Finally, a Day Off

"I've had a single day off in the last month. Do you see Grace often?"

"Her and Lex are practically attached at the hip, and whenever I'm not in class, I'm at the brewery."

"She does sound sickeningly happy every time I talk to her," Celina said with a smile. She was ecstatic that her bestie had found a soulmate. Especially one that fully embraced Grace's free-wheeling nudity. "How much of her do you see?" Celina asked with a smirk; knowing that Rae was comfortable with him would tell Cel a lot more about him. Guys might be able to hide their bullshit for a while, but two months without a slip would be telling.

"Well, they usually stay at Grace's place, but they were holed up at our apartment for a week when the wiring and pipes were getting redone at Rae's place. Both the ladies were very comfortable all week." AJ grinned but didn't want to come out and say it in public.

*BA-Ding!* Celina's cell phone interrupted the conversation. She knew that Grace had been naked at the twin Alexes' apartment. It might have been a test for AJ.

"Lamar's not coming." Celina let him know.

"Did he give a reason?"

"His message said, 'Getting laid. Make up something.'"

"Well, damn. I wasted a drive up here to interview him."

"What was he interviewing for?"

"We need a head chef for the brewpub we're opening. Doing an interview at his current employer seemed like an odd move."

"You won your bet!" Celina couldn't resist reaching out and giving AJ a high five.

"I sure did. She had three beers take first place in their categories!"

"Lamar's good, but I think he's absorbing our boss's positive and negative teachings. He wanted to show off that he was wanted by someone else."

Celina thought about whether this place was helping her grow as a chef any longer. There wasn't much of a future here anymore, and she was fed up with being overworked and underappreciated. The advertising campaign that was supposed to feature both the chef and Cel was pared back to just the chef.

"Stay for dinner service tonight. Let me interview for the position." Celina surprised herself as she went after what she wanted, both for her career and her life outside of it. Seeing AJ just confirmed that she was unhappy here in Denver. She might get fame and perhaps get noticed and follow in the footsteps of her boss with a TV show; however, that wasn't her road to happiness. Cel wanted friends, family, and fulfillment, not endless hours and her face on streaming shows.

"Really!? I don't think we pay you what you're worth. At least not yet." AJ looked down; his confidence faltered for a moment.

"Can I set my own menu? That's a huge percent of my asking price."

"Of course. Some of it must pair well with Lexi's concoctions, but she has a broad range of brews."

"Excellent. Would I get a day off every week?" Celina shifted the conversation into assuming that AJ was going to hire her.

"A pair of them. And four weeks of vacation a year."

"Would that include July 14th?" Celina smiled.

"It can. I'll need you to interview with Lex, though." AJ was grinning as widely as she was.

"Why's that?"

"I don't think I can be impartial for the woman I love," AJ admitted, turning bright pink as if he hadn't been prepared to say so much.

They had only gotten a pair of weekends together, but upon hearing that admission, Celina's heart fluttered. She knew he was correct. Cel had spent the last month lying to herself about how she felt about AJ. "Still after me practically ghosting you for so long?"

"You've been busy." He shrugged. "So have I. That's not going to change for the next year."

"Are you still going to be the CEO when you graduate?"

"Why would I run away from a business making a meteoric rise?" The proud grin on his face was full of the confidence that had first attracted her to the man. "One condition, though, if X hires you, I'm not managing you."

"Why not?"

"Because I hope to be dating you, which might be a conflict of interest."

"I think we can work something out."

"Can you come up to the brewery to interview soon?"

"You're not going to try the food tonight?"

"Nope, I did my due diligence. Everyone I interviewed raved about the sous chef and not Lamar. I just thought she was out of our reach."

"Since you drove up here, I insist you stay for dinner. We can spend tonight together, then tomorrow, I can head home with you to interview with Lex. I have never called off from work, but this sounds as good an excuse as any." Celina reached across the table and gripped his hand, squeezing it. "I think I love you too." Calling in would be tantamount to quitting, but this wasn't where Cel needed to be.

"That's a good plan too." AJ grinned bigger as Celina leaned in for a kiss.

"I need more of you in my life."

AJ stuck around for dinner service. Celina let her other chefs cook for a half hour while she dined with him. She liked how he smiled with every bite, especially when he tried the morsels that were not on the menu.

He holed up at the coffee shop next door for the rest of her shift, likely working on a school assignment.

"I assume you drove?" Celina grabbed a decaf and slid into the booth beside him after dinner service was over.

"Yeah, paid for an all-day spot around the corner over here."

"Good, I didn't want to take the bus. Take me home, AJ." She leaned in for a soft kiss, but the passion built with each heartbeat. Celina had to break it off before she climbed into his lap in the coffee shop. "I didn't think the chemistry was gone, but I had to check. You know, for science."

"Well, if that's what it's for, we need more observations." AJ came in for another smooch.

Cel didn't let this one linger long. She needed to get her man somewhere far more private. "To my apartment, my love." A smile that couldn't get any bigger crept out on her countenance. She had only said those words to one other man, the guy who had cheated on her. Even that declaration felt paltry compared to how Celina felt about Alejandro.

When they had separated, AJ had consumed any mental bandwidth not pilfered by her being overworked. She had promised that she wouldn't let him go easily if she ever got another chance with AJ. When he had confessed his love earlier, Celina knew he was correct. I've only spent two weekends with him. A small shard of doubt tried to argue, but it wasn't like she was marrying him tonight.

If you get the job, it'll be hard to avoid him if this doesn't work out. The thought should have scared her, but; instead, it brought Celina comfort. Two weekends with the man had her wanting so much more.

On the ride home, they discovered a mutual interest in electronica and chiptunes. That was something that Celina often hid, feeling it was too geeky or nerdy to serve her persona. She'd been worried about how the rest of the world would perceive her. Her image needed to be carefully managed if Cel would ever make her own name in the cooking world. With AJ, she was going to be her authentic self.

All her caution and careful planning were not getting Celina what she wanted in life. She would be eternally grateful that she had made progress and learned so many things from the chef that gave her a chance. Seventy-hour work weeks with a day off every other week wasn't sustainable. AJ was.

"This is my place." Celina opened the door to her small, quiet, well-appointed studio apartment. "I don't have a couch, so I hope you don't mind snuggling up with me." Cel teased.

A kiss pinned AJ to the cabinet just inside the door. "I'd sleep on the floor if it meant sleeping near you again."

"Make yourself comfortable. I'm going to take a shower." Working in the kitchen all night had a sheen of sweat and grime on her skin that needed to be shed.

"Okay."

"There's beer in the fridge. Pour me a glass of merlot, please." Celina gave him an alluring wink before disappearing into the bathroom.

The shower and blowing out her hair took a while, but she would seduce AJ with her best foot forward. Maybe I should have grabbed some sexy lingerie. She thought as she looked herself over in the mirror. AJ brought out a sexy confidence that seemed too meek with past boyfriends. She was happy that a pair of heels was left in the bathroom from a business meeting she had a day before. The coral color looked great on her naturally tanned skin. She tied a green sash from her silk robe just above her hips. Just missing a pair of thigh-highs.

Shutting off the light in the bathroom first, Celina crept out silently. Alejandro was propped up against her padded headboard, wearing only a pair of briefs as he read something on his e-reader. "What are you reading?" Celina called for his attention halfway across the apartment.

AJ looked over, and his jaw dropped. "Nothing now." He tossed the e-reader over his shoulder to his backpack without looking. Celina had no idea if the throw was successful as her eyes were glued to Alejandro's burning gaze.

"You're overdressed." She couldn't help the giggle afterward as AJ quickly pulled off his undies. He wasn't nearly as smooth as he probably intended in his haste.

His massive cock hardened instantly as if reacting to the open air. Celina had been wet from the first kiss tonight. She straddled him and sat on his lap, his penis pinned between them.

"I didn't bring..." AJ stammered.

"Have you slept with anyone since me?"

"No, I can't get you out of my head, Celina."

"We already had a condom break." Cel shrugged as she gripped his big cock right behind the straining head. The condom had broken, but they caught it before AJ had finished. "I'm still clean, have an IUD, and don't feel like having sex with anyone else."

Celina pivoted up on her knees and positioned AJ to enter her. An eager nod was all the acknowledgment she needed to slide him between her labia and slowly couple with his endowment. She sank as if cold molasses. That heavenly stretch returned. As she engulfed him, Celina locked eyes with her love and studied those brown irises carefully. She loved how they seemed to shine every time she flexed her pelvic muscles around him.

"Don't worry about keeping me clean like you do your favorite toy." Celina winked, then chuckled again, and AJ joined in with her. It was as if he got her humorous intent and ignored her awkward phrasing. "It just better not be until I've gotten my fill."

"I think I can handle that, ma'am."

"We'll see about that."

Once he was entirely nestled inside her dripping pussy, she leaned in for a long make-out session. Their first time together was about the reckless and needed release. Tonight was about making love to the man who had stolen her heart.

Alejandro -- Almost two years later

"Are you almost ready yet?" Lexi didn't seem to mind that AJ was still undressing as she entered the room where he would don his tux.

"I have a half hour!" Alejandro protested, but what did he expect when selecting his Best Woman? Her presence didn't stop him from stripping off his street clothes. It wasn't as if she had never seen him naked before. Celina and AJ often indulged in the house rules when they visited Lex and her fiancée, Grace.

Other women might have been apprehensive about a woman their groom had slept with, even at the wedding. Lexi was integral to the process. Having a best woman instead of a best man may have been non-traditional, but it was perfect for them.

"We know it takes you that long to do your hair." Lex smiled. "I guess you have a little less than usual, though. I see someone has been busy with a razor, or did you get waxed?" X stopped him before he could quickly put on his sexier boxer briefs. It was still odd that they all saw each other naked so often, but being clothed at Grace's while everyone else was nude would have felt weirder.

"Razor, I wanted to do something to surprise my bride on our wedding night," AJ explained.

"Looks like you did a good job. I'm sure she'll love it because you're involved. You're nerds for each other." X giggled. The teasing tone of her words came with as much love as irritation.

"You know you get married in two months!" AJ shook his head. "Whatever you annoy me with today, I'll pay you back then."

"I better be on my best behavior today." Lex laughed. "Thank you for dragging me out of the brewery that day, AJ. What are the odds that we would find our soulmates simultaneously? Also, at a Nude Day celebration at a hidden pond, we discovered as college students."

"I have a feeling we were the only ones that have done that. So one in eight and a half billion or so. Wait, there were two of us that it happened to, or was your query about both of us doing it." AJ was trying to figure out the probability in his head, but his thoughts kept getting knotted up.

"Okay, enough of that." Lexi laughed in her musical way, which reminded him just how lucky he was to have everything in his life.

AJ lived in a picturesque mountain town in his own house with his soulmate. Every day he went to work with the best friend that he grew up with. Their business was growing exponentially. They distributed to two-thirds of the United States, a far cry from the five states when he started. More importantly than the reach, they kept it to the quality Uncle Finn strived for, except for a particular IPA. 'Her Grace' was their second most popular brew and was named for Grace, Lexi's unquestioned soulmate. Its gold medal win got begrudging approval from the kind man enjoying being a little curmudgeonly in retirement.

Celina's restaurant was a destination of its own. She had been featured in several travel blogs and by social media influencers. The brewpub was now only tangentially related to the brewery; it was too popular to keep it tied firmly. Grace had gone from a middle manager at the international company that put AJ's family out of business to the business mind behind Celina's restaurant. That had caused some friction between them, but Rae chose another path when her only way to advance was to move to Chicago or New York. Now she playfully competed with AJ. It was nice to have nothing to do with managing his bride.

His stint managing the brewery was supposed to have been a temporary thing. AJ had initially planned on moving to Denver and finding a position to put his MBA to work, but he had no plan to wander away now. Everything he could ever want was in this mountain paradise. Making that decision official would have to be postponed until he and Celina returned from their honeymoon. That was more of a formality than a surprise. He had already told Lexi he was staying if she would have him.

"Can you help me with my bow tie?" AJ asked in a bit of jest.

"Believe it or not, your Best Woman came prepared. You're going to have to lean down, though. Or better yet, sit." X looked good in love; Grace had been good for her. Lex had let her blonde hair grow to a little past shoulder length, and Grace braided it beautifully for the wedding.

"Am I going to need to know how to do something similar for you?" AJ would be her Man of Honor in two months.

"I do have this bodice that will need to be tied on. Celina may have to teach you about it." X smiled, her blue eyes sparkling with mischief. AJ couldn't be confident if she was kidding or not. Celina couldn't do it herself because she would be Grace's Maid of Honor.

"Have your parents decided if they're coming or not?" AJ winced a little. Perhaps this wasn't the best time to ask.

"Nope, they're not coming. My sister will be there. I'm done reaching out, Alejandro. I'm gay, I'm marrying a bisexual woman, they don't want anything to do with it." Alexus sighed loudly as she worked on his tuxedo's pink bow. "Uncle Finn is going to walk me down the aisle, and Grace's family has been so welcoming. If they don't figure it out before their grandkids come along, so be it."

"Sorry, X."

"Let's not talk about that on your special day." Lex waved away the concern. "Our kids will have more than enough family. You're my brother, AJ."

"That makes what we did back in high school very weird." Alejandro joked and got slapped in the chest for it. "Or in the pandemic." He laughed and took another smack. "I know what you mean, though, X. Celina and I will be thrilled to have cousins for our kids."

Lexi being here as his Best Woman was perfect, and they joked around as she helped him get ready. Life hadn't gone as planned. The mill was gone; that had been so hard on AJ. He was supposed to have been the third generation that managed the family business. His grandfather had bought the mill with money he had saved his whole life. AJ barely remembered the man that had started his family down the path. The stress of the job led his grandpa to a massive heart attack when AJ was seven years old.

AJ wouldn't trade a thing about how his life was turning out. If the mill hadn't been sold, Alejandro would have never taken Nude Day off and met Celina. She was his destiny, world, and everything. They made each other better.

"It's going to have to be good enough, AJ," Lexi smirked as text on her phone alerted. "Grace is asking if you're in the sanctuary yet. You know how I hate to disappoint my fiancée."

"Okay. It's not perfect, but I can't fix it all." Alejandro would have to be satisfied with how he looked.

"No, you were born with that face." X smiled and then got more sincere. "Celina seems to dig it, so how about we get you hitched to your soulmate."

"She really is, Lexi." AJ's smile widened.

"I knew when your face lit up the second time you talked to her." X smoothed out her dress before she reached to open the door.

"Not the first?"

"Maybe, but I don't remember you and Celina being there. I think seeing Grace for the first time short-circuited my brain. I needed a minute to realize that you wandered off with Cel."

"Grace does have that effect on you. Remember to walk into the ceremony with her on your arm. Don't stare at her flabbergasted for twenty minutes." AJ joked.

"I'll try my best. Good luck, Alejandro."

"The rings! Do you have them?" He had a sudden instance of panic. It wasn't cold feet; instead, it was the thought of doing something that wouldn't give Celina her perfect wedding.

Lex simply smiled, reached under the Tahitian green sash across her slim waist, and pulled out a pair of white gold wedding bands. Her dress was a negative version of the bridesmaid dresses, a coral or pink for the main part of the shapely dress with a complementary lacy green belt. "Your Best Woman is no amateur."

"Thanks, X. I couldn't imagine anyone else by my side at my wedding."

Alejandro joined up with a cousin and Salvy as his two other groom's people and thanked them similarly before he took his place beside the minister. Grace and Alexus walked in together with their arms linked at the appointed time. Green and coral worked well for the tall redhead, while the coral complemented her fiancée's tan complexion and blonde locks. They made a charming couple. The ladies exchanged a quick smooch before taking their places.

Scanning the crowd as the other bride's maids and groom's men came in, Alex got a proud smile from his father and a wave from his mom beside him. Their hands were intertwined. His grandma had come in from Mexico City, where she had retired to when the mill closed. It was where she was born and where her sister still lived. His dad and mom were talking about moving close to her. Alexus's Uncle Finn was sitting with his family; he was ecstatic that the man approved of how AJ and X ran the brewery in his stead.

When the music swelled, AJ's eyes snapped to the back of the sanctuary as the vision of the most perfect woman in the world stepped in. Her mustachioed, French-Canadian father cut a handsome figure at her side. He looked to be as on the verge of happy tears as AJ was. He felt a tap on his shoulder, and a handkerchief was thrust into his hand.