Sweet Dreams Are Made Of This, Ch.08

Chapter: August

“The Sun and the Moon”

***

Life is as full of treasured moments as it is of hardship, though the challenges and obstacles that must be overcome can seem insurmountable, weighing so heavily that it seems even Atlas must be crushed under its mass. When those special gifts keep coming, it is easy to be desensitized or to focus on them to the expense of missing greater opportunities. And if you do see them, what then? Will you set your eyes on the prize to reach forsomething that might just be a mirage? You can choose one over the other, or simply pretend the choice never existed and be on your merry way. Each decision carries a price. For every gain, there is a sacrifice. Making the choice is a leap of faith.

As a premise for making a decision, this philosophy kinda sucked, but these were the thoughts running through Jahn’s head as he stared past a sleeping Jen into the blue sky beyond. At least the distant drone of engines, and constant idle chatter by other passengers on the plane disrupted his makeshift philosophy. He didn’t want to dwell on it too long; he’d already made his choice, and all that was left was to take the final step.

A sharp elbow poked him in the ribs, interrupting his train of thought yet again. “Hey, Jahn,” Fiona whispered.

“Hey Fiona,” he whispered back with a smile, turning to look down into her lustrous brown eyes. “’Sup?”

“I was just thinking… ever heard of the Mile High Club?”

Choking back laughter, he asked without thinking, “You sure you can afford the membership fee?” The brunette’s mouth widened in an alluring smile that told him she got the joke and wasn’t going to hold it against him. As well she might, the suggestion _was_ atypical of the slender brunette’s personal mores. Sex outside of the house had been a tentative thing, a touch of risqué, but without any real risk of exposure, allowing her to maintain her protective reserve without fear of embarrassment. Chance didn’t favor them doing that on the plane without notice, unless they were careful. Stories and movies always made like the sly exit to a restroom was an easily achieved task, but there was such a sense of claustrophobia on these planes that he didn’t see how people could really do that unnoticed.

That’s not to say Jahn wasn’t game for some hanky-panky. After working out a code with his girlfriend, he slipped out of his seat and past her into the aisle, making his way to the restroom. As he settled in to wait, he could tell this was not going to be easy. It felt like his long legs took up the entire cubicle, his back was pinched uncomfortably by a lever. A gentle and sporadic tapping came from the door, and with a little nervousness, he unlatched it. Sigh of relief, not one of the other passengers, but the slender fingers of his girlfriend as she opened the door and let herself in.

It was an… experience, one that inundated his brain with visceral terms he didn’t usually think of Fiona in, and only slightly less rarely, Jenny. He supposed he was idealizing his sexual experiences with the two women, thinking of the experiences as something more than they really were… simple acts of sexual congress. But it felt vulgar to think of sex with Fiona that way, to thrill at the sensation of the brunette lowering her panties and then straddling him in such an exposed restroom, lowering her already wet pussy onto his newly freed and entirely erect cock.

She sat astride him, impaling herself on and riding him, the walls of her pussy gripping his dick like a vice due to her inability to relax. Bruising on his hips and back in the morning, he was sure of that now, and the tension of the situation didn’t help to keep the raw sensation of fucking from causing him to erupt within her prematurely, his body shuddering as cock twitched deep within her, expelling his semen. Rocking up and down on him, it took her longer to achieve her satisfaction, and when she did, she put a hand over her mouth to stifle the cry of pleasure, cheeks suddenly mahogany with the intensity of the moment and the attempt to suppress it to avoid others overhearing.

When they’d finished, hastily redressing, their return to the seats was quick and furtive, but they had escaped notice, nothing more than his own guilty pleasure causing him to think that perhaps the old man back there was staring a little too long, or the kids were pointing out the creepy couple to their parents. As he scanned the passengers, a growl dripping with mock threat came from the seat next to him.

“You better have _my_ membership card ready for the return trip,” Jen said, amusement dancing in her half lidded blue eyes as he turned to catch a glimpse of her grinning at their discomfort.

*** Touch-down and arrival went unremarked, their search for the Playana del Sol hotel relatively uncomplicated, assisted by limitless droves of tourist-hungry business people. Jen seemed to have an instinct for direction that, coupled with a GPS and that friendly advice, got them exactly where they needed to be, with time for a few stops along the way for sightseeing. The trio had spent a great deal of time beforehand working out their schedule for the places each of them wanted to go, and every extra second was more time to enjoy the scenery, opportunities that Jahn leapt at with his camera camera. Six days and nights just didn’t seem like enough.

He’d come loaded for bear, ready to shoot anything that moved. The sisters seemed willing to indulge his constant need to stop-and-click, though they dragged him on if he lingered too long. Ordered chaos, the tour was, and so much so that the first two days were exhausting enough to forestall any arguments on sleeping arrangements. Simply _sleeping_ in the same bed was easy enough, but the large, spacious rooms weren’t designed with privacy in mind, killing any chance for either woman to get some alone time with him.

Life with the pair was so sex-saturated that not getting much of it on vacation didn’t seem a huge sacrifice, but he wasn’t sure how they felt about it. Let them work it out, he supposed. Unsurprisingly, it was Jen who managed that odd arrangement, alternating an hour of breakfast time for the remainder of their week together. Where there was a will, there was a way, and the blonde had enough will for all three of them.

*** One of their side-trips had taken them to an insane botanical garden that doubled as a theme park… and man, those things were everywhere, even if you didn’t count the Big D. Jen had even talked them into visiting a small water park for an afternoon; it had been fun, but he’d felt a touch out of place, with most of park goers being pre-college age. It was flattering to the ego to be the dude with two giggling, bikini-clad young women on his arms, but… it made him feel old. Man, he was turning into a boring twit, constantly thinking back to the special packages he’d hidden away in the hotel safe. Live a little, he told himself.

Not that he had any other choice. Jen kept them on their toes, making sure that even the long walks while sightseeing didn’t turn dull. He should have realized that she was setting them up for a sucker punch when the blonde got sketchy about their destinations for the next day. Oh yes, that had been a doozy.

As they pulled into the vast and rather crowded beach parking lot, Jen hunched over the wheel, looking for an open spot. Somewhat late in the day, most people had already chosen spots up by the ocean’s side. Slightly off… he couldn’t put his finger to it, but Fiona put words to it first. “Jahn, was it you or Jenny that chose this beach?”

“Jen did, why?” Snickering, very soft but audible, came from the driver, and he looked askance at her.

“There are naked people here…,” realization dawning on her, Fiona continued in scandalized tones, “Bitch! This is a nude beach!”

“Clothing-optional,” her sister corrected her. “There is absolutely no requirement for wimpy people to go without suits.”

In the rearview mirror, Jahn could see Fiona shooting a glare of death at the back of her sister’s head. “Easy for you to say, Blondie McBigTits. Not all of us have such _awesome_ self-esteem,” she said, words dripping sarcasm. “Or lack of modesty.”

Rather rudely, Jen pointed at a morbidly obese man some distance away. “He’s got bigger tits than me. Clearly, neither modesty nor self-esteem is required. Wimp!” Laughing to herself, she pulled her t-shirt over her head, shaking out her hair. “I also know for fact that you don’t have any tan lines. Ah-hem,” she said, coughing pointedly into a delicate fist.

“Privacy fences and tree cover,” the brunette muttered by way of explanation.

Curiously, Jahn asked. “We don’t have an umbrella. Why not the hotel pool? More shade, you’re less likely to burn.”

“Nudity is not an option there. Besides…,” Jen gave a throaty, borderline obscene laugh and reached below the seat, withdrawing a moment later to show off an industrial-sized bottle of suntan lotion. Hadn’t even noticed that, but it explained why she hadn’t had any complaints over the last few days. “… guess who’s getting a rubdown?”

“Certainly can’t argue with that,” he said, smiling and envisioning the task already.

“Glad you agree!” Jen piped cheerily as she got out of the car to remove her bikini. Pointedly, she added, “Of course, only _nude_ people are allowed to participate in the rubdown. I would _so_ hate to have to do it myself.”

He eyed her as he got out of the car. “You are a manipulative little wench, Jennifer Reed.”

“Yes, Jahn Halvers. I certainly am. What’s it gonna be?” she asked mockingly, as she picked up the cooler and her carryall. “Going to show off ‘Big Jahn’ with pride?” Wincing, he accepted the remark with the grace he could muster. During an unasked for moment of dominance, he’d rather egotistically (and foolishly) told her to take it all, every last inch of his beast , and she’d called him out on it afterward. Only slightly longer than average according to her stats, but he had far better than average girth, damn it. He did have a big dick. Fuck the porn-star statistics. Should have remembered that just because he was her first and only, didn’t mean she didn’t have a stick to measure by.

Grudgingly, he undressed and collected his belongings for the trek to the water’s edge. Turning, he saw Fiona had already done the same, and was giving him a baleful glare. “What are you staring at,” his girlfriend said flatly, more statement than question, crossing her arms over those lovely nut-brown breasts in a defensive posture. “I’ve got my own lotion in my handbag.”

He knew better than to respond to that. It was wisdom that paid off in the end, because applying lotion to the bare bodies of his girlfriends trumped everything else they did that afternoon. Sun hot in the sky, shining down on white sands and blue waves, giving his girlfriends an erotic, if amateurish massage… the day was ideal. He’d had to limit his exploration to keep within those unspoken boundaries, but it was worth it.

So many old songs haunt him, relics of an extensive collection of cassette tapes given to him by his brother, and one springs to mind as he runs his hands over Jen’s body, applying the lotion evenly to protect that lovely fair skin from burning.

//Bodies in the sand, tropical drink melting in your hand, we’ll be falling in love,
to the rhythm of a steel drum band//

Never quite the exhibitionist, some of the pleasure of exploring the contours of her shapely body, the rise of her breasts, the curve of her bottom, is dulled by the attention of those onlookers who really don’t seem to have mastered beach etiquette. Still, this is a memory that’s going to last a lifetime. he thinks as switches from the blonde to her sister to apply the lotion to her already browned skin.

Fiona finally loosened up over the course of the afternoon, and even got a measure of satisfaction when three different people, two men, one woman, stopped by the group’s blankets at random intervals to chat up Jen. Not at all subtle in their propositions, they sent the blonde into uncharacteristic blushing fits. Not that she covered up after.

***
“This trip was an awesome present,” Jen enthused as the trio ate dinner that evening. “I totally thought Mom was fucking with us when you showed me those cheap cardboard tickets with the fill-in dates.”

“It’s not like she could have got us the tickets outright, with different work schedules and nothing set in stone,” Fiona pointed out reasonably. “Not really surprising that she chose this gift either, since her current gentleman’s a travel agent, but you’re right… I’ve had a lovely time.”

When they’d finished eating, they exchanged gifts, Fiona and Jen giving each other some forgettable electronic i-thingies that they’d both wanted. Jahn had gone for a more personalized touch for them: both of his gifts were delicate silver necklaces with a hand-written cards. To Jen, he had given a sunburst pendant with a stylized ‘J’ at the center of the piece, the card reading

You are my sun, burning bright even in forests of day, giver of life and light and happiness, uplifting my heart whenever you are with me.

And to her sister, a waxing moon with a stylized ‘F’, the card reading:

You are the moon in my dark night, a bright light against shadows, giving me peace and serenity, reminding me that I am never alone even when I am not with you.

. They’d loved the jewelry, though Jen had immediately popped off with a cackling, “Going to get us tattoos next?” He genuinely hoped the gifts didn’t come off _that_ way, because Fiona had given him a strange and inscrutable look. Maybe she was picking up on what was in store, perhaps he’d inadvertently dropped clues. It was hard to sneak anything past her. Better that then having her believe I’m some kind of possessive freak marking my territory, he thought.

*** Glowing a fiery orange and casting the hotel’s scattered palms in shadow, the sun set on Playana del Sol, and as well as their vacation in a state half a nation away from home. It was to be their last evening here, and if Jahn was totally wrong about what they felt for him, perhaps the last night he would share with them at all. Let it not be so, the thought echoed in his mind, the odd turn of phrase calling itself to mind from some dim and forgotten memory. No butterflies in his stomach for this, only a low hum of anticipation and some little fear.

Jen and Fiona had already seated themselves for dinner when he arrived, tugging nervously at the nape of his shirt. Seeming to turn as one, they smiled at him, Jen saying something as Fiona gestured animatedly to the food already laid out. Jahn felt his heart tighten in his chest. Breathe, he thought. Just breathe.

Taking in the tropical scents with a deep inhalation and then releasing the captured breath, he closed with them and took his hands from his shirt, lowering them to his pockets, and withdrawing the final gifts. Two sets of eyes, one set sparkling blue, one set lustrous brown followed the motion of his hands, and again, like one, the two women seemed to freeze, their stellar orbit stopped in time.

Breathe, he thought, and went down to one knee. A practiced motion, he’d gone over the follow ups again and again when he could find the time alone, because of the awkwardness of presenting both gifts at once.

“I’ve been going over this question in my head for a long time, and every time the answer is the same. I have to make a choice, because to do anything less is to lose you both without ever having tried. I love you too much to do that.”

“The way the world supposedly works, is that I have to choose between you, one or the other, and I can’t do that. I love you both, neither any less than the other, and to choose like that would feel like demeaning you. It’s all or nothing. You told me that once, Jen.”

The blonde unconsciously raised a knuckled hand to her mouth, eyes almost impossibly wide as he opened the small ring cases in his hands with a deft motion not unlike juggling. Slipping index and middle finger over the diamonds, he captured the gems with both hands, allowing the cases to fall to the floor with matching thuds, palming the rings. Kneeling before them, he spoke to one, then the other.

“Jennifer, you have one of the most open and loving hearts I’ve ever had the pleasure to know in any person. You are filled with unconditional love, and just being with you fills me with joy and laughter. I can think of no reason why I would not want to have you by my side for the rest of my life.”

Jen’s throat worked, almost convulsively, as if she were trying to speak, but she accepted the ring from him mutely, cradling it in her hand. Reassuringly, as much for himself as for her, Jahn smiled, then turned his attention to Fiona, who watched with equal silence, fingers lifting to brush a cheek, a strand of her hair, anything to keep her hands occupied. Her nervous tics, he knew, and rushed to address her as well.

“Fiona, you are one of the most intelligent women I’ve ever met. I can’t help but feel intimidated by that sometimes, but you have the grace, wisdom, and compassion to know that what you possess inside is not a weapon, but something beautiful. If only you believed you were as beautiful outside as you are within, but I would stay with you as long as it takes, tell you every day until you finally believe it.”

She accepted the ring from him in silence, looking down at it with what must be stunned disbelief, motioning one moment as if she meant to put it on, the next, not quite following through. Anxiety swelling in his heart, he continued.

“You two have something amazing. Sisters, and best friends. For over twenty years of your life, you’ve uplifted each other and helped each other past the many obstacles life has thrown your way. Whether in helping your sister to overcome introversion to be more self confident and seek the friendship of others,” he said to Jen, “or to extend your skills to help your sister succeed in school,” he said to Fiona, “you’ve always been there for each other, fighting together, if the situation called for it. A small smile played on his lips as he recalled stories of the numerous detentions the girls had taken together for fighting in grade school.. Jen had been Fiona’s stalwart defender, but Fiona had always had Jen’s back.

“I won’t, could never be, the one to break that. It’s something precious.”

“The gifts I gave you yesterday weren’t just a token of affection, they symbolize what I truly feel about you – you are the sun and the moon to me, the light in my sky, my night and day.”

“For all the books I’ve read, it seems like I could better express my feelings for you both, and go on for hours about what wonderful women you are, and how you’ve changed my life for the better. Being with you has made me a better person. There are still shades of the narcissistic introvert I used to be to overcome, but with you, I know that I can do it.”

“All I can say is that I love you and ask…”

“Jennifer Marie, Fiona Anne Reed, will you marry me?”

A leap of faith.

… to be continued…