Epilogue Jackie
The screen lit up with Hana’s name, and I answered before the second ring.
Her face appeared, a smile curling on her lips. She was nestled on her couch, wrapped in a fleece blanket with a cup of tea in her hand. Her hair cascaded down her shoulders, and I could see the view of the East River and Manhattan behind her.
It had been two weeks since we saw each other in person, but it had only been eighteen hours since we last spoke on the phone. Twelve since we texted. Things felt back to normal. As normal as they could be.
I smiled, sitting up in bed. “Hey, stranger.”
Elliott had left a steaming cup of coffee on my bedside table, kissed me quickly, and hurried back to the kitchen to finish making breakfast.
“Hey yourself,” she said with a soft smile. “How are you feeling?”
I shrugged. “I’ll feel better once this coffee hits my brain,” I said, taking the hot mug in my hand. “Assuming it finds one in there.”
She laughed, and the sound of it made my whole body feel warm and calm.
We talked about the day ahead—work, book deadlines, how they were decorating the Christmas tree with Jenny later, Jack being too intense at the gym, Elliott intent on his idea to adopt a cat.
But beneath it all, there was something unspoken. Something we hadn’t talked about.
“I miss you,” she said suddenly, quietly. “Is that weird to say now?”
“No,” I whispered. “I miss you too.”
Her eyes dropped for a second, then came back to mine through the screen. “Sometimes I think about that weekend and wonder if it would’ve gone differently if things had slowed down. If we hadn’t gotten so caught up.”
I nodded. “Me too.”
Neither of us said what we really meant. That maybe some part of us still ached for something more. That maybe our friendship carried something sacred, something more than what we had now.
But we didn’t push it. We just stayed there, holding space through a screen. Letting our hearts speak in glances and silences.
“I’m glad we’re still…us,” she said finally.
“Me too,” I whispered with a smile.
The screen dimmed a little as she shifted, laying her head down on a throw pillow.
We were silent, but we stayed connected, quiet and warm, the way we always could be.
Even if everything else had changed.
* * *
Five months later.
New York in the spring was my favorite time of the year.
I’d been trying to convince Elliott that we should spend part of each year here.
He could easily work remotely, but I didn’t know what I’d do; I couldn’t exactly take that kind of time off from my job at a packed West Hollywood restaurant, but it was a nice dream to have.
A little version of our life we could try on from time to time.
Elliott and I had come out for a long weekend, some time to get away from the LA heat and to visit Jack and Hana.
We hadn’t seen them since Tahoe.
There had been daily texts, phone calls, FaceTimes. Nothing more. We didn’t cross those lines again.
Hana met us downstairs, her cheeks pink with excitement as she pulled me into a hug that lasted just a little too long. I didn’t mind, nor did I let go first.
Jack followed behind her, grinning like he knew something the rest of us didn’t. He shook Elliott’s hand, then pulled him in for a brief hug. Something passed between them, something unspoken. Or maybe spoken quietly, when we weren’t around. Hana and I never asked.
They led us upstairs.
Their apartment was warm and bright, cozy in a way that felt lived in. Their artwork covered the walls, pieces from Hana, from Jack, from Jenny. Jenny was at Emily’s apartment; we’ll catch up with them later, Hana had said.
We had been here countless times before, but now…it felt different, somehow.
I sank onto the couch beside Hana, my bare thigh exposed from my short dress, brushing hers. It lingered, and she looked at me like she remembered everything, like she hadn’t stopped thinking about it either.
In the kitchen, Elliott and Jack cracked open a bottle of whiskey. We stayed in the living room, curled into the couch, talking about nothing in particular.
The guys started laughing louder than I expected them to.
Hana and I turned to each other with confused grins. “Since when did they become best friends?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I shrugged. “I have no idea. But I kinda like it,” I said, brushing Hana’s shoulder innocently with mine.
But she turned to me and beamed, and I think we both knew that touch meant more than it seemed.
Jack wandered into the living room first, whiskey in hand. Elliott followed, sitting beside him in a matching arm chair, their knees nearly touching, their posture open and unbothered.
There was a beat of silence. Then Jack spoke, his usual smirk crossing his lips. “We talked about it,” he said. “Elliott and I. About boundaries, about what we’re okay with.”
My heart skipped.
“What?” Hana and I managed to say at the same time.
Elliott and Jack glanced at each other with grins.
“We’re not interested in anything more than…watching,” Elliott added. “Not this time.”
Not this time.
I turned to Hana, and she was already looking at me; there was a question in her eyes, and I answered it by kissing her.
Soft, slow, and familiar. But new all over again.
We shifted as we leaned into each other, our mouths slowly moving together, our hands tentative at first but growing wild each passing second. Her fingers slid into my hair and mine traced down to her breasts. Every inch of her against me ignited something.
The men said nothing, but I didn’t need to look to know they were watching.
Hana’s hand slipped under my dress, finding my underwear already soaked for her. She pulled the fabric aside and slid two fingers in.
“I missed this,” she whispered against my mouth, kissing me again as my hips rose to meet her touch.
I moaned softly, pulling her closer.
She ground against my thigh, her body melting into mine, and then a voice broke through.
“Jacqueline,” Elliott called out, and Hana and I pulled away from each other to glance over at them.
My mouth dropped at the sight. He and Jack already had their cocks out, peeking out from their boxer briefs, but Jack’s hand was slowly gliding up and down Elliott’s shaft.
It was the hottest thing I’d ever seen, watching my husband getting pleasured by another gorgeous man.
“Is…” Elliott started, catching his breath. “Is this okay?”
I bit my lip to stifle a smile. My sweet, sweet Elliott, asking permission to get a handjob from Jack, as if I would protest. He should’ve known me better than that by now.
“Yes, baby. You can touch him too,” I said softly, and Jack licked his lips in response, glancing over at Elliott.
“If you want, mate. Feels good, I promise,” Jack said with a smirk, but I could see the hope in his eyes.
Of course he wanted it. I’m sure even a straight man would want a handjob from Elliott.
Hana and I were still as we watched Elliott’s hand reach for Jack’s hard cock. His fingers finally brushed it, then took a firm grip to it, stroking it slowly.
“Oh, fuck, yes. That’s it,” Jack groaned, closing his eyes with pleasure.
Elliott looked over at me as his strokes grew quicker, matching Jack’s pace.
“That looks so fucking hot, baby,” I praised him, my pussy even more drenched now. “You can do more, if you want. Anything you want,” I said smoothly.
Hana moaned as she looked down at me. “Fuck, this is amazing,” she whispered, glancing back up at the men before working my clit with her finger.
I gasped, still watching them as I lifted Hana’s dress up and searched for her wet spot. Fuck, she was soaked. I circled her clit as I slid a finger in. We ground into each other’s hands, hips rocking faster, pleasure building with every breath.
Jack and Elliott were still watching us as they pumped each other quickly, but Jack was the first to look back at Elliott, his wicked grin returning.
“I could suck your cock,” Jack said to him casually yet breathlessly.
Elliott’s eyes flickered to Jack’s, then back to mine. I nodded, giving him more reassurance.
“Yeah,” Elliott responded, just as breathless. “Okay.”
Hana and I ground into each other quicker, as if the more the men did, the more we got turned on. I knew for me that was true.
Jack slid down to his knees, now taking his own cock in his hand as he sat in front of Elliott.
“Impressive,” Jack said, taking Elliott’s cock with his free hand, then slowly pressed his lips to the head of his cock.
Elliott immediately groaned, his head tipping back and his eyes closing.
“Fuck,” I whispered, then pushed Hana to her back as I got up and straddled her. “These two are driving me crazy,” I said, looking down at her as I ground my hips into hers.
“It’s so fucking hot,” Hana said, loud enough for them to hear.
I looked back as Jack bobbed his head over Elliott’s cock, his hands stroking them both. Elliott was gripping the chair, watching us with wide, wild eyes.
“I’m gonna come,” I gasped, and Hana’s moan joined mine as we crashed into each other, our bodies shaking with release.
The rhythm didn’t stop; Hana and I came again, and again, our eyes never leaving the men.
Elliott’s eyes flickered between us and Jack. “I’m gonna fucking explode,” he muttered, lifting his hips in sync with Jack’s rhythm.
“Do it, baby,” I praised. “It looks so fucking good.”
Elliott groaned as he watched, his primal moans intoxicating as I watched his face contort into pure pleasure as he came in Jack’s mouth.
Jack stroked himself through his own orgasm seconds later, his moans drowned beneath the rest of ours as he continued to slowly bob his head up and down on Elliott.
The room was silent besides the sound of our breaths catching and the heat of what we all just did together.
Jack sat up and wiped his mouth with his fingers, glancing at me and Hana, then up at Elliott.
“Well, that was quite exciting,” he said playfully, his dimples deepening as his eyes squared on me. “Your husband is delicious.”
Elliott let out a dazed laugh.
Hana and I joined in, both nodding.
And as we lay there, something about it all felt easy.
Something about it felt like a new beginning.