Page 79 of Bridget & Gabe Are Not Okay

“Finally,” said Gwen.

“Gwendoline,” Arthur said, aghast. “Did youknow? The whole time?”

“He didn’t tell me, but he didn’t have to. And it didn’t matter anyway! You can love someone and know you can’t be with them. How would it have helped, if I’d told you?”

“It might have.”

“No, it wouldn’t have, Arthur, and he’s been trying to dig for that same information about you for the past few weeks, and I’ve said nothing, because it wasn’t for me to say. However angry you are right now, imagine how much more angry you’d be if I’d casually told himyoustill loved him.”

“Ugh.” Arthur kicked at a table leg. “You’re so good at logic and reason. I hate logic! And reason!”

“So?” Sidney shoved him again, and Arthur shoved him back. Bridget was starting to find it slightly insulting that Gwen had thought she needed to witnessthisfor her own emotional growth.

“So, he loves me. And… obviously, I love him. But I’m scared. If he breaks it off with me again because he has too many things on his to-do list or he’s got a big meeting he’s nervous about, I don’t know what I’d do. No, don’t look at me like that, Gwen, I know that’s not what it was about, I’m being facetious. Let me be facetious! I’m having a breakdown!”

“None of this explains why he was still in your tent this morning,” Sidney said, sounding more like a stern governess by the second.

“You can calm down, Sid, because we didn’t… We kissed. We fell asleep.”

“You shouldn’t even be kissing!” Sidney half shouted.

“Well, I don’t see how you think you’ll stop me, because nobody can. It’s even legal now.”

“Boys,” said Bridget. “Enough. This isn’t helping.”

Arthur drew himself up to full height, or as much as he could while still sitting down. “Exactly. Thank you, Bridget.” He wilted as the reality of his life seemed to hit him all over again. “I don’t know what to do.”

“We can’t tell you,” Gwen said gently.

Sidney snorted. “I can.”

“No, Sidney, you can’t.”

“I think it only works,” Bridget said suddenly, “if you can trust him again. And you’ll never know if it’s going to end in heartbreak this time, cos it might, and it might not even be anyone’s fault, really. Stuff happens. That’s not the point. It’s… do you trust that he’ll actually try his hardest, even if that’s not enough? Even if you end up right back here a year later… I mean, not here exactly, but here mentally… Do you think he’ll have given it his best shot?”

Everyone was silent for a beat.

“Leclair,” Sidney said. “Where the hell did that come from?”

Gwen squeezed Bridget’s hand, obviously pleased. “She’s right actually.”

“Yeah,” Bridget said, feeling more confident now. “I am.”

Arthur ran a hand through his hair, which was already fluffed into some quite interesting shapes, and sighed. “Maybe I’m the world’s biggest fool, but right now I think I do. Trust him. At least enough to try.”

Gwen launched herself at him and gave him a quick and violent hug, while Arthur complained mightily, not doing anything to try to fend her off.

“Something about experiencing horrific traumas together has made us overly familiar with each other,” he said, red-faced. “And I think it’s probably very unhealthy.”

“Mmm,” said Gwen, ruffling his hair fondly as she pulled away. “I think it’s great.”

Bridget accompanied Gwen back to her tent; the second they were inside, Gwen turned and kissed her, backing her into the tent pole. Bridget’s shoulders hit the wood so hard that she let out a smalloofof breath.

“Sorry,” Gwen said. “That was just really good. I’m proud of you.”

“Yeah?” Bridget might have been taken by surprise, but she caught on quick; she leaned back, widened her stance so that Gwen was bracketed by her legs, ran her hands down Gwen’s sides until she reached her waist, and held on tight.

“Yes. And just so you know, I trust you to try.”