I scrabbled on my knees into the tent, searching for my torch, totally ambushed by Josh's revelation.
I was doubly unhappy. My initial concern centred on Coral sharing a tent all night with Josh and then realising it meant Ruby and I would share a tent!
Josh shone his torch, crawled in and out fast, and grabbed his sleeping bag. His flicking light allowed me to clutch my lost torch.
Before I could react, Ruby, without torchlight, crawled by me straight into 'the boys' tent', dragging her sleeping bag.
I followed. I kept my torchlight off her face inside the tent. The minx lay wrapped in her sleeping bag.
"Don't worry, sunshine, I don't talk in my sleep. I'll be cooking breakfast before you wake."
I curled into my bag, clicking off the torchlight. In the darkness and tentative, I sought peace of mind.
"Is Coral okay? Will Coral be okay with Josh in her tent?"
"It's Josh's tent," she responded off-handly.
I persisted, "I don't like it. You're strong; ask Josh to come back."
"Relax," she said, a near lullaby, "You know her better than I do."
I rolled side to side in my bag and bumped into Ruby.
She wanted to sleep and offered, "Coral's currently more secure than Noah's Ark. The biblical reference is to calm you. Coral's not giving anything more than her hand. If he tried, Josh is not getting anything tonight."
My hand reached out to grab my torch; I stopped. I told myself my bestie would be fine.
Ruby added flippantly, "Not in a tent, never, not our girl, Nah! The boathouse! Want to make a bet, puppy boy? Coral loses it at eighteen in the boathouse!"
The brunette giggled.
I didn't want to bet with Ruby.
My stomach knotted, mad at her glib words. My hand found and held the torch. I didn't want to sleep with Ruby, period! My body tossed against the idea of the boathouse being where Coral's life might change.
My thoughts strayed.
Picturing my best friend beside a wedding bed.
I tried to gather the courage to tell Josh to leave her tent.
I sat up in my sleeping bag.
The brunette read my mind. She flicked her torchlight and sat up. Her pink pyjamas caught my eyes; I spied ponies galloping over them, including one across her shoulder. Her hair, released from her ponytail, made her appear relaxed and young.
I liked this, Ruby.
The brunette caught me holding the flashlight in my hand.
"No, don't think about checking."
She shone her light directly over my face, forcing me to cover my eyes. After this and what she uttered next, I didn't like this, Ruby!
"If you need a girl to dream about, try Brit, the princess of tarts. You and I know Coral won't do anything — she has not over-planned."
Ruby snapped off her torchlight. I heard her roll in her bag.
"Nighty, night, missionary boy."
I tossed in the dark, wishing Coral was okay, mixed up with images of galloping horses. Ruby curled to the far edge of the tent. I wriggled and fiddled restlessly. In the quiet, I heard the little minx asleep. I started recounting the horses on her pj's.
Josh was spread wide in his bag when I woke. His arms rested above and behind his head. He acted smug and self-pleased.
I hesitated about whether to ask him what happened because he might exaggerate.
Tired, I slept in. Checking my watch, it indicated mid-morning. Josh and I packed the tents and gear. We did what my bestie told us, like moving the outdoor furniture back to the patio. Coral informed us that Ruby and she would organise brunch.
After we finished outside, Josh and I hurried to the kitchen. Ruby cooked, and Coral plated. They made a dynamic team. We sat around the kitchen table, and Josh and I stuffed ourselves.
Ruby's Eggs, Benedict, were perfectly cooked, divine food.
With his mouth half full, Josh raked out "yum" to Ruby as he burped, grabbing another egg.
She waved the egg flipper at him.
I quietly said, "Delish."
She fluttered her lashes at me.
Coral quickly gathered her attention, "It's top-notch, sweetie. Who taught you?"
As she sucked in air, the often mysterious brunette disclosed, "Yeah, the only positive from my dad is cuisine."
Her voice flattened to a mutter.
Her eyes withdrew, and her lashes languished.
A perceptive Coral shook the blues from Ruby.
"Bite," she soothed, holding a piece of warm, butter-dripping toast to her girlfriend's lips.
The brunette's free and easy self returned in a crunch.
My bestie released her natural tee-hee.
Ruby found a ha-ha.
Coral started passing extra bacon across the table. She nudged her girlfriend to do the same with the piled hash browns.
I wasn't brave enough to ask Coral what passed between her and Josh last night. Notably, I rejected betraying her trust.
After breakfast, Coral allocated tasks. Josh and she would bring the outside stuff inside. She organised Ruby and me to clean the kitchen and stack the dishwasher.
I tried to get the nerve to ask Ruby — Had Coral said anything?
Ruby filled the dishwasher as I wiped the table. Coral and Josh left several minutes ago, and I hadn't tackled the brunette. She shut the dishwasher and turned it on.
She leaned against a kitchen bench smug, "Don't fret, greenhorn; she is still pure Goldilocks. Likely, she always will be to you."
I re-wiped the table.
Josh and Coral entered the kitchen holding hands. My bestie asked Ruby and me to wait and unload the dishwasher—a job completed in mutual silence. Meanwhile, Josh and Coral sat in the lounge, listening to music.
Ruby left me to put cups in a high cupboard. She joined her girlfriend. After I finished in the kitchen, I sidled to the arm of the sofa. The music blared, and I sensed detachment.
I scrutinised Coral's attachment; she was central, squeezed between Josh and Ruby. My bestie's arm locked through her girlfriend's and her boyfriend's arms.
She coaxed them to sing along to The Stones Let Spend the Night Together.
They relaxed and let Yesterday's Papers play through.
Ruby Tuesday started playing, and Coral bounced to dance, swinging up Ruby as she grabbed her hand.
The pair bopped hard.
My golden girl's finger crooked and invited Josh and me to strut, sway, and sing along. Four joined, or more accurately, three bound to one.
We halted out of energy as Connection played.
Following Coral, we collapsed in exhaustion in a messy pile, congesting the rug.
Ruby's ponytail swished across my nose.
Coral's tresses buried Ruby's face - complete from chin to brow.
The phone rang unanswered in the hallway.
None of us cared.
We spread over the rug. The phone consigned to background noise as it rang and rang. Coral's mum answered it.
Sandy came into the lounge and informed Ruby her mum would arrive soon. The phone's metallic timbre tinkled. It indicated my time to get ready to go. Soon after, the buzzing burring ring sought Josh.
Arianna collected Ruby as the girls bounced on their toes and completed a high-rise high-five. After his girlfriend hugged him, Josh and his dad departed, carting piles of gear.
It left Coral and me in the lounge.
"Did you have fun?" she checked.
As she inquired, we heard the knock on the front door: my mum.
I managed, "Of course, with you."
I relayed my shy smile.
Coral beamed at me in the way only a unique spirit who, all-in-all, knows you can.