The Side Project 2: Nature Girl

At some point on our third glass of wine my brain finally made the connection perhaps it should have hours ago. If Lexi was primarily a lesbian, that meant she liked women. I was a woman. I started paying more attention to the subtle signs coming from Lexi, trying to figure out if she was interested.

I had no real experience trying to interpret the romantic interest levels of other women, but I thought I was picking up some subtle hints. That changed the framing a lot.

I knew they were not a totally traditional couple. Was I some sort of target? A plaything? I found myself less repelled by the idea than I’d initially thought would be the case.

I’d never been with a woman, but I wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. Growing up in Utah anything other than heterosexuality wasn’t even acknowledged. I’d become more open-minded after college, but I had only ever been with guys, and my one real romantic long-term relationship had been with a guy. Still, I wasn’t totally against the idea of experimenting, I found women attractive enough and liked breaking potential new ground.

I resolved to see where things went naturally. Although they might be interested in something more than just friendship, I’d never gotten any remotely creepy vibes from Ky and Lexi. And they clearly cared deeply for one another, even if they had some hangups. It occurred to me if I was ever going to experiment with a couple, it would probably be one a lot like them.

---

I think it was around the time we opened the third bottle of wine that I made a decision. I wasn’t going to push it, but if Ky and Lexi made a move I was going to say ‘yes’ and see what happened. I was nervous, but that was just because of my inexperience with women, not because of anything they were doing.

Ky and Lexi kept doing everything imaginable to make sure I was having fun and at ease. If Ky had let even a stray glance linger, I had missed it. Lexi was a little more touchy-feely but it was much more in a close friend way that felt totally normal, not a pushy potential partner. She was also drifting back into her shit stirrer persona as the weed wore off, the large meal hit home and the wine flowed.

Ky picked up on that and the pair were sniping at each other like the old friends they were, all in good fun. I understood Ky’s doubts about Lexi’s true feelings, but as best I could tell the girl was head over heels for him. It was reassuring in a way. If two such different people could find each other, my person had to be out there too.

The food had all been at a minimum really good, with some of the dishes really excellent. Like Ky had warned, the gin for the most part was just an aromatic once the turkey was cooked. But the brine had kept the meat tender and he’d done some basting while the turkey was roasting that had given it a delicious texture. In my opinion the butternut squash risotto with white wine was the true star of the show, which Lexi appreciated because she’d spent nearly half an hour grating the squash. The vodka cranberry sauce was a hit too.

“So Lexi, your first Ginsgiving, favorite dish?” Ky asked.

“Still stuffing,” Lexi said and giggled to herself.

“Is that a sex joke or your actual favorite?” Ky asked.

“Why not both?” Lexi asked.

Ky rolled his eyes. “How about you Cassie?”

“It was all really good, you guys. I don’t think I’ve had a Thanksgiving meal this good in, I dunno, maybe ever,” I said.

That got us on the topic of old Thanksgiving traditions. Lexi, Ky and I all had different variations of the same story. Obligatory trips home to see family. Mediocre conversation and food. Relief when the holiday was over and we could go back to our normal lives. Neither of them had bothered with family Thanksgiving in the last five years. I told them about my sad attempt to rekindle with my family three years ago, my first in California, after having left Oregon and the frustrating trip that had been.

“I think we should keep this new tradition going for a while,” Lexi said. “I really liked last year when we just made dinner and hung out, Ky, but this is better. I think Thanksgiving is a holiday that deserves a big meal and friends.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Ky said. His smile was impossible to miss. He liked the idea of Lexi being around every year on Thanksgiving for ‘a while’.

“Cheers. I like your philosophy,” I said. I’d convinced myself spending Thanksgiving alone the last two years had been fine, but Lexi was right. This was better.

“Let’s make a pact. Let’s do this again next year. You know, if we want to. Like if you have a new boyfriend or something and want to spend it with his family that’s cool, Cassie. But let’s do this again if not. We can invite all our friends next time too. It’ll be awesome,” Lexi said.

“Aww that’s sweet, Lex. Thank you,” I said. I reached over and squeezed her forearm. Lexi smiled at me shyly.