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Smoke was stretched out on a pillow and watched with a bored look as I laid out my purchases at the foot of the bed. Besides the items I already saw, the bag from Aiden held a two pack of Venus razors and shave gel; and lavender scented body wash, shampoo, and conditioner.
After stripping out of the clothes which I had been wearing for the last two days, I put on the black fleece robe. It was warm and soft against my bare flesh. I flipped up the hood and cinched the belt tight before checking the hall. Satisfied that no one was there, I made my way to the bathroom.
Washed, shampooed and shaved, I let the warm water run for a while longer. Had I been in my apartment, I would have soothed the ache between my legs, but as a guest in this house, masturbating in the bathroom seemed wrong. Instead, I turned off the hot water and an icy blast chased away any lingering horniness.
When I went downstairs, I was wearing my new jeans and the sweater Aiden had picked out for me. Cream colored with a V-neck, the fit was loose. Aiden saw and gave a smile. “You look terrific.”
“Thank you. It is something I would have picked for myself.” Not wanting there to be any strings between us, I said. “Hold on to the receipts, because I intend to pay you back once I get my first paycheck.”
He waved me off. “Teach me how to make that stuffed squash and we will call it even.”
“Deal.” I followed him into the kitchen. Damn, he had a fine ass.
Aiden
After putting the rest of the groceries away, I went into the living room and sat on the couch, intending to do a little reading. But instead of the words on the page, I kept thinking about the kiss. It had not been my fault, but I had done nothing to stop it, either. Her plump lips were soft and warm. Her smooth cheeks did not scratch the way Logan’s did.
I told myself, the arousal I felt at the experience was simply a byproduct of not have had sex recently. But most of all, I wondered what Ember’s presence meant for mine and Logan’s relationship, which was tenuous at best. I have been in love with him far longer than he knows, but this is new for him and he is still confused at having feelings for another man.
Since the first time we made love, Logan has wanted to include a woman in our relationship. He believes that having a woman in bed with us would ‘make the things we do less gay’ as he puts it. I try to understand why he feels this way. Accepting his bisexuality took him a long time and I will be eternally grateful that he chose me for his first experience. But to give into his request would feel like we are reducing our love to a porn trope.
It’s not that I don’t like women, I do, maybe not as much as Logan, but I have been with a few in the past and it was not an unsatisfying experience. But without an emotional connection with my partner, it's just meaningless sex. Because Logan is aware of how I feel, I've been able to keep his requests at bay. If he were to sense my growing feelings for Ember, I could no longer convincingly use that excuse.
Just then, she came downstairs in her new sweater. I told her it looked good on her. But was thinking how spectacular her perfect ass looked wrapped in the tight jeans she had purchased. Logan would be home soon, and I just needed to get through the next hour without doing anything stupid.
She said something about paying me back for the things I had bought, but I did not want her to feel that she owed me anything, so I said, “Teach me how to make that stuffed squash you told me about and we will call it even.”
At a safe distance, where I would not smell her lavender scented skin, I leaned against the opposite counter while she washed her hands in the kitchen sink. She dried her hands and said, “I am going to need your help. I don’t know where anything is.”
The three perfectly ripe acorn squash I had bought on our trip to the store were already on the counter. “I assume you’ll need these. What else?”
While she cleaned and halved the squash, she called out ingredients. I gathered a package of tempeh, mushrooms, garlic, an onion, and all the other ingredients she asked for. Then I went back to the other side of the room.
“What are you doing all the way over there?” She smiled. “You said you wanted to learn. Get over here and chop the pecans.” Once I finished the nuts, I moved on to the kale. “So, what’s the deal with you and Logan? Are you lovers or just roommates?”
The question caught me so off guard; I looked up from what I was doing and cut myself.
“Oh shit, you’re bleeding.” She was right. Blood was pouring from my index finger. “Quick, get it under some running water.”
She leaned in close and although blood was still running into the sink, she said, “I don’t think you’ll need stitches. Where are the Band-Aids?” By the time she got back with a clean towel and a box of sterile strips, the bleeding had stopped. She wiped my hand and applied a bandage. Her touch was soft and gentle. “I think you’re going to live, but that kale is toast. Do you have any more?”
I got her a fresh bag from the refrigerator and scraped the cutting board over the trash can before putting it in the sink. When I joined her back at the counter, she said, “You never answered my question. What’s the story with you and Logan?”
“It’s complicated.”
“What’s complicated? Either you guys are fucking or you’re not.” My red cheeks were the only answer she got or needed. “Cool. I think it's awesome you guys are gay. Two men together sounds hot as hell.” Her eyes went wide, and a hand flew to her mouth as if trying to shove the words back in. “I’m sorry. I can’t believe I said that out loud.”
‘For the record, we're bisexual, not gay.” With a wink, I added, “And you’re right—two guys together are hot as hell.”
When she stopped laughing, she put the baking dish into the oven and said, “I have some more calls to make. Finals are next week and my class notes burned up with everything else. Hopefully, someone will let me borrow theirs so I can get them copied.”
“I think I will read until Logan gets home,” I told her.
“Okay. Dinner should be ready by then.”
She got as far as the second step before stopping. “I just want you to know how much I appreciate everything and am sorry I misjudged you at first. You really are a special human being.”
“You’re a pretty special woman yourself. Good luck with your calls,” I said and opened my book.
