#canthelps;

[thequeensxgambit]

elliot picked her long island up off the table and let out a gentle sigh. the shoreline was faintly lit by the light pouring out of the beachside restaurant and the slowly easing luminance of twilight. turning her head to the side, she offered her wife a beaming smile - only reserved for her. only nora got to see elliot like this. calm. carefree. smiley. “you look beautiful...” she remarked, placing her drink back on the table after a long swig. her arm was already placed securely along the booth behind nora’s head. fingers brushed along her shoulder and the other reached for one of nora’s hands. so maybe she’d been planning it all day. telling her wife she’d go on ahead to the restaurant so they didn’t miss the booking. wearing smart trousers that didn’t grip so much around her crotch. “so...” she guided nora’s hand and placed it on her crotch. large fingers tightened, squeezing nora’s hand and her own down on the bulge in her trousers. “what do you fancy doing after this?” @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

“it’s quieter up here. kind of.” mehira commented quietly as she walked through the sliding door that led onto the balcony. she’d wandered back inside the grab them a blanket and another beer for summer but she was aware she’d probably been a bit longer than was normal. she’d spent a while just looking in the mirror... staring and trying to tell what her reflection was thinking because she wanted to know what she was thinking and then when she’d got into the kitchen she’d sort of just stared into the fridge and read the label on one of the tubs eight times while thinking about their day. the weather had been lovely. summer had looked so beautiful. they’d gone bowling and got lunch. london was frighteningly loud but whenever they’d got to a busy intersection, summer had held her hand and claimed her attention or led them in another direction. and as difficult as it was... as hard as living with a development disability could be... mehr always tried to see the positives amongst the challenges. london was loud but it was exciting. there were a lot of different people but she loved the potential of lots of cultures and stories. london could be dirty but it could be equally beautiful. and as scary as it was, she had summer who always made challenges more manageable.... even after everything they’d been coming to terms with over the past few months. “here. nice and cold.” she told summer as she held out the beer to her. she couldn’t help herself but the other hand brushed across summer’s hair. oh she loved those curls.  “thought you were gonna play your guitar for me... is that why you wanted another drink?” she asked as she sat down, feeling the seat rock beneath them. she pulled the blanket over their laps and then reached for her own drink, cradling it between her long fingers. @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

the kitchen had barely been recognisable only forty minutes ago. there had been bowls and whisks and spoons tossed across every surface and a thin veil of icing sugar had coated everything in sight. she was never going to make a wedding cake ever again, she’d told herself but when the opportunity had arisen... she hadn’t been able to say no. although a wedding cake didn’t complete the special day, it was part of the perfect memory that should stay with the couple forever. tossing the damp cloth into the sink, she reached for the ramekin on the windowsill and pulled her own engagement ring from inside, slipping it back onto its rightful place on her finger. she knew that she couldn’t wait for her own special day. cake and all... even if she’d sworn she would not be the one making it. they had enough to do. 

shucking off her apron, she hung it on the hook on the wall and admired her handiwork. she’d already started dinner midway through cleaning and she’d just have to check on the potatoes in a few minutes. she had this. eyeing the speaker system on the countertop, she stepped closed and toyed with the volume dial. one slight turn... then another and music poured through the kitchen. 

plucking up a serving spoon off the worktop, stef slowly descended into her own solo performance as the 80′s hit flowed from the speakers, growing more and more enthusiastic. she was so lost in the music that she didn’t hear the opening of doors and by the time she noticed someone else was in the room with her, her hand was in her hair and the spoon was being used as a microphone. “....hi.” she said slowly, her face instantly splitting into a grin with an edge of bashfulness. “...welcome home.” @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

the sound of two kayakers moving past on the river in front of them made mehira look up from her hands, a soft breath escaping her as she watched the water ripple. she hadn’t said much since she’d sat down and she was still struggling to say anything. when summer had messaged her yesterday, she’d cried at first and pushed her phone away. and then, after she’d calmed down, she’d reached for it again and typed back. mehira had never imagined not loving summer because it was ingrained deep in her person. it had been synonymous with her growing up and summer had turned her into a better person. without summer, mehira was sure she wouldn’t have grown the way she had. she was certain that she’d still be sobbing in bathrooms and having frequent meltdowns because she just couldn’t do it. summer had told her she could do it but this...she was struggling to do. 

summer had cheated on her. summer had said she loved her but she had sex with someone else. leaning forward, mehira brushed her fingers against the petals of a daisy. “is...hard...” she said eventually, her voice much hoarser than normal. “an’ et hurts.” she sniffed and dropped her hands into her lap, her lower lip jutting out slightly. “because you was sposed to love me.” she brushed her hand across her cheek and looked across the bank. the sky was starting to go a soft orange. “an’ it’s hard not to think about her...being...” she scrunched up her nose and nervously tapped her thumb on her leg, trying to push a new syllable out with every tap. “her being...” she faltered and just pointed at summer. “what you wanted. not me.” @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

today had been a busy day but mehira also couldn’t stop smiling. and that smile only grew wider as she set the final box on the kitchen counter. it wasn’t that she owned a lot of stuff but it had only been the two of them travelling back and forth in her car. but now...it was done. looking around, she took in the bare walls. the bed frame in the corner with the mattress thrown haphazardly on top. space. a space that was completely hers. away from her parents and closer to work. a little converted detached garage, now studio home, that she could call her own. glancing at her girlfriend across the room, she grinned even wider. “n-not bad, right?” she asked as she shrugged off her jacket, folded it and set it on the counter next to the box. 

pushing her loose hair back off her face, she moved across to summer and softly touched her cheek. “do you like it?” she asked, looking around. they could get a sofa off gumtree. she could put her canvases in the corner. her tapestries could go up somewhere. it was light and airy. it was hers. theirs. “thank you. needed your mus-mu...those guns.” @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

Ruby had been in a conflicted state all morning. She’d tried to reduce the nerves by consuming herself with online shopping but she’d ended up thinking about what the afternoon could hold even more. A date with Thea was the last thing she ever imagined she’d be doing with her weekend but here she was...in her pyjamas on the balcony with a cigarette between her fingers, still wondering what the fuck she should wear. Not that it would take her long to get to the restaurant, she could practically see it from where she was stood. 

As she lifted her cigarette to her mouth again, her mind drifted idly back. How many years had it been now since they’d last seen each other? Ruby had done so much since then. Seen so many things. Lived in so many cities. But she was back here and going for lunch with the woman that had instantly won her heart and as easily returned it. But time changed everyone. Including her. 

Her boots clicked on the paving slabs as she moved briskly through the Northern Quarter. It wasn’t that she was late, it was just that she rarely did anything slowly. As she approached the restaurant, she slowed and reached into her pocket, withdrawing a packet of cigarettes. She tucked herself into the unused seating area outside the restaurant and raised the lighter to the end of her cigarette. The paper was burning low toward her fingers by the time she looked up again and when she did, her heart dropped. Unmistakably, Thea was walking toward her, and she looked beautiful. Aged but fucking beautiful. 

“Fancy seeing you here.” She spoke loudly as she stubbed the cigarette out in the closest ashtray. A few forced steps brought her closer to the other and she couldn’t help but smile reminiscently. “I hope you’re hungry.” @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

Maddie could hardly believe the first term was over. It seemed like only yesterday she’d been settling back into the first week, traipsing back from her first training session of the year to find her beloved housemates gathered around the table with countertops full of food. And seeing Colby again. Well, that was always something. The first time she’d seen Colby had been something. So softly beautiful. So....in her own head. And Maddie had reached out for her. 

And as Maddie looked out from the kitchen into the living room, looking at her housemates and friends bunched on the sofas and anything they could convert into a chair, she smiled. The Poundland Christmas decorations added a really nice touch. Plucking up the glasses off the tabletop, she moved over to the group, hearing flutterings of laughter and a phone screen being flashed across the table. Raising an eyebrow, she held out one glass to Colby and then took a seat on a stool nearby. 

Drinking games. A hallmark of university life. And the best way to convince someone to remove an item of clothing in two minutes because of words on a screen. Sipping her drink, she laughed as she failed to rhyme a word with the person next to her. But it was the next play that made her mouth go dry. Kiss the person in the room that you want to most. Directed at Colby. She took a long drink from her glass as the words fell from their friend’s mouth. 

Maddie wasn’t sure whether she felt her ears or her palms go hot first. As if hearing about the threesomes wasn’t enough...now she had to watch Colby kiss someone else. She regretted dragging some of the football girls out for this now. They’d always poked Maddie around about Colby. And now...she probably wouldn’t hear the end of it.  @canthelps​

[thequeensxgambit]

maddie jerked awake at the sound of the front door clicking shut. she heard shoes being knocked against the hallway and with groggy eyes, she fumbled for her phone on her stomach. she hadn’t meant to fall asleep after she’d come home from training but once she’d collapsed on the sofa she’d never got back up again. and apparently, the rest of her house hadn’t bothered to wake her up either. were they even in? was that them coming back? 

groaning softly, maddie sat up and swung her toned legs onto the floor. “who’s creeping in at this hour?” she asked aloud with a grin as she lifted herself up and pushed her hands into her pockets. as she turned, she spotted colby in the doorway and instantly her smile grew. tenderly. colby was her favourite housemate and in a way her favourite person that wasn’t family. 

ever since they’d met in first year, she’d enjoyed the shy little thing’s company. she had a pretty smile. made maddie laugh. had great choice in snacks when they had movie nights. “you’re back late, you lil’ stop out.” she moved closer, lifting her shirt up slightly to scratch at her stomach. “don’t tell me you were at the library.” @canthelps