Partway through the bus terminal, Wallflower picked up her suitcase in both her arms. She whispered to Sunset, "Don't try to keep up. Pretend you don't know me." She took off running.
Sunset watched Wallflower go, but didn't increase her own pace. "Wow. I guess lifting all those fifty pound bags of fertilizer really does build strong muscles."
"What was that?" asked a teenage youth, or a very young man, walking in the same direction.
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking...I wish I had a girl like that."
He laughed. "Doesn't everyone? But she's probably out of my league."
Sunset nodded. "Well...we can hope. Or dream, at least."
***
When Sunset stepped up into the Grayhoof bus, she spotted Wallflower sitting in an aisle seat near the front, on the bus's right side (or 'passenger side,' on a car.) Wallflower refused to meet Sunset's eyes, ignoring her girlfriend.
Sunset decided to sit two rows back from Wallflower, on the same side. She picked a window seat, for the outside view. A moment later, the young man from the terminal asked, "May I join you?"
Sunset shrugged. "It's a free country. Why not?"
The young man sat down. "Pleased to meet you. My name's Jackie."
"Huh. I have a friend who sometimes goes by Jackie. She's a girl, though." Sunset shook the young man's hand.
He grinned. "Is she cute, and single?"
Sunset sucked air between her lips. "Umm...maybe I'm going to want to ask her out myself first. I used to think I had a girlfriend, but..." She shrugged again. "Sometimes things change."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I had a girlfriend in high school, but now that we've graduated...she says she wants to be free, and see more of the world."
"Is that why you're here, on this bus? To see more of the world?"
"I'm going to Indianaponis to visit my cousin. How about you?"
"I'm going for work, myself." Sunset thought about what Wallflower had said, to pretend she and Sunset didn't know each other. Sunset thought, if I talk too much about my plans, I might let slip that Wallflower is part of them. So Sunset fibbed a little. "At least, I'm HOPING I'll get a good job there. I guess you never really know until you try."
The bus started moving. The youth nodded. "Ain't that the truth. Hey, I got an idea. That girl's out of my league, but you really never know until you try."
He stood up, and walked forward two rows. Sunset heard him speak. "Hey, my name's Jackie. What's yours?"
"Wallflower."
"Wow. What a pretty name. Not as pretty as you, though."
Wallflower laughed. "What a cheesy line."
"Some people think cheese is delicious."
Wallflower laughed again.
The youth asked, "May I sit here for a bit?"
Wallflower said something softly that Sunset didn't quite catch. The youth sat down.
The youth talked in low, quiet tones. Sometimes Wallflower giggled, or laughed. Once Sunset heard Wallflower say, "But that's the way MOST of my friends are." But Sunset wasn't sure of the context.
About fifteen minutes later, Sunset heard Wallflower say, "I'm sorry. That's just the way it is. But good luck finding someone else. You and the right girl...she might be very happy to find you."
Jackie smiled a half-smile, and stood up. He returned to his original seat behind Sunset.
"How'd it go?" Sunset asked.
He snorted. "Struck out. And I think she's a lesbian."
Sunset grinned an eyebrow-warping grin that was almost, but not quite, a leer. "REALLY."
Jackie laughed. "I mean it." He eyed Sunset. "Speaking of which, are you..."
"Yes." Sunset confirmed. "I like girls. As I might have implied when we were talking before, in the bus station."
"Oh! I guess you did, more or less. But I mean, you could be bi."
Sunset smiled playfully. "I think I really want to find a nice GIRL."
Jackie nodded. "She said something...something about a redhead she saw getting on this bus. Said the redhead was really cute."
Sunset snorted. "When I walked right past your new friend Wallflower, she didn't even look at me. Maybe she meant some other girl."
"Maybe. Or maybe she was playing hard to get. If you talk to her, and tell her that I mentioned she seemed interested in a cute redhead...that gives you an excuse to ask her if she might have meant you. Doesn't it?"
Sunset tried to sound skeptical. "Mmm...maybe."
"I really think you should try it! What do you have to lose?"
"I don't know. Probably nothing." Sunset asked, "Let me out?"
"Sure." The young man stood, got into the aisle, and stepped back behind Sunset's row to get out of her way. "Good luck."
"Thanks." Sunset walked forward to Wallflower's row. The redhead put a hand on the back of the seat ahead of Wallflower, and said, "I was just talking with Jackie. He says there's a cute redhead on this bus. Can you point her out to me? I think I might want to ask her out."
Wallflower laughed. "I call dibs on her. You're too late!"
Sunset sighed. "Oh, well. I thought it was worth a try." She looked out the window for a moment. "Hey, can I sit in the window seat here? I really like to see the countryside go by."
Wallflower raised a hand, and pushed Sunset back. "Maybe. Let me out, so you can get in."
After about thirty seconds of maneuvering, Sunset was in the window seat, and Wallflower was in the middle seat, neither window nor aisle. Wallflower gently poked Sunset's sternum with one finger. "There's a catch, though."
"A catch?" Sunset acted very surprised, and maybe a little shocked. Good acting. "What's the catch? No one told me there was a catch."
Wallflower said, "You have to do something for me."
"What? No one said I had to do anything."
"It's too late. You let me do you a favor, and now you HAVE to do me a favor in return." Wallflower smiled mischievously. She put a hand on the far side of Sunset's neck, and pulled the girl's head towards her. Wallflower put her lips to Sunset's ear, and whispered. Sunset blushed bright red.
Two rows back, Jackie marveled what he could see through the gap between the seat backs. "Wow," he said to himself. "I guess maybe Wallflower really IS a lesbian."
Sunset turned her head to look back at Jackie. She raised a hand up high, and flashed a thumbs up sign. She silently mouthed the word, "Thanks," and grinned, still blushing.
Wallflower grabbed Sunset's head by the ears, and said, "Ignore him. You're mine now. And there will be cuddles, or else." She rested her head on Sunset's shoulder. Her right hand grasped Sunset's. Wallflower's left hand reached up to play with Sunset's hair, stroking it slowly.
Sunset whispered, "Why did you do all that? You and I could have sat next to each other for the entire ride."
Wallflower nodded, her head moving against Sunset's shoulder. "I could have. But this way...it reminds us both of how lucky we were to ever find each other. And it's fun. Think how happy that boy is, that if HE can't have one of us, at least he helped get us together." Wallflower's hand on Sunset's head drifted down to gently play with her earlobe. "Wiggle wiggle. Hey Sunset, why haven't you ever pierced your ears?"
"Because piercings are weird. Ponies don't get piercings."
"I think I might like to get a piercing. Do you want to know where? Wiggle wiggle." Wallflower giggled.
"I'm sure when the time comes, I'll find out where it is. If you ever really get one."
Wallflower raised her head a little, and whispered in Sunset's ear. "People tell me a piercing can really increase...sensitivity."
"Yeah, that's a good reason not to get one. My ears are sensitive enough already. And piercings can catch on things."
Wallflower's free hand returned to stroking Sunset's hair. She booped Sunset's nose. "Who says it would be in my ear?"
"I've never seen humans get a piercing anywhere else. Even your livestock, like sheep, only have ear tags, not...wherever else someone might put them."
"Livestock? Ick. You make it sound gross." Wallflower released Sunset's hand, and poked Sunset in the stomach. "Why do you say gross things?"
Sunset sighed. "I'm not gross. I just don't like piercings."
Wallflower sighed. "That's ok, Sunset. You don't have to like everything. We can compromise."
"Yes," Sunset said. "Let's compromise." She sighed contentedly, feeling Wally pressing up against her. Wallflower's head sank back onto her girlfriend's shoulder.
"Hey," Sunset asked, "why are you using me as a pillow?"
Wallflower giggled. "Because you ARE a pillow. Prove me wrong."
"No, you're right. I'm a pillow. If you want me to be."
"I do."
"Careful there, Wally, with those 'I do's.' Or you'll marry me by mistake."
"Would that really be so bad?"
Sunset thought for a minute. "One of these days, we're going to have to talk about something serious."
"But not tonight. Tonight is for being silly, and for cuddling."
"Ok."
Wallflower pulled her legs up into her seat. She moved over about halfway towards the aisle. "If I can keep my legs all scootched up...Sunny, let me rest my head in your lap. Or my shoulders and my head. I think I can make this work. Hmm. If I lay on my side facing forward, and really curl myself up...maybe?" She squirmed and wriggled, trying to get into that position, or something like it.
"Just barely."
"I'm fine. Really I am." Pulled downwards by the partly unsupported weight of her legs, Wallflower's lower torso slid forward and started to roll out of her seat. Sunset grabbed her legs, to try to hold her up.
Sunset suggested, "Maybe if you really wedge your legs against the seat ahead of us to help keep you up...and can you put your feet...yeah, I guess that works? We're really lucky the bus has three seats in a row on each side, even if they are narrow."
Sunset waited to see if Wallflower would fall. After a minute, the redhead felt it was safe, or safe enough. She stroked Wallflower's cheek. "Such cute freckles. But don't stay this way for the whole ride, or I think you're going to be really sore tomorrow. Maybe try laying on your back."
Wallflower started wriggling again, to try the new position. She looked up into Sunset's face.
"Yeah," Wallflower said. "This is better."
Sunset put both hands on Wallflower's hair. She stroked the girl's head. "Good."
Wallflower gradually fell asleep.
***
The bus rolled to a stop. Sunset smiled down at Wallflower's face. "Wally, it's time to wake up! Welcome to Tackoma!"
"What?" Wallflower screamed.
"You looked so cute sleeping, I couldn't even think of waking you up. So I decided we could go a little farther."
"But Tackoma...wouldn't that take three days?" Wallflower curled her body, to raise both her upper body and her legs. She twisted around to sit up, then stood. She looked out the window. "You...SLUG! Letting me think we aren't in Indianaponis."
Sunset chuckled. "Hey, at least I'm willing to admit I know you."
"Not now you don't. Not anymore." Wallflower waved at Jackie, still sitting two aisles back. "Hey you! Jackie! I think maybe I want to trade this one in on a newer model."
Sunset shrugged. "Here we go again." She waved at Jackie. "Be sure to let me know how it goes. She has my number, so you can just ask her for it and call me."
Wallflower grabbed Sunset. "Fat chance. I am NOT giving you up."
"She wants to keep BOTH of us! You are one lucky dog, Jackie!"
Wallflower shouted, "I was KIDDING! I mean, it's a joke. And Sunset, I guess I forgive you. Maybe."
"Thanks, girl I just met on a bus. I guess I forgive you too. Whatever your name is. It's a good thing you're really cute."
Wallflower growled, and grabbed Sunset's arm. "Damn right I'm cute. And you're never getting rid of me."
Sunset kissed the top of Wallflower's head. "That's the best promise I've ever heard. I love you too, Wallflower Blush."
