The Side Project Pt. 02 Ch. 06-08

Chapter 6: Kyle

Organically Grown

Thursday, November 23, 2017 - US Thanksgiving Day

Napa, California, USA

One thing Lexi and I had discovered while planning our menu for Thanksgiving was that we both loved breakfast casserole. However, neither of us had ever made it before. We thought the relaxed timeline of Thanksgiving seemed like the perfect opportunity to give it a shot. Of course, when we made that plan we assumed we were just cooking for ourselves. Now that Cassie was joining us, we felt some pressure. Lexi began browning sausage, which was the first step in the recipe, and I got to work mixing Bloody Marys. It was nearly noon Houston time, and a holiday to boot, thus making 10 AM drinking totally acceptable.

"Freaking weird the Lions game is on while we're making breakfast," Lexi commented. We had put on the traditional Thanksgiving football game for background noise while we cooked.

"Yeah, sports feel a little different on the West Coast," I said, thinking back to my younger days.

"Jeez, I just realized the early PL games would start at 4:30 in the morning, gross." Lexi wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, definitely a little harder to be a soccer fan on Pacific Time," I agreed. "Unless you want to do something really awful like watch MLS."

"Pass on Minor League Soccer," Lexi said and we chuckled at our little inside joke mocking the US professional league.

Working together we got our casserole in the oven on time so that it would be ready when Cassie arrived. We refreshed our drinks and decided to sit out on the patio while the food baked. The sun was fully up by now and it was looking as if it would be another gorgeous Northern California fall day, with just a few wispy clouds in the sky.

The timer I'd set on my phone beeped to let us know it was time to pull the casserole. Lexi handled that while I got out the fresh fruit we were planning to chop up and have as a side.

Cassie was about ten minutes late, just long enough I had started to wonder if perhaps she'd gotten cold feet about meeting up with two people she barely knew. I was about to mention my concern to Lexi when we heard a knock at the door.

Cassie burst through the door with a huge smile and greeted us. She was a hugger, it turned out, and not a polite side hugger either - a throw her arms around you and pull you in for the real thing hugger. Since Lexi answered the door she got the treatment first. Cassie's mane of blonde locks was just as untamed as the day before. She was wearing faded grey jeans, a loose white one-shoulder top with some kind of ruffles across the chest and had a knee-length olive green shawl cardigan hanging loosely from her shoulders. She was carrying a large knit bag.

I was the next target. Cassie threw her arms around me and pressed herself into me. I was very much not a hugger and awkwardly patted her back without properly embracing. She smelled clean and fresh but bereft of any sort of artificial scents.

"It smells awesome in here guys! Thanks again for inviting me," Cassie exclaimed. "I brought you a couple good bottles from my stash and some badass homemade jam I buy from this lady who grows everything herself organically." She pulled the bottles of wine and jar of jam from her large bag and handed them over. Lexi and I certainly had our fun, but we were both naturally more reserved pot stirrers. Cassie brought a brightness that added a different element to the atmosphere of the room. I liked it.

"Sweet, this is perfect, we made sausage breakfast casserole and have fruit we just cut up, some toast with jam will go great with it," I said. "Don't worry it's all organic and free-range and stuff. Bloody?"

"Heck yeah!" Cassie replied and I set about mixing her one. Lexi got out the bakery bread we had gotten for toast and Cassie found plates.

"Sportsball eh?" Cassie asked, noting the football game we had on.

"My fantasy team is serious fucking business," I replied, jokingly.

"You don't even have any players in this game. Shut up," Lexi said.

"Oh no! You're both sportsball people, gross!" Cassie said, but her smile belied the seriousness of her statement.

"Just wait until you hear the story of our meet-cute," I warned.

"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?" Cassie asked, looking skyward theatrically.

"A damn good bloody. I hope, anyways," I said and passed her the drink I'd just finished making.

Cassie accepted the offered beverage and took a sip. "Ok this is good enough to earn you a reprieve. I reserve the right to take my food to go if you two met in a sports book or some shit though."

"In my opinion it was quite a bit more wholesome than that," I said. "It's way too nice to eat indoors, let's go out to the patio."

"Now that is my kind of thinking!" Cassie exclaimed and flashed an incredibly beautiful smile. I smiled back. It was hard not to like her, her enthusiasm was so earnest.

- - - - -

We hauled our food and drinks out to the patio table to eat.

"Should we, like, 'gram this?" Lexi asked, using a slightly silly tone and flipping her ponytail.

Cassie laughed heartily, recognizing Lexi's sarcasm. We explained that was something the server offered at 'The Cheesecake Factory' of wineries. It was the perfect icebreaker.

"Ok, so let's hear this meet-cute story!" Cassie requested.

"Alright, so I'd recently moved to Houston, buddy at work saw me looking at soccer scores on my computer," I said. "Got to talking. He found out I played some rec league soccer and he invited me to join his team."

"What does rec league mean?" Cassie asked.

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Think like amateur sports for adults. It's fun, you get to still play sports even as a grownup. Healthy outlet and outdoors," I explained.

Cassie giggled a little. "Sounds stupid, but all outdoor time is good time," she said.

"Right, so I was like five minutes late to the first game," I said.

"It was more like ten," Lexi interjected.

"Whatever, Houston traffic is a bitch. Anyways, so I got paired up at center mid with this girl who was kind of cute and a total badass of a player," I said.

"Awww, that's nice! I know jack shit about soccer, but that is a cool first meeting, very organic," Cassie said.

"It would be even cooler if you actually understood soccer. A girl playing center mid on a co-ed team is rare. Lexi's very impressive," I said.

"You know how the basic bitch biology line about mitochondria being the powerhouse of the cell?" Lexi asked.

"Of course! That's something I can understand," Cassie said.

"Similar concept. The central midfielders are the engine room of a soccer team," Lexi said.

"And on a co-ed team, like 99% of the time that means those positions are played by dudes," I explained. "But not on ours, because Lexi is awesome."

"That's like, really cool!" Cassie exclaimed.

"Thanks! And that's where Ky was pretty much the best too. He wasn't weird about a girl playing that role and was like a perfect partner to me," Lexi said.

"Ok, fine. I accept that your sportsball meet-cute was, in fact, cute," Cassie said, smiling.

"I feel like we passed some sort of litmus test," I said to Lexi and held out my hand for a fist bump. Lexi bumped with a grin. Cassie rolled her eyes.

Conversation flowed easily between the three of us from there. We got on the topic of where we'd all grown up and learned that, as I had sort of suspected, Cassie had grown up in a Mormon family in Utah.

Cassie explained how she had started out doing forestry management work in eastern Oregon, after she graduated from college in Eugene. A few years back she had gotten an amazing job offer to help manage the vines at the winery we'd met her at yesterday. She loved wine, but her true passion was the plants and the earth.

Talking about Cassie's vineyard management devolved into an in-depth discussion of various environmental topics between the ladies. I didn't follow every topic they discussed, but as the women dove into a discussion of soils, carbon emissions and water management, something from a few weeks ago wormed its way into my brain. I remembered calling Lexi a 'dirt nerd' in the context of potentially growing crops on property we might buy. Lexi had pointed out at the time she actually didn't know a ton about agriculture, having not touched the topic since college. However, unlike Lexi, who specialized in carbon capture and greenhouse gas emissions, Cassie was a true agriculturalist. I realized I was probably ten steps ahead, but I thought it was interesting information.

"So I gather you've left Mormonism in the dust, seeing as we are drinking booze and you work at a winery?" I asked once some of the environmental chit chat had started to peter out.

"Correct. There wasn't some like dramatic moment, I was never exactly a true believer, much to my parents' chagrin. Then once I was in college I realized a career working outdoors, doing what I truly loved, would be tricky with my family's expectations to get married and have kids. I just kind of drifted away."

"I feel that. For me it wasn't some dramatic moment or anything. Just sort of realized I was totally misaligned with my family in terms of what mattered. Decided I didn't need it in my life," I said.

"Same! No reason to keep toxic people in your life, right?" Lexi said.

"Sounds like you both get it. Honestly, it was pretty freeing. Once I decided I was sort of done with trying to be a good little Mormon I discovered some interesting things that were off limits. Wine, for example. I make sure not to overdo it, but life is to be appreciated and enjoyed," Cassie said.

"Seems like a fun philosophy," Lexi said.

"I think it's served me pretty well. So how about you two, how long ago was your soccer field romance?" Cassie asked.

"Well that first meeting was start of the spring 2015 season, so about two and a half years ago," I said, remembering it fondly.

"And when did you become quarterback and receiver?" Cassie asked, giggling.

"Wrong sport, that's football," Lexi replied.

Cassie cocked her head to the side and looked confused. "I thought soccer and football were the same thing?"

"They are, but quarterback is from American football. Different sport. You know, pigskin, Super Bowl, the sport we have on inside," I explained.

"See this is why sportsball is silly!" Cassie exclaimed. "Why would you have the same name for two different sports?"

I sighed. "It's a long story. Boils down to how different games developed and gained popularity on different sides of the Atlantic before modern communications were a thing. You know, it was actually very organic," I pointed out.

Cassie rolled her eyes. "Ok whatever, when did you become pitcher and catcher?"

"You're getting colder, those are baseball positions," I said.

"Please do not get Ky started on baseball," Lexi pleaded.

"What? I was right about how valuable using xwOBA would be. My team is stacked, 2018 is going to be my year to finally get a championship in my dynasty league," I said proudly. I'd made some offseason trades in my fantasy baseball league using the new metric to guide me.

"He's speaking in tongues!" Cassie cried, laughing.

"You know Ky, you and your silly statcast metrics are not very organic," Lexi pointed out.

Cassie gasped theatrically. "Shun, shun the metrics," she said.

"Spoken like a true luddite," I grumbled.

"I don't know why I'm trying to make dumb sportsball references anyway, when did you start dating after your little meetup?" Cassie asked.

"Eh, does it matter?" I pointed out.

"Not really, just wondered if there was like a cute story to it or something," Cassie said. "I'm really a romantic at heart."

"Nope, no Hallmark moment. Teammates turned into friends over post-game drinks. I thought she was cute and asked her out on a date, and the rest is history. It was all very organic," I explained.

"Well, to be fair I only realized it was a date like halfway through it," Lexi said.

"Ew, did he take you to like a chain restaurant or something? So you thought it was just platonic?" Cassie asked.

"I know we're just getting to know each other, Cassie, but I'm insulted you think so little of me," I teased. "It was a perfect Friday night first date spot, nice but not fancy, excellent food, intimate vibes."

"I'm getting jealous just envisioning it," Cassie said. "Seems pretty obvious, Lexi. Guy asks you to dinner on a Friday and takes you to a nice place. Sends a certain message."

"Well, yeah, duh in retrospect," Lexi said, looking a little embarrassed. I had a pretty good idea of why she hadn't realized it was a date - she didn't think of guys that way at the time.

"Well, it worked out, right? You guys are such a cute couple," Cassie said.

Lexi and I exchanged a glance. I realized HOW we were going to explain our relationship to Cassie probably would have been a much better topic than our horny talk earlier.

"Well to be honest, we haven't defined what we are, exactly," Lexi said cautiously, glancing at me. I couldn't tell if that was still a reflexive defense mechanism or she was trying to signal her availability to the girl she had a crush on. Seeing her so tentative was definitely amusing to me regardless.

"I was a pretty big fan of 'teammates in life,' personally," I said.

"Oh lord, sportsball romance," Cassie said, laughing.

"I dunno, it works for us, I guess. At some point do the labels matter if you're happy?" I pointed out.

"Fair fucking point. Very fair. I'll drink to that," Cassie said and took a drink of her Bloody Mary. "It doesn't matter what you label it, there's very little in life as important as spending time with the people you love," she said.

Her words struck both Lexi and me like thunderbolts. That four-letter L word was not one we threw around. I had fastidiously avoided using it even when I wanted to, and Lexi had certainly never offered it either. Lexi and I exchanged a look, not sure of how to respond.

"Uh, that's not a word we use," I said quietly.

"Well why the heck not? It was obvious within two minutes of meeting you how much you care for each other, regardless of what label you put on it. This is Northern California, free love was practically born here, don't cheat yourselves," Cassie said.

Lexi formed her hands in the shape of a heart and pointed them towards me. I did the same back to her.

"Ok, that'll have to do for now, I'm not dropping the L word for a guy for the first time since I was a sophomore in college, over brunch. No offense, Cassie," Lexi proclaimed.

"None taken, but damn, sounds like you went through a barren stretch in your 20's, girl," Cassie said. Age had come up during our earlier chat so she knew we were all in our early 30's.

Lexi blushed. I was enjoying this phenomenon of seeing her embarrassed. To me, it was obvious she was struggling to figure out how to convey to Cassie she was bi without it coming off as hitting on the blonde.

"I wouldn't exactly say that, just didn't find the right guy," Lexi said. I restrained myself from asking about the right girl.

"Yeah, I suppose I know how that goes," Cassie said wistfully.

"Oh yeah, for real. But it's not just guys, poor Ky should tell you about his dumbass ex," Lexi said. Little shit stirrer, trying to draw attention away from herself.

"Do tell," Cassie said, grinning.

It was kind of weird to be discussing such an intimate topic with someone we were just getting to know, but it also felt weirdly natural. I told some stories about Tilly's prissiness. Lexi revealed how her college ex, a guy named Madison, had been sweet but ultimately kind of a hopeless idiot. Cassie told us about Jess, the guy who had started as her coworker and turned into her boyfriend when she was in Oregon. She'd reluctantly left him to take her current job in Napa. I sensed there was probably more to that story, but didn't want to disrupt the positive energy by asking.

Talking about our exes led to us swapping various stories of our adventures in life. It was that new friendship phase when you're excited to tell classic stories to someone new. The more we shared, the more confident I became that beyond just physical attraction, Cassie was our kind of person. It was all very organic.

Chapter 7: Cassie

Higher Plane

Thursday, November 23, 2017 - US Thanksgiving Day

Napa, California, USA

I was glad I'd taken Lexi and Ky up on their invitation to come over for brunch. The food was fresh and tasty, but more importantly the company was great. Ky and Lexi were just fun. And easy to talk to. And utterly, obviously, in love regardless of why they were weird about it. They were the kind of people you just wanted to spend more time around.

As we finished up eating and polished off our bloodies I found myself kind of sad it was time to go. Then I realized: there was no reason I couldn't spend more time with them. It was a holiday. None of us had anywhere to be. And we'd just stuffed ourselves with a big brunch.

"So I remember you guys saying you didn't really have plans today since it's a holiday, would you be interested in coming on a hike with me?" I offered. "There's some pretty good hiking trails around here and it seems like a great day to be outside."

"Yeah, I mean that sounds fun, not like we have anything better to do, you down Lex?" Ky asked.

"Sure, although I've never really hiked much, not a lot of great options where I grew up or around Houston," Lexi said, seemingly unsure.

"Don't worry, we'll just do something chill. There's a wilderness park that's like a ten minute drive away. Nice views, forested, easy trails, hopefully pretty quiet since it's a holiday. If you play soccer it'll be no problem for you," I told them.

"Awesome, I used to hike a decent amount when I lived out here and when I was in boy scouts, but not exactly a lot of scenic trails around Houston, like Lex said," Ky noted. "Let's get this stuff cleaned up and we'll go."

We took a few minutes to clean up our plates and glasses from brunch. Ky and Lexi rotated through the bathroom and changed into athletic clothes and shoes for hiking.

"You guys want to ride with me?" I asked. "Or I can just meet you there. I'd like to swing by my place and grab some more appropriate clothes for hiking too."

"Let's ride together," Ky suggested. "Save the environment."

"My kind of thinking," I said, smiling.

"Huh, you drive a Subaru, eh?" Ky observed as we approached my vehicle. He was smirking for some reason.

"Yeah, great cars. They're reasonably affordable, have all-wheel drive that performs well on bad roads or in the snow, and have a top safety rating," I explained.

Ky just looked at Lexi and snickered. I didn't understand. My logic was infallible.

I climbed out of my vehicle at the small house I rented and ran inside to change my clothes, leaving the car running. Switching from jeans to yoga pants was an obvious choice, but deciding between a sports top with a hoodie over it and a long-sleeve t-shirt was a true conundrum. Kicking myself for being so vain I pulled on a somewhat form-fitting athletic top and pulled a hoodie on over it. I was dressing in layers, I told myself. Definitely not trying to look cute in the event it got too hot and I had to take off my sweatshirt.

I put my hair up in a ponytail, grabbed my daypack and my stash and hopped back in my car with my new friends.

- - - - -

I pulled into the parking lot for the nature park and we all disembarked from my vehicle.

"So absolutely no pressure here, but I do enjoy a gummy for some hikes. Particularly chill, easy hikes. So I'm going to take one. Possibly another on the hike depending on my mood. No worries if it's not your thing, but you're welcome to them if you want them," I said. I held up my little baggie of THC gummies. I extracted one and ate it.

Lexi and Ky looked at each other, unsure. "So neither of us are huge weed people," Ky said. "But it is a holiday, and we're trying some new things, and you seem cool, so fuck it, I'm down."

Lexi bobbed her head up and down in agreement. I held out the bag and each of them grabbed a gummy and ate it.

The hike was great. Lexi was enthralled by the views. I think that if she had been stone cold sober her reactions would only have been slightly less enthusiastic - there was genuine appreciation there. It confirmed that Lexi's interest in environmental topics wasn't purely academic. Like me, she was someone who truly enjoyed the outdoors.

"That girl, is having the fucking time of her life. This was a great suggestion," Ky said to me softly. We'd let Lexi wander ahead a few dozen paces. "She is also high out of her fucking mind. I've never seen her smoke pot or take gummies. Apparently her small size is coming home to roost."

"Is that, like, ok?" I asked.

"Yeah, I don't really see the harm. We're here, the park's practically abandoned. We don't have to work tomorrow," Ky said.

I couldn't help but smile at his cool, analytical assessment. "You're cool though, right?" I asked. I didn't want to be the only one on this little expedition who had my wits about me.

"Yeah. I mean, I went to college at Cal. And I'm obviously not some straight-laced guy. I wouldn't have ever called myself a stoner, but I enjoyed my fair share of the devil's lettuce back in the day," Ky explained.

"But not anymore?" I wondered.

"My job in Dallas drug tested, so I got out of the habit. Kind of figured wine and booze was enough indulgence these days. Until now I guess," Ky explained.

"That's fair. I pretty much only take gummies when I'm doing easy hikes or doing something artistic. Enhances the experience. You enjoying the hike?" I asked Ky.

"I am. Like I told you, I used to hike a lot. This feels like a gentle reminder of why I used to enjoy it so much. There are places you can hike in Houston, but even this relatively modest view is way more scenic than anything you'd see hiking down there," Ky said, gesturing. We were on a ridge with a lovely view of the town of Napa.

"Sounds dreadful," I observed.

"Yeah. There's no love lost between me and Houston. Really Texas in general, to be honest. This trip is reminding me of everything I love about California already," Ky said. It wasn't hard to read how wistful he was feeling.

"Yeah, I get that. But I also know what it's like to need a fresh start," I said. I was thinking about when I told my family I wasn't coming back to Utah after graduating college, but taking a job in Oregon. They had not been happy with me. It had been the beginning of the deterioration of my relationship with them.

"It was tough leaving California, but sometimes you do just need a change in scenery, I think," Ky said knowingly. We made eye contact briefly. Was there a spark? I thought maybe there was. It seemed like we both understood how tough those decisions could be, at least.

"Still friends with the guy who hooked you up with a job in Houston?" I asked.

"Yeah, actually. Still my best friend aside from that one." Ky nodded in Lexi's direction. The little brunette was gawking in awe at the way the sun was hitting the green leaves that partially covered the trail. "Reed's an interesting guy. You know how magnets mess up compass readings right?"

I nodded.

"Reed's moral compass is permanently surrounded by magnets," Ky said.

I chuckled a little at the analogy. "Not exactly a ringing endorsement of your best friend."

"Ha, fair point. I guess I'll put it this way: Reed's moral compass is non-existent except for those in his inner circle. Which consists of about three people," Ky explained.

"You're making this dude sound like a mob boss or something," I said.

Ky chuckled. "Nothing truly illegal aside from some cocaine usage. Here's an example: dude took tennis lessons for six months to get better. Not because he gave two shits or even liked tennis. Just so he could buddy up to the senior partner at the law firm he worked at because the partner loved tennis. All that just to try to climb the ladder."

"That's... extreme," I observed.

"Yeah... then he fucked the guy's wife," Ky said.

"Jeez. I guess I see what you mean. All that and he doesn't even work there anymore?"

"Erm, uh, no he just left that job actually," Ky said.

For the first time Ky seemed to be holding something back. That was odd to me because he'd been so open about everything, including his friend's philandering. I wondered what more there was to the story.

"We need to see what kind of hiking there is around Nashville," Lexi said. She had stopped walking and was looking out at a nice view of some vineyards east of the town.

"There's probably some day hike stuff like this, but it's only a few hours' drive to Appalachians and Smokies with tons of great options I would imagine," Ky said.

"Sweet, one more tick mark in the 'yes' column!" Lexi exclaimed.

"Uh, what are you guys talking about?" I asked.

"We're thinking about moving to Nashville," Lexi said, as if that was totally logical for a pair of 'friends' to do.

"Oh neat, I've never been, but heard good things," I said. "Did one of you get a job offer or something?" It was cute to me that this theoretical non-couple was considering moving together.

"Well... sort of," Ky said. He looked at Lexi as if he was annoyed with her. Again, something seemed off. The pair had seemed in lockstep in every interaction so far.

"Oh neat, you looking at getting out of big oil?" I asked Lexi.

The petite brunette looked panicked, which made no sense. "Um, not necessarily," she said.

"Sorry, I'm not following," I admitted.

"So neither of us particularly like Houston, Lexi's got kind of a similar attitude to what I was just telling you. We took a weekend trip to Nashville last weekend and liked it a lot so we've been kicking around the idea of relocating. Apparently we've just put another check in our 'pros' column," Ky explained.

"The way you were just waxing nostalgic about California, are we edging our way into the relocation discussion?" I asked. I kept my tone playful, but there was some sliver of hope mixed in there. Ky and Lexi would make for awesome friends, I suspected. Or maybe it was time to be a little more honest with myself - I found Ky quite attractive. If they weren't an official couple... maybe there was a chance. I immediately chastised myself. He only had eyes for Lexi.

"Yeah! Maybe we should do both! I love California!" Lexi exclaimed.

"You have been in California, for the first time I'm aware of, for a whopping 36 hours," Ky said. He was obviously amused by Lexi's impetuousness.

"Well 36 hours into our Nashville trip I think we already kind of knew we were interested," Lexi countered.

Ky rubbed the back of his head. I couldn't figure out if he was annoyed with Lexi or just uncomfortable talking about this for some reason. "Well a lot happened pretty fast in Nashville. Plus we went to your first NHL game in like five years," he said.

"Oh, is that another sportsball thing?" I teased.

"Hockey is played with a puck, not a ball," Lexi said earnestly.

I rolled my eyes. I sort of knew that.

"The NHL team here plays down in San Jose," Ky explained. "Silicon Valley, South Bay. That's not where we'd want to live. We'd want to be up here. Berkeley, Napa, maybe Marin County. Long drive to go to games."

"Maybe we could get a condo by the arena or something," Lexi suggested.

I was totally confused. Ky and Lexi were talking about renting or buying properties like they were playing real life Monopoly. Ky seemed to pick up on my confused expression.

"This is one of the most expensive areas of the country, Lex," Ky said in a light tone.

"So what? I thought it was our money," Lexi said. She seemed a bit upset.

"Oh for fuck's sake, you need a fucking muzzle," Ky said. He was obviously annoyed.

Lexi looked at him with wide eyes. Then at me. Then back at Ky. "Oh. Shit," she said.

"Uh, it seems like I'm missing some key information here," I observed.

"Can I have another of those gummies?" Lexi requested.

"Will that cause you to shut your mouth?" Ky asked sardonically.

Lexi rolled her eyes at him and stuck out her hand.

I wasn't sure this was exactly a great idea, but pulled my daypack off, extracted the baggie and offered her one. I decided to pop another myself. I had a high tolerance, and this conversation was giving me whiplash. Ky waved off taking another.

"Just fucking tell her," Lexi insisted.

"Seriously? We didn't even tell the Sigmas," Ky said.

"They had clues. They just had other shit going on," Lexi said dismissively.

"Who are the Sigmas? Are you guys in a cult? Scientologists or something?" I asked. I was mostly joking. Things had taken an odd turn.

"No, we aren't." Ky sighed. "Eh fuck it. So through a very, very unlikely series of events I recently discovered I'm a multimillionaire several times over."

"And now me too! Because Ky is fucking amazing!" Lexi exclaimed excitedly.

"I still don't think I'm totally following," I said cautiously. "If you guys are super wealthy, why aren't you booking like private tours and staying in five-star hotel suites?"

"Well, this is a new thing for us. I didn't even know private tours were a thing. We kind of suck at being rich," Ky said. He was smirking a little. Lexi grinned.

Ok, maybe the new information changed a lot, but I thought Ky and Lexi were still my kind of people.

- - - - -

"The second gummy may have not been the best idea for Lexi," Ky said, but he couldn't help but smile.

The pint-sized brunette was truly off in dreamland now. Fully enjoying herself and appreciating the natural beauty of the hike. And sparrows. She'd become oddly fascinated by sparrows.

"Eh, she seems happy," I noted.

Ky laughed. "Well no question about that. I guess I shouldn't be fretting, same basic principle as before. She's fucked up, but she's also having an amazing time, and that's the whole point of vacation, right?"

"Yeah! Nothing like enjoying nature while a little high!" I exclaimed.

Ky gave me an amused look. "That tracks, nature girl."

"Is that meant to be derogatory?" I asked.

"Lexicon, derogatory?" Ky called.

Lexi turned back towards us and waggled a hand in a 'maybe' gesture.

"Nerd stuff," Ky said in response to my inquisitive look.

"Ah, does Lexi have a voluminous vocab?" I asked and smiled.

Ky groaned. "We need to introduce you to Alliterative Allie."

"Who?"

"Looonnngggg story," Ky said, chuckling to himself.

"Not like we're in a big rush," I pointed out.

"Suppose you're right. She's a gal we met in Nashville. She and Lex hit it off pretty good," Ky said.

"And you were in Nashville because you wanted to move there?" I asked.

"Yeah. So after I found out about the money, one of the first topics was where we want to live long-term since we're not huge fans of Houston. Obviously we don't have to stay doing our current jobs," Ky said. "Lexi had the idea of taking these scouting trips to different cities we might like."

"Ah, I see. So is this another of those?" I asked.

"Not exactly. So back when I found out about the money, which feels like a lifetime ago but was actually only two weeks ago, the first problem I had was convincing Lexi I wanted her around," Ky explained.

"What do you mean?" I asked. The way Ky and Lexi looked at each other I couldn't imagine them apart.

"So obviously Lex and I get along great, but she was worried about becoming sort of a 'kept woman' if I was the one with all the money," Ky said.

"Ah ok, I think I see now. That was the thing about her having money now and it being our money, right?" I said.

"Exactly, I've spent a lot of the last two weeks convincing her I want her with me for the long haul," Ky said.

"Pretty sure that's not how it normally works, is it? Most women find out their partner is suddenly filthy rich and they dig in harder," I noted.

"Well Lexi's obviously not a normal gal," Ky said and looked adoringly towards Lexi.

Yeah, definitely not worth thinking about anything romantic with Ky. Lexi was his girl.

"Kipona aloha," I murmured.

"What's that?" Ky asked.

"It's Hawaiian. I had a roommate at Oregon who grew up on the islands. She described it as deep, emotionally bonded love. Sort of like true love, but like way more in depth. A love with deep, powerful layers. I see it in your eyes when you look at Lexi," I said.

"Huh, interesting," Ky said quietly. He looked troubled.

"What?" I asked. I'd thought my statement would make him feel good.

"I may feel kipona aloha for Lexi, but I'm not sure she can for me," Ky said.

"What? Why would you say that? She seems like she does. She was just saying how awesome she thinks you are," I pointed out.

Ky looked at me thoughtfully, as if he was trying to determine if I could be trusted with something he probably shouldn't be telling me. He seemed to make a decision.

"Lexi's kind of gay," he said quietly.

"Oh." My heart leapt. Maybe I had a chance. I hated that reaction in myself. "Wait, I guess I don't understand. You are, uh, intimate, right?"

"Without TMI'ing you, we are. Apparently I represent some sort of exception for her. But I'm not sure Lexi could ever feel kipona aloha for me in the same way since she leans more towards ladies romantically," Ky said.

"That's tough. How long have you known all that?" I asked.

"Just since last Wednesday, actually. I guess me trusting Lexi and telling her about my little fortune plus wanting her along for the ride sort of guilted her into coming clean," Ky said.

"Wow, that must have been kind of a shock," I said. I couldn't imagine finding out something like that about a long term partner.

"It was and it wasn't. It suddenly made a ton of things make sense," Ky said. "I know we've just met, but I hope you can tell I'm a pretty non-judgemental person. I'm kind of disappointed Lexi, who knows me better than just about anyone, was afraid to tell me. I think I'm still trying to get my head around the idea of being with someone who isn't really attracted to men."

"Yeah, I can see where that would bug you a bit. How have things gone since you found out?" I asked.

"I mean, good for the most part. Nashville was a whirlwind, but once we got back to Houston we discussed some logistics. Agreed to move in together. Actually started the process of moving the money," Ky said.

"That doesn't sound like someone who isn't committed to you," I pointed out.

"I suppose, but I also didn't make any move to ask her to be exclusive. I'm not sure what the answer would be if I did," Ky said.

"Seems like a conversation you should have if that's what you want," I said. I was typically not one for beating around the bush.

"Who said that's what I want?" Ky asked and smiled.

Oh. Maybe there was a chance with him after all.

- - - - -

I tugged off my sweatshirt now that the air was getting warmer in the early afternoon. I was glad I had opted for the cute top now that I had some inkling Ky might be at least semi-available.

The revelation that Ky and Lexi were not in an exclusive relationship had me feeling less guilty about being interested in Ky, but it hadn't really altered the trajectory of our conversation. Ky was easy to talk to, and a good listener.

I got the full backstory on how his joke bet with Reed had resulted in him becoming wealthy enough he never had to work again, if he didn't want to. He also explained how a tennis bet had led to Reed funding their Napa trip.

"So what do you want to do now? Like big picture," I asked. I was thinking about how I would answer that question if I were in Ky's shoes.

"Make a lot of money, build cool shit," Ky said.

"Interesting, you don't exactly strike me as a megalomaniac type," I said.

Ky laughed. "So the way I think about it, I have enough money Lexi and I could live out our days leading lives of leisure, right? But it's not really enough money to effect change on the world, you know?"

"I think I'm with you. Give me an example?" I requested.

"Like, let's say for argument's sake, I wanted to do charity work to improve the environment. I could put a couple million into that, but at the end of the day, how much change would that really make?" Ky asked.

"Well you could do a lot of good for that amount of money, but I see your larger point. You're not solving global warming without a hell of a lot more money," I said.

"Exactly. I mean I'm not sure any amount of money can solve that one, but you get the idea," Ky said. "So I want to start some businesses that will do cool things and make a lot of money."

"Hey guys! Whatcha' talking about?" Lexi asked, re-joining our conversation for the first time in a while.

"I was talking about what I want to do now that we're rich," Ky said.

"Me?" Lexi asked, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Among other things you little horndog," Ky said.

"Takes one to know one," Lexi retorted and grabbed him by the front of his shirt to pull his face down for a kiss.

Ky may have had his doubts about the depth of Lexi's feelings for him, but they sure seemed to have great chemistry.

"Did you tell Cassie about the club in Nashville?" Lexi asked.

"Sort of, I was telling her about some of the things I want to invest in to make money," Ky said.

"And troll LIMPs," Lexi added and started cackling.

"Excuse me, what now?" I asked, not knowing what Lexi was talking about. Ky laughed a little bit too, but Lexi was absolutely dying.

"It stands for Loser, Incel, Micro Penis," Ky explained. "We met these dudes in Nashville who are the biggest misogynistic jackasses you can imagine."

"Also possibly a paramilitary cult," Lexi added once she'd recovered from a fresh bout of laughter.

"A) how does buying a club troll a bunch of idiots and B) trolling a bunch of dudes with guns doesn't necessarily sound like a winning idea," I noted.

"So it's a health club that's located in this suburban enclave these guys largely control," Ky said. "One of these idiots offered to sell it to me over drinks. I had spun some BS about working for angel investors."

"Why are they selling it? I'm not following," I said.

"We ended up getting to talk to the prior owner. The LIMPs bought it presumably to shut it down. I guess it had become sort of a sanctuary for their wives and they didn't like that," Ky said.

"Ah so you want to buy it and re-open it to piss them off?" I asked, now understanding.

"Exactly. And hopefully make some money off it," Ky said. "Alliterative Allie, the gal I mentioned we met in Nashville, is one of the wives."

"Well I'm not sure how good an investment a suburban health club is, but if your goal is to change things you don't like about the world, that certainly sounds like a good place to start," I said.

Those two were definitely my kind of people.

Chapter 8: Kyle

Organic Desires

Thursday, November 23, 2017 - US Thanksgiving Day

Near Napa, California, USA

I had a great time hiking. It was an activity I used to do with some regularity when I was younger and it was fun to revisit. I was not on Lexi and Cassie's level, though. They were absolutely enthralled. Well, Lexi was. Cassie had done this same hike dozens of times. I think for her the joy was in showing it to someone new who was on the same wavelength about appreciating the outdoors.

"Should we do another loop?" Lexi asked once we got back to the trailhead where our hike had started.

"It's going to be dark soon," Cassie pointed out. The sunset was before 5 PM that time of year.

"Oh. I guess hiking in the dark probably isn't as much fun," Lexi realized.

"It can be, but we didn't bring flashlights or headlamps so it's probably not a good idea," Cassie confirmed.

Lexi made a face. She was not happy our time with Cassie seemed to be coming to an end.

"Are you hungry?" I asked Lexi.

"Yeah, why? Oh, we probably need to get started on dinner don't we? Maybe I should have another gummy to help tide me over," Lexi said.

Cassie laughed. "I'm not sure that would help your situation."

Lexi looked confused. She wasn't an experienced enough pot smoker to understand the munchies.

"So what are you doing for Thanksgiving dinner, Cassie?" I asked.

She looked a little crestfallen. Like Lexi, I suspected she was moderately disappointed our time together was ending. "I have some free-range, organically-fed chicken thighs. I was planning to pan roast them with sides of quinoa and an organic vegetable medley I bought from the farmer's market."

"Sounds lovely," I said. "That shit all going to be good tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I mean I really only buy fresh food," Cassie replied.

"Well here's the thing," I explained. "Despite our best efforts the only free-range, organically-fed turkey we could find was 12 pounds. Even with Lexi's heightened appetite, no way we could eat all that before we leave, even if we eat nothing but turkey the rest of the weekend. That would result in food waste. Do you know how damaging food waste is to the environment?"

Cassie's eyes met mine. I knew I was smirking, couldn't help it. She smirked back, she understood what I was doing.

"So what you're saying is it would be the environmentally conscientious choice to help you eat some of your turkey? To prevent food waste," Cassie said.

"Yes, that's correct," I replied. I couldn't help but grin.

"Well then, you know my commitment to nature, I can't help but come assist you. Perhaps I should give Lexi that third gummy after all to help stimulate her appetite."

Lexi had gotten distracted from the discussion at some point and was enraptured by a sparrow that was flitting from tree to tree around the perimeter of the trailhead.

"There need to be some limits to your commitment to the environment," I deadpanned. Cassie laughed, hard.

"I accept there are limits to my crunchiness," Cassie said.

"Oh shit, admission of crunchiness!?" I asked, theatrically.

Cassie laughed again. "Fuck you. I don't misrepresent myself."

"You know what, no shit, I like that about you, girl," I said. Then I held out a hand. Not for a shake. Not for a high five. For a clasp that was going to end in a hug. Cassie didn't hesitate - she took me up on it. My arm went around her shoulders, hers went around mine and we allowed our bodies to meld together for a minute. For the first time that afternoon I had some less than platonic thoughts about Cassie.

- - - - -

"How come you got a Cassie hug and I didn't?" Lexi asked petulantly. Cassie had just dropped us off back at the rental. She was going to run home for a shower, then was planning to come back to help make Thanksgiving dinner with us.

"At the time you were quite distracted by a sparrow," I informed her.

"Dude, haven't you ever wondered what it's like to be a sparrow? You just fly around and chill all day."

"That sounds like a good thing to ask Cassie when she comes back over," I suggested. I thought our new friend's interests would be better aligned to the topic, not to mention her level of THC intoxication.

"Good call! Uh, do we have time for a quickie before she gets back?" Lexi asked.

"Eh not really, we told her to just come back over once she was done showering and changing," I said.

"Pleeease! It'll be really fast, I'm super horny. I think I might be a little high," Lexi explained.

Yeah, just a little, I thought to myself.

"Who am I to tell a cute girl no?" I asked rhetorically. Lexi smiled at me and pulled me in the direction of the bed.

Lexi pulled off her clothes like a woman on a mission. She hopped on the bed, rolled onto her back, and spread her legs lewdly.

I took off my own clothes and joined her. "Can you do the thing with your fingers on my g-spot?" Lexi requested.

Lexi typically did not prefer much digital penetration - something that made sense in light of recent revelations about her sexual preferences - but I had convinced her to let me show her my technique for g-spot stimulation back when our relationship had become intimate. It was still not normally her preference, but on occasion she liked it. Just like how most of the time she liked softer sex, but every once in a while preferred it harder. Another detail that made a lot more sense with what I'd recently learned.

I got up on my knees to give myself a better angle and ran my fingers up Lexi's slit. Soaked, as I'd assumed. I inserted my index and middle fingers into the wet opening, earning a sigh. Lexi had her eyes closed and was running her hands up and down her torso, paying particular attention to her breasts. It looked very sensual.

I rotated my wrist and curled my fingers upward, finding Lexi's g-spot. I moved the pads of my fingers in small circles, stimulating the sensitive area. She moaned in pleasure, eyes still closed.

I kept at it for a few minutes, occasionally taking a break to do some more traditional finger fucking. It was definitely having the desired effect, Lexi's little moans and grunts were coming with increasing frequency and getting louder.

"Ugh, why did I ever deny getting finger fucked by a guy who knows what he's doing?" Lexi moaned. Her eyes were closed, her head partially tilted back, and her hands were now exclusively focused on pleasuring her nipples.

I thought her comment was odd, but I was on a mission at the moment: to get my girl off. I briefly withdrew my fingers from Lexi and pushed in my thumb.

Lexi opened her eyes and squinted at me briefly with a 'what the heck' expression. She understood when I pulled out my now well lubricated thumb and placed it on her clit. My fingers resumed their efforts on her g-spot, now working in concert with my thumb on her clit.

"Fuck yes! It's so good, I'm going to CUMMMMMMM," Lexi announced loudly, and then she did. Her whole body quaked. I stopped applying pressure but kept my fingers inside her as she rode the crest of the wave.

Her arms flopped out to the side and she looked at me through half hooded eyes in the aftermath.

"Watching you cum like that is truly one of life's joys. You are so fucking hot," I said.

"Fuck you know just what I need. It turns me on so fucking much how well you take care of me," Lexi said. I smiled. I took a lot of pride in leaving my partners satisfied. Lexi's appreciation felt pretty great.

"Ok, come on now, mount up cowboy," Lexi said. "Time for your number one slut to return the favor."

I hesitated and glanced at the clock. We'd been back about ten minutes. I did some quick mental math. It was about a ten minute drive to Cassie's place. She was planning to just shower and change. Then ten minutes back. Cassie didn't strike me as the kind of person who would waste a ton of time getting ready. The natural look was definitely part of her charm. I figured budget another ten minutes for that.

So how long did she take to shower? I could see both extremes: two minutes under the water to wash away the sweat but not the natural oils, minimal soap. Or thirty minutes treating her hair and skin with eucalyptus oil or whatever.

I looked at Lexi - hot, aroused, wet Lexi - and decided Cassie was definitely one to go for longer showers.

I shifted so I was between Lexi's legs and slipped easily into her tight folds. I was immediately happy with my decision.

Our sex wasn't overly fancy, it didn't need to be. Standard missionary, but two bodies who knew every inch of each other well, moving as one. I thrust in and out, Lexi moved her hips and met each thrust. Her hands ran over my torso, with the occasional subtle tug of my side or hip to encourage me to keep going.

"Dick is fucking great, I'm such a dumbass for not letting myself truly indulge. Fucking hose me down, cover me with your jizz, make me feel like the hot bitch I am," Lexi instructed.

That spurred me on, not that I needed it. Fuck, Lexi felt good. She was more than doing her part, meeting my thrusts, feet behind my lower back spurring me on. Tip of her tongue poking between her lips as she focused on her task - getting me off. Maybe my doubts about her capacity to love me were totally misplaced. The way her eyes looked at me was certainly making me feel that way.

With that surge of feeling, I was there. I pulled out, gave myself two strokes and exploded all over Lexi. Rope after rope covered her from her breasts to her stomach, until the last bit dribbled out on her pubic mound. Very thorough coverage, I thought proudly.

I looked up and met Lexi's eyes. This sort of finish was not normal for us. I shouldn't have worried, she just grinned, eyes dancing with excitement. "Fucking hot! Ok, shower, time!" she exclaimed and carefully got up, not wanting to make a mess.

I glanced at the clock. I had lasted a whopping six minutes. Normally that'd be a source of mild embarrassment, but in context I didn't feel too bad - I had taken care of Lexi beforehand and we had a guest to get ready for.

- - - - -

Lexi and I showered with military-like precision. We took advantage of the large stall - when one of us was under the water rinsing the other was off to the side soaping. No hanky panky or unnecessary touching.

"So, what's up with your newfound appreciation of the male anatomy?" I asked. I was soaping up while Lexi was rinsing off.

"Uh, it's kind of dumb. It's something I was thinking about this morning actually. I feel like I've almost, I dunno, like not fully leaned in to us being a hetero couple. Like if I enjoyed penetration too much that would mean I'm not gay anymore," Lexi said.

"I assume you realize, even in your stoned state, how ridiculous that sounds?" I asked.

"Yeah yeah, it was a weird psychology. It's been a weird couple years for me. When was the last time you decided you were gay then fell for a girl?" Lexi asked.

"Uh, never I suppose," I replied, honestly. I'd really never had any homosexual impulses. It made it a little bit hard to understand Lexi's thinking, but she was also admitting it wasn't entirely rational. I supposed in a way I could see that. She was largely identifying one way but who she was sleeping with - me - totally contradicted that identity.

"Guess that's fair. Well I'm embracing the new me. Fully bisexual, I like girls and guys. Well at least guys named Ky. I dunno, you have the magic dick," Lexi said.

"Magic dick?" I asked.

"Yeah, the fucking magic dick that makes this little lezzie want to switch teams," Lexi said and giggled.

"Seems like a bit of a trope," I observed.

"Fair, not trying to fetishize. I do seriously appreciate you being open to a bit of weird in Lexibrain, though."

"I mean, speaking of tropes, what kind of fucking man would I be if I didn't embrace the fantasy of an MFF threeway?" I asked.

Lexi just laughed and got out from under the water, indicating it was my turn to rinse.

"You don't, like, really mean that, do you?" Lexi asked carefully. She was beginning to towel off. "Like you didn't feel obligated with Rose, Jackie, and Brandi last weekend?"

"Nah, I guess it is pretty stereotypical, but I've always found the idea of two girls together pretty fucking hot," I said.

"But you'd seriously never done that before last Wednesday with Rose?" Lexi asked.

"Lex, like come on, why would I lie to you about that shit at this point?" I pointed out. I shut off the water and reached for my towel.

"Ok I guess that's fair. So, if we're cool can I try to seduce Cassie tonight?"

"Alexis fucking Ryan, you horny little fuck, you will do no such thing. Cassie is a lonely, single woman alone on Thanksgiving. Don't be an asshole," I chastised. Lexi had been off in her own world for a lot of the hike and I'd gotten to know Cassie a lot better. "Did you even get any vibes she might be into that sort of thing?"

Lexi scrunched up her face and did her best to look annoyed. "Fine," she said petulantly. "The only vibes she gave off were how much she wishes you would jump her bones."

Oh shit. I had not noticed that. It was going to be an interesting evening.