Chapter 10: Sweet Sixteen

Alex's parents had run into Rachel several times when they visited him on campus. They were charmed by Alex's girlfriend. In Alex's admittedly biased opinion, Rachel's honesty, curiosity and kindness could not fail to captivate anybody who spent even a few minutes with her. Her curiosity and her single-minded interests were a perfect balance. Her interests included anything to do with her chosen profession, such as chemistry, biology, physiology and math. They also included theater, and recently, and rather embarrassingly, sex. Rachel's intelligence and drive made her bubbling conversation about those things fascinating and dazzling, as she jumped from premise to conjecture to conclusion.

Her curiosity was the counterpoint. Rather than hogging a conversation, she listened with fascination to others. Her sincere interest was flattering in its intensity.

Alex's parents thought she was a perfect girlfriend: studious, advanced for her age (perfect match for their prodigy son), and with nearly perfect grades. And her doting on Alex sealed the deal.

So, Rachel's first visit to Alex's home, back in April, held little fear. Rachel was not the kind of girl to agonize over her dress to make the right impression. On her arrival at Alex's home she was greeted with hugs, and offered to go to the kitchen where Mrs. Driscoll ― "call me Dora" ― was finishing the dinner preparation.

On the other hand, Alex had not met the Goldbergs. They lived farther away, and rarely came to campus. Rachel usually visited them a few times each semester in addition to spending the school breaks at home.

Alex was apprehensive. After two hours and two buses, Rachel and he were picked up at the bus stop by her father. Mr. Golberg looked serious and rather formal.

The conversation at the lunch table started rather stilted, fulfilling all of Alex's expectations. Mr. Goldberg, who did not offer his first name, asked Alex about his parents, his background, how he met Rachel, what he was studying, and his plans after college. Alex kept waiting, but was never quite asked, "So, Young Man, what are your intentions towards our daughter?"

Rachel's parents both had strong accents, but their English was fluent and grammatically correct. They had lived in the U.S. for thirty years, and were happy to be here. They were fulfilling another classic cliché: they were hard-working, proud of their adopted country, and determined to have their child live a better life than theirs.

Rachel's mother was short and plump, with dark hair like her daughter; unlike Rachel's grey eyes, hers were brown and almond-shaped. She had the same curiosity as her daughter, and Alex thought that had she been thirty years younger, she would have captured his heart.

After the first course of appetizers, most of which Alex had never had before, the conversation became more relaxed. At some point, Mrs. Goldberg offered her first name, which by a coincidence was Dora, the same as Alex's mother. She knew that already, as Rachel apparently shared most of her intelligence with her mother. Alex just hoped that Rachel did not share their more intimate moments, but with women, it was hard to predict what they considered private.

By the last cup of tea which concluded the mid-afternoon meal, Rachel's obvious, and often stated, delight in Alex, and Alex's academic success won over her parents. They were happy that Rachel was making friends, something that was a sore point in high school. At the same time they didn't want Rachel to plunge so deeply into social activities that she neglected her studies. The Goldbergs took education most seriously. Alex was a good candidate; Rachel had fun with him, and his academic achievements actually encouraged Rachel in her study instead of distracting her.

The final accolade was Dora Goldberg hugging and kissing Alex goodbye. There was nothing sexual in the gesture, but the hug was heartfelt. "You make my child glow with happiness. Thank you, Alex!"

To her own surprise, Denise fell for a guy she met bicycling. He was a student in law school, and was a much more serious biker than Denise. They shared a ride over some hills together, and then met for dinner.

"By the time we finished appetizers, I was gone. I think about him all the time; I feel like a schoolgirl with her first infatuation. We are going out again tonight!"

Denise was both embarrassed and gleeful. She was also very regretful that she had to stop being Alex's mistress. "You can still use my room sometime if you get desperate, but it would be a bit awkward ... Too bad I never had the nerve to watch you do it here. I've had a few good fantasies, where I yell 'Next!' and jump on top."

Denise showed her regret by a kiss that nearly caused Alex to stain his jeans. Alex was not much surprised when Denise also kissed Rachel with much more than friendship. He didn't see Rachel fighting off Denise, either.

The dissertation defense was anticlimactic. The four professors asked Alex questions about the paper, which he nearly had memorized, and about the compression algorithms, which he could program with his eyes closed after working on them so long.

At the end, his hand was shaken, and he was given a letter that said that Alex Driscoll had fulfilled all the requirements of a Ph.D. in computer science, and the department and the dissertation committee recommend that the university "powers that be" grant him a Ph.D. He was told that it would take several months for all the paperwork to be processed, and the diploma be printed, since he was "out of cycle" for graduation. Still, the professors all called him Dr. Driscoll when they congratulated him.

He now had to figure something about post-doctoral work. He now had several ideas initially intended for his dissertation. A couple could be turned into research papers, and the one on encryption could perhaps be patented.

Sometimes, Alex felt that he was just an observer in the girls' interactions. Emily, Rachel and he continued to spend time together, and Rachel seemed as attracted to Emily as he was. Their jokes got steamier, and Emily once joked about "borrowing" Alex. Rachel, blushing slightly, said "I wouldn't lend Alex, but I might rent him, for a suitable payment." After she said that, she looked Emily up and down. A bit abashed at her own words, Rachel looked away and didn't see Emily look intensely at Rachel and lick her lips. She probably didn't see Emily's nipples poking through her T-shirt either; a sight that took a lot of Alex's attention.

The idea of two beautiful girls having sex was making Alex rock-hard. It had been a fantasy of his since he first saw Karen and Melissa touch each other back in high school. However, he was terrified to mess things up with Rachel, so he never brought it up. It did seem that the girls were intent on fulfilling his fantasy with no prodding from him. Alex was scared of saying something wrong and derailing this beautiful dream. Or perhaps of waking up and finding the whole thing an invention of a hormone-crazed mind.

In the sports center, Emily grabbed Alex before he left to shower. "Alex, I am not sure how far your girlfriend wants to take it. She seems young, and I don't want to push her too far. But you should know that I've played with both boys and girls, and I think she is delicious. Frankly, the thought of doing it with both of you, together or separately, makes me wet." Alex didn't think Emily was exaggerating. He could see her long nipples poking out.

"Talk to her, and let me know. I really like you guys, but I would far rather cool it down than lose you as friends, okay? I can wait a few months, and maybe I will find somebody else I like, or maybe Rachel and you will consider fulfilling my fantasies. Just don't let me ruin things because I haven't been laid in a few months."

Alex was somewhat preoccupied the rest of the day. In the evening, he found that he didn't need to bring up Emily. Rachel was experiencing one of her periodic periods of angst.

"I shouldn't be lusting after Emily! It's unnatural! Heterosexual attraction leads to procreation and protection of the young; homosexuality is useless! I shouldn't be feeling this way! And I am so ashamed of betraying you in my thoughts," she continued castigating herself for a number of minutes, occasionally asking Alex's forgiveness.

Alex let her talk it out, and kept hugging her and giving her tissues, occasionally kissing her forehead. He found it amusing that while having a moral crisis, Rachel came up with biological arguments. After she ran down a bit, Alex started remedial action.

"I love you, Sweetheart. There is nothing wrong with you. No, no, let me speak," he hugged her again. "Look, I had been attracted to Denise. I am attracted to Emily, but I don't feel I betrayed you. Do you think I betrayed you? Attraction to others is not betrayal, unless you do something about it and do it behind your love's back. I don't think you were planning to cheat on me.

"And I love you. Now about homosexual attraction: There are plenty of theories, but it may serve a biological purpose. It can be used for social binding in our cousins the bonobo..."

Alex wasn't sure if it was his emotional or biological arguments that prevailed, but Rachel calmed down. He thought that now was not a good time to bring up Emily's questions.

But Rachel bypassed his intentions. Suddenly worried again, she exclaimed "But what about Emily? She will be put off by my leering at her, and we will lose her as a friend."

Alex laughed before thinking about it. After being firmly prodded with a finger, he disclosed the earlier conversation with Emily, almost verbatim.

"Hmm..."

Alex was getting to both fear and savor that sound.

"Hmm... , thinking about that makes me wet too. I am not sure I am ready for that yet, though. I think I'd like to see you with her first."

Alex was still convinced that he was dreaming, but decided not to pinch himself to find out.

Ten days later, Alex got one of his fondest dreams fulfilled. He saw the two most beautiful girls on campus, Rachel and Emily, make out in front of his eyes. Emily had an apartment just off campus, reinforcing Alex's impression that her parents were well off. The small but completely private space was a treasure for Rachel and Alex, who for years had to share living quarters with parents and roommates. Even Denise's room in a house was only one of eight, with shared bathrooms and common spaces.

Once Rachel accepted the idea of homosexual attraction, things progressed quickly. The flexible schedules in summer meant that they ended up in Emily's apartment the next day. Rachel first pushed Alex to "prepare" Emily. Alex could see that Emily had no need of preparation. Rachel just wanted to see them grope each other. Oh well, anything to oblige his girlfriend.

Hugging, kissing and fondling Emily was just as good as Alex hoped. Her body was wonderful, and she was not shy in the least. She pushed her marvelous breast into his hand when he seemed to hesitate. And by the time their first French kiss ended, Alex felt Emily fumble with his belt buckle. He wondered briefly if this is how a girl feels with an overly-grabby date. He didn't have much brain left to wonder, though, as he pushed both hands under her blouse and rubbed her skin up and down. The bra didn't resist for long as their wrestling pushed it off Emily's breasts.

Alex's shorts were half off, and Emily was rubbing him through the briefs. He felt that in a few seconds he would either explode or be fucking the blonde goddess on the couch. With excruciating effort he broke free, even letting go Emily's nipple. She whined in protest.

Panting heavily, Alex said "Rachel, how far did you want us to go."

"This is far enough," his girlfriend said. Before he could feel disappointment, Rachel grabbed Emily's breast that was rubbed by Alex just seconds ago. Emily didn't seem to mind the substitution.

Alex was so hard he was hurting as he observed the two girls struggle with each other's clothing. As he rubbed his cock, he forced himself to go slow to avoid missing anything. His eyes, ears and nose were trying to absorb all impressions coming from the scene in front of him.

It was hard to tell with girls, but Alex thought both climaxed at least twice. They didn't strip all the way down, but he could see all four breasts poking out of disarranged clothing, and two crotches in wet and transparent panties rubbing against each other. He finally came, running very quickly to the bathroom to get tissues, and was now back and getting hard again.

Eventually, the girls took a break, at which point his wonderful, beautiful, and generous girlfriend asked "How many condoms did you bring? Do Emily first, and then I want to fuck you."

Life just couldn't get better, Alex thought.

Alex passed the driver's written test with a perfect score. Alas, the first driving test he could get was the day after his sixteenth birthday, so he would have to remain a pedestrian for an extra day. He had researched cars, and found one he wanted — pretty small, not too expensive, with a good reliability history. He decided to go for a new car rather than a used one, and checked its availability at several local dealers. At his age, getting a lease would be hard, so he decided to buy it. The investment account could afford the purchase and various required expenses like the first year of automobile insurance.

Alex also paid for a university parking sticker. They were often on a waiting list, but graduate students got priority.

Just before buying it, Alex decided that his girlfriend would probably want to have input on the car. To his delight, Rachel merely asked him if he could afford it without straining, and if he already has done research on the available models. When answered in the affirmative, Rachel said that she would be happy with anything he bought. Even when specifically asked about color, Rachel said she had no strong opinions; she regarded the car as transportation, not a fashion statement.

Alex was happy to proceed with his plans, but privately thought that Rachel was violating several rules of feminine behavior.

All was not perfect, however. Several days into their relationship, Alex told Emily more about himself. She was surprised at his age, and impressed with his academic progress. The age seemed to continue to bother Emily.

All three of them had a conversation on this soon after the "revelation".

"I just turned twenty, and you are fifteen. I am not sure I should be having a relationship with you. What would people say?"

Alex wiggled his eyebrows at Emily. "That you snagged a boy toy, who keeps you happy in bed? I can tell the same people that you are my sugar momma."

Emily wasn't horny, and Alex's suggestion flew like a lead balloon. He tried a different tack. "Look, you just turned twenty, and I will be sixteen in three weeks. Four years' difference will mean absolutely nothing when we graduate. A year ago I was at a wedding: my cousin married his bride when she was eighteen and he was twenty two. Nobody raised an eyebrow!"

Emily was slightly pacified. But in later days the tension persisted. She wasn't fond of the term "mistress" that Rachel tried to laughingly bestow on her. It was ironic, Alex thought, that what started as purely a sexual adventure turned with lightning speed into a relationship. A relationship where Emily now wanted "equal treatment", and yet felt her separation from two much younger participants.

The car purchase didn't help. Alex really goofed by asking Rachel and not Emily. Emily did have opinions on style and color, but he thought it was far less important than the fact that she wasn't asked.

Alex had an explanation. Rachel and he were a pair much longer, and had expectations of being together in the future. Emily had come on the scene recently, and became his girlfriend even more recently. If girlfriend was what she was. He wasn't sure if she would remain with them.

It was a vicious circle: Emily wanted to be a full part of their relationship, but in her fear of exclusion was pushing away Rachel and him. And then Rachel and Alex were treating Emily as an outsider which made things worse. Alex sighed.

Not everything was filled with tension. When Emily and Rachel gossiped, they seemed very happy. Emily and Alex were great exercise buddies, and enjoyed playing table tennis together, where Emily continued to thrash Alex, although he now lasted a bit longer. Alex came to cheer and admire Emily's prowess in foil fencing matches. Emily came and watched Alex practice judo. While he decided not to try competing due to his body type and lack of time, Alex was one of the best students. His long training in jujitsu was helpful, and he often performed as instructor's assistant.

And, of course, the sex was awesome. Whether Rachel and Emily, Alex and Emily, or, once so far, all three together, it was intense and wonderfully hot. Often, they could keep winding each other up for another bout far longer than he would have thought possible. Or sane.

Things finally broke up a week before Alex's birthday. The weather was hot and muggy, and the tempers were fragile. Emily didn't blow up though. They had a long, painful conversation where Emily said she couldn't be their lover any more. They could remain friends...

Rachel started crying, and both Alex and Emily went to hug her. Emily tried to pull away, but Rachel held on to her. After a few minutes, Emily disentangled herself and went back to her chair.

"Rachel, love, please don't make it harder. I started off being incredibly attracted to you both, and I still am. I love being with you, talking to you, having sex with you, and everything in between, but this relationship is not working. I think we can remain friends and I can still keep my sanity. If we have sex, I will become emotional, jealous, scared. Please, let's be friends."

It was one the most painful conversations Alex had ever had. It was even worse than being dumped by Karen and Melissa. Rachel needed a lot of cuddling that evening. Neither wanted to have sex. When they did, it would be more difficult to find a space now that Emily had broken up with them.

Alex wondered if he was insensitive. They just lost a member of their "triad", somebody they both loved, and he was thinking of the inconvenience caused by losing her apartment. Still, it was hard to stop his mind. He thought Rachel and he should get their own place. He wondered how much a small house would cost next to the university campus. It wouldn't be cheap, but his investments were doing well, and he thought a major router maker was very interested in getting a compression license.