Chapter 6. October
"Why didn't you tell me you had sex with Tania?"
Kristie had waited for Billy to get home and immediately went to his room to confront him. Billy was now sporting the deer-in-headlights look popular with discovered cheaters.
"Uh..."
"You're not gonna deny it now, are you?"
"No, but Kristieβ"
"Wait," she said, trying to tamp down her annoyance. "It's not what you're probably thinking. It's all right with me that you had sex with her. After what we did with Patrick and Jenna, I'd be a hypocrite to be offended. And you kept it in the house, which is good. I would have preferred to be there with you in some kind of group scene, but whatever."
He began to relax, a little.
"Then what are you upset about?"
"It's that you were hiding it from me, like you'd done something awful that I would dump you for if I found out, and stop being friends with you too. Look, Billy, we've been over this before. We're not going to be jealous about sex we have with our friends. That's all secondary to you and me."
"I know that, but...I guess I still felt like it was wrong somehow."
She softened. It really wasn't his fault that he felt that way.
"Billy, I get that. It's what we were taught growing up and it's hard to break out of that sense of guilt. You might not know it to look at me, but I had some trouble with that too for a while."
"So, I really shouldn't feel that way?"
"Yes, you absolutely shouldn't feel that way if the people around you aren't concerned about who's doing who. That would be going against the grain. Look, we have a different world here in the house. We have two other couples and neither of them is exclusive. They aren't doing jealousy. If we're living here with them and having fun with them, it doesn't make any sense for us to be doing it."
"Well, you put it that way, I guess you're right. I suppose I'm just not as evolved as you are."
"Come on, that's not how evolution works and you know it. Everyone alive today is evolved the same amount; there isn't a goal. Whatever is going on in our heads is our own business."
She made a mental note to get him to work more on Biology with her.
"Okay, okay. Kristie, I'm sorry I hid that from you. I know why that upset you, and I'm sorry. I guess I've been stupid, loving all this freedom, reveling in it, but then guilting myself about it after, and guilting you, too! You're right, it doesn't make any sense."
"Honey, I forgive you. The thing is, you're my man, and if something big happens to you I want to know about itβif it's good, to celebrate it with you, and if it's bad, to help you deal with it."
That brought a tear to his eye.
"You really understand me, don't you," he said.
"I've had a lot of time to figure you out. And you've had the same with me."
"I know. We've shared a lot over the years. And I love you so much."
They embraced.
They released each other and turned away slightly to wipe their eyes, as if they wouldn't be seen.
"So," said Kristie, "Was it good?"
"Honestly? It was great. Tania's a real firecracker."
"Who started it? This isn't a trapβI really want to know."
"She came on to me."
"Wow. That must have really made you feel good."
"Oh, it did! I was just kind of worried about you, and about Gary. But Tania told me about them being open, so I decided it was okay and went along with her."
The mention of Gary reminded her.
"Sweetie, remember everything I just said. To be as open and honest with you as I expected you to be, I need to tell you something."
"Okay."
"I just had sex with Gary."
"When?"
That was all he said, but she saw the struggle in his eyes.
"This morning, while you were gone."
"Was it good?"
"It was fantastic. Billy, something happened to me that I didn't even know existed."
"What was it?"
"I squirted! Do you know what that's about? Do they have that in porn?"
"I saw that once. It could have been fake, though."
"Well, I know it's a real thing, because it happened to me!"
"Wow. So, does that feel really good, then?"
"Imagine the best come you've ever had, and multiply that by three."
"So, pretty good then."
She fake-poked him in the ribs.
"You have no idea. Anyway, I'm going to study up on it. Because I want to do it with you."
"That would be something."
"It'll blow your mind. It blew Gary's."
"I'm looking forward to it," he said.