A Friend Indeed

Austin took a step back and wrapped his arm around Maggie.

"What do you think?"

It was perfect. He'd spent all weekend putting it together.

"Um," she said. "It's very... big."

Austin deflated. Of course it was big. It was nine sets put together. This was several thousand dollars worth of Lego. The police station, the fire station, the townhouse and more.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, it's very impressive, it must have been a lot of work," Maggie continued, "I just wasn't expecting

this

when you said you had something I needed to come over and look at."

"The train actually moves," he said. "Here, let me show you."

"Um, maybe later, I've got a headache coming on and I think I want to lie down," she said, then planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

Austin wasn't sure if he'd done something wrong. He'd never been very good at reading people. He took a moment to appreciate her body as she ran off to the bathroom, presumably to get to the medicine cabinet.

Maggie had been the best thing that happened to his life this year. After thirty-four long years of being single, Austin had finally attained that which he once believed unattainable - a girlfriend. He'd had sex a few times, only once that he hadn't had to pay for - until now.

She was pretty, she was energetic, and she was so short she made him feel tall at 5-foot-7. She was almost a decade younger, but he'd done the maths to confirm it wasn't in the creepy zone. She was everything he'd ever hoped for in a woman and more, physically. She was slender, a little athletic, and her breasts, though not large, looked fantastic in her workout gear. She took great care of her long black hair, which looked good whether she had it up or down. He never tired of seeing her from behind, either, with a cute little arse that just made him want to reach out and slap it.

They didn't have that many interests in common, and he knew he could ramble on about his interests for way too long sometimes, but somehow, it seemed to just work.

This must have been what people meant when they talked about that spark some people had together. It wasn't a rational thing. It was chemistry.

Maggie called out for him, and he pursued her to the bathroom.

"The cabinet is right there in front of you," he said.

"Hmm," she said, rubbing her temples. "Well you know, there is something people say can help with headaches." She drew closer to him.

"The type of headache determines whether paracetamol or ibuprofen will work better, but you can actually take both at the same time because they work in different ways. There's no medical interaction, so it's safe," he said. "But I think staying hydrated is the main thing. I'll get you a glass."

She grabbed him and pulled him towards her.

"God you're so oblivious sometimes," she said, then kissed him.

Oh

, he thought.

She meant sex.

* * *

The doors unlocked as he pulled to a stop, and he gave her one final kiss before sending her on her way back to the accommodation. It was on campus at the university. She was doing her PhD, which meant her income wasn't spectacular, but she got by and had her accommodation paid for by a scholarship. If things got serious enough for them to move in together, Austin could more than make up for it.

He waited until he saw that she'd made it to the door and gone inside before he turned on the engine and started to move. A few moments later, he recognised somebody walking a little bit further down the street. He pulled over, wound down the window and leaned out.

"Hey, Doc Rob! Fancy seeing you here," he said.

"Hey man, how's it going?" the tall, tanned man said as he approached the vehicle. Are you here visiting Maggie?"

"Just dropped her off, actually."

Roberto grinned. The two men had been close friends since their first year of study here, all those years ago. Rob had a way with women, Austin didn't. He was tall and handsome, Austin wasn't. He had a fancy Doctor title, Austin just had a masters. All those years single had made scheduling events a breeze, at least.

"I'm glad that you two lovebirds seem to be really hitting it off. Do you think it's serious?"

"God, I hope so. I'm done being single."

"Hey, the single life ain't that bad if you know what you're doing. And you better be treating her well for the sake of my reputation," said Rob.

"I won't let you down," Austin said, giving a mock salute. "Nor will I ever doubt your ability to wingman again. Anyway, I've gotta go, talk more on the weekend, right?"

"See you then. And don't forget: you owe me big time!"

Austin smiled and nodded, then Roberto continued walking past the car and waved a goodbye. As Austin slowly accelerated down the street in the twilight, he glanced up at his mirror and noticed something odd. It looked like Rob had just walked straight up to the door on Maggie's room. His eyes darted back and forth between the road and the rear view mirror. He couldn't be totally sure of it.

He tried to dismiss the thought.

* * *

Two days later, he started to get worried again. It was board game day, and Roberto had evidently arrived very early. He saw his bike parked out front in the usual spot. The event didn't start for another hour. He opened the door and heard voices speaking from inside. The living room was a disaster zone, Maggie obviously hadn't tidied anything up like she'd told him she would. As he put the grocery bags down, the sounds stopped. He moved to the hallway just in time to see Rob standing in the middle, carrying something behind him. Whatever it was, he was holding it just out of view.

"Oh hey dude," said Rob, "Sorry, I forgot what time you said and got here a bit early, as you can see." He laughed.

"No problem," said Austin, trying to play it off. "Make yourself at home. I've just got some tidying up to do in the living room."

Maggie slinked out of the bedroom, her hair a mess.

"Oh, sorry hun," she said, the final syllable half cut off by a yawn. "I was taking a nap. I didn't realise how late it had gotten."

Austin looked back and forth between them for a moment, realised that he might look angry or upset, and forced himself to smile instead. The standoff eventually ended when Austin hesitantly backed out into the living room. He never did get a glance at what Rob was carrying. Maggie jumped straight into the shower, while Rob relaxed on the couch as he finished tidying.

Eventually, the others arrived and they settled into a game of Twilight Imperium. Normally, this was his favourite day of the month, but he spent the time worrying about Rob and Maggie. He tried to read their expressions and the looks they gave each other. Was it just friendship, or was it something more? Years of forced socialisation had beat him into the shape of a normal-ish person, but reading subtle expressions and picking up on social cues was still a struggle at the best of times.

He didn't want to believe that it was anything like that. That Rob would betray his friendship to sleep with her, and that she would be ready to drop him like a hot potato for the next thing that came along. But it wouldn't be the first time in history somebody had started an affair with their friend's partner. Roberto De Luca was known for being something of a player, and nobody could ignore how much more attractive and charming he was than Austin.

He eventually started to push the thoughts aside. The game stretched on for hours, and he started feeling exhausted by all the worrying. When they took a break for dinner, though, it flared back up. He'd gone into the bedroom looking for a spare charging cable when he noticed that the drawer on the left of the bed was open - the one with the lube and the condoms. He rummaged through for evidence that it had been used recently, and noticed that the lid to the lube was open. He was pretty sure it wasn't where he'd left it, either.

Maybe she was just having a bit of solo time

. But he'd seen Rob right near the room.

Maybe he was just in the bathroom as she was sleeping

.

He returned to the game, but it kept gnawing at him.

A friend indeed

, he thought, as Maggie smiled and laughed at something Rob had just said.

* * *

Despite all of this, Maggie was being nothing but doting. She slept over again, and prepared him breakfast. She gave him a long, passionate kiss as he left. In the evening, she came over, and he prepared dinner for her. He wasn't much of a cook, and he was a fussy eater, but she didn't seem to mind. She smiled and laughed at his jokes. She even asked questions as he talked about what was going on at work and his hobby projects for much of the meal.

As they spooned on the sofa watching an old Bond movie, his doubts from the weekend seemed so remote. He enjoyed the sensation of just being near her, of touching her, of hearing her voice.

The following day at work, he was chatting with one of his colleagues at lunchtime. Noah, the oldest employee at the firm, was always happy to listen to whatever Austin wanted to ramble about. He told him all about the weekend, and how silly he felt now. Noah scratched his smooth, bald head.

"I'm not going to sugarcoat it kid, you were right to have doubts. I've had three wives and I've yet to meet a woman who I'd trust alone with one of my friends. And they're brothers to me, all of them. It's nothing personal, it's just biology."

"Look, maybe I told the story wrong," said Austin. "He'd probably only just got there a few minutes before I did."

"... and was also probably just visiting her neighbour the week before, too?" Noah rolled his eyes, stepped out into the open and took a drag on his cigarette. Austin took a bite out of his sandwich and tried to stand upwind of the smoke. "You say she's being really great? Really loving?"

"Yeah. She's amazing."

"In my experience, when somebody's suddenly being extra sweet, that means they've got something to hide. Something they feel guilty about. They're overcompensating."

Austin laughed it off, but the idea took root. That evening, they grabbed some food from a burger van that had just opened up then went to her apartment. It wasn't a bad place exactly, it was just a little spartan. Now came the hard part - finding something to watch.

"It was one of the biggest air disasters in history," he said enthusiastically, gesturing at the TV. "Anyway, there's a great episode about that I've got that we could watch. I'll just need to sign in on my account."

She smiled at him.

"I dunno, that sounds a bit..."

"Boring? That's OK. I can pick something else."

She looked down, and started muttering something under her breath. Then she looked back up at him.

"Actually, you know what, to hell with it. I've got to keep an open mind about these things."

He raised an eyebrow, thinking back to what Noah had said. As they watched, she seemed to be struggling with it. She yawned quite a few times, and eventually fell asleep on his lap. He stroked her hair gently, but he couldn't stop wondering.

* * *

The next morning, he started driving to work. He made it a few blocks before realising he'd left his swipe card at home. He looked at the clock, debating if was worth going back for.

"Fuck, OK, fine," he said out loud to himself as he started looking for the best place to turn around.

She liked to leave the door unlocked while she was home, so he walked straight in. He grabbed the card off the kitchen bench, but heard a small moan. He froze. There was another one. He walked slowly to bedroom door, creeping on his toes. It was open a few cracks.

Maggie was lying on her bed, legs spread wide, earbuds in, mouthing something quietly as she fucked herself with a dildo. He couldn't make out the words exactly, but he could have sworn he heard one word in particular -

Luca

.

His blood boiled.

He stepped back from the door and tried to compose himself. She still hadn't noticed him. He coughed loudly, then stomped around the kitchen a few times, hoping she'd hear him. He then went back to the door and opened it wide. She obviously had noticed him coming, because she'd hidden the dildo and taken her earbuds out. She couldn't hide how ragged she was breathing, or how flushed her cheeks were.

"Oh, hey, I thought you'd gone out already," she said breathlessly.

"Maggie, we are exclusive, aren't we?"

She looked confused, or what he thought was confused.

"Well, I don't know if we talked about it specifically, but yeah, I don't like dating several people at once. Baby, what's wrong? Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. I've got to go to work."

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here with me a little while longer?" she said, pulling the top blanket off and revealing her wide open legs.

He felt a very complex set of emotions. Shock, anger and arousal all mixed together. They were very nice legs, long for her size, with just the right amount of muscle definition. Her dainty toes wiggled playfully. It was also a very nice vagina. He'd grown rather fond of it all lately. He really should get to work, but maybe he could be forgiven, just this once.

She smiled wickedly as he started taking off his clothes and crawled onto the bed with her. She grabbed him and pulled him down on top of her. She was clearly revved up from what she'd been doing earlier, and she did a fantastic job of taking his mind off other things. She begged and pleaded for him to fuck her harder, to grab her by the throat, slap her around a little, and to give her everything he had then more. They traded positions, and she rode him from on top, this time choking and scratching him, calling him her good boy, squeezing his cock while he was inside her with muscles he didn't even know existed.

She told him not to stop, that she was so close, and then screamed out an orgasm. When he moaned out that he was close too, she jumped off and started jerking his dick while she licked the head. He exploded all of her face, and she was grinning from ear to ear as she played with the thick ropes of cum that half covered one eyelid. It was easily the best sex he'd ever had.

They would both need a long, hot shower.

As he finally left, thoroughly satisfied but now very late for work, his mind was crystal clear.

She's definitely hiding something

, he thought. He'd caught her in the act of... something. She was trying to throw him off the trail by fucking the shit out of him. No matter how much fun that was, if they were cheating on him, then he was determined to catch them in the act.

* * *

Local electronics stores may not have had CIA grade spycams, but they did have some rather small internet enabled cameras, some only four or five centimetres in diameter. As it happened, Austin was already very familiar with IP cameras and networking. Half of his home was automated, and not with one of those Google kits, it was managed with Raspberry Pi devices he enjoyed tinkering with.

The opportunity to set it up came soon after. Maggie had to go meet with a friend on campus, giving him an hour or so. He unzipped his bag and got to work. The battery would last a few days. If she noticed it, he was going to act dumb and say that it was something he was meant to take in to work. He was pretty sure she didn't have the know how to check the WiFi router logs. Twenty minutes later, the system was working. It was motion activated to save power, but could also be remote controlled. It sat a tier above the bedside table, on a low shelf, concealed by an assortment of junk she kept there. He tested logging into the device from his laptop, and it all seemed to be working as advertised.

The next day at work, he found himself compulsively checking the device every time he got a notification about movement. Maggie was gathering clothes to put in the laundry - in her underwear. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat to hide his erection. He looked around the office nervously. He wasn't on the work WiFi, but still, someone might have got the wrong idea if the saw what he was doing. Five other times she came to the room for something quickly, and each time he'd watch the feed for several minutes. There was no sign of Rob, or anyone else.

After another day of nothing, he started to doubt himself once again. He'd need to go in and swap out the batteries on the camera soon.

That evening, as he watched his girlfriend settle in for bed, she reached into her drawer just below the camera and pulled something out. It was a bottle of lube, and the dildo. He made sure this was being saved, and then maximised the window.

The resolution wasn't incredible, but her form and movements were turning him on. She put something in her ears, lubed it up and slowly guided it in. She let out a moan that was picked up by the microphone loud and clear. Austin unconsciously started playing with himself as he watched. She reached over to her phone, and did something - but it was far to small to see what it was from the camera. She put the phone down next to her, stretched out her body and started rhythmically fucking herself.

The camera's microphone was picking up something other than moans. As it was the other day, she was speaking to herself as she masturbated.

"Trust.... Open... Mind... Trust..."

He mentally scolded himself for not setting up a better quality, separate microphone. He turned the volume on his end up, so high that it was almost unpleasant with all the distortions and crackling from the cheap sensor, and he tried to work out what she was saying.

"... Trust Doctor De Luca. I must always keep an open mind and open legs. I trust Doctor De Luca. I obey Doctor De Luca. He knows what's best for me. I must always keep an open mind and open legs. I trust Doctor De Luca. I obey Doctor De Luca. He knows what's best for me. I must always keep an open mind and open legs..."

He turned the volume back down. He was going to need some time to process what the hell was going on.

* * *

He called Maggie first thing in the morning. She told him that she was busy, but she could see him in the afternoon. It was normally one of the days she took off, and in light of everything he'd seen, he was sure this meant his "good friend" Rob would be paying her a house call.

He called in sick for work, and parked a few streets away from the campus. He set up a stakeout position in the coffee shop on the adjacent street to the accommodation. It gave him a good enough view that he could see anyone coming or going. He forced a smile at the waitress and ordered a croissant. Half an hour later, his patience was rewarded - Rob was heading down towards the apartment.

Keeping a healthy distance, and wearing a beanie + coat ensemble, he shadowed him to the front entrance. He crouched down behind a small car, and some other passers-by gave him a strange look. As long as Rob didn't see him, he didn't really care. Being short may have been a deficit for dating apps, but it was helpful for stealth.

Roberto knocked on the front entrance, and shortly thereafter was greeted by Maggie.

What's he doing to you?

Austin wondered. She'd been chanting a mantra while fucking herself with a dildo. She'd been listening to something from her phone while she did it. He'd come across things online before. Purported brainwashing videos promising to turn people gay, assist in "gooning" (whatever the hell that was) or deliver a hands free orgasm. It just seemed like fetish quackery. That little voice at the back of his mind told him that it seemed far fetched - that hypnosis didn't work that way, that mind control wasn't real. More than anything, though, he wanted to believe it. If it was real, if it did work that way, then she was a victim here as much as he was. The first girl he'd ever dated, the one that seemed so perfect

hadn't

betrayed him, after all.