The Only Constant is Change Ch. 07

A funny thing happened the next morning when they went to breakfast. Without even thinking about it, Jeremy took Serena to the same diner where he'd taken Ava the previous morning. When the waitress, a brunette who appeared to be in her mid-20's, came to take their orders, it was the same one who'd waited on him before. She must have recognized him, because she looked from Jeremy to Serena and back again, a funny, almost confused look on her face, which he noted without comment. "What can I get you this morning?"

Jeremy was pretty hungry and ordered a big breakfast with eggs, breakfast potatoes, ham and sourdough toast, and a short stack of pancakes; he added a side of bacon and ordered coffee and orange juice. Serena watched him with an amused look on her face, and then placed an order for granola and yogurt, with a glass of apple juice.

When the waitress left, Serena looked around to make sure no one was listening and said quietly, "Sir? You must be so hungry from using up so much energy on me last night. I'm, uh, 'feeling it' this morning, if you know what I mean."

Jeremy's eyes showed contrition, and he answered in a quiet voice. "I'm sorry I hurt you. I thought I did what you wanted me to do. I..."

She stopped him with a touch of her hand. "Jeremy, don't you dare apologize for anything. You did exactly what I wanted you to do, and now I know what the price is." She ducked her head to capture his eyes. "And if you told me we were going back to my mom's house and doing it again right now, I would get my purse and leave without a question. It was better than I ever imagined, including how I feel right now." She paused, thinking about her next words. "It's like, the soreness is a reminder that you did this to me, like you marked me as yours somehow. Jeremy, I don't know if I love you or anything, but I can't imagine feeling any closer to you than I do right now."

He was surprised at the intensity of her words. They were comforting, and he was able to relax.

A short while later, she excused herself to go to the restroom. Just after she left, the waitress returned with their orders. As she placed the plates and drinks, Jeremy said, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead," she replied.

"When you took our orders earlier, you had an expression on your face, like you were confused. What was that all about?"

The waitress blushed and said, "I'm sorry about that. It's none of my business."

"What are you talking about?" he asked.

With a quick glace around, she whispered, "I thought I recognized you from yesterday morning, but you were here with a different girl. I didn't want to embarrass you."

Jeremy chuckled to himself. Naturally it would seem odd to others who saw him in the company of different girls; it still seemed a little odd to himself. With a glance at her name tag, he said, "Helen, don't worry about that. It's an unusual situation. The girl I'm with today, Serena, she and I have an...interesting...relationship. It's the same kind of thing I have with Ava, who I was here with yesterday. They're very good friends with each other, and they're both my girlfriends." When he finished, he watched her, curious to see her reaction.

The look of surprise on her face was priceless. She started to say something a couple of times, only to stop herself. Finally, she said, "That's kinda hot. I don't know if I could do it, but you must be something else if those two are willing to share you." Then she winked and walked away; Jeremy thought there might be just a touch more sway in her hips as she went.

He just shook his head as he turned to his food. The very first time he'd spoken with Ava, in the brush pile that day, she'd told him he had an effect on women. He'd dismissed it at the time, but the events over the past couple of months had lent credence to the theory. Given Helen's response, maybe he'd have to put a little more stock into it.