Chapter 5

Chapter 5

It was a couple of weeks after the drama between Liz and Sarah ended. She was having lunch with her friend Benji. They'd been friends for a long time, longer than her and Sarah, and she shared everything with him.

She waited until she swallowed her spoonful of potato soup when she looked up at Benji.

"Ben what were you thinking when you thought you were gay? I mean, before you came out of the closet?"

He turned his brown eyes up at her, wide and questioningly. He swallowed his pasta and took a drink of water before answering.

"Well, I was really confused. I wasn't feeling what other boys were feeling about girls and then I ran into someone who helped. He was another boy like me. We were only fourteen at the time and we experimented. I helped him find out he was bisexual and he helped me find out I was gay. What made you ask, Liz?"

She ate another spoonful before she looked up at him again.

"Because I might be?"

He choked on his water and Liz rushed to help him. He coughed a couple of times and tried talking. He then took another drink of water carefully.

It was several minutes before he addressed it again.

"What makes you think that, sweetie?"

She took a deep breath and then told him. Everything. She needed and trusted his opinion. As she was telling him about it and he nodded and practically inhaled the information she gave him.

"Does Sarah know you're feeling this way?"

Elizabeth quickly shook her head no.

"No."

He leaned forward, crossing his arms on the table.

"Why not? You're best friends, you guys tell each other everything."

"What would I say to her? 'Oh by the way Sarah, I think I like you as more than a friend will you please jump into bed with me?'"

Benji laughed loudly at that.

"Probably not the best idea to start out with that, but the fact that you are thinking about it is a good start."

Liz sighed heavily and dug back into her soup again. It was several more minutes before they talked again.

"What if you come out with me this weekend? We'll go to a gay club and you can see if you are actually gay or just gay for Sarah."

Elizabeth thought about it for a couple of minutes.

"Okay. What should I wear? I don't want to stand out too much."

Benji laughed.

"Honey, you stand out everywhere you go. The world is your oyster and everyone can see you are a pearl."

Liz blushed at that and laughed along with him. They paid for their lunch and she walked in the opposite direction of him.

The lunch was a good decision. Benji and she never got to hang out as much as before. He was always busy working at his advertising job. She missed him but she never called him because she didn't want to make him feel guilty. They never ran in the same social circles. This was not only her chance to figure out the answers to her questions, but to reestablish herself as friend in Benji's life again.

Her heels clicked on the concrete as she walked down the sidewalk to the gallery her show would be in. She got permission from the person who commissioned her painting to put it in her show and she needed to let the gallery owner know.

The door dinged and let the curator know she was there. She saw Marcella walk up to her in a hurry. Her arms were outstretched and they embraced and kissed each other on both cheeks.

"What brings you to the gallery this time of day, bella? I thought you would be in your studio painting away for the show. You know we are missing a couple of paintings to cover that wall over there."

Liz looked over at the wall she pointed at. She walked over to it and stared at it. She turned smiling at Marcella. Her eyes widened at the grin and then exuded warmth.

"What is it, bella?"

Liz walked closer to her and did a mental high five.

"I just finished my first commission, Marcella. It's beautiful and bigger than anything I've ever done before. I have permission from the person that commissioned it to put it in the show. I want it on this wall. This wall all by itself. It deserves that."

Marcella grinned.

"What is it called? We can have the label written up immediately."

"It doesn't have a title."

Marcella frowned disapprovingly. Liz missed it because she turned back to the wall again.

"Well you need to give it a title, bella."

Elizabeth turned back to her, smiling gently.

"No, it doesn't need one. That's what I'm trying to tell you, Marcella. It's so expressive that it doesn't need a title."

Marcella smiled at her.

"All artists feel that way, bella. I must see it to decide if you're right or not."

Liz was already nodding her head in agreement.

"I agree. Come over for dinner and we will look at it together. I'll put something together and we can discuss it more than."

Elizabeth was walking towards the door and called over her shoulder.

"You remember where my apartment is, don't you?"

"Si, bella."

"Good. Be there by seven, Marcella. Ciao!"

Elizabeth walked out and hurried back to the apartment. She opened the door to the apartment and yelled a hello. An echoing hello came from the back of the apartment. Sarah walked down the hallway in jeans and a tank top.

"What's up?"

Elizabeth put her purse down on the entryway table and took her shoes off. She walked to the kitchen and looked in to the fridge. She closed the door and started writing a grocery list down. She looked up at Sarah.

"Marcella is coming over for dinner to look at my painting. She doesn't agree with me that it doesn't need a title and I'm going to prove her wrong."

Sarah smiled at the last part and then frowned.

"Marcella? Why not Anna? It's her gallery."

"Marcella gets the privilege of deciding what goes in to the show and stuff. Anna has the final say if there is a discrepancy between artist and curator. Plus, I want to see her face when she tells me I'm right."

Sarah laughed at that but then leaned against the counter that separated them.

"I don't like Marcella, Liz. There's something about her that screams ulterior motive. I think she has a thing for you."

Elizabeth laughed at that, then thought about it.

"You think?"

Sarah nodded her head.

"Yes. You know you shouldn't lead her on."

Liz found herself shrugging.

"What if I'm not leading her on? She's very attractive."

They both paused at that. Sarah gulped.

"What do you mean by that, Liz? Are you attracted to women now?"

Elizabeth sighed.

"This isn't how I wanted you to find out. I'm confused and I wanted to see if I was or not. Don't make this bigger than it needs to be."

"It's pretty big if my best friend thinks she's a lesbian and isn't telling me about it!"

Liz glared at her.

"What the hell do you think has been putting me in a bad mood the last couple of weeks?! I'm confused and you aren't helping!"

"What do you mean I'm not helping? How can I help when you aren't telling me what's going on!"

Elizabeth grabbed the list she'd written and went to put her shoes on. She gave herself a couple of seconds to calm down first.

"Marcella is coming over at seven. Since you just made it clear that you don't like her and me at the moment I suggest you are out of the apartment."

Sarah crossed her arms.

"Fine. I have a date tonight anyway. I don't want to interrupt your little lesbian.. I'll be having dinner with a businessman!"

Elizabeth turned to look at her, her face angry and tears beginning to fall down her face.

"Good. I hope you're happy."

The door slammed behind her.

(A/N: *Unedited*)