It was later than he'd hoped when Carter woke up. Sunlight battered at the shades, the room bathed in striped light from loosely closed blinds. It was 11am, and he was the first to wake; they'd slept away so many hours when time was so limited.
He sat up with a stretch and was decidedly unquiet with it all, or Mason and Avery might still be asleep here by midafternoon. Sometimes Carter thought he was the only practical one around; he was keenly aware they'd been living in this fantasy world for thirty-something odd hours but it was not the reality. Reality was about to strike before dinner time, and it brought on far more than just the fact they had sheets to clean.
"We gotta get up," he announced, running his fingers through his unkempt hair, then snatched up his boxer briefs from the floor and stepped into them.
Avery stretched out with a sigh, noticed Carter rising from the bed and shaded her eyes with her hand. "What time is it?" she asked meekly.
"Eleven," Carter said. He grabbed the shopping bag and tossed in the lubricants and plug. There was so much clean up that needed to happen. "We all need showers, but we have no idea when mom and Scott get home, just that it's this afternoon and sheets gotta get cycling."
"Fuck," Mason exhaled, then launched up from the bed. He worked his t-shirt on over his head, then boxers.
Avery climbed off the bed but had nothing to cover herself; just the corset and panties that were on the floor by the master-bath. "I can help, I just should go—"
She paused, trying to modestly cover herself. Carter shook his head and pointed. "Go shower, it's fine," he told her peaceably. "We've got this."
Smiling with gratitude, Avery dashed out of the room and around the bend to head upstairs, out of sight in the blink of an eye. Carter began to strip off the blankets while Mason worked off the pillowcases. "It's kinda fucked up that we . . . well? Literally fucked up their bed."
Carter laughed, despite himself. He shrugged, gesturing toward it. "I mean, no one else in this house has a king. I don't even have a bedroom when I come to stay here during summers anymore; they turned it into that art studio within a month of me moving to the dorms. That's why I end up in the pool house."
"They didn't expect you to return every summer," Mason teased him. "Most people your age have a real apartment by now."
Rolling his eyes, Carter said, "I
do
live in apartments. It's just that leases are weird when it comes to places around the U. Most people sublet for the summer and I'm not super into sharing a place with strangers for a few months until my roommates return."
"Well, the only reason my room stuck around is because they learned from you that we always come back," Mason said with a shrug. Pillowcases were in a pile with the rest of the bedding now, and the two sorta stared at one another for a moment, very much in a
what the actual fuck did we do
sort of way.
"She liked it," Carter said, answering their unspoken question.
"For sure," Mason agreed. There was no doubt in his mind. Avery was strong. She could have stopped any of it at any time from the first ridiculously orchestrated spanking clear through until now, and everyone would have dropped it. They'd all loved each other for years, this had simply been a strange fantastical evolution. But it was at an end. "What the fuck do we do now?" he finally asked, shaking his head in wonder.
Carter grimaced. "I don't know," he stated, looking away. "It's up to her, really."
"Yeah, but we can't honestly maintain this," Mason said, narrowing his eyes.
"No," Carter agreed, the weight of it heavier than he'd expected. Friday night he'd expected some weird fun. In no way had he thought Sunday would roll around and he'd want more. "I think we all need to sit down and talk, sooner rather than later."
Mason eyed his brother. They had almost two months left in this house together before the three split up to their respective schools. He didn't know if he'd be able to handle afternoons by the pool in the backyard with Avery now without needing more. He'd probably head back to school early, give some excuse.
"I'll take these," he said after another moment, bundling up the bedding. "Then I really need to clean up."
With that, he made his way to the laundry room.
A bit after noon, the three gathered in the kitchen in search of food. Avery was first, so she set to pulling out bread and deli meats to make sandwiches for everyone. While digging through the cheeses, she felt a hand on her ass over her white shorts and she melted.
She'd spent the majority of her shower feeling confusion and grief. As they'd climbed from bed this morning, it had felt like the end. Their fantasy was over. And she just didn't know how to process it. But the second she felt the warmth from one of them, the fear and agony melted away. "What is with you guys and my ass?" she asked with a contented smile, echoing her question from the morning before.
"It's just impossible to resist," Carter said, then gave it a playful swat. "Can I help you here?"
Avery shook her head. "I've got this," she told him. It made her happy to do this for them. She was so strangely grateful for this sexual awakening with two men she had loved for years. Yes, it was confusing. It had started so awkwardly, but the growth she'd experienced both physically and emotionally had been so immense that even thinking about it warmed her entire being.
"Sheets have been rotated," Mason announced as he entered the kitchen, finding Carter leaning against the counter beside Avery. "Two more loads maybe? Just the pillowcases and quilt. Couple hours and everything should be reset like it never happened."
This caused a lump in Avery's throat. The way it had been worded sent the fear right back that this would all be erased and she'd have to hold it as a memory. Worse, that she'd have another few months in this house with them pretending it had never happened. She didn't think her heart could take it.
Slapping together the last of the sandwiches, Carter placed each on a plate while Mason filled glasses of water. They soon sat around the table in the breakfast nook, munching in solitude.
Carter made it halfway through his sandwich before he leaned back in his chair and looked over. "Avery, we need to talk," he said, his tone low and serious.
Avery swallowed heavily and nodded. "Okay," she said, wondering what direction this could possibly take. Maybe they had another plan before their parents arrived home, but she doubted it. As Mason said, everything would soon be reset to the point where it had never happened.
"Look," Carter began, not really knowing how to go about this. He'd had quite a few women in his life, some longer term, most short flings. But he'd never had to face anything quite like this. "I think I can speak for Mason when I say that this was the most incredible weekend either of us have ever had."
A loud exhale of relief left Avery, and her hand flew to her chest. "I know," she sighed. "I feel the same way, I really do. It was really hard at times and I was scared, but I wouldn't change a thing."
"Me either," Mason cut in, instantly alleviating the tiny voice of guilt that had resided in the back of his head. Thank god, Avery had enjoyed it too. "It was an evolution, if anything."
"Totally," Avery cried, then chuckled. This could work. Somehow. Sure, it would be difficult, but it could happen again. Their parents worked during the week and they had so much time. And then maybe there would come a time where they'd live close. Maybe—
