Why Not Both? (Two Popsicles Are Better Than One)

1. Yara

Yara

I was waiting by the window that looked out over our driveway when Kai's little red hatchback pulled to a stop in front of the house. I rushed to the door, pausing by the hall mirror to make sure I wasn't a mess.

My curly hair was still mostly in the braid I'd put it in that morning, and there was nothing stuck in my teeth. Good! I smoothed my skirt, took a deep breath, and put my hand on the doorknob, then waited.

"What the hell are you doing?" my husband called from the kitchen.

"I didn't want him to know I was waiting by the window. It's weird."

Casey snorted. "Yeah, what you're doing now looks way less weird."

"Shut up!"

"He's your best friend. He probably already knows you're weird." The dimple in Casey's left cheek flashed as he shot me a wry grin.

"Well, why are you loitering way over there in the kitchen? Greet him with me."

"What? You want me to hide behind the potted plant?" He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning against the big butcher block center island. "He's here to see you, not me. I figure I'll start on lunch while you catch up. If he's driven all the way from Virginia—"

"North Carolina," I corrected.

"Right," Casey said. "Either way, that's really far from Oregon. He'll probably be hungry."

I smirked at my husband. "And you'll probably be avoiding socializing. I know you don't think he likes you, but it's all in your head."

Across the room, Casey shook his head and turned towards the fridge, opening the freezer and rooting around inside. I took a moment to admire the way my husband's muscular ass looked in a well-worn pair of jeans before being startled back into action by a knock on the door.

Kai was here! Heart pounding, I swung the door open. And there he was, standing on our front porch, looking around nervously, holding a bouquet of wildflowers.

"Kai! I can't believe you're finally back!" I squealed, taking a moment to drink him in.

Had I honestly forgotten how handsome Kai was? Since he'd been at grad school on the other side of the country, I hadn't seen him since he'd made a special trip out for my wedding, but somehow he looked nearly the same. His dark, tousled hair caught the afternoon sunlight. His piercing dark eyes met mine, and a slow smile spread across his face. There were a few crinkles at the corners of his eyes that hadn't been there before.

"Yara!" He spread his arms wide. "It's so good to see you! I missed you so much."

I rushed into his hug, feeling exactly the same as I buried my face against his shoulder, breathing in his familiar scent. "I'm so happy you're back."

He beamed, hugging me tight. "North Carolina was great, but Greendale is where I want to build my home. I'm so thankful that the university had a position open for me."

"Right? What luck!"

He took a step back, and seemed to remember he was holding flowers, which were now slightly crushed. "Oh! I brought these for you and Casey."

"You're too sweet," I said, accepting the flowers and bringing them to my nose. The scent of lavender and daisies filled my senses, making me feel warm and happy. "I'm so glad you landed a job in Southern Oregon. It's been too long."

"Thanks again for letting me use the cabin while I find a place to rent."

I laughed, waving my hand to dismiss him. "There's no rush. It's been sitting empty since my brother moved out for his last photo shoot. And he's in Africa now, photographing a herd of wildebeests or something. Do wildebeests travel in herds?"

"No idea," Kai said, laughing.

"Anyway, you might as well take advantage while Sage is gone. Why don't you come inside and say hi to Casey?" I waved him inside, holding the door open for him.

As he walked past me, I drank in every detail of my best friend. Kai had always been effortlessly handsome, with an athletic build that hinted at both strength and grace. He was dressed casually in a snug-fitting t-shirt and jeans, and he looked as stylish as ever. Kai and I had met in college, and we'd bonded as biracial kids with mixed up identities. I was half Black in a town that didn't have a lot of Black people. Kai's stunning features clearly came from his Japanese father, but he didn't look quite Japanese enough to always fit in with the other Asian students.

"Lets head to the kitchen," I said, waving Kai through. "Casey thinks we should feed you, then help you unpack."

"Thanks, Yara. That sounds fantastic," he said, his eyes locking onto mine for a brief moment as a huge smile spread across his face, the dimple in his left cheek flashing. "So good to see you."

Blushing, I gave him another quick hug, before turning and walking back through the living room towards the big, open kitchen. The kitchen was my favorite room — one we'd worked very hard to fix up over the past year, marrying the rustic charm of the historic house with more modern amenities. As we walked, Kai gushed over how lovely everything was, and I told him a little about my grandmother, who'd left me the property when she'd passed away a few years ago.

Suddenly, Kai's chatter stopped, and he froze mid-step, suddenly enough that I nearly crashed into his back.

"What the heck?" I yelped.

Kai didn't respond immediately, and I looked past him, realizing his eyes were fixed on Casey, who was standing there with a popsicle in hand. A pot of pasta boiled on the stove, and Casey was scrolling through his phone, ignoring us.

It took a beat to realize that it wasn't Casey's wholesome white boy good looks that had Kai's feet glued to the floor—it was the popsicle, and more specifically, the way Casey was eating it. His lips wrapped around the icy treat, sliding up and down with an almost exaggerated slowness. He took a long, deliberate lick, his tongue swirling around the tip before sucking it back into his mouth.

It looked a hell of a lot like he was giving the popsicle a blow job.

And something about the way he was moving his lips made me think Casey would be damn good at sucking cock, too. I'd always found my husband handsome, but today, he was beyond sexy. His sandy hair glinted in the sun. His lips were pink and plush, wet with juice from the popsicle, stretched nicely around the shaft… er, popsicle. The sunlight streaming through the kitchen window highlighted the strong lines of his jaw and the slight stubble that always made him look a bit rugged, despite his otherwise clean-cut appearance.

Kai made a funny little squeak as Casey slid the popsicle out of his mouth, his tongue flicking out to catch a drip of melted juice running down the side. It was an innocent act, but the way he moved—the deliberate, sensual nature of it—had us mesmerized.

Casey was in the middle of taking the popsicle hard and deep when he finally noticed our combined attention. He popped his lips off the popsicle with a soft, wet sound, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. "What?"

That one word shattered the tension like glass. Kai and I looked at each other, then burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the cozy kitchen. Casey's puzzled expression only made it funnier. I tried to catch my breath, clutching my stomach as if it would somehow help.

"Holy shit. That must be the happiest popsicle ever," Kai wheezed, his words barely coherent through his laughter.

"Seriously, guys, what's so funny?" Casey still seemed completely unaware of the effect he'd had on us. "Is this another one of your private jokes?"

"Nothing," I managed to gasp out between fits of giggles. We couldn't possibly explain to why we were laughing my sensible, slightly nerdy husband. He didn't need to know what exactly had set us off.

"You're both nuts," Casey concluded, shaking his head but smiling. He returned to his popsicle and phone, blissfully ignorant and still pretty damn lewd. "These popsicles are perfect for such a hot summer day. Do you guys want one?" Casey asked, walking over to the freezer. I shook my head and went to the cabinet and got a vase for the flowers, while Casey took out another popsicle and offered it to Kai with a flourish.

Kai's eyes flicked to me before he took it. "Don't mind if I do," he said, raising an eyebrow at me as he peeled back the wrapper. The way his lips curled around the tip of the popsicle made my heart skip a beat. He gave it a slow, deliberate lick, his eyes never leaving my husband's. And if I wasn't mistaken, Casey was blushing.

I swallowed hard, feeling warmth spread through me. There was something undeniably sexy about watching Kai with that popsicle, and it brought up much more explicit fantasies. Kai and Casey sucking each other like that.

I watched Casey, trying to discern if he was into what Kai was doing to the popsicle, but Casey returned to his spot at the stove, stirring his sauce, licking his popsicle occasionally as I told Kai a little about the historic cabin down the lane that my grandmother had left to my younger brother, a wildlife photographer who was rarely home.

When Kai bit the tip off his popsicle with a playful snap, Casey yelped. Interesting timing.

"Whoa! Water almost boiled over," Casey said, turning the heat down.

"Is that all?" Kai asked, and together we narrowed our eyes at Casey. It was nearly impossible to tell if my straight-faced husband was aware of the charged atmosphere or completely oblivious.

"I need to bake the garlic bread, so give me another fifteen minutes. Yara, why don't you take the keys and show Kai around the cabin?"

I tried my best not to look disappointed that the popsicle blow job standoff was coming to an end. After all, Kai would be living just a few hundred feet down the driveway. He and my husband could suck on popsicles for my entertainment any time.

Pushing away that ridiculous thought, I smiled, grabbing the keys off the counter.

"Come on. You can bring the popsicle." I waved Kai towards the front door. Kai shot one longing glance back at my husband.

"So, I know I told you this already, but you should bear in mind that the cabin needs a little work. Casey and I have been renovating the ranch house, but Sage has done nothing with his cabin, and it needed work to start with."

"He wasn't upset to get a tiny cabin when you guys got a whole ass house?"

I shook my head and led Kai towards the front door. "My grandma divided her estate based on what each of us needed most — Sage needed money to pursue his photography."

"And you needed your glassblowing studio and the house," Kai said, nodding. He knew that my grandmother had been the first to truly encourage my art, building a studio for me in her old barn. I still missed her dearly, and it was nice to spend time in the spaces that had been hers.

"Yep. She gave him the cabin so he'd have a home base between adventures, but mostly it sits empty. And a bit dilapidated."

"Not to worry, I'm very good with my hands," Kai said. From the kitchen, I heard Casey cough, but I was sure it didn't have anything to do with our conversation.

I opened the back door and led Kai out onto the porch. "You sure you're okay with the agreement to fix it up instead of paying rent?" I asked. "We'll cover any major expenses, so keep track of what you spend."

He finished his popsicle as we walked, looking up at the historic log structure as we approached it. "Yara, this is adorable. You could charge me rent."

"For a run down one bedroom place in need of repair?" I said, unlocking the door and pushing it open. "It was built in the 1800s as the original homestead. The ranch house we live in was built in the 1950s, replacing the cabin, but they kept the building for ranch hands, and later for guests." I held open the door and gestured for him to step past me.

He stepped inside, smiling brightly as he saw the quirky space. Kai was an artist like me, and I knew he'd be able to overlook the tacky wallpaper from the 1970s and see the beauty in the bones of the place. "Wow. It's incredible."

"As incredible as Casey eating a popsicle?"

Kai choked on a laugh, shaking his head. "Fuck me, you are a lucky woman, Yara. That man is perfection."

"He is," I said, grinning. "Sometimes it gets a little annoying, even."

"Yes, it must be annoying having that body and that big dick to play with any time you like." Kai rolled his eyes.

"Hush," I said, slapping his chest. I took him on a quick tour, listing off everything I could think of — the toilet that needed to be jiggled a little to stop from running, the hot and cold taps on the sink that had been switched at some point, the one light switch that always flipped the circuit breaker.

"And lastly, don't let Casey's cat in. He'll… well, let's just say you don't want Bruce to get any ideas."

"Bruce?"

"After Bruce Campbell. Casey won't say why. He does have the chin, though."

"And the chainsaw skills?" Kai said with a smirk. I laughed, shaking my head, thrilled to have my best friend back in tow.