"Hey you both. Come on in." I open the door and grin at my two best friends. "Look at you both, all happily married now. How long was it since..."
"Four years," he smiles, tugging at a huge suitcase. "Four years since I predicted you both were meant to be," I shake my shoulders, emphasising the 'I' part.
"Rubbing it in, are you?" She jumps on me, wrapping me in a tight hug. My huge boobs collide with hers where our bodies connect, both jiggling from the impact. She laughs suddenly, peeling herself away. I give a nervous laugh, very aware of the situation. She bends as if to hug me again but instead whispers in my ear, "Feels like nice airbags. Your hubby is very lucky." I mock punch her and grab her handbag, showing them to the guest room.
I have replaced the earlier sheets with floral ones and sprayed some room freshener to ward off any unwanted smells. With children in the house not even 5 hours ago, who knows what things are stuffed anywhere.
"You didn't have to," she says, taking in the view of the entire room. I have strung fairy lights on the little plants on four corners of the rooms which was giving it an overall warm glow.
"Where are your family?" he asks, speaking for the first time since he had stepped into my house. He has always been very reserved and it felt familiar to remember him being just as he was 6 years ago when I first met him. He was just a twenty something young lad and he joined my then company and I had to mentor him. We had shared a very deep connection once. We became friends and confidants and then she walked in and the equations changed. It became the trio instead of the duo and I wouldn't have it any other way.
"They've gone to meet my sister-in-law and her family. They'll be out for three days."
"Oh sweets, you should've gone with them. The kids will be missing you," she pouts. "Yeah, we could've stayed at a hotel," he adds.
"Give this mama some break. Because of you guys I'm finally getting some free time in like fifteen years since I got married. Besides, no best friends of mine come to town and stay at a hotel." I waved off all protests.
"You are a good mom," he gives a sweet smile, flipping open the trolley, taking out his home clothes for the night. She on the other hand has already scampered to the kitchen to see what I had made.
I catch her bending over the dinner table, lifting each cover and smelling the dishes. Her pert little butt jiggles in the air as she goes around the table. She is definitely a cute girl with soft curves in all the right places. I used to call her cute often. Why won't I? I met her when she was hardly 20 and now she is a full woman in her late mid twenties, filled at just the right places. She was never skinny, but that inherent chubbiness was more attractive than anything. I stand at the doorway, admiring her cute figure jumping like round pancakes.
"I love paneer," she announces, seeing me standing at the door. Then suddenly remembering something she bites her tongue. "Sorry. I should've asked."
"My home is your home. When did we start formalities?" I wave her off, setting the plates. "Go, wash up."
.......
"Hey, you want any of my..." I look around the room. Neither of them were there. "underwear," I finish my sentence, sliding apart the door to the balcony. No one. It's then that I hear the sound of giggling, mixed with the sound of running water. They are having the time of their lives in the shower.
"New spark," I shake my head, remembering the days when I was first married. I had a child early so never got to enjoy the exclusive sex-life but hubby makes up for that always and we have some pretty active nights occasionally.
The sound of water stops. I quickly try to scramble out of the room, to avoid the awkwardness of catching them together in the shower. But they don't come out. Instead I hear the water running again but slower and there was another soft sound almost in a rhythm with the water. She was moaning softly at whatever he was doing to her. I hear soft gasps and muffled giggles, two voices, so in love with each other.
It brings back memories of something which I had been ruminating on for a long time now. Once I had a video call with them early in the morning and they had talked about having nuts for breakfast. I wasn't fully sure what had been going on on the other side of the screen, but I remember his slips and he is very confident and never falters in his communication. An image of his flushed face and sweaty forehead appears in my mind's eye. There was a different glow to that look, a post-orgasmic look that I could identify anywhere -- I have a husband for heaven's sake but obviously I could never bring it up because how can you? It's not only inappropriate but it's wrong. You can't just go and say to a couple, "Hey, I suspect you gave him a blowjob early in the morning."
The shower stops again and this time I don't risk it and scamper off.
.....
Dinner is a quiet affair with lots of chatting and catching up. Time and again I see them catching each other's eyes, silent communications flowing between them.
" So... " he says, breaking the silence of cutlery sounds. "What do you girls talk and giggle about?"
"Girl talk, babe. Boring." She stabs a piece of potato with her fork.
"Yes, just girl talk." I raise an eyebrow at her.
"Come on. You are my friend too. You can't always keep on having secrets from me and sharing with her," he insists.
"Should I tell him what you asked me once upon a time?" I chuckle.
She put down her spoon and hid her face, shaking her head.
"What?" he leans forward, obviously interested.
"She asked me what it feels like to orgasm."
He blinks, licking his lips, trying his best not to react. I admit he looks pretty handsome when he does that. She turns red like a beetroot, unable to meet my eye.
"I was twenty one and confused, come on," she whines.