Bimini taps their foot to the sounds of the music floating ahead of them, the carnival tunes that have never changed and probably never will. The people in front of them are not good barriers for the wind, and so they wrap their furry jacket tighter around their body.
“Cold, babe?” Asttina’s voice follows the touch of her hand on their shoulder. Bimini smiles.
“Little bit.”
They’re not so much anymore. Something about Asttina’s touch, the warm soft weight of her hand spreads a heat throughout the rest of Bimini’s body. Still they shiver with goosepimples decorating their skin, but no longer do they feel the cold.
Behind them, Tayce grumbles. “This line is taking bloody ages, I wanted to see Lawrence and Ellie get battered.”
“Nah, we all know Tia and Vee will be the bruised ones.” Bimini argues.
Asttina giggles. “You’re both wrong. Lawrence and Tia will be fine, high on their competitive spirit. It’ll be their poor long-suffering girlfriends who turn green.”
Tayce screws her face up, and whether that’s due to the thought of someone being sick or the mention of the illustrious ‘g’ word, Bimini doesn’t know. “Why don’t you go in front of us, Taycey? Since your desperation to go back to the dodgems has everything to do with wanting to watch Tia and Loz, and nothing to do with the person already stood watching them.”
The suggestion is purely sly and selfish, but Tayce doesn’t need to know that. She considers for a moment, before nodding and swooping in front of them just as they became first in line. As she orders, Bimini turns to Asttina.
“Is candyfloss even vegan?”
“I don’t know actually. Tayce, is candyfloss vegan?”
She shrugs and appeals to the man in the van. His hesitant nod, affirmation that it’s just sugar so should be fine, isn’t enough for Asttina. She pulls Bimini by the sleeve out of the line. “We’ll Google it.”
Tayce looks at them, face coloured with amusement as she finishes paying for her two pink bags. “Guys it’s fine, just get your floss.”
“No, no.” Asttina waves her off. “This is important to Bim. Go find your girlfriend.”
The ‘g’ word again. It works, Tayce flouncing off with her middle finger in the air.
The fragile light from the phone illuminates Asttina’s face. Her eyes, softened and creased with laughter around the edges, flick lazily over the screen, yet Bimini’s eyes are on her lips. Before she can speak they rock onto their tiptoes to kiss her, gently.
“What was that for?”
They shrug. “Just because I love ya. No one else would be so thorough.”
“Do you remember when we were like 14, and it was just you and me in that field, and my brother had gotten us a bottle of vodka?”
Bimini grins at the memory, the two of them drinking it straight from the bottle, shuddering but pretending they loved it because it was the adult thing to do. They’re at an age now where a bottle of vodka shared between them feels like nothing – but it always transports Bimini back to that field, the cold air and the night sky, the tinny music through a shit speaker and the burn in their throat. “Of course I do.”
“And you asked, with complete and utter conviction, if vodka was vegan. We spent at least 10 minutes talking about it before we remembered Google existed.”
A quiet chuckle. “No, I don’t remember that bit.”
“I do. Because it was the moment I fell in love with you.”
“Oh.” It goes silent for a moment, music still in the background. “Wish you had told me that then. It could’ve saved so much drama.”
She smiles. “I know. And look, it is vegan. It’s just sugar.”
They get back in line. Bim takes the lapels of Asttina’s coat, using them as a boost to reach up and kiss her. “I love you, Tina.”
“I love you, Bimmy.”