Together Ssn 06 Ch. 08 - This Much is True

***All sexually active characters are of age, 18 years old at least, and all sexual activities are consensual. Enjoy!***

Cassie Palmer, 25, is in the company of his parents, Eric Palmer, 44, and Kirsty Palmer, 51, at their home. Cassie isn't in the best of moods, as he explains to his parents in the comfort of the living room, "It just all feels wrong. I've noticed since we've been looking after Kisha more and more, that she really loves having her around, seeming like she wants to be a mother herself, but anytime I bring it up, she changes the subject, usually brushing it off with, 'I don't know.' She doesn't want a baby. She doesn't want to get married. She doesn't even really want me to move in, or think about getting our own place together. As, 'close,' as we've been getting, I feel like she only gives me her attention when we're doing it, and, even then, she gets herself off, then just lies down for me to finish. Her mind just seems always somewhere else. She's so quiet and passive about me being around that it's like we aren't even friends, let alone boyfriend and girlfriend; more like strangers."

Eric jokes, "You wear both the trousers and the dress in the relationship, so she doesn't have much to wear."

Kirsty, more seriously, enquires, "How long has Daisy been like this, Cas?"

Cassie pouts as he thinks, eyes wandering around the room until he answers, "I suppose I first noticed this about a week or so ago, but it might've been longer. Daisy just seems to have really drifted apart from me."

Kirsty then asks, "Is she like this with anyone else, have you noticed? It might not be about you."

Cassie nods, thinking his mother's suggestion makes sense as he thinks about how he's seen his girlfriend with their friends, "She has been quite quiet with Francis and Nellie, but attentive with them, listening well. She's very close with Mia though. She really seems to still be able to talk at length with her, and is always asking to take care of Kisha."

Kirsty suggests, "Probably just a girl thing then. Nothing to worry about, I'm sure."

Cassie explains, "But, we're supposed to be that close, and, I always considered myself one of the girls. I thought that's how she saw me. I thought she liked that. I thought she trusted me."

Kirsty advises her son, "I'm sure she'll come around to telling you what's going on eventually. I know she loves you, Cas."

Cassie confides in his parents, "It doesn't feel like it. It's like, when I'm holding her in my arms, I'm really outside of a window, looking in at her, and the window is moving further and further away, and I don't know how to get back. I really do try to just talk with her, asking her about all of this, but I don't get much back, and, when I just rattle on about what's going on, it's like she isn't even listening. That doesn't sound like she loves me. What is hurting me right now is: I've done nothing wrong."

Eric jokes, "'I've done nothing wrong,' is the war-cry of any man in a relationship. It's just one of those things. It'll turn out fine, Cas."

Cassie asks both parents in return, "Can both of you tell me you've been in this exact situation?"

Eric admits, "Not exactly, but, we've been in arguments, my fault, where I've been kicked out, stayed at a hotel for a few nights, then made up. I don't know how that ranks, but we're still here."

Kirsty recalls, "We've bickered and argued about a lot of things, getting on each other's nerves, wanting to kill each other, literally a lot of the time, but I always get hot for him out of it, and, we... work things out."

Cassie quickly says, "I get it. I know what, 'working things out,' means."

Kirsty thinks aloud, "I'm sure he does it on purpose just so we do it more often."

Eric explains further, "The sex is always so much better when we let it all build up, and we let it all out, and it's... mwah... chef's kiss..."

Cassie immediately interrupts to say, "Really, I get it. Thanks."

Everyone feeling more awkward now, Kirsty jokes, "That's got the blood pumping. You look really tense, Cas. Getting enough at home?"

Cassie gets flustered, replying, "I get enough, thanks. I'd rather not talk about this with you two."

Kirsty suggests, "I was just going to say, if Daisy is neglecting you, then we could take you out; find someone nice at Cross Town?"

Cassie scoffs, "As if I would ever do that. I would never think of doing that. I would be cheating, then I would be the problem. No."

Jack, 15, Cassie's younger brother skips down the stairs into the living room, heading across the kitchen, remarking, "Look at you fuckers. All sitting around like some therapy shit. Gay! Like, you've all been spending way too much time in that gay bar. I'm the only decent dude here!"

Kirsty rolls her eyes at her youngest son, chastising him, "Watch your fucking language, Jacamo! And, it's not a gay bar. Straight people go there too. It's for everyone."

As he pours himself a drink, Jack jokes, "Yeah! That's how they get you! It's a satanic sex cult, drawing you in with booze and dancing, then you get taken downstairs to the basement, with everyone in bathrobes and shower caps, and they strap you down to a table, and they stab you fifty times in the ass with a dildo. If you cum, you're one of them. One of us! One of us! One of us! One of us! Hahahahaha! You're like vampires now. Drag-ula, hahahaha!" He runs back upstairs with obnoxiously loud steps, and slams his bedroom door closed, returning the living room to peace.

Eric remarks, "That actually sounds fun: sex cult, Drag-ula, vampires, living forever; fucker," sniggering to himself at his youngest son's suggestions.

Kirsty asks her husband, "Has he been watching too much porn, or horror movies?"

Eric surmises, "Probably neither. He's always on his games. Probably just hears this stuff and repeats it."

After spending the afternoon with his parents, Cassie heads back home to his girlfriend, Daisy May, 25, who is playing with their friend's baby, Kisha, as he announces himself, "Hi, babe. How is everything?"

Daisy doesn't even look at her boyfriend as she answers, "We're doing good, aren't we, Kisha?"

Cassie asks calmly, "Daisy, can you please look at me when you talk to me?"

Daisy glances a quick look at her boyfriend, quickly turning back to watch the baby, saying, "Yeah. Just looking after Kisha for Mia. Mommy will be back for you soon."

Cassie accepts that looking after a baby is fair for her attention to be divided as he sits down watching them play together. Time passes in a flash, with Mia Milosevic, 19, returning for her daughter soon enough.

Daisy greets her friend, "Hi, Mia, how was work?"

Mia tells her friend, "It was good. I'm really learning a lot, and feel so responsible and grown-up, like, I'm doing a lot of good work."

Daisy hands over the baby to her friend, informing her, "I've had the best time with Kisha. She's been on her best behaviour, you'll be pleased to know, and she's a delight to look after. I've fed her, and changed her, and she had a little nap earlier, but we've been playing a lot together. She's such a good girl for Auntie Daisy."

Mia holds her daughter against her shoulder, expressing to her friend, "Thanks for doing this, as always."

Daisy rubs the teen's arm, telling her, "Of course. I'm happy to do this anytime. Is she with your mom tomorrow?"

Mia replies, "Yeah, Mom loves having her around, and, we're doing really well together."

Daisy nods, forcing a smile as she says, "That's great. It's good you're close with her. I just wish you could rely on me more."

Mia laughs a little, admitting, "That would be nice, yeah, but, you've got school, so, you do what you can, and we appreciate that."

Daisy follows Mia and Kisha to the front door of the flat, telling them, "You can count on me when you need me."

Cassie comes up behind Daisy, calling to Mia, "Us. You can rely on us, right, Daisy?"

Daisy continues to watch as Mia and Kisha leave, saying, "Yeah. Right," closing the front door.

Cassie follows his girlfriend back into the living room, tidying up with her, asking, "Do you still love me?"

Daisy shrugs her shoulders with a laugh, answering, "Yeah, why?"

Cassie notes, "You barely look at me. You barely say more than a couple of words to me. It's like you don't even acknowledge I'm here, like I'm a ghost or something. You seem fine with Mia though. You really open up when she's around, and when she's gone, you barely give me the time of day."

Daisy confesses to Cassie, "I love her. I'm in love with her, and it's hurting me, because of what I have with you, and I don't want to ruin it. It's been eating away at me. I don't know what to do without hurting someone I care about; someone I love. How do I even decide what to do when I could lose you, or her, or both?"

Cassie keeps calm with some deep breathing, saying, "I'm going. I'm not leaving you; I'm just going to think about what you just said, and what that means, and, that will be easier when I'm not here."

Daisy watches as Cassie reaches for the front door, calling after him, "Cassie, no, please? Let's talk about this, please? I didn't want to hurt you, Cassie, please?" Before she even knows it, he's already gone, with the front door swinging open, not being closed properly. Daisy closes the door, locking it, resting her forehead against it as she cries, desperate to make things right, if only she knows how.

Returning to his old flat, Cassie let's himself in to find Francis Beattie, 22, and Nellie Naismith, 20, enjoying a cuddle together in the living room on the fold-out bed. He collapses onto the bed beside his naked friends, baring his soul to them, "I really don't know what's going to happen next. I think things might be over with Daisy."

Nellie consoles his friend, "Oh, that's terrible, sweetheart. What happened?"

Cassie explains, "I just think it's been over for a while, but she hasn't come to terms with it yet. Her heart is elsewhere, but she's been stringing me along to make herself feel better. I've been feeling that something is wrong, but she finally admitted it."

Confused, Nellie asks to confirm, "Has she been cheating?"

Cassie cryptically replies, "She's been cheating herself."

Nellie pries, "What happens next?"

Cassie shrugs his shoulders, admitting, "I don't know. It's up to her."

Francis suggests, "Well, I think you just need to rest, relax, cool off, and come back to her refreshed. I'm sure you two can work something out, babes."

Cassie gets up off the bed, telling the couple, "I'll be in my room."

Nellie says to Francis, "They just need some time alone to think things through."

Cassie curls up on his bed, clutching the bedclothes to him as thoughts coalesce, considering, 'What if I do go out and meet someone new? She's obviously been wanting to get much closer with Mia. Does Mia even know? Have they done anything? How would she feel about this? We're all supposed to be friends, like one, big, happy family. What does my relationship with Mia look like through this? How can we still be friends? Everything is too tangled. I feel trapped. I can't cope,' breathing quicker, choppy and shallow, closing his eyes, attempting to regain control of his breathing; deeper, and deeper, and deeper, with each breath drawn longer in, held, and released, drawn in, held, and released.

Next day, Cassie wakes to his phone ringing, seeing it's Daisy calling, pressing to answer it, putting her on speaker as he tiredly asks, "Yeah?"

Daisy says through the speaker, "I see you're still upset. I needed to talk with you before I go into class. How are you?"

Cassie huffs, holding his forehead in his head for a moment before brushing it slowly, ruffling his hair as his palm passes over it, "I'm disappointed."

Daisy comments, "Fair enough. I was feeling so guilty last night. What I didn't want to happen happened. I thought we could go on as we have been. I thought I had my feelings under control. I thought..."

Cassie cuts his girlfriend off, "You thought you could cheat on me and get away with it! Did you ever do anything with her while we were together?"

Daisy begs, "Cassie, please, listen to me, I'm..."

Cassie asks more firmly, "Don't try lying to me. Have you and Mia done anything while we were together?"

Daisy can be heard sobbing as she breathes, admitting, "Yes, we did. I'm sorry."

Cassie bitterly quizzes, "You're sorry? Really? Because you got called out? How does she feel?"

Daisy informs Cassie, "She said she didn't want to, because she didn't want to hurt you. Mia's done nothing wrong."

Cassie hangs up on Daisy, calling Mia, waiting for her to pick up, asking, "Mia, I have a question for you, and I want you to answer honestly: Has Daisy been cheating on me with you?"

Mia calmly replies, "She has made some advances on me, yes, but, we agreed not to because I didn't want to break you up. I thought I was doing the right thing."

Cassie feels a little relief nestle in his heart as he says, "You did do the right thing. I just wish it never happened in the first place. I'll let you get back to work," hanging up on her.

Daisy calls back, and Cassie answers, hearing her say, "Oh, I was so scared. I'm glad you picked up again. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you..."

Cassie interrupts to inform her, "I spoke to Mia, and told me her side of it. I believe you that Mia didn't want to hurt me. What does hurt me is, she said, 'we agreed not to,' but you said, 'she didn't want to,' meaning you never got over her. You wanted to be with her instead of me, only pretending to stay with me because she turned you down."

Daisy cries audibly, "I'm s-sorry, Cassie... I-I-I'm s-s-sorry..."

Cassie tells Daisy, "I should leave you," hearing her cry harder, breath catching as she struggles for breath, as Cassie continues to say, "But, what good of a friend would I be if I hurt you, because, I'm still your friend from all those years ago, and I care about you a great deal. You really hurt me, and I'm not forgiving you, and we are not a couple, but... I will be there for you, as a friend... Only as a friend... Nothing more..."

Daisy gushes gratefully, "Thank you, Cassie... Thank you so much... I'm sorry I've been a bad friend to you... I'm so, so sorry..."

Cassie calls to her, "I'll see you with everyone on the weekend," and hangs up the phone, sitting there in bed, meditative.

Tanner Harmon, 19, lets himself into the bedroom, having just got in from a night of camming, catching up with his friend, "You good, Cassie?"

Cassie sighs, "I'll be fine. Just broke up with Daisy. Still gonna hang out though."

Tanner enquires, "How's that gonna work?"

Cassie supposes, "Things will be quiet between us at first, but, I'll be civil about it. We've known each other for so long, you don't just leave when it gets tough, but, she doesn't want me, 'in that way,' so, it is what it is."

Tanner casually says, "I've been using this bed while you were gone at Daisy's. I could go in the living room if you want your space?"

Cassie tells Tanner, "Why? No. Come here. You've been out all night, and, this is your bed. I'm getting up anyway."

Tanner notices a bulge beneath the sheets, remarking, "Yep! Getting up."

Cassie sighs, "Morning wood. Sorry," getting up out of bed, his pants uncomfortably tight around his erect cock.

Tanner slides into the bed, commenting, "Nice and warm, and smells good too," settling in to sleep.

Cassie takes some clothes, heading for the bathroom, wishing his friend, "Sweet dreams," as he leaves him to rest.

After running the water for a bath, nice and hot, and suitably soapy, Cassie steps in, squatting down into the water, acclimating to the temperature as he submerges in to sit down. He rubs his face, arms, body, and legs all over with a gentle but firm caress, massaging the soapy water into his skin. The soap suds slip down his figure, collecting in bubbly arcs all over, providing comfort as they cling to him.

Laying back, Cassie relaxes onto the porcelain, feeling the soft ebb of the water cradle his entire being from the neck down. Amidst this relaxation, tension swells with an ache in his crotch, perverting his peaceful frame of mind. His erection is renewed, powerful, protruding from the water, prompting urgent action.

Though his body craves relief, Cassie in mind has little care for this in this moment. Searching his thoughts for signs of arousal, his thoughts of Daisy anger him, making his blood rush hot from his heart. Thoughts of Mia creep into the forefront of his mind, sweet and seductive, playful and proud, meaning well, but not always getting what she wants. Thoughts of their affair proceed to play out in his imagination, flustering and frustrating the kind soul.

Wishing not to satisfy himself to such thoughts of whom he considers friends, even after what was done, Cassie calms his temperament with deep breaths of the steamy vapours wafting off the surface of the water, clearing his mind of the discomfort they bring. Instead, he centres on the sensations of his flesh, searching his body for all the places that tingle and crawl, craving to be touched.

Hand gripped around his throbbingly hot cock, Cassie moves his hand up and down it, rising above the waterline at it's peak before plunging back below the surface into the deep, emerging and submerging faster and faster, slapping the surface hard on the way down, and sploshing the water aside on the way up. The splashing of the water is loud, echoing around the room, but Cassie does as he must, even as the sounds betray his privacy.

Feeling himself nearing the need to ejaculate, Cassie slows down, edging himself closer, and closer, and closer, spilling his semen over his hand, floating on the surface of the water in pearly strands. Done with his bath, he sits up, pulling the plug, watching the soapy water drain along with the semen, leaving his body covered in the clinging soap suds.

Pulling himself out of the bath, Cassie picks up a towel, drying himself off. As he does, he sees himself, thinking, 'I could do better.' Feeling the warm steam give way to cool currents of air circulating around the young man, he readies himself to step back out into the world, refreshed and renewed.