August turned to September, and then to October. The days got a little shorter and the weather a little colder. It was, however, the Midwest, and there were pockets of hot days even as the leaves became a spectrum of reds and oranges. While kids settled into the routine of school, the adults looked forward to the cooler days and cozy nights that autumn and winter delivered.
Sam Murray had been finding himself the least depressed he had felt in a long time. In fact, he had been experiencing a blissful happiness that kept him energized and appreciative. There were moments when he thought that it was all a dream. But it seemed whenever he would think that, one or more of his partners reminded him how real their love was.
On a calm Saturday afternoon, they hung out at Sam's house, passing the time with conversation and playing with the kids. Stephanie Russo had brought her chocolate lab Maggie, who happily kept Nicole Hennigan's children entertained. Nicole and Stephanie watched Ben and Kaylee take turns throwing squeaky toys across the kitchen. Emily Brown and Kim Collins were upstairs; Kim was showing Emily some new clothes that she had purchased on sale, while Emily resigned as the audience that Kim found much satisfaction in having.
Meanwhile, Sam had joined Nick Collins in playing video games. They sat side by side in the lounge, controllers in hand, staring up at the large television. Sam was helping Nick complete a level in Halo.
"Back in college," said Sam, "my buddies and I would get together in a dorm room and play split screen multiplayer for hours on the weekend. The first Halo game came out while I was in school."
"You didn't just play online?"
"They didn't have it back then. Xbox live came out around the time of Halo 2, which was after we had graduated. We played it a little, but life started to get busy as we either got jobs or went to grad school." He took a deep inhale. "Jeez, that seems so long ago."
"Do you still talk to them?"
"Nah, not really. We kind of lost touch."
"At least you've got me to keep you company now."
Sam smiled at the eleven-year-old. "That's right."
Kim and Emily walked into the room. Sam paused the game.
"Hey!"
He unpaused it so Nick could keep playing while he turned toward the women. Kim wore a new white blouse and light blue jeans, complimented by a pair of dazzling silver pearls. Her light blonde hair was extra wavy. Emily wore black leggings and a seafoam green t-shirt, which looked good with her straightened strawberry blonde hair. Sam studied them from top to bottom, which made Kim blush and prompted Emily to wink.
"Lookin' good, ladies!"
Kim beamed and scuffled Nick's hair. Her son fumbled his controller to flatten it back down with a groan.
"Whatcha up to?" she asked.
"Sam's helping me beat a level in Halo," said Nick. Kim watched the screen for a moment. Nick shot at some aliens while they yelled in intelligible languages.
"That's violent. You think this is fun?"
"Yes."
She looked at Sam, who shrugged in agreement. The blonde shook her head.
"I'll never get it," she said. "Sam, can I borrow you?"
"Sure."
Nick frowned. Sam hesitated.
"I'll cover for you," said Emily. Sam handed her the controller; Nick failed to suppress his excitement at spending some time with the redhead.
Sam followed Kim upstairs. She questioned if she should be letting her son play video games like Halo.
"I think it's fine. I was playing games like that as a kid, and a lot of kids are now. At my age it was Doom. Also, research shows that video games don't make kids violent. I think as long as what he's playing isn't inappropriate or overly sexual like Grand Theft Auto, it's fine."
"Okay. I trust you, Sam."
They went into her bedroom. "I don't think now is the time for getting frisky," he said with a chuckle.
"No, I had something to show you," she said, though when she turned around, she immediately eyed his crotch. "Although..." She shook her head. "Nope, not now." Instead she reached into the closet and pulled out a box in gift wrapping, and she handed it to him.
"What's this for?"
"As a thank you for letting me and Nick live with you. You saved us from a bad place. Greg..."
"Kim, it has been my absolute pleasure. In more ways than one." He shifted his legs and bumped into her hip.
She swatted his arm lovingly. "Open your present, you horny animal."
Sam began unwrapping the gift, a wide smile on his face. His smile widened even more when he discovered its contents: a smart watch.
"No way!" he exclaimed, shredding off the remaining wrapping. "I've been wanting one of these! How did you know?"
"Stephanie mentioned that you'd been thinking of getting one. Looks like I beat you to it."
He gave her a tight hug, lifting her off of her feet. She squealed and struggled playfully until he gave her a firm kiss on the lips. She moaned through his lips, melting against his body. As the fire of the kiss simmered down, a heat in his pants prodded her leg.
"Mmm, what have we here?" she whispered.
"My present for you."
"I'll open it later. We have dinner to get to."
"Thank you for the gift," he said with a smile. He kissed her on her cheek, giving her a lasting smile.
"I'm the one thanking you, remember?"
Sam chuckled and patted her ass as they walked out of the bedroom and went downstairs to meet Stephanie, Nicole, and the kids in the kitchen. Maggie rushed over to greet him with a toy and a tail wag. Kim entered a moment later, drawing the dog's attention and kneeling down to pet her.
"How's it going?" Sam asked the group.
"I think the kids are getting hungry," said Nicole. She looked down and put a hand to her stomach. "I think I'M getting hungry!"
"We can probably head over a little early if you're ready."
They all agreed to do so. Sam went to the lounge to let Emily and Nick know. He found Nick laughing while Emily looked confused.
"I think he's killing me," she said.
Sam looked at Nick, who seemed to be enjoying himself. "I hate to end it," he said, "but we're gonna head out soon. Nick, you're in charge of Maggie. Make sure you take her out a couple of times."
"Will do."
Emily handed Nick the controller. "Thanks for letting me play." The boy grinned and blushed. She stood up and gave Sam an amused look when they were out of the room.
"Is there anyone that doesn't like you?" he asked.
"My twelfth-grade math teacher Mr. Weicht, my ex-best friend Bree, and I think Kaylee, to name a few."
Sam laughed. "Kaylee's four and shy, she doesn't count."
"Well, don't forget about the other two, and probably more."
"Whatever," he said, running a hand through her soft hair. "As long as you remember that I like you."
She closed her eyes and shivered as his fingers reached her ends. "You might have to remind me." He gave her a tender kiss, nibbling on her lower lip before pulling back at a teasingly slow pace. She cooed. "You're getting there."
"I owe you a full reminder later. We have to get going."
"Okay. But I get to choose how you remind me."
"Uh, remind me what I'm reminding you of?"
