BTC 2.0: Chapter 9

-- CHAPTER 9: The Favor --

****

“So… ah… I was wondering if I could ask you two for a favor…” Skylar stated with an uncharacteristic insecurity in her voice as she, Naimh, and I walked out the door of Northside Café after having lunch together. I’d seen the beautiful, busty blonde bombshell twice a week for E10 - my first-year Engineering and Design Analysis class - and throughout all my interactions with her to date she’d always carried herself with a confident, authoritative presence befitting an older, wiser grad student who had already seen and experienced it all, both academic and interpersonal.

Whether she was assisting students during weekly labs, fielding questions about grading, or even just exchanging pleasantries before or after class, Skylar exuded a sense of poised composure at all times.

All times except for now.

Oh, Skylar had kept that air of self-confidence when greeting me and my girlfriend on the walkway and then engaging us in amiable chit-chat for the short walk to Hearst Ave. Upon learning that Naimh and I were heading to Northside Café to pick up lunch, she remarked that she was on her way to the same place to get her usual hummus wrap and laughed musically in delight when Naimh invited her to join us as if nothing else in the world could’ve possibly made her any happier.

Perhaps buoyed by our recent discussion about making friends (and her recent orgasm), Naimh was in peak conversational form: ebullient and gregarious, warm and welcoming. The girls giggled together like they’d been lifelong friends instead of a pair of near strangers only meeting for the second time in their lives. By the time we arrived at the restaurant and got in line, I found myself something of an afterthought left with nothing better to do than study the menu - nevermind that I’d been here enough times to know every single item listed on the large, framed posters mounted on the wall behind the counter.

Luckily for us, a couple of guys vacated a two-person table by the window and the girls slipped out of line to take possession of it before anybody else did. I dutifully minded my own business for the next four minutes, rather pointedly keeping my attention up on the wall-mounted menu while I waited. I needed something to focus on in order to keep myself from repeatedly looking back over my shoulder and attempting to lip-read whatever the two girls were saying to each other right now without me. Intellectually, I knew I was better off being patient and not giving myself an aneurysm pondering all the possibilities of their little conversation.

In the end, I ordered Naimh’s turkey cran club, Skylar’s usual hummus wrap, and my go-to steak sandwich. I then took my receipt over to a nearby table where a student wearing Bose QuietComfort noise-cancelling headphones couldn’t hear my initial inquiry and I resorted to waving a hand in front of her face to get her attention before asking if she minded me stealing the extra chair at her table that she clearly wasn’t using. The girl gave me a thumbs-up in lieu of a verbal reply, and I dragged the chair over and parked it between Naimh and Skylar, spinning it around backwards and straddling the chair while folding my arms atop the backrest.

I listened to the girls chat about Christina Aguilera, Destiny’s Child, and then get into a mild argument as to which was the better boy band: NSYNC or Backstreet Boys. Perhaps attempting to include me in the conversation, Skylar asked for my opinion, to which I immediately held up my hands and insisted that while I’d put up with my girlfriends listening to either one, I honestly didn’t have a preference. I then asked both girls for their thoughts on the English boy band Take That, which sent both of them down a rabbit hole of angsty thoughts and feelings that carried the conversation until the café staff called my order number and I returned to spin my chair back around to face the right way and then set out everyone’s meals.

A few minutes after I brought the food, Naimh switched topics from boy bands to Engineering, of all things. My girlfriend wanted to know more about the class, given that her usual attempts to get the nitty-gritty details about my academic life from me were typically fruitless. Skylar was more than happy to tell Naimh that I was a model student: studious, diligent, and intuitive.

“And more importantly for me, he’s one of only three boys in the entire class who don’t ogle me like a piece of meat,” Skylar added while leaning forward with an air of conspiratorial secrecy. “And I’m pretty sure the other two are gay.”

Naimh put on an expression of deep puzzlement. “Well now THAT doesn’t sound like the Matty -I- know. He’s very good at expressing his visual appreciation for the female form with me and his other girlfriends!”

Skylar giggled with Naimh and turned her attention to me with a warm smile that made me feel like she was about to reach out and rub my forearm, although she didn’t. Instead, she sighed and remarked, “I consider it a testament to how content he is with you and his other… girlfriends? Oh my, that plural feels odd rolling off the tongue. Belle and Sam, right?”

“Right!” Naimh confirmed. “And maybe Lily now.”

I coughed and shook my head. “We are NOT counting Lily.”

“But you two have started to…” Naimh winked, clucked her tongue, and then started to form her hands into a rather vulgar gesture before I grabbed her forearm and glared at her to cool it.

“Have you been taking lessons from Belle?” I asked with mild exasperation before turning my attention to Skylar and stating plainly, “I’m very content with my three girlfriends who are already all I can handle and can we please change the subject? Tell us about yourself. How’s grad school? I’ve considered going for my Master’s in Engineering as well. Or were you going all the way to get your PhD?”

Skylar smiled and was happy to tell us about her grad school and her future goals. She had very strong career aspirations and indeed wanted to get her PhD someday. I asked her for advice on which professors to prioritize getting to know better (and which professors to avoid), and she was more than happy to give me the inside scoop. She asked me pointed questions about which Engineering disciplines I was thinking to specialize in, gave me advice on course selection, and even offered to let me borrow her books so I could take a sneak peek at the subject material.

Skylar and I got so into our conversation that it took me by complete surprise when Naimh exclaimed out of the blue, “Ah, shite. Is that the time? I’m gonna be late for class.”

I quickly checked my watch and realized that indeed, we’d better get going. I didn’t have class myself for another hour, but Naimh would have to get a move on. We’d burned a good chunk of our time having the janitor’s closet quickie after all.

At least Naimh had finished her turkey cran club already. I’d inhaled my steak sandwich in the beginning while the girls had been discussing boy bands. But Skylar still had half her hummus wrap left after spending all her time talking. She quickly packed it up and placed it back into the paper bag, and the three of us stood up from our table.

“I need to crack on, but it was great chatting with you,” Naimh said jovially. “We should do this again sometime.”

“That’d be great!” Skylar replied enthusiastically before her tone of voice shifted as she began, “But… ah… before you two head off…”

I was leading the way and pushed open the café door. Naimh and Skylar both followed me outside, and just after we did so, my girlfriend and I turned back to look at the blonde.

“So… ah… I was wondering if I could ask you two for a favor…” Skylar stated with an uncharacteristic insecurity in her voice.

Naimh and I glanced at each other momentarily before Naimh arched her eyebrows and asked curiously, “A favor? What kind?”

Skylar blushed bright pink while staring down at the cement sidewalk before pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose and putting on a semi-nervous smile. “I need to borrow your boyfriend.”

****

It was only at the end of the day, just before dinner, when all three of my girlfriends were finally in the same place at the same time. Sam was the last one to arrive, looking a bit ragged but otherwise normal as she popped into the kitchen to give me a quick hug and a kiss before returning to her room to change out of her daily business suit and into “home” attire: sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Lily and Eva were also with us, per usual, and Eva helped me bring out dinner and set it on the table for the whole group. I would be remiss not to point out that Eva had made dinner for everyone tonight while I had merely been the assistant chef. It was a common occurrence by now for the Hawaiian girls to both take turns prepping meals for the group instead of mooching off our hospitality. While Eva insisted so far that she didn’t think of herself as an “official” member of The BTC (and certainly had no interest in performing one of the formal initiation rites Belle had only half-jokingly suggested), we all considered her part of the group, at the very least.

The six of us enjoyed a pleasant meal and comfortable conversation with friends. But as soon as Sam finished her plate, she pushed her chair back from the table, excusing herself by stating, “Got a lot of studying to do.”

“Hold up a minute,” Naimh interjected, raising her right index finger. “There’s something we need to discuss in committee.”

I blinked and leaned back in my seat. “‘In committee’?”

“You know what I mean.” Naimh smirked at me.

Belle leaned forward. “What’s up?”

“A pretty girl wants to take Matty out on a date,” the redhead explained.

Three pairs of eyeballs all darted straight to Lily. The petite Hawaiian girl looked shocked and jerked her head back. “Wait, what?”

“No-no-no,” Naimh interposed with an apologetic look, gesturing with both hands to re-draw the attention of Eva, Sam, and Belle. “I’m talking about Skylar, Matty’s Engineering T.A.”

Belle arched an eyebrow. “English girl? Tall, blonde, blue eyes? With really big tits and power suits just like Sam?” she queried.

Naimh giggled and tapped her nose. “I should state that she’s expressed she has no romantic interest in Matty or anything like that.”

“Then why does she want to take Matty out on a date?” Sam asked with clear suspicion in her voice, her eyes narrowed.

“This is gonna sound like déjà vu,” I began, sitting up straight while turning my attention to Sam. “Skylar said she has a wedding she has to go to and would like to have a social escort to keep the… well… to keep the wankers away, you know?”

“She’s between boyfriends at the moment and doesn’t have any other guys in her life she wants to deal with,” Naimh continued. “She’d resigned herself to attending solo and just putting up with the unwanted attention. But then she ran into me and Matty by chance today, we had a nice conversation at lunch, and then as we were leaving, the idea popped into her head to ask if she could borrow Matty for a night.”

“She knows I have a girlfriend, clearly,” I added, gesturing at Naimh. “She knows I have three girlfriends, actually.”

“She appreciates how Matty’s been a perfect gentleman during class unlike all the other immature boys who stare at her like a sex object,” Naimh continued. “And she thinks he’s intelligent and handsome.”

I arched an eyebrow at the redhead. “Not ogling her, sure. But Skylar did NOT say either of those other things.”

Naimh rolled her eyes. “I can tell she thinks you’re a prize catch, and she’d date you in a heartbeat if you were available.”

I frowned. “Well if that’s the case, then we should probably tell her ‘no’.”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t mind.”

“‘Wouldn’t mind’ escorting her to one wedding, not actually dating her.” I shook my head.

Naimh rolled her eyes. “Nobody’s expecting you to actually date her. She’d have to get in line. Anyways, I told Skylar that the decision wasn’t mine alone to make, and that I’d run it by the two of you.” She gestured at Belle and Sam.

Sam waggled her head. “Not such a big deal. It’s just one wedding date.”

Belle arched her eyebrows. “Have you forgotten how your one wedding date ended?”

Sam blinked in surprise that Belle had brought up that particular event, and she frowned with a disappointed expression. “Did you really?”

Belle shrugged. “I’m just saying: we don’t need any greedy bitches trying to sink their claws into our boyfriend.”

Lily giggled. “What if she’d let you watch Matty pin her wrists to the mattress while he slammed his sausage into her?”

Belle looked surprised. “Do YOU want some greedy bitch getting Matty’s lala-hu into her punani before you do?”

Lily blushed and then held up both hands. “I’m not Matty’s girlfriend. I don’t have a say in this.”

“No, you have a say in this,” I disagreed. “This is already more complicated than I thought it would be. Forgive me for being a stupid, dense male and not realizing this would be a bigger deal than I’d thought. When Skylar first asked and made clear she had no romantic interest in me and just needed a bodyguard for a night, I honestly thought, ‘Sure. Why not?’ But now I realize why not and I’ll call her right now to tell her it’s a no-go.” I reached into my pocket to pull out my phone.

“Wait a second,” Sam said, holding a palm out to me before turning her attention to Naimh. “Let’s think about this. Now I realize full-well how my own wedding date with Matty spiraled out of control, but this really isn’t the same situation. From everything you know of this girl, would she try to pull a fast one on us and seduce him?”

My redheaded girlfriend shook her head in the negative. “Skylar definitely thinks he’s a prize catch, but I don’t think she’s the stealing type. The wedding is this Saturday afternoon, and she was totally prepared to go it alone. It was only because we bumped into each other and had such a great conversation that she got a chance to stop and assess Matty and realize that he’s a safe guy to be around, with other girlfriends he’s loyal to and therefore no threat to her. She wouldn’t try to seduce him.”

“And even if she did try, she’d never succeed,” Belle interjected. “Matty would never do that to us, would you?”

“Of course not,” I insisted. “This isn’t a real date. I’m not pretending to be her boyfriend. I’m not even gonna hold hands with her, let alone get into any kind of situation where I might betray you. I’d purely be there to stand next to her and keep unwanted wankers away. But at the same time, we don’t really need this kind of complication in our lives. I mean, why would I want to be away from all of you on a Saturday?”

“I’m cool with it if he’s willing to go,” Sam stated to the other girls with a shrug.

“Wait, what?” I exclaimed in surprise. “Saturday nights are Sam nights.”

“And you’d still be coming home to me afterwards, right? I don’t mind waiting up for you.” Sam smiled at me. “I rather like the idea of lying in your bed wearing some wispy, sheer lingerie, almost idly rubbing myself while fantasizing about my handsome boyfriend walking through the door looking sharp in a nice suit ready to rip it off and start ravaging me.”

I blinked twice. “Umm, okay…”

Belle sighed. “I suppose it’s fine with me too. Like I said: even if Skylar tried to seduce him, she’d never succeed. And it looks like you’re saying she’s not the type to try.” That last bit was directed at Naimh.

The redhead shook her red-haired head. “She’s not. Skylar’s a cool chick. She’s smart, witty, and she’s got a wealth of Cal Berkeley experience. I think she’d be a great friend to have, especially for Matty.”

I arched my eyebrows. “A friend for me?”

“Older, wiser, experienced,” Naimh explained. “You two talked Engineering and professors and which classes to take and all that for more than twenty minutes. Networking is an important part of growing your career. You’ll be doing her a favor and then she’ll owe you later on. She’s still your T.A. and has influence over your grades.”

I frowned. “I wouldn’t want her fudging my grades or anything for this.”

“No, no, of course not,” Naimh insisted. “And she won’t be your T.A. forever. I’m serious: you should do this.”

“So there you have it,” Sam pronounced. “Your three girlfriends all agree.”

“Well Lily hasn’t voted yet,” I pointed out.

The petite Hawaiian hottie’s eyes opened wide. “Me? I’m not a girlfriend.”

“Perhaps, but our relationship is more than ‘just friends’ and I would never want to do something that would upset you. You still get a vote.”

Lily blushed but couldn’t help but smile really, really wide. “It’s fine with me,” she replied almost shyly.

“So it’s agreed,” Naimh stated with a grin for me. “Unless for some other reason you don’t want to go. But there are far worse things you could be doing on a Saturday night than spending it in the company of a beautiful blonde.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s the fact that she’s a beautiful blonde that makes me think I shouldn’t do this.”

“So what?” Eva unexpectedly interrupted. “Why should you be worried about anything happening with her?”

I blinked and arched an eyebrow at her. “Huh?”

Eva pointed at herself. “Did you not mean it when you told me that you don’t do things for girls simply to make them happy and without an expectation of reward?”

“I did mean it,” I insisted.

“Then so what if Skylar’s a stacked blonde? Matty’s just doing another favor for a girl, right? Every girl in the room is apparently cool with you going. But if you can’t do something nice for a girl without hoping for anything more depraved than career advice in return, then what the hell am I doing here?”

“Of course I can do something nice for a girl without hoping for anything in return.”

“Then that settles it,” Eva challenged. “Go out with her, jump in when she needs ‘Tzeitel’ rescues, come home to your hot girlfriends, and that will be that.”

I took a breath and turned towards Sam. “You’re really okay with me escorting her?”

My Head Girlfriend shrugged. “Our love is unbreakable. I’m not worried about Skylar in the slightest.”

“She’s cool,” Naimh added. “And I’d be happy to see more of her.”

“Well now I find myself torn,” Belle complained. “Now I kinda DO wanna see Matty pin her wrists down to the mattress and then fuck the shit outta her.”

“Belle,” I warned.

My impish pixie waved me off. “It was just a thought.”

I rolled my eyes and then exhaled, first meeting Sam’s gaze, and then Naimh’s, and then Belle’s and Lily’s and Eva’s as well. All five of them either shrugged or nodded their approval.

“Alright then. It looks like ‘the committee’ has decided,” I finally pronounced. “I’ll call Skylar and tell her that I’m in.”

****

“Wow… This is pretty nice,” I commented as Skylar and I walked side-by-side (but NOT holding hands) through the front doors of the Auberge de Soleil resort in Napa Valley. If I had to pick a fancy word to describe the place, it would be “posh”. Absolutely everything in sight screamed “Money! Expensive! Luxurious!” from the décor to the fine linens to the expansive terraced view.

The resort lobby was the textbook definition of five-star accommodations. The restaurant off the lobby advertised its Michelin Star rating. A champagne fountain of Riedel crystal featured prominently. Wine Country, by its nature, was an expensive place to be. And if I had to guess, the Auberge de Soleil resort might very well be the most lavish of them all.

“Ehhh, it’s fine,” she drawled noncommittally in reply to my comment.

I arched an eyebrow. “Not posh enough for you or something?”

Skylar blushed and shook her head. “It’s not that. Some people feel the need to advertise their wealth as if the number of zeroes in their bank account were the most important measure of their value in society.”

I coughed into my fist and remarked, “I take it you don’t agree with that particular philosophy?”

She shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong: I’m not so naïvely idealistic as to believe money doesn’t matter or that the world would be better off without it. I just… I never liked…”

Her voice trailed off as she searched for the right words, and on a whim I finished for her, “It’s not your style?”

“Right! Exactly.” Skylar flashed me a beaming smile that made her even more radiantly beautiful than she already was.

The tall, buxom blonde bombshell was impeccably dressed in a sleek, dark gray dress that simultaneously hinted at her voluptuous curves without quite putting them on display. The one-shoulder design covered all of her cleavage from view while simultaneously form-fitting around her massive melons that left no doubt she had an incredible Double-D rack, albeit without any exposed bare skin. The tight fit highlighted her narrow waist before flaring out around her bubble butt and wide hips. But the flowing silhouette and ankle-length hemline obscured what I knew to be very long, very well-toned legs. And I could barely see at the moment what I’d previously noticed to be elegant high heels suitable for a high-class wedding.

Skylar was absolutely gorgeous, and she knew it, but she also didn’t go out of her way to show off or call an undue amount of attention to herself - nor did she really need to. She carried herself demurely on campus but didn’t try to hide her attractiveness. She was never loud or provocative. She wore makeup but kept it muted. And it occurred to me that I’d never seen her wearing anything colorful; thus far her wardrobe had consisted entirely of the colors black, white, gray, and brown.

Okay maybe there had been a dark navy blue in there somewhere as well, but you get the point.

Skylar and I had arrived fashionably late in her black hardtop ’67 Chevy Camaro Z/28. She’d needed to drive since - believe it or not - I didn’t know how to drive a stick. Minivan guy, remember? We made our way to the wedding venue and Skylar took the lead in approaching the table just outside the restaurant with its seating chart. After a quick scan she told me we would be at Table 3, the low digit reminding me that Skylar was a relative of some importance to the bride and groom.

It was her twin brother getting married, after all.

Both Skylar and her brother Sebastien had attended Cal Berkeley at the same time, and a large percentage of the guests were their friends from school. There were no other relatives nearby save for their parents, and the remainder of the guest list were Mum and Dad’s friends and business colleagues.

“Sky! You actually came! I was beginning to doubt myself a little,” a friendly female voice in a familiar English accent called from across the room, and we looked up to see a pretty brunette scampering towards us as best she could in skyscraper high heels and a slinky tube dress that unfortunately restricted her knees from moving more than a foot apart.

“Aisha!” Skylar replied with a warmer smile than I’d ever seen from her, immediately stepping away from me and opening her arms in greeting. The pair came together, holding each other’s elbows and leaning forward to exchange air kisses to either side of each other’s cheeks that wouldn’t ruin anyone’s makeup. “It’s so good to see you! What has it been, three months?”

“Four, Miss I’m-Gonna-Be-A-Student-Forever,” Aisha teased.

“We really should get together more often. That’s my fault, I know,” Skylar apologized.

“Of course it’s your fault,” Aisha drawled before parroting, “‘I’m just so busy.’ ‘I’d rather read books than go out with my friends.’ ‘My career this’ and ‘My career that.’”

“I’m sure I’ve missed out on a lot, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care.” Skylar squeezed Aisha’s arms. “Would you catch me up? Tell me everything.”

“Nevermind all that. Aren’t you going to introduce me to your handsome date?” Aisha said dismissively while almost crudely moving Skylar out of the way. While my date had initially walked away from me to greet her friend, by now I’d moved alongside them, and the pretty brunette flashed me a saucy look and a pearly white smile while greeting suggestively, “Helloooo. I’m Aisha.”

I had taken advantage of the intervening time to give the newcomer the once over. From her skin tone and facial features, she seemed to be of South Asian descent, and the name ‘Aisha’ suggested Pakistani to me. She was of medium height and build, although my expert eyes recognized a D-cup chest when I saw one, with two hemispherical globes pushed up into view above the top of her strapless hot pink dress. She had large, expressive brown eyes and a face that clearly spent most of its time smiling. As first impressions went, I could tell she’d be a fun friend to have around.

I put my hand forth for a shake and greeted, “Hi. I’m Matt.”

“Helloooo, Matt,” Aisha replied while giving my hand a firm shake before turning her attention back to Skylar. “You didn’t tell me you had a new boyfriend!”

“Matt and I are just friends. We aren’t dating,” Skylar explained.

I smiled and nodded in silent confirmation. On the drive over, Skylar had asked me not to mention the fact that I was a freshman and five years younger than her, or that I was a student in a class she was T.A.’ing.

Skylar gave me a tight smile, finishing, “He’s here to keep the wankers away.”

Aisha made a face and glanced across the room. “Jerry’s here. So’s Adi.”

Skylar sighed. “I figured they would be. I can’t say Sebastien has the greatest taste in friends, but there’s nothing I can do about it now.”

“Fortunately, the groomsmen are sequestered with the groom for now. But you let me know if you need any help,” Aisha stated seriously, all business for once before giving me a tight smile. “Thank you for being here for Sky, Matt. But please be warned that some of those guys aren’t very good at taking ‘no’ for an answer.”

I stood up straight and nodded once. “Thanks for the heads up.”

Aisha gave us an apologetic look and then glanced back over her shoulder. A guy who looked to be her date was staring over at us while semi-participating in a conversation with a few others, and Aisha bid us a quick “See you later” before returning to that group.

I raised both eyebrows as Skylar and I turned to face each other. “So? Jerry and Adi, right? Wanna give me the 4-1-1?”

“I’m sorry, give you the what?” Somehow Skylar’s accent made her sound even more perplexed than she already was.

“Sorry. I should know better than to use too many American idioms. I was asking if you had any information to give me that might be helpful.”

She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and let out a long sigh while bowing her head. A moment later, she stood up straight again and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, and even through the lenses I could tell her light blue eyes were a bit cloudy.

“Jerry and Adi are a pair of arseholes whom I’d prefer never get the opportunity to say a single word to me today,” she explained tersely. “I realize that may not be possible without causing a scene, and I’d prepared myself to just keep my mouth shut and walk away if either one of them approached me.”

“That was before you asked me to come here and be your date. I’m here now, and it’s my job to keep assholes away from you.”

“I’d hoped your presence alone would be enough of a deterrent, and maybe it will be. But you shouldn’t feel obligated to… to defend my honor or anything like that.” Skylar gave me a brave smile. “I appreciate you accompanying me, but you don’t owe me anything and I’m not asking you to go above and beyond.”

I chuckled. “Perhaps not, but I really do intend to do whatever I can for you. That’s just who I am.”

Skylar gave me a shy smile and nodded slowly. “Thank you, Matt.” And then she stepped forward and wrapped her arm through my right elbow.

I reached up to pat her forearm, giving her a reassuring smile. “You’re welcome. Now come on. Let’s have a good time.”

****

I suggested that Skylar and I head on over to greet her college friends, but she shook her head dismissively and stated, “Most of them are Sebastien’s friends, not mine. Let’s head outside.”

The wedding ceremony itself would take place on a large, outdoor wood deck overlooking the rolling hills of the lush, green valley. White flower petals adorned the main aisle and rows of bamboo Chiavari chairs draped in white linens were arrayed in neat rows to either side. And at the end of the aisle was a circular hoop covered in vines and flowers, making for an excellent photo backdrop.

“You said that all of this luxury wouldn’t be your style,” I began conversationally as we walked out to the end of the deck by the railing and glanced around. “What would your ideal wedding be like?”

“That’s easy: barefoot on the beach,” she replied immediately. “Small. Intimate. With only a few close friends in attendance.”

I arched an eyebrow, sensing something in her tone of voice. “Not ‘close friends and family’?”

Her eyes narrowed as she stood up straight and replied primly, “Just ‘close friends’.”

“Noted,” I said before shrugging and choosing to not pursue that avenue of thought. She didn’t need me probing into her personal life. “Any beach in particular?”

She shook her head and stared out across the landscape. “Any beach will do, really. I’ve not been to very many, which is probably why it’s such an ideal destination for me.”

“Why not? Your parents weren’t into taking you to the beach when you were younger?”

“My parents weren’t around much when I was younger. They were too busy with work and their own social life. Sebastien and I were mostly raised by a nanny.”

“I know exactly how you feel, except for the nanny part. I basically grew up with Belle’s family since she lived next door and that’s the main reason why we’re so close.” I shrugged. “My parents divorced when I was young and my mother was too busy to spend time with me for nearly all of my life. Barely ever saw my father and now my mother has moved to New York.”

“That sounds wonderful,” Skylar replied initially, but at my arched eyebrow she gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, that was unkind, and I shouldn’t let my own issues jade me to yours.”

“No, it’s fine. While I’m not happy my mother moved away, I’m used to her absence. But changing the subject, the girls and I love going to the beach as a group. You’re welcome to come along the next time we take a trip.”

She looked surprised. “Really?”

“Sure, why not?”

“Why not? Because you still barely know me. And your girlfriends don’t know me at all. I doubt they’d be happy about you inviting me to join them on a beach trip.”

“Why wouldn’t they?”

“Because girls can be jealous bitches about… well… about girls that look like me hanging around.”

I smirked. “Is that your way of giving yourself a compliment?”

Skylar blushed and looked away.

“I’m teasing, I’m teasing,” I said gently. “But seriously, my girlfriends aren’t a group of jealous bitches. They let me be your date today, didn’t they?”

“I’m still surprised by that. Neevie, in particular, certainly seemed pretty jealous the first time we met.”

I waggled my head. “She was, a little bit; she didn’t understand why you were staring at us at first. But once she got to know you better, you saw how much she opened up to you. They’re a very welcoming group of girls. And they’re genuinely the best friends I could ever ask for.”

“They sound amazing.”

I sat back with a goofy grin. “They really are.”

Skylar paused to regard me for a moment. She still had both arms wrapped around my elbow and looked up at me thoughtfully. “You must love them very much.”

“Very much,” I confirmed. “They mean everything to me.”

Skylar shook her head slowly. “Then why are you here instead of with them? Why did you agree to accompany a girl you barely know to a fancy wedding like this?”

I shrugged and replied plainly, “Because you asked.”

Skylar frowned, let go of my arm, and turned to face me. “That’s it?”

I shrugged again. “Do I need an ulterior motive or something?”

She pursed her lips looking thoughtful again. “There was a little part of me that thought… I mean… Despite believing you’d be a safe guy who wouldn’t try to put a move on me today, when you first called to say that you’d be my date there was a little devil on my shoulder that whispered, ‘The only reason why a guy like him would agree is because deep-down he’s playing the long game and hoping I might eventually put out for him.’ A playboy charming enough to convince three girls - and maybe four from what I understand - to date him at the same time. You had to think you had a chance at adding me to your personal harem.”

My shoulders sagged. “You sound like Eva. She says that no one’s completely altruistic and that I’m expecting a reward sooner or later for being her friend.”

“Lily’s roommate, right? Let me guess,” Skylar predicted, “you’ve done everything you can to convince her otherwise, and it doesn’t help because your behavior fits precisely the same as it would if you were secretly waiting for her to fall for your clever ruse.”

“Well, yeah. That’s the dilemma, isn’t it?” I grunted in frustration, but then shook my head. “But… I also understand it. Neevie’s told you about Eva. She’s aloof and sometimes not very nice and she knows it. Part of her can’t believe that any of us really want her around. And I guess Occam’s razor says I’m looking to stack her on top of my pile of girlfriends.”

Skylar waggled her eyebrows, “Are you claiming that you’ve never even thought about it?”

I held up both hands. “I seriously already have way more than I can handle. Keeping one girlfriend happy is a full-time job, let alone three.”

Skylar giggled. “I can imagine. But I don’t think you really have to worry that Eva believes that’s all you want from her.”

“How do you know that?”

“For the same reason that I’m here with you today. If I really believed that about you, I would have begged off and come here alone. If Eva really thought that you were only trying to steal a pair of her panties for your collection, she’d stop coming over.”

“Then why did she say--?”

“Because she has that devil sitting on her shoulder whispering in her ear as well. Probably louder than the one on my shoulder if what you and Neevie say about being the quiet chick in a club of giggly girls is true. But she must want to believe that you’re the guy your girlfriends say you are. Yes, she’s protecting herself, but don’t overlook that she’s put herself in a position where you could hurt her in the first place.”

I thought about what she was telling me, and it made sense, but one question did remain.

“So, why me? You’re telling me that I walk around with neon warning lights that say I’m some Machiavellian playboy. You, I understand. If I turn out to be a creep, you can just drop me. But Eva’s adjusting to a new place and she’s kinda put all her eggs in the BTC basket. Why would Eva take the chance with a guy like me?”

Skylar smiled wanly and nudged me in the ribs. “Because sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

I smiled at the thought and then winced. “Umm… Confession: I’m not entirely altruistic. I WAS hoping you and I could get to know each other better today, and I’d like to think we’re succeeding.”

“To what end?” she asked curiously.

“Networking,” I replied with a genuine smile. “You’re a grad student who’s already been through the Engineering program I’m staring down and still feeling intimidated by. You asked for a favor, and usually that means you’ll end up doing a favor for me. But by ‘favor’ I’m looking for study help or more advice on class selection and upper-grade courses - nothing nefarious.”

“That’s it?”

I smiled again. “I wouldn’t mind if you and I became friends. Everybody can use more friends.”

Skylar smiled back at me. She picked up a couple water bottles and handed me one so that she could tap hers against mine as if in a toast. “I’d like that. It’s been difficult, lately, to find friends. Life as a grad student is… busy. A little too busy, really, to maintain friendships. All of mine, like Aisha there, moved away from Berkeley. I didn’t mind so much, perhaps, because I spent all my time with my boyfriend. But then he and I broke up and… well… now it’s just me.”

“I’m sorry. That sounds very lonely.”

“It’s alright. I prefer to think of my current situation as affording me a great deal of peace and quiet. And if there’s one thing I could use more of in my life, it’s peace and quiet.”

“SKYLAR!” a booming voice called quite loudly from right behind us, and we both turned in surprise at the unexpected volume.

“Mr. Salinger,” Skylar greeted properly, her demeanor shifting on a dime as the light in her blue eyes faded. She’d started to mellow out with me, but I could practically see the doors slamming shut as she stood stiffly. “It’s so nice to see you once more.”

“I’m so glad you remember me! My, my how you’ve grown,” the older man with the pot-belly grinned wolfishly while quite obviously ogling her up and down.

On instinct, I stepped alongside Skylar and slid my left arm around her lower back. She nestled herself against me, and I squeezed her reassuringly.

“Alas, such is the way of children, Mr. Salinger,” she stated evenly, wrapping her arm around my lower back as well, and I could feel the tension in her grip. “This is Matt.”

I extended my right hand forward and said politely, “Pleased to meet you.”

He ignored my hand and continued to ogle Skylar. “How many years has it been? You used to come ’round my house all the time!”

“Many,” Skylar replied succinctly. “That would’ve been when I was still in high school, but I moved away for university years ago.”

“Speaking of which,” I interjected. “We should be returning to our university friends. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Salinger.” And then maintaining my grip around Skylar’s waist, I guided her around the man and led her back inside.

As soon as we were out of earshot, she glanced up at me and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Just doing my job,” I whispered back with an easy-going smile. “Just doing my job.”

“Can I ask a question though?”

“Hmm?” I hummed while bringing the water bottle to my lips.

“Earlier, you said that Eva put all her eggs in ‘the BTC basket’.” Skylar stated with a confused expression. “What’s a ‘BTC’?”

I suddenly had to try very hard not to choke.

****

Skylar and I spent most of our time by ourselves rather than interact with the other guests, and I found myself wondering just what she would’ve done had I not accompanied her today.

She pointed out her parents to me from across the room but made no effort to speak to them, nor did they approach us either. When it was time for the ceremony, we took reserved seats in the first row on the groom’s side, with Skylar’s father on the end, then her mother, then Skylar, and then me. Nobody else sat next to me. Still, there was no conversation between them, and while both of Skylar’s parents gave me a cursory once over that somehow left me feeling rather inadequate in their eyes, neither of them actually said anything to me.

The wedding ceremony itself went off without a hitch. Sebastien turned out to be the male version of Skylar: tall, well-built, and very blonde. His bride Amanda was his college sweetheart, and she was the definition of a glamorous pin-up model, with caked-on makeup, lustrous dark hair, exceptional eyelashes, and high cheekbones. She had large breasts put on display by her custom-tailored wedding gown and nice legs that flashed into view with every step through the waist-high cutouts. She also wore a heavy diamond necklace, several bracelets, and an engagement ring big enough and shiny enough to signal astronauts on Mars.

After the ceremony, we took our seats at Table 3 along with four of Skylar’s college classmates, which consisted of Aisha and her boyfriend Dan along with two single guys named Lazlo and Phil. Aisha sat next to Skylar and was more than happy to chat with both me and her old friend. Lazlo sat next to me and more or less ignored me, even going so far as to turn his chair to face Phil and Dan.

After the meal everybody else got up to dance and mingle except for us. Skylar was content to remain in her seat, although I did ask if she wanted to dance at all before she politely declined. We talked about Engineering for a bit before she started asking me questions about my girlfriends. I wasn’t about to spill any of their secrets, but I didn’t mind sharing the basics about how we’d grown up together as friends before forming our convoluted multi-person romantic relationship during our senior year of high school. I didn’t mention anything about having seven girlfriends, though, preferring to stick to the three she already knew about. And I also didn’t mind sharing that Lily and Eva had joined our circle of friends, although I made clear that I wasn’t dating either of them.

For her part, Skylar told me about her boyfriend moving out and how she now lived alone in a one-bedroom apartment within walking distance of the campus. She interacted with her professors, her classmates, and her students on a daily basis but didn’t have much of a social life beyond that, preferring to focus on her academics.

“I watch Dawson’s Creek, 7th Heaven, and Big Brother,” she explained. “That’s more than enough social drama for me.”

“You’d fit right in with my girlfriends,” I remarked, to which Skylar arched her eyebrow and narrowed her eyes, so I quickly added, “As a friend, as a friend.”

She chuckled and gave me a look that said she was just teasing.

Unfortunately, Skylar caught sight of someone just past my shoulder and immediately tensed up. I glanced back to find groomsman Adi sauntering over to us even as Skylar rather pointedly stared away from him into the middle distance with an utterly blank expression on her face.

“Heyyy, Sky. How’s it been? Haven’t seen you in forever,” he greeted smarmily.

She didn’t react in any way, continuing to keep her gaze pointed away from him.

“Hey man,” I began in a friendly manner, “I don’t think she’s in the mood for conversation.”

“And who the fuck are you?” he challenged. “The slut’s latest boy-toy?”

My eyes popped open wide and I immediately stood, an action that jerked my chair back several inches. I was taller than the guy and glared down at him, growling without any friendliness in my voice, “I think you need to leave.”

“Whaaat?” he scoffed. “I was trying to be nice.”

“Pro tip: calling a woman a ‘slut’ doesn’t fall under the definition of ‘being nice’.” I stepped a little closer to him.

Adi backed off a step to keep his distance between us. “Whatever. I’m not gonna ruin Bas’s wedding with this shit.”

“I agree,” I stated evenly but relaxed some of the tension from my shoulders as he took another step back.

“I just hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, dude,” Adi drawled with a sickening grin. “She’s not worth your time. Haven’t you noticed? Nobody in this room gives a shit about her anymore.”

“Thanks for the word of advice. You can turn around and leave now.” I twirled my finger for emphasis.

“Whatever.” Adi took another step back and then walked away.

I glanced around the room and found a dozen pairs of eyeballs staring my way. Aisha pursed her lips and looked sad, and when she realized I was looking at her, she gave me a reassuring nod and a warm smile. The other pairs of eyeballs shifted elsewhere, and I turned back to Skylar.

She was shaking a little when I grabbed my chair and scooted it back up next to hers. I took her right hand between both of mine and interlaced our fingers together, giving her hand a squeeze.

“You alright?” I asked with obvious concern in my voice.

“Thank you,” she said quietly. A little too quietly. And her lower lip trembled.

I still had no idea what exactly had transpired between Skylar and Sebastien’s old college friends, nor specifically what might’ve happened between her and Adi or the other guy whose name escaped me at the moment. Jerome? John? Maybe Jerry. Regardless, I knew this was no time to press her for details. All I could do for now was be by her side and reassure her with my presence that she’d be alright.

So I simply remained there in silence, squeezing her hand, telling her without telling her that I was here for her.

It would have to be good enough for now.

****

The other wedding guests left me and Skylar alone for the rest of the evening, save for a couple of boorish idiots drunkenly approaching Skylar towards the end of the night making inappropriate remarks. After the cake cutting ceremony, Skylar took me by the hand and led me over to the bride and groom. Skylar genuinely congratulated her twin brother and his new wife on their wedding and wished them all the happiness in the world. Sebastien hugged his sister and Amanda gave Skylar a cordial smile. I said nothing until the end, extending my hand to say “Congratulations” while Sebastien shook it and then repeating “Congratulations” to Amanda with a polite nod.

And then we headed out the door hand-in-hand, the first ones to leave.

Skylar had consumed perhaps two glasses of wine throughout the day but did not appear to be impaired in the slightest. I drank two cocktails myself but felt fine as well. She smoothly navigated her ’67 Camaro out of the parking lot and onto the highway for the hour-and-a-half drive back to Berkeley.

At first we were both pretty quiet as I didn’t want to distract the driver in the dark out on these country roads now that it was after sunset. But once we made it past downtown Napa, got onto Interstate 80, and started cruising down the fast lane, I glanced over at her and asked, “You doing alright?”

“Yes I’m fine,” she replied immediately before pursing her lips and looking thoughtful. “Well, maybe not ‘fine’. But I’m doing much better than I would’ve been had you not been there with me. Thank you very much… Matty.”

I smiled and turned to look at her. “Did you just call me ‘Matty’?”

“It’s what all the other girls call you, isn’t it?”

“Well yes, it is. Belle called me ‘Matty’ back when we were little kids and the other girls just sorta picked up on it over the years. With teachers, classmates, and other people outside our little circle, I’m still ‘Matt’ and have always introduced myself that way.”

“So it’s just your girlfriends who use ‘Matty’? I’m sorry. I’ll stick to ‘Matt’.”

“No, it’s alright if you’d prefer to use ‘Matty’.”

“Even if I’m not one of your girlfriends?”

I shrugged and gave her a serious look, pausing long enough for her to glance over at me momentarily before returning her attention to the road. “Non-girlfriend friends have called me ‘Matty’ before and still do. You and I may not know each other very well just yet, but after spending the day together, I’d like to think we’re on our way to becoming friends, right? So like I said: If you’d prefer to use ‘Matty’, that’s fine with me.”

She waggled her head a bit while keeping her attention directly forward. “We’ll see how it fits, I suppose.”

“Would you prefer I call you ‘Skylar’ or ‘Sky’?”

The beautiful blonde frowned and let out a long sigh. Her shoulders slumped and she looked incredibly sad for a few seconds. I could hear the rumble of the engine quiet down as she absentmindedly let her foot off the gas a little bit. And for a moment I wondered if I’d accidentally pushed her too far.

“It’s been a long time since anyone has called me ‘Sky’,” she finally muttered. “It’s just Aisha now, really, and we barely see each other anymore. It was an old nickname from the college crowd.”

I nodded slowly but didn’t say anything. She hadn’t actually answered my question, but I was content to leave the status quo until explicitly told otherwise.

She gave me a momentary glance again, perhaps trying to read the expression on my face, which wasn’t easy to do in the dark with nothing but oncoming headlights for occasional illumination. And after another deep breath and a sigh, she stated evenly, “Why don’t we just keep it at ‘Skylar’ for now, shall we?”

“Perfectly alright.”

“Don’t take it personally.”

“I don’t. I’m good with whatever you’re comfortable with.”

“Thank you, Matty,” she replied warmly, and she got a rather shy smile on her face immediately afterwards. “Yes, I think I’m going to continue calling you ‘Matty’. Maybe it’s not fair if you can’t call me ‘Sky’, but it just feels… It feels…”

“It feels right?” I suggested.

“You just don’t seem like a ‘Matt’ to me anymore. I look at you and I think of you as ‘Matty’. And I feel like I can actually hear Neevie’s voice calling you ‘Matty’ in my head.”

I chuckled. “I know exactly what you mean.”

“Thank you, Matty. I mean it. It means the world to me that you spent a weekend day away from your girlfriends to be with me: a girl you barely know. I look back at everything that happened over the last several hours and I have no idea how I would’ve coped had you not been there.”

“You’re strong, Skylar. I’m sure you would’ve gotten through it just fine.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not. Perhaps I wouldn’t have even shown up. But I suppose I’ll never know, nor do I have to. Because you were there for me. I appreciate it. You did me a really big favor, and I certainly owe you one.”

I waved my hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. I did myself a favor getting to know you better. I enjoyed tonight.”

“You enjoyed yourself while chained to a table watching everyone else get up and have fun?”

“I enjoyed spending time with you, period,” I stated sincerely.

“Do you really mean that?”

“I really mean that.”

Skylar sighed and shook her head slowly. She stared out the front windshield while taking a deep breath. And after letting out an equally deep exhalation, she glanced back at me and said, “Neevie, Belle, and Sam are very lucky girls. I’m beginning to see why they’d agree to share you.”

I chuckled and nodded. “Believe me: I’m the lucky one.”

“I believe you. They sound like a great group of girls.”

“The best.”

Skylar sat up straight and nodded slowly. She pursed her lips and took on the kind of expression that reminded me of the day she rather nervously asked Naimh if she could borrow her boyfriend. And I waited patiently for her to gather herself.

“Do you…” she began hesitantly. “Do you think that I could meet them?”

“Meet my girlfriends?”

“Yes. I mean, I’ve met Neevie, obviously. However, I’d also like to meet Belle and Sam. And perhaps even Lily and Eva, as well.”

“Well you’re welcome to come inside when you drop me off. They said they’d be home, waiting for me.”

“Brilliant!” Skylar flashed me a winning smile, and she looked more relaxed and at ease than I’d seen her in a long, long time.

A tiny warning alarm went off in the back of my mind, and I suddenly remembered what Sam had said about waiting up in my bed wearing wispy lingerie. “Just hold on a sec. Lemme text them to make sure all’s clear. Not expecting company, you see.”

Skylar chuckled while I dug into my pocket and pulled out my cell phone. “I won’t mind if they’re not perfectly presentable. With that being said, I understand that some girls would never want to meet a total stranger unless their hair, makeup, and clothes are just so.”

“Uhhh, yeah. Pretty much,” I replied a little lamely, typing out a text to Sam: Almost home. Skylar wants come in. OK?

It took me a while to type all that out. Texting on a cell phone was a big pain on the 9-digit keyboard. I’d seen some bigger cell phones with a full QWERTY keyboard, but the girls and I had gotten a Cingular Wireless family plan with the bare-bones Nokia phones included for free in the package. I thought about also texting Belle or Naimh, but texting was such a pain and by the time I’d finished Sam’s text, we were already getting off the freeway.

Sam didn’t reply right away though, nor did she reply by the time Skylar pulled her Camaro into the driveway right behind Sam’s Escalade. After turning off the ignition, Skylar glanced over at me, eyebrows arched. “Did she not reply back?”

“Uh, no,” I confirmed. “But that’s okay. The girls are totally chill. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Come on in.”

“Are you sure?”

“You’ll love them. They’re really welcoming, and I know Belle and Sam are both curious to meet you too.”

“Brilliant!” Skylar unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door. I did the same and then stepped out. Skylar came alongside me, but she didn’t wrap herself around my elbow or take my hand.

The porch light was on, giving me plenty of illumination to fit my key to the lock on the first try. And then I turned the knob and pushed the door forward, knocking on the wood as I called out down the short hallway, “Hi, honeys! I’m home!”

“Matty!” Belle squealed excitedly from somewhere inside the living room.

“And I brought company!” I added while closing the door and giving Skylar a warm smile.

Skylar smiled back at me, but movement at the end of the hallway caught her attention, and she abruptly gasped in shock.

“Oh, shit!” Belle shrieked as she skidded across the hardwood in her socks doing a power slide, only belatedly hearing my warning. See, she was wearing the socks…

… and nothing else. My impish pixie’s petite little body was on perfect display, with her strawberry-blonde hair up in twin pigtails that did nothing to cover up her nubile curves.

“Matty?” Sam’s voice called from the living room, most definitely NOT upstairs in my bed. “Did you just say ‘company’?”

I was sure my face was beet red as I suddenly grabbed Skylar around the waist and physically held her in place, ensuring that she didn’t walk down the short hallway to where she could see into the living room. Meanwhile, Belle was already scampering back where she’d come from and disappeared around the corner.

I swallowed thickly while gawking at Skylar with a deer-in-the-headlights expression, unable to do anything but give her a sheepish grin and mutter, “Ummm… shit.”

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TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prologue & Chapter 1: The BTC: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99290461

Chapter 2: Hoalauna: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99357682

Chapter 3: E10: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99433482

Chapter 4: Leeloo: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99506524

Chapter 5: The Fifth Element: https://www.patreon.com/posts/99618767

Chapter 6: Lily: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100326143

Chapter 7: The Hangover: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100548952

Chapter 8: Quality Time: https://www.patreon.com/posts/100806434