Three Little Words

The others had finished undressing, and we watched them climb onto the deck and then descend into the tub. I hung my shirt over the back of a chair and decided how much I wanted to explain.

“I know what you mean,” I said after a moment. “It’s a trust thing. Like…

if I thought you still had something going on with Simon that you were hiding from me.”

“Exactly! I don’t, by the way.”

“I know,” I said with a chuckle. “Be kinda hard, with him in England and all.”

“Right.”

“By contrast, I know about you and Wren, so it doesn’t make me

jealous.” I wasn’t really the jealous type, but that wasn’t the point. “I’ll tell you more about Leah and me some other time. The R-rated version, at least.

Long story short: we’re very close, we love each other, but we aren’t in love… if that makes sense.”

“I… think it does.”

“She’s in love with Mark, and I’m… well… I’m falling in love with you.”

She beamed and bounced up to kiss me. “The feeling’s mutual.”

“I thought it might be,” I said with a grin.

“You guys coming?” Mark called from the hot tub.

I raised my voice, “Yep. One sec.” Then I pulled Christy against me and bent to kiss her. “So… are you okay? About Leah and me?”

“I think so. But I definitely have some questions.”

I cocked an eyebrow.

“Get your mind out of the gutter. Not those kinds of questions.”

“Okay. Just checking.”

She stared at my chest for a moment. “I’ve decided something, though.

You were right. No way you should’ve told me this all at once. I’d’ve run screaming.”

“So, maybe I know what I’m doing?”

“Maybe,” she admitted. Then she grinned up at me. “I still wanna know everything, though. But…! When you think I’m ready. And only the R-rated version. Okay?”

“For now,” I agreed. “I’ll save the X-rated version for when I want to tease you while you’re tied to the bed.”

“Oh my gosh.” She sighed with an unspoken, “Yes, please.”

“Ready to join the others?”

She nodded and we took off the rest of our clothes. Then I grabbed the wine coolers and gestured for her to precede me.

“Oh, cool,” Erin said when Christy came into view, “you shaved.”

“I keep telling you,” Leah said to her, “you should try it. It makes you extra-sensitive. Besides, I think it looks neater.”

“You never complained about mine before,” Erin snapped before she realized it. She blushed and stammered to Christy, “Not that I— Or we— I mean—”

“It’s okay, Erin,” I said. “Christy has a sort of sixth sense for bi, lesbian, gay, whatever. It’s uncanny.” I twisted the cap off a wine cooler. “Here,” I

said as I handed it to her, “you’re going to need this.”

Christy gave me a deer-in-the-headlights look but took the bottle. She drank about half of it, which seemed to settle her nerves. “I can do this,” she said so only I could hear. “I’m fearless.”

“You are.”

She turned and descended the steps into the water.

I followed her and told Erin, “She figured out that Mom and Susan are bi.

Took her about five seconds.”

“For real?”

“Yep.” I sank into the water and guided Christy to my lap. “She might’ve taken a bit longer to realize you and Leah are too, but—”

“No,” Christy said, “I was pretty sure already.”

“What gave us away?” Leah asked.

“I’m… not sure. I can just tell.”

“Are you always right? I mean, have you ever thought someone was, but they really weren’t?”

“I don’t know. I… um… don’t usually ask.”

“No, I guess not,” Leah said with a laugh. “It isn’t something you just come right out and say.”

Christy glanced furtively at me. “Can we change the subject, please?” She raised her wine cooler and added, “At least until I’ve had a few more of these?” In an even smaller voice she said, “Like, about a dozen.”

“Sure,” I chuckled, “no problem.”

“Sorry,” Leah said. “Sometimes we forget what it’s like for new people.”

“We can talk about something else, sure,” Erin added.

“Yes, please.”

“So, Mark,” Erin said to him, “when do you leave for Seattle?”

“The 27th. My dad’s in Hawaii with his girlfriend, so we’re going to celebrate when they get back. After that, we’re…”

“Are you all right?” I asked Christy in a low voice.

She nodded and took another drink. “I’ll be fine. My family doesn’t…

you know… talk about sex. Not in mixed company, at least.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“Well, the women do. Of course. Sometimes it’s all they ever talk about.

But never with the men around.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s private. Between a man and a woman.”

“But you just said—”

“Don’t use logic against me. My family’s just different. Okay?”

“You’re right.”

“I like your family,” she added quietly, “but they take some getting used to.”

“Fair enough.”

She drained the last of her cooler and handed me the empty bottle. “Just keep giving me these and I’ll be fine.”

I handed over my mostly-full bottle.

“Thank you. And before you say it… I know, you want me to be able to talk about this stuff without being tipsy. Well, baby steps. I’ll get there. But for now…” She raised the bottle and took a drink, albeit a moderate one.

Then a thought occurred to her and her brow creased. “Hold on… do I have to be sober later? If we want to… you know? Tell me now and I’ll stop.”