Dream a Little Dream Of Me Pt. 02a

Guys

I need to think this over.

J

It had been too good to be true, I thought. It had been too seriously bizarre to be true.

**********

That night, we had sex. Slow then fast. Rough then tender. Intimate and friendly and loving. Just like in the old days. Still, it seemed that the bed was too big for two. We both lay awake for some time after. I was thinking about Justine. I didn't speak my fears aloud.

Chris held me tight and breathed, "I know."

And just before dawn, wouldn't you fucking know it, Chris woke me up with her moaning.

I said out loud, "Not this shit ag--"

When she said clearly, "Justine...."

She fumbled for me, grabbed me, and kissed me like I had been at sea for six months.

Her eyes popped open. "Matt! I saw her!"

**********

Once Chris saw Justine in a dream, healthy and happy, our apprehensions about her eased. Vengeful boyfriend, attractive young woman alone and distracted by relationship stress -- yeah, we had been worried. Maybe she would never come back to us, but we had grown to care for her in our short time together and wanted the best for her.

We thought about contacting her, but we agreed that she needed space. In the end, we each sent her one short text and then laid off. She already knew how we felt about her.

Two days later we arrived home at about the same time and sat down to open the mail, have a drink, and talk about our days.

A key rattled the front door lock.

We jumped up as one and ran to see.

Justine walked through the door. And we stared.

She was the same person but not the same. Her hair, previously jet black and unkempt, was cut in a neat pixie bob streaked with blonde. She wore a tight red dress that came to mid-thigh and red heels. I had never seen in anything other than jeans and obscure band logo Tshirts.

I saw the tattoo around her bicep. It was her, all right.

Chris whistled like a construction worker.

Justine just stood there, obviously nervous. She wrung her hands and glanced back and forth between us.

"I had to go home and think about this...." She blurted out. So unlike the self-assured woman we had come to know.

Here we go, I thought. This is wrong. I am back in love with my boyfriend. My parents threatened to disown me. I am really a lesbian. I am really not a lesbian. Jesus don't like threesomes.

Didn't matter. She was checking out.

But then--

"I only had to think about it for ten minutes. The rest of the time I was... busy. Sorry I didn't call or text. I didn't know what to say."

She opened the sequined purse hanging from her shoulder and drew out a rectangular box. She flipped up the top.

Inside were three silver rings.

She closed her eyes.

"I love you two. I want you to be my lovers. I want to be your lover. I don't know what we will call it...."

Chris reached to the box and touched one of the rings gently. "These are gorgeous."

I was gobsmacked. "What are you proposing?" But I knew what, just not how to define it.

Justine plucked out a ring. She stepped close and took my left hand. She slid the ring onto my finger next to my wedding band.

She embraced me and gave me a deep and long kiss.

Then she repeated the movements with Chris.

My wife and I looked at one another, and without a word I removed the last ring from the box.

Justine extended her fingers. Chris put her hand over mine, guiding mine, as we placed the ring onto our very good friend.

**********

Six months later, I was lying on my new king mattress set, staring up into the blackness of the predawn room, and wondering what the truck that hit me had been carrying.

Not too long ago I had been headed out the door with a full suitcase, skulking away from my true love. Over a goddamn dream. Over nothing tangible.

Luckily, the universe tossed a bump into my road and I veered off tits up into a ditch before I could follow through on the worst decision of my life.

My right hand lay softly on my sleeping wife's stiff bush. I teased it with my fingertips.

My left hand drew small soft circles on Justine's stubbly mons. She licked her lips in sleep and sighed.

Slight pressure on both of my forearms reminded me of the two new bumps.

The one in Chris's belly and the one in Justine's.