Charlie J Forrest

The match sputters into life, the white-yellow flame stretching into life, then dying.

“Fuck!”

“What?”

“Fuck!”

“Calm down.”

“You calm down,”

“I am calm. I mean it, you always get like this–”

“–like what?”

“This, tetchy, clumsy. I know it’s because you’re nervous, now calm down.”

“Hey, that’s easy for you to say, you enjoy this.”

A short silence and a long sigh.

“You don’t mean that.”

“Sorry, I… I just… I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Of course you can, everyone’s a little bit bi.”

“That’s easy for you to say, you’ve been doing… them… for years.”

“Look, you just need to focus on why you’re doing this, that’ll get you through.”

Hands held, fingers interlace.

“So, who goes first?”

“I think you should.”

“I don’t want to,”

“I know but, it’s probably fairer that way, I mean we don’t know how long it’ll take and… we want it to be a fair chance right?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Half you, half me, half her, yeah?”

“Look, I really don’t think it works that way.”

“That’s not the point.”

“I know I just… I don’t know if I can.”

“Well there’s always the alternative, you know, the… panda option.”

“No, I’ve done the research, every moment outside of the body the numbers decrease and… like you said… even chance.”

“Well it’s up to you then.”

“Will you hold my hand?”

A knock

“I should probably get that.”

“Will you?”

“Of course.”

More hand holding. Another knock, louder this time.

“We could always just–”

“–No, work before pleasure, come on.”