My hands shake as I pull my shirt over my head, the cotton sticking to my still-sweaty skin. The air in Ashley’s bedroom feels heavy, thick with the unmistakable scent of what we just did. I steal glances at her while she gets dressed, watching how casually she slides her jeans up her legs like we didn’t completely change everything between us.
“Uhh...” I clear my throat, trying to sound casual and failing spectacularly. “Should we get you the morning after pill? I mean... I came a lot. Like, a lot-lot.”
Ashley rolls her eyes as she buttons her shirt. “I’m on the pill, Vince.”
“Oh.” The relief hits me like a physical force. “Right. Good.”
She finishes getting changed, smoothing her hair back into place with practiced fingers. I nod awkwardly, not sure what else to say. What’s the protocol after you have sex with your childhood friend as part of some bizarre scheme to sleep with other people?
The sound of the front door opening downstairs sends a jolt of panic through me.
“Fuck,” I whisper, freezing in place like a startled deer.
“It’s fine,” Ashley says, completely unfazed. “Just my mom.”
I hear Mrs. Chambers calling out Ashley’s name from downstairs, and my anxiety spikes. What if she can somehow tell what we’ve been doing? What if the room smells like sex to her too?
“Alright...” I say, grabbing my backpack. “I guess I’ll head out. This was... um...”
“Hold on.” Ashley grabs my wrist before I can make my escape. Her green eyes lock onto mine with that familiar intensity that always made it impossible to say no to her. “Want to start doing this every day?”
The question knocks the wind out of me. “Everyday? Aren’t you busy?”
A small, knowing smile plays at her lips. “No. And I know you’re not either because I catch you in your room every night.”
Heat floods my face as I realize what she means. My bedroom window faces hers directly, separated by maybe thirty feet of air between our houses.
“You... watch me?” I manage to stammer out.
She doesn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed. “You don’t close your curtains unless you’re jerking off.”
“What?” I protest, my voice cracking embarrassingly. “I…“ I stop myself before admitting the truth. No way am I telling her I do it twice a day like clockwork. “I mean, I hardly ever do that.”
Ashley smirks, clearly not buying it. “Right. And I’m the Queen of England.” She tugs on my wrist, pulling me toward her bedroom door. “Relax, Vince. Come on, Mom will love to see you. Plus, I owe you her cookies, remember?”
I hesitate for a second, then nod. “Yeah, okay.” The promise of Beth’s legendary chocolate chip cookies is enough to overcome my awkwardness. Besides, what’s a little small talk with Ashley’s mom compared to what we did upstairs?
We make our way downstairs, me trailing slightly behind Ashley like I used to do when we were kids. The familiar smell of the Chambers’ house. Some mix of cinnamon air freshener and whatever laundry detergent they’ve used since forever, hits me with a wave of nostalgia.
The moment we reach the bottom of the stairs, Beth spots us from the kitchen doorway. Her eyes go comically wide, jaw dropping as she nearly drops the grocery bag in her arms.
“Vincent!” she exclaims, her voice rising with excitement. She quickly sets the bag down on the nearest surface and rushes over, arms outstretched. Before I can prepare myself, I’m enveloped in one of her signature bear hugs, the kind that threatens to crack ribs.
“Oh my goodness, look at you!” She pulls back, hands still gripping my shoulders as she examines my face. “It’s been ages!”
“Hi, Mrs. Chambers,” I mumble, my face burning.
She turns to Ashley, eyes sparkling. “Ashley, did you two finally patch things up?” The hope in her voice is almost painful to hear. She looks like she might actually cry from happiness.
“We’re working on it, Mom,” Ashley says, shooting me a look I can’t quite decipher.
“Well, this is wonderful!” Beth claps her hands together. “I always knew you two would find your way back to each other. You’ve been inseparable since you were in diapers!”
“Vincent, you have to stay for dinner,” Beth insists, already heading back toward the kitchen. “I’ll make lasagna. Your favorite!”
“Actually, Mom,” Ashley steps in quickly, placing a hand on my arm. “Vincent was just heading home.”
“Oh,” Beth’s face falls, disappointment etching across her features. The way her smile dims makes me feel like I’ve kicked a puppy.
“It was good to see you again, Mrs. Chambers.”
“No, no!” She waves her finger at me playfully. “It’s Beth! Remember?”
“Sorry... Beth,” I correct myself, the name feeling strange on my tongue. “Maybe another time for dinner.”
She nods, but her eyes are pleading. “Okay... but please make sure to come around a lot, okay? We’ve missed you so much around here.”
Something about her genuine warmth makes my chest tighten. Despite everything weird and complicated between Ashley and me, Beth’s maternal affection feels like something I’ve been missing without realizing it.
“Alright, Beth,” I say, and I can’t help the smile that spreads across my face. It feels good to be wanted somewhere, even if it’s complicated.
“Wait!” Ashley suddenly calls out. She turns to her mom with an expression I can’t quite read. “Can you bag up some cookies for him? He was really looking forward to them.”
Beth’s entire face lights up like I’ve just made her day. “Yes! I will right now!” She practically sprints into the kitchen, moving with the enthusiasm of someone half her age.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I murmur to Ashley once her mom is out of earshot.
Ashley shrugs, not quite meeting my eyes. “A deal’s a deal. You earned them.”
We stand there, the silence growing between us like an awkward third person. Ashley shifts her weight from one foot to the other, then looks me in the eye with that determined gaze I’ve known since we were kids.
“Same time tomorrow?”
“Yeah...” I manage, shoving my hands deep into my pockets to stop them from fidgeting.
She leans in suddenly, close enough that I can smell the faint scent of her shampoo. “And stop jerking off,” she whispers, her breath warm against my ear.
My stomach drops like I’ve missed a step on the stairs. “What?”
“If we’re going to be doing this every day,” she continues, her voice low and intense. “I need you to be ready.”
I nod uncomfortably.
Beth bustles back into the room, clutching what has to be the largest ziplock bag of cookies I’ve ever seen. The plastic is stretched to its limits around the mountain of chocolate chip goodness inside.
“Here you go, Vincent!” she announces cheerfully, thrusting the enormous package into my hands. “I made a double batch this morning. Call it intuition, but I just had a feeling today might be special.”
If she only knew how “special” today had been. The weight of the cookie bag feels like a reward I don’t deserve, but my mouth waters at the sight of them anyway.
“Thanks, Beth,” I mumble.
“You’re always welcome here,” Beth says, patting my arm with maternal affection. “Our door is always open to you.”
“Thanks again,” I say, giving Beth a small smile as I back toward the door.
Ashley walks me to the door, leaning against the frame as I step outside.
“Tomorrow,” she says, not a question but a statement. “Don’t forget.”
“I won’t.”
The walk home takes less than a minute, our houses have been side by side since forever, but it feels like miles. My legs are wobbly, my mind racing with replays of everything that just happened.
I let myself in through the back door, the empty house greeting me with silence. Mom’s already left for her shift at the hospital. Another overnight. The note on the fridge is the same as always: “Dinner in the microwave. Love you.”
I drop the cookies on the counter and head upstairs, my footsteps echoing in the empty house. My bedroom door creaks as I push it open. The familiar sight of my room should be comforting, but tonight it just feels... different. Like I’ve stepped into a parallel universe where everything looks the same but isn’t.
The first thing I do is walk to the window. I stare across the gap between our houses, right at Ashley’s window. Without hesitating, I pull the shade down, blocking out the view.
I collapse into my desk chair, spinning slowly to face my computer. The blank screen reflects my exhausted face back at me. I look different somehow. Or maybe I’m just imagining it.
My mind keeps replaying Ashley’s words: “Same time tomorrow?” The casual way she said it, like what we did was no big deal.
I drum my fingers against the desk, trying to make sense of it all. This wasn’t how I imagined losing my virginity. Not that I had some grand romantic vision. I’m not that delusional. But I definitely didn’t expect it to be part of some bizarre scheme to hook up with other people.
Other people. Caroline. Right. That’s what this is all about.
I press the heels of my hands against my eyes, trying to clear my head. What happens when this is all over? When Ashley gets Dante, and I supposedly get Caroline? Will we just go back to being strangers?
Ashley: