Deanna and Summer had both attended high school together, and their friendship had its "roller-coaster" aspect. They were a true contrast, these girls. Deanna had long, wavy brown hair and blue eyes. She had an elegance to her that Summer didn't quite possess. Summer was a classic blonde, who shared her eye color with Deanna, but little else in appearance. She had a bit of a tan, unlike her best friend. She was not quite as intellectual as her friend, either, though not the typical blonde bimbo that some would assume. She had a brain and ambition to be something: she wanted to be a reporter for the local TV news.

Deanna, meanwhile, pursued a career in the theater, hoping to become a serious actress. She actually had talent as well as beauty, after all. In the meantime, she worked as a drama teacher at the same high school that she once attended. She was an extremely popular teacher, especially since her general nature was friendly and vivacious, despite her blue-blooded looks.

Surprisingly, Summer had already succeeded at her goal, to a lesser extent. She worked for the local affiliate's consumer protection program, which gave her some exposure to the public. She didn't find it quite as interesting as some of the other local news, but it was a degree of celebrity that many doubted that she would get when she had told them her plans. She felt some vindication.

Naturally, both living in the same area, they had not lost contact with each other. They spent plenty of time together, even though they now had plenty of other friends.

Summer was a bit freer on the surface, sexually speaking. She dated a succession of men, usually dumping them when they failed to live up to her idea of what a man should be. She wasn't going to settle down quickly or settle at all, in fact. She also believed in sampling the meat before purchasing it. She was in no rush to wed or have children. In the meantime, she could have fun. She didn't cheat on most of her boyfriends, but she had occasionally found a new man before dropping the old one. At this point in her life, however, she had goofed up and cheated on her beau, which cost her a man that she at least admired, if not loved.

Deanna was a good friend, but she didn't mince words. She made sure that Summer understood that she had to take some responsibility for the breakup and infidelity. Brent wouldn't have broken it off so soon, after all, if Summer hadn't screwed his buddy Troy. She also pointed out that it would have ended, eventually, however.

As for Deanna herself, her seemingly quiet sex life was actually more active, at least since college and her involvement in the socially liberal acting community. She was bisexual, and she had even experienced a little fling with another woman, one that she hadn't bothered to tell Summer for reasons of simple awkwardness (that had been early enough in her acting career that she was still shy about her interest in girls). Since then, she had become more confident, but she found it useful to let Summer think herself the wild one. It was too important to her friend's identity to disabuse her by informing her of her own emancipation from social mores.

At the moment, Deanna was secretly exploring the idea of moving away from monogamy toward an open relationship or group dynamic. She wasn't sure which one that she would choose, but it was increasingly obvious that exclusive relationships worked poorly for her. She always ended up with either jealous boyfriends who didn't understand that she was just looking at other men, not touching them, or cheating boyfriends who couldn't be inconvenienced by making the same sacrifice that she had made for them. They didn't seem to grasp that she would never accept or impose a double standard, not to mention that she was every bit as frustrated with monogamy as they were. She would not put herself through that situation again.

As if that wasn't bad enough, her family kept pushing her to return to the Presbyterian church that she used to attend when she was a child. Telling them of the full details of her interest in "alternative lifestyles" seemed rather imprudent to her, so that created some more distance between her and the rest of the Falkirk family. The pressure to marry was very strong as well. In her own way, Deanna was as much against "settling down" as Summer.

Despite her own anxiety about telling Summer the truth, it came out finally when they had their usual Sunday lunch together. The two of them had been doing this ever since Deanna stopped attending church. Since she was now 30 and Summer was 29, that had been a long time now. However, this particular weekend, Deanna and Summer had both drunk enough Tom Collins and gotten sufficiently annoyed with their families to open up somewhat.

"Dee, honey, sometimes I think that we are so close that we should be lovers! Then again, I like men a lot and don't think that I could be faithful to you. I'm not even sure that I'm bi, for that matter. I know that I'm not a lesbian," Summer observed, after they had both mocked some of the guys that they dated in the recent past.

"Well, as a matter of fact, that thought has occurred to me now and then. I am sure that I am bisexual. I like both men and women. In fact, I have even enjoyed a little tryst with a woman once. She was a colleague in the theater. We didn't last because she was a lesbian and wanted me to give up men for her. I couldn't do that, naturally. Cock is too important to me. I have to admit that I find you attractive. You're also my best friend, which I don't want to endanger by cheating on you. Would you be interested in trying an open relationship? We could make an effort at that, at least until or unless we find a man for a long-term arrangement," Deanna stunned her girlfriend by proposing such a deal.

"You mean a deal where we could each fuck around with the other's blessing? I can't believe that you thought of that, since I am supposed to be the wilder of us. Then again, I guess that you are more liberal than I thought. It must be due to your acting friends in the theater. I have just done the typical thing of trying to be faithful to a man, failing sometimes, and dropping him whenever he doesn't turn out to be what I want. I suppose that if I could screw around and not risk a relationship with you, I'd be happy to go for it.

"We're better matched than I have been with these men whom I've dated. I have the feeling that is mutual. You're also the most gorgeous woman I've ever known. I don't know if we can be a lasting couple, but I wouldn't be opposed to having sex with you as an experiment. You are a truly wonderful and honest person, much more than most people that I've met, of either sex. I could safely experiment with you and not worry about you using it against me, I think.

"However, I wonder what you mean by 'long-term arrangement'. Do you mean, if we don't work out?" Summer reacted to this offer with mixed feelings.

"Actually, that is one possibility, but I am also thinking about a 3-way marriage. I am not sure what you would think of sharing a man, probably in an otherwise exclusive deal, but it's a thought. The open relationship would continue until or unless we found a man that we wished to do that with, if that sounds okay with you," Deanna explained.

"That would have its advantages too, I guess. No need for condoms, for instance, which I hate anyway. That's probably why I haven't thought of the open relationship before myself. I feared exploring something that would involve condoms. Do you think that we could just arrange tests for any prospective sex partners, so that they do not have to wear condoms? Besides, that would allow for occasional female partners, with whom condoms would not work anyway. That could work until or unless we find a man to share. I have to admit that the group idea appeals more to me for that and another reason. The other reason is that I like the implied intimacy of two girlfriends sharing the same boyfriend or husband. I could definitely go for that," the blonde added.

"That sounds like an excellent amendment, baby. So much for the theory that blondes are stupid. By the way, you're a ravishing beauty yourself. The 'no condom' policy would be great for having children as well. If we're going to be lovers, we'll need a sperm donor, and doing it the natural way makes more sense than using in vitro. I'm assuming that you still want to be a mom, just like I do," the brunette agreed.

"Of course I do, dear! So, since we're going to be lovers, don't you think that we should celebrate this by having our first threesome? It would make one of my first Sapphic encounters more comfortable, after all. It would be a novelty for both of us. Do you want to kiss or start doing something else? Should we hold hands? I've never been in a same-sex relationship before, and I guess that I'm in one now, since I have basically agreed to be. This is something scary for me, I have to admit. I just have a lot of questions. I hope that doesn't annoy you," Summer stammered.

"Maybe we can start with a light kiss on the lips and another drink. This time, let me buy for both of us. Before you protest that you make more money than I do, let me assure you that I will let you pay the next time. I just want to buy a drink for my new girlfriend," Deanna suggested. "Alright, another Tom Collins. Let's go ahead and kiss now. I want to experience my first lesbian kiss while I have enough nerve and alcohol to do it without shaking," the reporter responded.

Deanna stopped talking about a kiss and gave Summer an awkward one on the mouth. The reality of taking their lifelong, platonic relationship in a romantic and sexual direction was a bit more nerve-wracking than exploring her bisexuality with a lesbian colleague at the theater. For one thing, the colleague had been the sexual aggressor. For another, there was less to lose. A best friend was far different from a colleague.

Despite being anxious and having the proverbial butterflies in their stomachs, Deanna and Summer realized that their first kiss was not only pleasant, but delightfully sensual. They found themselves continuing it for longer than the "light kiss" that Deanna initially proposed. The waiter was rather distracted for a second, but managed to check up on them after that moment.

"Excuse me. I don't mean to be rude. I just wondered if you girls want something else to eat or drink? Dessert, perhaps, or another Tom Collins?" he stuttered.

"Another Tom Collins indeed, for both of us. I'm paying for it. In fact, I'm paying for the meal. It's a date," Deanna informed him.

Summer was about to protest, but Deanna caressed her hand and gave her a wink that reminded her that this was part of the change in their relationship.

"Yes, that's rather obvious. I've seen you before, but I don't recall you two being so affectionate with each other. In fact, I remember you going Dutch most of the time," the waiter noted.

"That's because we used to just be friends. Now we're lovers. We're not gay, though. We're just bisexual. Now, if you don't mind, get us our drinks and the check?" Deanna explained.

They got their drinks in a couple of minutes, along with their check.

"So, you're bi, but you've sworn off men? That must be tough? Quite a sacrifice to make for love," the waiter remarked.

"Who says that we've sworn off men? We have an open relationship, my nosy friend. Not that I mind your interest. In fact, I have to wonder if you would be willing to donate some sperm. Since you're so keen on being involved in our lives, that sounds like something that should appeal to you. Plenty of men would go for that anyway," Summer commented, hoping that she hadn't bothered her partner.