Broken Home Pt. 04

Behind her, Hannah said, "I happen to know your server, and he wouldn't eat watermelon until he was like... fifteen, all because he actually thought one would grow inside his stomach If he swallowed a seed."

The mother's mood immeasurably improved at that, and she asked, "Really?"

"But watermelon's good!" one of the boys said, as though I had committed a serious crime.

"I love it now," I said.

Hannah continued serenely, "And if you overcook one of his grilled cheeses even just a little bit, he is the biggest baby."

"She says that, but what she means is she overcooked one for me once so much she set off the smoke alarm."

"Are you two a couple?" the mother asked.

We grinned at each other. "We are."

"Ohhh, you two are adorable," the mom said.

The dad cut in impatiently. "Can I get the creamy Italian dressing on that?"

My job to a T, ladies and gentlemen.

Hannah didn't exchange any more stories, but did buy a bag of chips and an iced tea. While I finished up, she sat at a table and ate, a lot of distance on her face as she looked out the window. I didn't know why until we were driving back to her mom's place.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Oh, just... I know my mom loves me. But coming out to her... it's a lot."

I thought of Rachel lapping at her mother's pussy that morning and fought down an urge to tell her the truth, that Deana was bi too. But that was not my truth to share. Instead, I took Hannah's hand and squeezed. "I think you could tell her anything and she'd still love you, Hannah."

"Not everything," she whispered, so faint I almost didn't hear it. Then, louder, she said, "You don't mind entertaining Rachel for a while?"

"Not one bit. You're really okay with me hooking up with her? It's not too late to say no."

"As long as you and Mom are okay with me hooking up with her too."

"I absolutely am and good God do I want to be in the middle of that boob sandwich."

She shook her head. "Oh God. I'm going to tell them you said that. Boob sandwich. You're not going to get laid for months. How did it go with Mom this morning? Did you two talk about the baby thing?"

"Yeah. And you were right. She does want more kids. And with me, which I know she loves me, but it's still crazy to think about. Even with everything the three of us have done, I still look at the two of you and see my best friend's mom and his sister. And that's still a really weird thing."

"I know what you mean. Sometimes I forget that we're all grown up and I expect you to be, like, twelve again." She was silent a minute. "And I still think sometimes he might just walk in the door, you know?"

"Yeah. I do. When I take the bus to work, it goes right by the Listing Pirate. I think about how much time we spent in that stupid store and it's like I get this funny feeling, like I'm living two lives and in one of them, we're walking out of there. I guess it's always going to be hard."

"I hear his voice all the time," Hannah said. "Especially at home. I keep thinking he's there and he's just... not. I wish he was there for this tonight. He'd make some stupid joke about checking out asses together."

Trying to make my voice sound thinner like Brandon's, I said, "Sweet. Now my sister's going to steal all my girlfriends."

"Sweet," she said, doing her own impersonation of Brandon's favorite word.

"So sweet."

She laughed, and reached out to squeeze my leg. "Thanks."

* * *

Deana knew Hannah wanted some time with her that evening but didn't know the reason why. She seemed worried about it, but there was no way to tell her it was okay.

In the meantime, I showered and changed while the three of them talked about takeout and put in an order at a favorite family Italian restaurant of the Labine family. My own parents took me there once on their recommendation, looked at the menu, and my dad declared it wasn't "our kind of food" before we wound up at an Applebee's. I mean, don't get me wrong, I fucking love Applebee's, but I think you get the point. The prices weren't crazy. My dad just saw all the "strange" ways they spelled things like parmesan and noped out. Cultured, I am not.

When I emerged, Rachel twirled the keys of her rental. "Ready to dazzle me, big guy?" she asked.

I came to her, wrapped one arm around her, and as Hannah and Deana both watched, I leaned in to kiss her. I intended it to be a silly thing, but her closeness and the feel of her in my arms made me change my mind, and I turned it immediately into something more searching. My hand around her back went to her ass in her skirt and squeezed, while my other roamed her back, pulling her tighter to me, making her gasp against my lips.

When I finally let her go, she took a half-step backwards, her lipstick just slightly smeared. "That... was a kiss," she said.

"Your lipstick-" Hannah said.

"Leave it," I said. "I want people to know she's mine this weekend."

Um. What? Where the hell did that line come from? The person I was just two months ago and the person I was now couldn't have been more different.

Then again, it seemed to work. Rachel looked at me like she might jump me right then and there, and Deana's own gaze got very, very cloudy, like she was thinking the same thing.

Finally, Rachel looked away from me and at the other two. "He is, um... very yummy, isn't he?"

"You haven't seen anything yet," Hannah said. "Wait until he takes you to bed and you see what he's working with." At Deana and Rachel's guilty grins, she asked, "What?"

"Rachel got in just before I left for work," I said. "She might have caught your mom and I at the kitchen table, ah, working on that little baby project."

"No," Hannah gasped. Then she gaped at the table. "Oh God, I eat here!"

"Tiiiime to go," I said, grabbing Rachel's arm and tugging her to the door.

Outside, in the beginnings of a light misting rain, I came around the rental to open Rachel's door for her. Instead of getting in, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down for another kiss. My hands roamed her again and I pushed her back against the rear door, loving the way her lips kept retreating and fluttering against mine, a fever of kisses.

I wanted to do more. I know she felt my hardness press against her, and I was sure if I hiked up that skirt, I'd find her wet and ready for me. But a block away was someone on a bike, and another neighbor was driving towards us. Too many people.

Reluctantly, I pulled away from Rachel, but cupped her face and came in for one more gentle kiss.

"Come live here," I said. "Be a part of this."

"I think I'm already sold," she said.

We got in. Rachel reversed out of the driveway before either one of us spoke. "I've been thinking a lot about it," she said.

"About the four of us?"

"Mm hm. Deana has told me about how you two came together after your friend's death, and I hope it doesn't come across as macabre, but I think that's a really beautiful thing."

"Hannah too. We had crushes on each other for a while, but that was the first time we slept together."

"That's really sweet. They both love you a lot."

"I love them," I said. "With all my heart. I would have been the luckiest guy in the world with just one of them, and with two... I don't know. Sometimes I feel guilty because I'm so happy now, because all this piggybacked on Brandon's funeral."

"Do you think he'd want you to feel guilty?"

"No. I really don't. I've thought about that a lot. I don't know what his reaction would be to me sleeping with his mom, but he knew about my crush on them."

"What did he do about that?"

I smiled, remembering. "Every time I'd stop and stare at one of them, he would smack me in the junk with the back of his hand. Not mean, just like a slap, basically. Then he'd tell me, 'No. No. Bad Nick. Bad.'"

"Like you were a puppy."

"Exactly," I said. "But there was this time, with Hannah, her boyfriend broke up with her right before her junior prom. She was heartbroken. Full on 'the world is ending' ugly tears and lots of slammed doors."

"I had a few of those days," Rachel said.

Our turn was coming up. I said, "Take the next right."

"I should have had you drive," she said. "But I suppose I'd better get used to the bright lights of Evanile. Anyways, what happened with Hannah?"

"Well, Brandon was playing a game and I was half-asleep on his bed watching him. Hannah and Deana were arguing about something dumb, not taking out the garbage or something. Brandon turned to me and said, 'You should ask her to prom.' I didn't think he was serious, so I laughed and told him yeah, right. But he really was, and he said, 'You wouldn't hurt her like that. You wouldn't be an asshole. You're what she needs right now.'"

"Oh my God, that is the sweetest thing."

"Yeah."

"Did you?"

"Yeaaaah. Kind of."

"Kind of?" she asked.

"In my fumbling teenager way. I was only fifteen or sixteen. I had a couple girlfriends by that point but Hannah always made me feel like the most awkward human being in the world. When she was alone and watching TV, I kinda did this stoop-shouldered shuffle out there, like I was being punished. I was so embarrassed and nervous and... it was Hannah, the girl of my dreams."

"Aw."

"I think my exact words were, 'Hey, um, look, you can go with me if it would make you stop yelling at everyone.'"

"No," Rachel gasped.

"Not my best moment."

She laughed, and I grinned too, thinking of Hannah jumping to her feet and getting right in my face, shouting that she was most definitely not shouting at everyone. She was furious with me for weeks after that, which in teenager time felt like an eternity.

After a moment, I asked, "Did Gordon give you hell in Philadelphia after that dinner?"

"No, not really. He didn't come home for a couple days, and when he did, I was gone. We were only at the phase where we were staying over, not really living together yet. He left me a couple messages, mostly ranting about the three of you, and then he tried to send flowers. I gave them to my assistant."

We talked a little bit about the road trip Deana and Rachel took that night of the dinner, and by that point, we were at the restaurant. We were told we still had another twenty minutes to wait so we sat at a small table and ordered two lemonades.

"I want to know more about you," I said. "What's this job interview you've got going tomorrow?"

"Oh! The Powder Day hotel chain, have you ever heard of them?" I shook my head. "They're an upscale place, sort of like a mini-spa and resort and hotel all rolled into one. Anyways, their headquarters are half an hour from here. Their head of online marketing is retiring this year. I've worked with them before producing some of their welcoming package videos, and they've been courting me for the position."

"So, like, social media and YouTube and stuff?"

"Yes, exactly. The pay is a little less than what I'm making now, but the cost of living is going to balance that out."

Our waiter brought us the lemonades, strawberry mango for me, regular for her. They were my favorite part of the place.

"And you wouldn't miss working in TV?" I asked.

"No, not really. My whole career was such a straight shot. I'm not complaining, not at all, but I'm ready to try something different. I loved acting in high school plays, and that was what I wanted to do in college, get a theater degree. So I did, and I had a lot of fun on stage. But my junior year, I fell on some ice and broke my arm. It wouldn't have ruined the play but after my director and I talked about it, we both thought it was a great opportunity for me to do some stage management and my understudy to step up. I really liked it, and I wanted to learn more and more about other parts of production. That became my career, doing stage management in Stamford."

"And what made you jump to television?"

"Friends in the industry. And the fact that I was starving and living with two of the bitchiest roommates in the world."

"Been there," I said. "Not Deana and Hannah, obviously."

She snickered. "It's great motivation, isn't it?"

"Oh, the best."

"Anyways, I jumped ship and started with the live production side for a news channel in Philadelphia. It went well, really well, and I took on more responsibilities and switched channels in my late twenties. Now I'm a full-blown producer. It should be a dream come true, but..."

"But what?"

"I don't want to come across as ungrateful for my opportunities and my luck in life. I really don't."

"No, hey," I said, reaching across the table and taking her hand. "It's okay. I'm here to listen."

"Deana said you're good at that. You always have been." Her thumb roamed the back of my hand, sending delicious little bolts of electricity up and down my spine each time. "It can be a really emotionally hard industry. I mean, you've seen the worst of it in the headlines. Things get nasty now and again. Old habits die hard and all, but it's more than that. It's a culture of disdain. People see me and they think I've blown my way to where I am, even if where I am isn't actually all that glamorous. I'm a metaphorical fireman. I put out people's dramas. And it's exhausting, Nick."

"I can't imagine. This new job, it would be better?"

"That's what I'm really curious about. I don't know. And I don't think this meeting tomorrow is really going to give me the answer to that. But it would be a change, and right now, I know that's what I need. I need to try something different before I'm chain-smoking and driving myself in to a heart attack in my forties."

Talk turned to other things, mostly my new job. Not once did she sound condescending or pitying about me working in fast food, mostly because she did much the same her first two years in college as a server in her cafeteria for her work-learn program. She was down-to-earth, sometimes pulling back shyly when she thought she was talking too much, but I was entranced by her words, her voice, the quiet presence of her. It would be silly and overly dramatic to say that it was love in those first few hours we had together, but there was a definite spark there, one I was eager to explore.

The food took longer to prepare than we anticipated, but that was okay. Rachel swapped to wine when I agreed to drive us back, and we even got a compliment on being a cute couple by a passing middle-aged woman. I liked that, and we both said our thanks while Rachel blushed like a teenager.

And when we finally did leave, I was sure of one thing. Rachel belonged with us.

* * *

We entered into a quiet house, and at first, I thought there might be trouble. But in the living room were Hannah and Deana, huddled together under a blanket, the TV off and a box of tissues beside them on the couch.

"Oh no," Rachel said. "Is everything okay?"

Hannah looked up, red-eyed, and smiled. "Everything is so much better than I hoped for. I, um... Rachel... I just came out as bi."

"And I told Hannah I was the same," Deana said, and kissed her daughter on the side of the head.

Rachel blinked and dropped her bag of food on the table. "Oh my gosh, that's wonderful. Honey, that's amazing. Do you need the house for a while? What can we do for you?"

"No, no, please, stay. I just wanted you to know because..." Hannah's eyes darted first to me, then her mom, and she stood up slowly. "Um. I hope... that is... if it's not too weird..."

She stepped closer to Rachel, and the blonde cocked her head, a slight smile crossing her face. "Ohhh." Rachel glanced at Deana, who smiled and dipped her head in a nod.

They both made the same move, leaning in. Hannah's trembling hand rose, then fell again. Rachel took it before their lips connected, a soft kiss of acceptance, of a blooming friendship and relationship. I don't mean to say it was not a sexual kiss. There was that energy too. But emotions were too high in that moment for any of us to trust ourselves to do more than make statements.

I left them to gather plates and silverware while they talked for a minute. Deana said, "I want you two to feel as comfortable with each other as I do with Nick and the pair of you. Is everyone okay with that?"

"Yes," I said.

"Definitely," Rachel said.

"Same," Hannah said.

The mood was celebratory, and the drinks flowed pretty easily as we ate dinner. There was a movie on in the background but hell if I can remember what we watched. I'm sure I wasn't the only one distracted.

At one point, as she opened another bottle of wine, Hannah asked, "So you two today...?"

Deana and Rachel looked at each other, and Deana giggled. "Oh, we might have fooled around."

"She is insatiable," Rachel said. We were rotating chairs pretty frequently, and at that point, Rachel was tucked in beside me, while Hannah and Deana sat on a loveseat and a recliner, respectively.

"Okay," Hannah said, bouncing in her chair. "Okay, okay, okay. Have you, um... have you two been with a lot of other women?"

"Hannah!" Deana said, blushing furiously. Or maybe that was the wine. We were all buzzed by then.

"Just two," Rachel said. "Well, three, after today. You?"

"Just my friend Kara," Hannah said. She clapped a hand over her mouth. "Oh my God, she's not out yet. I shouldn't have said that."

Deana said, "Nothing leaves this room. And don't worry. I knew. I saw her staring at your butt more than a few times."

"Thank you," Hannah said. Then she scrunched up her face and stared at her mom. "Oh. My. God. You and Jade."

Jade was a close family friend of theirs, a gorgeous woman of Irish and Chinese heritage with the most beautiful smile. Petite and sweet, that's about the best way to describe her. She was a lesbian who rarely dated, I knew that much. Brandon had the biggest crush on her. Hell, I did too.

And now I realized Hannah was right.

"Well... yes," Deana said. "But it was only a casual thing. We were friends for a long time before we slept together."

"I wondered why she stopped coming around. Did you two have a falling out?" Hannah asked.

"Mm. Kind of? I wanted more of a relationship. She wanted some fun."

"Is that what we are then?" Rachel asked. "In a relationship?"

"I guess that depends on if you move down," Deana said. "I don't want to pressure you, but yes, I could see this becoming a regular thing."

"Me too," Hannah said. "You're so sweet and beautiful and just... you need to move here! I'm not letting you say no."

Rachel laughed throatily and her hand went high on my hip. "I'm leaning more and more towards a yes every minute."

"I'm all for it," I said. I had my arm wrapped around her and took the opportunity to roam her breast. She mock-gasped, but leaned in to nuzzle my neck with her lips, stirring me to life.

"So what did you two get up to while we talked?" Deana asked.

"Mm," Rachel murmured against my neck. "We did a little making out right in front of your house."

"Gave the neighbors an eyeful," I agreed. The warm breath on my skin was driving me mad, and now I openly groped her tit, squeezing it and searching out the nipple under her top and bra.

"Details," Hannah said, bouncing again.

Rachel twisted so she had better access, nibbling on my ear now before she turned to the other two. "He pushed me back up against the car and had his hands all over me. Nearly made me..." She blushed and faltered.

"Come," Hannah breathed.

Deana took a long swig of her wine and said just as quietly, "Oh my."

I moved the hand at Rachel's breast down to her ass. She had a firm little bottom, smaller than either Hannah or Deana's, athletic and taut. I squeezed ad she moaned against my neck. Without thinking much about it, I pulled her tighter to me, and she came willingly, lifting a knee and half-straddling me in a scene not all that far off from how Deana and I first hooked up.

I sought her lips as she ground on my hip, moaning my name softly. "Nick... mm... Nick..."