Thank you so much for reading! This story explores cuckolding, with themes of submission and humiliation. It's purely fictional and meant for mature readers. If these topics aren't your preference, please feel free to stop reading. Enjoy!
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Banana Bread
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It started with banana bread.
Well--no, actually, it started with a knock on the door. Maya and I were in the middle of bickering over who got the last slice of lasagna when I answered it and found Levi standing there, holding a foil-wrapped loaf and wearing that sheepish little grin of his.
"It didn't rise as much as I'd like it to, but it's edible. Possibly even pretty good," he said. "You guys want half?"
He'd moved in just before Christmas, to flat 2B, right next to ours. Despite being around our age, in his late twenties, Levi looked younger. There was something boyish about him, those wide, curious eyes, the soft jawline, and that mop of messy brown curls that always looked like he'd just towelled off after a shower. He had this kind of effortless prettiness to him, gentle but with some muscle underneath. He was easy to like, always upbeat and chatty. We just sort of clicked straight away, and he fit right in with mine and Maya's sense of humour.
It was nice to have some company seeing as we lived in a pretty quiet part of town. Despite being in an apartment building, we never really saw our other neighbours. Just Levi.
Maya liked him. But she liked people in general, she always had that warmth I didn't. Opening up to people and making friends always seemed to come easy for her. At some point, it had became normal. Shared grocery runs, dinners at ours, movie nights on his tiny sofa. Some weeks it felt like we'd all hang out together on more days than we didn't.
"Come in for a bit," I said. "We were just arguing about dinner. This might save us from a full-on domestic."
Maya laughed from the kitchen. "He's being dramatic. I said he could have it!"
Levi followed me inside, slipping off his shoes at the door without being asked. The place wasn't big, but Maya had made it feel like it was. Plants lined the windowsills, books stacked neatly along the bookshelves and a vanilla scented candle burning on the coffee table. Maya took the banana bread from him and gestured to the sofa where he plonked himself down.
She dropped onto the sofa beside him with the bread. "Barkeep?"
"Coming right up," I said, disappearing into the kitchen. I poured out three beers and carried them back to the living room, setting them down and taking a seat in the armchair opposite them both.
"I should just start paying rent here," said Levi. "You have way better stuff in the fridge and it's fun to hear you fight."
"Not a fight," Maya said, tearing off a chunk of banana bread. "Just a very emotionally-charged conversation about pasta."
"And whether leftovers belong to the cook or the one who didn't fuck it up in the microwave," I added.
"Still bitter," she said, mouth full.
She wore her favourite oversized jumper that she'd lived in all summer, and a pair of faded black jean shorts. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose, messy braid that hung over one shoulder, a few strands curling gently around her neck and brushing past her collarbone.
We'd been together for a couple of years, enough time to feel like home without ever getting boring. I still caught myself thinking how lucky I was. Maya wasn't just gorgeous, though that was obvious, but there was something about the way we fit together that made everything else feel unimportant.
Levi smirked, clearly finding our dispute entertaining. I threw a cushion at him. "You're lucky we even let you in here."
"I just want to live vicariously through one happy, functioning couple. Instead I get you two bickering idiots."
"You love it," Maya said, not even bothering to defend us. She tore off another chunk of the banana bread and popped it into her mouth. "Mmphh, this is really good Levi."
Levi grinned, clearly proud. "Guess I might have a future in baking after all."
Maya tore off another bite, nodding. "You're definitely onto something. But maybe don't quit your day job just yet."
There was a short pause. Maya leaned into the cushions a bit more, resting her cheek against her hand. I took a slow sip of my beer and settled back. Maya was comfortable, all cozy in that oversized jumper, feet tucked beneath her on the couch, looking like she belonged right there.
"Okay, real question," Levi said suddenly. "If the three of us were stranded on a desert island, who's surviving the longest?"
Maya didn't hesitate. "Charlie's dead in the first few hours."
"Excuse me?" I said, folding my arms, offended. "Why?"
"You'd try to build a raft out of empty beer cans and drift off into the sunset, never to be seen again."
Levi nodded. "Drunk and sunburned. Honestly, a noble end."
"I hate both of you," I muttered, trying not to smile.
Maya offered me a bite of banana bread as a peace offering. She was right, it was good. I think I'd started seeing Levi like this dopey little brother, always cracking stupid jokes, acting like a kid. So it threw me off when he turned out to actually be good at stuff. Like, proper grown-up stuff. I'd just assumed he couldn't possibly be domestic or capable. He gives off big "needs supervision" energy. But somehow, he's full of surprises. It's irritating, really.
Levi raised his bottle in mock salute. "To Charlie. Brave. Foolish. Crispy." I rolled my eyes but leant over and clinked both of their bottles.
We kept talking for a while after that--mostly nonsense. Hypothetical survival scenarios, dumb would-you-rathers, Levi claiming he could absolutely make fire without matches, Maya daring him to try it in our oven. Eventually the beers ran dry, and Levi stood up and stretched with a groan, promising he'd head back to his place "before you guys decide to adopt me or something."
When the door finally shut behind him, the flat felt a little quieter.
I glanced over at Maya, still curled into the corner of the couch with the last of the banana bread in her hand. She tore it in two, offering me a half before getting up and dusting the crumbs into the tinfoil. We tidied up, packing away the still unclaimed leftover lasagna wedge before heading to bed.
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Maya left for yoga in the morning while I slowly got around to tidying up the flat. I put on my favourite podcast and took my time, enjoying the quiet. This was pretty standard for most Saturdays. We'd do our things in the morning before meeting back up around lunch and spending the rest of the day together. We'd talked about maybe heading out in the evening, possibly checking out the new restaurant that had opened up in town. We'd been cooped up for a couple of days so it would be nice to get out.
By the time Maya got back, glowing with that post-yoga energy, I'd vacuumed, wiped surfaces, even put some laundry on. She clocked it immediately, giving me a nod of approval as she dropped her keys in the bowl by the door.
"Look at you," she said, peeling off her sweatshirt. "Domestic king."
I gave a mock bow. "Just trying to impress you."
She laughed and kicked off her shoes without a word, and I caught the slight wince as she stretched her feet. We threw together a quick salad for lunch, then sat down at the table, casually talking between bites.
"So, how was yoga?" I asked, watching her stretch her shoulders.
"Good," she said with a small smile. "Needed it. My body was begging for some movement after the week."
We ate slowly, chatting about nothing important, some silly news bits, a funny thing a friend said, plans for the weekend. Once lunch was done and the dishes cleared, Maya stretched her legs out under the table and looked over at me.
"My feet are absolutely wrecked," she said casually. "You know what that means."
I grinned back, already halfway ready to give in. "You're shameless."
She said nothing but the expression on her face told me that no wasn't an answer.
I rolled my eyes but didn't move my hand away. I settled Maya's foot in my lap, fingers tracing the familiar curves of her arch, feeling the soft warmth from her yoga session. Her toes flexed and curled, just enough to cause my gaze to linger and maybe betray how much I actually liked this. She caught my eye, that mischievous glint in hers.