Chapter 20

The travelers returned home tired but feeling good about their vacation. They rested on the weekend, trying to overcome the jet lag that had their schedules all messed up. Even with that rest, they just barely got through their classes.

By the end of the week, they were more in line with their schedules and beginning to enjoy college life once again. Greg had the worst time of it since he had to make up for the training time he missed in addition to taking extra time in the gym preparing for a tournament the first part of February.

Traci started to not be as active in their shared bed around this time. But with everything that was happening, neither Mandy nor Greg had noticed. It came to their notice one evening after Greg had made love first to Traci then to Mandy. When Mandy came back to the living from the afterglow of her orgasm, she looked over at Traci who was quietly crying.

Mandy reached over and wiped a tear away from her best friend's cheek. "What's the matter?"

Traci just shook her head. Mandy sat upright and turned to face the other woman. "Come on girl, you can talk to me. You know we both love you."

Traci sniffled and wiped her nose on the back of her hand. "It's just... I really don't know how to explain it. You guys know how much I love both of you. I think what we have is marvelous and I don't want to see it end, but I also sometimes get so frustrated that I don't have the same love that you two so obliviously feel for each other. You have such a bond and I just sometimes wish I could find the same thing; you know someone just for me."

Her words had come tumbling out, like once she started, she couldn't stop. She buried her face into her hands, crying harder now. Greg had heard what was happening and he went around the bed. He sat on Traci's other side, putting his arm around her. He couldn't say much, but he felt a lump in his chest that meant he thought he was losing someone he cared very much for.

While Greg continued to comfort Traci, Mandy got up and slipped into the bathroom. She soon came back with a warm washcloth and a towel, which she handed to Greg. Then she disappeared again. When she returned this time it was with a tray laden with their favorite hot teas.

By that time, Traci had calmed down enough to where she could accept the cup that Mandy offered her. They all sipped the hot liquid in silence, each in their own thoughts. Finally Mandy opened up the conversation.

"I am just speaking for myself here, but I can understand what you are thinking; at least a little bit. I don't want you to think I am jealous, 'cause I'm not. But sometimes when you are making love to Greg, I think how I would feel if you were the one he found first.

"But I know that I don't want to lose you as a friend or lover. I had never even thought about sharing my boyfriend until we became so close. And I want to know that I won't be losing you."

Traci looked up at her with reddened eyes. "I don't want that either. What we have is something that I know I will never regret. I just look at Jenni sometimes and wish I could have a child of my own. A little family that was just mine. You know, the whole wedding with the man who will love me and then we would settle in our own little house and have kids. But in those dreams, I still would have you two as very important parts of my life. You have taken me in and loved me just for me and I don't ever want to lose that. That's why I didn't want to say anything. It just hit me hard tonight for some reason."

Greg was really trying to understand. He logically understood Traci's needs, but the emotional lump in his stomach was causing his thinking to be fuzzy. Was he lacking in some way in being her lover? Was he neglecting her somehow? He wasn't sure about anything right then. His mind was going in ever-tightening circles and he knew he needed some time to sort his thoughts out.

"You girls stay here for the night. I really need a little time alone to deal with this." He got up and headed to the room that had been Traci's when she first moved in with them. Both women watched him leave, wondering just what he was worried about. But then, they settled into talking about the subject at hand.

Mandy understood much better than Greg did about what Traci was going through. Traci still had to reassure her friends and lovers that it was nothing that either one had done wrong. "I never felt like either one of you neglected me in any way," she told the younger woman. "It is just that I started to really feel the need of a lover of my own, one who just wants me."

They talked long into the night and Mandy found herself agreeing with her. The biggest problem with both of them was going to be the sense of loss they were sure to feel.

Greg, on the other hand, was still as confused as ever. He was sure it was something he had done (or not done) that was causing the breakup of their home. He tried to think of what the cause could be, blaming himself for whatever it was. That he was not the cause never entered his mind. He spent the rest of the evening sitting in the darkened room feeling a great sense of loss and hurt. The sun was starting to lighten the sky by the time he fell into a very troubled sleep.

It was late in the morning when Traci decided that it was time to talk with Greg. She quietly entered the room where he lay sleeping. She moved quietly to the other side of the bed and laid next to him, holding him close.

He stirred a little before opening his eyes. At first, he felt at ease with Traci snuggled against his side. But then, a look of fear came to his eyes as he remembered the events of the night before.

Greg turned to where he could look into Traci's eyes. "Whatever I did or didn't do that hurt you so bad that you want to leave, I'm sorry!" Traci's eyes were wide as she realized that this was where his thoughts had taken him during the night.

Sitting up, she pulled Greg into the same position facing her. Her voice was stern enough to make him take notice. "Greg, listen to me! You have done nothing at all wrong. Don't you even think like that. It has to do with the feminine part of me that always has dreamed of having a husband and kids and a house with my own little yard. Ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed about just those things.

"You and Mandy have given me everything I could possibly need. I am loved and accepted by you both for me, not just my body or looks. But I really need to start looking for something more. Something that I want for my future."

Greg was trying very hard to understand what she was saying, but he was also trying to figure out just what was going to happen in the immediate future. "I think I understand what you are telling me. I still feel like I am at fault somehow. Anyway, what is going to happen? Are you going to move back into this room, or clear out of the house, or what?"

Traci looked stricken. "Not unless you want me to. I'm not wanting to write you guys out of my life or anything like that. Can't we still be friends and lovers? I'm just wanting to start looking. Maybe date a few guys and see how things go." Now she got very serious. "You were the first man who ever really loved me, just for me. Not for Traci the redheaded bombshell, but for Traci the human being, the person that is inside. And that means more to me than you will ever possibly know." She lifted her hand. "This ring is very special to me and I will never take it off. We three have shared so much that it can never be erased. We have shared more than our bodies. We have shared our hearts and minds, and that is even more important.

"Mandy and I talked a lot of the night. She came up with an idea, and we both hope you will agree with us. Nothing much needs to change right now. I will just start dating when I am interested. I don't want to lose the physical intimacy we have. We will just take things one step at a time. And believe me, I will have a very hard time finding any man who could come close to you as a friend and lover."

Greg suddenly realized how quiet it was in the house right then. "Where's Mandy and Jenni?"

Traci got a teasing grin on her face. "Mandy and Jenni are at the playground in the park. She thought that we needed the time to talk... and maybe some other things."

She slipped her shirt over her head showing that she wasn't wearing a bra. As she moved up onto her knees to remove the jeans and panties she was wearing, Greg snapped out of his funk. He slipped off his sweats and they were soon holding each other tightly, their naked skin rubbing together giving a physical element to the spiritual that they felt for each other.

They spent a long time just touching and kissing each other. Because of their earlier talk, they felt the need to show each other just how much they loved the other. By the time Greg slid his aching cock into her willing body, she was on the edge of orgasm. She started to spasm as he started to slide in and out, her vaginal muscles milking him.

He gave out a long groan as he shot his semen deep into her channel, triggering one last climax for her. They stayed coupled for several minutes, each reliving the intensity that their love for each other had added to their lovemaking.

When Mandy and Jenni came home, the other two had showered and dressed and were working on dinner. Mandy looked questioningly at Traci and received a look that said everything was going to be all right. Mandy gave a sigh of relief that they all had pretty well worked out this crisis. She loved both of these people and was glad that everything was almost back to normal.

For all the talk, Traci didn't have more than a couple of dates. The men who had asked her out were nice and she ended up keeping them as friends, but there just wasn't the spark she was expecting. But with the way the trio had worked it out, she didn't need to feel in a hurry and was content to take her time. This was just fine with Greg since he was still unsure of his feelings of jealously that he found he was having.

Greg did very well in the tournament, as did the rest of his team. Greg won his weight class with almost no trouble, and defeated the final opponent by three points to one. The team took all but two weight classes, which their coach thought was very acceptable. That win brought them into the national championship tournament as the second seed. They had just over a month until the championships.

The trio went out to dinner to celebrate. Greg was still sore from where the one point his opponent in the final round scored had connected. Otherwise, they all had a great time. Heather and Adrian had made reservations at the local country club and after dinner, they laughed and danced until it was time to pick Jenni up from the sitter.

Heather and Adrian had news for the trio during the dinner. Greg's father, Ted, had recently decided that he would divorce Heather, leaving her free to marry Adrian if they wished. It was a little upsetting to Greg that his father had not even said anything about it in his very infrequent emails, but Heather reminded him that it was just his father's way to not think about any one but himself. She figured that the only reason he was going through with the divorce was that he wanted to be free to marry some woman he had met. "You know, I was the same way in my thinking until you shocked me out of it," she told her son.

Congratulations were given all around and the conversation turned to plans for the upcoming ceremony. Adrian asked Greg, Mandy and Traci to all be witnesses at a simple ceremony at City Hall. Adrian was prepared to go through with a big wedding, but Heather felt that it really wasn't necessary. They were going to honeymoon in the village in Italy where they had spent Christmas Break.

At one point, Heather looked over at the trio sitting across from her. "A couple of years ago, I would never have considered being in love with someone, much less getting engaged again. My work was all I thought about. But being around you three, as well as the way you brought me into your lives, has really made a turn-around in my own life. It is all for the better and I have you guys to thank."