The show continued to play in the background but our attentions most certainly weren't on it anymore. Heather had sort of dropped a bombshell on me, in all honesty. I could hear that the rain had finally stopped outside but both of us remained rooted to where we sat upon my bed. I turned to her and thought carefully about what to say next.

Heather moved a hand through her hair nervously. It only drew attention to how incredibly beautiful she was, when she did that.

"Maybe I shouldn't have said anything," she whispered.

"Listen, Heather, you can trust me. I'm glad that you told me. Can you help me understand this all a little better? How long have you known?" I asked her.

"I guess I've always liked girls but...I realised when I was fifteen that I was a lesbian after my dad used it as an insult for one of my aunts, who lives with a woman. He can be such an astronomical dickhead at times," Heather said. "I knew that I didn't like guys, though. I guess I've always known. I should have been upfront with Drew but I was worried."

"I understand," I said, "Your secret is safe with me."

Heather nodded.

"Good," she said.

"As long as you can keep mine," I said quietly, before I could even stop myself from saying it.

Heather turned to me and raised an eyebrow.

"What's going on with you?" she asked me.

"I always thought I was straight but recently I haven't been so sure," I said.

An expression of curiosity flashed upon Heather's face then, as her bright blue eyes locked on mine and reflected the setting sun slightly.

My mind definitely was far from the show that we had started watching now. Heather had surprised me, yes, but I believed that I had surprised myself even more. I felt as though I had reached a sense of clarity, like the skies clearing after a rainstorm. Heather shifted slightly closer to me on the bed and I took a deep breath.

"Why aren't you so sure?" she asked me.

I met her gaze again then and was struck by how intense her eyes seemed in the light of the sunset.

"I trust you, Heather. Keep this between us?" I asked her.

"Of course. You're worrying me, though. You're not going to reveal that you're into Abbie, are you? I don't know how I would live that one down," she told me.

I released a gentle laugh at her words.

"No, Heather. I'm not into Abbie," I said.

"Then what's going on?" she asked me.

I swallowed. Here goes nothing.

"I like you, too," I said.

As soon as I said the words, it felt as though something had clicked into place for me. I had always thought that I would end up with a guy and I had been infatuated with Drew for so long that I had been oblivious to the fact that I could gain feelings for a woman, too. Heather had allowed me to come to terms with that fact.

"Oh," she said, this time around.

I couldn't help but smile in slight amusement, as I released the breath that I had held in my nervousness.

"I care about you so much, Zoe. I want you to be happy-"

"I could be happy with you," I replied.

"And you're being serious with me here? You honestly think that I could make you happy?" she asked me.

"Why not?" I asked her.

"I don't want this to be a phase for you," she replied.

I gave a slight shake of my head in response to that.

"This isn't a phase, Heather. I think I'm bisexual," I stated.

The corners of Heather's lips lifted a little, then.

"Well, fancy that," she replied, as she released a gentle chuckle.

I laughed in relief, as the nervous tension that I had felt began to fade.

"You're one of the greatest people that I have ever met and I will always care about you, Heather," I told her. "I haven't felt like this about anyone in a long time. All that time, I thought I liked Drew and I believed that part of me did but I wasn't only jealous of him, I was jealous of you. I was jealous because he liked you and maybe part of me instinctively knew that I liked you too but my feelings got mixed up."

Heather gave me a charismatic smile at my words.

"Well, now you know," she said.

"Now I know," I replied.

"Is this weird for you?" she asked me, "I don't want to do anything you're uncomfortable with. You only came out like two seconds ago. We can take this slowly. You just need to know that I really, really like you, Zoe."

I smiled at that.

"You're such a kind person and you really, really care. You're helpful and I know that I can trust you with anything," she said.

"Of course," I replied, "You're an amazing person too, though, Heather. Don't you ever forget that. You mean the absolute world to me. And you are so, so beautiful."

Heather's cheeks reddened a little at my words and she moved a little closer, so she could rest her head on my shoulder.

I turned my head slightly so I could smile at her and she looked back up at me to smile, too.

"Do you really mean that?" she asked me.

"Of course, I do," I said, with a sincere expression, as I placed my arm around Heather's shoulders.

"Took you long enough!" Riley called out to the two of us, as he passed by my room.

I simply threw a pillow at him.

"Hey!" he said.

Heather chuckled and hid her face behind her hand.

Riley walked past my room but not before he stuck his tongue out at me.

I rolled my eyes after he had left and Heather simply smiled at me.

"You're adorable," I said.

"That's all you," Heather replied.