As we walked to the elevator, Paul once again draped his arm behind my back. It felt so re-assuring. I didn't feel like a one night stand. Peter was right beside us, on my side. It felt good to be in between them. I felt safe. And wanted.
We chatted about our day, and they were glad to seeing me looking refreshed. I wish I could have said the same about them. Both Paul and Peter looked tired, their eyes puffy and red. I thought that tonight might be just dinner then a quick good night, and thought that might not be all bad. They looked like they could use a good night's sleep. And I had thoughts running through my head. I could use some alone time to just try and put things into perspective. I realized I did not regret anything that we had done in the past 24 hours. To the contrary, with Paul and Peter so close, I felt good about us. Our public appearance seemed to be one of good friends. What happened behind closed doors, well, that too hopefully was the interactions of three people who were thrown together by serendipity and the chemistry was such as to cause a chain reaction. One leading to new bonds formed.
We seemed to enjoy one another's company, not just intimately, but as friends. And this was important to me.
We took a cab again, so as to be free to enjoy the sights a bit, and I think so that Paul and Peter didn't feel a need to be behind the wheel in their sleep deprived state. I could have driven, but Paul had made arrangements at the front desk for a cab. Tonight's ride wasn't as stirring as last night's, although I did enjoy being between my two friends once again. I felt very secure.