A Greater Good (girlxgirl)

Early

Jane threw off the blanket and ran around collecting her clothes, pulling them on with a pounding heart while Everlyn cleaned up the lounge trying to make it look like they'd just been having a civilised conversation, not the best orgasms of their lives. 

"Work was cancelled," James was calling as he walked down the hallway, "the rain."

"Oh!" Everlyn called back flustered, she looked around at Jane who was pulling on her pants and made hurry up gestures to her. Everlyn sunk back onto the couch and looked at the doorway where James would appear any second. She couldn't look at Jane, she couldn't bear to know if she'd be dressed and acting normal by the times James would be there.

Finally, he arrived in the doorway and smiled at Everlyn, she smiled back quickly and started to relax because his face hadn't fallen, so therefore Jane wasn't naked. But maybe she'd relaxed too soon because James looked up into the kitchen and froze when he saw Jane.

"What are you doing?" he asked Jane who was half ducked under the bench pulling on her pants.

She stood up quickly and smiled, holding up a mug. "Dropped it. We're about to have tea, you want one?"

James didn't answer her, he looked back at Everlyn and glared at her. She felt her insides go cold and she could tell that he was thinking something had happened, and rightly so. He stood up stiffly and all his previous happiness to be home with his fiancée and to be out of the cold rain had vanished. Jane wasn't watching, she was busy with the kettle trying to look like she wasn't having sex with her sister in law. 

"No," he said bluntly. "I'm having a shower."

Everlyn tried to smile, but it came out weird and forced. "Oh... yeah, ok."

He nodded at her and headed into the bathroom leaving Jane and Everlyn alone in the living area again. Everlyn exhaled and stood up, she picked up Jane's bra she was hiding by sitting on and folded it up neatly before walking over and handing it to her. 

"Can you... I need you to go."

Jane smiled, she was putting on a brave face but on the inside she wanted to die after being in a room with James and Everlyn at the same time. She hated seeing how Everlyn looked at James and how happy James was to see Everlyn when he first walked in. They are together, she had to tell herself, they love each other and even if Everlyn doesn't love him as much as she should, she still loves him. 

"Sure," she said and grabbed the bra off her making sure their hands brushed.

Everlyn bit her lip, she looked like she was going to cry. She hugged Jane and Jane rubbed her back softly, trying not be act surprised and confused. 

"I'm sorry," Everlyn breathed before walking away from Jane and into her bedroom.

I came out of the bathroom and into the bedroom to find Everlyn seating on the end of the bed looking down at the carpet. I sighed when I entered and leant against the doorway, she looked up at me with teary eyes.

"Why was Jane here?" I asked.

She furrowed her eyebrows. "She was getting her sunglasses," she said as if I should know, which I did, but I wanted the real answer, I knew there was one. 

I came into the room and leant against the dressing table. "Why was she really here, Everlyn?"

"To get her sunglasses," she repeated firmly, her teary eyes turning mad.

"So there's nothing going on between you two?"

She shook her head in disbelief and looked genuinely surprised. Jane had got the detective skills in the family, not me, but really I shouldn't have to interrogate my partner to see if she's sleeping with my sister.

"What!" Everlyn gasped.

"You aren't sleeping with her?" I asked calmly.

She shook her head. "What are you on about?"

"Were you ever sleeping with her?"

"She was my best friend, James! Just because she's gay doesn't mean we've slept together."

"I'm not asking because she's gay, I'm asking because of how you used to look at her. It used to keep me up at night after that Christmas going over and over what she said and what it meant, but you denied everything I thought-"

"Because it's the truth!"

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. I wanted to know the real truth, I didn't want to have to find out when it was too late. "Everlyn," I said quietly, "please, if something happened or is happening, please just tell me."

She looked at me blankly before shaking her head, sadly this time. "We were kids."

I felt my breath falter in my chest. For years I'd told myself I imagined the looks they gave each other, I thought I was crazy thinking her and Jane were anything more than friends and Everlyn had denied it right to my face! Now things were falling into place and panic overtook my body, I'd let Jane come over and be alone with Everlyn! I sat down on the ground, Everlyn didn't move, she just stared at me sadly.

"We were kids, we were mucking around and then it got kind of serious. We... Jane... it was never public, no one knew, no one could because if my parents found out it wouldn't be easy."

I let her words sink in, I was convinced she was cheating on me and I was waiting for my heartbreak to brew into anger and kick her out of her own house.

"When did it end?"

"Years ago, when we became serious."

I started breathing normally, she was being honest, I could see it in her face. But I couldn't let my guard all the way down yet, I'd done that before.

"What about now?"

"What about now?" She looked away from me and picked up a towel, was she avoiding the conversation or just being her typical neat self?

"Is there anything between you?"

She looked at me and smiled a small smile. "No."

"But do you love her?"

She didn't look away, instead she kept my gaze for a long time. My heart was frozen mid beat and caught in my throat, her answer would change a lot of things but it'd also give clarity to everything. I never got an answer because the doorbell rang just as she opened her mouth, and in the moment I was glad for it because I knew she was going to say yes.