you again one day” but never seeing each other ever again.
Ed can't say goodbye to Stede again. Not now, maybe not ever. She needs to say something.
Stede has been brave today. Ed can be brave too.
“Hey, Stede?” Ed asks, clutching Jeff like a lifeline.
“Yeah?"
"You know my mum worked here, so I come here a lot. Ever since you moved away, every time I go here I'm always looking for you. Every time I see a blonde girl I hope that it's you.”
“Oh, Ed.”
“I fucking missed you, Goldilocks. The moment I heard your voice today I felt like, I don't know, I felt like all the weird, crooked, broken parts of my world kind of... righted themselves. You can slap me or take Jeff away if I'm being too much, although I hope you don't take Jeff away even if you hate me, because I'm too fucking attached to her now–"
"I won't slap you or take Jeff away, Ed, and I could never hate you,” Stede says, hazel eyes glimmering with tears.
“I guess what I'm trying to say is,” Ed says, fidgeting with Jeff's mane as she tries to work up the courage to bare it all.
“I don't want to lose you again, Stede, and I don't think I want to spend another thirty years without you.”
There. It’s all out in the open, now, all the soft, squishy, vulnerable bits of Ed's heart.
“I feel the same way, you know,” Stede says softly. She lets her eyes meet Ed's and Ed can see nothing but warmth and love in them.
“This place,” Stede says, gesturing with her cotton candy, “was my happy place. But it wasn't my happy place because of the roller coaster or the seagulls or the fountain, but because of you, Eddie. You're my happy place.”
There Stede goes again, picking up the pieces of Ed's heart and holds them gently in her palms, as if they're something precious.
Ed can't help but lift Stede's hand to her lips, pressing a kiss on the back of it. Stede gasps.
“I would be a fool to walk away from you again, Ed. And I know that I'm not very well versed in love, but I would like to try it with you, if you're amenable,” Stede says and Ed giggles, giddy as a teenager being asked out by her first crush.
She takes one step closer to Stede, leaving barely an inch of space between them.
“You asking me to be your girlfriend, Goldilocks?” Ed asks softly, failing to suppress another giggle when Stede blushes prettily at the question.
“I suppose so, yes. Would you want that, Ed? Would you like to be my girlfriend?”
Instead of answering her, Ed leans in slowly, giving Stede time to back off if she wants to. But Stede leans in too, eyes fluttering shut before meeting her in the middle, lips pressing against each other in a kiss that tastes like cotton candy and laughter and love, love, love.
“Does that answer your question?” Ed asks when they finally have to pull away for air.
“I don't know, Ed,” Stede says, eyes twinkling with mirth and lips turning up into a smirk, “I think I may need a few more kisses before I can say for sure.”
And really, how can Ed ever deny a request like that?
So there, in the same magical beach-side park where they met as little girls forty years ago, Ed kisses her girlfriend for a second time. Then a third. Then right after a fourth, Ed asks if Stede wants to come home with her.
Stede says yes, and all the way home, her hand never once leaves Ed's.