"
I have a surprise for you.
"
I remember Laura's words from yesterday as we sit in this seaside restaurant, enjoying our meal together. She seems so radiant tonight, and yet her silence speaks volumes. Her eyes have been glazed over for most of the day. They always are when she's lost in thought, in her own world.
Katlyn reflects her thoughtfulness. She always does, always has. They are so much alike. If one didn't know better, a person could mistake them for sisters, twin sisters even. They're not though. They're not even related. However, some average person wouldn't know that just by looking at them. Their faces are similar, meaning that both are heart-shaped with long, flowing deep, brown hair. It's straight and silky smooth. I know because I love running my fingers through Laura's. They both have beautiful, almond-shaped eyes. Laura's are brown and soulful. Katlyn's are hazel and inquisitive, sometimes playful. They both have full pink lips. Katlyn's are a little wider and not as full. They're not thin either. They are kissable though. I've long fantasized about how they'd feel against mine, not that I'd ever confess that to Laura, especially today, on our first anniversary together as a husband and wife. That would be suicidal I know. They both are about the same height and build, medium and considerably lean. They both, like me, are in their early twenties. They both have those strikingly, youthful figures, figures that catches every man's attention. There are quite a few here in this restaurant who can't keep their eyes off of either of them. I should be jealous, possessive even. What man wouldn't with a beautiful girl like Laura as his wife?
And yet, here we are, the three of us, eating a delicious meal in a very casual, and yet a surprisingly intimate setting. I know people are wondering about us. They suspect a story, a long one perhaps, as to why it's the three of us and not just two. They wouldn't understand the bond Laura and Katlyn share, and have for years, certainly since childhood. They grew up together and were as close as real, flesh-and-blood sisters. Sisters however, they are not. Best friends...not exactly. This bond goes a hell of a lot deeper than that. I suspect that they think I'm a special guy, one who doesn't mind sharing his wife this way, that I don't resent not having her to myself like most other guys would. They don't understand the dynamics of their relationship. Nobody does. I certainly don't and I've known them both for years now. I live with it. I live with the concept that they are a one package deal. I knew that from the beginning. I had no illusions otherwise. What they don't get and what Laura probably only halfway discerns is that I really like Katlyn. I like her a lot. Perhaps too much at times. I'd never admit that either, not to either one of them, of course. Why would I? I know that Laura would probably misinterpret my intentions and that would likely poison their relationship, and I'd received the blame for it. There is no win there, so I keep my feelings to myself. It's just better that way.
"Are you through with your plates?" The waiter asks.
His voice breaks me out of my own thoughtfulness. "We'll have the check." Katlyn tells him.
I look at her. Laura only passively, her face still unreadable. "It's your anniversary, duh?" She smiles. "Check please." She affirms to the confused waiter. He nods and leaves.
"What...no dessert?" I laugh.
"I have something at home that's better than what they serve here." Laura tells me as Katlyn pays our bill and gets up from the table.
I noticed that she didn't eat much, which is an observation that I refrain from voicing aloud. In fact, I know Laura hasn't eaten much in a couple of days. She's like this I know...especially when she's contemplating a change or a move. However, I also note that Katlyn didn't finish her plate either.
I say nothing as we stand on the sidewalk waiting for our Uber driver to arrive. A cool evening breeze is blowing gently from off the ocean and I'm glad I wore my long-sleeved shirt tonight. Once she pulls up, I stand aside to let them sit together, but instead Laura insists that she wants me between them. They always sit together, but then nothing has been ordinary about this night so far.
Both are tense as we ride back to our place in utter silence. It's nothing unusual for Katlyn to eat out with us and head back to our place for a couple hours before heading to her own apartment a few blocks away. Then it also nothing unusual for her and Laura to have sleepovers too. Tonight, I didn't know which it was going to be. I suspect that I won't be having Laura to myself much at all tonight, regardless of which option wins out. I can't recall the last time we've made love and not had to rush through it because of Katlyn.
However, tonight I'm distracted by Katlyn's closeness and her warm body beneath the jeans that she wears tonight. They're slim cut. Everything she wears is designed to show off her perfect body, perhaps a little too well. Laura is wearing a similar pair. They'd even worn similar long-sleeved pullovers. Katlyn's is white. Laura's is pink.
I keep wondering what she meant by having a better dessert at home. We have no dessert at home, not that I know of. I'm still hungry...well a little bit. I could have eaten a piece of cake or pie...whatever they'd had on the menu. I'd heard that their key lime pie was good too. But then, isn't it always, no matter the restaurant? It's hard to screw that pie up.
We'd been shopping all day. Laura wanted to update my considerably outdated wardrobe for some time, and today she'd made it her mission to do just that. We'd brought everything home before heading to the beach for dinner.
