Eden and Bea (LGBT+)

🍂 x 21

Eden's POV 

About half an hour later, we were back on the dry land again. 

Mr. King had brought all of the students sandwiches, so we were able to eat out lunch by the lake. 

I poured a load of hand sanitizer, out of the bottle I had stored in my backpack, into my hands. 

Once I was ready, it was time to eat. 

"Hey, Eden, when we finish school, what are you going to do?" Beatrice asked me. 

The question caught me completely off guard. 

"Maybe I'll become a lifeguard," I joked. 

Her mouth twitched, as her eyes became warmer with her amusement. 

"Hey, I didn't fall in," she said. 

"You could have though. I was ready for it," I said. I was being far too friendly with her, but I didn't care. "Why do you ask, anyway? What are you going to do after school?" 

"I want to become a teacher, I think," Beatrice said. 

I could see that. 

"I think you would be good at that," I replied, "You're smart and a great artist. You've always been so creative, actually." 

While I could write, Beatrice could paint. I knew this much because I had seen the work that she had done, when she had thought I hadn't been paying any attention. 

"Well, you're really smart. I'm sure that you would be able to do anything that you put your mind to," she replied. 

"My parents don't really care about that. They want me to go into something that will give me money. They've always valued strength over compassion...and wealth over generosity," I admitted. I was rambling at this point, but Beatrice seemed to be listening, so I continued. "They have this stupid superstition about universities. They think if I don't go, then I'm going to fail our entire bloodline, or something." She did not need to know that, but she didn't stop me. "My dad used to always get me to study, every single day. Intelligence is valued just under wealth in our family, I suppose. And if I got bad grades, then I wouldn't be allowed out to see my friends."

"Eden...that's horrible," Beatrice said. 

"You say that now, but I also ended up getting straight As," I replied. 

The corner of Beatrice's mouth quirked up. 

"Well, nothing about me has ever been straight," she said. 

"That's part of the reason why I think my mum didn't want you to hang out at my house. I think she thought you were a lesbian," I replied. 

At that confession, Beatrice's eyes went wide. 

"What?" she asked me. 

"I didn't care, though. I sort of admired you because you did whatever you wanted to and you never cared for what other people had to think about you. Meanwhile, I care only too much about what my parents have to think about me," I admitted. "And it sucks because I actually like spending time with you, Beatrice. It's good to have you around." 

After I had said that, Beatrice became very quiet. I wasn't sure that she was going to say anything else at all. 

However, when we stood up after we had finished our lunch, she wandered over to me and wrapped her arms around me. 

I froze. 

What was she doing? 

Oh. She was hugging me. 

This was weird, but certainly not terrible. 

"How's that for hating you?" she asked. There was some playfulness to her voice, but also a comfortable warmth to it that made something in my stomach flutter. 

Instinctively, my arms went up to wrap around her, too. 

They remained there for a moment, before we both moved away from the hug. 

"Life would be boring if everyone was the same- you shouldn't have to be this cookie cut-out version of you, that your parents want you to be, Eden," Beatrice said to me, before she went to greet Axel. 

I let her words sink in for a second, before I moved to join them. 

"Hey, Eden, Axel says I snore- do I?" she asked. 

I felt my lips curl up at the corner. 

"Yes. Profusely," I teased. 

She didn't at all, actually. She slept quietly, like an angel. 

"It's not so bad sharing a tent with me, is it?" she asked me, then. 

I hadn't considered it that much up until this point. 

At first, it had been the worst possible situation. 

Now, I was glad that I had been paired with her and not someone else. 

"No, you're my friend," I blurted. 

Her eyes widened a little, but then she smiled. 

It only lasted a moment, until she began to blabber away to Axel again, who was speaking with confidence about his upcoming football match. 

When the sun started to set again, it was time to return to the tent. 

Bea and I got ready quickly when we had returned and then sat down in our sleeping bags. 

The air was hot, as though there was going to be a storm in the evening. 

"So, scared of water, huh?" I teased because I wasn't sure what else to say. There were too many thoughts going through my head and Bea was sat so close to me that I could smell the raspberry scent of her shampoo. 

"Only deep water- like the sea, lakes, ponds. I've always had this irrational fear that I'm going to drown," she said. 

"I suppose the same can be said about my fear of heights- that it's irrational, I mean," I told her. "That's one of my biggest secrets." 

Bea raised an eyebrow at me, then. 

"What's another one?" she asked me. 

"People seem to think I'm a Gemini. I'm actually a Libra." 

At that comment, she rolled her eyes. 

"A real secret, Eden," she said. 

"I've never dated anyone. Not one person. I'm single now. How about you?" I asked. 

It might have been the low light of the lantern playing tricks on my vision, but I could have sworn a blush grew on Bea's cheeks. 

"I've dated but I'm single now," she said. 

I was about to ask her another question, but then the unmistakable crash of thunder could be hard from outside of the tent.