Harem House - Selene

Dorm life held many advantages that Rani took full advantage of when possible. Downsides existed, of course, but she enjoyed most things. As an upperclassman, she was privileged with a private two-person room and bathroom. The freshmen on the first floor had communal bathrooms.

The biggest downside? Her roommate.

Rani returned from her emotional evening at Mindy's house to find a bra hanging from the door handle. Some people used a sock, but she and her roommate considered bras more amusing. The c-cups of her roommate's Victoria's Secret bra signaled Rani to 'fuck off.' Rani sighed, hugged her backpack to her stomach, and detoured to the floor's lounge.

She'd planned on pulling an all-nighter. She'd gotten homework done over Sunday, but not enough to keep up with her schedule. One all-nighter and she'd be good. With diligence, she might even pull ahead.

She eyed the lounge when she entered, checking for any signs of life.

The third-floor lounge had a kitchenette in the near left corner and a TV in the far right corner. Otherwise, the deeper-than-wide rectangular room contained comfortable oversized high-back chairs that acted as three-walled pods. Sitting in them, you were only visible from the front, and they staggered through the room in three-chair groups surrounding small coffee tables.

No one else was visible when Rani arrived. She sat in a chair out of view of the door, opened her books, and got to work. She had quite the spread between her laptop, notebooks, tablet, and textbooks.

Two hours later, the lounge door opened and closed. Rani peeked over the wall of her cubed chair and spotted a dark-haired, pajama-clad girl by the microwave. The long pink pajama pants had the bedazzled word PINK across the butt. The short blue T-shirt had a stylized Disney Elsa on the front. Typical pajama girl on a late-night tea, coffee, or hot chocolate run. Rani returned to her work. The microwave beeped, and the girl collected her mug from it.

A minute later, the scent of powdered hot cocoa hit Rani's nose. She peeked over her chair again but didn't spot the girl a second time. She didn't remember hearing the door but hadn't heard footsteps either. The girl must have left, though. She hadn't heard a book bag unzip or the familiar buzz of the TV in its corner.

Then came the sniffle. The wet scrape of snot on an inhale dragged across Rani's spine. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She'd never been able to explain her loathing, but sniffles scraped her nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

A second sniffle soon followed, like an icicle stabbed into her ear. She wanted to jump up and yell at this girl for making the noise at random intervals that triggered her primal rage. Instead, Rani reminded herself that this girl, with her hot cocoa and sniffles, was obviously in distress. She needed comfort, not anger. Whoever she was, she was part of that sisterhood of women. She needed--the third sniffle interrupted her train of thought. Enough was enough.

"Do you need a tissue?" Rani asked, her voice sharp and the 'or else' unspoken but clear. She winced after asking, berating herself for being so direct.

"I guess I do." The voice came from the chair that sat back-to-back with Rani's. She'd been crying. Tears trembled in her weak voice. She'd been crying long before her sniffles came in earshot of Rani.

Rani sighed. She wasn't the right person to comfort someone who needed a soft touch. The young woman sounded like she'd break if Rani snapped at her again. Any of the others would be better at this. Even Kat. Kelly'd be the best. If Kelly were here, she'd mother the girl into feeling better. Sometimes, Rani wished she could be more like that. More comforting and friendly.

She fished a pack of tissues from her backpack, crumpled and old but functional. She climbed over her pod chair's wall and held them over the bridge. The other girl's hand rose from her chair and took them, withdrawing them into the privacy of her pod.

Rani gave her time until the nose-blowing subsided.

"Do you... want to discuss whatever's got you crying?" Rani asked, hoping for a negative response but offering on impulse. Someone had been there for her once. She could be there for someone else.

The girl blew her nose. "I don't... I don't even know where to start."

Rani took a deep breath, doing her best not to sigh. "Love trouble?"

The girl laughed. "Am I that obvious?"

"It's going around." Rani said, not elaborating on the issues she faced that she ignored in favor of homework. "But fair warning, I'm an engineering major, not a counseling major. Any advice or comfort I offer will be blunt and to the point."

The girl chuckled. "That's okay." She said. "I could use an outside opinion. I don't mind."

Rani thought the girl might want to wait and see, but she'd find out soon enough. People found her callous sometimes because she was direct, but she tried. She had to channel Kelly and manifest soft, maternal thoughts as she curled her feet under her and got comfortable.

"Okay, so..." Rani hesitated, unsure how to ask. "Tell me the story. What's got you so upset?"

"Well..." The girl hesitated. "There's this guy."

"Go on." Rani said when the girl didn't.

"We've known each other for years. We flirted, but he had a girlfriend, so it couldn't go further than flirty banter. Harmless fun." The girl explained. "But..."

"But you caught feelings?" Rani asked, foreseeing her conclusion.

The girl broke. "Oh-my-god-I-love-him-so-much." She sniffled again and blew her nose.

Rani winced at the sniffle, an ice pick poking her eardrum.

"And it's not because he's hot. He is, but he's so sweet and caring. The way he is with everyone is amazing. He's husband material, you know? And we'd be perfect together." The girl continued.

"But he has a new partner already?" Rani asked. There was always a but to this kind of story, and the guy being taken made the most sense.

"Had. Well, kind of." The girl said. "He and his girlfriend broke up. I tried to catch his attention, but this other girl moved in before I could. And I tried. I tried so hard to get him to ask me out, but I didn't want to seem too aggressive. I didn't want to scare him away. He and his girlfriend were together for a long time, so I thought I'd give him time to get over her. I didn't want to be his rebound fling!"

Rani nodded, then realized the other girl couldn't see her. "Yeah, I get that."

"But this other girl moved in, and she changed him. She's encouraging him to sleep around, play the field, being a total slut bag, and turning him into this man whore I don't even recognize." The girl sounded angrier than sad as she said it. "And the worst part? I thought she was my friend. She knew I liked this guy and intentionally ruined everything for me."

"Sounds like a bitch." Rani said. "Though, I don't slut shame anybody. Nothing wrong with sleeping around and playing the field if that's what they want."

The girl blew her nose again. "I hate her. And I'm so mad at him for falling for it. He hasn't even looked at me since they started hooking up, and our flirty banter has stopped. It's like she's turned him and everyone else against me."

"Everyone else?" Rani asked.

"Our friend group." The girl explained. "We're in a school club, and they all banded together and kicked me out."

Rani wasn't sure what to say. She couldn't imagine what she'd do if her friend group, the harem, did that to her. "Well, that sucks."

"Yeah." The girl blew her nose. "They forced me to quit, and I just... I shouldn't have gotten so angry at him or lashed out."

"Anger's a reasonable response to heartbreak." Rani said. "Though we're still responsible for what we do with our anger. So... how did you lash out?"

"I..." The girl hesitated. "I tried to kick him out of our club. It's too hard being forced to spend time with him, near him, but not having him. And he's so different from who he used to be, but I wasn't going to give up the club without a fight."

"Ah." Rani said, nodding. "And they kicked you out instead?"

"Yeah."

"That sucks." Rani said, not knowing what else to say. What would Kelly say? "I'm sorry you're going through that, honey." Honey? Eh, it worked. "It sounds like you need direct communication with this guy. Do you think he'd listen if you tried to talk to him? Maybe your club will take you back if you apologize and explain why you were so upset?"

"Maybe." The girl shuffled in her seat. "Honestly, I should apologize. I don't know if I can face him again, though. Seeing them together and her influence on him hurts so much when I know he should be with me."

Ah, the clingy possessiveness of the narrow-minded. "Does this guy know how you feel?"

"I thought he did." She answered. "But I get the feeling he's clueless. He'd never be this cruel. Not without that slut's influence."

Rani laughed. "Guys are dumb. My boyfriend doesn't have a clue sometimes when women are into him, and it's infuriating. The first time I flirted with him? He totally missed my advances. All he had to do was follow me back to my room. He's smart about a lot of other things but a total idiot sometimes."

"Sounds about right." The other girl said. "My guy's that way. Even if he's not my guy. Yet."

Rani smirked. "Boys are dumb."

"Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em." The girl replied.

Rani chuckled. "Honestly, it's not my boyfriend I'm having an issue with right now. It's my... friend." She didn't have the energy to explain polyamory to this woman.

"Oh yeah?" The girl asked, wiping her nose with a tissue. "Whatcha got? Since we're clearly trading problems and advice here."

Rani smiled. "She's... okay. So, my friend is a freshman. She's young and naïve about certain things, but Baghwan, she's killing me with the outright dishonesty." Rani said. "She pretended she knew nothing about football to get attention, but she was a cheerleader in high school. She's lied to a bunch of our friends about stuff -- small stuff, I guess, but still. And she refuses to leave the closet. She's more comfortable living her lies than she is being herself. And it drives me insane. I just want to set her free, you know? To show her how great it can be when you're comfortable with yourself and not always lying to everybody."

"You sound like you came out of the closet yourself." The girl said, scoffing.

"Yeah. Freshman year." Rani said.

"Oh." The girl said. "But... you have a boyfriend? Are you Trans or something?"

"No, I'm not trans. But I'm queer. I like girls, guys, and everything in between. Organs don't matter as much to me as the fun, right?" Rani asked. "Being with a guy doesn't mean I stop being queer."

"Well, when you put it that way, I guess not. But cool. Okay, so you're... out and proud, obviously. Good for you, by the way, but your friend hasn't gotten there yet?" The girl asked.

"Right." Rani said. "And it's frustrating."

"You said you came out freshman year?" The girl asked.

"Yeah." Rani said.

"And this girl... how long has she known she's gay?"

"Bi." Rani corrected her. "But uh... I don't know. Her first time with a girl was about two weeks ago?" She omitted the detail that it was with her and Arthur. Omission, not derailing the conversation with constant explanations, was different than outright deceit.

"How long did it take you to come out to people after your first experience?"

Rani frowned. "Well, shit. When you put it like that... I guess it took me a few weeks until I had the conversation with my parents. I wanted to have it in person, so I had to wait until Diwali, but her parents live closer than mine."

"Is she scared?"

Rani recalled Mindy's expressions that night. Was Mindy scared? Yes. Was it a logical fear? Rani didn't think so, but it was still Mindy's life, not Rani's. They were Mindy's parents, and she knew them best. She sighed.

"Yeah." Rani said. "It's not a rational fear, though."

"Since when does that ever matter?" The girl almost laughed. "If she's afraid, you can only encourage her and make her feel safe with you, right? Let her be herself with you and build her confidence over time. Eventually, she'll have the courage to be herself around other people."

"Do you have experience with this?" Rani asked, realizing how wise the advice sounded to her.

The other girl sighed. "I seem to attract a lot of gay guys." She said. "My high school boyfriend came out to me during our senior year. During my freshman year of college, this guy I almost dated, Caleb, came out to me on our first date. Super awkward, but we got over it. We're friends, or so I thought. He turned on me tonight with the rest. I worried Arthur was in the closet for a while, but no, he's into women. Just not me, I guess."

Rani tilted her head. "Arthur?" No. The Arthur this girl mentioned had to be a different Arthur. There was no way yet another girl on this campus wanted him. But she had to know. "As in Arthur Clarke?"

The other girl scoffed. "Yeah, the guy with not one, not two, but five girlfriends, apparently. He paraded around with them at homecoming like he owned the place. It was disgusting."

"The guy you're crushing on was Arthur Clarke?" Rani asked, trying to put the pieces together.

"Yeah." The other girl sighed. "He's just so... ugh. I'm such an idiot."

Rani fell silent for a moment, pondering things. If Arthur's the guy, then that made Selene the slutbag bitch, right? And Caleb sounded familiar... wasn't that one of their theater friends? The guy with the band? So then, this must be Yvonne.

"Yvonne?" Rani asked, half-surprised she remembered the girl's name.

"Yeah?"

Rani popped up, trying to see over the divide of the two pod chairs. The other girl did the same. Yvonne stared back at her like she'd seen a ghost. Yvonne might be a stranger to Rani, but she recognized Rani on sight.

"Shit." Yvonne said, her tears forming again. "Oh my god. I can't believe what an idiot I am!"

"Hey." Rani said, holding out her hands. "It's okay."

"I just poured my fucking heart out to you, and you're one of them?!?" Yvonne yelled.

"Okay, yeah, which, if you think about it, should prove that we're people, not heartless slutbags. I didn't know you were talking about Arthur, or I'm guessing Selene, who is technically my girlfriend, I think. It's complicated." Rani held up her hands. "But hey, it's not like I hate you or anything! We're two strangers who lent an ear to each other! We could be friends! You gave me good advice!"

"Fuck you!" Yvonne spat. She threw the tissues at Rani from the other side of the chairs and moved away as fast as possible. "Just... Ugh!" The tears started again by the time Yvonne reached the doors.

"Hey!" Rani exclaimed, catching the packet of tissues as it struck her chest. "I wasn't trying to trick you!"

Her protest went unanswered as Yvonne pushed through the door, slamming it behind her.

Rani sighed and collapsed into her chair again. She felt the momentary impulse to run after Yvonne, but the girl's exit hadn't proclaimed her to be the approachable type. She clearly wanted space, and Rani wouldn't force her to deal with her problems when she had issues of her own to consider. Not to mention homework. She'd have to tell Selene about the encounter, but it was the middle of the night. She'd tell her in the morning.

Rani shook her head and returned to her projects.

~~~

Lynn woke to the sound of footsteps above her.

She had a late night last night, which was fine because she planned to sleep this morning. Her weekend had been infuriating, and full of work. She finished her labors so she blew off steam in the city, clubbing, dancing, drinking, and teasing.

Lynn enjoyed making them beg, knowing she'd never let them do more than grope. They always made her smile when they thanked her for it. Sure, the assholes got pissed off when she rejected them at the end of the night, but she handled her business. That was what tasers were for, and slipping a roofie into her own drink put more than one man in handcuffs for bothering her.

The footsteps trod over her bed. She could hear them walking over her grave. Lynn stared toward the ceiling as if she could see through her sleep mask, the ceiling, the floorboards, and into the family room above her. Whatever the hell was happening, she didn't approve. Was Deb here? Or had Arty and his girlfriends moved in early? Or... was there a thief?

No. That wasn't right. Three cars sat in the driveway last night when she arrived. One of them was Arty's. He and his girlfriends were here. Not Kelly, though. Her SUV wasn't in the driveway, anyway. That was a good sign. Whatever that girl thought she knew, she hated Lynn for it. Had Arty told her about their misunderstanding senior year? No. Lynn had been clear about what she'd do if he ever told anyone.

Her headache ebbed as she sat up. She slipped off the sleep mask and turned her legs as she slid out from between her white silk sheets. She pulled on a pair of short gym shorts and a cropped top, not bothering with underwear in her own home, even if it was new. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders and fell wild, but a quick brush gave her that bedhead look she remembered Arty liked. He'd stared at her enough when she wore her hair this way in the mornings they spent together on the weekends or before school.

Smiling, she crept up the stairs and slipped into the foyer. There was no one there. She hesitated and listened. She heard jumping and breathing coming through the hallway. She walked silently, creeping until she arrived at the archway to the three seasons room.

And there he was, in a pair of cotton boxer briefs, doing pushups. He had a pair of earphones in his ears, his back to Lynn as he exercised. He seemed to enjoy the pre-dawn morning with the curtains drawn. She didn't stay to watch for long but let her eyes caress his rock-hard body, sturdy legs, and perfect ass.

Lynn licked her lips as she walked away and slipped into the basement once more, closing her door behind her. She could say hello but didn't think that was a good idea. Besides, watching him work out had gotten her worked up. Lynn slipped into her bedroom once more and closed the door behind her.

With her head on the pillows, she spread her legs and planted her heels. Her left hand stroked her flat, lightly toned stomach in steady strumming rhythms while her right massaged the inside of her thigh. She closed her eyes and replayed the image of Arty stepping out from the hot tub, the water dripping off him and onto the ground. She bit her lip to keep from moaning as he roared at her without sound in her memory, straining, making the muscles in his neck pop into vision.

Arty, strong enough to resist her, made her moan. Oh, how she longed to see him kneel and beg. Her right hand slid toward her stomach, and its circling massage slipped under her waistband. She moaned, despite herself, as her fingertips applied pressure enough to pull her lower lips apart. She ached and clenched, hissing in a breath as her finger curled against herself.

"Oh, Arty." Lynn chided. "You can do better than that."

Her finger slipped inside, then slid the length of her folds in long, steady strokes. Arty's imagined tongue fulfilled its purpose, but he needed instruction. Practice. She'd train him how to use his god-given talents for her benefit. The girls he fucked now might be sexy in their own ways, but that wasn't the same as being given the chance to worship a goddess.

Other men begged to kneel at her altar, but Arty? Arty lapsed from his faith. He refused her now, and everything she tried to do or say failed. She'd tried to be flattering and flabbergasted when they first reunited. Failure.

She'd tried to be sultry, silly, and cute, everything Deb said Lori was. No dice. Her playful tackle hadn't been taken the way she'd hoped. He wasn't grateful for the contact he'd have killed for years ago. The dummy.