Chapter 20

Alex was jumping on a bed barely meant for two and holding four. Max was up on her knees, naked as the rest of us, and spinning as she squealed and turned and laughed. I was still tired, and I didn’t recover from liquor and dehydration like I did when I was their--when I was nineteen.

“If you’re going to fuck, can you be quiet and let me sleep?” Sam moaned with her eyes closed and her body tightly squeezing my side. “My everything is sore.”

“Ah, sweetheart.” I kissed her hair. My mouth was so dry. Sam wasn’t letting go of my arm, and Alex was standing up because Max was being obnoxious. I frowned and looked at the redhead. She slapped her hands down on the blanket and my pectoral muscle.

“Sorry!” She apologized to Sam for the noise of smacking me. I tried not to look too pathetic for wincing. “Hey, it’s been two hours longer since last time and I love you!”

She looked shocked that she said it. She would’ve covered her mouth in embarrassment but she wiggled up and punched towards the sky. I frowned and saw the clock read twenty to eight.

“Stay in bed,” I whispered to Sam. I ushered Max out and she hopped up and kissed me. Alex pushed her aside and got her kiss too. The pair of them giggled at each other.

“I’ll keep Sam comfy,” Alex smirked at her best friend. “You go wash the sex skunk off of his penis.”

Max grabbed my arm and dragged me. I didn’t let myself be pulled too hard, and found my phone. I turned off my alarm with three minutes to spare.

“When do your classes start?” I asked.

“8:30.” She shrugged. “I can get there in five minutes, though.”

“OK.” I grinned and pushed her into the shower. “I might not be fully recovered for a morning go yet.”

“Oh.” She pouted. Then her eyes lit up. “But I am. You could...” Her lower lip was captured and released from her teeth repeatedly. “You could help me out, though? Please?”

“Can’t say no to a please,” I sighed overdramatically.

“Keep me forever, please,” she pleaded with fingers running through my hair. I climbed in the shower and pushed her belly with my palm. She was hard against the tiles when I knelt down to her fuzzy pussy. She grabbed onto my ears. I moved her hands onto my skull.

The taste of Max was mixed with Sam’s, and a bit of lube. She was eager for me to dive in with one or two kisses around her lips. I grabbed her buttcheek with one hand and spread her lips open with the other. I started hard on her clit and she grabbed her face.

“I’m gonna wake up Sam!” She muffled herself but that thought made her more and more excited as I licked with my tongue, held with my lips, and stroked with my teeth. I slid two fingers inside of her. I did the ‘come hither’ finger pull and felt myself through her on the tip of my nose. She shouted, “I don’t wanna wake up Sam!”

“I’m up, you noisy psycho! Learn about irony!” Sam yelled. Max turned red holding her breath. Sam called again, less aggravated. “It’s OK, Max. I love you.”

“I love you, Sam! I love you, Alex!”

“Aww...” Alex simpered as Max’s moans spiked.

“I love you, Gene!” She beamed. It was the happiest she had ever looked. I had a job to do, but I hadn’t known these girls for a week. Shit. Then there were the boots, and Winter, and Gretchen. I pummeled Max’s thighs into cooked spaghetti. She grabbed my ears again and pulled me up to kiss her.

“I taste funny this morning,” she giggled. I kissed her again, and turned on the shower. She jumped out with a shriek as I fixed the temperature.

We got out of the shower minutes after eight. Max only wore a towel, and only to hold up her hair. Alex was collapsed in my armchair and Sam was on her lap. They were laughing about something, and eating a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with two spoons. I found that more weird than I had found anything weird in my life.

“Ew,” Max agreed.

“Breakfast.”

“Get off of me. I’m going to pee.” Alex slapped Sam’s butt. The blonde and brunette both got up. Alex rushed to the washroom and Sam hovered over at me.

“Love, huh?” she asked me, and emptied the remnants of the cereal bowl into her mouth. Milk spattered across her tits. “Can I say it too?”

“Mean it,” Max said to Sam. I opened my mouth but she grabbed my hand and tightened her grip. She looked me dead in the eye. “Mean it.“

“Well, I’ve been through the roller coaster of brain drugs before, girls,” I said. “Falling in love and being in love are very different feelings. I’ve never been able to suss out the second until I was finished with the first.”

“Huh?” Sam asked.

“When you connect with someone new, you can be overwhelmed with feelings. For months. I’ve heard it called New Relationship Energy. I’ve never been able to figure out if I was in love until my brain went on cool-down.”

“I won’t feel this way forever?” Max sighed. “You’re right. I’m sor--”

I kissed her to stop her apology.

“She’s pretty when she’s crazy,” Alex said, grinning in my armchair. I smiled at her, letting a slightly cooler Max out of the embrace. She shook her head and her bangs fell over her eyes. I looked back and brushed the hair from her face.

“Get dressed, you’ve got classes,” I said.

“What about those two?” Max accused, but I could tell she was playing.

“I start at 10:30.” Alex stretched out. “Theatre schedules are designed for drunks.”

“I gotta be at upper campus for 9:30,” Sam explained. She picked some sleep from her eyes. “Wish I had some company in the shower. Wink, wink,” she hinted towards me.

“Sounds fun!” Alex hopped up and followed Sam into the bathroom, naked breasts jiggling. Max and I watched, huge grins on both our faces.

“Crap! I gotta put clothes on!” Max realized. I laughed. There wasn’t enough cereal left for two bowls. Well, there was, but I really only eat Honey Nut Cheerios. At least there were cinnamon rolls as well. I had way more food than I ever had on my own. Peter’s charity was off-putting until I thought of it as the girls forcing on me a higher quality of life. I slapped Max’s butt as she rifled through her backpack for new panties.

“Hey!” she grinned.

“Oh! Oh! Oh! That’s still sore!” I heard Sam exclaim.

“Aw ... princess...” Alex teased.

“That’s cute,” I said, and considered going back into the shower to join Sam and Alex.

Max reached down and felt my excitement. She pouted, then grinned. “Go. Play. I’ll be fine,” she said, and began putting her bra on.

“No, I gotta get to work,” I sighed. “Here, let me do your bra up for you.” She turned around and lifted her hair with both hands. “This thing’s cute.”

It was bright blue and mostly see-through. She lit up. “Really? Alex made me buy it.”

“What would you have bought?” I asked.

“Sports bras, I guess.” She shrugged and let go of her panties’ waistband. She smirked at the snap against her skin.

“Stuff that works.” I nodded. I picked up a pair of boxer briefs. I smelled them. Oh, right, they were clean: Faye’s visit had convinced me that one visit to the laundromat a month wasn’t enough. I still froze as Max gave me a bemused eyebrow-raise. I said nothing and pulled out a pair of black jeans.

“Hey!” Alex giggled.

“That’s what you get!” Sam yelled.

“So you’ll do it again?” Alex said, brightly.

“I can wash my own tits!” Sam’s voice dropped and she laughed madly. “I can’t believe I said that.”

“I can’t believe you don’t want someone else to wash your tits,” Alex said. “Do me?”

“Do yourself,” I think Sam said. They weren’t shouting and laughing as loudly anymore.

Max and I met each other’s gazes and had to laugh. She shook her head. We had our clothes on. I tossed her her jacket.

“Hurry up and I’ll walk you to class,” I said. I grabbed the cereal bowl and dumped the bottom into my mouth. I didn’t miss like Sam had. Years of slovenly practice.

“Really?” She dashed for her toque and mittens. Alex and Sam came out toweling themselves off. I was happily staring. Max threw my scarf in my face.

“It’s really cold out,” she said, slinging her backpack onto her shoulder.

“Wait? You don’t have to go right now?” Alex tried to mesmerize me by dropping her towel. She reached aside and yanked down Sam’s as well.

“I only got a couple minutes more than this one,” I pointed out at Max. “Longer walk. So, I’m walking her to class.”

“I can be ready in--” Sam dashed by me. I felt the water droplets fling off of her bouncing brown hair and spatter over my face.

“Sorry, girl.” I grabbed her slick tummy and pulled her for a kiss. “We’re already gone.”

“Keep an eye on your feelings, Sam,” Max said at the stairwell. “If you stop wanting to lo--fuck Gene, come right back here and juice up.”

Max pointed to the boots that lay under a pile of sex toys. All the packaging was still around. Alex saw me looking.

“I’ll clean everything up. See you when you get home.” She reached over to my cheek and kissed my lips.

“Have a good day,” I grinned, and went down the stairs with Max.

It was cold out, but the weather was still and placid. Small favors. We nearly bowled over Winter, turning onto the step out of my apartment door. I gave her a half-smile, took Max’s hand and weaved around her. I would’ve said nothing.

“Morning!” Max grinned.

“Good morning,” I added out of unstoppable politeness.

“Yeah good morning to you too,” Winter said. She stopped at her door and looked me in the face. She scrunched up her nose, ducked into the apartment, and slammed the door behind her.

“She seems grumpy,” Max said, squeezing my fingers. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, the wind kicked up from all directions. Wispy dust devils of snow scattered through our legs. Max just smiled brighter and we dashed up the street towards campus.

“Should’ve worn the scarf,” she laughed at me when we ducked into the alcove entrance to the university. My face was burning from the wind. I pulled down her scarf. “Hey, don’t be--”

I kissed her hard. I pulled away and she had her happiest mooniest grin on.

“You still good?” I hoped.

“I--OK, I won’t say it again. Not yet. But when I can say it again, you’re not going to hear anything else.” She beamed.

“Max?” Some 19-year-old guy stared at us, defeat written across his face.

“Oh hey, Zach!” Max waved to the guy obliviously. “I’ll see you tonight.” She squeezed my hand. She turned to the distraught kid and jabbered on about how hard the multivariant calculus assignment was. She turned and waved again as he chimed in. I waved, smiled, and left for work.