Chapter Text
Bernie made her way down the stairs, dressed in jeans and a sweater, hair still damp from her shower. Wandering into the living room, she found Serena already comfortable on the sofa, blanket at the ready, and all preparations taken care of. Smiling a greeting at her, and settling on to the sofa beside Serena, Bernie gestured to the coffee table before them.
“Ok, so I get the wine and the snacks. But dare I ask why we need tissues?”
“Aha!” said Serena, triumphantly. “We need tissues, because we're watching Truly, Madly, Deeply tonight!”
“Truly, Madly, Deeply? I think I've heard of that. Isn't that the rom com that was in the cinema last year?”
“Oh, Berenice! When you agreed to go through my favourite film collection with me, did you really imagine I'd have included a rom com from last year?!”
“To be fair, Serena, your taste is quite… diverse. So far, we've done the werewolf soldier one, the alien one, and that period drama. I may well be missing the pattern, but I wouldn't even dare to hazard a guess as to what you might come up with next.”
“This film, my dear, is rather an epic love story. You're going to need to give it a chance, but I'm confident that if you manage to keep your eyes on the screen instead of keep rolling them, you'll actually find you might rather enjoy it. I certainly do!”
“And the tissues?”
“Ah, well, I shall be needing those. You'll see.”
Bernie furrowed her brow, then snuggled in closer to Serena and grabbed a corner of the blanket, pulling it across to cover her legs too.
“Right-o. Let's do this.”
She sought Serena's hand beneath the blanket, tangling their fingers together as Serena used her free hand to activate the remote control and begin the film.
Bernie particularly enjoyed their film nights. Against all expectations, she had found herself rather caught up in a couple of Serena's chosen films, and had enjoyed dissecting the plots afterwards. Even the one film that hadn't really been to her taste had proved somewhat enjoyable, not so much the film itself, as watching the emotions play out across Serena's face as she lost herself in the story. She loved how expressive Serena was, especially when her guard was down and she was at her most relaxed. And it wasn't just restricted to her face, either. She loved the way Serena gripped her hand tighter in moments of suspense, shifted closer at the hint of sadness, and stroked her thumb across Bernie's hand, or knee, when the mood of a film changed to romance. All in all, thought Bernie, the film was the least important element of these wonderful evenings. All she needed was to watch Serena, and her happiness would be complete.
Her musings were interrupted by the haunting notes of a cello, playing out from the screen. She turned her attention back to the television in front of her.
“Oh! That's Alan Rickman!” she exclaimed. “I like him!”
“Shhh!” said Serena, gesturing toward the TV. “Watch.”
Allowing herself one last hidden eye roll, Bernie settled down to give the film a chance.
It wasn’t long before she was engrossed.
“Ooh, she's good!” remarked Bernie later on, as she watched the Juliet Stevenson’s portrayal of grief.
“Isnt she?!” whispered Serena in response, unwilling to interrupt the mood of the film by speaking aloud.
Bernie gave Serena’s fingers a quick squeeze as by mutual agreement, they lost themselves once more in the story playing out before them.
As the last scenes of the film played out, and the credits began to roll, Serena leaned forward and reached for another tissue. She had been unashamedly crying for the last 5 minutes, buried in Bernie’s side, and her free arm had been flung across Bernie’s stomach, gripping her waist as if she’d never let go.
As she dabbed at her eyes, and loudly blew her nose with a satisfied ‘Ahhh’, she heard a small sniff behind her. Red eyes flying open in surprise, she turned to look at Bernie’s face.
“No! You’re not… Are you?! Oh! You are! You’re crying !”
“Don’t be silly. I just got something in my eye!”
“What, both of them?!”
“Hm. Must have been your hair or something!”
“And did it make your nose red and runny too?!” asked Serena, suspiciously.
“Well, it, um… Alright, okay, you win! I might have shed just a little tear. In solidarity.” Bernie quickly justified.
“Oh, Bernie, I don’t mean to tease! I just didn’t have you as the sort to get emotional about that sort of thing. I mean, you’ve said that your attitudes to death are… practical… by necessity from your time in the army. I didn’t think this film would affect you like this!”
“But it’s not about the death exactly. It’s that last scene. It’s about sending away the person you love. I probably wouldn’t be like this if I’d seen the film a year ago. I used to think it was what I wanted for you , you know. To not waste time on someone like me who would just mess things up. To go and be with someone who could make you happy and treat you the way you deserve. I used to think I’d learn to be OK with that. But now, being with you, and feeling… the way I feel, it just made me think about how I’d, you know, if I lost you… Because that bit at the end. He had to watch as she went to be with someone else. He had to let her go. I can’t imagine the pain of having to do that, I can’t imagine now how I could do that if I ever had to let you go…” and Bernie’s face crumpled with a new wave of tears.
Serena lifted her hand, cupping Bernie’s face and wiping away the tears with her thumb.
“Oh, my love, you won’t have to let me go! That’s a silly thought! I’m right where I want to be, with the person I want to be with. No more thoughts of our being forced apart. I won’t let you!” And Serena gripped Bernie’s shoulders, pressing their lips together hard for a brief moment, before releasing Bernie and jumping up from the sofa.
She offered her hand to Bernie, who took it curiously, eyebrows shooting upward as Serena yanked her to her feet, pulling Bernie hard against her and slipping one arm behind her back, whilst the other still clutched her hand.
“Fear not, fair Berenice, there will be no tragedy next week. Next week, we shall sing to each other!” and with that, Serena began to swing Bernie around in a parody of ballroom dance.
“What am I letting myself in for?!” groaned Bernie through a smile, unable to stop herself from being caught up in Serena’s enthusiasm.
“For our next film, we’re doing Mamma Mia!” announced Serena triumphantly, before beginning to hum Dancing Queen as they spun around. Bernie pulled a face, followed by her most dramatic eye roll to date.
Serena chuckled. “Oh, I do love you, Bernie!”
“And I adore you, Serena Campbell!” she replied, gently tugging at a lock of hair on Serena’s neck, and leaning in as if to capture Serena’s lips with her own.
“I must do, if I’m agreeing to sit through that!” she murmured against Serena’s mouth. Bernie yelped as Serena lightly punched her in the arm in retaliation, then, clutching at each other in a loving embrace, they both descended into giggles.