I stood dithering outside the hallway leading to the twins' wing wearing the pajamas someone, probably Ash, had laid out for me.
I
had laid out a soft pair of flannel pj pants and a matching t-shirt only to find it replaced with a black and red striped long sleeved shorts romper. It was made of a soft ribbed knit and had small black buttons marching down the entire center front till it got to a drawstring at the hips. He had laid out matching lacy boy-shorts and a fuzzy black shorty robe and socks. It managed to be both cute and sexy while still being kind of my style though I don't remember purchasing any of these things so I'm not sure where they came from. The scoop neck did have the unfortunate side effect of really showcasing the scar around my neck but the t-shirt I'd chosen wouldn't have hidden it and it had left my both of my arms entirely bare. I just didn't have any comfortable-house-only clothing that covered my scars efficiently. I hadn't lived with anyone in so long I'd stopped worrying about what I looked like at home.
Now I was standing here tying and untying the robe, I had already taken out the braid I'd put my hair in straight out of the shower, the messy bun that had followed that and the jaunty ponytail that had followed that. I had very briefly debated pigtails but thought that looked too much like I was aiming for the sleepover-in-a-porno look. I had just settled for tying the robe at the back and just pulling my loose hair forward over one of my shoulders. Now should I leave the romper at two undone buttons or go down one more? I didn't want to look desperate. I wasn't desperate. I should be satisfied. I was satisfied. Did I look satisfied? Desperate? Nervous? I guess I didn't want to seem like a hypocrite or a tease after what had happed earlier. But hadn't I already been a bit of a hypocrite by sleeping with Ash immediately after claiming I needed more time with the twins?
"Boo," a deep voice whispered right into my ear causing me to scream out loud and leap at least twelve inches into the air. The pulse pounding in my ears from the heart attack I'd just had still didn't block out the masculine laughter now echoing around the mostly empty space. I turned to see who I guessed to be Soma doubled over in laughter with tears streaming out of his eyes precariously holding a bowl of popcorn and some cream sodas. I saw Ash and Nichelle shaking their heads in the doorway from where they'd run to check on my outburst.
"Ty takoy mudak!" I cursed at him in Russian. I crossed my arms and marched down the hallway and into the room with the lights on. Surya was coming out of his closet wearing jersey pj pants and pulling on a white ribbed tank top, the kind my brother used to call wife-beaters or just beaters for short. He fished the loose waterfall of his hair out from under it and smiled at me, a slightly puzzled expression on his face, gesturing to the bed which was absolutely bursting with pillows and what looked like three extra blankets. I smiled thinking that it looked far more like the site of a demolished pillow fort than a debauched seduction.
"Hey I'm not an asshole!" Soma insisted from behind me. I snorted but was still surprised. Surya just rolled his eyes and held his hand out to me.
"I didn't know you spoke Russian," I was still miffed but that didn't stop me from graciously accepting Suryas hand to help me climb onto the high bed.
"
I
don't, but Ash does and he told me what you said before he called me an idiot and walked away.
We
speak Spanish, Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Hindi, Arabic and obviously English," He threw himself onto the bed after handing Surya the sodas and impressively didn't spill any of the popcorn from the overfull bowl. Surya handed me the remote for the tv and a now opened bottle before climbing up next to me sandwiching me in never having said a word. I felt heat rising to my face but diligently concentrated on bringing up the Netflix menu, I smiled when I saw that Nichelle had already made herself a profile and given herself the eyepatch supervillain face.
"Cool, about the languages I mean," ack, what am I even saying? I leaned forward so they were both behind me and maybe wouldn't see my red face. "Do you have a genre preference?" I asked taking a deep drink of the sweet soda, hoping to lower my core temperature in general. Was it hot in here. Maybe it was the robe?
"Nope you claimed autonomous movie choosing rights, to which we can only acquiesce, as we are gentlemen," Soma replied adding a haughty inflection to his voice, which caused me to snort, which caused soda bubbles to go up my nose which caused me to cough-laugh soda all over myself. Both twins were laughing now, I used the sleeve of my robe to wipe the soda from my face and lap and then threw the wadded up ball into Somas face. Surya and I both guffawed at the look of shocked affront on Somas face. I turned around still giggling and after very little deliberation chose
V for Vendetta
a classic movie that I feel is a seminal work containing all things good about cinema including Hugo Weaving. Banging my mental gavel at, and patting myself on the back for, the decision I grabbed the softest of the throw blankets and scooted backwards keeping my bottle up right and the blanket over my toes till I felt pillows at my back.
Soma mock glared at me with twinkling eyes as he put the popcorn bowl in my lap and dropped my robe to the floor. He got up and turned the lights off before returning the bed with a running start causing the bed to bounce and popcorn to spill over my lap. I grabbed some and threw it at his face. His only response was a roguish smile and a lucky catch. I pushed play on the movie and tried to act like I laid in bed with sexy twins all the time while I put the loose popcorn back into the bowl. It's definitely no big deal. I pulled the blanket up to the edge of the popcorn bowl wishing I hadn't sacrificed the robe so early. I took another swallow finishing off my drink, Surya deftly switched out my empty for a full one before grabbing a large hand full of popcorn jiggling the bowl in my lap.
I grabbed some popcorn, enjoying the salty sweetness of what I now realized was kettle corn as V made his alliterative entrance on screen. I didn't realize how rigidly I was sitting till a pillow was slid in behind me so I could relax my posture. I smiled over at Surya only to have him shake his head and nod to his brother. I looked to Soma but he just winked at me before going back to the movie his head now lower by one pillow than before, putting him eye level with my breasts. I'm sure he's not staring at my breasts. So what if he is? Isn't that why I wore the much more revealing pajamas laid out for me? Wasn't the plan, at least on some level, to maybe finish what we'd started earlier and show them I trusted them to know what they wanted? Stop. A sleepover can be for sleep. There's nothing to be nervous about, even if I never have slept in bed with a man before.
I could do this. I just needed to relax. This was just like any other night where I watched Netflix to chill out on a Friday after a stressful week. Oh god did I just say I was doing a "Netflix and chill"? No there didn't have to be any "chill". Just Netflix. I know I'd already "chilled" with Ash but wasn't that more reason to keep this sleepover chill free. Or should I be trying to keep it all even, like if I had sex with one did I have to sex with everyone. How would they all know? Did I have to tell them? Was there a chart or something? And did it count as something kinky if I did both twins at the same time or did I have to do them individually? Did kinky stuff count for more? Surya grabbed the remote from my limp hand pausing the movie. I looked at him in surprise.
"Ok so there's no way you're actually watching the movie with that panicked and confused look on your face. What are you thinking about?" he spoke up for the first time since dinner.
"Am I going to have to make a kinky sex chart to keep everything even between y'all?" I blurted out before I could pause to think and when I realized what I'd said I all but slapped myself silly covering my traitorous mouth. Humiliation washed through me. OH. MY. GOD. What had I just said out loud? I grabbed the pillow from behind me and tried to smother myself to death with it. I heard a startled bark of laughter that was quickly smothered, though the entire bed continued to shake with someones barely suppressed laughter for a few more seconds. Tears began to sting my eyes wetting the pillowcase. Why did I say that? What was wrong with me? I felt strong hands pick me up and pull me sideways into a warm lap, pillow, popcorn bowl and all, though the popcorn was removed soon after. For a few moments all he did was rock me and rub soothing circles on my back. A second set of hands began to rub over my feet and shins no longer covered by my soft blanket.