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Bernice wasn’t exactly the type of person Cathy would want to spend her time with.
Yet here they were stood out the back of the run down bar, sharing a cigarette between them.
“She’s just a bitch!” Cathy shouted, throwing her hands in the air as she spoke. She leant back against the metal fence, folding her arms across her chest. Bernice took a drag of their cigarette, leaning the opposite direction over the bars. Her eyes were fixed on the ground in front of her.
“And she has the fucking nerve to get with that monkey of a man,” Cathy continued, “and she acts like we should just get over it!!”
Bernice tapped the cig in her hand, watching the ashes spark and falter to the ground. She held it out towards Cathy, who took it and pressed it to her mouth. Bernice watched her breathe out a large puff of smoke, her thin eyebrows furrowed as she stared daggers at the flickering light at the end of the bar’s garden.
Bernice sighed, her eyes turning back to the ground.
“Pauline just does what she wants, get over it instead of whining like a teenager.”
Cathy turned to her, glaring down at the reverend. “Fuck off!!” She spat, looking Bernice up and down. “All you two ever did was a quick fuck in the confessionals every now and then.”
The woman furrowed her brows with a slight air of sadness, leaning down to grab the drink by her feet and taking a long sip. The mixed smell of strawberry’s and alcohol from the cider made Cathy’s nose furl. Her grip tightened on the cigarette in her fingers, studying Bernice’s face intently.
“Sorry.” She muttered, looking away with a flushed face. She passed the cigarette back to Bernice. Who took it silently. They stood there in silence for a moment, taking subtle glances at the other, neither knowing what to say.
“I get it.” Bernice spoke suddenly, looking up at Cathy. “She was a prick sometimes… but I kept going back.”
Cathy turned to meet her gaze.
“I know you did too.”
They stared at eachother, neither wanting to break the contact between them.
Bernice looked away first. “I don’t even know why I was so crazy about her!!” She laughed, dropping the cigarette onto the floor and crushing it under he heel. “She’s got nice tits ‘suppose”
Cathy laughed slightly, her eyes still fixed on the woman in front of her. She couldn’t help but stare at her, taking in all of her features.
Her hair.
Her doe-ish brown eyes.
The dips in her neck.
Her lips…
“I mean…” Cathy started, her voice quiet “I can see why she liked you.”
Bernice looked back over to her, raising an eyebrow. Cathy paused, her face reddening as she stammered. But before she could form any proper response Bernice stood up, clutching Cathy’s face and pressing her lips against hers. It was a sloppy kiss - neither of them were exactly sober - but they both leant into it.
Cathy pulled away first, staring at the woman in front of her. She simply stared back, still clutching Cathy’s faces as she searched it for any expression.
“Shit, uh… sorry.” Bernice gasped, her face blushing pink as she pulled away.
“Oh… uh…” Cathy stammered, barely audible “it’s fine.”
They both paused, the sounds of chatter from inside filling the awkward silence.
Furrowing her brows, Cathy pulled another cigarette out of her pocket and took a lighter from the other. She lifted both to her mouth but paused, unsure whether to light it. Pulling it back from her mouth she shoves both back into her pockets. Unable to look at Bernice, who is stood watching beside her silently.
“I’m not Pauline, y’know. ” Cathy spat out, her eyes flickering down to the ground.
Bernice looked to her, her eyes widening before resting into a worried expression. She lifted her fingers to Cathy’s cheek, who flinched away.
“Of course- I didn’t think-“ The words stumble out as if Bernice herself wasn’t even sure what would come next. She sighed, brushing her hand against Cathy’s gently before clutching it as if it was going to disappear.
Cathy tried to pull her hand away but Bernice held it tight, staring up at the woman in front of her.
Neither said a word. They just stared at each other.
“Fuck.” Cathy whispered under her breath, her gaze fixed on Bernice’s. She studied every mark. Every wrinkle. Every part of her face.
Then she kissed her again.