'cause we were both young

‘I never knew you read so much,’ he said casually, examining her bookshelf. It was carefully crafted; the right wood, organised by colour, a small plant on each shelf.

She rolled her eyes. ‘Benny, you never did know much about me, did you?’ He gave her a sideways glance and smirked, and responded, ‘No, I suppose I didn’t.’

They had been friends for three years now, and in that time, they had ticked off two holidays, three sets of exams, and countless friends they’d shared and together, let go. They were fortunate enough to wind up at the same school - destiny never fails the pure-hearted.

‘I like your room, Dorothea. It’s very pretty. Earthy, even.’

Dorothea laughed and lounged against the bed, sticking her tongue out a little as she laughed. She realised his eyes lingered on her just a bit more when she did that, and it made her stomach flutter.

‘I’m trying to get a bit more in touch with my spirituality,’ she explained, nodding along to her own words like they meant something profound.

He sat next to her and crossed his legs over her covers. ‘Since when?’

She made a gesture that meant ‘whenever’ but mumbled something about a couple of months ago. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure why she said she was getting more in touch with her spirituality, but she wanted something of substance to respond with. The word spiritually seemed to do the job.

‘Are you excited for uni again?’ He asked, propping up one of her fluffy pillows and leaning against the headboard. He rested with his arms behind his head like he’d been in her room a million times before. It was his first.

‘Yeah, I am. God, I’m enjoying it so much more than school. How about you?’

He was about to answer before something got caught in his throat, and he hesitated. He pushed it away and forced his shoulders to relax and answered confidently, ‘Yeah, me too.’

He cracked open a window and let the breeze waft in, sighing dramatically. ‘Ugh, that’s nice. It is so hot in here.’

Dorothea nodded, sipping her beer. The pub was crowded, usual for the spell of the year that was September. Hot with the lingering August weather and crowded with the students coming back.

He could never decide where ‘back’ was. Was it his home for eighteen years, was it the university he’d spent one year at, or was it the house in the small town he missed so dearly…

‘You want another one?’ She asked.

He shook his head no. To refuse alcohol was rare for him (he’d been labelled somewhat of an addict many a time by someone), but Dorothea accepted this about him. He’d always be the friend willing eager to come to the pub with her. She raised her eyebrows in surprise. ‘How come?’

He told her he had an exam the next day, and she nodded thoughtfully. That was how most people described Dorothea: thoughtful, reliable, and steady. She had begun to get a bit tired of ‘steady’ though, and wanted something else. Something more exciting.

He finished his drink and put the money on the table, feeling a new responsibility to pay for her that he hadn’t felt before.

‘Thanks.’ She said, a smile peeking from her lips.

‘No problem.’ He replied. ‘Same time next week?’

‘Same time next week.’

They were at a different table, this time, laughing again, but about trivialities of their past.

‘I was shocked she said that, honestly,’ Dorothea said, wiping her mouth from the drool Benny’s jokes had induced.

Benny nodded, the smile on his lips playful, hiding the small amount of sorrow he still held. ‘Yeah, it was weird. Anyway, tell me about your new job.’

Dorothea launched into the story of how she got her new job working at an old people’s home. She was caring and patient, the perfect person for the position. She didn’t have a particular affinity for the elderly, but did anyone? She needed some money, and she thought, Why not do a good deed while I can?

Benny rested his chin in his palm, his eyes lighting up admiringly as she spoke. He loved how kind she was to other people, and he never wasted a moment telling her. It encouraged her to keep striving on with her kindness.

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it firmly. ‘You are such a great person, Dorothea.’

Dorothea smiled and remembered each time she had been told what a great person she was. What a lovely girl, an amazing friend, and a perfect daughter. Honestly, she was just great.

And it was rare to get that, wasn’t it? Benny realised that sitting there listening to her talk. There wasn’t much going on in his head but he was a sweet boy with sweet intentions and thought he could do with a sweet girlfriend.

She smiled back at him, tightening his hold. ‘You’re too nice, Benny. You are too nice.’

They lay in bed next to each other the next day, fingers intertwined, and the sheets covering their bodies pressed up against each other. The warm breeze was filtering in with the sunshine, and nothing could be nicer than this.

‘This is so lovely, Benny.’ Dorothea said, laying her head on his chest. She smiled and felt her heart glow. ‘Honestly, I never thought this would happen.’

Benny nodded and smiled crookedly. ‘Neither. I like it though.’

They continued to lie in silence for a bit, listening to the hummingbirds outside, singing tunefully like the dwarves in Snow White.

‘Do-do-do-do-do-do-do’ they went. Their tunes carried through the window, and their song suddenly struck Benny.

‘Alyssa used to sing.’ He said quietly, his past playing out in his mind. Dorothea placed a hand on his chest comfortingly and shook her head.

‘No,’ she told him. ‘No mention of Alyssa in this bed.’

He raised his head indignantly and furrowed his eyebrows. ‘But, we both knew her so well. She’ll come up, right?’

Dorothea stroked his head softly and lolled his head back to the pillow. ‘She’s a moment of our past, Benny. Forget her. This is me and you now.’

Benny nodded submissively and let himself sink deep into Dorothea’s embrace, warm and loved in her spiritual space.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘Me and you, Dorothea. Me and you.’

And there they were, holding one another tight and lifting each other up on their cloud of moral virtue. Perhaps they didn’t know each other deeply once, when she was only his girlfriend’s best friend and he was only her best friend’s boyfriend. But now, the word ‘best friend’ no longer stood between them, and they could be as intimate as ever.