just, uh, sex,” he grunted as if reluctant to say it out loud, “but in the end we didn’t have all that much in common. I don’t think either of them was hoping for a white picket fence.”
“I imagine not, if they were trying to share you,” Amber said. The whole thing seemed more than a little unbelievable, but here were stood other people swearing to the whole story. “That sort of thing doesn’t sound like it could last. I mean, two girlfriends?”
“Polyamory has more in common with monogamy than you might think,” Lorelei countered mildly. “They both require communication. Honesty. Commitment to the rules of the relationship, whatever they might be. Ultimately, the relationship works until it doesn’t. One can say all the same for traditional dating and marriage.”
“Been there, done that, huh?” smiled Amber.
Lorelei nodded. “I am.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Yeah, Lorelei, how so?” Jason agreed.
“Hey, you aren’t off the hook yet,” Amber told him, shaking a finger at him without looking. She waited for an answer from Lorelei.
“Aw, man,” he grumbled.
“Yeah,” Drew agreed, “she’s still gotta hear about the Great Open Teamspeak Mic incident that ended your run on My Two Shorties.”
“Teamspeak?” Amber asked. “What, you mean like on an MMO?”
“Oh Jesus, really?” Jason sighed, “Do we really have to do this?”
“Greatest total party kill story ever,” Wade nodded sagely.
“You weren’t even there!”
“Ah’ve seen the YouTube.”
“There’s a YouTube?” Jason exploded.
“Okay, wait wait wait,” Amber chuckled, “I want to hear this, but don’t change the subject yet. Lorelei, what did you mean?”
“ As we mentioned, I was introduced to our friends here through my partner, Alex. He and I share a second partner named Rachel.” Her eyes swept the faces of the young men around them as if to convey a soft reminder. “She likely won’t be here tonight. I had thought Alex would join us by now, though,” she muttered.
“Wait, you ‘share’ another partner?” asked Amber.
“We are all equal parts of the same relationship, yes,” Lorelei nodded. “Some would call it a triad, though I care little for labels.”
“Wow. I can’t say I’ve never heard of the idea, but I’ve never actually met anyone with that kind of, um, arrangement.” She paused. “I imagine you get a lot of dumb questions about it?”
“We don’t exactly advertise. I wouldn’t tell you of it, but for the likelihood that it will come up,” she said, eyeing Jason with a bit of a smile. “Rachel doesn’t get out with us much. If others perceive Alex as my only partner, she doesn’t mind. She is not one for fretting about the opinions of others.
“ But yes, I have some experience in relationships outside of traditional models. I would suggest that Jason’s recent entanglements fell apart not because it was inherently flawed as a model, but because of the individuals involved.” She threw a calm wink to Jason to take any potential sting from her comment.
“I suppose that’s fair,” Amber said, though skepticism colored her voice.
Drew gave a bit of a nod over Amber’s shoulder. “You could always ask Alex his take on it, too,” he offered.
Amber turned to look as the newcomer arrived. With her mind split between acting natural and thinking like an investigator, she made assessments quickly. She found youth that fit with the guys around her, but immediately recognized a degree of sex appeal and good looks that somewhat justified Lorelei’s interest. She spotted the leather jacket and the helmet in one hand marking him as a rider. Yet she also noted a slightly breathless, amped-up look in his eyes and his stride that seemed a bit out of place for a night at a pool hall.
“I was afraid I wouldn’t catch you before you left,” Alex said as he moved in to embrace Lorelei. Amber caught the lilt in his voice—and the reactions of his friends. “I’m not
“I imagine not, if they were trying to share you,” Amber said. The whole thing seemed more than a little unbelievable, but here were stood other people swearing to the whole story. “That sort of thing doesn’t sound like it could last. I mean, two girlfriends?”
“Polyamory has more in common with monogamy than you might think,” Lorelei countered mildly. “They both require communication. Honesty. Commitment to the rules of the relationship, whatever they might be. Ultimately, the relationship works until it doesn’t. One can say all the same for traditional dating and marriage.”
“Been there, done that, huh?” smiled Amber.
Lorelei nodded. “I am.”
“Oh? How so?”
“Yeah, Lorelei, how so?” Jason agreed.
“Hey, you aren’t off the hook yet,” Amber told him, shaking a finger at him without looking. She waited for an answer from Lorelei.
“Aw, man,” he grumbled.
“Yeah,” Drew agreed, “she’s still gotta hear about the Great Open Teamspeak Mic incident that ended your run on My Two Shorties.”
“Teamspeak?” Amber asked. “What, you mean like on an MMO?”
“Oh Jesus, really?” Jason sighed, “Do we really have to do this?”
“Greatest total party kill story ever,” Wade nodded sagely.
“You weren’t even there!”
“Ah’ve seen the YouTube.”
“There’s a YouTube?” Jason exploded.
“Okay, wait wait wait,” Amber chuckled, “I want to hear this, but don’t change the subject yet. Lorelei, what did you mean?”
“ As we mentioned, I was introduced to our friends here through my partner, Alex. He and I share a second partner named Rachel.” Her eyes swept the faces of the young men around them as if to convey a soft reminder. “She likely won’t be here tonight. I had thought Alex would join us by now, though,” she muttered.
“Wait, you ‘share’ another partner?” asked Amber.
“We are all equal parts of the same relationship, yes,” Lorelei nodded. “Some would call it a triad, though I care little for labels.”
“Wow. I can’t say I’ve never heard of the idea, but I’ve never actually met anyone with that kind of, um, arrangement.” She paused. “I imagine you get a lot of dumb questions about it?”
“We don’t exactly advertise. I wouldn’t tell you of it, but for the likelihood that it will come up,” she said, eyeing Jason with a bit of a smile. “Rachel doesn’t get out with us much. If others perceive Alex as my only partner, she doesn’t mind. She is not one for fretting about the opinions of others.
“ But yes, I have some experience in relationships outside of traditional models. I would suggest that Jason’s recent entanglements fell apart not because it was inherently flawed as a model, but because of the individuals involved.” She threw a calm wink to Jason to take any potential sting from her comment.
“I suppose that’s fair,” Amber said, though skepticism colored her voice.
Drew gave a bit of a nod over Amber’s shoulder. “You could always ask Alex his take on it, too,” he offered.
Amber turned to look as the newcomer arrived. With her mind split between acting natural and thinking like an investigator, she made assessments quickly. She found youth that fit with the guys around her, but immediately recognized a degree of sex appeal and good looks that somewhat justified Lorelei’s interest. She spotted the leather jacket and the helmet in one hand marking him as a rider. Yet she also noted a slightly breathless, amped-up look in his eyes and his stride that seemed a bit out of place for a night at a pool hall.
“I was afraid I wouldn’t catch you before you left,” Alex said as he moved in to embrace Lorelei. Amber caught the lilt in his voice—and the reactions of his friends. “I’m not
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