Like that Episode of Seinfeld

"I'm still waking up," Sonia said groggily. "Alan, you should go first, then I'll tell."

"Well, my last girlfriend was Maddy, who broke up with me about four months ago. I still don't really know why, or even if there was a reason, but she ended it. We'd been together for a couple of years. Before her, I had a pretty normal history, I guess. Lost my virginity to my high school girlfriend, slept around in college, dated a couple of women since graduating. The longest-lasting was about three years."

"Did you believe that Maddy was Mrs Right?" Katie asked.

"I mean..." I thought for a moment. "Once you hit your mid to later twenties, once you've been in enough relationships, you know what you're looking for. All the relationship milestones happen on a compressed timescale, and you're less likely to worry about cutting bait if something isn't working early on. She was a great woman, not perfect, but I did have thoughts about proposing at some point in the future. We agreed on all the major life things, we had shared values, we managed living together just fine even during lockdown. Things were good in bed right up to the end. I thought it was working. We were compatible. I loved her. Part of me still does."

"And she never gave you a reason?"

"Other than, 'it's not you, it's me', no. Through mutual friends I've heard she's still single, so it's not like she left me for another man or something. I'm slowly becoming okay with not knowing the reason, because I probably never will."

"That sucks." Sonia put her hand on my shoulder again. "I'm sure you'll find someone. You're a good guy, if the past couple days are anything to go by."

"Thanks."

"Are you ready to start looking again?" she continued.

"Yeah, I think so. I'm more or less over the heartbreak and I'm starting to think about getting out there again. But I don't want to rush things; it'll happen when it happens. I downloaded Bumble and Tinder a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't really been using them yet."

"So you're looking for a rebound?" Katie asked.

"I don't know if I'd say 'looking', but if one fell into my lap I'd take it. How about you, Sonia?"

Sonia took a deep breath. "I told you yesterday I'm trying to focus on me right now, and that's true. I've been with a lot of guys, and a couple of girls, too. My undergrad was pretty hedonistic. But I realized earlier this year that I didn't really know who I was, or what I was looking for out of a relationship. I was sleeping around, but..." she trailed off, collecting her thoughts.

"In order to be in a long-term relationship," she finally continued, "you need to know who you are and what you want. You need to have self-confidence and a sense of self-worth. I don't think I ever had that. Insecure guys don't get laid at all; insecure girls get laid all the time, but by the wrong types of men. Girls who are easy and don't believe in themselves are a prime target for predatory guys, and I just got sick of feeling like I was being used."

"I'm sorry." Katie looked genuinely sad. "We really are totally different people, but I'm sorry that's been your experience."

"I'm doing better now. I'd be ready to start dating if I met the right guy, take it slow. But I don't know if I trust myself to jump back into casual sex. I have to be doing it for the right reasons if I'm going to."

"What are the right reasons to have casual sex?" Katie asked. "I'm not trying to judge; I genuinely don't know."

"Horniness," Sonia deadpanned. "Not insecurity. There's nothing wrong with fucking around if you're doing it to get off, but if you're using it for validation, you're only going to wind up hurt. But since I can take care of my libido on my own..."

"Not this week, you can't," I interrupted.

Sonia shot me a look through the mirror. "I'm aware. What I was saying is just that I'm really going to need to feel like it's right to sleep with someone new if I don't think there's a chance of a real relationship there. I'm not saying absolute no, but I have to know beforehand that I'd still respect myself in the morning after in order to go ahead with it. I've had too many times in my life where I didn't like myself the morning after."

"That makes sense," Katie said. "For the record, it won't bother me if you bring a guy back to the apartment this term. And as for now, you can take care of your libido any time you want. Alan and I seem to be holding up just fine here."

"I'm either winning, or I'm bringing both of you down with me," Sonia retorted.

"And how are you going to do that?"

Wordlessly, Sonia pulled up her shirt and bra in the backseat, flashing both of us. I had to focus on the road and could only glance for a moment, but I briefly saw black nipples and silver piercings atop two plump tits. Katie was freer to stare, and she did, unabashedly, before Sonia noticed a truck pulling alongside us and covered back up.

"I wish mine were that big," Katie mumbled.

"Spectacular," I added.

Sonia smirked. "Thanks. If I cave in you'll be seeing a lot more of them."

"I don't know if I should be wishing one way or the other, now," I mused.

"Oh, definitely the other way. I'm going to win, remember?" Katie smiled.

After that temptation, I would have expected the rest of the day to be some kind of torture, but thankfully, it really wasn't. Sonia and Katie behaved, and the long hours continued to fly by. The temperature was rising now, noticeably warmer every time we got out of the car, and we made good time heading south across the eastern part of Texas. We hit Houston by mid-afternoon, managing to avoid the worst of the rush hour, and ate supper on the far outskirts of the city. After dinner, Katie announced that she wanted to lie down for a bit, so for the first time all drive, I had Sonia beside me in the passenger seat. There wasn't a lot of room back there with the container on the backseat bench, but Katie curled up around it, and it didn't take long for her to conk out.

"Is she asleep?" I asked at Katie as much as to Sonia. There was no noise from the backseat.

"It looks like it," Sonia confirmed after a moment. "Nice of her to finally let me ride shotgun on the last leg of the trip, huh?"

"I guess, but it is her car."

"Oh, I'm not upset about it. It's just nice to get to talk to the driver and be able to fully hear everything that's going on for once."

"Are you looking forward to living here?" I asked.

"Very much," Sonia confirmed. "Working in the field is what I love more than anything. I put up with the lab work and all the writing and stuff in order to go out and explore. The world has been completely mapped out and it's not possible to be Magellan or Columbus anymore, but in a geological sense there's still a ton of undiscovered ore and oil out there. I could spend the rest of my life living in a tent."

"Camping isn't really my thing. I'm definitely more with Katie on that one."

"It's not for everyone," Sonia smiled. "Plus I'm not talking about glamping or spending time in a National Park here; I'm talking about living off the land in the most rugged wildernesses out there, hundreds of miles from a road or a cell tower. The kinds of places where you need to be taken in by helicopter. Sharing a tiny tent with another geologist, bathing in mountain streams, wildlife encounters, eating fresh-caught fish out of rivers no one ever fishes. That's my jam."

"That doesn't sound like the Texas oil fields," I observed.

"It's not, but it's where I'm hoping to wind up working later on. I did some mapping work in the Yukon for my undergraduate thesis, and even though there's no oil there, I still fell in love with the geo life. Oil is negotiable, but it's mapping and surveying and trying to recreate ancient landscapes that I really love. It just so happens that sometimes doing that leads you to find stuff that's valuable to dig out of the ground, which means you can make a living from it."

"Huh." I thought about this for a minute. "It's so interesting to me that you and Katie can be so different and yet working in the same field."

"I give her a hard time, but the industry really does need Katies, too. There's value in what she does. That said, I don't get why anyone would want to work in a lab when you could be out in the bush."

"You do seem to like giving her a hard time," I ventured.

"Maybe, but it's not personal. I'm just naturally an unfiltered person, and she's uptight. I say what's on my mind. I talk about things other people think about, but would never say. I'm sure it's innate to my personality, but it also comes from that field camp mentality. When you're living in a tiny tent with another person for a month, male or female, barriers drop very quickly, whether it's changing in the tent with them right there watching or being upfront about being on your period or whatever else goes on. I judge character quickly, and if a person doesn't give me creepshow or serial killer vibes, then I'm an open book with people.

"I wasn't trying to embarrass Katie when I asked her how old she was when she started flicking the bean yesterday. My mind went there, and I blurted it out, because I wanted to know. It was relevant to the conversation. I know a lot of women don't like talking about it, but we women carry a lot of sexual shame with us, and the only way to normalize our sexuality is to make it normal.

"And yeah, sometimes I cringe at some of the things I've said to people when I think about it afterwards, but whatever. My being too forward yesterday broke some ice between us three that desperately needed breaking, and if I'm going to live with Katie for four months, I can't be walking on eggshells around her. I need to be comfortable in my own space, and that includes being able to say what's on my mind and do what I want to do. It may not be living in a tent, but I'm treating Texas like a field camp, and I'm hoping Katie can get herself into that same kind of mindset."

"I can respect that point of view," I said admiringly. "Plus, it absolutely worked. After that rough first day we've definitely bonded a little."

Sonia smiled and took my free hand in hers. "I can tell you're more of a kindred spirit with me than with her, if it comes down to it. I had expected that Katie's driver would be a clone of her, but you're obviously not."

"Geoff and Katie are very different people," I confirmed. "They're equally smart and have the same work ethic, but he's a lot more laid back than she is. She's more high-strung and competitive."

"I'd believe that. Also, I wanted to tell you that I've been impressed how you've handled sharing personal space with two girls, and how respectful you've been about everything. I wasn't at all sure about spending time in a hotel room with a guy I'd never met on this trip, but I needed to move down south and it was the best option. But you're a good dude, Alan. I appreciate what you're doing for us. I've never once forgotten on this road trip that you don't have to be here."

"Thanks." I squeezed her hand back. "So speaking of unfiltered, how do you handle getting off every three days living in a tent with another geologist?"

Sonia laughed so loudly she woke Katie up in the back seat, who made grumbling noises as she was roused from her nap. Sonia flashed me a look to show she wasn't offended. "I like a man who's as unfiltered as I am, and it's a fair question. I'll answer you later," she whispered.

A few hours later, the sun had set, and we finally rolled into Corpus Christi. I was expecting an ugly city dominated by refineries, and sure, they were there, but there was also a reasonably nice-looking downtown and a waterfront on the Gulf of Mexico that looked inviting. It wouldn't be a terrible place to spend a winter.

The apartment the girls had rented sight unseen turned out to be a furnished upstairs unit in a two-storey walk-up. It took multiple loads to get everything into the house from the car, but when we finally made it in, my first impression was that they could have done a lot worse. The apartment was older, but cozy and comfortable, with a small living room, a combined dining room and kitchen, a bathroom, a small laundry room and two bedrooms. The place was full of old but decent furniture, a mixture of beaten-up but solidly-built antiques and new stuff from Ikea.

"Which bedroom do you want?" Katie asked as soon as we had finished surveying the space.

"You take that one," Sonia answered. "You should have the double bed in the master bedroom, because Aaron might come visit you. I know you said he wouldn't be able to take the time, but it's still a possibility. I'll take the kids' room with the two single beds, because I don't want to have any reason to bring a guy back here."

Katie nodded, touched. "Thank you. I really appreciate that. I hope he does make it down."

"I guess that means we're roommates for two more nights, then?" I asked Sonia.

"Looks like it."

"So, we have enough stuff to get through the night living out of suitcases, and tomorrow we can unpack and go get groceries and any other stuff we might need," Katie continued, taking stock. "What should we do with the rest of the night?"

"Get drunk and play Truth or Dare?" Sonia suggested.

"I've never played that," Katie admitted.

"Really? You never had sleepovers as a teen?" Sonia was incredulous.

"I did, but my friends were all good girls." Katie seemed shy again.

"Huh. I didn't realize it was possible to have never played Truth or Dare. Have you played, Alan?" Sonia turned to me.

"Yes, but not since I was a teenager."

"OK, well, truth or dare?"

"Beer first, plus Katie hasn't said yes yet."

Katie shrugged. "What the hell. It could be fun."

We'd thrown what remained of the case we'd bought yesterday in the freezer when we'd first gotten in, and they were cold enough to drink by now. We each grabbed a bottle then sat down in the living room, with Sonia and I both in armchairs and Katie on the couch.

"Cheers. And truth," I decided.

"How many girls have you had sex with?" Sonia asked.

I thought for a moment. "I might be forgetting one, but I'm pretty sure I'm on lucky thirteen. I haven't thought about my number in a couple of years, since Maddy and I were exclusive for a long time."

"That's a healthy number for a single guy your age," Sonia approved.

I turned to face Katie. "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Was Aaron your first time? Ever been with anyone else?"

She nodded. "He's my first kiss and first everything else, and no, I've never been with anyone else."

"That's sweet," Sonia approved. "I pick truth."

"Well, let's keep it the same," Katie said, taking a big swig of her beer. "How many?"

Sonia paused, clearly counting in her head. "I don't honestly know, but it's at least fifty guys. And two girls."

"Whoa!" Katie gasped, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to judge. It's just so far removed from my experience."

"You may as well have just called me a whore," Sonia complained. "At least three quarters of those were in my first year of university. I go back and forth on whether or not I have any regrets. It was mostly terrible drunken hookups, but I never got pregnant and I never got an STD, so it could have been worse."

"No judgment from me," I said. "I've been in relationships most of my life, otherwise I'm sure my body count would be higher."

"Truth or dare?" Sonia asked me.

"Truth."

"You said yesterday that you could go four or five days without jerking off if you had to. If you didn't have a reason to hold back, how often would you do it?"

I took a big swig of my beer. "Not quite every day, but most days. Like maybe 5-6 times a week, I guess."

"I'd be about the same," Sonia volunteered.

Katie looked like she was thinking about something. "I'm not used to thinking about it being something women do, even though I do do it from time to time. I guess I'll have to adjust my thinking now that I'm going to be alone for a semester. But I'd say it's at least once or twice a month or so, depending on how often I'm having sex."

Truth or dare, Katie?" I asked.

"I am not going to be the first one to pick 'dare'," she said, taking another big swig of her beer. "So, truth."

"What's your favourite position?" Sonia asked.

Katie raised her eyebrows. "This is getting personal."

Sonia turned to me. "If she won't answer, we have to think of a penalty."

"I think having to take off a piece of clothing and finishing your drink would be a good one," I agreed.

"Yes! And no bullshit clothing like taking a sock off, either," Sonia demanded.

"No, it's fine," Katie said quietly. "I like being fucked from behind the best."

"Ooooooooh!" Sonia hooted. "Not what I expected, but good for you! I had you figured for a 'missionary position with the lights off' kind of girl."

Katie turned redder, but the look in her eyes was defiant. I knew she didn't want to let Sonia get to her.

"Why that position?" Sonia pressed.

"It makes me cum the hardest," Katie mumbled.

"Totally fair." Sonia raised her drink at Katie in salute.

"Truth or dare?" I asked Sonia, trying to keep the game moving to mitigate Katie's embarrassment.

"Truth."

"You mentioned you've been with two girls. What's your orientation, and are either of the stories good?"

"I consider myself mostly straight, but yes, I've been with two girls. The first one was in first year of university and it honestly was just drunken experimentation. I met a girl at the bar who wanted me, and I figured it would be a life experience. I wasn't really that attracted to her, and even though girls eat pussy really fucking well, I had to pretend it was a guy going down on me to cum.

"The second time, I was the third in a threesome. I had a crush on the guy and I hooked up with his girlfriend at the same time, as the price of admission. It was fun, but again, not entirely my thing. I can be turned on by girls, like by flirting and being flirted with, but I don't get off on the thought of sealing the deal with them."

"Interesting," I said. "I pick truth."

"Same question," Sonia asked. "Are you as straight as most men claim they are?"

"I'd say yes," I answered. "I've never been with a dude and never really wanted to be. I've never watched gay porn. I'm comfortable enough with my sexuality that I wouldn't object to doing what you did in a threesome; hooking up with a guy as a method of getting to fuck his girlfriend, but the opportunity has never come up."

"That's cool, at least," Sonia approved. "Too many guys are homophobes."

"I'm getting the same question if I pick 'truth', aren't I?" Katie asked.

"Sure."

"I'd say I'm bi-curious." Katie blushed deeply.

"Fuck yes!" Sonia said brightly. "That's awesome! Never been with a girl?"

Katie buried her nose in her drink. "Never. I don't think I ever will. But... I've never told anyone this before, but the idea turns me on."

"Do you think Aaron would be supportive?" I asked.

"I have no idea. It's never come up."

"Do you guys talk openly about sex?" Sonia asked.

"Not really. We do it a lot, but talking about it the way we have the past couple of days is way outside my normal comfort zone. But it honestly feels okay. Like I just told you something I've had a lot of shame about for a long time, and at the very least you're not judging me for it."

"Never," Sonia said. She got up and headed over to her roommate, giving her a big hug. "If we're going to be comfortable living together, we need to be okay with being ourselves."

Katie's face still showed embarrassment, but she wasn't seeming creeped out. I raised my beer to her, and she nodded thankfully before moving the conversation forward.

"I appreciate you guys being so cool and supportive. Truth or dare?" she asked Sonia.