Innocent Girlfriend

"Yeah, I get it," Chris said with a laugh. "You're probably right."

"Hey, thanks for talking through this with me," Lucas said, smiling. "I feel a lot better now."

"Yeah, no problem," Chris said, slapping him on the back.

***

"Let me get this straight," Riley said after Lucas had explained his plan to her. "You...want me to go on a date...with your best friend?"

"I know it sounds kind of crazy," Lucas said. "But I can tell that you've had a lot on your mind lately, and I'm sure hearing last night about everything your girlfriends have done isn't exactly helpful. I really think it might be good for us if you have a chance to...explore. Just a little bit, enough for you to make sure you want to be with me, ya know? So that you're not worried about what you missed out on, like Jenny."

"Baby, I would never cheat on you like Jenny did with Liam," Riley said comfortingly.

"I know, and I totally trust you. I just..." Lucas said, struggling to explain himself. "This would make me feel better, like we're definitely ready to get married. You'd just go on a date or two, see what it's like, see that you're not missing out on anything, and then it doesn't have to gnaw away at you!"

"It isn't gnawing away at me!" Riley insisted.

"Sweetie," Lucas said. "I see how you've been acting the past few days. You've been...different."

Riley sighed. "I mean, what Chris said did have me thinking about things. But they're just, like, idle thoughts. Nothing serious."

"And last night?" Lucas prodded.

Riley smiled. "Well, I definitely learned some things about how wild my girlfriends are compared to me."

"Well, okay, there you go," Lucas said. "Look, I trust you. But I don't want all those thoughts to swirl around in your head and get bigger and eventually turn into a problem, ya know?"

"I guess," Riley said.

"So...you'll do it?" Lucas asked.

"If you really think it's a good idea, then sure," Riley answered.

***

After Riley agreed, Lucas texted Chris.

Lucas: she said yes!

Chris: great / I know it'll be kinda weird but I think it's a great idea bro

Lucas: yeah me too

Chris: so I'll text her and "ask her out" lol / this Saturday night?

Lucas: sure / lol so weird

Chris: I know / just...give her some encouragement

Lucas: what do you mean?

Chris: like...if she isn't taking it seriously, the plan won't really work, ya know?

Lucas: yeah, I guess that's true

Chris: the whole point is for her to kinda put you out of her mind for the night and experience something different, right?

Lucas: yeah...right / not too far out of her mind I hope / lol you're not gonna try anything crazy, are you?

Chris: lol / scout's honor, I'll be a perfect gentleman / just a kiss good night, like you said / but seriously, if she's just doing this because you told her to, it's pointless, right? / so maybe just do your best to get her excited about it

Lucas: right, that's true...I'll talk to her

Chris: cool / I'll text her soon too

***

That week, Lucas did talk to Riley, working to get her more enthusiastic about the whole idea. Chris started texting her too:

Chris: hi there

Riley: oh hi Chris

Chris: hopefully this isn't too forward / but I think you're one of the most beautiful girls I've ever seen / and I was wondering if you wanted to go out to dinner with me this saturday?

Riley: haha / very nice / no wonder you get so many dates

Chris: ;) yeah, I'm pretty smooth, huh?

Riley: very / well...yes, I'd love to go out with you! lol

Chris: perfect! / I'll pick you up at 8:00?

Riley: sounds good / lol this is so weird

Chris: I know / but remember how you were always so good in drama club in high school? / just think of it like you're playing a part

Riley: haha what do you mean?

Chris: ya know...you're performing the role of a single, care-free girl looking for some fun with a cute guy you like

Riley: omg hahaha

Chris: for real though!

Riley: yeah Lucas keeps telling me to take this seriously and stuff

Chris: well yeah, otherwise what's the point, right?

Riley: right

Chris: I mean, you're a lucky girl / not many guys would give you the chance to have different experiences like this

Riley: I guess / not sure why I need to have these different experiences lol

Chris: haha yeah / well...even if you feel that way now, you might start having second thoughts later, after you're married

Riley: maybe / I doubt it

Chris: yeah / you're probably right / honestly, guys can get really insecure about this kind of thing / so it will make Lucas feel better even if it's kinda pointless

Riley: I always thought guys were full of confidence and didn't worry about their feelings all the time lol

Chris: haha / that's just on the outside / we can be very vulnerable on the inside

Riley: really?

Chris: sure / I bet Lucas has lots of insecurities / ya know, feeling like he's not enough for you and doesn't give you everything you need

Riley: aww / I hope not, he's the love of my life!

Chris: yeah...but seriously, he'll feel more confident about it if he knows you've given this your best shot

Riley: ok...I guess that makes sense / I don't want him to have to worry about me / I'll try to take it more seriously

Chris: great / remember, just like performing a part in a play! / maybe let's pretend that we met on some dating app and we're just getting to know each other, ok?

Riley: haha okay / back to my acting days!

Chris: haha exactly

***

After a couple days of this, Riley actually seemed to be getting pretty into it. "It's like I get to be a different person for a night!" she said to Lucas at one point. Lucas laughed and said that was the right spirit. He was relieved that she seemed to be really embracing this.

Meanwhile, Chris continued chatting her up via text. Lucas would see her giggling at Chris's messages. "He's such a flirt," she told him one evening. "I can see how he gets so many girls." Lucas laughed this off, but felt a little pang of jealousy and insecurity.

Finally, Saturday night came around. Lucas was beginning to feel genuinely nervous, and this feeling got even worse when Riley skipped down the stairs in a tight-fitting, low-cut blue dress that showed off plenty of cleavage and her long, elegant legs.

"Whoa," Lucas said. "You're wearing that for him?"

Riley smiled. "How do I look?" she asked.

"I mean, you look...amazing," Lucas said. "A little too amazing."

"Oh, honey," Riley said. "Chris said I should wear what I would wear if I were going on a date with a cute guy and I really wanted him to like me! Just like if it was the real thing, ya know?"

"I guess..." Lucas said, staring at the curves of her round, perky breasts.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. "That's him!" Riley said, clearly excited.

She skipped to the door and opened it. Chris stood there, wearing a white, button-up shirt tucked into a nice pair of slacks. Lucas had never paid much attention to Chris's appearance before, but he was now noticing how his shirt stretched against his muscular arms and torso.

Chris was holding a bouquet of flowers and held them out to Riley with a grin. "Hi, Riley. Nice to finally meet you in person," he said sweetly, making her giggle. "I got these for you."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Riley exclaimed, taking the flowers. Not knowing what to do with them, she turned and held them out to Lucas. "Um, baby, you think you could put these in water for me?"

"Uh, sure," Lucas said, taking them and trying to remember the last time he had ever gotten flowers for her.

Riley gave Lucas a peck on the cheek and leaned into his ear, whispering, "Don't worry, baby, I'll be good." Then she giggled and took Chris by his arm. Lucas watched as they walked down the sidewalk, looking like a couple. He wondered if he'd made a big mistake.

***

Chris took Riley out to dinner at one of the town's fancier restaurants. Riley couldn't help but notice his confidence and flirtatiousness. She had to admit, he was an attractive guy. She had always thought Lucas was super cute, but Chris was taller, bigger, more...masculine.

At one point as they were chatting, he told her about how he was the star of his office's softball team and suggested that she come along to one of his games to see him play.

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," Riley said, not sure whether to take him seriously as he laid the groundwork for a second date.

"Yeah, it'll be great," he said. "Here, take a look." He pulled out his phone and brought up a photo. It was a shot of Chris and a few of his teammates on the softball field. Chris had on a backwards baseball cap and a tight-fitting baseball tee. She couldn't help but notice how the shirt clung to his sweaty body and stretched tightly against his muscular arms, and she was surprised to find herself actually getting a little turned on.

"Looks like fun," she said, feeling her face getting flushed.

Chris flashed a grin and put his phone away. "So, do you go on dates like this a lot?" he asked.

Riley giggled a little, then remembered to try her best to stay in character. "Um, no, not really," she said.

"That's surprising," Chris said. "I would think a girl like you would be getting asked out all the time."

"Oh, that's sweet," she said. "Um, I actually was in a relationship for a while, but, um, we broke up recently, so now I'm back on the dating scene."

"Got it," he said. "Sorry to hear about your break-up."

She smiled, then decided to be a little flirtatious herself. "It's okay," she said. "You're way more handsome than he was anyway."

Chris grinned again. "Were you two together for very long?"

"Oh, yeah," she said. "Since high school, actually."

"Oh, wow," he said. "So, he's, like, one of the only guys you've been with?"

"The only one, actually," she said.

"Interesting," Chris said, a little smirk on his face. "So you're pretty...innocent."

Riley giggled and batted her eyelashes in an exaggerated manner. "Oh, yes, I'm so innocent and pure."

"I can tell you are," Chris said with a grin. "I like that."

"You do?" she asked.

"Definitely," Chris said confidently. "It means I can teach you a lot."

There was a suggestive tone in his voice, and Riley felt a weird tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Aww, you're blushing," Chris said. He gently reached over and touched her hand on the table. She thought about pulling her hand away, but she reminded herself that she was just playing a part and that Lucas would want her to act like this was the real thing. So she let his fingers slide against hers, and the tingling sensation in her body intensified.

"I am?" she asked shyly.

"It's okay," Chris said. "It's cute."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't worry, even though you have a lot to learn, I'll take things slow," Chris said. "If you've only been with one guy since high school, I'm sure the dating world might seem a little scary."

"Um, yeah," Riley said.

"What was your boyfriend like, if you don't mind talking about him?" Chris asked.

"Oh, he was really sweet. I was madly in love with him, actually," she said with a smile.

"So what happened?" Chris asked, smiling back at her as she now had to make up some reason why she and Lucas would have broken up.

"Oh, ya know," Riley said, trying to think of something to say. "I guess I was just looking for a little more...adventure."

"Ah," Chris said with a little laugh. "I think I know what that means."

Riley laughed. "Oh, you do, huh?"

"Sure," Chris said. "Let's just say he wasn't...satisfying you."

Riley laughed again, a little awkwardly this time, and wagged a finger at Chris. "Oh, you," she said, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I don't talk about that kind of thing on the first date!"

Chris laughed too. "Okay, okay, I get it," he said. "I'll take that as a yes. But don't worry, I can show you plenty of 'adventure.'"

Riley felt herself blushing again. Something about Chris's confident grin and his flirtatiousness was making the tingling sensation in her body continue. "I bet you can," she said, getting a little thrill from flirting back.

They continued like that for the rest of the date. Doing this roleplay as two people just getting to know each other actually led them to really get to know each other better, even though they'd been friends since high school. Riley learned what Chris had been up to while she and Lucas were away at college, and they shared more than they ever had before about their interests and goals in life.

Chris also continued to flirt and sprinkle mildly suggestive comments throughout the conversation. Riley thought it was kind of cute and funny, and she decided to embrace it as part of the "performance." She flirted back, and the tingling sensation she felt never went away.

At the end of the date, Chris drove Riley back home and walked her to the front door. Inside, Lucas had been waiting anxiously and heard the car drive up. He peeked through the window to see them standing in front of the house, but couldn't hear what they were saying.

"I hope you had a good time tonight," Chris said to Riley, taking her hand in his.

Riley smiled up at him. "I really did," she said sincerely.

"Me too. I'll text you, okay?" Chris said.

Riley giggled. "Sure, I'd like that."

"Okay," Chris said. "Well...good night."

With this, he slowly leaned forward. Lucas had told Riley before the date that a good night kiss was okay with him. His permission, plus something about the tingling sensation she was feeling, pushed her to lean in toward Chris. He gently wrapped one hand around Riley's slim waist and pulled her closer to him as he kissed her. At first, their lips were just slightly parted, but then Riley felt Chris's tongue pushing gently into her mouth. She wasn't sure how Lucas would feel about this, but for a second Lucas vanished from her mind, and she slipped her tongue into Chris's mouth as well. Their kiss lasted for a few seconds. Riley's hands held onto Chris's chest and arm. She could feel the strength of his muscular body. There was no denying the intensity of this moment.

Inside the house, Lucas watched as Chris tightly gripped his girlfriend around her waist and they practically made out with each other. He gasped in shock, but reminded himself that he had given Chris and Riley permission to do this, even if it went a little further than the peck on the cheek he'd been expecting. Still, he couldn't help but feel intensely jealous.

After their lips parted, Riley just looked up at Chris in a kind of awe. "Um...wow," she said.

Chris smiled. "Have a good night," he said.

"Yeah...you too," she said, in a little bit of a daze.

When Riley came inside, she saw Lucas sitting on the couch by the window, trying to act casual. But she could tell by the flushed look on his face that he must have been watching. A wave of guilt suddenly washed over her.

"Hey, baby," she said gently, coming to sit down next to him.

"Uh, hi," Lucas said. He forced a laugh. "So, how'd it go?"

She smiled. "Oh, ya know, it was fine," she said. "Pretty weird, obviously."

"Hah, yeah," Lucas said, looking down. He suddenly noticed a small bulge in his jeans and realized that for some reason he had a throbbing erection. He felt himself turning red and quickly covered his crotch with his hands.

"Baby?" Riley asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Lucas said quickly.

"Oh, honey, I can tell you're upset," Riley said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We never should have done this, it was a stupid idea."

"No, no, it's fine," Lucas said. "I mean, yeah, it's kinda weird to see you coming home from a date with my best friend, but, like, that was the plan, right?"

"Right," Riley said. There was an awkward silence, then Riley asked, "Were you, um...watching through the window?"

Lucas looked at her, feeling kind of embarrassed. "Um...yeah, I guess so," he admitted.

Riley smiled. "It's okay, I get it," she said. "Was that...um...okay?"

"Of course," Lucas said, trying to shrug it off like he was totally cool with it. "I mean, I said you two could kiss good night."

"Yeah," Riley said. "It didn't, like, mean anything, ya know?"

"Sure, yeah, I know," Lucas said. "Don't worry about it."

"Okay, good," Riley said. She thought about bringing up the possibility of a second date, but based on how Lucas was acting, she decided this wasn't the right time. "Um, okay, well, I'm pretty tired, and I really need to get out of this tight dress."

"Yeah...okay," Lucas said. "I'm gonna, um, stay up and watch TV for a little while, okay?"

"Okay," Riley said. She leaned in and gave Lucas a kiss, putting her hand on his thigh as she did. He flinched a little when she touched his leg. "Baby...are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Lucas said. "Good night, sweetie."

"Good night," Riley said, and headed to the bedroom.

After Riley left, Lucas looked back down at the bulge in his jeans. It wasn't going away. He wasn't surprised that he felt jealous and insecure; he had prepared himself for those feelings. But why was he also feeling so...turned on? He couldn't really get the image of Chris and Riley kissing out of his head. The way she was clinging to his chest and arm, the way he was gripping her waist so firmly...

He didn't want to get into bed with Riley while he still had this raging hard-on, so he quickly unzipped his pants and pulled it out so he could start stroking himself. He tried to stop his mind from going in this direction, but when he closed his eyes, he couldn't help but imagine Chris and Riley going even further - maybe him grabbing her butt...or sliding his hand up to squeeze her breasts...her body pressing up against his big, hard...

"Ohh!" Lucas let out a quiet moan and shot his load into his hand. Afterward, he sighed, taking in how strange that was. He tried to clear his head and quickly cleaned himself up, then went back to the bedroom.

When he opened the bedroom door, he noticed Riley had changed into a comfy t-shirt and was under the covers. She looked a little flushed, but just smiled up at him and said quickly, "Oh hi, baby. Nothing good on TV?"

"Um, yeah, not really," Lucas said. "I'm feeling pretty tired anyway."

"Okay, come to bed," she said, patting the spot next to her.

Lucas brushed his teeth in the adjoining bathroom, stripped down to his briefs, and got into bed. He looked over at Riley awkwardly. "We're okay, right?" he asked.

Riley smiled. "Of course, honey," she said. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Lucas said, and they kissed good night.

Lucas turned out the lights and rolled over to go to sleep. Having just gotten off, he would usually have fallen asleep right away, but tonight, his mind was racing, trying to process everything he'd been feeling. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Riley, meanwhile, lay in bed and stared at the ceiling. After she'd left Lucas, she had quickly gotten out of her dress, but when she stood in front of the bathroom mirror, she noticed a wet spot on her panties. She looked down and pulled her panties down, and saw that they were sticky. She'd never experienced this before, but when she touched herself where it was wet, the tingling sensation she'd been feeling went to another level and a sigh escaped her lips.

A little startled, she'd gotten into bed and under the covers and closed her eyes, trying to will herself into going to sleep. But she was still tingling, and she felt compelled to touch herself down there to make the tingling go away. She reached under her panties and began rubbing herself, taken aback by how good it felt.

That's when Lucas had come in. Now she was lying there next to him, feeling like she had to do something about this tingling feeling. After a few minutes, she leaned over and looked at Lucas. His eyes were shut and he seemed to be asleep.