Why do I always put myself in weird situations? How was I even supposed to focus on work like this? Abby had the widest smile when I left home, but still... what were we doing?

“Don’t lie to me,” Margaret suddenly said as she grabbed me by the shoulder when I entered the kitchen to pick up an order. “Are you really feeling ok?”

She had asked me that twice before with me telling her again that I was fine, but she still wasn’t convinced. This time, she was even checking my temperature with her hand.

“I’m telling you the truth when I say that I’m fine,” I told her again, shaking myself free and grabbing the tray with two bowls of oatmeal and a small jar of orange juice.

“Are you really?” Sophie asked, pausing her breakfast. “You usually only look that flushed when my sister is teasing you.”

I opened my mouth to speak but Mathilda spoke before I could say anything.

“She’s probably thinking about naughty stuff she did with Abby this morning,” she said as she did a drive-by, one second there, the other, gone from sight.

“Well, she’s at that age,” Margaret snickered.

“If this tray was empty, I’d smack you all with it,” I said as I threw a glare around.

I was huffing and puffing as I made my way down the hallway towards the dining room. Before passing that threshold, I took a moment to compose myself.

“Sorry for making you wait,” I said to the old couple as I served them their order. “I hope that you find your food to your taste.”

They smiled and thanked me, adding that they didn’t notice me being slow at all. They also asked if I was feeling well.

I would if people STOPPED ASKING and reminding me WHY I’m in this state.

That wasn’t the old couple’s fault, and they’ve always been this nice the other times I had served them, so I just smiled and thanked for their concern before moving on.

“...Thinking about your lover, I see,” Jacob said with a knowing grin after we exchanged greetings.

“How do you know?” I asked, thankful for him not asking what I thought he would.

“You have the glow that a young lady radiates when thinking about her loved one.”

I couldn’t wait to see Abby’s reaction when I told her about that interaction. It was the type of sappy romantic stuff that got her all gooey and giggly.

He was going to have his usual—cheese, marmalade and a slice of melon—and being the only guest who hadn’t had his meal yet, I returned to the kitchen with the order.

Sophie was still there, seemingly waiting for me to have a talk.

“I hope you don’t mind, but since me and both our dads are busy with work, I asked Mathilda if she could help you with moving your stuff to my dad’s place.”

The more the better in this case. There weren’t that many boxes, but if it were only me and Abby, we’d have to make two trips. With Mathilda tagging along, we could maybe do the same work in one go.

I delivered Jacob his food, had a small chat with him about this and that, and went looking for Mathilda at the usual place.

She was in Mrs. Fletcher study, the two enjoying their breakfast of tea and sandwiches together.

“Won’t you join us for a cup of tea?” Mrs. Fletcher asked, already filling a teacup.

“I’ve been meaning to ask,” I said after sitting down and taking a sip, looking at how thin the cup was. “What kind of porcelain is this?”

“Bone china,” Mrs. Fletcher answered before giving me a quick overview of its story and process of manufacture. It was macabre to me that it was made with grounded bone —if the name hadn’t already given that away, but I couldn’t deny that the result was beautiful to look at.

“So, that movie I saw with the old man who was a serial killer that used his victims’ teeth to make his tea sets was actually feasible?”

“My God, girl!? What kind of movies are you watching!?” her auntie gasped, horrified by the notion that Mathilda would watch such a thing. I, on the other hand, was already guessing we’d be watching that in a future movie night at her place. At least it didn’t sound like a type of movie that’d have me accompanying Abby to the bathroom during the night.

“...”

“...Violet, are you feeling all right dear?” Mrs. Fletcher asked.

And just like that, I had reminded myself that I was wearing Abby’s panties. How long had that been? A quarter of an hour? Maybe more.

“Alright, in which box are Violet’s panties?” Mathilda asked after entering my room and saw the boxes that Abby had packed while I was at work.

“Right here,” Abby told her, flickering her fingers on the bottom box she was carrying. “Like I’d let anyone else carry such precious cargo.”

I pointed at myself and asked if that included me. She told me that of course it did. As my girlfriend, bride, and future wife, it was her job, privilege, and honour.

Mathilda still asked if she couldn’t at least carry that box part of the way, Abby asking why she was being so persistent about it. She had already seen me in my underwear at school after all.

“Pfft, oh please,” she scoffed. “As if I need to be told that she only wears her more modest underwear to PE. I bet that in there I could see some very fashionable and risqué—ow!”

A good whack on her head from me would hopefully set her thoughts straight, no pun intended. It also annoyed me how accurate she was being on her assessments up to that point, so I finally had some payback.

Mathilda was mumbling about us not being any fun at all when she said that a box was moving.

Abby and I looked at the box she was pointing at and heard a familiar knocking coming from it.

“Oliver,” Abby said in a long groan as she kneeled by the box. “You’re such a naughty kitty! Bad! Bad kitty!”

That explained why he didn’t come greet me at the door. He had hidden himself in the box while Abby wasn’t looking and probably couldn’t take the heat anymore or was lacking air because there were no holes in the box.

“Mew,” he said cutely, sounding just like when he first came to live with us and giving Abby his pleading eyes.

Like he was an actual human child and she his mother, Abby gently started explaining him that he couldn’t come because her apartment building had rules against having pets.

He left once she was done, sounding like he was grumbling and very obviously sulking.

“Did I go too far?” Abby asked as she hugged my arm, looking very sad about the whole ordeal.

I sighed and rubbed my forehead. It was a bit ridiculous that she acted the way she did, but what’s worse was that I’d have done the same.

“What a bunch of weirdos,” Mathilda said as she passed by us while carrying a pile of boxes that almost covered her eyes.

Like you’re one to talk.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Moving boxes in the summer heat was a personal hell for me, but since there were three of us, we only had to do it once and could sit on the couch and under the AC at Abby’s place. I was so please with it that I didn’t tell them to take their feet off the coffee table. Joining them instead.

“No way!” Mathilda suddenly shouted, giving me and Abby a start. “There’s no way I have the bigger feet out of the three!”

“Oh, pipe down!” I told her. “And who cares about that!? I barely even notice a difference between me and you! Anyway.”

She looked at me with a frown, moved one of her feet over Abby’s to put it close to mine. After staring at them for a while with a twisted face, she trotted back to the entrance hall before coming back looking calmer.

“We still wear the same shoe size, so I guess you’re right.”

I groaned in exasperation while Abby laughed at me.

Without giving us time to calm back down, she then asked if we knew what they said about guys feet.

I told her that I figured it was something stupid. Then, she told me what it was.

“Eww! I didn’t need to know that!”

She laughed and started telling me that it was said similar stuff about guys’ noses, ears, hands... then, I smacked her face with a pillow as she wasn’t stopping.

Not being one to stay quiet, Mathilda then asked if we should order pizza for lunch. I don’t remember us having invited her to eat with us, but ok. I guessed she could stay for the day since she helped so earnestly. The alternative was to send her back to be alone at her place and she was like Abby in the sense that loneliness killed her spirit. Who knew, maybe Stephen would text her that he was free, and she’d rush to go meet him.

The second thing she asked was if we had a streaming service installed on our TV. I crossed my fingers hoping that it wasn’t that movie she had planned on playing.

It wasn’t. The movie she picked was a romantic comedy instead. I don’t think it’s worth describing the plot because it was your typical run of the mill tropey romantic feature film about an every-day guy that somehow was more attractive and successful carrier-wise than he should and the supposedly unattainable beautiful woman even though he was just as attractive as her and had an equally good job. Their idea was kinda like my dad and Sophie relationship if he still had his old job and wasn’t as conventionally handsome as he was.

That was me though, Abby was neutral while Mathilda was letting out a tear or two and a sniffle.

“I’ll go call the pizzeria now,” Mathilda said as she excused herself.

Abby checked over the couch if Mathilda wasn’t at an earshot distance before cupping her mouth, signalling me to lower my head.

“I think she wants to do a girls-only day,” she told me. Yeah, I figured as much. “What do you say?”

I shrugged. During the runtime of the movie was when I realised it and, having Abby confirming my suspicions, I stopped letting that bother me. The other times had been fun, why would this time be any different?

“Well, we’ll have to say no if she suggests a fashion show,” Abby snickered.

“Huh? Why is... Oh... right.”

Abby was looking like she was dying to ask how I was doing about it. On the flip side, I didn’t because she was all smiles, rainbows and hearts hovering over her head. I wonder if she’d be that peppy if she had been the one having to go to work.

...Not that I hated it or anything...

“...Pfft, hehe. I see, I see. I’m glad that you’re enjoying it yourself,” she giggled as she moved her legs over mine and got all bubbly over me.

Abby could read my mind. Or face. Whatever it was that she could read, I still forgot about that.

“Say, do you still have that make-up kit you brought last time to my place?” Mathilda asked excitedly as she peeked over us from the back of the couch.

“Sure do. Wanna try a new look for a future date like you talked last time?”

Mathilda nodded, marvelled by Abby remembering a talk that had happened three months ago.

I wondered out loud if Stephen put some much effort in looking good too. Did guys do that?

“I think so,” Mathilda hummed. “Not that he has to. I quite like his everyday style.”

I was also quite sure that he’d tell us the same if asked the same question. Then again, I knew from personal experience that it was kinda fun prettying ourselves up for our special someone and getting complimented. A bit vain, but in this case, not a bad thing, I think.

Hours later, after much frolicking, I was just about to reach my socializing quota. Even if it had been fun, there was only so much of it that I could endure before starting to feel drained.

Mathilda was gushing about the times when she and the boys were still young and getting themselves into trouble, them bailing her out most of the time while looking... dreamy. Abby had make-up skills that’d make a pro have a run for their money. She had perfectly brought up the best features of Mathilda’s already very pretty face while still looking as natural as possible. I was willing to bet that Stephen would go speechless if he saw her. Abby did offer to take her picture and send him, but Mathilda refused, wanting to save it for the next time the two had a date.

I was also sure she’d stay the night if she could, but that simply wasn’t possible. If Abby and I had a couple’s bed, then we could work something out, but we were already using a single’s bed as that already.

“Before I go,” Mathilda said. “How are you two girls doing in terms of our camping trip?”

“Oh! Oh! I found a nice spot!” Abby announced, waving her arm around.

“So that’s why you were coming home all dirty and sweaty!”

“And stinky!” Abby laughed. “Don’t forget about the stinky part.”

There was no stinky part for me to remember. A bit sweaty smelling? Sure. Never stinky though.

And that smile... I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it gave me the feeling that she was still hiding something. If only I could read her as well as she did me...

“Great! The boys will be bringing meat and stuff for us to grill over the embers, while I’ll be bringing entertainment and drinks, so could you bring some snacks?”

When she said she’d bring entertainment, she wasn’t referring to movies, was she? Nah, of course not. Where would she plug the things? On a plug that naturally grew on a tree trunk? Yeah, right.

As far as I knew she also didn’t play any instrument, so my curiosity was very much peaked by that mystery. It certainly didn’t sound like she was bringing card games and such due to how she was smiling.

With our arrangements planned, Mathilda stretched her body and sorrowfully said that it was time for her to go.

The two stood up while I grabbed the make-up kit from the table and crouched down to put it away in its drawer.

When I got up and turned around, I saw both of them staring at me with their faces red.

I was drawing blanks as to why they looked like that until Mathilda looked at Abby, saw her face, and for some accursed reason, pulled her short by the waist elastic band to peek inside them, Abby slapping her hand away a bit too late to prevent her from seeing what she wore under them.

“...Hmm... kinky...” she stumbled, unsure where to look or how to act.

“H-hold on! Let us explain first!” I urged her.

“Yeah! It's not like that!”

For the one time that we wanted to overshare, Mathilda was acting like a reasonable person and saying that it was fine that we didn’t and that since we were a couple, she shouldn’t pry about it any further.

“Will you just listen!” I cried out as I shook her by the shoulders, finally shutting her up and making her listen.

Whether we did convince her that it wasn’t a sexual thing but a... I’ll say “needy” as a show of respect towards my girlfriend since she was the one who first had the idea, I don’t know. After she left, her face looking like she could be used as a match, all I did was rush tot he bedroom and burry my face on the pillow and shout my lounges out.

“May I?” Abby asked once I was done.

“Go ahead,” I said as I handed her the pillow.

“Thanks babe.”

She also had a screaming session before collapsing on the bed by me, sighing that she now knew better than ever what I meant by people draining my battery.

I welcomed her to my daily world as I pulled her in for an embrace.

“How did she even see my... yours... how did she see what I was wearing?”

“Your shirt is a bit see-through when pressed against the skin and your pants slid down a bit when you crouched.”

After all the discomfort I felt wanting to change into my bedroom shorts and shirt, I was betrayed by my own clothes right at the finishing line.

Abby rolled around to look at me and gave me a sad smooch. She said she was sorry for having suggested us doing the exchange on days that I’d be away for more than an hour and until I was back. Silly talk really. I was the one that came up with the idea of us defining a set amount of time of us being apart. I had also agreed to it and didn’t hesitate that much that morning when I had to get dressed to go to work. We were both at fault here.

“...Should we stop?”

“...Haah, no. Mathilda now knows about it in more detail than is probably needed and... we enjoyed it didn’t we?”

“...Yeah... Whenever I remembered that I was wearing them, I felt really happy and eager to great you back home. That’s way better than simply mopping around the house.”

“Fufu, I see. I confess, I was a bit self-conscious, but... I felt the same way.”

“Really?” she asked, already starting to smile.

“Am I lying?”

“Hehe, no,” she laughed as she nuzzled her nose on mine. “I can tell right away when you do.”

We hugged and I gave her a squeeze until she let out her happy noise. Then, we settled in our mutual hold in complete silence. I was now so calm and tired that I noticed myself almost falling asleep, Abby also noticing that and giving me a shake, reminding me that we had yet to have dinner.

That meant I had to get up and walk, and I didn’t want to do that.

Not deterred by my reluctance, Abby rolled me on my back, sat on my hips and started unbuttoning my shirt, telling me in the process that I should at least take off my clothes if I was so dead set on staying in bed.

“I’ll bring you something to eat, so just tell me what you’re in the mood for,” she further added as she lifted my torso up and took off my shirt. Beside me, babe, she sighed after I place my arms around her and head on her shoulder.

I understood why she thought I was looking for some action, but that was far from what I was intending.

“Let’s both have dinner here,” I told her. “Just bring some cheese, crackers and any fruit that you’d like to have and join me in bed.”

“Hmm,” she hummed as she pushed me down and started taking off my jeans. “Now, that’s a good idea.”

Despite how romantic and promising that all was, after we ate and set the tray aside, we both simply turned off the light considerably earlier than usual and slept tight as two peas in a pod for the rest of the night. We both had had enough rushed heartbeats for the day to do anything else.