Double Time
Chapter 54
“I am in short, a witch of the quantumverse.”
—Philip Palmer, Artemis
MONDAY AFTERNOON found the five of us at Joan’s house, waiting to hear that Beca was home. I swear we looked like a bunch of expectant fathers in a maternity waiting room. Except that every so often, someone would hug someone else and end up in a nice intense kiss for a while. Then we’d go back to mindlessly wandering around or pretending to pay attention to the TV.
Joan’s phone chirped and she thumbed open a message.
“She says she’s here.”
“Let’s go pick her up!” I said.
“No! Here. She’s here!” Joan went tearing up the stairs with the rest of us right behind. She opened the front door to find Beca standing on the porch in front of her. There was silence for almost a minute as the two girls just stood staring at each other. Then Beca opened her arms and Joan rushed into them.
Beca was stunning. And it was so simple. She wore a pair of white sandals. The spaghetti strap top hugged her beautiful breasts. I know that if she wears this to school, she’ll need a bra with it, but the shape and color of her nipples were exciting to see. She wore a white skirt that layered down in three tiers to about mid-thigh. And a necklace that was almost like a bolo tie with a huge medallion from which hung two ends of the cord.
And she was wearing makeup. Not overly done, but definitely lip gloss, eye shadow, and blush. While we watched, she lifted her lips to Joan and gave her a long sweet kiss. When Joan finally let go of her little girlfriend, the rest of us got a good look at her. Those nipple points pushing out the chest of her form-fitting knit shirt were beacons. I was surprised that she rushed straight to me and I picked her up as she gave me the sweetest little kiss I could imagine.
“I’ve missed you all summer,” I sighed.
“I missed you like crazy, boyfriend,” she giggled. I set her down and she went to Rachel next. “And you, girlfriend.”
“You look so cute!” Rachel said. “That little outfit is to die for, even though you’ll have to wear a bra to school with it.”
“Yeah. Mom raised an eyebrow when I dressed but since I was ‘only’ going to see my girlfriends… and boyfriend… she decided to let it pass. We went shopping at the Paragon Plaza in Bangkok and I got a whole new school wardrobe for fall.”
“Did your breasts grow this summer?” Desi asked boldly as she caught Beca for her own welcome home kiss.
“Um… Yeah. I didn’t think you could notice. They’re like just a full A-cup now instead of getting wrapped in a training bra.”
“Honey, dressed like that, all anyone could notice is your little boobies. I’d trade you any day.”
“Oh, Desi. You know how we all love your big boobs. I can hardly wait to… Oh. Hi, Brittany.”
“Hi, Beca. I hope you don’t mind my joining in. I’m sure seeing me is a bit of a surprise.” Brittany held out her hand to Beca to shake and Beca stepped right past it to give our newest girlfriend a hug and little kiss on the lips.
“The only thing that surprises me about seeing you here is how nicely… um… you know… I guess I’m not the only one coming out of my shell.”
“I get a lot more privileges now that I turned fifteen. Like you, my parents said it was okay as long as I was just with my boyfriend and girlfriends.”
“So, you came clean and claimed Jacob as a boyfriend?” Beca asked.
“I came clean and claimed you all.”
I wanted to monopolize all of Beca’s time. Of course, I couldn’t. I couldn’t even come first. There was no question that she was going to cuddle with Joan first. The two of them…
“They look so sweet, don’t they?” Rachel whispered in my ear. “Like us.”
“Yeah. And you know I love them both.”
“Of course. So do I. And don’t worry; we’ll have our time with each of them. Look at Brittany and Desi.” I tore my eyes away from Joan and Beca to focus on our youngest girlfriend and Desi. They were sitting on the floor facing each other while animatedly discussing… something. I couldn’t tell if it was school or anime or cosplay. There were a lot of little touches between the two and I recognized that they were figuring out how they fit—with the group and with each other. “I’m going to go claim our little treasure for a cuddle. Sit tight.”
Rachel gave me another delicious kiss and then pushed off to go pick up Beca from Joan’s lap. She gave Beca just enough time to steal one more kiss from Joan and then settled into another chair with our littlest girlfriend. Desi popped up and I assumed she was headed for me, but she straddled Joan and gave her an intense kiss. I looked up to find Brittany standing next to me.
“Um… I don’t know how this works. I’ve never done any… stuff… you know?”
“How about coming here and letting me hold my newest girlfriend,” I said, holding out my arms.
“Like… on your lap?”
“It’s pretty comfortable.” She sat with one butt cheek on my right knee. “Well, maybe it’s not so comfortable that way.”
“Oh, geez!” she sighed and flopped back against me. “Just put me where I’m supposed to be, okay?”
“Brittany, I won’t assault you. I was serious about just cuddling and letting me hold you. I’ve found that these times where we’re just hugging are often more satisfying than… well… more rigorous encounters.” I helped her adjust her position so I could support her back while she leaned against me and I put my other arm around her waist.
“You make love with all of them, don’t you?”
“No. Not exactly. I mean, Rachel and I are lovers. All the time. I mean, whenever we can be. Joan and I… Okay, I confess. We’re lovers. Not as often and she has a special bond with Beca. We’re all just sorting out how we fit together, you know? I have a contract with Desi. Yes, we’re probably going to consummate our relationship, but not until we’re both sixteen. And if either of us decides it’s not right, we can postpone or cancel at any time.”
“You’re not going to, though.”
“No. Desi and I have a lot of fun together. I’m going with her to Indy Comic Con over Labor Day weekend. I know she’s going to assign some silly anime for me to watch before then so I know my character.”
“And Beca?”
“I love Beca. She’s my best friend. But you know she prefers girls, don’t you?” I wasn’t going to mention anything else. As far as I was concerned Beca was one of the girls. That’s all. Brittany nodded.
“Where do I fit?” she asked while tracing the pattern of my shirt on my chest with her finger.
“You fit as a fantastic dancer and a person I’ve grown to really like over the summer. Anything else that happens is just like any other relationship. We see what develops and what we’re comfortable with.”
“I’d be comfortable with another kiss.”
I accepted her invitation and we put lips together. Brittany wasn’t very experienced as a kisser. I rather thought that everyone she’d ever kissed was in this room. Once our lips met, though, she just relaxed and softened her mouth against mine. When I touched her lips with my tongue, she caught her breath but didn’t move away. A moment later, the tip of her tongue touched mine. We didn’t go exploring each other’s mouths or trying to tickle tonsils. We just played right at our lips and then she snuggled in against my neck while I held her.
“Hey. I haven’t seen my boyfriend all summer and I hear you’ve been making love on the dance floor. Mind if I cut in?” Beca whispered to Brittany. Our girlfriend seemed to come awake and look up at Beca.
“Oh! Sorry. He makes a nice cushion to go to sleep on, doesn’t he?”
“Yeah. And I’ve been losing sleep flying home. I’d like a little rest, too.”
“Okay.” Brittany pushed herself up and away from me, pecked Beca quickly on the lips and shifted over to sit next to Joan.
“How was the summer?” I asked.
“Mmm. Good.” Beca put her hands on both sides of my face so she could hold my eyes with hers. “Jacob, I have a vagina. For the first time in my life, I feel like my body and my head are in the same space. I might never have a menstrual cycle since I don’t have ovaries but Jacob, I’m really a woman at last.”
“I’m so happy for you, Kitten. And for the record, you’ve always been a woman as far as I’m concerned. I’m just happy you can realize it now.”
“I love you, Jacob. You are still the best friend I’ve ever had. And I love sharing our girlfriends. It makes me feel like I’ll make love to you through them.”
“Planning to spend the night with Joan?”
“No. Not yet. I mean, just because all the parts are there doesn’t mean that I’m ready for everything yet. Joan understands that I’m still not as mature as everyone else. Even Brittany is physically more mature than I am. Maybe emotionally, too. But… I might… I mean before Joan and I get together… maybe I could… sort of be with you and Rachel? I don’t mean really making love, but seeing how everything works, you know? You’re the only people who know about me. Ever.”
“I’m sure Rachel would be happy to have you join us. But don’t feel you need to rush it, Kitten. We love you and we will never push you.”
“So, I’d pick you up early on Monday morning, like usual, and we’d drive down to Noblesville. We’d have plenty of time for breakfast and to get loosened up. The races start at ten. They start the half-marathon first, so I’d be gone before you reach the starting line. Half an hour later, they start the 10k. That would be you. Then a half-hour after that they start the 5k. It assumes that the slowest 5k people will be crossing the finish line before the fastest marathoners get there. This will be a real test of your legs, Jacob. What do you think?”
“Wow! Nanette, that sounds awesome. But there’s one problem. I’m working Indy ComicCon with Desi that weekend. I’ll be in Indianapolis Sunday night. We were planning to come home about noon on Monday.”
“Oh, no! But… Are you working on Monday?”
“No. Just walking around with my girlfriend and getting breakfast before we come home.”
“So, if I was there at eight, we could still make the race at ten with no trouble. Where are you staying?”
“The whole thing is at the Convention Center. The convention hotel is the Marriott across the street. Since we have to run back and forth to change costumes a few times a day, that’s where the Whitcombs book rooms. Apparently, they expect to make enough money in their booth to pay for rooms, meals, transportation, and all the other expenses. It’s a lot bigger business than I thought.”
“Works fine. The Circle is just thirty miles from Noblesville. You can even have breakfast with your girlfriend if you can get out of bed with her.”
“Um… We won’t be sleeping together, Nanette. That’s… for later.”
“I can imagine. You make arrangements from your end. For training, you should do a 10k this weekend.”
“I have a meet on Saturday. Jock says it’s at Huntington College.”
“We could run early, but you should be ready to give the race all you have. Besides, I’m headed to West Lafayette for a race at Purdue. Lots of yummy college boys.” She turned to wink at me. “Try to get 10k in on Sunday, okay?”
“I can’t believe we all managed to get the same lunch!” Beca said as we settled at our table. She and I were coming straight from AP US History but Rachel and Desi were already at the table.
“I guess Kent won’t be joining us. He has a split class with early lunch. And Martin is off campus in the afternoon. He’s taking two dual-credit classes over at IU,” I said.
“You’re lucky Ms. Stierwalt didn’t press you to do that,” Rachel said. “She approached me and I just said ‘no way.’ There’s too much I want to do here.”
“She mentioned it, but I’m only fifteen and you have to be sixteen to be in that program,” I said. “Saved by my birthdate. It’s weird to be in a class that’s mostly seniors, though. I’m glad we get to study our pre-calc together.”
“Hi!” Brittany said as she set a tray on the table. “Looks like everyone is buying lunch today. Joan was right behind me.”
“I’m here,” Joan said. “I have a feeling I’ll start bringing my own lunch, though. What a zoo.”
“Poor Joan. None of us have a class with you,” Beca said, kissing our girlfriend on the cheek.
“Not true. Rachel is taking Constitutional Government as a junior and we’re in the same class. And Mr. Richards said I should feel free to press you all into service when it comes to doing my AP project in Human Geography,” Joan laughed.
“Oh, look at this,” Rachel said. “Hi, Livy.”
“Hi, Rachel. Oh. Um… can I join you all?”
“Sure. What’s up?”
“Well…”
“It looks like you two already know each other,” I broke in. “Everybody, this is Livy Dayton. She’s a cross country teammate and a really fast girl. Livy, you obviously know Rachel. This is Joan, Brittany, Desi, and Beca with one c.”
“So that’s it,” Rachel laughed. “You’re putting the make on my boyfriend.”
“I wasn’t, Rache! Really. I just thought… I mean I knew he had a girlfriend… I just… I didn’t know it was you! You know I’d never try to steal your boyfriend!” Livy was red in the face and for a minute I thought she’d take to those long legs and run.
“I’m teasing, girlfriend. We’ll share,” Rachel said. She put a hand on Livy’s and I thought it was a familiar and maybe intimate gesture. Livy calmed down.
“We?” She turned to look at me. “I heard you say ‘they’ when we talked Monday. I assumed that was just a slip or that maybe you were gay and didn’t want to use ‘she’ when referring to your girlfriend. It’s not like that, is it?”
“Sharp as ever,” Rachel said. “Livy and I have known each other since third grade, guys. She’s not only fast, she’s smart. And beautiful.”
“Livy, we are all Jacob’s girlfriends,” Beca said. “That means something a little different to each of us. We’re not all at the same level of intimacy with everyone. But we all tend to do a lot of cuddling during our weekend study dates.”
“I wasn’t… really… I just saw how hard Jacob worked on the track and thought it would be fun to run together sometimes. You know?”
“You’ve been sucked into the vortex,” Joan said. “No sense trying to escape. Before long you’ll be doing naked salsa dancing and wondering where your innocence went.”
“Livy, you need to get to know all of us,” Rachel said. “Jacob and Beca are kind of our anchors. We all consider them our boyfriend and girlfriend. Nobody is expecting you to jump in and join us just because you want a running partner. Even if something more develops between the two of you. But you were my best friend through junior high and I still love you. It was just all your sports that got us out of touch. I’d love to have you back in my life.”
“Rache, I’ve missed you. I’m so sorry I got sidetracked by all the sports stuff.”
“Sidetracked? More like mainlined,” Rachel laughed. “Guys, not only does Livy run fast, she’s killer on the volleyball court and they make special allowances for overlapping seasons so she can play basketball, too. Then there’s spring track.”
“Four sports in three seasons?” I asked.
“Yeah. Usually, I leave cross country practice in the afternoon and go to volleyball practice. The only time there’s a potential overlap is during tournament time. Since cross country is usually run in the morning on weekends and volleyball is in the afternoon, I can make both meetups. There’s only a slight overlap with volleyball tournaments. Basketball regular season ends when track begins in February. If we go all the way to State Finals, they are still done before the first track meet.”
“Are you sure you have time to run with me Sunday morning?” I asked. It was the first time I’d said a specific time to meet. It was almost like asking her for a date. In front of all my other girlfriends. But Nanette wanted me to run 10k Sunday. It would be nice to have a partner.
“Sunday morning? I can do that.”
We didn’t get much further in our conversations or introductions. The bell rang and we had to head to our sixth period class. For me, that was Music Theory.
I figured a class in Music Theory would be good for me. I was doing okay at reading music for my guitar now. I often played just before going to bed at night. I guess my room isn’t really soundproof because twice, a sleepy Pey had come into my room late at night and leaned against me while I practiced. I ended up putting my guitar aside and carrying her to her bed to tuck her in.
But I didn’t really understand what was going on with the music I read and played. I figured this class would help.
I wasn’t expecting to start out with Medieval Music History.
Our first unit was Music History and we were to progress by period. I was pleased to find that guitar and related instruments, like mandolin and lute, were significant in the early development of classical music and was really excited to get into this subject.
My last class of the day was Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Desi was my classmate. With her family business experience, she probably could have taught the course. I was glad she was there to help me along. Even with forty years of experience as a mechanical engineer, V1 had never started his own business. The idea still didn’t appeal to me all that much, but Ms. Levy had mentioned that an author was either a part time writer or treated his writing as a business. If I was serious about becoming an author, I needed to figure out the business aspects of the writing profession.
“Hey, Desi,” I said as we left class for the day.
“Hey, lover,” she whispered as she took my hand. I had to get to practice, but I could walk Desi to the bus first.
“I need to talk to your parents about the schedule at ComicCon. Any chance I could come by one evening? Maybe tomorrow?”
“Mmm. Yes. Do come to my house tomorrow night. Um… it might be harder to talk to Mom and Dad, though.”
“Why?”
“Well, they are still in Kentucky. Dad brought me home Sunday night so I could get ready for school, but he turned right around and headed back for the Ren Faire. There are still two weekends left.”
“You mean you’re home alone?”
“Yeah. You’ll come over tomorrow after school, won’t you?”
“Oh, wow. Is it safe, Desi? Can we control ourselves?”
“I think so. But you know what? I’m past the point where I really care. If we screwed up and screwed… I think you’d still be my sex slave, wouldn’t you?”
“You’re giving me a lot to think of.”
“Let me unbutton another button and you’ll have more to think of. What did you want to talk to Mom and Dad about?”
I told her briefly about the race in Noblesville and wanted to know if it was okay that Nanette pick me up Monday morning to go to it. Desi poked her lower lip out at the thought of me leaving early, but said she’d talk to her Mom and Dad.
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