Happy Ending
Angie opens her eyes numbly. She feels tired and cold and… of course. She’s fallen asleep without getting changed again, and the blanket just fell off. She frowns and looks in the mirror. She looks terrible. She sighs. She feels weak and tired… and disoriented.
“Peggy?” she calls.
“What is it Angie?” she hears the crisp, composed voice from the living room.
She runs out toward her and crashes into her, tacking her on the green couch and knocking some papers out of her hands.
“Angie!” Peggy yell-whispers, her break being knocked out, before she feels a drop of water or something… on her dress and looks up at Angie’s face. “Angie?” this time she is very concerned.
“Oh Peggy… I know we… I know you’re all tough and smart and fast but I uh… I had a real bad dream.”
“Oh Honey.” Peggy whispers, wrapping her arms around Angie, letting Angie’s weight press against her. “Oh Honey what happened?”
It’s always too hard to say, and suddenly Angie is choking back tears and sobs, and pressing her face into Peggy’s stomach while Peggy strokes her hair. “Angie, Darling?”
Angie lifts her head up for a second, and through sobs whispers… “You died.” Before collapsing into Peggy’s stomach again, sobbing.
“Shh Angie, Honey, I’m right here. It’s alright Darling. Shh… Don’t worry Angie. I’m always going to be here for you. Don’t you worry. Don’t you fret Sweetheart.” And they lie there for a while, Peggy stroking Angie’s hair, Angie crying into Peggy’s dress. Until slowly the sobs die down… and then they lie there on the couch for a while in silence, and Angie lifts up her tear-streaked face and whispers… “You… you called me sweetheart?”
“Yes?” Peggy replies softly. They both feel a little weak and overwhelmed.
Angie slowly sits up, and Peggy follows her lead. “It’s just… ya never called me that before.”
“Oh…”
“Yeah… I mean. It sounds a little…”
“A little what?”
They’re both talking quietly and slowly, with no reason to. As if they’re both so fragile that sound could break them.
“Romantic?” Maybe it’s the silence, and the vulnerability, and the tears… maybe it’s the strangeness. It’s never been like this before. They’ve gotten drunk together, and Peggy has cried a little. But not like this. Not like… this. Never. And somehow it gives Angie the courage to say something she would usually avoid like the plague.
“Oh… romantic.” Peggy looks down and blushes a little. Angie blushes too, and keeps the corner of her eye on Peggy. She doesn’t know what’s gonna happen, and suddenly it’s like they’re in a silence competition that will never end.
Until finally Angie cracks and says, “So… whadya think of that?”
And Peggy kind of looks up and whispers more quietly than before, “I… uh… so you noticed?”
And Angie laughs humourlessly. Peggy joins her. Then they both look at each other nervously.
“What do you think of that?” Peggy asks, faking a smile. Her hands are shaking. She feels vulnerable too. Vulnerable and strange and brave.
Angie bites her lip and fakes a smile too. Another tear runs down her cheek.
“I think uh… I think I’d like to know how ya feel… about me, and uh… us?”
And Peggy fakes a smile again, and it twitches and she can barely contain herself before she says shakily, “I feel uh… quite a connection to you Angie. And I… uh, I understand if you don’t return the sentiment. But no matter what I… I care for you Darling. And I uh… I would do anything to keep you s-safe and protect you from any harm. I would do anything, Angie.”
Angie’s eyes widen and a couple of tears run down her cheeks as she replies, “Oh… I see. I mean, ya didn’t answer the question… but does that mean ya… I mean… Ya see… when I had that dream last night I wasn’t just that… terrible thing. It was me an’ you and we were in, uh… we kissed. And hugged and held hands. Every day. And I liked it…a lot. I adored it. It was all I really wanted and I was so happy. It was everything I had ever dreamed of and then it was all just snatched away. Suddenly taken from me and replaced with my worst nightmare… losing you. I couldn’t… I couldn’t bear losing you, Pegs, in any way. I… really care about you too, and I’m sorry if this changes everything, or wrecks everything. But I can’t… I can’t see the possibility and not talk up. I just… I wanna know if there’s a chance… and if there’s not I would love for you ta let me stay here. I won’t pester you if-”
“Let’s do it.”
“What?”
“The thing you said…” Peggy replies blushing. “Holding hands… and uh, the other thing. Can we do something like that? I’d like that.” she starts out shyly.
A tiny smile forms on Angie’s lips and she says slowly, with some disbelief, “Ya wanna start with the other thing?”
“I’ve got a bit of time on my hands…” Peggy blushes a little more… her heart beats faster, and smile starts spreading on her face. She tries not to, tries to play it cool… maybe she’s reading this wrong. But then Angie leans in to kiss her. Gently and softly. Square on the lips.
“Wow.” Peggy breathes quietly, “I could get used to that.”
Angie grins and bites her lip, “Honestly, me too.”
They both laugh a little at themselves. Feeling a little patched up… but still vulnerable after all that. “Can I hold you?” Peggy asks gently.
Angie nods in response and Peggy takes her in her arms and whispers, “You alright?”
And Angie whispers back, “I am now.” And kisses her cheek. “Although… I am a little tired… perhaps we could have a day off?”
“Sounds good to me.”
They both walk a little shakily into Angie’s bedroom, as she leads and get right into the bed, clothes and all (although they take off their shoes.)
“Ya know… I think uh… I’m a little cold, could ya, you know? Hug me?”
Peggy laughs softly and wraps her arms around Angie, “Better?”
“Sure English, as long as ya never let go.”
“Of course.” Peggy replies. And they spend the rest of the day, talking and cuddling and talking about how long they’ve felt this way. And, especially on Peggy’s part… blushing a lot.
The next morning Angie wakes up feeling warm and soft and… a little squished but not unhappy… a lump groans… an accented and attractive kind of groan “English?”
“Good Morning Darling.” Peggy replies hazily before sitting up, “Oh! Oh…” the memories come back to her and she smiles… and snuggles up to Angie and kisses her on the cheek.
Angie kisses her back, a little more forcefully on the lips.
With some breathlessness Peggy says, “Well… I certainly did not expect that… but I thoroughly enjoyed it…”
And Angie grins, “Good.” she can hardly believe this. It’s like a dream come true. And they sleep in, grinning madly. Feeling the best they’ve ever felt waking up in a while… despite wearing their clothes to bed.