Abby and Violet (Yuri Light Novel)

When Mathilda invited us to play golf, I had thought she meant for us all to go to the park play mini-golf at the course there, but as it turned out, what she meant was for us to gather at her place and play on a console in her living room. I can’t say how much I preferred this turn of events, even if I did come fully prepared to be outside for a couple of ours. Then again, my “fully prepared” simply meant me bringing my wide-brim hat, sunscreen, and two litre-and-a-half water bottles for me and Abby, so, in other words, my usual going outside loadout. Instead of what I had thought, us five sat in her living room, the AC keeping the room cool, we had snacks, fresh orange juice and a small selection of sodas, and I had Abby sat in her usual place with my hands around her stomach and my head leaning on hers as she played with the others. The only thing that could beat this was if Abby and I were alone as the room could sometimes get a bit noisy with excitement.

“Albatross! Hell yeah!” Mathew shouted, his competitive streak when we’re talking about videogames shining through. His character on the screen, a lanky, tall guy with a weird moustache, also seemed very pleased with the result. I think an albatross is when you get the ball in the hole on your very first hit? I had been figuring out the rules of the game as I watched Abby and the others play, but this one was the first I saw a ball flying straight into the hole in one go. Birdie was when you put it in the whole with one hit to spare in relation of the designated number of strikes for that hole—a “par” as it is called, an eagle is when you use two less hits than that, and then there are bogeys, but those are when you go above the number of hits. It was the first game—or sport, that I’ve ever heard where you want your score to be as low as possible.

“How!?” Mathilda cried out. “The best I did today was par!”

Coincidently, that was the worst he had performed today. Stephen was with a neutral score and Abby was losing, but this was the first time she was playing this game, so that’s to be expected. Mathilda however has experience, but she was still only doing a bit better than Abby, and my girlfriend was starting to catch up with her.

“How many holes are there in total?” I asked, deciding to join in a bit, even if just a little by talking.

“We are playing eighteen,” Stephen said. “Currently, we are doing the twelfth one.”

“Who and how do you think someone came up with golf anyway?” Abby asked as she made adjustments to her shot. I tensed a little, hoping she’d perform better and eventually surpass Mathilda in the scoreboard. “Like, someone had the idea of using a crooked stick to hit a ball and try putting said ball inside a tiny hole. He must have been awfully bored.”

“He?” Mathilda asked. “Why not a woman?”

“Does it look like a game a woman would come up with?” Mathew asked. No one retorted because yeah, it does sound like something a guy would come up with while bored.

Abby squirmed and huffed in frustration as her ball stopped short of going into the hole, and as the camera adjusted, it had also rolled a bit to the left. Still, the game said it was a great shot, and I had to agree. The gentlest tap, and she’d score a birdie on her next turn, putting her one step closer to tying with Mathilda.

Just then, Mathilda’s phone started blaring, just not her usual ringtone. This one was an alarm.

She regarded her phone in her hand with a neutral, almost vacant expression. “Hi, mum,” she said when she answered it.

The room got very quiet as we looked at her. Abby and I never saw her mum, nor had we ever heard Mathilda talk about her other than that one sleepover when she told us about her family situation. The boys knew, and so did we now from the answers she was giving to the person on the other side of the line, that Mathilda’s mum only called when she had to.

“So, looks like my mum and stepdad will be coming to check the place in two weeks,” she told us matter of factly. “She also asked if, and when, am I making plans to leave, if when I turn eighteen, or only after graduating high school.”

“…And?” Stephen asked. “Have you?”

“Oh, I have. Many times even,” she said, sounding awfully calm. “Honestly, the sooner, the better. My only problem is, where to and with what money? I saved up a lot over the years from the money they give me as an allowance so that I can’t say I’m completely neglected, but I have no idea how long that would afford me to live at a rented place. Mum would likely start charging me rent if I decided to stay too. I don’t want to burden sis and her mum, or auntie, even though they’d gladly take me in, or burden any of you guys too, so… I’m kinda stuck, I guess.”

“…You could stay at each of our houses for a time,” I suggested, wanting to say something to cheer her up, even though she didn’t look like she needed any cheering.

“Couch surfing? Yeah, I guess I could do that until I graduated high school and could get a full-time job to at least help out with the bills if I went to live with sis and her mum or with auntie. Not that any of them would need my help, especially aunt since auntie is… well, auntie. I just don’t want to not help at all wherever I end up staying.”

I wish I could look ahead to the future so calmly as she was doing because I still get my stomach all twisted up when thinking about mine with Abby. Recently, it has been because this is our last high school Summer, the next one being one where we’ll have to, at the very least, start looking for an university for Abby to attend to, then finding a place to live that is affordable enough while not being a hole on the ground, and there is the matter of when I should propose to her as, for some reason, I felt the urgency to do it as fast as I can.

Actually, I knew the reason: insecurity.

Not in our relationship, but in my place in it. Abby had her life plans figured out for her higher education and carrier, while I’m still figuring that out. I wanted something that said that, at least, I was Abby’s wife, someone who, at the very least, could offer her a nice home, a warm bed, clean clothes, a shoulder to rely on after the days woes or share her successes, and a full stomach at the end of the day. That thought gave me comfort, you know? Giving Abby a sanctuary to return to at the end of the day? It’s as if that was my calling but… was that truly enough?

“Anyway, enough about that dreadful stuff!” Mathilda said, now that it was her turn to play. “Actually, I’m more interested in making plans with you guys! I can’t tell you how many people are asking me to hang-out during the Summer, but I haven’t made plans with any of them because I want to schedule my time with you first.”

“Aww!” Abby playfully fawned, tapping Mathilda’s leg with her bare foot. “We love you too, Mathilda.”

“Of course you do! I’m me!” Mathilda laughed. “But seriously, let’s schedule some stuff, shall we? Movie nights, house parties with just the five of us, maybe act a bit like delinquents and have Mumma Violet scold us after, that sort of stuff.”

“Don’t use me as your supervisor, please,” I sighed, knowing it was a joke, but with her, things tended to become messy. The surveillance system she put up during our school trip came to mind as a glaring one. Sure, it didn’t get messy then—actually, it helped things not getting there, but the potential for it getting really bad had still been present.

“Camping!” Mathilda said, completely ignoring my words. “We should go camping! It’s been so long I did that with the boys! Or is it too rough for Violet’s sensibilities?”

“I beg your pardon?” I asked, my voice dropping in tone at the suggestion that I was some sort of dainty little flower.

“Hehe! Actually, Violet and I have camped once,” Abby chirped. “It was just once though, behind her house. Remember that, babe?”

How could I not? It was the night we had our first kiss, first time, and that I confessed to her and we became girlfriends. If I ever forget that night… yup, if I ever do, then Abby should just straight up break up with me because I won’t deserve her anymore.

“…Pfft! No need to be so serious, silly,” Abby whispered as she tapped my hands crossed over her belly.

“Ahem! Can we go back to planning, or are you going to continue flirting and making us single people jealous?” Mathilda asked with a wry smile.

“Speak for yourself, uggo,” Mathew said under his breath as he lined up his shot. Just this once, Mathilda pretended not to hear him, she simply threw a quick glare at her cousin.

I was finally able to say that I was open to go camping. I was before already, but after seeing how they thought that could be too rough for me, a part of me wanted to prove them wrong.

I’ll just have to pack up sunscreen and bug repellent.

“Then, that settles it!” Mathilda declared. “Us five will go camping sometime during this Summer. Now, as for other activities…”

The planning session was on, continuing past the time their golf match had ended. Abby did manage to surpass Mathilda, even if only by one point while Mathew completely ruled the game, Stephen a safe difference between him and Abby.

“Ah! I almost forgot!” Abby gasped, suddenly.

I watched her reach into my bag and start rummaging through it. She then took something out of it that produced a crinkling sound that immediately reminded me of what it was even before she took out hers from her wallet.

“Here!” she said, holding a condom to each of our will-they-won’t-they friends whose eyes widened immediately. “Every student who went to check their grades got one of these at school. Violet and I obviously don’t need them, so Evelyn asked for us to give them to you two.”

“Ha!” Mathew huffed, unable to resist seeing his cousin put on the spot by someone nonother than our homeroom teacher, who clearly had caught up with Mathilda’s infatuation over Stephen.

 “This will come in handy later,” Stephen said, regaining his composure and grabbing his.

“It will?” Mathilda asked, barely able to hold back a stutter as she grabbed hers, her eyes wide and on him as he shoved it into his wallet.

“Yup. I needed something like this to protect a part that I have to spray paint in my project again.”

“Oh, you meant for that car you’ve been working on,” Mathilda said, her voice coming out as a clear sigh. I couldn’t decide if she was relieved he didn’t mean to use it with her—or some other girl, or disappointed that he didn’t intend on using it with her at all. I’d say she wants to skip steps but… my personal history doesn’t allow me to make such judgements.

“Shall we play another round?” Mathew asked, wiggling his controller in his hand.

“You sir have gotten yourself a challenge!” Mathilda huffed, hopping on the couch closer to Stephen, their sides flushed together. “Stephen! Help me make that bastard eat dirt! He called me an uggo just a while ago and needs to pay for that.”

“Haah! Ok, ok, but you need to calm down first,” he said, making the two sway side to side playfully. “Your main problem is that you get yourself too worked up.”

Seeing them acting like that did make me wonder. Who knows? Maybe Mathilda will get her wish granted this Summer.

As for me…

“…Hehe! Yes?”

“…Nothing, just… good luck with this new game.”

“Hmm?” Abby hummed, her eyes getting sharp with foresight. “Is that all really?”

I chuckled and kissed her button nose, telling her not to get distracted by me now. Abby fluffed herself against me, happy as can be.

I should also put more work towards what I want if I want my own dreams come true. I decided then that, this Summer, I’d be getting us the rings and I’ll propose to her. It might be only to get married next Summer, but that’s not important, the symbol of our commitment to one another is the whole point.

I might need a part-time job for that thought…

And I’d be starting searching for one a bit later than others, but maybe I’ll figure something out. We did agree on not making them expensive too.

Yeah, I’ll work something out… hopefully.