When Krysten told me the story of her and Maribel, I was surprised and excited for her. I might have also been a bit bummed out. In the same breath she told me about the best sexual experience of her life (ouch), she said that our nights together would have to come to an end.
It was... challenging to say the least. I put a smile on, stiffened under the soft touch of her lips on my cheek, and went about my day. For the first time in ages, I wished I didn't have to work today. Don't get me wrong, I have the best job in the world. I get to make people feel better and be healed from the aches and pains of life. I get to give pleasure to beautiful women on a scale they had never experienced before. My coworkers are beauties that make boys faint and men stumble. But I had to admit something to myself today: I was a little heartbroken.
I don't think I had felt that way since my high school crush and I parted ways. That had also been an 'almost but not quite' situation. Emmi and I had loved each other, but life was carrying us in different directions and we were never able to consummate our love in any significant way. I had the joy of seeing her mostly naked and writhing underneath my hands, yet I had been too nervous to do anything about it. She had done everything but jump my bones but I had been too cowardly to admit it.
Krysten was another story. I had cum in that woman's mouth more than her ex-husband ever had. I had spent so much time between her legs that my facial hair was a lighter color whenever I let it grow out. I knew that woman's body better than I knew my own. But it was over and I had to respect that.
The week went by in a blur of melancholy and bourbon. My signature appointments came and went, my clients were happy, and I was miserable. The following week I found myself at a pub near the office. The bartender had slid my usual in front of me and I was occupying myself with the rugby match on the TV. I barely understood the sport, but my fellow customers seemed to be invested in the match and it created a lively atmosphere. I was trying to figure out the rules when a tap on the shoulder made me jump.
"Fuck, you scared me," I muttered. Emily sat on the stool next to me with a flourish of her hair. She was still in her work clothes, which in our case was a pair of plain scrubs tailored to fit each employee. Hair up and out of the way in a long ponytail of glistening hair. I'd never seen her wear makeup which Krysten had informed me was unusual for someone from her culture. But I would have had a hard time understanding why she would have ever used makeup considering her perfect skin and gorgeous features.
"Something scary about me?" Her eyes sparkled with the joy of flirting. Emily knew just how attractive she was and more or less used it to her advantage.
"Absolutely. It's the whole 'tri-lingual' thing. No one should be that overqualified and be working for me," I muttered while sipping my drink.
"Why, Tre, do brilliant and confident women make you feel like a little baby boy?" Her voice was mocking but I could tell she was just trying to prod me out of the mood I was obviously in.
"Yup. That's it," I growled and motioned at the bartender for a refill.
"Okay. Enough with the grumpy bear. Come on, what's bothering you?"
"Nothing. Everything's fine. My life is perfect."
"Perfect," she mimicked. "Cause people whose lives are perfect get drunk in the middle of the week."
"I'm not drunk. Yet," I said.
"Well, if you're gonna be getting plastered, at least let me join you," she replied.
"Fine." I didn't have the energy to push back on her offer. We sat in silence and drank while the match on TV ended. As the commentators came onscreen to break down the best plays of the game, Emily leaned over and bumped me with her shoulder.
"Seriously, boss. What's up?"
I sighed and shook my head.
"Is it Krysten?" My head whipped around to look at her in a slight panic.
"No..." I was so convincing.
"I knew you had a crush on her, but I didn't realize you were in love with her," her voice had grown soft with compassion. Heartbreak was never a laughing matter.
"I... I am not in love with her."
"Bullshit."
"I'm not!" I just," I searched my heart as I tried to put complex emotions into clear words. "I miss knowing what I was doing every Friday night. I miss getting to flirt and fuck and be picked at and made fun of and... Yeah, I'll admit it. Krysten is pretty fuckin' great and is incredible in bed. But more than anything," I had to swallow the frog that was threatening to jump out of my throat. "I miss having Someone in my life."
"I get that, ya know," Emily spoke after a short silence. "Just because I've chosen to be a fucking nomad doesn't mean I don't miss having someone in my corner."
"Yeah, I guess that's fair," I said.
"But let me ask you this," she turned and looked me dead on. "Are you happy for her?"
"For Krysten? Hell yeah. She deserves to be happy and the fact that it's with her best friend? Honestly, that sounds like a dream."