Chapter 6: June - Ties That Bind

In a parallel universe, anything is possible. A world might exist where you're the president, a prize-winning journalist, a loud-mouthed radio host, or maybe just a homeless bum. An ideal you might even exist, a you that never had any regrets, made all the right choices, and walked through life with a song on your lips. It's an appealing fantasy for those who are sure there are worlds other than these, and that a better place can be found in amongst their number.

Jahn had bookshelves full of the stuff in the old apartment, and had an odd certainty that he must have stumbled into one of them. Sweet dreams are made of these, he thought, the rhythmic beat sliding through his head like liquid mercury, as he breathed in the lingering perfumes of the women beside him.

It seemed only natural that one of them might join him that first night, in the bedroom they'd given him. Fiona had gotten there first, slipping through the half-open door with a light knock to announce her presence, a slight smile on her face as she silently moved across the room and leaned down to embrace him. Raising her lips to his cheek for a lingering goodnight kiss, she whispered, "Would you mind if I stayed with you tonight?" making the request shyly, as if the act of sleeping together in one bed were somehow more intimate than the sex they'd already enjoyed.

Of course he didn't mind, and as he lay down, she settled her small slender frame next to his on the spacious bed, nestling her head into his shoulder, and tracing a finger across his chest in a possessive gesture.

With all the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, Jen spilled into the room less than ten minutes later, halting at the sight of her sister and her boyfriend already lying together on the bed. There was nothing to interrupt, as they'd only meant to sleep, but the sisters stared at each other like unfamiliar stray cats trying to work out the ownership of new territory. Finally, and without a word, Fiona lifted a hand, gesturing to the other side of the bed. His other shoulder, he realized. A sigh of relief escaped him, prompting the brunette to give him a reproving knuckle to the ribs. Her sister seemed to have decided that the unspoken suggestion had merit and circled the bed, and taking a seat, drew her long legs up beside him, before finally lying down.

Total chastity, safe within each sister's boundaries, because nothing more than a loving embrace was needed. Darkness was slow to draw in through the blinds, but it was a long while before he slept.

With Mrs. Reed in town, he was reminded of what little family he had left. Both his mother and father had passed nearly a decade back, and Jahn hadn't spoken to Roger in nearly a year. Natural, of course: his brother had a wife and a kid, a life of their own. He should contact his brother about his plans, but needed a good excuse ... no, he really didn't. Roger was family. Pulling out his cell, he keyed in the number, still familiar to him even after so long.

His brother picked up on the second ring. "Holy shit, Jahn, that you? Been awhile, bro."

"Yeah," Jahn responded uncomfortably. "Time flies..."

"It's cool, buddy. 'Shell and Joey keep me busy here. Need anything, or you just call to shoot the breeze?" The cheerful goodwill of his brother seemed to exude from the device in Jahn's hand.

"Actually, yeah. You have everything you want from Mom & Dad's stuff in the storage unit?"

"Everything except the mahogany dresser. 'Shell wants it for the extra room when we finish. Sayyyyyy, you finally got Andrea to soften up and move in with you?"

"Ah, no. Ended that a few months back, found someone new."

A low whistle sounded from the other end. "Sorry to hear that, I know you were really into her."

Jahn replied, more curtly than intended. "The relationship ran its course."

"Yeah, got it..." He'd had a few conversations with Roger about his ex early in that relationship, but it always left a strain on any chat, so he'd always dropped it. "Just a few months back, huh? Fast worker. Who's the lucky girl?"

"Ummm, Jen and Fiona Reed. You wouldn't know them."

"Geninfiona? That some sort of Germ- Wait, did you say 'them'?" The surprise in Roger's voice was clear.

"Well, it's like this..." Filling in his brother on the details, he waited nervously, hoping Roger wouldn't think he was some kind of idiot, or gone cultist, or worse, pull the same drooling routine some of his friends from work had given when they found out he had not one girlfriend, but two. Jahn shouldn't have worried. Roger was a rock to lean on, always had been.

"It sounds like you really dig them. I'm glad for you, bro."

"You don't think it's weird, then? Or like I'm taking advantage of them or something?"

"I've met men and women and seen all kinds of relationships all over the world. An extra girlfriend is like ... nothing here in the USA. You could shout random shit and show them off like arm candy, and nobody would bat an eyelash. Far as the personal judgments go, you've never been the kind of guy to treat a girl like that. If you believed you might, I trust you'd do the right thing."

"I guess I would."

"Damn straight. I'll come down this weekend and give you a hand with moving anything they want out of the unit." The offer came at him so fast, he didn't think to turn it down then wondered why he would have. Roger had given his seal of approval. That was what mattered.

"Oh ho ho ho ho," chortled Jen, as they made their way into the bedroom of his old apartment. "Finally, I gets to excavate ze hidden secrets of ze master's chambers!"

Rolling his eyes, he dropped a stack of packing boxes onto the floor. "Like you haven't been here at least a half dozen times already?"

The blonde gave him a wicked grin, tugging at the neckline of her t-shirt. "Sure, but when the only view I get is your ceiling or the mattress..."

Laughing, he returned, "Yeah, yeah, point made. Dig to your heart's content. I've already seen your dirty laundry." A whole closet full of it, in fact; she hadn't been joking about her porn collection. Probably why she was heading straight for his closet, he figured, as he began the tedious process of unplugging his work center.

"Hmmm, lotta magazines in here..." she piped up impishly. The shuffling of paper was audible, but he ignored it.

"Pretty tame compared to your collection," he shot back with good humor. "Just some Playboys and some other assorted crap. You can toss 'em in the trash." Jen might not appreciate the girl-on-girl stuff hidden at the bottom of those stacks, he reflected, and turned to give her a hand, maybe dump them on the sly before she got that far. "Here, I can do that for you..."

"Dream on, sucker, you're not slipping anything past me." Damn, she was quick. A small stack of magazines thudded onto the bag by the closet, sliding askew on the floor. "Hah! That explains it. Trying to slip your pervy girl-on-girl stuff past me..."

"Uh yeah, I think you mentioned something about that sort of thing bothering you." Jahn couldn't think of a thing to change the subject to.

"What?" She was silent for a moment, but a snort of laughter followed it. "I was talking about my sister. Not girls in general. Big difference." Jen had a thing for girls? That was news to him, if useless. No way in hell he was going to risk losing Fiona over a threesome with some random chick. The last of the magazines was pitched onto the bag. A comfortable silence fell as they worked on packing his belongings...

Absorbed in his work, Jahn was abruptly and painfully brought back to reality by an overjoyed squeal from the closet. Muttering as he rubbed his head from a bump against the desk, he turned his attention to the closet where Jen appeared to have regressed to juvenile spasms of delight.

"If dirty magazines turn you on that much..."

"Fuck you, jerk! You've been holding out on me!" A look of rapture had come over her face as she held up his bomber jacket. It took him a second, and he couldn't help but laugh as he made the connection.

"Oh please, it's not a replica jacket, and hell, it doesn't even look much like the one in the movie. No need to drool on it."

"Totally not the point," she said emphatically. "You're not the only one with an imagination, you know! And after I set up that harem girl outfit for you!" Her mouth widened in a Cheshire grin. "I think it's only fair that you make it up to me."

"Sure, sure," he responded agreeably, though he'd never been in a drama club like she and Fiona had, and wasn't sure how he was going to pull off pretending to be a pilot. Vroom vroom, he thought distractedly.

"Right. Now." The blonde pressed, still grinning wolfishly down at him. "Take me to bed or lose me forever, is how it goes."

"There's something I'm supposed to say to that, right? It's been a long time since I saw the movie..." Jahn said, as he rose from the floor.

"Just put on the jacket and lose your jeans. We can do the really fun stuff later." Fun was relative in Jenny's World, painted in a rainbow of degrees.

Fortunately it still fit, or he might have had a rebellion on his hands. What was that song? Ah... "As you turn to me and say ... take my breath away" he began to sing quietly, though his recall of the lyrics was spotty at best.

Jen eagerly pushed him to the bed as he unzipped and lowered both jeans and underwear ... As contagious as ever, her enthusiasm infected him, and he reveled in the sensation of her lips making contact with the flesh of his cock, practically setting it aflame with transient, plush sensation. His girlfriend had possessed even less experience with this than he did, but in the few months they'd been together, she'd acquired her own little sphere of expertise, switching from tongue to lips and back again in a teasing flurry that stoked the fire in him to raging hardness, amplified again by the lowering lids of her shining blue eyes that sparkled with pleasure, as she had her way with him. Her tongue slid from the head of his dick to the base of his shaft, and he groaned with pleasure. "Oh fuck," he muttered, trying to support himself on the bed as she took him deeper into her mouth. "Fuck!"

The last expletive was not directed at the intense pleasure she was giving him, but at the sound of knocking at the apartment door. "Cock-blocking fucker!" he swore, feeling himself shift from 60 to 0 so fast that the rush of blood dizzied him.

Jen looked disappointed as well, but he knew she'd take it out of him later. Too bad he'd forgotten about this jacket. Maybe he could get something more like the real thing for her.

Funny how fast goodwill could drain out of you, and flood right back in again. Like a rollercoaster, Jahn thought, as he gave Roger a heartfelt hug. The sight of his brother, his only surviving family, was a tonic. "Good to see you again, man."

"You too, Jahnie boy. I'm guessing this one is the lovely Jennifer Reed?"

Jen beamed up at him, no small feat. Jahn had been blessed with his father and mother's height, but Roger stood a good few inches above even him. "Jen, or Jenny, if you like."