With Eric and Sun dropping by today, Ikher did his last-minute checks of the front room and bathroom. He had swept and vacuumed, the pantry and fridge were stocked, and he had coated the place in the scent killing spray Jerrica recommended.

Though, he realized that he could have skipped that last step since there was a good chance they would smoke. Tehre was a knock at the door as he was in the middle of rolling a blunt. Answering it, he found Eric by himself.

“No Sun?” Ikher asked.

“She had a call for work,” Eric said as he gave Ikher a fist bump. “She’s gonna drive over once she’s done.”

“Ahh, cool. Come on in.”

After looking around, Eric nodded. “Dude, this place is cute. I rented something similar in college. It suits you.”

“Thanks,” Ikher said, waving to the couch. “Have a seat.”

“I’m gonna lead with my stomach,” Eric said as he sat. “Do I get a hint of what we’re eating?”

Ikher laughed as he dropped onto the couch next to Eric. “I don’t know. I was going to run some recipes by you and let you choose.”

“Ooh, we should wait till the boss arrives for that.”

“Fair.”

“She really liked you,” Eric said, throwing an arm across the back of the couch.

“Sun?” Ikher asked.

Eric nodded. “Yeah, she could stop talking about you.” He launched into Sun’s higher pitched voice. “Ikher was so much fun. He’s so funny. And so handsome.”

“Wow. I didn’t think I made that good of an impression.”

Eric nodded. “You did. It’s weird cause she normally doesn’t get the hots for Asian guys.”

“I’m sure she didn’t mean it like that.”

“Oh no, she did,” Eric said with a grin.

Ikher froze. “I didn’t do anything to make her think that, did I?”

Eric laughed and shook his head. He didn’t seem upset, which was odd.

Eric, seeing the worry on Ikher’s face said, “Dude, it’s okay. My wife’s allowed to find you attractive. I’m not upset.”

“I don’t want to cause problems with someone’s marriage.”

“Nah bro, you’re good,” Eric said, punching Ikher in the leg. “I actually wanted to talk to you about something regarding Sun.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Have you ever heard of an open relationship?”

“No.”

“Well, it boils down to two people who are in a committed relationship are allowed to sleep with people outside of that relationship.”

Ikher’s eyebrows shot up and he looked out into the living room for a moment. He snapped his fingers and looked back at Eric. “Sun and Billie.”

Eric nodded. “Yep.”

“Huh,” Ikher said, looking down at the floor. “I dunno, sounds dangerous.”

“Well, it takes a lot of communication and trust.”

“Has she with other guys?” Ikher asked.

Eric nodded again. “I have with other people too.”

“How do you not get jealous?”

“I don’t know how other people do it,” Eric said. “But we created rules we follow. We talk about any prospects and we have to agree on the person. We know when and where the other person is going to ‘have fun’. And then there’s normal stuff like using protection.”

“Wow,” Ikher said, shaking his head. “That’s kinda cool, though. That you have that much trust in each other.”

Eric smiled. “It is cool. It took a lot of work for us to get to this place.”

Ikher nodded as he thought. He wasn’t sure if he could share a partner with anyone.

Eric broke him out of his thoughts by pointing to the stash box and papers on the table. “You mind if I roll?”

“Nah, go ahead.”

Ikher watched Eric roll a moderate sized joint with neat folds. He was very precise and measured. Billie said that’s why he wasn’t a good bartender. He stuck to the exact measurements and wasn’t willing to experiment. Which was funny, considering the conversation they just had.

Eric held the finished joint and lighter to Ikher, who waved him off. After lighting the joint and taking a few pulls, Eric looked at it and asked, “Do you think Sun’s attractive?”

Ikher nodded. “Yeah, she’s super cute.”

“Like I said, she’s got the hots for you,” Eric said as he held out the joint.

Ikher took it, but then froze as the conversation clicked. “Is this... one of the open situations?”

Eric nodded and took a deep breath. “Maybe.” He held up a hand and said, “It’s up to you. Sun likes you and I think you’re a great guy, so I’m okay with it. However, if you don’t want to, for whatever reason, you can say no, and there’ll be no hurt feelings. We’ll still be cool. I’ll still expect to see you at the bar. Nothing will change, regardless of how you answer.”

“Umm,... okay.” Ikher nodded.

Now it all made sense: Sun bending over in front of him, the undressing, her touching him. Before he could ask, Eric beat him to it.

“I’m pretty sure you realized when you were at the house she was testing the waters.”

“Not at first. But now, yeah.”

“Well, we could tell you were a little hesitant. So, when she got the work call, I figured it’d be good for me to discuss it with you. With no pressure.”

“Thanks. I think,” Ikher said and tried to buy some time by taking a hit. After a couple of hits, he passed it back to Eric. “Sun’s cute but it’s weird saying that to you or even talking about… doing stuff with your wife.”

Eric nodded. “I get that. Again, that’s why I came without her. I want you to understand that, if you want to, I’m okay with it.”

Ikher nodded, staring at the joint in his hand. “You saying that doesn’t make it any less weird.”

Eric laughed and nodded before patting Ikher on the shoulder. “Really, there’s zero pressure. If it’s too weird, then we forget about it. No one wants it to be weird.”

A knock at the window made them both turn to see Sun waving in with a big smile. Ikher got up and let her in.

“Hey you,” Eric said, meeting her at the door with a kiss. “How was the call?”

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“Bullshit. I swear the only reason they won’t promote me is because then I won’t be able to clean up their messes.”

“Sounds like you might need this?” Ikher said, handing her the joint.

“Oh my god, yes. You’re a lifesaver.” She dropped onto his couch and took a small pull as she looked around. “I love your house. It’s so cute.”

“Thanks. I told Eric that I was waiting for you guys to get here before I made anything. What are we in the mood for, Spanish or Thai food?” Ikher asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Ooooh, can we do Spanish? Are you okay with that?” Sun asked, bright eyed, looking up at Eric, who shrugged. Ikher clapped and rubbed his hands together.

“All right, Paella it is.”

“You need help?” Eric asked, walking over. Ikher looked up and shook his head.

“No way. You guys fed me last week. It’s my turn.”

“We gave you finger foods. This is an actual meal. Let me help.”

“If you want. Have you ever made paella before?”

“Nope.”

“Mkay,” Ikher nodded and looked around. “I’m going to give you simple stuff, then. Dice some veggies?”

“Sure thing.”

As Eric and Ikher started work in the kitchen, Sun moved from the couch to the kitchen table to watch. She also functioned as the bearer of marijuana, handing it off when either of them came for a hit. With Eric’s help, they finished prep and sat at the table while they waited for the sauce to boil. Eric pulled a seat over and sat next to his wife.

“Ikher and I had the chat,” he said to her, making her eyebrows shoot up. She smiled, glancing over to Ikher.

“Sooo….” she started, before Eric patted her hand.

“E’s taking some time to get his head around it. He’s nervous since we’re married.”

“Oh, I totally get that,” she said, squeezing Ikher’s shoulder. “If Eric wasn’t completely okay with it, he wouldn’t have brought it up. Really.”

Ikher nodded and looked back and forth between them. Eric sat with his arm across the back of Sun’s chair. He gave Ikher an easy, welcoming smile. As long as he had known him, Eric had been pretty laid back.

He seemed sincere about being okay with it. Sun leaned forward across the table. She was pretty and seemed really into him. It had been a while since he had done anything not with himself.

“If I said yes,” Ikher said. “What happens then? Do we go on a date or something?”

Sun’s lips pressed together as she fought a smile. She nodded and after a moment said, “We can. Though, usually we just do what happens after the date.”

Ikher thought for a second before he tapped his chin. “Oh, yeah. That makes sense. You’re already married.”

A splatter from the pan meant it was too hot. Ikher jumped up at the sound to attend to the meal. When Ikher turned, Sun looked at Eric.

“Oh my god. He is so adorable,” she whispered, making Eric cover his mouth to keep from laughing. He shook his head as he stood and walked over to the stove.

“Anything I can do to help?” Eric asked.

Ikher paused for a second, surveying everything before he shook his head.

“Nah. It’s pretty much all me at this point.” He nodded to the cabinets. “You can set the table.”

“On it.”

Ikher prepared bowls for everyone and they dug in. Eric had two bowls, Sun tapped out after halfway through one bowl, and Ikher had a bowl and a half. Sun helped Ikher clear the table, and they moved over to the living room. Ikher sat on the couch, followed by Sun. Eric pulled over a chair from the kitchen.

“Dude, if you ever need extra cash, let me know. I’ll hire you to cook at the bar,” Eric said, lowering himself, one hand on his stomach.

“Thanks,” Ikher said.

Sun turned to him and bit her bottom lip.“Can I be pushy? Did you figure out if you wanted to... “ Sun trailed off, waving her hand between him and her.

Ikher looked at Eric, who smiled and held his hands up, then back to Sun and shrugged. “Ummm... yeah.”

Eric nodded and stood as he rubbed his stomach. “All right. Think I’ll head home and walk off this meal.” He leaned down, kissing Sun’s cheek, then gave Ikher a fistbump. “You two have fun.”

“Huh,” Ikher said, his eyes opening wide. “Right now?”

“Unless you don’t want to?” Sun said, squeezing his thigh.

“No. Now’s okay, I guess.”

“Yay!” Sun said, crawling over the couch to straddle herself on top of Ikher.

Eric, seeing Ikher’s surprised face, laughed as he closed the door. Sun pulled her polo off, unhooked her bra, and pitched both to the side. A knock at the window made them both look up. It was Eric on the porch. He smiled and pointed to the curtains.

“Oooh yeah,” Sun said and leaned forward, smushing her chest in Ikher’s face. She grabbed the curtains, closed them, then sat back in his lap. “There, don’t want to give anyone a free show.”

Ikher rubbed an eye. “I think you got me with a nipple.”

Sun kissed his eyebrow and said, “Sorry, I was aiming for your mouth.”

When she kissed him on the lips, Ikher tasted oranges. Her hands snaked under his shirt, exploring his stomach and chest. After a moment, she pulled back and yanked at his shirt. Ikher leaned forward and let her pull it off. She tossed it near her discarded clothing and reached down to undo his shorts.

“You don’t need these either.”

“Oh wait,” he said, grabbing her hands. He thought for a second, then grit his teeth at her. “I don’t think I have any condoms. Or... if I do, they’re pretty old.”

Sun smiled and dismounted him, sliding to the end of the couch. She dug in her purse and asked, “regular or big?”

“I... dunno. Regular I think.”

She turned and held up two condoms: one was the size he was used to, the other almost as big as her hand.

“Holy shit,” Ikher said, grabbing the big one. “This thing’s huge.”

Sun laughed. “Now imagine something that big in you.”

Ikher looked at her condom and then to her, wide eyed. “How?”

“Slowly and with a lot of lube,” she said with a giggle. “It was great, but god, I was sore.”

“Oh man, I can’t imagine.”

“Yeah, regular sex is like bang, bang, bang, bang,” she said, making small quick punches. “But with him it was vrooom, vrooom, vrooom,” she said, extending her entire arm out slowly. She laughed at Ikher’s stunned face before taking the larger condom and tossing it over her shoulder.

“Where were we? Oh yeah. Off,” she said, pointing to his shorts.

Ikher shimmed out of his shorts and boxers.

“Oooh, I’ve never been with an uncut guy,” she said with a huge grin as she leaned forward and gently took him in hand. “This should be fun.”

----------------------------------------

Ikher collected and replaced the couch cushions that had tossed about before he found his clothes and started to dress.

“The way we’ve done it before,” Sun yelled from his bathroom where she freshened up. “is Eric will reach out to see if you’re available and want a visit.”

“Okay,” Ikher said, zipping up his shorts.

“That keeps him in the loop and lets you know he’s okay with what we are doing.”

“That’s a good system,” Ikher said as he pulled his shirt on.

“Thanks!” Sun said, poking her head out of the bathroom. “Can I take one of your hair ties?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Awesome, thanks!” she said as she came out, pulling her hair back. She grabbed her purse, turned, and went up on her tiptoes to kiss Ikher’s cheek. “This was fun. Eric’ll be in touch,” she said with a big grin.

“It was,” Ikher said with a nod. “I’ll walk you out.”

When he opened the door, he saw Vernard and Chuck getting out of the beat up Rambler parked behind Sun’s sedan.

“Sup mane,” Chuck called as he pulled a large box out of the back seat. Ikher remembered they were coming over with the Jam Band game and was grateful they hadn’t arrived earlier.

“Evening, miss,” Vernard said, dipping his head as Sun walked past them with a smile. He and Chuck watched as Sun drove off. When she turned the corner, they looked at him.

“You ready for this, mane?” Chuck said, smacking the box on his shoulder.

“Yeah. Come on in,” Ikher said and waved them in the house.

Vernard chuckled as he walked in. “Oh yeah, smells like sex in here.”

“What?” Ikher said, turning to him.

Chuck set the box on the kitchen table, used his foot to pull out a chair, and dropped onto it. His grin went from ear to ear. “Yeah, we got here bout ten minutes ago, started up the steps, and heard ‘ooooh Ikher’. Figured we should give you some space.”

“Aww man,” Ikher said, letting his head drop.

Vernard clapped him on the shoulder.

“It’s all good, young blood. Nothing wrong with laying some pipe.”

“Yeah, mane. Getting that intermission,” Chuck said.

“Horizontal Tetris,” Vernard said.

“Sharpen your pencil.”

“Checking her oil.”

“Dippin your wick.”

“Okay,” Ikher said, his face red.

“Riding the boney express,” Vernard continued.

“Puttin beef in the taco,” Chuck said.

“Guys! “ Ikher said, walking over and grabbing the box on the table. “Can we set the game up, please?”

“Sure thing,” Chuck said, stifling a laugh.

Ikher opened the box and started handing out parts. Two guitars, a drum set, and a microphone plus the game disc. They decided since Ikher had the most rhythm he should be drums. Vernard then said Chuck wasn’t cool enough for the bass, so he got the regular guitar. None of them could sing, so they left the mic unplugged.

After setting up their avatars, the game asked for a band name.

“How about... The Three Amigos?” Ikher said.

“Not bad,” Chuck said, tapping his chin. “I was thinking maybe ‘Bumping Uglies’.”

“Naw,” Vernard said, shaking his head. “We should be ‘Knocking Boots’.”

“Come on,” Ikher said with a sigh.

Chuck nodded, but held his finger up. “But what about the ‘Oh Oh Ikher’s’?”

Ikher’s chin fell to his chest. “I’m never gonna live this down, am I?”

“Nope!” they said in unison.