Felicity Ch. 09

Allen knew that by that time on a Friday night there was little chance they could get in so Edie would not have to do any embarrassing explanations that evening.

As he drove by the place they could see that the line to get in went on forever and there was absolutely no place to park.

Edie's mother sighed and said, "Well maybe another time."

"Tuesday nights are good I hear," Allen said to her.

Almost immediately he felt Edie kick the back of his seat.

Tuesday nights were the nights of specials for the theater district crowd.

"That's nice to know" Belinda said. "I will call Edie and tell her when I can make that trip. I guess for now I need to go home.

Allen could you take Edie home for me? My drive home is in the other direction and it is late for old people."

"Sure, no problem," Allen said, "Since you have old people to attend to."

Edie and her mother laughed and praised his "truly inspired malarkey."

Before she got into her car she said to Allen, "I though Edie was fibbing when she told me about her "boyfriend" and I am glad to see it was not all imaginary. Yes I know you are not a couple but I also see you care about each other. That is good enough for me, for now."

Edie's mother softly kissed Allen on the cheek and whispered to him, "Please watch over my baby."

Allen kissed her cheek and whispered, "I already do."

After a big hug and kiss Edie and her mother reminded each other of their love. As Belinda drove away she saw that Allen and Edie were holding hands.

"Ah, a straw for me," Edie's mother giggled. "How sweet."

It had not been a straw for Edie's mother; neither Edie nor Allen realized they were holding hands until it was time to get in his car. When they released each other's hand they mentally decided they would not stop the other from holding their hand if they wanted to do so, It would be OK they told themselves, they would not really mind.

It was the best they could do.

"Where to," Allen asked.

Edie looked at her watch and said, "I have at least two more hours to burn. Drop me off at the club. I can take a cab home from there."

"Why do you have two hours to burn?"

"My housemate should be in the middle of a threesome about now. She requested three hours of privacy then I could go home and join them. I have no interest in that so I need to stay out a while longer."

"Interesting," Allen said. "Are you sure you want to go to the club? Even with the VIP pass you did not mention to your mother you have it will take you a while to get in and once in you will not be able to move. Come home with me. We can watch Boheme if the disk is still in your purse. And I have some sweet wine. I can take you home when you are sure the coast is clear."

"You promised Mom you would keep an eye on me didn't you?"

"Did not," Allen said. He knew he was not telling a lie. He had told her mother he already was. He was somewhat stunned to realize how true that statement was.

Edie smiled as they drove downtown.

She wondered what the night would bring and decided anything at all would be fine with her.

Aoede placed her head on her sister's lap and hummed the melody that she gifted to Edie and Allen. Klotho smiled as she twisted their golden threads a bit tighter together.

Their first evening together did not go as either Edie or Allen expected. Of course since neither knew what to expect of the evening it was OK.

The one thing they had not considered at all was that they would have company.

As they neared his home from the deli restaurant they drove into a heavy rain. He had a parking garage that had an entrance directly into his building so he was not worried about it. When he opened his front door the first thing he saw was his cousin Carly wearing one of his t-shirts. Her hair was sopping wet.

As he and Edie walked all the way in he saw her fiancé Jimmy in the kitchen apparently making hot chocolate. He was wearing one of Allen's gym shorts.

As was usual for her Carly jumped into Allen's arms and gave him a fierce kiss. She then introduced herself to Edie as Allen's former mistress. Jimmy came over and he and Allen did their air kiss thing and he introduced himself as Allen's former mistress.

Edie could immediately see that they were family and introduced herself as Allen's future mistress,

"At least for the press releases."

Carly was the only one to see Allen blush and smiled knowingly. She gave Edie a hug and whispered, "Good luck with that."

Edie was about to let go of an appropriate line but realized that Carly meant exactly what she said, leaving Edie speechless.

Carly was the only one to see Edie's blush.

Edie was surprised that Carly and Jimmy knew about her. Allen had mentioned her to them during the previous weekend when they attended a wedding. He had mentioned her several times, at length.

Jimmy and Allen went to the kitchen to brew up a bigger batch of hot chocolate and Carly joined Edie on the couch.

"Did people really throw cream pies at each other during the rehearsal dinner last week as he claims? Edie asked.

"Yes, but just the women," Carly answered. "It has become a tradition in my extended family. The women in our family do not always adhere to the standards of decorum and get a little wild at times.

It started as a food-fight that erupted between Mom and my aunts during the rehearsal dinner of one of their dear friends who now that I think about it is now my aunt too.

Anyway the dinner had just started but soon everybody was hurling food at everybody. It was a seafood dinner so most of the flying objects were fried shrimp and oysters, and lots of fries. Some caught what was thrown at them, ate half of it, and then threw the remains in the direction it came.

The men, (being the cowards that they are), slinked out of the room. By the time it ended all the women were laughing uncontrollably.

They all agreed it was the most fun any of them had in years.

Since then there have been wars of some kind at each rehearsal dinner. The weapons change but they all begin with an altercation between the sisters, Mom and my aunts. The men know to sneak out as soon as the verbal abuse begins although that did not help Allen last weekend. Before he left the room I ran after him and hit him squarely in the butt with a pie."

"Hmm. He omitted that part of the story," Edie said. "I am sorry I missed that. Maybe you can get me an invitation to the next one."

"Done. The next wedding is mine. Jimmy co-stars as the groom. Allen has an also starring in the role as best man. Now that I think about it you were probably going to be there anyway. How long have you been dating?"

Edie hesitated a bit then explained, "I don't think we are dating. We just seem to end up in the same places at the same time. Some wildly imaginative force is pushing us together."

Unseen in the room, Klotho, the weaver of life's threads took a bow as her sister the music muse Aoede applauded. They nodded in thanks to their father for providing the very localized thunderstorm. They had wanted Allen's second bed occupied.

Edie continued, "Tonight he showed up out of the blue at the deli where I was trying to convince my Mom that I had male friends and even a sort of boyfriend. I waved at him as if I was helping him find us and when he came over I told him that we were getting worried about him since he was so late. He sat with us and he played the part of my semi-boyfriend perfectly. Mom loves him already even though she is sure we are not a real couple.

We came here because I did not want to go home tonight, my roommate has multiple companions right now. She is a lot more liberal in her choices for company than I am."

"She has guys there?"

"Two guys, three girls. They wanted four girls. I passed."

"Jimmy and I skirted around that world until we found out how intensely jealous I could get. He once congratulated me for not punching out a woman that grabbed his dick at a club."

Edie took a closer look at Jimmy and ventured that such events will probably happen again. "He is very handsome," she said.

Carly sighed and said, "Yeah, he is. Somebody must be looking after me because he is just as beautiful inside."

Aphrodite joined her cousins and accepted their kisses.

"How does it feel to be madly in love with someone?" Edie asked her.

"Like being in the eye of a hurricane, peaceful with a chance of disaster."

"Sounds like you need Zantac, Valium, and maybe a helmet," quipped Edie.

As they giggled over that line the men presented them with mugs of chocolate and sugar cookies. Edie had a surprise in her chocolate, Kahlua.

She was informed it was a family thing.

They talked and laughed well into the night. It did not take long for Edie to be perfectly comfortable with them. Eventually they noticed that somewhere along the way it had stopped raining and it was past two in the morning.

Jimmy and Carly announced they were going to bed and after saying goodnight they walked to Allen's studio/extra bedroom.

Carly flipped up the back of her shirt and flashed her naked ass at them.

Edie asked, "Does she always do that?"

"Only since Jimmy. She was a career driven lesbian nerd before that."

Allen stood and pulled Edie off the couch. Without releasing her hand he led her to his bedroom.

"I was going to sleep in the other bed tonight but it is about to get noisy in there. I have an extra big bed so we can share it and use our cell phones to talk to each other.

Edie smiled at the line but when she saw the bed she had to admit it was the biggest bed she had ever seen, bigger than a king.

"Where did you get this monster?" Edie asked.

"Warner Brothers. It was a prop in a movie. And no, I will not sell it to your roommate."

Edie giggled and asked him for a shirt to wear to bed.

He handed her an open mesh shirt with no sleeves.

Edie laughed and asked, "You wear this?"

"Only once at a costume party. I was very put out when I saw three other guys wearing them."

He handed her a dress shirt and pointed at the bathroom. "Use my toothbrush if you must," he said.

Edie made a sound of disgust.

When they traded places in the bathroom he noted that she had indeed used his toothbrush. He found himself smiling over that. "Odd," he thought. Why would that make me feel happy?"

When they went to bed there was probably a mile and a half of space between them, twenty minutes later they were about ten inches apart.

Edie kissed Allen softly on the lips.

"Thank for keeping an eye on me. I will tell Mom you are on the job."

"Keeping an eye on you may be my easiest job."

Edie leaned over towards him and kissed him again.

"What was that one for?"

"No reason. I just wanted to kiss you."

Edie looked at him and said, "It's your turn to kiss me for no reason."

"You want me to kiss a girl?"

"Yeah, it is really fun. I do it all the time."

Allen leaned towards her and kissed her, then kissed her again. They were not quick pecks on her lips but they were not the kisses Edie was hoping for. His third kiss was interrupted by a primeval wail.

Allen and Edie started laughing and Edie rolled over away from him onto her side and backed up to him. She took his upper arm and draped it around herself. He snuggled to her and kissed her hair until another wild sound joined them.

Edie giggled and said, "It must be nice to have what they have. They are not holding anything back from each other. Especially not the screams."

"There is one more, the duet," Allen said.

Sure enough about five minutes later first Carly then Jimmy announced that all was well in the world.

Edie and Allen softly chuckled and went to sleep.

When Edie awoke the next morning she noticed that Carly was again wailing then noticed that Allen's very erect dick was wedged between her ass cheeks. She wondered if he had done that on purpose or if it was just the normal morning woody she vaguely remembered men woke up with.

Allen was asleep. Edie debated in her head whether she was relieved or disappointed and did not come to any conclusion.

The sounds of soft footsteps got her out of bed. She again used Allen's toothbrush and went out to the living room. Carly was fishing out hers and Jimmy's clothes out of the dryer. She was nude.

"I'm sorry Edie, I did not mean to wake you up."

"No problem, I love to hear you sing," Edie said.

Carly blushed from head to toe.

"Its not my fault. That man in there, he's, he's...."

"Good?"

"Yeah, that's the word. Real, real good."

"Do you realize that when you think of him your nipples want to go find him?"

"I did not know it was that obvious."

"Well it is now, you are naked."

"Humm, do you like my nipples?"

"Yes, I do."

"Would you like to kiss them?"

"Maybe later, when Allen is not standing behind me."

Both ladies burst into giggles and Carly hurried back to the other room to get dressed.

"Does Carly tease you like that often?"

"Only since Jimmy. Let me start the coffee. Would Cafe DuMond be OK?"

"Better than OK. I'll go get dressed."

"Are you leaving right away?"

"Well no. I just figured you needed to do things today and I wanted to be ready so you could take me home when you are ready to do those things, today."

"I wont be ready to take you home until after I cook you breakfast......... and lunch. I will be ready then. But we might go out to dinner then I will probably be ready to take you home.

Oh. Wait, sorry, I did not think this through. Do you have something you need to do earlier than that? Today?"

"No. Your schedule is fine with me."

Both stared into the each other's eyes and could hear their own hearts beating wildly. Each wondered exactly what they had just agreed to do. They each heard themselves babble but neither picked up that the other was babbling too.

Aphrodite kissed her cousins goodbye. Her work was done.

Carly and Jimmy exited the bedroom fully clothed and Jimmy saw that Allen had been distracted in the middle of making coffee, he and Edie were just standing there with goofy smiles on their faces.

Jimmy took over the coffee making and got Allen's attention long enough to get him to prepare toast.

Carly took Edie's hand and pulled her into Allen's bedroom. They sat on the bed and Carly gave Edie a soft, sweet kiss on the lips. She whispered in her ear, "Welcome to the family. I can promise you that all of us will love you."

Edie sputtered, "But, but, I ,we, Allen, we,,,,,"

"Are crazy in love with each other. Yes, that is easy to see. And yes, I know it's scary as hell. But for the two of you it is a done deal so you may as well go from there.

You can take a few weeks if you like but you already know the love of the rest of your life is in the kitchen trying not to burn toast.

He does not know that you have already changed his life.

He does not know that he would rather eat a car bumper than disappoint you in any way. Actually he probably knows that already.

I got lucky, Jimmy and I knew in less than twenty-four hours. I have aunts and cousins that have taken over a year to figure it out. We make fun of them.

Two of my aunts and my Mom firmly believe that women have to slap men into their senses and just tell them who they really are.

It really does not matter what you do to make Allen realize what you are to him. You may scare him and he may run away but he will return.

Deep down he already knows."

Edie looked at Carly and suddenly began to sob. Carly hugged her and kissed her cheek.

Edie said, "I think I am going to need a helmet. Got any Valium?"

They giggled and hugged.

They heard Jimmy shout, "Coffee!" and returned to the living room.

Aoede wondered if Klotho had guided Carly in that speech. She said no. Aoede then understood why Carly was one of Klotho's very favorite humans.

The coffee was perfect and the toast was edible.

Soon Carly said, "It's time to go home.

And get naked.

It's Sunday."

As soon as they left Edie asked Allen if what Carly said was true.

Allen said, "Yes, it's true. If they have chores or shopping or feel they need to go to mass that is all done in the morning.

At one in the afternoon their clothes come off and do not go back on until they dress for work Monday morning.

Sex happens. Often.

They will not dress for close family members so if we end up going to see them some Sunday afternoon be prepared. We may do that sometime since they have a beautiful yard and a big beautiful hot tub.

They do put on robes for regular visitors but for some reason Carly has already decided you are family so don't expect that consideration.

No they wont have sex in front of you but you may hear them.

Oh, sorry. You already have."

They laughed as Edie helped Allen clean up the kitchen. They took their refilled coffee mugs into the living room and sat on the sofa close to each other listening to his Puccini Without words CD.

Edie felt Allen fidget when the music got to the Mimi aria. She looked at him and saw tears falling from his eyes.

"You are such a beautiful man," she said to him and kissed his lips and his tears.

Klotho now understood why Allen was one of Aoede's favorite humans.

Allen apologized for his lack of manliness.

Edie giggled and said, "It has nothing to do with manliness. You simply feel the beauty of the music more than most people. Mom is like that, she cries every time she hears Clair de Lune.

Funny, I used to be like that until I started playing. Now I am more concerned with the fingering than with the music itself."

Allen smiled and said, "By fingering I assume you mean on the strings."

Edie immediately jumped on him and tried to gently rip his head off. That attack quickly turned into an embrace then to a soft kiss. Edie finally got the kiss she wanted from Allen. They looked into each other's eyes and smiled.

Edie got off his lap and as she walked to the kitchen for a coffee refill said, "By the way, you can kiss me anytime you want to, and you may as well. I am going to kiss you anytime I want to."

"Good to know," Allen said.

He was confused, conflicted, on edge.

He was ecstatic and terrified.

He felt as if he was falling. Up.

He wondered if pastrami had side effects.

He decided not to decide. He needed a better handle on things.

He really did not have much time left to do that. Edie had already decided that at one that afternoon their clothes were coming off.

It was well past noon and Edie and Allen were in the kitchen preparing lunch. They had both already agreed that cooking together was fun and had discovered that they worked in the kitchen smoothly .

Edie had quartered some new potatoes and was smothering them in olive oil, rosemary, and black pepper in a bowl. Allen had thinly sliced skinless chicken breasts and as soon as Edie took the potatoes out of the bowl he put the chicken in the same oil and added lots of garlic to the mixture.

Edie found a cookie sheet she needed but not the aluminum foil. She was about to ask Allen about its whereabouts when she noted the time.

Aphrodite again joined Aoede and Klotho. Aoede's daughter Erato joined them, she liked to watch.

It was one o'clock. Edie washed her hands then removed all of her clothing while still in the middle of the kitchen then walked into the bedroom and laid them on the bed. As she returned to the kitchen, acting like there was nothing amiss, she asked Allen where the aluminum foil was.

Allen was catatonic, unmoving, his brain had short-circuited at the sight of the naked Edie. Somehow his misfiring synapses convinced him that staring at the nude Edie was against the law, but he was helpless, he could not look away. He expected a short trial and a long sentence.

Edie pointed at the clock and acted as if she was hurt by the fact that she was the only one naked after one in the afternoon on a Sunday.