“Thanks, Dave. We really appreciate that.” I drew my hand back from Dave’s. “You know, why don’t you guys come over for dinner on Saturday? The kids can play, we can hang out, and maybe kind of gloss over any weirdness.”
“Sounds good. I’ll have to check with Tracy, but yeah, that would be fun.”
*** After dinner, the kids ran upstairs to Emma’s room to play. Brian refilled everyone’s wine glasses as I cleared the table. Dave and Tracy were quieter than usual, sitting together on the couch. After I had finished clearing the dishes, I joined Dave and Tracy on the couch, making sure to keep a respectful distance from Tracy. Setting the wine bottle on the table, Brian joined me.
“So I guess we freaked you guys out a little,” Brian said, ruffling his short blond hair.
Dave laughed, while Tracy looked toward her lap uneasily.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Dave said. “Threw me for a loop.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “The whole idea seemed bizarre to me at first too.”
Tracy looked wide-eyed at me. “How did you make your peace with that?”
I laughed. “You know, I thought I would be jealous, or it would all be too weird. But I’ve never felt as much as a pang of jealousy.” I looked meaningfully at Tracy as I rested a hand on Brian’s thigh. “It’s really hot.”
“But . . . what if it messed up your marriage?” Tracy asked. “Doesn’t that scare you?”
I smiled understandingly. “We’ve never felt closer, more intimate. I don’t fully understand how that works. But it’s true.”
Tracy nodded. “I have always thought you guys were a great couple. You always seemed really happy.”
“We are,” I shrugged. “Happier since we started this a few years ago than we’ve ever been.”
“And it’s not just us,” Brian added. “I mean, we’re not trying to convince you of anything. But most of the people we know who do this stuff have that type of experience.”
“Yeah,” I echoed. “Listen, I want you to know we’re not trying to convert you. I don’t want you to feel weird about us.”
“Well, we’ve had some fantasies,” Dave said hesitantly, looking at Tracy.
“Yeah,” Tracy said, “we’ve talked about some stuff. Just talking though. I don’t think either one of us ever intended to do anything like that.”
“That’s cool,” I said. “It’s not for everybody.” I paused, wondering whether my next words would go too far. “But if you wanted to try it out, see what you think, we’d be game.”
Brian nodded, carefully making sure not to ogle Tracy. “Totally.”
*** A week later, back at our house, Tracy was clearly nervous. She and Dave were huddled close on one end of the couch.
“Here you go,” I said, handing Tracy and Dave their drinks. “Two mojitos.”
Tracy was wearing jeans, a sweater, and socks, exposing as little skin as she possibly could. She looked panicked, frozen, as though she were bracing herself for some horrible punishment. Dave seemed slightly less tense, his nerves betrayed only by his constantly shaking leg, his foot tapping as though in time with frenetic music.
I sat on the floor beside Brian, determined not to make Tracy and Dave feel crowded. Determined not to be pushy.