"I'm counting on it," Ellie replied. "That's the whole point. The more into it you are, the more the jealousy-arousal loop ratchets up for me, the better it is. I just need you to come back."
"I'll always come back. That's my absolute, fundamental principle. Whatever happens in that room, whatever I do, whoever I do it with… I come back to you, completely and fully. Every time. Non-negotiable."
They walked in silence for a while, letting their minds turn it over. As she walked, it seemed to Ellie like something was clicking into place inside, like they’d finally constructed what they’d been working on and she could take a step back and look at it. She liked what she saw.
"Can I say something?" Becca asked after a while.
"Always."
"This thing we've found, you watching me, the necklaces, reclaiming me after… it's the most intimate thing we've ever done. More intimate than sex, more intimate than getting married, more intimate than anything. And I know that sounds insane, because on the surface it's about me having some pretty hot sex with someone else, which should be the opposite of intimate for us. But it's not. Because the trust it requires, the honesty, the vulnerability of you watching me be at my most exposed with someone who isn't you... I've never felt closer to another human being in my life than I feel to you right now."
Ellie stopped walking and turned to look at her. They were on a quiet stretch of the trail, the lake on one side, trees lining both sides of the path.
"I feel the same," she said. "Exactly the same."
They stood there looking at each other, and then Becca stepped forward and kissed her, slowly, tenderly, the sort of kiss that saidI love youandthank you for thisa thousand times over.
***
When they got back home Ellie picked up her phone and opened the group chat.
"I'm going to message Kelly," she said. "Tell her what we talked about. That we’d like to develop something beyond just you and her… you know.”
"Good." Becca stood behind Ellie and rested her chin on her shoulder, watching the screen. "What are you going to say?"
Ellie thought for a moment, then typed:
Hey Kelly. We've been talking about everything and we wanted you to know, what we have with you isn't just fun (although it's definitely fun). You get this dynamic in a way that nobody else has, and we'd love for you to keep being part of it. No pressure, no obligations, just an open door whenever you want to walk through it. Ellie & Becca x
She showed Becca, who read it and nodded. "Perfect. Send it."
Ellie hit send, and the reply came twenty minutes later while Ellie was getting out of the shower and Becca was about to go in:
Y'all are going to make me cry and I am NOT a crier. Yes. A thousand times yes. I told Colt and he says to tell you that you're stuck with me now. Also Solana says she's never seen me this excited about something that doesn't involve horses or tacos so that should tell you everything. Open door both ways. Any time, any place. Your girl Kelly x
Becca laughed and took Ellie’s phone from her, tapping out a reply:
Tell Colt we said hi. And tell Solana that your therapist says that horses and tacos are both valid sources of happiness. See you soon. Becca x
Then Becca put the phone face down on the side and kissed Ellie on the cheek. “Right. Shower for me then dinner. I’m starving and I’m pretty sure you promised me pasta earlier.”
***
Ellie cooked while Becca sat at the kitchen counter and talked about her week so far. The pasta was good, the wine they had with it was better, and they ended up on the couch with the TV on and neither of them watching it. Becca had her legs across Ellie’s lap and was scrolling through her phone, while Ellie was half-reading an article in a tech magazine about something she’d forget by tomorrow. A normal weekday evening… no personal trainers or native born Texans or God knew who else, just them.
After a while Ellie noticed that Becca’s scrolling had become more purposeful. Not the aimless thumb-drift of someone killing time on social media… this was someone looking at something specific, going back and forth between tabs, occasionally zooming in on photos.
“What are you looking at?” Ellie asked.
“Oh.” Becca glanced up as if she’d been caught, which Ellie figured was usually a good sign. “So, you know we’ve got that time off booked in a few weeks?”
“The week we’ve been far too busy finding women for you to hookup with to do any planning for? Yeah, it’s on my guilt pile.”
“I found somewhere.” Becca moved so that she could show Ellie her screen. “Look at this.”
It was a holiday rental listing for a beach house on a stretch of the Florida panhandle called 30A. Ellie scrolled through the photos: white clapboard exterior, a wraparound upstairs deck with sea views, a private pool fenced off from the public beach, interiors that were tasteful in a seaside holiday way, all palewood and linen. It looked expensive, particularly when Ellie scrolled through and saw the white sand beach it was next to and the water beyond, a startling shade of emerald green.
“Becca, that’s stunning.”
