Author's note:
"After the End" Part 1
is an original erotic novel set in a dystopian future about one hundred years from now. It is a fantasy about the progression of a romantic relationship, with a focus on fully-developed characters, emotional connection, and sizzling sex. Part 1 consists of chapters 1 through 7.
Part 2
begins with chapter 8 and explores the addition of a new sexual partner to the central relationship between Avery and Julian. Part 2 will consist of chapters 8 through 12.
I would like to continue the overall story with a Part 3, but I can't make any promises about whether/when I might be able to work on it. Part 3 would most likely conclude "After the End" as far as I have imagined it.
The timeline of this chapter fell during the holidays, and as I was also writing it during the holidays, I had the idea to do a "Christmas episode." Since I only started Part 2 in November, I couldn't quite get this to you by Christmas, but we're still close. :) I had fun, and I hope you will too.
Feel free to drop in on specific chapters or sections based on your mood or interest, but the dramatic tension is strongest if you start from the beginning of Part 1. As always, I appreciate hearing your reactions and feedback. It truly does help me create the best stories that I can for readers to enjoy.
Tags for this chapter include: #bisexual male, #threesome, #dystopia, #novel, #romantic, #teasing, #denial, #submission, #male submissive, #christmas
_______________
Avery:
On the first night of December, Lamont and I had worked up a sweat, climbing all around the main hall to hang evergreen garlands from the rafters and over the fireplaces and everywhere else Rowan thought they should go. It wasn't just us; quite a few of our friends and neighbors had gathered to decorate our communal meeting place for the holiday season. We'd all helped cut small sections from spruce, loblolly, and shortleaf firs, then we'd carted the fragrant branches indoors and bound them together into heavy strands. Living pinecones, holly with its ripe red berries, and seasonal vines were mixed in with the greenery, under the watchful direction of our more artistic residents. Candles and lanterns were arranged on every table and counter, with shiny metallic bases that reflected the flames.
I certainly didn't qualify as artistic, but I enjoyed the annual tradition of bringing light and life inside during the darkest weeks of the year. There was often little enough else to celebrate, when the days were so short and our food supply chains were at their thinnest. We had months still to get through until plants would begin to grow, animals would give birth, and we'd be able to replenish our stores. Thankfully crops this year had been relatively abundant, so we didn't anticipate too much hardship before spring. Still, winter was haunted by memories of the bad years -- hunger, illness, death, despair. It was nice to be distracted by the festivities.
"Is this high enough, Rowan?" I asked, balancing on a chair with my nail and hammer poised at the corner of a doorway. One of my closest friends for many years, no one took to the task of coordinating our decorating efforts like Rowan. Her fireball personality and insatiable need to drive every project led to a fair number of arguments with anyone who had a different approach. Most of which she won, and not on the merits of her platinum blonde looks. Though they didn't hurt.
"Yes, but Lamont needs to move up half an inch to match you," she replied. My other best friend was at the corner across from me, also deploying hammer and nails. He was more at home with the greenery in its natural habitat, being a biologist, but he gamely went along with Rowan's ventures like I did, despite that she was a couple years younger than us.
"Come on, man," I joked while Lamont made the prescribed adjustment. "Get with the program. Half an inch? That's well outside the margin of error."
He threw me an amused glance before we both pounded in the nails.
"Yes, yes, the Decorating Witch is impossible to please, I know," Rowan returned when the banging stopped. "I hear it every year." She handed up a long strand of greenery.
"Did I say anything?" I replied with mock contrition as we arranged it over the entrance. "I was backing you up! Lamont here is the problem." I shot him another playful look.
Rowan spared us both a fond grin. "Uh huh. He's a mouthy one."
Aside from having an opposite complexion to Rowan -- ebony where she was ivory -- Lamont was also opposite in personality, by far the most reserved of us three. I was the one who got a kick out of baiting Rowan or battling her for control. Or just debating anything from where humanity had gone wrong to the practicality of various old technologies. She was always up for a lively discussion and super helpful for talking through ideas.
Which reminded me. "I'm gonna need to cool off after all this evergreen-wrangling. You two want to snag a bottle of wine and get some air when we're finished?" Julian had not been interested in packing into a communal building crowded with holiday cheer, but he knew I'd probably be out late.
"Sure, man," Lamont agreed.
Rowan's expression turned slightly calculating, but all she said was, "Sounds great."
When the hall was fully bedecked in green, red, and silver, we talked Xander into giving up some of his wild persimmon brew and headed out to one of the fire pits. The nights were growing chill, but the burning logs took the edge off. So did the wine -- tart and warming in a way that external flames could never be.
We chatted for a while, trading stories and bits of news while the alcohol took root. Lamont and Tara were trying for a baby, and Rowan had lots of advice. It was an unfortunate medical fact that reproduction didn't happen nearly as effortlessly as it had a few generations ago, which Rowan could go on about for hours if not interrupted. We struggled just to maintain our population of a couple thousand. Not that anyone had an interest in increasing it, when we had so much trouble keeping ourselves fed already.
After a while, she turned to me with a curious glow in her bright eyes. "So, Avery, are you finally going to confirm the rumors?"
"What rumors?" I asked, though it wasn't much of a mystery.
"The rumors that Vik doesn't just visit your quarters to hang out. Especially when he's spotted coming back at unsociable hours. You know it's awkward when I see you both all the time and neither of you will confess."
I was a little self-conscious about this topic, but Julian and I had cleared it with Vik, and it was time. He was coming over again soon and planning to stay the night, which meant Rowan would have to be informed anyway. She'd been training to be a doctor for nearly a decade, but she had a few more years in her apprenticeship before she'd be ready to practice on her own. She needed to be able to find Vik and Dr. Atherton at all times, in case of an emergency that required their immediate intervention.
To date, Vik had been letting Dr. Atherton know when he might be "hanging out" with us. Even though the older doctor had no doubt been discreet, it was known in the community that the three of us spent time together. We figured it wasn't worth trying to keep the nature of our relationship secret at this point. Especially from Rowan, who was well-accustomed to handling confidential medical information, or from Lamont, who was the least likely to gossip of anyone I knew.
"Ok, this will probably be getting out anyway," I conceded, "and Vik said it was ok to talk about with you two, and Julian agreed. But you have to promise to keep it to yourselves. And Rowan, no inappropriate jokes in front of patients."
My friends used to know Julian only by his public name, Delta. Eventually he'd given me permission to share his real name with them, so I didn't constantly have to remember not to use it.
"Fine, but I'm not making any promises about jokes in front of non-patients," she grinned, unusually eager. "So are you and Julian really sleeping with him? Because I have to say, that's pretty damn hot. I'd give a lot to be a fly on that wall."
I rolled my eyes with probably a sheepish smile. "Yes...we have been every week or two since September. And it's been going well, so we probably will be for a while." I glanced at Lamont, who'd been in a committed relationship longer than I had. "But it's all very structured, and nothing happens without everyone agreeing in advance. We're very careful."
