Had the world developed differently and gender difference had no effect on relationships, other than producing children or not, this could have happened. In this world, there are many kinds of relationships. At times, small groups have tried to muster enough political muscle to change things, but they labor in futility. You see, the desire for love, affection, and simple sexual desire is genetic. In this world, no authority stood up and declared that there should be only one type of relationship. That is what those small groups want mostly. The power to enforce their will on others and thus avoid feeling love in their lives. Also, religion was confined mostly to those same small groups.
Just watch as I imagine a short time with some citizens of that world.
I turned to adjust the blinds against the late sunshine. Joey and Leah were in the kitchen doing the dishes. I smiled as I recalled the end of the card game that won me this leisure. The bet had been doing dishes against cooking and I'd won. I love to cook and I hate doing dishes. The others were usually glad to let me do the cooking since I am a better cook than either of them, even if I do say so.
Usually we do things in rotation. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, and dishes were our main ongoing chores the way we saw it at the start. Sometimes we'll trade or share jobs, just depending on how we feel. Since there were three of us and four main jobs, we usually would all share the cleaning, since it didn't need to be done every day. The system works with relatively few ripples. I lay back against the cushion and remembered how we had all arrived at this point in time and space...
I was desperate to find new living arrangements. My girlfriend decided university wasn't for her. She left town on her 'free year' trip (paid for by her parents) that most of the rest of us took advantage of when we first left home. Without her part-time wages the apartment was too dear for me to handle alone.
I was studying all the tattered notices on the board outside the caf'. I reached for the last one of those little cut tags people put on those things sometimes when my hand collided with another hand. She was reaching for the same tag. We laughed and she pulled her hand back. "I win!" I declared as I tore the tag off. I got a wry lopsided smile in return.
"Hey," I said as she turned away. "Wait a second." She stopped and looked at me. "Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" She shrugged and looked into the caf'.
"Nah,"
I said, "They have crappy coffee, but we can go down the street." She nodded with a smile and turned fully back toward me. Her hand reached out and I took it. "I'm Nick," I said. Looking slender under her jacket, she seemed easy to make friends with.
"I'm Leah," she said. We were off to have coffee. During our conversation about classes and such, it naturally came up why we were both looking for new digs. "I am willing to put up with a lot of shit, but to bring her shit-assed slut home - after that little bitch stole from me - was way over the line!" She stopped and peered around, realizing she had gotten a bit loud. Nobody else seemed to notice.
"Mine isn't so dramatic," I shrugged. "Mary and I started out as roommates in a two bed flat. But the rent went up and we decided we could share a bed and found a one bedroom. Then we just shared. It was great as long as it lasted. We broke up when she left, since neither of us wanted to make the other one feel tied down. She said we might get together again when she comes home, but I don't think that's gonna happen. I have no idea what part of the world she's in now, though, since I haven't heard from her for two weeks."
"That's too bad, man," she replied. I must have looked sad because she reached to put her hand over mine. I turned mine palm up and we clasped for a second before realizing. From offering a friendly hand, our clasp turned to holding hands.
"I couldn't cover her share of the rent, but I hoped maybe this guy," she indicated the last torn tag which I'd left on the table, "might have something less expensive."
I glanced at the tag and pulled out my phone. I called the guy (who turned out to be Joey) and talked to him. A few minutes later, Leah and I were in my car headed for the address. "He's out of school and working full time," I told her. "He's in a two bed place but he has an idea that might work for all of us."
"That would be nice," she said, but I heard a reservation in her voice.
As it turned out, his two bed flat was more costly than my open format loft apartment. He said he wasn't attached to his place. We discussed the idea of him and Leah moving in with me. Between his full time wage and both of our part-time wages, we could swing it with ease. We'd have to move another bed in. We acknowledged the lack of privacy and none of us had a problem with that. We could always hang curtains or such if we felt too 'open'. Most people don't care much about those things these days.
We did move in a pair of twin beds. After a month or two, Leah decided to try out my queen size bed with me. She decided she liked my bed better. Joey called 'Foul' so I took Leah's bed for a night while they got better acquainted. I listened to them for an hour and then they invited me to join them. I did and it was great. We did decide to get a king size bed, however, in case any of us felt like sleeping.
That first night with them both in the bed with me was an awakening. Leah was all gooey from their sex and I wasted no time in diving in. I didn't mind the added taste of Joey's spilling. Many times I'd tasted my own spunk after making love with Leah and other women. I moved up to add my juices to the mix and slipped inside Leah's hot opening. I got started moving in her when Joey's semi-hard dick appeared between our faces. Leah began to lick its bottom side so I took a taste of the top of it. As I expected, it tasted the way Leah's pussy had tasted. I decided licking a cock was okay. We took turns on him, Leah getting most of his second - or third (?) - cum before pushing him back to me for the last spurts. Then, after Leah and I had finished, he graciously cleaned us both up. By then my 'okay' had turned to 'great'. I had enjoyed feeling and tasting Joey as much as I'd ever enjoyed a female. I tried on the word in my mind: 'bisexual'. Okay, I'm still the same guy. I liked it all.
===========================
After that night it didn't matter who was with whom. If Leah wanted to take it easy, sometimes Joey and I got it on while she watched. When he learned I was virgin back there, he very patiently introduced me to taking his thick dick up my ass and I enjoyed poking mine into him too. Our sex didn't consume us. It wasn't a nightly thing, but there was a lot of it. But some nights we just slept. Meanwhile, Leah and I continued our schooling. I realized we had become a comfortable triad.
Once summer put an end to the rainy spring we tried to get out in the open as much as we could. We all worked but our weekends were free for us all. We'd go hiking and camping overnight, or to the beach. Once we went canoeing. That was a great time. Since they changed the laws, nobody much gives a hang about nudity (except some pockets of oldsters in the hills - if you can believe that) we just packed a tent, emergency clothes and food. Of course, when the weather turns cooler we all dress when we're outside anyway.
But back to now. Leah was at work when I woke up. Joey didn't go to work until 4:00 and I worked the graveyard shift in a plant that turned out paper bags. I saw it was about 11:00, so I had only slept a little over two hours. I got up and went to pee. The sun was out and the screened window delivered a fresh warm breeze. I could smell the river just a couple of blocks away.
I felt good, but I knew I'd have to grab another few hours' sleep before night fell. Joey was still snoring away and I didn't want to wake him. I grabbed a towel and my bike from where I'd left it just inside the door parked next to Joey's. I quietly left the apartment carrying my bike down the stairs. As I reached the lobby I greeted the new mail lady. She had red hair and looked a little older than me, but her breasts still held their shape and the nipples were dark brown. Like most people these days she had no pubic bush. So there was nothing but a galaxy of freckles to hide the red jeweled ring through her clit hood. She handed me our mail with a nice smile and I stuck it in my pack that was mounted on my bike. It wasn't the first time I'd ridden down the street with half an erection.
As I rode toward the river I saw very few people wearing clothing. The ones who did mostly only wore a shawl to protect their shoulders from the sun. Many of the older folks were dressed, and even a few families with kids, though young girls, like their brothers often were topless, bottomless, too, if the whole family was naked.
I rode right down to where the old freight barges used to tie up. Now they're weathered and look ancient. The wood is bleached and hardened by the sun. The stonework was crumbly and covered with large patches of moss and scrub brush. Leaning my bike against the rocks, I grabbed my book and my water bottle and climbed up on a nice barely damp patch of moss.
I spread the towel and sat. I listened. It was quiet but not silent. Behind me I heard the low mixed combination of traffic and...I guess humanity working through the day. In front and below me the river made its liquid ripples and splashes. A few boats moved out along the river making little noise.
I lay back and closed my eyes before diving into my book. The next thing I knew a hand was shaking my shoulder. "Hey! Hey, man, are you okay?" My conscious mind took a couple of seconds to remind me where I was. I shaded my eyes from the sun and tried to see the guy's face more clearly.
It was obvious he thought I'd passed out or something by the frown he wore. He relaxed after I assured him I was fine. "I worked all night and the warm sun got to me. Just napping." He stood up and moved back a step. I sat up and looked around. When I found out what time it was I realized how late it was. I stood up and shook the towel. Then I turned to the guy.
"Thanks for stopping. A lot of people wouldn't have taken the time." I looked at him as I spoke. He was a few years older than I am - or looked like it. He wore his hair buzzed off; not bald, just shaved down. His skin was a dark tan, the darkest I've ever seen on a Caucasian. His left leg was prosthetic from the knee down.
"Oh, I didn't stop just for you," he grinned. "I was gonna climb on over and get down to the water where I can piss." His words were like a prod in my belly. I had to pee too, I realized.
I smiled back and said, "Well, now that you mention it..." He laughed and turned away.
"Come on then and I'll show you where I usually go around here." He led me over the stone jetty and down toward where the trees came fairly close to the water line. "By the way, I'm Kelly," his voice came back to me over his shoulder.
"Nice to meet you, Kelly. I'm Nick," I told him.
"Is that with an 'N' or an 'M'?" He glanced back. I realized the problem.
