Chapter 8
The story of how Serena and Bernie end up living together is entirely accidental. It is after Bernie’s divorce from Marcus, and yet she’s still living in the shitty, shitty one room flat that she had holed up in during the process. Serena had come over to celebrate with a good bottle of Shiraz (for herself) and a congratulatory bottle of Lagavulin 16 Year Old (for Bernie). Somewhere along the way Serena muses really, Bernie, surely now you can afford to move somewhere nicer, and Bernie considers it with a barked laugh and a fond smile.
(Serena makes Bernie promise, and she does.)
And yet - two months pass, and Bernie’s still living in her shoebox hellhole. Serena decrees enough is enough and physically hauls Bernie to her house that evening, hands Bernie an oversized t-shirt and a pair of pyjama trousers and throws a pillow at her. The next morning, when they both have the day off (the wonders of being in charge of AAU: dictating schedules), Serena drags Bernie to the estate agent’s and by the end of the day they have narrowed it down to three choices.
The last of the three choices is the flat above the flower shop around the corner from Serena’s house, and Bernie immediately takes to it, adores the open space and minimalist lines of the (conveniently) already furnished house. Bernie takes the flat and moves in the following weekend. She has Serena and Jason over for dinner; it soon becomes a standing routine, the small comma in Serena and Jason's life that becomes a full stop - dinner at Bernie’s on Thursdays and a fish and chips supper at Serena’s on Tuesdays. Soon Bernie finds herself spending long, lazy afternoons at Serena’s, tucked against her new lover as they do the Sunday crossword. She takes to letting Jason use her flat when she and Serena want a little bit of privacy, and Jason appreciates the space that he has been given. Bits of Bernie come to Serena’s house, and before the end of the year Bernie finds herself murmuring sleepily against Serena’s neck that maybe it would be a good idea for her to move in. Serena only smiles and holds Bernie closer, pats her hip and says “of course”.