When I started writing this story I was looking forward to writing something quicker, with less down time between chapters. Then, shortly after I finished Chapter 3, one of my closest friends unexpectedly passed away (not related to the pandemic) and I put the story on the back burner for a while to heal. It’s good to be back in the groove again after a couple months off, and I’m grateful to anyone who’s stuck around waiting for Chapter 4. I’m hopeful there won’t be quite as long a delay before the final chapter is out.

Once again, all characters are over 18. This story takes place in the summer of 2010. Thank you to RawSilhouette and Ravenna933 for beta reading the story and catching a few minor errors.

*

The next morning at the tiny cottage dawned early. We’d been sleeping with all the windows open for ventilation in the Hot, airless summer night, but that meant the morning sunlight found its way in as soon as the sun rose across the lake. By 7 AM everyone in the living room was awake; mostly reluctantly and hung over, but awake nonetheless.

I lay on the futon with a drowsy Monique still nude in my arms, covered only by a thin blanket, as people got up around us. The previous night’s escapades and heat of the cottage meant we were all still naked that morning, but the light of day brought a sense of, not regret, but perhaps modesty back to all of us. Natalie, Priya, Laura and Mark all dressed quickly, and as privately as they could in the small space. The bedroom door remained closed, and we hadn’t seen or heard any signs of life from Vanessa, Carson or Becky yet.

“I’m going for a Shower,” Natalie announced, once she’d thrown the previous day’s top and bottoms on.

“From experience, there’s not going to be enough Hot water for all of us, so be quick,” I warned.

Natalie stuck her tongue out as she grabbed her towel and toiletry bag. “That’s why I’m going first.”

“I don’t need a Shower,” Mark volunteered. “There’s a lake right out there.”

“Some of us have long hair that needs the lake washed out of it, not put back into it,” Priya retorted.

As Natalie left, Laura regarded Monique lying in my arms, and the jealous look returned to her face. She didn’t say anything, but I knew what she was thinking.

“I hate sleeping bags, and I forgot my air mattress,” Monique explained defensively. “I couldn’t sleep on the hard floor.”

Laura nodded. “Fine.” I didn’t believe she actually wondered it was, but I let the moment pass.

The morning passed quickly and uneventfully. I managed a 90-second Shower with Hot water, just enough to get clean, and with only having a few hours’ sleep the night before I wasn’t in the mood to do much but hang around the cottage. Mark, Priya, Vanessa and Carson took the canoes out to explore the lake; Natalie, Jason and Michelle went on a hike through the woods; Monique, Becky, Laura and I stayed around the cottage and played Clue and The Game of Life on ancient, tattered game boards that had been there as long as I could remember. Laura still seemed annoyed at me, but I ignored her. It wasn’t my job to massage her hurt feelings over nothing.

I managed to discover a quiet moment alone with Monique later in the day and briefly told her about last night’s hurried, silent, and covered-up solo threesome with Priya and Natalie. Monique just laughed, and said she was sorry to have missed it and was glad we’d all managed to get off. I was a little concerned about word getting back to Vanessa, but Natalie had seemed unfazed that morning, and I knew she was in a relationship, so she probably wouldn’t want anything that had happened getting back to her boyfriend. I knew I could trust Monique not to spill the beans, and as for Priya, well, if she said something, she said something, but at least it wasn’t like we’d had Sex.

By late afternoon we knew we had to get back, so we packed up the cottage and headed back south. Vanessa had slept longer and better than I had, so I let her and Carson have the front seats. I curled up in the back and napped most of the way home.

When we got back, I checked my phone after the car was unloaded. There was a text from Laura:

So now you’re fucking Monique? You bastard.

I let my anger course through me for a moment, thinking of how I’d like to respond, before dashing off a response.

I don’t owe you an explanation for anything I choose to do and I’m not gonna respond to any further allegations. But for the record, we didn’t have Sex. We slept in the same bed. It was platonic. Mind your own goddamn company.

No response came in, so after a moment I decided to try to forget about it and move on.

I reflected on the fact that Natalie seemed happily in Love with her boyfriend, and she apparently hadn’t been the one Monique had been hinting liked me anyway, so my thoughts turned to the next most likely candidate in Samantha Fischer. I’d spent most of my adolescence silently judging her. She was rich, gorgeous, and easy not to like from a distance. I’d been very self-conscious about how tight money had been in my childhood and still occasionally had trouble freely spending the money I’d saved on myself, so a girl who wore designer clothes and drove a new BMW her family had bought for her when she’d turned 17 was never someone I’d had any interest in getting to know further.

But Monique had said my first impressions of her were wrong, and while I wasn’t entirely sure I’d want to go there if Sam turned out to be the sort of person I’d all the time believed she was, if she had a long-standing crush on me, I wanted to know, and I wanted to at least consider taking benefit of the situation. She couldn’t control being raised rich, as Monique had said, and I’d been wrong about most of Vanessa’s other friends already, so I was eager to give her a chance and see what developed. I was also very glad I’d never really had a chance to hang out with her, as she shouldn’t have had a reason to know I hadn’t liked her. I hadn’t ever treated her badly or with any hostility, I’d just all the time avoided her as I’d done with most of Vanessa’s other friends.

A couple of days later, Vanessa and I were sitting together in the basement watching the Jays game when I asked her something that had been on my mind.

“Was that weird for you?”

Vanessa looked over at me. “At the cottage, you mean?”

“Around the campfire.”

She wondered for a moment. “I mean, yeah, kind of. I never expected anything like that to happen. It’s not like my friends have ever done anything that risqué before.”

“You’re okay with everything that happened, though? Things escalated pretty quickly.”

“Yeah, mostly,” she answered. “You?”

“I am, but what’s ‘mostly’? Anything to do with me?”

She sighed. “No, it’s nothing to do with you. Carson and I aren’t going to be seeing each other anymore.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”

“You really were asleep in the back the whole way home, huh?” she asked.

“Apparently.” I didn’t know what she was talking about.

“The whole drive home, hours in the car, it was all he could talk about. All those titties, how turned on all those girls were. He wouldn’t shut up about it, and he wanted me to ask one of my friends for a threesome. He didn’t even care who, he just thought that because we had a night like that, and because everyone was aroused and had their guard down, they’d all want him. And sure, they’re all my friends, and I like Sex, but there’s no way I’d ever be down for that. Like, I’m not against the idea of a threesome, but not with girls I’ve known since I was little. We’re friends, and I don’t want to sleep with Natalie or Laura any more than he wants to suck one of his hockey boys’ dicks.

“‘It’s different’, he kept on saying. Well, it’s only different because he doesn’t like dudes. He didn’t respect my ‘no’ at all, and I just kept getting more and more annoyed with him all the way home when he wouldn’t drop it. By the time I dropped him off I’d already decided I never wanted to see him again. I told him off the next day.”

“I’m sorry. Do you want a hug?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s not a breakup. I didn’t have feelings for him, and I’m annoyed but not upset about it. It was just Sex.”

“Fair enough. We’re okay though?”

“Yeah.” She looked over at me. “It probably would have felt more weird having you there if we were blood-related. I’m comfortable with my body, and I don’t care that we’ve seen each other naked. I’m not gonna begin wandering around the house nude, but if it ever happens again, organically of course, it won’t bother me. How about you?”

“I feel the same. I’m also comfortable with my body and I don’t care that you’ve seen all of it. I apparently trust you more than I realized.”

Vanessa stifled a chuckle. “I don’t know if I’d go that far, but yeah. I know what you mean. You felt like one of the group the other night. You fit in. We’ve never done anything even remotely that crazy before, but I’m okay that you were there for it. You weren’t creepy, you didn’t make it weird. You were respectful and behaved yourself. Not all guys would have. And I’m glad you didn’t go chasing after Laura again even though we all know she wanted you.”

“Fuck no,” I interrupted.

Vanessa laughed. “Laura was annoyed at you because she thinks you slept with Monique. I told her she was being paranoid.”

“I did sleep with her, but it was platonic. We didn’t have Sex.”

“I know. I told her that. I trust Monique completely, and there’s no way I’d ever believe that you and her hooked up.”

“Do you have any advice on how to handle Laura?”

Vanessa sighed. “You’re handling her well enough. Just keep doing what you’re doing. She’ll get over it eventually. It would be a lot harder for her if you gave her even the slightest signs of being still interested, so just keep being gentle but firm.”

“I will, and for what it’s worth, I appreciate your insight on this.”

“You’re welcome.” She smiled. “Laura can be a lot to handle. You didn’t know what you were getting into at that party, huh?”

I shook my head.

“It’ll get better. She all the time moves on eventually.”

A couple of weeks passed. My LSAT exam was set for Kingston around the beginning of August, so I basically locked myself in my room studying, emerging only for meals and bathroom breaks. Things with Vanessa seemed better, somehow — it still wasn’t like we were best buddies or anything, but she’d started saying hi when she saw me, smiling at me, treating me with a modicum of kindness, and in a way I was happy to return. For the first time since we’d lived together, it didn’t feel like we were at war. We may not have signed a peace treaty quite yet, but at least we’d negotiated a ceasefire.

As the end of July approached, my plan was to take the train to Kingston for the long weekend in early August, sit my exam, then spend a few days hanging out with my friends there before coming back. I still didn’t know how to approach the situation with Samantha — I didn’t have her number and wasn’t friends with her on Facebook. I also didn’t feel like I could ask Monique to help me, as she had always seemed happy to sit in the background without playing an active role in my conquests. Then, out of nowhere, Vanessa of all people found a solution to a problem she couldn’t have known existed.

“Hey, Peter, can I ask for a favour?” Vanessa knocked, then came into my room a few days before I was due to leave.

“Of course.”

“You know my friend Samantha?”

I nodded. Of course I did.

“Did you know she’s gonna Queen’s next year?”

“She is?” I was surprised. “Is she transferring?”

“No, she’s going into first year. She did a gap year this past year to travel and stuff before starting university.”

Of course she did. “Cool, I’d have loved to have been able to afford to take a year off to do nothing. What’s the favour?”

“Well, Sam wants to go down to Kingston this summer. She’s never been to the campus, since she was in Peru most of last winter during application season. She wants to meet some of the faculty, do a campus tour, that kind of thing, so that she’s not completely lost during Orientation Week.”

“Not a bad idea. What does this have to do with me?”

“She doesn’t have a place to stay and doesn’t know anyone in town. She really doesn’t want to sleep alone in a hotel room. If you’ve got a spare couch in your place, she’d be fine sleeping on it. And in return, you can cancel your train ticket home and she’ll drive you. She won’t charge you for gas in exchange for the Free lodging.”

“What about my exam?”

“She’s not gonna come down until after you’ve written it. We’re only talking two nights. Please, Peter?”

Nothing Vanessa had said had given me a reason to reconsider my opinion on Sam, but I realized the opportunity I’d been waiting for had just fallen into my lap. I had no plans for the time after my exam except playing PlayStation and poker with my roommates, and I had no problem playing tour guide for a school I loved attending. If Sam was the mystery crush, I’d know after a day’s worth of dedicated time together, and if I didn’t like her, I could ignore her as much as possible and still save money on the trip home. And with the way Vanessa and I were slowly growing closer, I liked the idea of doing her a favour.

“Fine.”

“Thanks, Peter.” Vanessa hugged me. It was the first time I could ever remember hugging me, and it surprised me how much I liked the feel of her soft, warm breasts pressing against me.

A few days later, I boarded the train to Kingston, getting in late and going back to the old house I shared with Steve, Tom and Clarence. Steve was in Europe, backpacking for a month with his girlfriend, but it was good to see two of my best friends again for the first time in over three months. I went to bed early, and the next day I walked down to campus to write the LSAT.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to pass it this time. I’d heard that writing it once was good practice to get familiar with the exam format and time constraints, and to learn what you knew and didn’t know. The one that was going to count was the next time. After three hours, I walked out feeling like the test had kicked my Ass a little. But I wasn’t overly bothered. I knew I’d have the chance to write it again next winter. No matter what my results were, I was done with studying after a long summer spent indoors and alone, and I now had a month to kick back, relax, and party.

That night, Tom, Clarence and I went out to a local sports bar to watch the Blue Jays game over wings and beer. As I sat with my guy friends, it hit me hard how much I’d missed it. I was really looking forward to being back at school again in a month. My summer that had started with such promise really hadn’t gone anywhere. I’d spent most of it alone, and even though I’d made some friends and gotten closer with my stepsister, I missed having a social life. Apart from the two hedonistic weeks with Kirsten and the one regretted occasion with Laura, I also hadn’t gotten laid this summer, and it was harder to have a Sex life living at home with family compared to living with friends.

With the stress of the exam finally past me and alcohol flowing through my bloodstream, I had an epic stress-relieving jerk-off session after getting home that night, edging myself over and over thinking about the Masturbation threesome with Natalie and Priya before finally letting myself cum. It felt so good to be done and able to relax again.

The next day we spent mostly nursing hangovers and lazing around the house playing video games. That night, around 11 PM, the doorbell rang. I looked out and saw the sleek black BMW 3-Series I recognized.

“She’s here.”

The door opened, and there was Samantha. She looked exactly as I remembered: long, raven hair that was immaculately maintained, to the point that photos of her could be used to sell shampoo. Soft, lightly-freckled features accentuated by professional-grade makeup. Stylish designer clothes that fit her figure perfectly. She was tall for a woman, only a few inches shorter than me, with guarded dark eyes and dimples in her cheeks when she smiled. Her body I’d compare favourably to Jennifer Love Hewitt’s — an unusually large rack on an otherwise skinny frame. I let her give me a hug and took her duffel bag. Tom and Clarence both watched from the couch, open-mouthed and agog at the goddess that had entered our midst.

“Samantha Fischer, these are my roommates, Tom Choi and Clarence Watson.”

“Nice to meet you both!” Sam gushed. She turned to face me. “Sorry, which way is the bathroom?”

“Oh, down the hall, second door on the right.”

Sam headed quickly for the bathroom, closing the door behind her, and I turned back to my roommates.

“What the fuck, Peter?” Clarence began. “You didn’t tell us the girl coming here was a supermodel!”

“She’s not-“

“How’s my hair?”

“I could have put a nice shirt on if I’d known,” Tom added. “Come on, man!”

I laughed. “She’s my stepsister’s friend, guys. Off limits.”

“I don’t care. Maybe she’ll invite us to party with other supermodels.” Clarence rapidly fixed his hair and checked his breath.

“I-“

Samantha reappeared suddenly. “Sorry for running off. That ginger ale went through me faster than I realized.”

“No issue. Let me show you to your room.”

“Oh, I don’t need a room, Peter, just a couch.”

“I know, but Steve’s in Europe, and it’s not like anyone’s using his bed. The sheets are clean and he wouldn’t mind.”

Samantha thought for a moment. “Okay, but only if you’re sure he wouldn’t care.”

“Nah, he’d be good,” Clarence piped up.

“Okay, thank you.” She smiled, and I noticed Clarence and Tom both swooning a little as I picked up her bag. The house we were in was an older house on Victoria Street, a few blocks from campus, that had been a worker’s cottage at one point. There were three tiny bedrooms, with Steve and I sharing a wall and Tom across the hall. Clarence occupied a finished room in the basement; larger than the others but less private and with less natural light.

“Do you want to hang out a while?” I offered as I showed her Steve’s room.

“I’d Love to, but I’m exhausted from the drive,” Sam replied, “and I should get to bed on time since I have an appointment with Academic Counselling tomorrow morning to go over my courses and stuff. Do you want to meet me on campus for lunch? Then you can show me around after.”

“Okay, sounds good. Which Academic Counselling Office?”

“Um…” Sam looked lost. “There are more than one?”

“Sure, every faculty has their own counselling unit.”

Sam’s face betrayed no recognition.

“What’s your major?” I asked patiently.

“Sociology. I’m doing the Power, Inequalities and Social Justice program.”

“That’s Mackintosh-Corry Hall,” Tom called out helpfully from the couch.

I called up a map on my phone and showed her where she was going.

“Okay, I can figure that out. Thanks, Peter!” She turned and headed into Steve’s room, closing the door behind her.

I texted Monique immediately. She’s here.

Let me know how it goes! Monique wrote back with a smiley face. What’s your game plan?

I wondered for a minute. I’m just gonna go with the flow and see what happens. I’ve got no expectations, but worst case scenario I’ll show her around campus and get her oriented as a good deed. After that, who knows?

Sounds great, Monique wrote back. Doing a favour for someone who needs it is never a bad idea.

The next morning, I slept in late before getting up, dressed, showered and heading down to University Centre to meet Sam. I found her in line at the Tim Hortons, and we bought a quick lunch before sitting down. She was wearing a floral sundress that showed just a hint of cleavage and had her hair in braided pigtails. She looked stunning, as all the time.