The moment provokes Lil and Bernie to kiss

Now that she and Gary were sitting in the front row of the back section with Lil between them, holding her hands with their arms around Lil's shoulders, Bernie started paying more attention to the move. Back in the back row, she and Gary were snuggling and whispering together. With Lil in the middle, That Love Thing captured her attention.

It was pretty obvious to Bernie that the Fat Funny Best Friend Girl actually was in love with the Romantic Lead Girl, and sigh, of course it was going to be Doomed Lesbian "No I don't love you that way!" / "I'll always love you even if you get one of those guys who doesn't respect you." It was a little painful to watch how it was written into the story, and some of the beats could have been her -- not that Bernie had a problem with unrequited love for straight girls, but sometimes she realized "oh, she was flirting with me!" after the fact, or was on the other side of it, where her intended flirting target had it fly straight past her head. Bernie and Alison had had plenty of laughs over that, and Alison never missed a cue. But Alison had been out since junior high, and did not mess around when she wanted you. She and Bernie had never had the right timing together.

Lil was enjoying the movie, laughing and sighing at the appropriate beats, cackling as bad boy behavior got hilariously punished, and humming along when Billy Royce was crooning something on the soundtrack. Lil squeezed Bernie's hand every so often, when she liked something on screen.

Gary had asked whether Lil was flirting with her at the ice cream shop. A hundred percent yes. But was Lil flirting for real with her brother's girlfriend, or was she just carrying the sex vibes forward from the touchy salesclerk at Hot and from the surprise quickie in the restroom afterward? Bernie felt her face grow warm. She'd admitted it to Gary, and all Gary had said was, "Don't let my sister steal you." Bernie's pulse beat in her temples. Lil squeezed her hand and laughed at something on screen. Gary's arm rested behind hers on the back of Lil's seat, warm and steady. Lil was pretty much a straight girl as far as her romantic inclinations, but boy did she go off like a rocket with Bernie's hands in her panties, and Lil was still high on those vibes. And so was Bernie herself. And Gary hadn't said stop. Her pulse throbbed.

So when the Romantic Lead Girl and her Funny Fat Best Friend fell onto a bed together and stared intensely at each other, Bernie squeezed Lil's hand.

Now they were staring at each other. Lil licked her lips.

The women on screen were kissing now, Bernie could hear. The music swelled on the soundtrack.

Bernie didn't know who moved first.

She and Lil were kissing.

Gary made a faint, startled noise.