Chapter 4
Everyone expects Bernie to be the one doing the courting, what with her established track record with women. Except - it’s Serena who does the wooing, quite unexpectedly. Quietly, without either of them quite realising it, Serena had been worming her way into Bernie’s life. Mugs of tea and offers of being Bernie’s first port of call and her big macho army medic looking at her with those eyes, promising in return in that quiet voice that she wanted - no, needed - wanted to make sure that the person working with you had your back, because that was how they said I care for you (perhaps too much) in the Army, because that was the only way that Bernie knew how, Bernie with her shy eyes and that hitch in her voice. It wasn’t until Serena had showed up at Bernie’s sad, one-room flat to drag her furniture shopping (Ikea really was a quasi fun-horror no one had to endure alone) that they both thought - perhaps.