2009-12-18

Multiplicity of love

My boyfriend never visits me at the house. Never. I don't mind, there's more privacy at his place anyway. Home for me is a place where our relationship doesn't exist.

So you can see how it was a bit of a surprise for me to see him standing at our porch a few nights ago, unexpected.

"Hi there, love", I called to him as I came up the driveway. He flinched at the sound of my voice and turned around jerkily, speechless, a strange look on his face: a mixture of surprise, guilt, panic, confusion, tenderness, questions and answers.
"What a treat to find you here! You could've called, though. It's a lucky coincidence that I got off so early", I chirped, searching for my keys. He still didn't reply, but gave me a hug and a little kiss on the cheek.

Inside, I threw off the jacket and wrapped my arms around him, giving him a passionate kiss. "I'm so happy to see you", I murmured in his ear. "I was about to cook something - are you hungry?" Without waiting for an answer, I disentangled from him and made a move towards the kitchen. He started to speak: "Actually, Pip, I'm here to see..."

Bethany walked into the hallway. "Edo! Happy you're here!" And to my complete amazement, she walked straight to his arms and they shared a very intimate embrace that left no guesses as to what was the nature of their interaction.

Edo threw me an apologetic, confused look, and proceeded to follow Bethany into the communal kitchen, where Beth's happy chattering made up for the stunned silence between me and Edo. They were cooking something for themselves and I was hastily throwing some greens on a plate and then moved quickly into the living room for a salad and a huge mug of tea. I didn't feel like invading on their late evening dinner date, but I kinda wanted to hear what they were talking about, so I stayed in the communal living room... where, unless there's other people around, you can pretty much hear everything that's going on in the kitchen.

Little Seth was around as well, and he made enough noise for my curiosity to stay unsatisfied. Eventually I had to get my dishes back in the kitchen, and of course that had to be the moment when Seth was in the bathroom and the newfound lovers had found a moment for tender embraces, cuddling and generally looking like two people on their first "your place or mine" - date.

I sat in the living room for the rest of the evening, too restlessly curious (and a bit obsessive, I admit) to go to our room but too proud and cool to pull Edo by the sleeve and ask him for a moment of clarification. He did find a moment to come to me on his own, eventually.
"I'm sorry", he whispered. "I didn't realize you live in the same house! Beth just gave me an address... I'm so sorry, I didn't remember that this is your address as well, I was just so surprised to see you there that I didn't know what to say..."

Edo didn't stay for the night, but I sat in the living room long after midnight talking with Stella, Josh and Anca about the problematics of relationships and the solutions and attitudes that each of us had found to different situations that we'd encountered. Stella advocated that polyamory is a great way for killing the ego but didn't really have practical ideas for dealing with jealousy and such, as her boyfriend is really very monogamous and deeply in love with her. As for Josh and Anca - he wants an open relationship while she doesn't, and understandably this is putting some pressure on their steady and stable 10-year relationship.

Two days later I was going to meet Edo at his place. Bethany had baked chocolate chip cookies and gave me a lunchbox-full to take with me, "for you and Edo", smiling sweetly and smelling deliciously of chocolate.

As I got to the front door, she called after me.
"Piper! Can I ask you for an akward favour?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Could you give Edo... a kiss from me?"

I did.

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