Pogo Sisters Ch. 05

Author's note:

Apologies if you've been waiting for this conclusion. A heart attack really throws a wrench into your plans.

I hope you're still with me out there.

-GolfingSamurai07

"I don't know, Jo. Something is off with him." Sarah confessed to her over lunch. "It's been almost 2 months now. It doesn't show up all the time, I'll just catch a glimpse of something on his face or notice a particular mood every once in a while. He won't admit it; says he's fine but I've known him far too long not to notice that something is definitely bothering him."

"Well, now that you mention it, I did notice something a couple of times. It's exactly like you said; just a small little something wasn't normal for Randy, almost unnoticeable at all. That's probably why it didn't stand out to me." Naturally, Jo wanted to help her friend. "Do you remember when it started? Maybe we can figure out what we're missing."

"I'm not sure; late May, maybe early June, is maybe the first time I noticed. Maybe I missed something and it's been a little longer than that; I can't be positive. Do you remember anything big happening around then?" Sarah asked her.

"No, nothing major, anyway. Sadly for both of us, except for meeting Stephen, our lives have been pretty boring the past few months." Jo said jokingly.

"Boring? How can your life be boring? You've been dating Stephen for a little while now. Things have to be getting pretty exciting with that, right?"

"Yes and no, Sarah. I know he's a little younger than us and he's far from perfect but I do like him. I think I finally found a really nice guy. It still scares me sometimes though." Jo said.

"Randy and I like him, too. He seems pretty great and I can tell he likes you." Sarah had the beginning of an idea in her head as her next question was forming. "Jo, have you slept with him yet? I mean, after everything that has happened, I can't believe you wouldn't have told me if you did."

"No, Sarah, I haven't had sex with him yet. Doing it with Randy was one thing; I've known and trusted him forever. I've only know Stephen a couple months and I'm not at the point of full trust just yet. So far, it's just been kissing and he has a really good handle on my boobs; over the clothes at least anyway. I thought he deserved to know from the start so I told him that I had been raped and still had some issues with trust so we would have to take things slow; probably very slow. He understood and said he is cool with us getting to know each other first. It's probably going to happen soon though; I'm horny as fuck. The thought actually crossed my mind last week of asking if I could borrow Randy again for a night or two." Jo joked to her.

It was coming together quickly in Sarah's mind. Could that really be it? "Jo, I had a crazy thought. Try and follow along with my thinking on this."

"I'm probably the only person in the world that can, you silly twat." Jo laughed back at her.

"I'm serious here, Jo Ann."

Jo Ann realized that Sarah was indeed totally serious because she didn't respond by calling her a dumb bitch. "Sorry, go ahead. I'm with you."

"That last 'therapy session' with Randy was when, April?"

Jo Ann shook her head. "May 4^th. You know, Star Wars day; May the 'fourth' be with you? Randy and I caught a showing of it before going dancing."

"Tell me again what happened that happened that night." Sarah asked her.

"Well, we went to see the show and then dancing. It was so hot the way I was teasing him all night. It felt so good being able to be that comfortable with him. We went back to my place and he just took me right over the back of the couch; just like I'd fantasized about finally being able to have done to me again. We were so in to it that I got him to fuck my ass. Jesus, that was so good. We took a shower and then made love for a couple hours before we fell asleep." Jo was smiling hugely at the memory of it all.

"What about the next morning, Jo? He wasn't there, was he?"

"No, he was gone when I woke up. I really wanted to wake up with him after that wonderful night. During that entire few months he was helping me out, leaving me to wake up alone was the only move he ever made that I didn't think was the right one. Every other move he made and instinct he had about what I needed was right on the money." Jo admitted to her.

"I don't think he really wanted to leave, Jo. I just flashed back to that morning. I can remember it now. It was after five in the morning and I wasn't expecting it when he got into bed with me. I asked him if everything with you two was okay. I didn't really catch it at the time because I was falling back asleep but do you know what he said to me?"

"No, what did he say? Shit, I'm not going to cry at this, am I?" Jo was on the edge of her seat.

"You might; I'm pretty sure that I'm about to." And then Sarah's first tear did fall.

"He said, 'She doesn't need me anymore' and then rolled over away from me. I swear to God that I heard him crying as I fell back asleep, Jo. I don't think he wanted to leave, I think he felt that he had to save himself."

"Save himself from what? You think that he...what? That he was falling in love with me?" Jo asked her.

"That's exactly what I think." Sarah told her. "I don't think he expected to but he did. Think about it; Randy is good in just about any situation but does his best when he feels that he's needed. It's both his greatest strength and biggest flaw; he needs people to need him. It sounds mean but it's how I finally convinced him to help you. I leaned a little heavy on that 'when a friend asks for help, you help them' attitude of his. It's not always a bad thing though; his loyalty is probably the number one thing I love about him. I'm not sure how much you saw it from your end but at home, he was so happy to be helping you. Things were always good between us but it was extra good while you two were together."

"Well, I sure I know that I was happy. Randy seemed to be as well. And I know you and I were closer than we'd been for a long time." Jo offered back.

Sarah paused for a moment; her mind racing. "Fuck, I think I really screwed up here, Jo. This wasn't some project at a buddy's house remodeling a bathroom or building a shed that you just easily walk away from when you're done. This was about love and sex; love and sex with you of all people. Randy wasn't into casual sex, at least when I met him. You remember back then? I was ready to jump into bed with him right from the start but he wanted it to mean something. He didn't want it to be just casual sex because he could feel that we might have a future together. Sex had to mean something to him. Sure, I pushed him a little for you but you know he wouldn't have helped you if the both of us didn't already love you. I know it wasn't romantic love between you but I'll bet it wasn't totally platonic either; for either of you. You two have always had such a strong connection because of me. Now you add sex into the mix because you needed him and it was probably inevitable. I can't believe I didn't think about that."

Jo was able to accept Sarah's hypothesis. "I guess I can see that. I definitely love that man more than anyone on the planet except for you. I probably developed even more love for him while he was helping me, who wouldn't? If anything ever happened to you, I'd be all over him. And it wouldn't be just some 'take care of my man now that I'm gone' type of thing. Even without that though, I could easily fall in love him all on my own but I'd never do that to you."

"That is exactly my point. The three of us have always been in the picture together; he's had both of us in his life for almost 10 years now going back to when we first met. But just a few weeks after 'therapy', you met Stephen. That wasn't your fault; meeting someone was going to happen sooner or later. But now that you guys have been together a while and gotten closer, I think every time he sees you and Stephen together or one of us mentions him, Randy is reminded that you don't need him anymore; that he's losing you. If I'm right, I think it crushes him each time it happens."

"What can we do?" Jo was trying not to cry. "I can't stand the thought of him being hurt because of me."

Sarah stood and grabbed her purse. "Jo, I've got to go. I need to go see him. I'll call you tonight or maybe tomorrow and fill you in. Don't worry, we'll figure it out."

She tried his cell phone on her way out to her car. No answer, so she tried the house. No answer there either. She started the car and headed for home. Her mind would be racing with worse case scenarios until she saw her husband but he'd be there sooner or later and it was easier than driving all over trying to find him.

Randy's number popped up on her cell before she got out of the parking lot and she answered. She instantly felt better hearing his voice through the phone. "What's up, babe? Sorry, I didn't answer. There was a cop sitting right next to me in traffic and I didn't want to chance a ticket."

"Where are you? I need to talk to you." Her voice sounded frantic.

"Just got done golfing, I'm almost to the house. Everything alright? You sound funny." Randy said back to her.

"When you get there, stay there. I'm on my way."

"Are you sure you're alright? You're kind of scaring me a bit."

"No, I'm fine. Something just came up at lunch with Jo and I need to talk to you about it. See you in a few minutes." Sarah hung up and sped home. Unbeknownst to her, she also narrowly avoided a ticket on her way by the same cop that Randy had avoided earlier.

He was at the kitchen table when she burst in through the back door. She sat across from him. "Randy, you won't talk about it but I know something has been bothering you for a while. I think Jo and I figured it out over lunch." Suddenly, she wasn't sure she wanted to know; but she had to ask him. "Do you... I mean, are you...?"

"Yes." He hung his head in shame, unable to look at the woman he loved more than anything the world. "I didn't mean for it to happen. The plan was for me to just help her through part of a very rough time because you couldn't do it for her but something changed somewhere. And I feel like shit about it because I actually like Stephen. I think he could be good for her but, somewhere in my head, I think we would be better. It's a stupid idea, I know. I'm trying to forget it, make myself get past it but I'm really struggling here. She needs to be with us."

It was just as Sarah had feared; her husband said he was in love with her best friend. She thought she was prepared for it. She wasn't. It took almost a full minute of total silence before what he actually had said hit her. "Wait, did you just say us?

"Yeah, us. What were you thinking?"

"I guess I don't know. My gut was telling me that you fell in love with her and that would change things between us." she said to him.

Randy chuckled. "Never gonna happen, babe. You're stuck with me. Let me ask you, did anything change between us while I was with her?"

"Not really," Sarah was forced to admit. "In fact, things between all three of us were probably the best they've ever been. She has always been a happy girl but I can honestly say she was happier than I've seen her in years during those months. She and I were a little strained because I knew she was holding something back from me, but once it came out and you were helping her, we were stronger than ever. You and I have always been in a good place and there was even a good bump in that."

Randy jumped in, cutting off her train of thought. "See that's what I mean. That's why it was so good. Jo Ann has always been with us; just one little change made everything so clear. If you think about it, I've basically been married to her for as long as I've been married to you. Sure, she had boyfriends off and on through the years but she always chose ones that I think she knew wouldn't last because I think, deep down, she wants to be with us."

"You're crazy, Randy."

"Maybe I am a little but it doesn't make me wrong. Look, there's no doubt we all three love each other. Maybe not quite like this at the very start but close. You two loved each long before I came around obviously. Then you fell in love with me; for which I will be eternally grateful by the way. She came to love me because you love me. I was forced to love her because she was part of the package deal to get you."

Sarah shot him a look. "No she wasn't."

Randy laughed again. "Yes, she was. I don't think you've ever realized how close you and Jo have always been. I don't think there would have been a 'you and me' if Jo wasn't accepted as part of the deal, correct? But that's not the only reason why I love her. Who wouldn't love her; she's a great person just like you are. Sure, she looks different from you but at the same time, she's a clone of you. If I loved you, it was only logical that I would love her too because you two are the same person. I am so lucky because it's like I get two of you to love. We've all been so close for basically a decade now. It's natural that those early feelings would grow over time. Believe it or not, I don't love her any differently since helping her out. I don't love you any differently than I did before helping Jo out. I just think we all belong together."

Randy paused for a moment. "I know you and Jo talked about everything she and I did together but I don't know if she shared this with you. The first time Jo and I made love, she asked me to tell her that I loved her. She said she knew I wouldn't mean it but wanted to hear me say it like I was saying it to you. We talked about it later and I told her that I wasn't lying when I said it. I think she got uncomfortable because she made a joke about if things were just a little different, you and I would have a sister wife. I couldn't get that out of my head for the longest time. And then she didn't need me anymore. I'm sorry, but it felt like she was breaking up with or divorcing me even. Does any of that make any sense to you?"

"Yeah, I guess I can see it a little. She told me about asking you to tell her you loved her but not about the sister wife part. I mean, you can't really think we could all be together, do you?" Sarah asked him.

"No, I already told you I'm trying to work past it on my own but when you said you needed to talk, I knew I couldn't avoid talking to you about it any longer. I never expected that helping her would turn out this way; I just need a little more time to accept it."

Sarah was stunned at it all. It wasn't exactly what she had thought but she was glad to know what had been bothering him. "Randy, I'm going to need a little time to think about all of this. I have to let Jo know what's going on because she's worried about you too so I'm going to head over there. I'll be back later."

"I get it, honey. I've had months to work on this and still don't have it all worked out; you've only had a couple of hours. Take your time; I'll be here when you get home." Randy told her.

Sarah made the short drive to Jo's and parked. She passed Stephen as she was going up the steps to Jo's place. "Hey Stephen, I didn't expect to see you here. How are you?"

"Fuck off, Sarah! Randy, too." was all he said as he pushed past her and down the steps.

'What the hell was that all about?' she thought to herself.

As long as they'd been friends, they'd never knocked on each other's doors. They each had keys to the other one's place and it didn't need to be said that they were always welcome so Sarah was already beginning to talk as she just opened the door and stepped in. "Jo, what the hell is up with Stephen? I just passed him outside and he..."

Jo Ann was crying on the couch. BFF instincts took over and all thoughts of Randy and Stephen were gone as Sarah sat down beside Jo and hugged her.

"Hey, hey, what's the matter? Come on, Jo, talk to me."

Jo's mood quickly turned from sadness to anger. She started to rise from the couch and began screaming at the door, "Asshole! Motherfucker! Good riddance, you piece of shit!"

"Whoa, Jo, calm down. I don't know what just went on, but he's not worth it. Come on, tell me what's happening." Sarah pulled Jo back down onto the couch.

Sarah got up and grabbed the Kleenex from the bathroom. When she sat back down, Jo asked her, "What are you doing here? Is everything okay with you and Randy?"

"Fine, Jo, everything's going to be fine. We can talk about that later. What the hell just happened with Stephen?"

After blowing her nose, and the sobbing mostly stopped, Jo said, "After you left, I was still worried about Randy so I called Stephen for some company and to try and talk to him about it. He couldn't really understand why I was so worried. I told you that I had told him about the rape but I never told him about what Randy did to help me. He knew the three of us were close but I guess he didn't realize how close we were. He didn't like it when I told him about how you got Randy to help me. He was saying how he felt like he'd been humiliated. That we were all laughing behind his back because we all knew that I'd slept with Randy. He thought that made him into a cuckold; that Randy and I were sneaking off to fuck while I wouldn't give him any. I tried to tell him it wasn't true and that he didn't even know me back when it happened. I can't believe some of the things he said to me before he left."

Jo broke down sobbing again. "I really thought he was a good one, Sarah. Glad I never fucked that immature little asshole now."

Jo's crying increased and she would have been unintelligible to most people but thankfully Sarah was fluent in understanding 'crying Jo'. "Why do I pick such shitty guys, Sarah? Why do I attract such losers? No one is going to want me now that I'm damaged goods. I'm going to be alone forever. Make sure you hold onto Randy; he's the only good man out there, Sarah. Why can't I be as lucky as you? I'm just doomed to have failed relationship after failed relationship. It's just not fair!"

Sarah got out a bottle of wine and called for some Chinese takeout then she sent Randy a text: Change of plans, sorry. Stephen is no more. Drama city over here so I'm going to stay the night. Fill you in tomorrow. Don't worry, you and I are fine. Love you.

'Timing couldn't have been better' Randy thought to himself after reading the text from Sarah. He had gotten the phone call yesterday; the one he'd now been waiting almost 6 months for. There was something long overdue that he could now take care of.

Although Randy was never completely out of Sarah's mind, she and Jo continued talking about Jo's issues and Jo was feeling much better. Sarah always knew the right things to say to Jo.

It was just past 9 pm. The emotional day had worn them out; they weren't teenagers anymore so they both climbed into Jo's bed.

Girls are different from boys. They don't seem to have issues with things like kissing each other, seeing each other naked, or even sharing a bed. Sarah and Jo had done all those things many, many times over the years.

Once they were comfortable, Jo's voice broke the silence of the darkened room. "Sarah? Sorry it turned out to be all about me tonight. I really am worried about you and Randy, though. Can you tell me what you found out? Is it what you thought; is he in love with me?"

"Of course he is." Sarah told her.

"I'm sorry, Sarah. This is messed up. His helping a friend wasn't supposed to make him fall in love."

"It didn't, Jo."

"What? You just told me that he was in love with me."

"He didn't fall in love with you while he was helping you; it's impossible."

Jo was taken aback a little at Sarah's statement and because of her emotional state, fired back at her a little harder than she meant to. "Oh, so you think I'm impossible to love too? Were you lying the last few hours that you've been spewing that 'you'll find the right guy eventually' and 'it will happen when you least expect it' horseshit?"