The question hung in the air of the loft like a big annoying, slightly under filled helium balloon.
But instead of saying 'happy birthday', it said something quite different.
"So, sisters huh?"
Ava sat on the chair, legs crossed, sipping her coffee and looking every bit the naked sexy woman she looked like earlier. Except now she had asked a question I certainly didn't want to answer.
My plan was to bluff my way through it.
I laughed and looked down, "Ha ha, well, that's funny. . .see Natalie likes to. . " Then I was cut off. Not by my bad lie, but by Natalie herself.
"Yup, sisters. I'm a year and three months older than Alison and we're in love."
Natalie was attacking this situation head-on. As always she was fearless and challenging. In this case it could certainly be to our detriment.
I looked at Natalie, my face warm and I'm sure flush red. Then I turned back to Ava. She barely moved. She was looking passively at us both.
She finished her coffee and stood up.
"Anyone want a cup?" she asked as she moved back to the coffee maker.
I was confused. Which was not so unusual for me. But I looked at Natalie and she looked as confused as I felt. I mean, was there a step in this conversation that we both missed?
"Umm, hey, Ava," I began, not really how to finish a sentence that was asking her reaction to sisters having sex with one another. It was, after all, incest.
"You're not, you know," I stammered as Ava walked over, handed Natalie a cup of coffee, then sat down again, "going to, you know. . ."
"Nah, it's cool," Ava said, sweeping the hair away from her face with a practiced casual motion.
I looked to Natalie, her to me and both of us back to Ava.
"You want to know why it's cool, right?" Ava leaned forward, her elbows on her knees. I shouldn't have been, but there I was, ignoring the gravity of the situation and what she was going to say and letting my gaze take in how her hips and thighs looked as she leaned forward. Perhaps I had a problem. I didn't really want to delve into that right now.
Natalie, feeling less nervous now sipped her coffee and pushed her feet into her white unicorn slippers. She looked ridiculous. And I loved it.
"We're happy you don't mind, but yes, I think both I and my stunned friend here," she motioned to me with her head, "would like to know. . .why."
"Ok, here's why..." Ava took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled.
Ava began talking and kept talking and held us in rapt attention.
Ava grew up in a pretty religious family in a pretty religious town. She was told that just about everything was a sin and she was fairly terrified that if she did anything, even the things she didn't understand, that the skies would open and there would be a rain of fire and brimstone. Sex was not only something that wasn't discussed, it wasn't even mentioned as a thing.
Eventually, as she grew older she found that things were not as she was told.
The first crack in the wall was when she had her first kiss. No fire, no brimstone.
Then the first time she went further. Awkward high school groping. The ground did not swallow her up.
The more she did, the more she noticed that the world did not end the next day. She had sex her first time at15 and the next day the sun rose, the wind blew and she was still able to smile and laugh.
She found that sex, with a man, two men, a woman, and mixtures of them all seemed not to herald the endtimes, as she'd always been told.
She drank, had sex, tried drugs and found that, for the most part, it wasn't that bad. She has a boyfriend and still enjoys playing around and has no qualms about any of it.
She decided that it wasn't her place to tell others that what they should, or shouldn't, do.
"I found a few truths for myself. First, sex is fine. As long as everyone is enjoying it, have fun. Second, know how to control yourself. Alcohol and weed good, in moderation. Harder drugs, not so good. . .for me anyway. And you two sisters having sex, it's fine with me."
She shrugged her shoulders as if she was saying she didn't care what kind of kleenex you bought.
"Well," Natalie said eventually, "it's not just sex. We love each other." Natalie looked at me and I smiled and my head fell off I was smiling so much.
"Even better," Ava responded, "and besides it means I was right."
I looked at her with my confused face as she made her way to the bed.
She eased herself down, "When I first saw you in The Struggling Man I thought you were related. . .because of your smiles." She laughed a little, "I like being right."
I leaned back and let Ava rest her head on my chest and it felt so good and her hair was tickling my stomach and I didn't care because, dammit, she was really pretty. Natalie was sitting on the edge of the bed, surveying us and drinking her coffee. My eyes were heavy as I gazed at my love. She had a little smile on her face.
I fell asleep. Ava might have too, but I was too asleep to know.
I woke up with a start. When you wake up and not only don't know what time it is, but you don't know where you are or what is going on.
I felt Ava's breath on my right breast before I saw her. An angel. A little sexy bi-sexual angel.
She opened her eyes slowly as I ran my fingers through her hair.
"Oh hi," Ava said softly, her eyes liquid and warm.
I smiled down at her.
"I hate to do this, but I have to get ready for class."
Ava half sat up and pushed out her lip in a mini-pout. Her hair messy looked better than mine after getting it done. How does she do that?
"Ok," she said, stretching her warm tanned arms up over her warm tanned torso and warm tanned legs, "I'll see you tonight at The Struggling Man?"