Extension: Off-Camera
Written by Rosey Collins
When Rose got up in the morning, she found Max wandering around in men's pyjamas, getting himself some cereal. She went over to him and tapped him on the shoulder to get his attention. He turned round and smiled a very cute smile.
'This was a great idea,' she said, while he watched her lips. 'I sure did feel the cold when I was home for Christmas, but last night I slept naked.'
'Me too,' said Max. 'I guess we won't be doing that tonight, though, huh?'
'Maybe not,' said Rose, and she saw Max's mouth twitch a little at that 'maybe'. She went on hastily, 'Any idea when Lucie and Laura are arriving?'
'They just said some time today,' said Max. 'They were talking about taking turns to drive straight through, but I said they might want to spend the night in a motel, and they said they'd play it by ear.'
'Huh,' said Rose. 'If it were my place, I'd at least get them to call when they're an hour away.'
'Oh, I don't mind,' said Max, 'and they know I don't. If they were going to someone who wanted them to call, they'd do it.'
'Well, you know them better than I do.'
'Maybe a little, but you know them pretty well too.'
'Well enough to know which one I really, really like,' said Rose. 'Not well enough to know if we've both been giving off the signals I think we have.'
'I know what you mean,' said Max. 'I'm the same way.'
'You are?' said Rose.
'Well, yeah.'
'I kinda had the impression you guys were on the same page.'
'I had that impression about you guys too,' said Max.
'Oh,' said Rose. 'Well, so long as we're not interested in the same one...'
They laughed, but stopped suddenly when they started to wonder if it might be true. Then, after a second or two, each made a dismissive gesture and got on with preparing their breakfast.
'This was a great idea,' she said, while he watched her lips. 'I sure did feel the cold when I was home for Christmas, but last night I slept naked.'
'Me too,' said Max. 'I guess we won't be doing that tonight, though, huh?'
'Maybe not,' said Rose, and she saw Max's mouth twitch a little at that 'maybe'. She went on hastily, 'Any idea when Lucie and Laura are arriving?'
'They just said some time today,' said Max. 'They were talking about taking turns to drive straight through, but I said they might want to spend the night in a motel, and they said they'd play it by ear.'
'Huh,' said Rose. 'If it were my place, I'd at least get them to call when they're an hour away.'
'Oh, I don't mind,' said Max, 'and they know I don't. If they were going to someone who wanted them to call, they'd do it.'
'Well, you know them better than I do.'
'Maybe a little, but you know them pretty well too.'
'Well enough to know which one I really, really like,' said Rose. 'Not well enough to know if we've both been giving off the signals I think we have.'
'I know what you mean,' said Max. 'I'm the same way.'
'You are?' said Rose.
'Well, yeah.'
'I kinda had the impression you guys were on the same page.'
'I had that impression about you guys too,' said Max.
'Oh,' said Rose. 'Well, so long as we're not interested in the same one...'
They laughed, but stopped suddenly when they started to wonder if it might be true. Then, after a second or two, each made a dismissive gesture and got on with preparing their breakfast.
Max was looking through the kitchen cupboards for things he could use to make dinner when Lucie and Laura pulled up outside in their car. Rose popped her head into the kitchen, waved to attract Max's attention and then indicated that Lucie and Laura had arrived, using their own personal sign language that denoted Lucie's mini-braids and Laura's wavy ponytail.
Max dropped what he was doing and went out to meet them. Rose followed him as far as the living room doorway, then watched as the twins clambered out of the car, with Lucie holding a small video camera.
'Okay, so here we are at Max's place!' she said, turning the camera away from herself and Laura as Max, carrying both of their holdalls, led them into the house. 'If we turn left we go into the living room. There's Rose – hi, Rose!'
'Hi.' Rose waved at the camera as it passed her.
'And this is the kitchen,' Lucie went on, as she continued through the house.
'They have a great kitchen,' said Laura, as Lucie panned the camera around. 'I love this kitchen.'
'Same!' said Lucie.
Rose and Max wandered along behind them, out of view of the camera, exchanging small smiles as the twins reeled off their tour with great enthusiasm.
'Then we can come back out into the corridor,' Lucie went on, with Laura leading the way, 'and on the other side there's the bedrooms and bathroom. Let's take a look in their bathroom.'
She then put her hand over the lens of the camera as she walked through the open door to Max's bedroom, then into the Jack-and-Jill bathroom, followed by Laura.
'Okay!' said Laura, as Lucie turned the camera onto her. 'So here's their bathtub and their shower. This is their washbasin. Here's their toilet.'
'And this is their trash can,' said Lucie, as she took the camera around the room. 'Look, there's the door to another bedroom because it's a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.'
'You have to make sure to lock both doors when you go in there,' added Laura.
'Definitely,' giggled Lucie. 'Okay, so if we go on down the corridor we can show you out back.' She blocked the lens again in order to retrace their steps through Max's bedroom. 'We can maybe do some pool challenges out there, and the whole street backs right onto a canal...'
'Now they're gonna show four million subscribers our dock,' said Max, finally putting down the two holdalls as Lucie and Laura disappeared down the corridor. 'If anyone wanted to find this place, I guess it wouldn't be too hard.'
'No one wants to find you,' said Rose. 'I guess maybe some weirdo might come looking for them.'
'But they'll have left by the time they post the video,' said Max, 'so I can just send him on his way.'
'Or hers,' said Rose.
'Sure,' said Max, and then they stood in silence until Lucie and Laura came back in with the camera turned off.
'Don't you want to show everyone where you'll be sleeping?' said Max, and he opened the door to Garrett's bedroom invitingly. 'Dad put away anything he wouldn't want people to see.'
'That's okay,' said Lucie. 'We don't put other people's bedrooms on YouTube. I blocked yours on the way to the bathroom, Max, to make totally sure none of it, not even a pixel, got into the edit.'
'Well... my bedroom's not that embarrassing,' said Max.
'Hey,' Lucie grinned at him, 'that's for you to know, hon.'
'Anyway, besides that,' said Laura, 'most of our subscribers are kids, and I bet we'd lose at least half if their parents heard that we're using your dad's room because he's left us here all alone with you guys.'
'Why?' said Rose. 'We're all adults here.'
The statement hung pregnant in the air for a moment. Max, who had been taking care not to turn away from anyone's lips, took the opportunity to slide Lucie and Laura's bags through Garrett's bedroom doorway. When he turned back to the others, Lucie said, 'Yeah, but even so, you know how uptight parents can get.'
'My parents aren't uptight,' said Rose.
'Nor's my dad,' said Max. 'Well, obviously.'
'Our parents aren't as bad as some,' said Lucie, 'but with four million subscribers, some of their parents are sure to be the worst. That's why I tried to imply there were more than two bedrooms when I was explaining the Jack-and-Jill bathroom. I mean, it's all very wholesome, what we do.'
'What we do on-screen, that is,' added Laura.
This statement also proved to be pregnant, whether Laura had meant it to be or not, and this time no one could think of anything to say to get the conversation back on track.
'I was just seeing what I can make us for dinner,' said Max, and he scuttled back to the kitchen.
Max dropped what he was doing and went out to meet them. Rose followed him as far as the living room doorway, then watched as the twins clambered out of the car, with Lucie holding a small video camera.
'Okay, so here we are at Max's place!' she said, turning the camera away from herself and Laura as Max, carrying both of their holdalls, led them into the house. 'If we turn left we go into the living room. There's Rose – hi, Rose!'
'Hi.' Rose waved at the camera as it passed her.
'And this is the kitchen,' Lucie went on, as she continued through the house.
'They have a great kitchen,' said Laura, as Lucie panned the camera around. 'I love this kitchen.'
'Same!' said Lucie.
Rose and Max wandered along behind them, out of view of the camera, exchanging small smiles as the twins reeled off their tour with great enthusiasm.
'Then we can come back out into the corridor,' Lucie went on, with Laura leading the way, 'and on the other side there's the bedrooms and bathroom. Let's take a look in their bathroom.'
She then put her hand over the lens of the camera as she walked through the open door to Max's bedroom, then into the Jack-and-Jill bathroom, followed by Laura.
'Okay!' said Laura, as Lucie turned the camera onto her. 'So here's their bathtub and their shower. This is their washbasin. Here's their toilet.'
'And this is their trash can,' said Lucie, as she took the camera around the room. 'Look, there's the door to another bedroom because it's a Jack-and-Jill bathroom.'
'You have to make sure to lock both doors when you go in there,' added Laura.
'Definitely,' giggled Lucie. 'Okay, so if we go on down the corridor we can show you out back.' She blocked the lens again in order to retrace their steps through Max's bedroom. 'We can maybe do some pool challenges out there, and the whole street backs right onto a canal...'
'Now they're gonna show four million subscribers our dock,' said Max, finally putting down the two holdalls as Lucie and Laura disappeared down the corridor. 'If anyone wanted to find this place, I guess it wouldn't be too hard.'
'No one wants to find you,' said Rose. 'I guess maybe some weirdo might come looking for them.'
'But they'll have left by the time they post the video,' said Max, 'so I can just send him on his way.'
'Or hers,' said Rose.
'Sure,' said Max, and then they stood in silence until Lucie and Laura came back in with the camera turned off.
'Don't you want to show everyone where you'll be sleeping?' said Max, and he opened the door to Garrett's bedroom invitingly. 'Dad put away anything he wouldn't want people to see.'
'That's okay,' said Lucie. 'We don't put other people's bedrooms on YouTube. I blocked yours on the way to the bathroom, Max, to make totally sure none of it, not even a pixel, got into the edit.'
'Well... my bedroom's not that embarrassing,' said Max.
'Hey,' Lucie grinned at him, 'that's for you to know, hon.'
'Anyway, besides that,' said Laura, 'most of our subscribers are kids, and I bet we'd lose at least half if their parents heard that we're using your dad's room because he's left us here all alone with you guys.'
'Why?' said Rose. 'We're all adults here.'
The statement hung pregnant in the air for a moment. Max, who had been taking care not to turn away from anyone's lips, took the opportunity to slide Lucie and Laura's bags through Garrett's bedroom doorway. When he turned back to the others, Lucie said, 'Yeah, but even so, you know how uptight parents can get.'
'My parents aren't uptight,' said Rose.
'Nor's my dad,' said Max. 'Well, obviously.'
'Our parents aren't as bad as some,' said Lucie, 'but with four million subscribers, some of their parents are sure to be the worst. That's why I tried to imply there were more than two bedrooms when I was explaining the Jack-and-Jill bathroom. I mean, it's all very wholesome, what we do.'
'What we do on-screen, that is,' added Laura.
This statement also proved to be pregnant, whether Laura had meant it to be or not, and this time no one could think of anything to say to get the conversation back on track.
'I was just seeing what I can make us for dinner,' said Max, and he scuttled back to the kitchen.
After a dinner of macaroni and cheese, they all put on their swimming costumes and sat around the edge of the pool dangling their feet in the water. The sun had gone down but the garden was well lit. Max sat on one of the short sides of the rectangular pool so he could watch the lips of the three women, who were sitting all in a row on a long side. He really had to concentrate, helped by Rose signing for him as much as she could, as he had taken out his hearing aid in anticipation of going into the water.
'Why can't we swim right after eating?' he asked.
'Your digestive system diverts the blood flow from your arms and legs,' said Lucie, 'so you might get cramp and drown.'
'That sounds like bullshit to me,' said Rose.
'Some people say it's true and some people say it's a myth,' said Lucie.
'Well,' said Laura, 'I don't think I want to wait a whole hour, anyway. Okay, this is Florida, but it is kind of cold out here in the evening in December in just bathing suits!'
The other three nodded in agreement.
'You could ask T'Keyah whether it's true,' said Rose.
'No thanks,' said Lucie. 'I don't want her to think I care. She keeps hoping one of us will start sharing her passion for medicine.'
'She doesn't push us or anything,' Laura added hastily. 'She just sort of keeps recommending it when any of us start looking at colleges.'
'I wonder how she'll feel about me becoming a vet,' said Lucie. 'I mean, that's pretty close, right?'
'Is that what you've decided?' asked Rose.
'Yes, definitely,' said Lucie. 'It's what I really, really want to do!'
'You can do it right here,' said Max. 'Well, not in our pool obviously, but UF has its very own veterinary college.'
'That's one of the schools I applied to,' said Lucie, meeting his eyes, and they exchanged a smile.
'How about you, Laura?' asked Rose.
'I'm pretty much settled on law,' said Laura. 'I applied to go to UF too, but... well, we've actually been talking a little bit about whether to separate or not.'
'Wow,' said Max. 'You guys've never been separated in your life!'
'Yeah, but that day'll have to come some time,' said Lucie. 'There is our YouTube channel to consider, but... well, I never really thought we'd be doing that when we were grown-up. College seems like a good time to stop.'
'Oh, no, please keep it going!' said Max.
'Well,' said Lucie, smiling at him again, 'it'd have to change, I think. We'll soon grow out of making slime and doing three marker challenges.'
'I like your three marker challenges,' said Rose. 'You have to be so creative with them.'
'You would like those,' said Laura, and she gave Rose a smile. 'So, what happens after you graduate UF, Rosy?'
Rose thought about this for a moment before answering.
'I'm going home,' she said, 'and then I'll see what I can do with my art when I get there.'
'Yeah?' said Laura, with raised eyebrows. 'Because there was talk of you staying here.'
'I came here to see how I liked it,' said Rose. 'The thing was, I've never really been able to make friends in New York, and all the time my best friend was living down here.' She smiled at Max as she said this. 'But I can't stay. I'd miss my family too much, especially my little cousin. I really love that kid, and I sort of promised her dad – you know which dad – I'd look out for her.'
'I'd like to have kids someday,' said Max.
'Whoa,' said Laura. 'That's a lot further ahead than any of the rest of us are thinking, Max.'
Max shrugged and said, 'It's my only long-term goal. I'm happy working at the Surf and Racquet Club – I'm not planning a long, complicated career like the rest of you.'
'Well...' Laura said doubtfully, but she didn't continue.
'Mine's more a dream than a career,' said Rose. 'You can't just be an artist. After I graduate, I'm gonna have to look around and see what jobs I can get. I mean, I could end up working in a store or something, and trying to sell stuff on Etsy in my spare time.'
'You'd make a huge success of an Etsy store,' said Laura, smiling shyly at her.
'Especially if we endorsed it on our channel,' added Lucie, sounding serious and not a bit shy.
'Oh, wow,' said Rose. 'Then you'd be advertising to four million people!'
'It's getting close to four point two now,' said Laura.
'Just the point two'd set me up for life!' said Rose. 'Are you being serious? I mean... I could really make something work if you guys helped me.'
'Wow,' said Laura. 'This is all getting kinda real now, huh? Can we maybe talk about it in the morning? Sorry, Rose.'
'No, it's fine,' said Rose. 'I don't really want to think about that stuff anymore now either.'
'Know what I want?' said Lucie. 'To get in the damn pool. I'm freezing!'
'How long's it been now?' asked Max. 'You might get cramp and drown.'
Lucie grinned at him. 'Not if you save me. And don't tell me you might get cramp too – you're a really strong swimmer.'
'I'm not bad,' said Max, 'but I might not hear you scream.'
'Then you'll just have to keep a very close eye on me,' said Lucie, and she suddenly hurled herself into the water with a splash and went striking out. Grinning, Max dropped in too and swam after her, not half as quickly as he was capable of.
'Well,' said Rose, looking at Laura, who looked bashfully back. 'I kinda thought something like that would happen.'
'I pretty much knew it would,' said Laura. 'She talks about him all the time, y'know. And she got herself a prescription for birth control pills a couple of weeks ago, so...'
'She did, huh?' said Rose. 'It's weird: when we don't see you guys for months at a time except on YouTube, it's kinda hard to imagine you being different off-camera. I mean, do you talk about Max like you talk about Dollar Store products?'
Laura laughed. 'Yes and no. I mean, our enthusiasm online is all genuine, but with more personal stuff... well, you still feel it inside, but you express yourself differently when the camera's not there. When we talk about Max in private, it's not like when we introduce him in a video. Or... or you.'
As she said this, she looked even more bashful and turned her eyes away. Rose reached out, steered Laura's face back towards her own with the tips of her fingers, and kissed her softly on the lips. The kiss went on for a few seconds, and when Rose broke it, she saw that Laura was smiling with half-lidded eyes.
'You know what?' said Laura.
'What?' whispered Rose.
'I'm freezing my tits off here.'
Rose laughed and said, 'Well, we can't have that.'
She lowered herself gently into the water while Laura pulled out her scrunchy and shook her hair loose before following her in. At the other end of the pool, Max and Lucie were splashing around together and shrieking. Clearly each pair now had an end of the pool to itself, so Rose swam a leisurely backstroke across the width of her half and back again. When she returned, she saw Laura's shape swimming away from her underwater; the shape then turned round at the edge of the pool, swam straight back and rose from the depths like a seductive mermaid.
Rose and Laura kissed each other slowly and sensuously until they were distracted by an extra noisy bout of splashing and shrieking. Laura turned her head, and Rose peered round her, to see Max and Lucie scrabbling out of the pool and then running towards the house. For a moment, this made the atmosphere a little bit awkward for the two still in the pool. Then Laura turned back to Rose, laughing, and said, 'I guess that confirms it: you and I'll be sharing a room tonight.'
'I could sleep on the couch if you want,' said Rose.
'That's a stupid idea,' said Laura, and kissed her again.
'Why can't we swim right after eating?' he asked.
'Your digestive system diverts the blood flow from your arms and legs,' said Lucie, 'so you might get cramp and drown.'
'That sounds like bullshit to me,' said Rose.
'Some people say it's true and some people say it's a myth,' said Lucie.
'Well,' said Laura, 'I don't think I want to wait a whole hour, anyway. Okay, this is Florida, but it is kind of cold out here in the evening in December in just bathing suits!'
The other three nodded in agreement.
'You could ask T'Keyah whether it's true,' said Rose.
'No thanks,' said Lucie. 'I don't want her to think I care. She keeps hoping one of us will start sharing her passion for medicine.'
'She doesn't push us or anything,' Laura added hastily. 'She just sort of keeps recommending it when any of us start looking at colleges.'
'I wonder how she'll feel about me becoming a vet,' said Lucie. 'I mean, that's pretty close, right?'
'Is that what you've decided?' asked Rose.
'Yes, definitely,' said Lucie. 'It's what I really, really want to do!'
'You can do it right here,' said Max. 'Well, not in our pool obviously, but UF has its very own veterinary college.'
'That's one of the schools I applied to,' said Lucie, meeting his eyes, and they exchanged a smile.
'How about you, Laura?' asked Rose.
'I'm pretty much settled on law,' said Laura. 'I applied to go to UF too, but... well, we've actually been talking a little bit about whether to separate or not.'
'Wow,' said Max. 'You guys've never been separated in your life!'
'Yeah, but that day'll have to come some time,' said Lucie. 'There is our YouTube channel to consider, but... well, I never really thought we'd be doing that when we were grown-up. College seems like a good time to stop.'
'Oh, no, please keep it going!' said Max.
'Well,' said Lucie, smiling at him again, 'it'd have to change, I think. We'll soon grow out of making slime and doing three marker challenges.'
'I like your three marker challenges,' said Rose. 'You have to be so creative with them.'
'You would like those,' said Laura, and she gave Rose a smile. 'So, what happens after you graduate UF, Rosy?'
Rose thought about this for a moment before answering.
'I'm going home,' she said, 'and then I'll see what I can do with my art when I get there.'
'Yeah?' said Laura, with raised eyebrows. 'Because there was talk of you staying here.'
'I came here to see how I liked it,' said Rose. 'The thing was, I've never really been able to make friends in New York, and all the time my best friend was living down here.' She smiled at Max as she said this. 'But I can't stay. I'd miss my family too much, especially my little cousin. I really love that kid, and I sort of promised her dad – you know which dad – I'd look out for her.'
'I'd like to have kids someday,' said Max.
'Whoa,' said Laura. 'That's a lot further ahead than any of the rest of us are thinking, Max.'
Max shrugged and said, 'It's my only long-term goal. I'm happy working at the Surf and Racquet Club – I'm not planning a long, complicated career like the rest of you.'
'Well...' Laura said doubtfully, but she didn't continue.
'Mine's more a dream than a career,' said Rose. 'You can't just be an artist. After I graduate, I'm gonna have to look around and see what jobs I can get. I mean, I could end up working in a store or something, and trying to sell stuff on Etsy in my spare time.'
'You'd make a huge success of an Etsy store,' said Laura, smiling shyly at her.
'Especially if we endorsed it on our channel,' added Lucie, sounding serious and not a bit shy.
'Oh, wow,' said Rose. 'Then you'd be advertising to four million people!'
'It's getting close to four point two now,' said Laura.
'Just the point two'd set me up for life!' said Rose. 'Are you being serious? I mean... I could really make something work if you guys helped me.'
'Wow,' said Laura. 'This is all getting kinda real now, huh? Can we maybe talk about it in the morning? Sorry, Rose.'
'No, it's fine,' said Rose. 'I don't really want to think about that stuff anymore now either.'
'Know what I want?' said Lucie. 'To get in the damn pool. I'm freezing!'
'How long's it been now?' asked Max. 'You might get cramp and drown.'
Lucie grinned at him. 'Not if you save me. And don't tell me you might get cramp too – you're a really strong swimmer.'
'I'm not bad,' said Max, 'but I might not hear you scream.'
'Then you'll just have to keep a very close eye on me,' said Lucie, and she suddenly hurled herself into the water with a splash and went striking out. Grinning, Max dropped in too and swam after her, not half as quickly as he was capable of.
'Well,' said Rose, looking at Laura, who looked bashfully back. 'I kinda thought something like that would happen.'
'I pretty much knew it would,' said Laura. 'She talks about him all the time, y'know. And she got herself a prescription for birth control pills a couple of weeks ago, so...'
'She did, huh?' said Rose. 'It's weird: when we don't see you guys for months at a time except on YouTube, it's kinda hard to imagine you being different off-camera. I mean, do you talk about Max like you talk about Dollar Store products?'
Laura laughed. 'Yes and no. I mean, our enthusiasm online is all genuine, but with more personal stuff... well, you still feel it inside, but you express yourself differently when the camera's not there. When we talk about Max in private, it's not like when we introduce him in a video. Or... or you.'
As she said this, she looked even more bashful and turned her eyes away. Rose reached out, steered Laura's face back towards her own with the tips of her fingers, and kissed her softly on the lips. The kiss went on for a few seconds, and when Rose broke it, she saw that Laura was smiling with half-lidded eyes.
'You know what?' said Laura.
'What?' whispered Rose.
'I'm freezing my tits off here.'
Rose laughed and said, 'Well, we can't have that.'
She lowered herself gently into the water while Laura pulled out her scrunchy and shook her hair loose before following her in. At the other end of the pool, Max and Lucie were splashing around together and shrieking. Clearly each pair now had an end of the pool to itself, so Rose swam a leisurely backstroke across the width of her half and back again. When she returned, she saw Laura's shape swimming away from her underwater; the shape then turned round at the edge of the pool, swam straight back and rose from the depths like a seductive mermaid.
Rose and Laura kissed each other slowly and sensuously until they were distracted by an extra noisy bout of splashing and shrieking. Laura turned her head, and Rose peered round her, to see Max and Lucie scrabbling out of the pool and then running towards the house. For a moment, this made the atmosphere a little bit awkward for the two still in the pool. Then Laura turned back to Rose, laughing, and said, 'I guess that confirms it: you and I'll be sharing a room tonight.'
'I could sleep on the couch if you want,' said Rose.
'That's a stupid idea,' said Laura, and kissed her again.
In the morning, when everyone had met up in the kitchen to scavenge some breakfast, Rose and Laura were both floating around on clouds of bliss and kept exchanging shy, meaningful glances across the toast rack and the empty cereal bowls and the orange juice, until Laura went off to the bathroom. Lucie was on a cloud of a kind, and was smiling at Max as often as she could with a loving look in her eyes. Max seemed subdued, however, and the smiles he gave back to Lucie were brief and watery.
'Know what?' said Laura, bouncing back into the kitchen, while Lucie helpfully washed up the breakfast things and Rose tried to figure out what was wrong with Max. 'Me and Luce should go out and get more stuff for our Florida video today.'
'Yeah?' said Rose, smiling as Laura approached her and wrapped her arms around her. 'Where are you going?'
'To the beach,' said Laura.
'Good idea,' Lucie said over her shoulder. 'We can compare it to the beach in California. Tell you what: we'll get some take-out for lunch on the way back.'
'You're planning on being quite a while, then?' said Rose.
'Well,' said Laura, looking at the wall clock, 'not really. It is after eleven.'
So saying, she kissed Rose and then wandered off to get ready to go. Lucie rinsed off the last of the plates and then followed her, stopping to give Max a lingering kiss on the lips, finishing with a warm smile and a great deal of eye contact. Again, Max's answering smile was weak. He had kept his head down for the whole conversation so Rose signed the information to him, mouthing a few words that she wasn't sure of, and he nodded. Then she signed an O and a K with her fingers, to ask if he was okay; Max merely shrugged. When she asked him through signs if he wanted to talk about it, he thought for a moment, then nodded morosely.
'Know what?' said Laura, bouncing back into the kitchen, while Lucie helpfully washed up the breakfast things and Rose tried to figure out what was wrong with Max. 'Me and Luce should go out and get more stuff for our Florida video today.'
'Yeah?' said Rose, smiling as Laura approached her and wrapped her arms around her. 'Where are you going?'
'To the beach,' said Laura.
'Good idea,' Lucie said over her shoulder. 'We can compare it to the beach in California. Tell you what: we'll get some take-out for lunch on the way back.'
'You're planning on being quite a while, then?' said Rose.
'Well,' said Laura, looking at the wall clock, 'not really. It is after eleven.'
So saying, she kissed Rose and then wandered off to get ready to go. Lucie rinsed off the last of the plates and then followed her, stopping to give Max a lingering kiss on the lips, finishing with a warm smile and a great deal of eye contact. Again, Max's answering smile was weak. He had kept his head down for the whole conversation so Rose signed the information to him, mouthing a few words that she wasn't sure of, and he nodded. Then she signed an O and a K with her fingers, to ask if he was okay; Max merely shrugged. When she asked him through signs if he wanted to talk about it, he thought for a moment, then nodded morosely.
Before Lucie and Laura started filming, they sat on the sand for a few minutes and watched the waves.
'No one's here,' Laura remarked at length.
'I guess maybe they think it's cold,' said Lucie.
They were silent a few moments, then Lucie said, giggling, 'Do you think they'll be able to tell?'
'Who?' said Laura. 'Tell what?'
'Our subscribers,' said Lucie. 'Will they be able to tell that we...? Well, you know.'
Then Laura, too, began to giggle. 'No. I mean... do I look any different to you?'
'I guess not,' said Lucie. 'I mean, not if I didn't know.'
'Oh shit,' said Laura, giggling some more and pressing her hands to her burning face. 'But even if we do seem a little different, no one's going to jump to that conclusion, are they?'
'I don't know,' said Lucie. 'I mean, what about our parents and our brothers?'
'Even our little brothers?' said Laura. 'And are you including T'Keyah in our parents or not? I mean, doctors know all about these things, right?'
'Laura!' Lucie tittered.
'And maybe she only gets to see because Liam takes her his tablet,' Laura went on, 'and he's all like, “Mommy, look how weird Lucie and Laura are acting!” and T'Keyah's like, “Yup, they've had sex”.'
'Okay, I get it – I'm being paranoid,' said Lucie, giving her sister a playful nudge.
'Seriously, though,' said Laura, 'I guess you're pretty happy, huh?'
'Yes,' said Lucie, smiling beatifically out at the ocean. 'I really am.'
'No one's here,' Laura remarked at length.
'I guess maybe they think it's cold,' said Lucie.
They were silent a few moments, then Lucie said, giggling, 'Do you think they'll be able to tell?'
'Who?' said Laura. 'Tell what?'
'Our subscribers,' said Lucie. 'Will they be able to tell that we...? Well, you know.'
Then Laura, too, began to giggle. 'No. I mean... do I look any different to you?'
'I guess not,' said Lucie. 'I mean, not if I didn't know.'
'Oh shit,' said Laura, giggling some more and pressing her hands to her burning face. 'But even if we do seem a little different, no one's going to jump to that conclusion, are they?'
'I don't know,' said Lucie. 'I mean, what about our parents and our brothers?'
'Even our little brothers?' said Laura. 'And are you including T'Keyah in our parents or not? I mean, doctors know all about these things, right?'
'Laura!' Lucie tittered.
'And maybe she only gets to see because Liam takes her his tablet,' Laura went on, 'and he's all like, “Mommy, look how weird Lucie and Laura are acting!” and T'Keyah's like, “Yup, they've had sex”.'
'Okay, I get it – I'm being paranoid,' said Lucie, giving her sister a playful nudge.
'Seriously, though,' said Laura, 'I guess you're pretty happy, huh?'
'Yes,' said Lucie, smiling beatifically out at the ocean. 'I really am.'
'Okay,' said Rose, sitting across from Max at the kitchen table, 'so what you're basically trying to tell me is, she didn't come.'
'Well... yeah, that's it,' said Max.
'But that's not the end of the world, Max. I mean, you can't expect perfection the first time, and she seemed pretty happy with you this morning.'
'Yeah, she was. She said she really loved being with me. She doesn't even seem to think it matters if she comes or not.'
'But you do think it matters?' said Rose.
'Yes,' said Max, 'I do.'
'Well that's great, Max, that's really great. That is the best possible start. Women's orgasms are important, damn it!'
'I know.'
'I'll tell you something,' said Rose. 'Conchita once told me that when some douchebag was pestering her to have unprotected sex with him – that's unprotected sex! – he said she wouldn't get pregnant if she didn't have an orgasm.' Then, as Max frowned in confusion, she repeated, 'If she didn't,' and she used their invented sign that denoted her sister, followed by a gesture that she hoped implied a lack of orgasm.
Max gaped at her. 'But...'
'I know, I know,' said Rose. 'Wrong on so many levels. But Chita only seemed to care about the strictly scientific level.'
'Did he really believe that, or was he just saying it?'
'God, I don't know.'
'She didn't do it, did she?'
'Of course not. But look, the point is, you're way better than that guy because you're really hoping your girlfriend will have an orgasm. And you want me to help you, right?'
'If you can,' said Max. 'Can you, RoRo?'
'Well...'
'Well... yeah, that's it,' said Max.
'But that's not the end of the world, Max. I mean, you can't expect perfection the first time, and she seemed pretty happy with you this morning.'
'Yeah, she was. She said she really loved being with me. She doesn't even seem to think it matters if she comes or not.'
'But you do think it matters?' said Rose.
'Yes,' said Max, 'I do.'
'Well that's great, Max, that's really great. That is the best possible start. Women's orgasms are important, damn it!'
'I know.'
'I'll tell you something,' said Rose. 'Conchita once told me that when some douchebag was pestering her to have unprotected sex with him – that's unprotected sex! – he said she wouldn't get pregnant if she didn't have an orgasm.' Then, as Max frowned in confusion, she repeated, 'If she didn't,' and she used their invented sign that denoted her sister, followed by a gesture that she hoped implied a lack of orgasm.
Max gaped at her. 'But...'
'I know, I know,' said Rose. 'Wrong on so many levels. But Chita only seemed to care about the strictly scientific level.'
'Did he really believe that, or was he just saying it?'
'God, I don't know.'
'She didn't do it, did she?'
'Of course not. But look, the point is, you're way better than that guy because you're really hoping your girlfriend will have an orgasm. And you want me to help you, right?'
'If you can,' said Max. 'Can you, RoRo?'
'Well...'
Lucie and Laura returned from their excursion with not only an enormous and fatty lunch, but also a bag of party supplies and a collection of unhealthy snacks.
'So,' said Rose, as she sat on the sofa rummaging through their shopping bags, 'you guys want to spend the afternoon blowing up balloons, huh?'
'Just while our lunch settles,' said Lucie, who was sorting out vast portions of pizza and pizza accessories on the coffee table. 'We'll be pretty full when we've gotten through all this stuff.'
'After all,' Laura murmured into Rose's ear whilst nibbling it a little, 'there are similar rules for sex and swimming.'
Rose giggled.
'Did someone mention swimming?' Lucie said carelessly.
Laura looked round at her. 'Er... yeah...?'
'Because I was just thinking,' said Lucie, 'if we're going to do a pool challenge, we'd better get our costumes washed.'
'Are you sure, Luce?' said Rose. 'It'd be sort of sexy watching the video and knowing what had happened to your unwashed costumes the night before.'
'Rose!' giggled Laura. 'Kids are going to watch it! And our parents, and our brothers!'
'Yeah,' said Rose, 'but they couldn't tell.'
Lucie gave her a stink-eye. 'You're not being serious.'
'You're right, I'm not,' said Rose. 'Get them and we'll put them in the machine.'
The twins fetched all the swimming things, including those belonging to Max and Rose. Within minutes the washing machine was whirring away in the kitchen, while the party of four in the living room devoured pizza and various side dishes (and, in Lucie's case, a contraceptive pill).
'Wow, Luce,' said Laura, leaning back in her seat once she had eaten an entire tub of Ben and Jerry's on her own. 'You were right about how full we'd be. I think I'm gonna need a little rest before I start blowing up those balloons.'
The others nodded in agreement, but even so, Rose and Laura had disappeared into Garrett's bedroom within half an hour. Lucie looked at Max, who was opening up a pack of party poppers and arranging them on the coffee table. She tied the balloon she had just blown up, then went over to Max and snaked her way onto his lap.
'Let's go to bed,' she said.
'Okay,' said Max, with less enthusiasm than Lucie might have hoped for.
'You want to, don't you?'
He smiled his cute smile at her. 'Of course I do.'
'So,' said Rose, as she sat on the sofa rummaging through their shopping bags, 'you guys want to spend the afternoon blowing up balloons, huh?'
'Just while our lunch settles,' said Lucie, who was sorting out vast portions of pizza and pizza accessories on the coffee table. 'We'll be pretty full when we've gotten through all this stuff.'
'After all,' Laura murmured into Rose's ear whilst nibbling it a little, 'there are similar rules for sex and swimming.'
Rose giggled.
'Did someone mention swimming?' Lucie said carelessly.
Laura looked round at her. 'Er... yeah...?'
'Because I was just thinking,' said Lucie, 'if we're going to do a pool challenge, we'd better get our costumes washed.'
'Are you sure, Luce?' said Rose. 'It'd be sort of sexy watching the video and knowing what had happened to your unwashed costumes the night before.'
'Rose!' giggled Laura. 'Kids are going to watch it! And our parents, and our brothers!'
'Yeah,' said Rose, 'but they couldn't tell.'
Lucie gave her a stink-eye. 'You're not being serious.'
'You're right, I'm not,' said Rose. 'Get them and we'll put them in the machine.'
The twins fetched all the swimming things, including those belonging to Max and Rose. Within minutes the washing machine was whirring away in the kitchen, while the party of four in the living room devoured pizza and various side dishes (and, in Lucie's case, a contraceptive pill).
'Wow, Luce,' said Laura, leaning back in her seat once she had eaten an entire tub of Ben and Jerry's on her own. 'You were right about how full we'd be. I think I'm gonna need a little rest before I start blowing up those balloons.'
The others nodded in agreement, but even so, Rose and Laura had disappeared into Garrett's bedroom within half an hour. Lucie looked at Max, who was opening up a pack of party poppers and arranging them on the coffee table. She tied the balloon she had just blown up, then went over to Max and snaked her way onto his lap.
'Let's go to bed,' she said.
'Okay,' said Max, with less enthusiasm than Lucie might have hoped for.
'You want to, don't you?'
He smiled his cute smile at her. 'Of course I do.'
'What time is it?' said Rose, several hours later.
Laura turned over to look at the clock on Garrett's dresser. 'Just coming up to ten.'
'Great – we've got plenty of time to do whatever we want in the bathroom and get dressed and stuff, and then we can see in the new year.'
'Let's hope it's a good one,' said Laura, and kissed Rose's shoulder. 'Now, I really have to pee.'
'I kinda do too,' said Rose. 'Let's go in together and I'll start the shower running.'
'Okay.'
Giggling and completely naked, they both got off the bed and burst into the Jack-and-Jill bathroom. At the exact same moment, the door on the opposite wall flew open and Lucie and Max lurched in, also completely bare. For a moment they all stood and stared at each other, mortified but unable to look away. Max seemed the most embarrassed, whether for his own sake or that of the others, but then Rose started the laughter and the other three quickly joined in.
'I'll come back later,' Max chuckled, and went back into his bedroom.
'Laura really needs to pee,' Rose announced, and went back into Garrett's room.
'Rose, wait up,' said Lucie, skipping across the bathroom after her.
Rose put on the jacket that Laura had been wearing earlier, and when she turned round, she saw that Lucie had tactfully wrapped a towel around herself.
'I think I owe you some thanks,' said Lucie, as she tucked the towel into itself under her arm.
'Oh yes?' said Rose. 'What for?'
'Hey, come on, girl-friend. I think you know what I mean.'
'You do, huh? How do you know he didn't do some research online?'
'Ah,' said Lucie, 'so you do know what I mean! Look, there's no point being coy now, is there?'
'I don't know,' said Rose. 'Max didn't give me any details about you personally – he'd never do that – and I just gave him some general advice... same as if he had looked online, really.'
'Depending on what website came up.'
'True. There is some really bad advice out there. But maybe you know that already.'
'Maybe I do,' Lucie said evasively.
Rose gave her a look. 'I thought there was no point being coy now.'
'Well,' said Lucie, 'I guess there are some things we still want to keep to ourselves. But I wanted to have a little talk with you anyway because out of the four of us, you and I are the least close... especially after all this.'
'I think we're close enough now, aren't we?' said Rose. 'I mean, we were joking about you making a pool video and all that stuff.'
Lucie laughed. 'Is that closeness, or just being stupid?'
Rose laughed too. 'Well, it's a start to us being closer, anyway.'
Just then, Laura emerged from the bathroom so Lucie went into it, saying over her shoulder, 'But seriously, Rose, thank you. I'm really glad you did that.' Then she shut the door.
'I'll bet you are,' Rose muttered, smiling to herself.
'Is it any of my business what you did?' asked Laura, as she began getting dressed.
'It's more Lucie's business,' said Rose. 'You could ask her about it.'
'I could,' said Laura, looking thoughtful, 'but I don't know how much we're going to share about all this sex and everything. I mean, she is my sister – it might be kind of weird.'
'I know what you mean,' said Rose. 'I've never really wanted to talk to my sister about those kinds of experiences... I guess maybe I just figured she wouldn't relate. And maybe she thinks the same about me, since she's only ever gone into details about it when she hasn't enjoyed herself.'
'Huh,' said Laura. 'That is weird.'
'I think she wants to stop me from making the same mistakes as her,' said Rose. 'Specifically letting some idiot put his dick in me when I wasn't even sure I liked him all that much.'
'Well,' said Laura, laughing, 'you certainly haven't done that since we've been here.'
'I haven't even done anything comparable,' said Rose. 'I do like you, Laura. I like you a lot.'
'I like you a lot too.'
'I'm already thinking about when I'll get to see you again after today.'
'Spring break, I guess. It... seems like a long way off suddenly.'
Laura was smiling bashfully at Rose, who smiled back and said, 'We'll just have to see how it goes.'
'Yeah,' said Laura. 'That's exactly what we'll do.'
Laura turned over to look at the clock on Garrett's dresser. 'Just coming up to ten.'
'Great – we've got plenty of time to do whatever we want in the bathroom and get dressed and stuff, and then we can see in the new year.'
'Let's hope it's a good one,' said Laura, and kissed Rose's shoulder. 'Now, I really have to pee.'
'I kinda do too,' said Rose. 'Let's go in together and I'll start the shower running.'
'Okay.'
Giggling and completely naked, they both got off the bed and burst into the Jack-and-Jill bathroom. At the exact same moment, the door on the opposite wall flew open and Lucie and Max lurched in, also completely bare. For a moment they all stood and stared at each other, mortified but unable to look away. Max seemed the most embarrassed, whether for his own sake or that of the others, but then Rose started the laughter and the other three quickly joined in.
'I'll come back later,' Max chuckled, and went back into his bedroom.
'Laura really needs to pee,' Rose announced, and went back into Garrett's room.
'Rose, wait up,' said Lucie, skipping across the bathroom after her.
Rose put on the jacket that Laura had been wearing earlier, and when she turned round, she saw that Lucie had tactfully wrapped a towel around herself.
'I think I owe you some thanks,' said Lucie, as she tucked the towel into itself under her arm.
'Oh yes?' said Rose. 'What for?'
'Hey, come on, girl-friend. I think you know what I mean.'
'You do, huh? How do you know he didn't do some research online?'
'Ah,' said Lucie, 'so you do know what I mean! Look, there's no point being coy now, is there?'
'I don't know,' said Rose. 'Max didn't give me any details about you personally – he'd never do that – and I just gave him some general advice... same as if he had looked online, really.'
'Depending on what website came up.'
'True. There is some really bad advice out there. But maybe you know that already.'
'Maybe I do,' Lucie said evasively.
Rose gave her a look. 'I thought there was no point being coy now.'
'Well,' said Lucie, 'I guess there are some things we still want to keep to ourselves. But I wanted to have a little talk with you anyway because out of the four of us, you and I are the least close... especially after all this.'
'I think we're close enough now, aren't we?' said Rose. 'I mean, we were joking about you making a pool video and all that stuff.'
Lucie laughed. 'Is that closeness, or just being stupid?'
Rose laughed too. 'Well, it's a start to us being closer, anyway.'
Just then, Laura emerged from the bathroom so Lucie went into it, saying over her shoulder, 'But seriously, Rose, thank you. I'm really glad you did that.' Then she shut the door.
'I'll bet you are,' Rose muttered, smiling to herself.
'Is it any of my business what you did?' asked Laura, as she began getting dressed.
'It's more Lucie's business,' said Rose. 'You could ask her about it.'
'I could,' said Laura, looking thoughtful, 'but I don't know how much we're going to share about all this sex and everything. I mean, she is my sister – it might be kind of weird.'
'I know what you mean,' said Rose. 'I've never really wanted to talk to my sister about those kinds of experiences... I guess maybe I just figured she wouldn't relate. And maybe she thinks the same about me, since she's only ever gone into details about it when she hasn't enjoyed herself.'
'Huh,' said Laura. 'That is weird.'
'I think she wants to stop me from making the same mistakes as her,' said Rose. 'Specifically letting some idiot put his dick in me when I wasn't even sure I liked him all that much.'
'Well,' said Laura, laughing, 'you certainly haven't done that since we've been here.'
'I haven't even done anything comparable,' said Rose. 'I do like you, Laura. I like you a lot.'
'I like you a lot too.'
'I'm already thinking about when I'll get to see you again after today.'
'Spring break, I guess. It... seems like a long way off suddenly.'
Laura was smiling bashfully at Rose, who smiled back and said, 'We'll just have to see how it goes.'
'Yeah,' said Laura. 'That's exactly what we'll do.'
At three minutes to midnight, everyone was in the living room sitting around Lucie and Laura's camera except for Max, who had remembered the swimming costumes in the washing machine. They were lying in a wrinkled heap at the bottom of the drum, so he pulled them out one by one and shook them vigorously.
He was shaking out Rose's costume when Lucie scurried into the kitchen, saying, 'Come on, Max, or you'll miss it!'
'I think I should hang these up first,' said Max.
'You can do that after,' said Lucie, and dragged him through to the living room, where she pushed him onto the sofa beside Rose and then sat herself down on the floor in front of him, beside Laura.
'Yay, finally, here's Max!' Laura told the camera. 'And it's New Year's Eve as we're filming this, and we are having so much fun.'
'And we want to know about all of you,' said Lucie, 'so please let us know down below, who did you spend New Year's with and what did you do together?' Then she swivelled round to ask, 'How long now, Rose?'
'Fifteen seconds,' said Rose, bouncing a balloon excitedly on the sofa arm and looking at the clock on her phone. 'Twelve. Ten... nine... eight... seven...'
The others took on the chant with her: 'Six... five... four... three... two... one...'
As the time clicked over to midnight, Lucie and Laura both began to cheer and let off party poppers while behind them, Max and Rose hugged each other and got covered in streamers. Then suddenly the twins turned round, climbed onto their lovers' laps and kissed them passionately.
'Whoa,' said Rose, once they came up for air, straining to look over Laura's shoulder at the camera. 'Is that going to make the final edit?'
'Hmm... I guess not,' said Lucie, reaching behind her and turning off the camera. 'Remember those uptight parents, guys,' and she carried on kissing Max with renewed vigour.
He was shaking out Rose's costume when Lucie scurried into the kitchen, saying, 'Come on, Max, or you'll miss it!'
'I think I should hang these up first,' said Max.
'You can do that after,' said Lucie, and dragged him through to the living room, where she pushed him onto the sofa beside Rose and then sat herself down on the floor in front of him, beside Laura.
'Yay, finally, here's Max!' Laura told the camera. 'And it's New Year's Eve as we're filming this, and we are having so much fun.'
'And we want to know about all of you,' said Lucie, 'so please let us know down below, who did you spend New Year's with and what did you do together?' Then she swivelled round to ask, 'How long now, Rose?'
'Fifteen seconds,' said Rose, bouncing a balloon excitedly on the sofa arm and looking at the clock on her phone. 'Twelve. Ten... nine... eight... seven...'
The others took on the chant with her: 'Six... five... four... three... two... one...'
As the time clicked over to midnight, Lucie and Laura both began to cheer and let off party poppers while behind them, Max and Rose hugged each other and got covered in streamers. Then suddenly the twins turned round, climbed onto their lovers' laps and kissed them passionately.
'Whoa,' said Rose, once they came up for air, straining to look over Laura's shoulder at the camera. 'Is that going to make the final edit?'
'Hmm... I guess not,' said Lucie, reaching behind her and turning off the camera. 'Remember those uptight parents, guys,' and she carried on kissing Max with renewed vigour.
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