Threeplay

"I don't believe men are simple. Their goal might be sex. But perhaps knowing a person's goals doesn't tell you everything about them? As easy as it is to look at a guy's actions and say that everything they do is for sex...perhaps...maybe you will someday consider looking at a guy and pondering all the actions that he didn't take just to get what he instinctively wanted. And I know how it feels...I am a girl too you know.

Men can appear to be a lot more attractive if they simply don't care about the woman they're trying to attract. It's easy to act confident around something they see as an object, you know. And maybe... just maybe... men know that too."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean. I thought men pretty much always saw a woman as an object, unless he's a nice guy and doesn't."

"Yes... and how many guys have you dated that saw you more as an object, and how many have you dated that saw you more as a person?"

"Well, more saw me as an object. It's hard to find the nice guys, they're the rare ones."

"They're the rare ones, or you just haven't dated many?"

"Well, they're rare in my world anyway!"

"Right."

"So you're trying to say that it's not that they're rare, just that I don't attract nice guys?"

"Sort of. I'm trying to say the nice guys don't attract you."

"But, that's exactly what I want is a nice guy who sees me as a person and respects me."

Alanis pondered how to explain her point. "Ok, let's say you have something you need to get out. An admission. You just want to get it off your chest, it doesn't matter to anyone. Something relatively minor, maybe you accidently forgot to call your mom yesterday when you were supposed to. Who is it easier to admit to, a rock in your lawn. 'Rock. You know, I forgot to call mom yesterday. Yep. I feel bad.' Or would it be easier to admit it to a friend. 'Jasmin, I forgot to call my mom yesterday. Yeah, I feel guilty.' Which do you think is easier?"

"Well, the rock obviously."

"Now, think back to high-school. Let's say you are going to have to ask a guy to prom for some reason. No guys are going to ask you, maybe they're all under the impression you have a serious boyfriend when you don't, or something like that. So, not who would you want to go with, but who is it easier to ask: An unattractive guy, or a hot hunk?"

"Well, it'd be easy to ask the unattractive guy because I wouldn't want to go with him as much and it wouldn't be as important. Plus the hot hunk has more chance to say no because he'd have other prospects."

"Right. Now, you have to ask the hot hunk. And I mean a hot hunk that you find attractive, picture your idea of a model guy. What do you do to mentally prepare yourself?"

"Oh, gee I don't know. I've never asked a guy out before." She sat and considered it for a few moments. "I guess I'd try to remind myself that it's not that important. I don't really know him. And it's just one date. He might be a real loser after one date."

"So, you try to turn him into more of an ordinary guy in your mind so that it's easier to ask him, then you can go back to thinking of him as he is.

Take it to an extreme. Maybe you try picturing him more like the unattractive guy from earlier? Maybe you try thinking of him as crappy, someone that you don't care about being rejected by, someone you don't want anyway. An asshole, a redneck, a worthless prick that you don't care about."

"Well, I don't think I would do that. But I guess you're right about it being the same thing just taken further along."

"And if you thought of your date as an object, it's also easier throughout the date too, right? I mean, there's no concern over whether you mess up, or whether the date is enjoying themselves, whether they like you or not, what they want, what they feel, anything, because they're just an object."

"Ah. I think I see what you're trying to say. It's easy to act confident around something they see as an object." She sat and pondered for a moment. Then added, "Well, I want a nice guy, one who respects me and sees me as a person, not an object. But, I have to be attracted to the guy too, I have to like him. A guy needs to be more than just nice, maybe that's the most important thing, but not the only thing."

Alanis replied, "Sure. And it's true too that there are guys who are nice because they aren't as attractive and are trying to compensate."

"So, guys have to give up this 'treat a girl badly' confidence boost in order to be a nice guy, confident in himself but ultimately respectful. Then you say that I don't find nice guys attractive, so they really need that 'treat a girl badly' image of extra confidence in order to attract me." She paused for a moment to try to follow the logic. It actually felt complicated. "So are you saying that I just don't mean it when I say I want a nice guy?"

Alanis had conveyed her viewpoint on men, but was not about to apply it to individuals. She wasn't here to pass judgment, and she realized she'd gone too far. "Sorry, Sienna. I wanted to make the point that I don't think men are simple just because their goals might be. I was being very black and white about it, to make my point, and it's really not. I really can't say how you are or how it applies to you." She paused. "I should go. I just came here to talk to you a little and I went and got carried away, saying things I shouldn't."

"No that's alright. I should have told you why I vanished from your lives. It's just easier to vanish than to confront someone. But, I could have at least left you a letter or something."

Alanis stood. "I'm forever your friend Sienna. You can call me whenever you want, for whatever you want. I love you sweetie."

They hugged again, and went their separate ways. Sienna went to her bed and began crying gently.

Chapter 14

Ethan and Sherri sat in silence. It was dark out, but there were city lights nearby, and people occasionally. They sat on a park bench just off the main drive.

"He's such a jackass, don't you see that?"

"No he's not. He's just... I don't know. The heart wants what the heart wants, you know? He's really sweet. I'm sorry, Ethan."

"I've seen how he treats you. He doesn't respect you. I don't know, maybe he's just better looking than me, probably is, but you're going to trade having respect just to have a guy that is perfect looking? Am I the Hunchback of Notre Dame or something? "

"No, not at all Ethan."

"You have to give something up to get something. If our roles were reversed, you'd have to be pretty dirt ugly for me to dump you for a girl who treated you that badly."

She didn't come here for this. Maybe she should have simply called him. Oh well, too late now she thought, have to finish this. "He doesn't treat me badly! He's just... he's not as formal as you, I think? Maybe he's not as respectful as you but he's not that bad, he would never hurt me and ..." she trailed off, grasping for some words.

His intensity became more inflected, moving towards anger. "I just don't understand it. He was with a different woman every day before he got his claws into you. He's a fucking bastard!"

Sherri became scared; she'd rarely seen him become angry. "You aren't going to do anything are you? Ethan, please..."

"No...No, I respect you. I respect your decision. No matter how foolish it is. I'm not the guy who persists on your doorstep, oh so romantically pushing you until you are unable to resist him and you feel overwhelmed. I should be. Just... not me."

"Thanks Ethan. You're a great guy. Really, you are, and I think you're going to find a wonderful woman someday who will love you better than I could."

"Sure. Thanks." He stood.

Chapter 15

"I love this restaurant, you know."

"I'm glad. I always liked it too."

"The soft lighting is very romantic."

"The soft girl in front of me is what's romantic." Ethan chuckled. "Sorry. That sounded like a line I would have used years ago."

"Don't be sorry. I like your lines."

"I like your lines too. They're both extremely creative, and very well defined at the same time."

Alanis laughed.

"I'm sorry Sienna never came back."

"Yeah. Sorry I was down for a while there."

"It's ok. You've more than made up for it both before and after. I love you."

"I love you too."

"And don't worry, Sienna doesn't know what she's missing. I think she is only beginning to comprehend the opportunity she threw away."

"Well, it was just for fun, after all."

"Even if it was just for fun, that is my goal."

Ethan smiled. He pulled something out of his wallet.

"I think it might be time for me to do away with this."

"What is it?"

Ethan flipped the photograph over. It was one of Sienna's erotic pictures. It was also the only one of Sienna's erotic pictures that had included Alanis in it. The two girls were naked, but their pussies were touching up against each other such that they obscured the view. Their breasts were creatively hidden as well, but the outline was there. Both girl was looking towards the camera, with bright, excited smiles.

Alanis felt flush that Ethan was showing the picture in the restaurant. Usually it was her that was more adventurous, but tonight he seemed to feel comfortable. Of course, the restaurant was pretty dark and relatively deserted.

"You kept that in your wallet?" She asked.

"Yeah. It was my favorite one. You were both in it, and you were both so happy looking. So excited looking. And so exciting looking."

"I would have thought the last one she gave you would have been your choice, she was more exposed in that one."

"Yeah, but I just liked this one better."

He sat it on the table and stared a few moments.

Alanis realized that he was not in any hurry to conceal it. She noticed the waiter coming. She started trying to beckon Ethan.

"Ethan." He was staring down at the picture. "Sweetie!"

The waiter reached the table, "Are you two doing alright?"

Ethan finally looked up, as if the picture wasn't there. "Oh, we're fine. Thanks." Alanis' eyes were about to bulge out of her head.

"Just let me know if you need anything. And, oh, the young lady at the far end of the room said she was an old friend and wanted me to give you this."

He dropped an envelope on the table.

"Normally, we wouldn't pass an envelope around like that, but she's in here all the time, and I've always liked her, so I figured it was ok."

He smiled and walked off. Alanis didn't know if he'd noticed the photograph. Hell, how could he not? She shook her head, almost forgetting the envelope. Then she remembered it and looked up to see who the waiter had been referring to. There were a couple of people at the other end of the room, but all were sitting away from her.

She opened the envelope.

There was no letter. No words. Just two remote controls.

They pondered at them in their hands, Ethan grabbing one, and Alanis looking at the other. Ethan pushed the button while looking up. As he did, he noticed a girl sitting at the far end of the room jumped a little. She was facing away from them, so he couldn't see her expression.

Alanis pressed the button on her remote. The girl jumped again, and this time turned her face. It was too dark to make it out. She stayed looking at them. Alanis pressed the button a second time. Suddenly, Alanis could see not only who it was, but that she had a look of having been punished. Alanis told Ethan to turn the knob. The expression changed to a smile. They locked glares for a while, exchanging a deep warmth and fondness in their gaze. After a few moments, Sienna stood and walked away, leaving the restaurant.

Ethan exclaimed, "Wow."

"Yeah, that was something."

"What does that mean exactly? Did she just want to see us one last time? Did she want to tease us? Was there a more deep message like, I'm in trouble, call police, psycho boyfriend wants to rape me?"

Alanis laughed. "I haven't a clue!"

They began to ponder. Alanis reminded him, "the heart wants what the heart wants sweetie. She wanted to tease us."

"Yeah. A nice thought." He smiled at the expression finally working in his favor.

"Perhaps, we girls are actually thinking creatures too though. Perhaps, when something is said, the subconscious hears it. Listens. Takes it in as best it can. Perhaps it's true that the heart ultimately decides, whatever that means. But maybe, the heart wants the head's help in figuring out what it has to choose between. After all, the heart is tucked away inside, only the head can see the world."

Ethan smiled and felt better at the thought. It gave him a little renewed faith in the opposite sex. Ethan sipped at his coffee. When he set it down on the table, the envelope caught his eye again. He took it in his hand and held it in the air. An ordinary envelope. What good were the remotes though if she was immediately going to leave?

Suddenly, Alanis was trying to get his attention. "Ethan! Ethan!" He looked at her, trying to figure out what she was trying to communicate. She was pointing at him. No, she was pointing at the envelope.

"What?" He looked at it, moved it in his hand. He checked a different angle, still confused.

"Flip it over!"

He flipped it over. His eyes went wide. It read simply, "Chase me, dummies!"

Ethan looked up at Alanis while taking it in. Her expression made clear that she was waiting for him to get caught up with the story. Ethan grabbed for his wallet and put the picture away. He stood and threw down some cash, a lot more than he should. Alanis stood too, and they made a run to follow her. Fortunately, they had something of a "find me" button in their hands.

The End