“Ready?” Shea, having also taken the day off, appeared in her doorway with a smile and two cups of coffee.
“Yes.” She crossed the bedroom and took one of the cups, held it in both hands, and closed her eyes as she inhaled the aroma. “Bless you, my child.”
“You’d never know it was a million degrees out by the way you’re clutching that mug.”
“Well, if somebody in this apartment didn’t set the air-conditioning to Arctic Tundra, I wouldn’t have to.”
Shea snorted a laugh, and they got to work. Fifteen minutes later, she was holding Cherry’s phone and videoing her as she sat on her bed.
“Hi, loves. It’s been a while, I know,” Cherry began, giving a small wave to the camera. “I took a little time off. I needed it. Had to get my head on straight, so to speak.” A wink. “But now I’m ready to visit with you again.” She lifted her arms as if presenting the room. “This is my bedroom and where I shoot a lot of my videos.” She got up and moved around to various points, stopping in one corner. “Here’s where I’ve done my clothing try-ons. And then down this hall…” She left the room and headed toward the bathroom, Shea following her with the camera. “This is where I do the makeup samplings. And that lovely person you see in the mirror behind me is my roommate, Shea.” Shea peeked out from behind the camera and gave a little finger wave. “No, not quote-unquoteroommate.” Cherry made the air quotes. “’Cause we’re being real and honest now, remember. Shea is my BFF, the most amazing person on the planet, and sorry ladies, she’s straight.” She looked at Shea. “And gorgeous. And I don’t know what I’d do without her. I hope you loves have a BFF as awesome as mine.” Their eyes met in the mirror, and she blew a little kiss to Shea. Then they walked some more, Cherry displaying different parts of the apartment. “This is where I live with Shea and our other roommate, Adam, who’s at work right now. I don’t have a fancy town house or an expensive condo. Our furniture is old and needs to be replaced, but we’re all too busy to take care of that.” She flopped down on the worn couch. “We eat dinner at this coffee table in front of the TV while we watchThe BachelororDatelineor marathons ofThe OfficeorGilmore Girls. My point being, I’m just a regular lesbian with a regular life, and if you followed me before and you stuck around, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. And if you’re new here, welcome to Cherry on Top, real life of a real lesbian. We’ll talk again soon. Peace.” She flashed a peace sign.
Shea did as she was instructed and waited an extra five seconds before stopping the recording, leaving space to edit. “Nicely done. That was great.”
“You think?”
“Definitely.” Shea handed the phone back to her. “It’s a nice start to what I think is the exact right way to go. It felt like the real you, you know?” She picked up her mug and sipped her coffee, staring over the rim at Cherry for a full ten seconds before saying, “I’m proud of you, Cher.”
“Yeah?”
A nod. A smile. Then, “Do you think you’ll let her know?”
They both knew who Shea meant byher. Cherry inhaled a deep breath and blew it out through pursed lips. “I’m honestly torn.”
Shea sat on the chair in the corner and focused her full attention on Cherry. “Tell me why. What are you torn between? Talk to themost amazing person on the planet.”
“Please. You love that I called you that. Admit it.”
“Oh, I totally admit it. And it’s true.” They laughed together, then became serious again. “Talk to me.”
“I don’t want her to think I’m making any of these changes just to win her back,” Cherry blurted, then wrinkled her nose and groaned. “’Cause I’m not. I mean, she was definitely the catalyst, but this just feels right now. You know?”
“I do. I already told you I’m proud of you, and I am. I just think…” Shea frowned, then lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. “I just think she deserves to see this new you. Thisrealyou. The you I’ve known all along. Because she’s pretty wonderful.”
Her soft words brought tears to Cherry’s eyes, and she was about to playfully scold her for that when her phone pinged a text. “Ugh. Probably Amanda trying to give me work on my day off.” She grabbed her phone and her heart rate kicked up as she read the message.
From Ellis.
Hey, you. I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately and I was wondering if we could, you know, really talk. About everything. You up for it?
She must’ve made a face because Shea sat up straight and said, “What? What is it? Is everything okay?”
“It’s Ellis.”
“Oh my God, we conjured her!” Shea nearly shouted. “We arethatgood. What did she say?”
“She wants to talk.”
“Good. That’s good.” The expression on Cherry’s face must’ve been concerning because Shea’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t it?”
She blinked a few times at the phone in her hand before looking back up at Shea, wide-eyed, she knew.
“Well? You up for it?”
“I really, really am, Shea. I really, really am.”
“I kinda thought so.” Shea tipped her head to one side and her smile was wide.
“What if she just wants to tell me off again?” It wasn’t likely, but it was also a possibility. “I mean, she pretty much blames the whole of social media for what happened to her sister.”
