by Rowan Shaw
Though he did hesitate when I dragged him to the beach for some midnight sex, I wasn't going to let this occasion go to waste. His reluctance only lasted until we reached the seashore illuminated by the distant lights of the bungalows. I placed a towel over the sand and pushed him on top, triggering one of his infectious laughs. I could have taken him to some fancy Parisian restaurant or to the top of the Eiffel Tower, but our relationship had begun with me buried inside him. There was no better place for what I had planned, no other place in the world I'd rather be.
He shivered when I teased his earlobe and undressed him completely. I let him take off my clothes, caress the skin of my chest with his fingertips, trailing them down my abs all the way to my happy trail, but I was the one in control tonight. With one swift move, I had him pinned down, his wrists caught in my firm grip over his head while I took my time to torment him with my tongue, mouth, and teeth. When he seemed on the verge of releasing without me even touching his dick, I smiled against his lips and guided myself to his entrance, fully lubed up but bare. We had decided to forgo condoms on our one-year anniversary.
I pushed past his tightening muscles slowly and kissed him to distract him from the pain. He was so warm, I stilled and closed my eyes, my forehead pressed against his. "Je t'aime tellement, mon amour."
His smile widened before I took his bottom lip between mine and kissed him, resuming the slow thrusts. Raphaël was already panting and asking for more. The deeper I went, the more his breathing hitched, his sharp inhalations intermittent with growing moans. He was getting close, squeezing me harder and harder. Before he could come, I sank inside him as deeply as I could and stopped. A growl of disappointment seeped out of his mouth, making me smile.
I pressed my forehead against his and caressed his jaw, my eyes locked on his.
"Will you marry me?"
Everything froze around us. His eyes shone in the moonlight while he processed the words, staring at me like he couldn't believe it. "Do you mean it?"
"Yes, I mean it."
"Yes!" he replied instantly. "Yes, of course I'll marry you."
The fear compressing my chest released in one loud huff. I didn't even know how terrified I was until the feeling was gone and I could finally breathe.
"Je t'aime," I repeated against his throat and moved inside him, relaxing at last. It didn't take long to lead us there, the two of us falling over the edge together as I peppered soft kisses down the side of his throat. I could taste the salt of his pores with every lick of his beautiful skin. His dimples dug into his cheeks when I pulled back to look him in the eyes.
"Je t'aime aussi," he said, beaming at me like the Guadeloupean sun.
I remained deep inside for as long as I could. He was so warm and wet from my release, I never wanted to leave. If I was lucky enough, it'd be one of those times when I didn't go soft and could keep going until he orgasmed again.
"When do you want to get married?" he asked.
"Do you want something big?"
Raphaël shook his head. "Just our friends, my family, your sister. People who’ve always had our backs."
"I want to give you the best."
"I'd rather we didn't spend tons of money. I want to keep it for our honeymoon. Another trip like this one."
I smiled against him. "You want to wait until you graduate?"
He only had a few months left before he had to present his thesis to a jury. If everything went as planned, Raphaël would be a doctor in architecture soon. We could take a break before he'd have to search for a job.
"Let's wait," he agreed. "We can celebrate both at the same time."
I stole another kiss from his lips. "I wish I could stay like this forever, but sadly, my dick isn't cooperating tonight."
"It's okay. I don't want to get caught fucking on the beach anyway," he laughed.
"I'm gonna spend the night inside you."
He raised an eyebrow. "Not unless I get inside you first. It's been a while."
I grinned wickedly. It had been a while. Though I loved it when Raphaël did me, I preferred doing him.
"Let's go back to the hotel. We haven't christened that hot tub yet," I said as I pulled out of him with one last kiss to his lips.
Chapter 28
NOAH
"Tell me everything," I exclaimed the instant Adrien crossed the threshold of his apartment. He had a huge smile on his face, and his white teeth flashed against the deep color of his tanned skin. Opale was at my heels in seconds. Ignoring Adrien, she ran straight for Raphaël and begged to be picked up. Their Siamese cat didn't care to join in. She was sulking on her armchair the same way she did the entire time they were gone.
"How are you?" he asked. The joy pouring out of his eyes was contagious. A deep feeling of contentment filled me just from looking at him.
"I've been well. Thank you for asking." I swung on my heels and led them to the living room like I owned this place.
"So how long did you hang out with Charlotte?" he asked, pulling his suitcase behind him.
"We're not talking about me right now. I want to know everything!" I said pointedly as I turned to him and whirled my fingers in his direction.
"He said 'yes,'" Adrien confirmed and wrapped his arm around Raphaël's neck to kiss him.
I shouted and jumped for joy, unable to restrain myself from clapping my hands before I pulled the two of them into a hug that nearly crushed Raphaël's dog. "I am so happy for you guys!"
I blinked at the tears pricking the corners of my eyes. This was the best news I'd had in weeks. Adrien pulled back and extended his hand to wipe a loose tear from my cheek.
"Are you crying?" Raphaël asked.
"I'm not."
"Mmm, right."
"I'm just so excited for you," I reiterated.
After watching Adrien spend years drowning in depression, it was hard to express how beautiful it was to see him shine his way out of the darkness at last. I owed Raphaël a big one for that. I wasn't sure he even realized how thankful I was to him for saving my best friend.
"So did you see Charlotte?" Adrien asked and pushed the door to his bedroom. I trotted behind him with Raphaël on my heels and stood at the entrance as Adrien began to unpack. Raphaël dropped Opale to the ground and rifled through his luggage for something while I stood by the door.
"Uh-oh," he exclaimed.
"What?" Adrien asked.
"I can't find the toy I bought for her."
"That would be because it's in my carry-on," Adrien replied as he pulled some boxer briefs out his luggage and dropped them in the laundry bin before going through his backpack. "You left it on the bed. I grabbed it before we left."
Raphaël sighed in relief and held out his hands to catch the stuffed animal that Adrien threw at him. He waved the toy in Opale's face, making her jump back and forth before she darted out of the room in a flash when Raphaël threw the toy out, almost hitting me in the face with it. He followed his dog to the living room and remained there to play with her.
"I asked you a question." Adrien shot me a side glance as he pulled out a wrapped package from his suitcase.
I wanted to tell them about Charlotte's self-discovery so badly, but that wasn't my secret to expose.
"Did you fuck all week?" he asked.
I puffed at that. "Really, I can be friends with someone without fucking them, thanks."
"Are you sure? Are your friends aware of that?" he teased.
Of course I'd already told him what we were up to, so it wasn't like he didn't know. I looked for something to throw at him, my eyes landing on Raphaël's underwear. I balled one of his briefs into a missile and flung it at Adrien. He dodged it just in time with a loud laugh.
"I do have friends I've never fucked," I asserted.
"Really? Like whom? Give me just one name."
"Well, I can't think of anyone specific off the top of my head like that. You're kind of putting me on the spot."
He burst into another snicker.
With my arms folded over my chest, I pursed my lips and rolled my neck. "I can behave."
"Right."
"Not everything has to be about sex."
"Maybe for other people, it doesn't. But we're talking about you."
I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Yes, we had lots of sex. Happy?"
Adrien's shoulders shook from his laughter before he dropped more of his clothes in his laundry basket. "Your mind has to be the dirtiest I know."
"Sex isn't dirty," I shot back. "And coming from you, that's pretty funny. If you think I don't know about your past orgies... I know more about you than you think."
"Sex isn't dirty? Tell me that the next time I have to clean up these sheets."
He kissed me on the nose as he passed me by, then flashed a naughty smirk and left the room without waiting for the sarcastic response I'd taken too long to come up with. I hated that he was right.
I heard him call for his cat, but his pet seemed bent upon punishing him for his absence as I scurried behind him.
When I passed Raphaël, he was still playing with Opale, and Ila dashed right by me to hide from Adrien. She knew how to hold a grudge all right. I went straight to my bedroom and closed the door, then let myself drop face first on the bed. With all the excitement, I'd forgotten to tell them I'd found a potential apartment.
The thought of living alone for the first time was terrifying. Loneliness consumed me just thinking about it. My entire life, I'd never been on my own. I lived with my parents first, and then moved right in with Hugo in college. But I needed to be alone and independent, to solely rely on myself. I couldn't depend on Adrien to lift me up much longer.
Chapter 29
NOAH
"Is that all?" Adrien asked sarcastically after carrying my last box into my brand-new place. It was mid-March, and I finally had an apartment of my own.
I loved that I would be so close to them. Nour didn't live so far away either. Charlotte, though, still resided in the eighteenth arrondissement, which was a little distance away, but still doable.
In spite of its impressive size, this apartment was a lot smaller than the one I used to share with Hugo, but it was a lot cozier too. It wasn't as modern. The walls of the living room were covered with white roughcast. My bedroom had light blue wallpaper that needed to be redone, and the guest room had purple paper that looked at least ten years old. The kitchen was tiny, but I didn't like to cook, so that wasn't much of an issue. All the furniture was new, and I finally had enough space for my clothes, cosmetics, and my entire record and graphic novel collections.
Raphaël and Adrien had offered to help me redo the wallpaper or repaint anything I needed. Though they were busy planning their wedding and I didn't want to impose, I couldn't refuse the offer. I'd agreed to help them plan their big day in exchange.
"Let's go to the store and pick up what you need," Adrien suggested.
"Should I use wallpaper or paint?" I asked Charlotte.
"Paper."
"Paper it is, then."
The four of us left and took my car to head for a warehouse outside the city. It took a while for me to make a decision, by which point, I invited them out to eat to thank them.
When they left, I asked Charlotte to stay. We crashed on the bed to cuddle, too tired to move.
"Would you take me out on a date sometime? Just you and me," she asked, her gaze outlining my face. "If you don't mind that I'll never be exclusive."
I observed her for a few seconds. "You do realize I don't do exclusive either, right?"
Her tiny smile curled up on one side along with her eyebrow. "It seems we were meant to be."
"Are we really doing this?"
She flashed a grin. "It seems like we are doing this. We're just doing the reverse of what most couples do. I mean, think about it. They go on a date, and the moment they kiss, they're a couple, exclusive and official. In most cases, they don't even know each other at all. They haven't even had sex yet, but it's implied they can't bang other people. You and I did the opposite, that's all. We fucked in a foursome, then we hung out, then we went to bed together with no one else involved, then we had a threesome, and now we're talking about potentially dating. Is that so strange?"
It might seem strange to others, but it made perfect sense to me. I wanted to know I clicked with a person sexually before pushing things further.
"So where are you taking me for our first date?" she asked.
"Well, we've already established I'm horrible at being goth, but how about going to the Catacombs?"
"A morbid date. Interesting. Am I to expect a lot of those from you?"
"It's only morbid if that's how you want to look at it. I like to think of it as educational."
She laughed and tapped my arm.
"There's something I have to say, though."
"Okay, go ahead," she replied cautiously.
"I want to establish rules if we are to keep having sex, and especially if we're considering going on dates. I've already gone through enough crap with Hugo. I'm not going through that again. I need to know that if I don't want you to fuck somebody, you will agree not to do so."
She held her head back, closing off a bit. "Isn't it a bit early to set such a leash on each other?"
She had a point. I did feel like a control freak. But I couldn't move forward without this safety net and guarantee.
"It's not a leash," I explained. "I don't care if you see other people. But I need to know it won't be done behind my back. And if someone makes me uncomfortable, I need to know they won't be part of the deal. It's for our own safety too. I don't want us to catch some STI just because we weren't honest with each other."
She took a few seconds to ponder my demands, then smiled warmly. "Sounds fair enough. I don't want you double-crossing me either, and it's safer for us if we know what's going on and with whom. Same goes if I don't like someone you picked, though."
"Sounds good." I still couldn't believe I was doing this.
"What should I tell my parents?" she asked, turning around in my arms so she could face me.
"About what?"
"I haven't told them I'm bi yet," she said.
The fact that she was acknowledging her bisexuality and saying the word out loud was a huge step. She had finally told the guys the truth at least. Raphaël had gaped but then claimed he wasn't surprised.
"They don't need to know unless you want them to. The only people who need to know your orientation are the people you sleep with. If you want to come out, that's great. But it's not an obligation."
"My parents don't know I'm poly either."
"Again, they don't need to be aware of that."
She seemed doubtful.
"It's no one's business what we do in bed, Charlotte. It's none of your parents' concern if you sleep with anyone other than me. That's between the two of us and our lovers, and that's it."
"Yes, of course. But what if we meet someone we'd want to become a permanent third?"
I'd considered that question once or twice back when I was still with Hugo. But I came from a family where most of those societal norms didn't apply. My parents didn't care what I did or with whom as long as I was happy and safe. My mom was sad when I told her Hugo and I were done, but she acknowledged I looked happier than I had in years. She wouldn't care that Charlotte and I are open. She wouldn't even blink. I'd never met Charlotte's parents, but they didn't seem as open-minded. She'd made them sound nice but more traditional.
I kissed the top of her head and caressed the soft skin of her cheek as she snuggled closer to my chest.
"We don't have a third yet. We haven't even had a first official date. We're still getting to know each other. It's hard enough to find one person we're compatible with, let alone two. It sounds like a challenge to find someone who can please us both in bed and hold our intellectual interest. If it happens, we'll figure it out then. But we can't let other people control the way we want to live. If finding an additional person can fulfill you and
bring you happiness, I won't deny you that chance, and I won't let anyone else do so either."
She gave a nod. "Let's go to sleep; it's been a long day," she said with a smile as she curled up, still fully dressed, to fall asleep in my arms.
Epilogue
NOAH
The day of Adrien and Raphael's wedding, Charlotte and I were late. We had to rush to get there. I wasn't sure how the grooms could be awake and alert for the ceremony considering we'd all spent the night partying until three A.M.
But when we got there and I entered Adrien's dressing room—a white tent by the orchard where the ceremony was to take place—he was already dressed and more handsome than ever. He was wearing a black tuxedo over a white button-down shirt and a black bowtie.
"Well, look who decided to finally show up," he joked nonchalantly, though his tightened shoulders told me he was stressed out. "You didn't forget the rings, I hope."
"Of course not. What do you take me for?"
As Adrien's best man and witness, I'd made sure not to forget anything before Charlotte and I left. She was Raphaël's maid of honor and witness as well.
"Raphaël's dad is escorting you to the altar, right?" I asked.
The ceremony was secular, but Raphaël had insisted upon having an altar and an aisle for his parents to lead them down.
"Yes, Aasim is taking me. Raphaël's mom is taking him. You met Florian last night. He should be waiting for us at the altar already."
I already knew all the plans, but it didn't hurt to review them one last time. Raphaël's best friend was to conduct the ceremony while some guy named Brandon was going to play the piano. To make things easier for the guests, the event was taking place near Chalons-en-Champagne—halfway between Paris and Raphaël's hometown, Vandœuvre. It'd been a hassle to organize since we weren't right there on the spot, but it all turned out fine in the end.
"How do I look?" Adrien asked, playing with his bowtie.
