Page 4 of It Had To Be You

“The parade?” she says like a question.

“You are hopeless.” I shake my head.

She shrugs. “What? I just want to have a nice time with my friends and support the rainbow flag.”

“You’re cute, but if you don’t put yourself out there, you’re going to be an old cat lady by the age of thirty.” Lara loves animals but I don’t want her to wake up years from now and realise that’s all she has. Her happiness is mine too. She deserves to be cherished the way she cherishes everything around her. Putting everyone before herself isn’t necessarily a good quality. She could miss her chance at a relationship because she’s not looking out for herself. I both love and hate her kindness sometimes. If she was a little more selfish, she’d take more of what she wants. Animals can’t be her everything.

“Thirty isn’t old, and I’m already a cat lady.”

“You’re too good for this world.” Lara is like a saint. She’s the perfect good girl; smart, caring, and beautiful. It’s a shame she doesn’t let anyone see her full potential. She gets walked over by assholes and overlooked by girls who don’t see her beauty.

She checks her watch. “We’d better get a move on. The ‘world’ won’t wait for me.”

I think that was her attempt at humour, but it falls flat. We both make a dash for our final few things. Lara is taking a small handbag, and I unload my possessions into it. Lacing my black ankle boots makes me feel ready to rock Pride. Lara puts on ballet pumps and then we’re ready to go.

We exit the house and make our way down the dirt track. It’s a short walk along the main road to the bus stop, and at least two cars honk their horns at us. I wave, while Lara smiles.

“Looks like you’ll be turning heads today,” Lara says.

“It’s Pride. People are just being friendly to us.”

“Sure. That’s what this is.” She glances down at my outfit before averting her eyes.

Leaping towards her, I wrap my arms around her back, hugging her. “Is Miss Sunshine needing a top-up of sugar?”

“It’s not that. When you come to visit, I want to spend as much time together as possible, but I can already tell you’re going to be busy today.” She pouts.

I’m torn between the guilt she makes me feel and my need to keep my distance. I’m not good with proximity. That’s partly why we work so well.

I tighten my grip on her for a second before letting go so I can return to her side.

“We talk all the time, or at least more than I talk to anyone else.”

She smiles. “You’re just a hard girl to pin down.”

“Hey, I’m the one that likes to do the pinning.” I wink at her and she shakes her head.

We see the bus before we reach the stop. Lara starts to run with her arm out, letting the driver know we want to catch it. I fold my arms over my chest and pick up my pace. The bus parks at the stop and turns off the engine. The door opens, and Lara’s first to climb on board.

“You’re early,” she says to the driver before checking her watch. “There’s another five minutes until you’re due.”

“Everything’s running smoothly. I’m about to take a quick break. You weren’t going to miss anything,” the driver says.

“Fabulous.” She smiles brightly, handing over some coins. “Two ladies to Leeds, please.”

“Lovely,” he says, punching the request into the machine and printing the tickets. “There you go. Enjoy Pride.”

“Thanks,” we say in unison.

I follow her onto the bus, and people stare. Some smile and others roll their eyes. I blow an old guy a kiss, which he turns his lips up at. I can’t help but smirk; nothing is raining on my parade on Pride Day. Not everyone in the world is supportive of others. Luckily, the opinions of strangers don’t bother me like they used to. Passing ships only make small waves, and then they’re gone.

We slide into a seat near the back. She leans away from me, careful not to crush my wings, and we both look out of the window.

“See, we have plenty of time. Plus, the main parade doesn’t start for an hour.” I tap my watch’s face.

“Once we get there, I’ll be able to relax with a glass of wine.” She hunches over, showing her discomfort.

“You mean a sambuca shot?” I smirk, knowing full well she doesn’t mean that, but I’m trying to lighten her up. Lara likes everything to run smoothly, while I’m happy to go with the flow. She has nothing to worry about, though. We’re going to get there without any hiccups.

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