Before you say anything, I already know it...
I shouldn't be jealous of my best friend.
But as we sat there in his living room it was hard not to keep a touch of envy from spiking up in my chest. The view from the wall-to-wall eight-foot-high windows was like a living photograph of Eden — rolling foothills down into the luscious valley beneath us. The room itself was spacious and modern, with open wooden beams overhead and opulent leather chairs and a pair of matching sofas gathered around a huge fireplace. In the corner, a giant, decorated Christmas tree towered majestically over us.
"Wow..." was all Melanie could gasp as she looked out the window and gasped.
I admired my wife's tight ass in that red, figure-hugging dress as she stepped up to the glass, and hoped I would be unwrapping that Christmas present later tonight.
Don't get your hopes up, buddy,
I told myself morosely. The odds of that were pretty slim these days.
"Adam, this is my wonderful wife Brianna."
I turned at the sound of my name and almost choked on my own tongue. Standing next to Dean was one of the sexiest women I'd ever seen.
Brianna's body could have been designed from a teenage boy's wet dream: high, voluptuous tits, flowing golden hair and the sculpted features of a model or actress. I couldn't check without being painfully obvious, but I would have bet she had a pretty fantastic ass, too — Dean always had been an ass man. Standing next to my best friend, her evenly-tanned skin was a perfect accent to his dark chocolate coloring.
I managed not to cough on my own saliva as I swallowed and hoped I had controlled my facial features in time. "Brianna," I said, extending my hand. "I'm Adam. It's nice to meet you."
"Adam!" she gushed, brushing past my hand and hugging me. "Dean has told me so much about you."
I coughed uncomfortably as I hugged her back, feeling her round tits pressed against my chest.
Don't even think about it
, I warned my body sternly. Since I'd been getting less and less bedroom action from Melanie, my cock had the irritating habit of coming to attention when I saw a woman I liked.
Of course, my body didn't listen. A rush of blood drove south as Brianna held the hug slightly longer than I felt was perfectly necessary. This also gave me the chance to catch a scent of her vanilla perfume. My best friend's wife smelled like dessert.
Melanie's icy cough was what finally made Brianna pull back.
"And you must be Melanie!" Brianna seemed equally excited to meet my wife, and Melanie's hard expression softened, if only slightly, as she was pulled into another hug. It may have been my imagination, but this one seemed significantly shorter than the one Brianna had given me.
"Happy to meet you," Melanie answered, tucking a wayward lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. She looked like she already wanted to escape this enthusiastic woman, but Brianna didn't give her a chance. She grabbed my wife firmly by the hand and practically dragged her out of the room.
"Come on!" she said, her voice bubbly. "Let me give you the full tour! I know Dean's been
dying
to spend some guy time with your husband. You know how long it's been since they've seen each other!"
Based on the size of the mansion as I'd seen it from the outside, a "full tour" could easily take 30 minutes. So as my wife shot a glance over her shoulder at me and the two women
clicked
out of the room on their heels, I was left alone with a man who I wasn't sure I even still knew.
Dean had been my best friend since before both of us could read and write. We'd met in preschool, before I even knew that race existed, and somehow the little black kid who was good at sports ended up staying friends with the little white kid who was kind of mediocre at everything.
Now, 5 years since I'd last stood face to face with my old friend and college roommate, I wondered what was about to happen.
"Man..." Dean sighed, the first to break the silence as we stared out the window at the view. "It's been a long time."
I chuckled awkwardly. "Yeah. You could say that."
There was another sigh and then I felt Dean's hand drop down on my shoulder.
I turned to face him. His expression was serious, and for a moment I was worried.
Is he dying or something?
I wondered.
Is that why he reached out after so long? Bad news?
Instead, he said something I would never have expected. "I'm sorry, Adam," he told me solemnly. "I want to apologize for falling off the grid for so long. I know I messed up when it came to my friendships, and I just wanted to let you know that I still hold you in the highest regard."
I was taken aback. "No worries, man..." I said, a little uncertain. "I know we've all been busy."
His hand was still on my shoulder, and he squeezed once before letting it drop back to his side. His dark eyes, though, never left mine, and I could tell he was serious.
"You're right," he said. "I have been busy. Products to create, businesses to grow... It's been a ride for sure. I just wish I had taken the time to bring a friend or two with me." He seemed almost wistful, and whatever irritation I'd felt at him for disappearing for so long from my life vanished.
I punched him playfully in the shoulder. "Lighten up, man!" I said. "I just wish I'd known when you moved back to the valley. Then maybe we could've hung out on the weekends or something."
He nodded, smiling slightly, but I guessed that there was a reason he hadn't reached out. Who knew, maybe he didn't even take weekends off. Dean always had been the guy to go all in on whatever he was doing.
"So..." I said, slapping a hand on his shoulder and steering him toward the rest of the house, where I hoped we could find a kitchen. "How about we pop open a couple cold ones and you tell me what you've been up to for half a decade?"
Dean's pensive look hovered over him for another moment and then he let out a deep breath and grinned. "Let's do it, brother," he told me. Then, he winked, and I knew that 5 years apart hadn't weakened our friendship in the slightest. "And you'll have to tell me how you met that fine piece of ass you call your wife."
I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Only if I get the rundown on that goddess of yours."
"Bet," he chuckled. "But if you're looking to drink my beer the kitchen is the other way."
***
The modern, elaborate kitchen had marble countertops and pretty much every high-tech gadget I could imagine. It also had a pair of big, glass-paneled doors that opened out onto a beautiful porch, where Dean and I sat with a six pack between us and a pair of brewskies in our hands.
The cool glass against my palm and the surprisingly warm evening air were a perfect match, and for a moment I could almost forget that Christmas was just around the corner. There were strings of Christmas lights strung along the porch bannister, and I wondered whether Dean had done it himself.
"So," I began, taking a sip and feeling the bubbly drink tumble down the back of my throat. "You've spent the past five years doing what? Building a business and working out?"
Dean laughed softly. "A couple businesses, yeah," he answered. "And I've been known to lift weights every now and then."
I raised my eyebrows. "Every now and then?" I laughed as I gestured up and down his figure with my bottle. "You were always in shape, but now?" Dean had always been the fit, athletic kid in high school and college. But whereas before his build had been the thick, muscular one of an athlete he now had the slim lines of a model. His cheekbones were defined in his face, his jawline was chiseled, and it was clear in his tailored shirt that he had dropped some weight.
Meanwhile, I'd struggled to keep my weight gain to a minimum. Maybe that was one of the reasons sex with Melanie had been dwindling away in the past year or two, I mused, gazing out over the valley. It was a beautiful sight, lit by the sunset, and I could imagine the golden glow washing all my worries away.
"So what businesses are you in?" I asked, trying to keep my thoughts on the present.
There was a pause before Dean answered, and I glanced over to see him staring off into the sunset as well, pondering thoughts of his own. I started to wonder if he had heard me, when he looked my way and answered. "Manufacturing," he said. "I make and sell children's toys."
I gaped for a moment, then I grinned. Of all the entrepreneurial ventures he could have told me, this one was the most unexpected. A thought struck me. "You're like Black Santa!" I laughed, and I saw a matching expression on his face at the idea.
"Damn straight," he grinned. "By the by, that reminds me..." He set his beer down. "Give me a second. Black Santa has something for you." Dean eased out of his chair and went back inside. He returned several minutes later with a small package wrapped in red and green wrapping paper covered in little pictures of candy canes. "You've always been my best friend," he told me, and handed it over. "I'm sure in the five years since I reached out, you wondered if that was still the case."
I didn't nod, but I'm sure he could see the affirmation on my face. It was true, I had wondered.
"That's why I wanted to give you just a little thing to let you know that you're still at the top of my list. Consider it... an early Christmas present."
I smiled, embarrassed. "Man," I said, hefting the gift. It was very light, like it contained something made of glass. "I didn't think to bring you anything."
Dean shook his head. "Maybe you can come over again in a couple days for Christmas dinner?" he invited. "That's all I'd like — my best friend here to celebrate the successes life has given me."
I laughed softly but shook my head. "I'd love to, man, but we always go over to Melanie's parents' place for the holidays. Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas... I bet we'd be over there for Valentine's day if they could come up with a good enough reason."
"You like seeing them?" he asked, seeing my expression of distaste.
"I hate it."