It Taes a Village

Hi y'all! Here is part 4 of this series. This is my first attempt at righting, so I'd be grateful for any critiques/comments/suggestions for the future! Thanks and stay safe!

SECTION 4

Chapter 10

Austin and I sat across from each other in James Hall, our empty breakfast plates pushed to the side to make room for his iPad.

"Yeah okay, so you already know about Sam and Samantha, and if that wasn't complicated enough, Samantha has also hooked up with Sarah a few times."

He scribbled furiously on the tablet.

"Oh, and you're gonna need to find a way to connect Sarah and Perry." I paused to let him make the edits before I continued, "And also Perry and Elliot."

The Grounds Relationship Web was looking good, but I knew I shouldn't leave out the next few connections. Austin looked up at me, his eyes asking for approval.

"Almost done. Okay, now, um... me and Goose."

He stopped to look me in the eye before he burst out laughing. "You're kidding? DOT and GOOSE? That was doomed from the beginning."

"I mean, we still..." I trailed off.

"You're dating?"

"No, no. Goose? No. We just hookup every now and then."

"Was he..." Austin pointed at his own neck. I had already forgotten about the hickey that Rian left.

"Oh, no, that was someone else, he doesn't work here." I explained.

Austin shook his head and turned to go back to writing before he mumbled, "Well tell him he needs to work on his placement."

"What do you mean?" I asked through a laugh. Austin just raised one eyebrow. "No, really, I'll relay it to him. Where should they go?"

"They... well..." he paused. "I try to keep them to places that can be covered by a swimsuit."

I felt a tension develop in my lower stomach and my legs clenched together in response. I nodded slowly. "I'll... let him know, thanks."

As Austin and I walked out of the dining hall, I stopped him for a moment.

"You know you don't actually have to come to this party? I realize the Grinds world can get a little overwhelming." I said softly.

"Are you fucking kidding me? After all that work we just put in? No, I'll definitely be there." He smiled and turned to go to class, yelling, "I'll see ya later, Dot!"

I invited our little Grinds group chat to come over to my house before the party. They started knocking around 8 that evening.

"I'll get it Dot, you finish your makeup." Ruth said calmly, already walking out of my room to get the door.

A little about Ruth. She is easily the kindest person I've ever met. We are total opposites in some ways, but that just makes us stronger. She's in nursing, and let me tell you, I'd pay a lot of money to have her as my nurse if I ever ended up in the hospital. Ruth was joining us at the Grinds party which wasn't unusual; my friends all overlapped in one way or another, so it worked out well. She was currently trying to get rid of her crush on Matty, Isaiah and Rian's roommate. I was secretly hoping I could find someone else to catch her attention at the party since I really did not want to explain to her how much I disliked Matty.

The sound of laughter and loud greetings drifted up to my room, and I decided to forego the eyeliner to join my friends. I bounced down the stairs to the living room where Ruth, Mia, Perry, Rebecca, and Austin were standing. They were already setting up my Drunk Jenga blocks and getting themselves various cans of beer and seltzers. I greeted each of them and snuck back to the kitchen to pour myself a glass of cheap boxed wine. I chugged about half of it before refilling, knowing I'd need liquid courage for my next conversation with Mia.

I found her sitting on the arm of my couch, watching our friends play with blocks.

"Hey hot stuff, what's up?!" She asked me, reaching for a side hug.

"Hi love." I said, my head remaining on her shoulder after we hugged. "So, I actually wanted to run something by you."

"Shoot."

"I saw Isaiah yesterday." I looked at Mia and I watched the color drain from her face. "He really misses you." I continued. "He wants to see you, and Mia, I really think you two could clear this up with a sincere apology and a little conversation." I saw that she was about to protest, so I cut her off. "I know, we don't really know what happened, but you can still apologize for your words and actions in the following few days." She sighed, nodding and drinking a White Claw. "My point was, I was thinking about inviting Isaiah and Rian to the party tonight. Ruth is bringing Yael, so she might not even notice that Matty isn't there."

Mia paused for a few seconds and I saw the gears turning in her head. "Yeah, you're right, I think that could be good." She jerked her head back up to me as she remembered my last sentence, whispering "Wait, Ruth is still into Matty?"

"Yeah, but please don't say anything. I'm trying to get her un-hooked naturally." Mia nodded vigorously.

As if on cue, we heard a knock on our door. Mia looked at me questioningly.

"Fine," I said, "I may have already invited them. But I knew it would be a good idea!" I ran to the door in a lame attempt to dodge Mia, throwing it open quickly and gesturing grandly for Isaiah and Rian to enter.

"Boys! Welcome to Ruth and Dottie's Gin Mill, where a good time is guaranteed!" I smiled and stood aside, hugging them both as they passed. Isaiah was actually the one who started calling our home by that name, and to this day I'm still not sure if it's supposed to be a dig at our old lady names or our tendency to overindulge. Either way, I loved it.

Both Isaiah and Rian already knew Mia, Perry, and Rebecca, so I went to introduce them to Austin.

"Austin, you gotta meet a few people! This is Isaiah, he's one of my best friends and the only reason I haven't switch my major to something easier." I stood in front of Isaiah, pulling his arms around my waist to make him hug me from behind. I reached my left hand out towards Rian, pulling him towards me by his upper arm. I held his face close to mine, cradling his head like a grandma would do. I suppose it could have looked slightly sexual to an outside observer, but the dynamic was more zany than erotic. "And this," I said, turning to kiss his cheek while still hugging Isaiah, "is Rian. Rian is Isaiah's roommate and my... friend!" I tried to breeze over the awkward pause that came before the word 'friend,' but it probably didn't matter too much anyway; everyone but Austin knew we would never date one another. I pushed on, saying, "Isaiah and Rian, this is Austin. He works at Grounds now, too, and we actually have a few shifts together."

The guys bumped hands and did that weird half-hug back-slap thing, and I heard a knock on the door once again. This time I knew it would be Yael, Ruth's old friend from high school that actually happened to live in the same apartment building as Isaiah, Rian, and Matty. Given the large student population at our university, the shared connections and coincidences never failed to amaze me.

"It's so good to see you, Yael! How was Austria?" Yael had just returned from a semester-long study abroad program in Vienna, where she took a few specific classes for her double majors of German and Art History. Let's just say that Yael looked like an art chick. She had just about everything you could imagine pierced, but the jewelry was never intimidating; she typically wore diamonds or opals. She had beautiful (and natural) red hair and she rocked the standard "bisexual bob." If it was summer, she was wearing Birkenstocks and cutoffs; if it was winter, she was wearing a beanie and Doc Martens. Tonight was no different.

"Hey, Dot! Austria was amazing, I brought you and Ruth a little something, but I didn't want to bring it tonight." She said while giving me the standard European greeting of double cheek kisses.

"That's too sweet, thank you! Speaking of, Ruth is in the living room getting ready for Drunk Jenga. I think you've met everyone already, except maybe Rebecca. She's a freshman who works at Grounds with me. She's super cool, you'll like her. Can I get you a drink?" I rambled on as we walked through the house, hoping my secret intentions weren't showing. I knew from the moment I met Rebecca that she'd have to meet Yael as soon as she returned; they were both each other's type and fun as hell.

"I'd love a PBR, if you have one."

"Coming right up!" I rushed back to the kitchen, literally sliding across the linoleum floor in my socks. By the time I got back to the living room, Yael and Ruth were hugging and giggling, catching up on months of gossip. Everyone else was just waiting for us to start Drunk Jenga.

The rules of the game were pretty much normal Jenga, but you also have to complete the challenge that is written on whichever block you pull. So some blocks are simple and just tell you to take 5 sips of your drink, but others make the whole group engage in a game of sorts where the loser has to drink. Everything was going well until about 20 minutes in, when the dreaded "Truth or Dare" block was pulled. Now, everyone knows "Truth or Dare" is just an excuse to ask your friends about sex or make them do something vaguely sexual, meaning that I was pretty comfortable with it, but others were not. That's why I volunteered to go first. Plus, Perry pulled the block, and I knew their questions and dares wouldn't be terrible.

"Okay, Dot. Truth or Dare?" they asked, eyebrows wiggling suggestively.

"Dare."

"Hm, okay. Well, seeing as you already have one hickey on your neck, I dare you to have someone make it two."

My hand rushed to my neck, just then remembering it was visible. Austin and Rebecca looked at each other and laughed while Rian just smirked at me.

"Right now?" I asked. Perry nodded. "Right here?" They nodded again. "Okay fine, who?" Perry looked around and their eyes landed on Rian. Perry knew all about our casual hookups, and they took an educated guess when they asked, "Rian, I assume that is your handiwork?" I felt my face flush.

Rian laughed and nodded, adding, "Yeah, my bad, Dot." I saw Yael and Austin glance at him, a look of surprise on both of their faces. He was probably not who they'd imagined I'd be with.

"Alright, my friend, it's time for round two." Perry said encouragingly, pointing at me.

"Well I'm not sure a

real

round two would be appropriate for an audience, but I'll try to tone it down." Rian countered, setting his drink down, standing, walking around the table to me, and pulling me up. He slid both his hands into my hair and made two fists, pulling me in for a kiss with no hesitation. There was no slow build-up, no teasing; he just went right in with the kind of passion that makes you forget where you are. My hands went around his tight body and rested on the small of his back. His tongue claimed my mouth right away, and the kiss grew heated and hungry. I tried to remind myself of where I was, but a little moan escaped my mouth anyhow. Our audience started with little cheers, the occasional "ow-ow-ow" or whistle, until Perry shouted, "get to the hickey!"

I felt Rian chuckle against my mouth right before he pulled back and looked me in the eyes. His were already dark and dazed, and I'm sure mine looked the same. He started kissing across my cheek to my ear, where he nibbled and sucked for a while. He trailed down my jaw, eventually making his way to my throat. His placement was more visible from my front this time, since last night he had been kissing me from behind. I moaned again, and he gently pulled my arms from his body, gathering both of my wrists into one of his hands, holding it against the small of my back, while the other remained in my hair to position my head

"Fuck." I mumbled, loud enough to garner a few light laughs from the audience. Rian sucked on me hard, his tongue poking at me all the while. At this rate, I knew it wouldn't take long to leave a mark. A little gasp came from my lips when Rian bit me ever so gently, gripped my chin with his free hand, and forced me to look up. He stepped back as much as he could and inspected his work.

"What do you think Perry? Will that leave a mark?" He asked calmly, as if we had just done something as unsexual as a high-five.

"Uh..." Perry trailed off, "Yeah, yeah, that'll do."

Rian pulled my chin back down and kissed me quickly one last time before releasing me. I stood there, next to my coffee table completely bemused, and Rian returned to his spot and sat back down. We were all quiet for a second, hushed by the weight of arousal that was just laid on us.

The rest of the game was a little tamer. Mia pulled the "Strip" block and had to lose her shirt, Yael had to share her body count (3), and Isaiah confessed to having tried anal once. By the time the game ended, everyone was at least 3 drinks in and felt good enough to begin the hike to Goose's house, winter coats be damned.

Chapter 11

The music was loud, the sound coming from speakers that had been dispersed around Goose's house. No matter where you were you could feel the vibration in your body. At this point in the night, Isaiah and Mia had gone somewhere to "talk," and while I'm sure they did do plenty of that, there's no way it stopped there. Perry, Yael, and Rebecca were all participating in a Beer Pong tournament, for which I had convinced Yael and Rebecca to team up. I could tell from the second Yael walked in the door that she was into Rebecca. Yael tended to flirt with women by starting normal conversations, but she would find subtle ways to work in her sexuality within the first few minutes. Rebecca, on the other hand, tended to get very nervous and didn't speak much when she was flirting. As a result, I ended up guiding them through their first conversation of the evening on our walk over to the party.

"So, Rebecca, Yael just got back from Austria! She was there for a whole semester. Weren't you considering a study abroad biology research program in Germany?" I asked, standing between the two, linking arms with Rebecca to my right and Yael to my left.

"Yeah, I was. I mean, I still am... we'll see, it looks pretty tough. Plus, who even knows if I'd be okay so far from home." Rebecca explained.

"I was worried about the same thing, but I swear, you get so immersed in the city and all the crazy experiences. Like, literally the first week I was there, my host sister and I spent an entire day just checking out gay bars, it was incredible. I'd say that as long as you've been feeling okay at college this past year, you'll be fine for a study abroad." Yael reassured, straining her neck around me to look at Rebecca.

And just like that, their conversation took off. I've found that travel is a pretty safe conversation topic for new friends.

Hours later, I watched the Pong tournament progress, content to just observe. Rian had teamed up with Austin given Isaiah's abrupt disappearance. I was glad my friends were all getting along, but I still hadn't gotten a read on Austin's vibes towards myself or Rian. As if the universe knew I was thinking about the two of them, a Hail Mary shot managed to oust Rian and Austin from the tournament at that moment.

"Tough loss guys, good game, though." I said to the pair as they walked over to me. I was sitting on Goose's kitchen counter with my legs slightly apart, my drink sitting on the counter between my thighs. Rian and Austin came up in front of me and positioned themselves adjacent to my out-turned knees.

"Thanks Dot, but I'm not convinced that someone wasn't cheating." Rian joked. "I need a new drink," he continued, "anyone else need anything?"

"Is it too much to ask for you to make me another Gin and Ginger?" I asked, drawing out the last syllable in 'ginger' to really hook him. He smirked at me and shook his head gently.

"Wow, you want even more from me after last night? Insatiable." He laughed but nodded his head in agreement, and I prayed he didn't notice how red my face had just turned. "Austin, anything for you?"

"I'll take another of... whatever beer they have left." He replied. Rian turned to find the cooler of beer and card table with mixed drink ingredients.

Austin raised his eyes at me and chuckled in disbelief of Rian's suggestive comments. "Your boyfriend is very confident." He observed.

"Oh, he's not... yeah, we're not dating. I don't think that would be a good idea for me. But yes, Rian is

very

confident."

"Oh right, I forgot, you've also gotta manage that thing with Goose." He added, half-sarcastically, half-jokingly.

"Don't forget Charlie." I muttered as I drained the last of my drink. I looked up to see Austin looking dumbfounded and not entirely convinced. I started to defend myself. "Don't look at me like that. I know what I'm doing. I'm safe. Guys do this kind of thing all the time and no one bats an eye. I literally have the data on it; I'm

legitimately

working on a project about young adults' sexual preferences. So I don't want to hear it."

"No, no," Austin began to explain himself. "No judgement here. You're completely right." We stood in silence for a second before he continued. "Can I ask you one question, though?"

"I guess."

"Why aren't they just one-night-stands? That's all I've ever really experienced outside of relationships."

"Fair question. Honestly, I started with one-night stands and found them to be entirely unsatisfying. I can usually get a good idea of whether or not we'd be compatible in bed based on one time, but the first time with a new partner is typically not mind-blowing for women. That's rare." I started remembering the first time I had sex with Rian and smiled, only to tell myself to push him to the back of my mind to prove my point. "This may not be the case for hetero men, but I think that it takes partners a few... awkward attempts, shall we say, to learn how to make it good for both people."

"How do you mean?"

"Well, everyone's body is different, right?" Austin nodded. "So take that into consideration, add in all the possible combination of sexual activities, preferences for dirty talk, kinks, whatever... you can't expect to get it right on the first try."

He nodded as he took in my bold statement, and then argued, "I disagree."

"Okay, explain."

"I admit to the fact that it is usually easier for a man to get off during a hookup, but you can also definitely tell if you have crazy chemistry with the person."

"Okay, so say you do have crazy chemistry. What then? You just... forget about it?"

"No, you date them. Or attempt to, at least."

"By that logic, I'd guess that the vast majority of your other one-night stand partners who did not turn into relationships didn't actually come when you hooked up."

"Damn, Dot, you really know how to insult a man."

"Like I said... I have some stats to back me up."

Rian returned with our drinks and asked us to fill him in on our conversation. I quickly changed the subject back to Beer Pong.

"Oh look, they're starting a new tournament! You two need to go get redemption."

Rian and Austin quickly agreed and ran off to help with game setup. I was left alone on Goose's kitchen counter, when I suddenly noticed the dampness between my legs.

"Christ, did I get this wet just from talking about sex?"

I thought to myself. Then I remembered that I was already turned on before that, thanks to Perry's little hickey dare. I decided to talk to Goose.

It took me a few minutes of wandering around the house to figure out that Goose was probably in his basement getting more drinks, so I slipped around through the kitchen, past the side entrance, and down the stairs. The lighting was horrible, and there wasn't really any official layout to the basement, but it certainly was good for storing excessive amounts of alcohol and frozen pizzas. I heard someone digging through one of the large freezers, so I called out, "Goose! Is that you?"