After dinner, they again played parcheesi, their continuous banter about the progress of the game distracting them from thoughts about how they were going to sleep - until they decided to stop playing. As they packed away the game, they were all silent, he having the impression that his daughters also were wondering how they would. With just nods toward the door, they went outside and relieved themselves in the late twilight, still silent as they returned and washed themselves. Finally, he said:
"Someone said the best suggestion was that I go to bed and see what happens."
"Maren," Britta said, with a nod.
Maren also nodded, and they all said good night. He snorted and remarked to Britta:
"That was a little surprising last night, your kissing me like that."
"Um-hmm. That occurred to me, as I was about to, but I always have, before I went out on a date." "I hope before that you weren't also thinking that the date could be like last night."
"Hm-hmm! Not with Lars, but later a couple of times. Good night."
They all snorted, and the girls repeated their good nights. He went in the bedroom and lay down, wondering what the girls would decide. He heard them whisper briefly, and then that the cabin door was opened. Was one of them really going to sleep in the other cabin? Then he remembered to close his eyes.
A moment later, he heard the bedroom door close, and then the covers moved, and a cool body slipped into bed with him.
"Maren is just going to get a blanket; she wants to sleep on the sofa."
"Mmmm, that's nice of her."
"Very. She said that after this afternoon, it would be wrong not to let us."
"I think she's right."
"Me too. ... Hm-hmm! Letting me sleep with her 'old friend'."
"That was funny, ... and what you told was delightful, ... if you don't mind my mentioning it."
"Hm-umm, I wanted it to be, and it was very good, and he was good, ... but I liked better her telling about it's being so good with her 'old friend', who already knew everything she liked to do."
They heard the cabin door close and Maren's call of "good night," then heard the rustle of sheets as she made her bed on the sofa. He resumed their murmuring:
"It was, like she said, talking a lot."
"Like this afternoon; I just loved it when you said: 'I like when you hold it'."
"I couldn't have said that a few days ago."
"I know - we know - and didn't want to use too many words about what we were doing."
"Thanks. I certainly had a problem with that."
"Of course, ... we understood."
"But then we talked all about it Friday night."
"We sure did. That was delightful, ... finally, hearing you tell, ... and arousing; I was all wet."
"Sorry about that."
"We'd agreed that we weren't going to do anything."
"I cheated."
"That was nice, too, that you asked Maren to."
"I only asked her if she wanted to. I'd put her hand on it."
"Hm-hmm! About the same thing. I love to hear you say what you want, or what you want me to do. Guys never do."
"Sorry about that. Maybe Lars would, if you see him again."
"Maybe, but let's not talk about him. Oh! The first time you said anything was that night when you said: 'I want to taste you. I want to.' That was when I realized how much I wanted to hear that. I couldn't have said that before, since no one had."
"I remember, surprised that I had finally admitted that I wanted to say it, not just let you - one of you - always take the initiative. ... And liked that I finally had."
"Not as much as I did. ... Hm-hmm! Wanting you to so much, and then wondering if you had remembered that we hadn't washed."
"Oh, I had, but I wanted to taste that too, thinking that I was going to taste a lot more the next day."
"We sure did. Funny, that we like to, then."
"Um-hmm, but I did, too."
"Hm-hmm! Maybe I wouldn't have washed this evening, if I had known that."
"Still didn't know then where you would be sleeping?"
"Hm-umm, ... just where I wanted to be, here, like this. Move your arm."
They had been lying on their backs, just their shoulders and arms touching, whispering at the ceiling. After her last remark, he raised his arm, and she rolled towards him, her head on his shoulder, her breast on his chest, and her thigh drawn up with her calf holding his hip, as her arm held his far side. He put his arm around her, and they held each other closer and were silent for a while, exchanging hums of contentment. Then she nodded her head slightly and murmured:
"Nice. I could go to sleep like this."
"If you want, I could too."
"Hmm! Might disappoint Maren."
"None of her business."
"Um-hmm. Just talking is so good, that I could tell you that."
"Um-hmm, I think so too. ... I can tell you what I would like to do, or what I would like you to do some other time."
"That would be nice; I want you to, but just being like this together is also very nice."
"Um-hmm."
He rubbed her side, and she rubbed his, hugging him closer for a moment. They lay still and silent for a few moments, then he murmured:
"I like to sleep on my side; let's lie like lovers, as you said one morning."
She nodded sleepily, and let him roll towards her, his thigh slipping between hers, as he put his arm around her. They got comfortable with their noses almost touching, and she murmured:
"Give me a good night kiss," and tilted her head up, offering him her lips.
"I like when you say what you want, too. Good night."
Their lips met, as they hugged each other, their lips just nibbling for a moment, and then they relaxed in each others arms. Her thighs squeezed his, and they exchanged another contented hum, and then fell asleep.
He was awakened by her hand rubbing his back, knowing immediately from the scent of unfinished wood that he was in the cabin, but only after a moment recognizing that the slender body under his arm couldn't be that of his wife, not that they often woke up like that any more. He couldn't remember the last time they had. Both thoughts weren't so pleasant. Forget them, he told himself, recognizing his suppressed guilty conscience. Forget it, try to.
He rubbed Britta's back and opened his eyes, looking in hers. She smiled, and murmured:
"Awake? Good morning."
"Good morning. Sleep well?"
"Like a baby. You too?"
"I must have, since we're still like this. Nice," he agreed, forgetting his prior thoughts.
"Um-hmm, very. It must still be very early."
"Um-hmm. That was nice last night, just talking."
"Um-hmm, I thought so too. It was nice that Maren let us, whatever she was expecting that we might do."
"I agree. Hm-hmm! We could make up a story, in case she asks."
"Hm-hm-hmm!"
"Not so loud. What would you have liked to do, if we hadn't preferred to just talk?"
"What did she say, 'anything, everything', if you had asked."
"But I didn't, despite all our talk. I told you that I like when you said what you wanted, asking for a good night kiss."