CHAPTER EIGHT
Gabe was feeling good.
And that made him feel vaguely guilty, which he was trying to ignore.
After walking through The Mezzanine for about two hours, their visit a casual, lingering stroll among the art, they went for a walk along a trail that they’d spotted from the gallery.
The weather was actually better today, less cloud cover, more sun.
It had made a walk through the woods across the street very pleasant.
From there, he’d swung by a pizza shop for a few slices for both of them and a box of wings to share and some sodas, then had driven her to a park he’d always wanted to take her to but had actually forgotten about until just recently.
Luna Lake Park had an amazing view. One which they were currently enjoying.
After a ten minute walk up a nature trail, they came to a small plateau that overlooked the park, the lake it was built beside, a small forest, and a decent portion of the city. It had been empty when they’d arrived and now they sat together on a bench with their meals to either side of them.
Gabe was feeling good because Ellen was so clearly happy.
He was guilty because there was a part of him that knew he felt just a little bit better about making Ellen happy than he did about any of the other women in his life. There was just something about her, about their relationship…
He stopped thinking abruptly.
Why didn’t he do the thing he always wanted them to do?
“Hey, babe. I’ve got a weird...I guess it’s not really a question. I feel bad, and maybe you can help me feel better.”
“I will always say yes to that,” she replied, turning more to face him. “What’s the problem?”
“So, basically…” He paused, sighed. “This one might be a little more difficult to untangle because you’re somewhat biased about this. But whatever. So, I feel guilty because I apparently get more of a thrill out of making you happy than making anyone else happy.”
“Oh.” She paused, smiled a little, then seemed to consider it for a moment. “Well...that makes sense, don’t you think?”
“I mean, yeah, on a certain level. You’re older than me. We’ve known each other longer and had a preexisting relationship, as opposed to everyone else.”
“Yeah, and you kinda worship me.”
“I kinda worship you all.”
“Yes, but I was the first goddess in your pantheon.”
He chuckled. “Yeah, that’s true.”
“Gabe,” she said after a moment. “I think it’s important to appreciate the fact that all of our relationships with each other are going to be different. But the bigger thing to ask yourself is this: are you treating us any different because of this?”
“I mean, I don’t think so. I’m sure not trying to. But I’m afraid I’m doing it without realizing it.”
“I understand that fear, honey. But here’s the big hedge against this exact problem that you have access to: us. If any of us feel like you’re treating us worse than the others, or you’re giving someone special treatment, believe me, we’ll fucking tell you.”
He laughed, smiling, but it didn’t last long. “I believe you would. And Chloe. And Krystal. But Liz? Holly? What if they don’t speak up?”
“I also get that problem, too. The only real answer I have for you is this: it’s never going to be perfect, but that doesn’t matter, because what we have here is six people who are all willing to trust and work with each other.
If someone’s struggling or suffering, trust that at least one of us will pick up on it, and step in. ”
“Hmm.”
Gabe chewed over that for a moment, staring out over the landscape, the lake, the city. The clouds in the sky. He saw a flock of birds come in and settle among the trees, all of them chirping. This was incredibly peaceful and seemed to release some of the tension subtly infiltrating him.
“You’re right,” he said finally, turning back to her. “That makes sense.”
“Good.” She put a hand over his own. “You’re in an incredibly complicated position, Gabe.
You have five relationships. Like I was saying earlier: you are a fucking savant at this.
You are handling this very well. I think maybe you worry you aren’t, or won’t, simply because you have no frame of reference.
But we’re all happy, Gabe. And if we aren’t, so far it hasn’t been about you, and also you help us.
Trust me, trust us: you’re doing very well. ”
“I’ll trust you then,” he replied, then leaned in and kissed her.
She kissed him, held onto him for a few seconds, then released him. “If it was warmer and I was feeling just a bit braver, I would absolutely blow you right now.”
“Wow, that’s…” He looked around, feeling the temptation rise. But then stopped himself. No, too risky. “That’s cool. But probably not a good idea.”
She chuckled, grinning slyly. “You were tempted for a second there.”
“I mean, yeah. Of course I was. It’s a fucking blowjob from you.”
She snorted. “Nice to see, is all.”
They kissed again and then went back to eating, both of them hungry.
…
“So, you ready for a full body massage?” Ellen asked as they approached the massage parlor.
“Yes,” he replied.
But he was curious.
Because Ellen had been acting weird. They’d sat up there for almost an hour before coming back down and going for a few walks around the park.
He’d been feeling a little weird because he had for some reason assumed the gallery was going to take a lot longer.
But that was the nice thing about being in an awesome, healthy, compatible relationship: even just hanging out and talking could be a date.
Or at least part of one.
They sat in the car and talked, mostly about Recovery and also sex stuff, and it was only Gabe’s alarm buzzing in his pocket that tipped him off to the fact that it was time for the next thing.
And ever since then, as they’d begun driving there, (it was about a twenty minute drive), Ellen had been acting a little strange.
By now, he knew it was because she had a gift she wanted to spring on him.
It was interesting, because she had an almost perfect poker face, even to him, and yet there were things she just couldn’t seem to hide.
The way she smiled, the way she lingered when looking at him, the tone of her voice.
It was all tiny stuff, very little stuff that probably most people wouldn’t notice, but he did.
He was curious to see where this was going.
A minute later, they parked in front of a building with a blue-green exterior, sandwiched between a video game store and a Mexican restaurant.
It looked nice, though he didn’t think it was part of a chain.
He looked over at Ellen as he killed the engine, waiting to see what she would do.
She was staring at the building, looking a little lost.
No, indecisive.
Abruptly, she turned to face him. “All right, babe. I’ve been trying to figure out exactly how to do this next part, but ultimately I’ve decided that I’ll just tell you now, because even under the best of circumstances, I’m a little paranoid about springing sex stuff.”
“I’m listening...are we gonna fuck in there?”
She snorted. “No.” She paused. “Well, yes. But I mean, that’s not the surprise. So, basically, the reason I insisted on coming here is because one of Krystal’s old friends works here. Her name is Claire. I can explain more but, basically, Claire wants to give you a full happy ending.”
He raised his eyebrows. Somehow, he hadn’t anticipated this. Now that he’d actually encountered the truth of the situation, it seemed obvious, and yet he hadn’t figured it out.
“Oh.”
“That’s a good oh, right?”
“Yes. It is. Now, when you say happy ending…”
“I mean unprotected sex.”
“Oh, wow. Seriously?”
“Yes. Okay, so, I’ve already run this over with everyone. Also, just so you know…” She pulled her phone out of her purse and navigated it for a moment, then passed it to him. “Here, watch this.”
He accepted it from her and played a video. Holly, Krystal, Liz, and Chloe were all seated on Krystal’s and Liz’s bed down in the basement. They were mostly grinning at the camera.
“Okay, go,” Ellen said from behind the camera.
“Hey, babe,” Krystal said. “If you’re watching this, Ellen has just sprung Claire on you.
Now, I know we’re all about consent and making sure everyone is in the know, which is great!
This is the quick and dirty way of saying: yes, you can totally fuck Claire.
Without protection, too. She’s my friend from back in the day, we’ve kept in touch off and on, but we’ve reconnected and talked about this and she has convinced me that it’s safe to do this. ”
“And,” Ellen said, then whipped the phone around to face her, “more importantly, she’s convinced me that this is safe.”
“Oh wow, thanks, Ellen!” Krystal cried as she turned the camera back around.
“I think our dear husband trusts my judgment more than yours.”
“Oh, whatever! Anyway, we all know, we’re all cool, have fun!”
The video cut off. Gabe passed the phone back to her.
“So...interesting,” he managed.
Ellen laughed, putting her phone away. “Yes. Interesting. Are you cool with this? We can modify the plan if you want.”
“I mean...if you guys are completely sure that it’s safe, then yeah. I will happily accept this Valentine’s Day gift.”
“I thought so. Now, before we go in there, a few things. One: you can’t bust inside of her.
She’ll fuck you for a while, ideally until she gets off, and then I will ride you until you come.
Two: Do not mention this at all to anyone.
Don’t play coy or anything. This is technically illegal but, more significantly, both her and the other masseuse will get fired if this gets to anyone else.
This is not one of, you know, those massage parlors.
” She paused. “That came out kinda judgmental, but I didn’t mean it to.
Whatever. This is a special, private deal we have worked out.
Three: the other girl who’s going to be massaging me is cool and knows what’s happening. ”
“That all sounds good to me. What about you?” he asked.
“What about me? Oh, me and the other masseuse? No, we’re just gonna watch. She’s friends with Claire and they’re roommates, but she’s not into chicks and she’s also too shy to do stuff like this. Though she has no problem watching.”
“In that case, if you’re ready, I’m ready.”
She leaned over and kissed him. “Let’s go celebrate Valentine’s Day.”