Page 45 of In For a Penny
I pause. “Well, I’m legit freaked out by that. How do I know you’re telling the truth and not lying to me about your girlfriend? I realize I probably should have double-checked this before, but how do I know you are in an open relationship, and I’m not this horrible person wronging another woman?”
I don’t want to be that girl.
He laughs as if it were the most ridiculous notion and reaches over to his nightstand to get his phone. He opens the messages app to a conversation with someone called Lucy. The last text exchange wasLove, you babe. Have fun tonight.
“I’ll fucking text her right now. She’s traveling to visit her parents today, so she must be up early.”
Oliver: Finally shagged that girl from New York I was telling you about!
Her reply is almost immediate.
Lucy: Congrats, babe! Didn’t think you had it in you.
Oliver: You’re the worst girlfriend ever. :) Love you
“There. Is that enough proof?”
I shake my head. “This is so weird. How is she okay with this?”
He rolls his eyes at me. “Does it matter to you? Every couple is different. Jesus Christ! Stop being so anxious. I told you, you need to relax. If you don’t want to do this again, then fine. If you do, then fantastic, because it was a ton of fun. But stop stressing out about it. It’s just fucking sex! Lucy would be very happy for me right now.” He smirks.
I think about this for a second. I mean, this is the twenty-first century. Modern couples are everywhere, and open relationships are not as big a deal anymore—at least to some people. In a world where polyamory relationships are becoming more common, open relationships sound pretty tame. Even mygrandmothersays monogamy is unrealistic.
And who the fuck am I to judge anyway? To each their own.
“Okay, but let’s get back to the fact that you’ve been telling your girlfriend that you were trying to get me in bed for a second.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “I mean, do you guys really talk about this stuff?”
He rolls his eyes at me again. “Are you kidding me? She’s been calling me a loser forweeksfor not being able to get anywhere with you. I’m so happy to be able just to rub it in her pretty face.” He laughs.
“So, is that all it was? Proving her wrong?”
“Fuck no,” he says. “Proving Lucy wrong was a bonus. She was getting on my nerves.”
I think about that for a second. I don’tthinkthis offends me at all, to be honest. Should it? I got something out of it, too, so who cares? Again, no one here is trying to be in a relationship with the other. I decide that I don’t care about any of that except for one thing. “So, has our friendship been fake this entire time?” This would genuinely hurt me. Oliver has been such a support system for me. A true friend. My new friend group has been amazing and super kind, but the kinship I’ve felt with him has felt more substantial than others. None of my other friends have the same fucked-up humor we do, and I don’t think I’ve had a more honest friendship in my life.
“First couple of days, yeah. Obviously, I just wanted to shag you. I am a man, for fuck’s sake.” He smirks. “But you know I adore you, and if you don’t want to do this again, then that’s fine.” He grimaces and pauses. “I mean, to be honest, it’s not. You’d be afuckingdimwit because we had fantastic sex. And honestly, I have all these plans now, and you would truly be throwing this away, and you really could use with a bit of casual sex since you’re so fucking crazy maybe it will help you relax a bit.” He takes a deep breath. “But yeah, you idiot, we would still be mates.”
“Huh.” I mutter. Am I overcomplicating myself here? If you think about it, it is the perfect setup. No feelings, no commitment, great friendship, and no self-consciousness. Pure honesty. “Okay, let’s do it.”
He smiles broadly and leans over me. “Perfect, because I’m ready for round two.”
“Hold it!” I press my palm against his chest. “We can’t just start something up like this without any ground rules! It would be a massive disaster.”
He groans and falls back on the mattress. “God, you are so annoying, you know that?” He exhales and rubs his hands down his face. “Fine. What are your rules?” he asks in a mocking tone.
“Would it help if we call them policies? Seeing as we are currently studying policymaking?”
He laughs. “Alright. Let’s have your sex policies, then.” I snort.
“Alright, before we define ourpolicies,we need to discuss the most important part first. When were you last tested?”
He looks at me seriously. “Wow, okay. A bit of a mood killer, eh? But a fair question, I supposed. I did not expect this to be so serious, though.” He smiles. “Last month. And I always use a condom. Seriously. Even with Lucy.”
I would hope so if you’re in an open relationship!
“Okay, good enough for me. Second—”
“Whoa, whoa,” he interrupts me, shaking his head. “What about you?”
