The Humper Game Pt. 05 Ch. 02

"That would be wonderful." And that's how we did it. I helped Ellen with getting the laundry all sorted and put away. Normally she sorted it when she took it out of the dryer, and then I put my own away. After laundry was taken care of, I went out and ran a broom around the kitchen.

When it came to studying, Pete and Tammy really had gotten the idea. We studied individually, working ahead of the material already covered in our common classes—which we also glanced through and thought about some—but with some back-and-forth, questions and comments and ideas tossed out.

Eventually, though, I said, "I'm going to need to move off from you two for a while now. I have reading and thinking for philosophy, and it's hard with continual interruptions—distractions—in this case. Don't leave unless you want to, and go ahead and interrupt if you really want my slant on something, but try not to be too loud talking to each other, OK?"

I moved to the other end of the little living room. The kitchen and living room were really all one room, with carpeting in the living room. I sat down on the couch with Ellen, but we were staking out the opposite ends of it for work space. I read and reread what we'd most recently gone over and what was obviously coming up. I did some internet research to chase down some other sources, and logged in to the university library to find out if two or three were there and available. They were, and I logged a reserve on each of them. I would have to stop by to pick them up the next day. I was finding it obvious that there were some unstated, maybe unrecognized, assumptions in the argument I was analyzing, and I was having some trouble identifying just what they were. A fascinating and complex subject!

Pete called me over twice to discuss something they'd turned up. One I'd thought about, one had just sneaked by under my radar. "Good catch!" I told them on that one. We talked about it for a few minutes. I shouldn't have missed it. I hadn't realized that they were taking that course, just in a different section. Same books, same professor, slightly different assignments and speed and topics, it turned out.

I went back to philosophy of mind. What I was thinking about was way beyond anything assigned—I'd taken care of that before that day—but I kind of hoped that I'd be able to get a paper out of it. Professor Moore's assignments tended to be more open-ended and thought-provoking than any of my history professors'.

When they got ready to go, Pete gave Ellen a hug and me a firm handshake. He said, "When you gave us that advice, I was kind of scared spitless. I was really unhappy with where we were, but I was sure that any change I tried to make would break up our friendship. And I loved her way before we were old enough for real sexual thinking, we were best friends from childhood, and I sure didn't want to lose that. I was all for just saying no and trying to go on where we were, and I was kind of afraid you'd killed that possibility.

"And I was even more scared of that when she said she wanted to try it. But she made as plain as she could that if it didn't work, she cared enough to do anything to keep us friends. Um. She told you, she basically said that if she couldn't manage to want me or enjoy me at all, she was sure she could arouse herself enough to have sex with me and let me enjoy it, and that would be worth it. I was pretty unsure that I could stand that—or that she could—long term, but what came through loud and clear was that she loved me as much as I loved her, she valued our friendship as much as I did. She just wasn't sure she could ever really want sex with me.

"And she's told you how that worked out. I'm pretty sure we're both looking forward to bedtime tonight pretty strongly, and that we'll make it work somehow over the long term. We both owe you, big time, and I don't know what we can ever do to repay it, but if you need help with something, call us. Um. We may have a vacant bedroom if something happens with you two, and I'm hoping it won't, or if you have company. Even if we keep our own rooms, just for having some space of our own, I'm pretty sure we won't need separate beds on any specific night, if someone needs a place."

He let go of my hand, and Tammy stepped up to me and hugged me, hard. She didn't really let go after the hug, either. She grinned at Ellen. "I'm tempted to shock you, all three of you, by giving Phil a real kiss. And I would enjoy it, you bet I would! Well, I won't do that. But this is kind of a token of how grateful I am to you both." She held me really close again and kissed me on both cheeks and on the mouth, just a peck each, and this time she did let go and step back.

"Phil, I can see why that friend you told us about, and all those various other women you mentioned, are in love with you at least some. Not to mention Ellen! I can't thank you enough for your advice, about how to proceed and about why we should be cautious." She went over to Ellen and gave her a hug, and also pecks on both cheeks and the lips, too. "And Ellen, thank you for telling us all about it. From what you both said, I think Phil would have if you hadn't, but thank you for wanting to help and being our friends. And I'll second what Pete said about calling us if we can help you."

She hugged Ellen again, and then they collected their stuff and went out. We looked through the window as they left the building and walked off, holding hands.

Ellen came over to me, well, it's not as if we'd been more than eight inches apart, and put her arms around me and looked at me. "I thought for a moment she was going to ask to pay you back by taking you into the bedroom," she said. "And what would you have said if she had?"

"We've been over this, haven't we? I would have said no, period, as nicely as I could. And I will, even if she makes that offer when you and Pete aren't around. But you know she was mostly teasing, don't you? Teasing Pete as much as me, of course. And you.

"But I have to confess to you that I would be tempted. Kelly is incredibly attractive to me. Elise is almost as beautiful as you are, and if I get to know her well enough she may be really attractive to me, too. But while Tammy's not as pretty as any of you, she's pretty enough, and really nice, and she keys into my feelings about Barbara. And all this sharing of intimate information has an impact on me, too, emotionally. I think probably talking about intimate spiritual things with Kelly probably is part of why I find her so attractive, too. And that last hug, well, on top of the rest, I was very conscious of her body.

"But I was at least as concerned that she was going to offer to take you to bed. I think Pete wouldn't mind that as much as an offer to me, at this point anyway. I can just about imagine that in a few months or a year, when they're feeling secure about their own attraction, that if she suggested that they owed us thanks enough that this would be a good way to repay it, he might go along.

"But about you. I promised no new women, and you basically promised me no new men—though I don't think you spelled it out the way I did. But you certainly never promised me not to have sex with any new women."

She stiffened for a moment, then glared at me and said in apparent fury, "You!" I wasn't sure but what she was going to slap me or something, but she kissed me instead. "I should know better than to listen to you, when we have stuff that needs doing before bedtime."

"Like what?"

"Just the usual, but I want to be in bed with you this minute. Get in that bathroom and get your teeth brushed. Now!"

"Um. Is that a challenge directed at me?" She looked at me in surprise. Then she said, meekly, "No, Phil. But if it really were, what would happen to me?"

"I'd carry you to bed and strip your clothes off, then eat your pussy until you came a couple of times, then leave you there to go brush my teeth. You could anticipate something more when we were both ready for bed, but you'd have to wait."

She looked for a moment as though she were considering changing her mind so I would do that, then said, "Maybe you'll do that when we're both done in the bathroom? Without the wait in the middle? Please?"

"I'll be generous and relent."

She pulled me into a fairly lingering kiss, then headed toward the bathroom door.

Revision: 6/21/2019