MY FIRST YEAR WITH AUSTIN
Chapter 23: An epic love story (Part 2)
I bursted out laughing.
"Janice! Getting at it with the Nine Inches King! Girl, what the hell?!"
"Oh please, don't call him that. He's just... He is a... An adult male performer."
She had to laugh at the ridiculousness of her own comment, but she was hiding her face behind her hands.
"What did you drink last night to suddenly jump on him? In my own freaking bed on top of that! In front of a camera!"
"Of course, I did not know the camera was rolling! And to be clear, I did not drink anything."
"So, you just decided that you wanted to taste the nine inches? Just like that!"
"Stop saying that, and, Tyler, you got it all wrong."
"Unless you are about to tell me you have a blond twin sister who is here with us in Vegas, I'm not really sure how I could have gotten it wrong. The footage was pretty explicit!"
That would have been a funny twist as well, the Evil Twin, don't you think? But that was not it.
"No... Obviously, we did have sex with each other. I'm not denying this. But you got it wrong thinking this was the first time..."
"JANICE!" I howled, spilling my own orange juice everywhere.
She smiled and rolled her eyes.
"I know..."
"Since when is this happening? You two are... I mean, I see you both all the time... How, when, where... WHY?!"
"When? While you were in the coma. How? I was feeling pretty bad about myself and lonely. I was very worried too. Ralph on the other hand was super optimistic, always here to cheer me up, and..."
"...He found a creative way to cheer you up!" I finished her sentence.
"Basically."
"Good Lord, cheeky dirty Janice! Who would have thought?"
"What do you want me to say? He's very hot, he knows what he's doing, I did not think I could get attached. I thought it was harmless."
I was most surprised by her last words.
"Wait... It's not harmless anymore? Like, it could be serious between you two?"
"Are you from the police or what? Cut it off on the investigation."
"I'm just a well-intentioned curious friend."
She nodded her head.
"I don't know, it's still fresh..."
"I got out from my coma more than three months ago! From what you've just told me, you've been fucking this whole time, it's not that fresh!"
"In my defense, it's not easy to stop when you have found a way to enjoy yourself and release some of the pressure." She smiled. "I really did not think we would still be... doing it... so many months later, but... here we are. And now, it's no longer a secret... You know. Austin knows. Crap!"
"That does not change anything, Jan. Don't put pressure over yourself because we know."
"Still..."
I became a little more serious. I did not want her to feel bad.
"It's definitely surprising but Ralph is a great guy, you're amazing yourself, do whatever you want! It is not like I am in any position to judge you."
"I guess, you're right... But it was all just a fun thing when it was a secret but now, I feel like we have to make a decision, actually start dating or end this."
"You can be sex friends! Who cares? You don't need to put a label to whatever you two are doing. All I can say is that I did not know you were that flexible! The footage was quite enlightening."
Janice played with her hair and rolled her eyes again.
"Ty, I don't think that I want to be his sex friend."
"Ok then."
"No... I... I think I actually like him."
I thought that the two of them having drunk sex in Vegas was pretty funny and a great excuse to tease Janice, however, what she was telling me at this point was way more than that. I had no idea.
"Let me have a second to process this. It's not just that you're having sex with Ralph. You like him?"
"You think that's a mistake? I know that's certainly is, but... He's really different when we are together." She said defensively.
"No, I don't think that's a mistake! I mean, I have no idea. Again, it's all new to me, but if you feel like this could work, go for it. I'm really just surprised, that's all."
"I know that his job is sort of crazy, the way he performed, just last night... Sometimes, I wonder, what the hell am I doing? But see, he does not do anything with other girls, he... He sort of made it clear that he wanted for us to be serious. He was pressing me so we could tell you, but I was the one being reluctant."
For a second there, the idea crossed my mind that Ralph might not have messed up with the recording...
Could it be possible that he had filmed his sextape with Janice on purpose? To this day, he swears that he did not.
"Look, Richard seemed too good to be true and he was the worst piece of shit. At least, with Ralph, you have it all on the table." I pointed out.
"That's for sure... He's putting it all on display, no mask or anything."
I smiled.
"I would be lying if I did not tell you that a part of me is worried that you might get something going between you two and then, break up. I love our little gang as it is and relationships between friends can end badly, but it could also work out! And, as it seems, you are already in too deep to go back to just being friends."
"Probably... Oh God, it does feel good to be finally able to talk this with you! I was going to explode with this secret."
"Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"I was not sure how you would react, or if this was going anywhere at all. I know you share a special bond with Ralph. You were in prison with this guy. He told me all about the things you talked about during your audition last year... Including the things you had to do with the warden."
Shit.
I did not expect my sexcapades with Ralph to come out at this point. Frankly, I had not even thought about that.
"Sometimes, sex really does not mean anything, and I can promise you, when Ralph did stuff with the warden, or when the warden made us do stuff with each other, it was definitely one of these meaningless moments."
Janice put her hands back on her face to hide her eyes.
"I was thinking the other day. Luis fucked you while we were dating, Richard has tried to fuck you while we were engaged, and you've pretty much had sex with Ralph in prison."
"Jesus Christ, Janice. Don't put things this way!"
"That's just the truth. We have a very weird friendship, Tyler, and you have very weird relationships with my boyfriends or ex-boyfriends."
"Okay, but those were three completely different situations. And it does not change the fact that you've just called Ralph your boyfriend!" I called her out.
"Damn. I had not even noticed!"
Maybe that was a happy mistake that morning, but Ralph did become Janice's boyfriend. And it was certainly not just a fling.
Not many people would have bet on Janice and Ralph to last on the long run.
But they did.
Once their secret was out, they decided to own it and their relationship felt instantly natural. I was maybe too busy with my own things going on, - the coma, the recovery, the proposal -, to notice but Ralph had changed in the past few months and Janice too. It just clicked.
And it has been clicking since then, to this very day when I am writing these lines, more than ten years later.
What I am about to say might sound cheesy, but let me have this, we are nearing the very-end of the story here. I am feeling very honoured and privileged to have gotten the opportunity to see them growing together, both as individuals and as a couple.
From their first "official" dates, to the moment they started to live together about six months after this Vegas trip, to their wedding one year later and the birth of each of their three children, I have only seen them being more fulfilled and happier year after year.
Ralph ended up getting the Vegas residency (who was surprised? He was nailing his performances) and later on, he set up his own stripping company. I worked with him on its development until I became too busy with my work as an author.
Sometimes loves is a mystery, and sometimes, you know just by seeing two people interact with each other that they were meant to be together.
If all the mistakes, mishaps, and wrong paths I had taken in my life had led to Janice and Ralph meeting each other and falling in love, I think that all of my messed-up adventures were worth it.
They often told me that they had practically zero chance to ever get together if it had not been for me ending-up in prison.
Maybe that is true, or maybe, their paths would have crossed anyway. Maybe they are soulmates, or maybe they just met at the right time and at the right place, when they were ready to commit into a truthful and genuine relationship.
Who freaking knows?
What about me, then? What about Austin?
As the rest of the group joined us at the breakfast table, it was time to share our own news. Austin and I had made a decision during the night!
"Guys, what do you think of staying one more night in this hotel?" I asked the others.
"Depends on who's paying." Ralph joked.
"We would." I spoke. "Noone makes their guests pay to assist to their wedding, right?"
"What?!" Janice practically jumped from her seat.
Austin laughed.
"Neither Ty nor I want to spend months and tons of money planning a wedding. My family had already come to a wedding of mine and we all know that marriage ended badly."
"The wedding ceremony does not matter to us, at all. We really just want to be married." I added.
"Damn, guys, you're really doing this?" Sergio said, excited.
"I think we are."
"I mean, we're already in Vegas! What better place for a shotgun wedding?!" Ralph cheered.
"They're right! Let's do this!" Allison raised her glass as well.
Were we really about to do this?
I guess you will still have to read one more chapter of this book to find out if this story ends with a happy ending...
*
[See you soon for the epic finale, guys! What do you think?! After more than three years sharing their stories, do you think Tyler and Austin will get their happy ending?]
Chapter 23: An epic love story (Part 2)
I bursted out laughing.
"Janice! Getting at it with the Nine Inches King! Girl, what the hell?!"
"Oh please, don't call him that. He's just... He is a... An adult male performer."
She had to laugh at the ridiculousness of her own comment, but she was hiding her face behind her hands.
"What did you drink last night to suddenly jump on him? In my own freaking bed on top of that! In front of a camera!"
"Of course, I did not know the camera was rolling! And to be clear, I did not drink anything."
"So, you just decided that you wanted to taste the nine inches? Just like that!"
"Stop saying that, and, Tyler, you got it all wrong."
"Unless you are about to tell me you have a blond twin sister who is here with us in Vegas, I'm not really sure how I could have gotten it wrong. The footage was pretty explicit!"
That would have been a funny twist as well, the Evil Twin, don't you think? But that was not it.
"No... Obviously, we did have sex with each other. I'm not denying this. But you got it wrong thinking this was the first time..."
"JANICE!" I howled, spilling my own orange juice everywhere.
She smiled and rolled her eyes.
"I know..."
"Since when is this happening? You two are... I mean, I see you both all the time... How, when, where... WHY?!"
"When? While you were in the coma. How? I was feeling pretty bad about myself and lonely. I was very worried too. Ralph on the other hand was super optimistic, always here to cheer me up, and..."
"...He found a creative way to cheer you up!" I finished her sentence.
"Basically."
"Good Lord, cheeky dirty Janice! Who would have thought?"
"What do you want me to say? He's very hot, he knows what he's doing, I did not think I could get attached. I thought it was harmless."
I was most surprised by her last words.
"Wait... It's not harmless anymore? Like, it could be serious between you two?"
"Are you from the police or what? Cut it off on the investigation."
"I'm just a well-intentioned curious friend."
She nodded her head.
"I don't know, it's still fresh..."
"I got out from my coma more than three months ago! From what you've just told me, you've been fucking this whole time, it's not that fresh!"
"In my defense, it's not easy to stop when you have found a way to enjoy yourself and release some of the pressure." She smiled. "I really did not think we would still be... doing it... so many months later, but... here we are. And now, it's no longer a secret... You know. Austin knows. Crap!"
"That does not change anything, Jan. Don't put pressure over yourself because we know."
"Still..."
I became a little more serious. I did not want her to feel bad.
"It's definitely surprising but Ralph is a great guy, you're amazing yourself, do whatever you want! It is not like I am in any position to judge you."
"I guess, you're right... But it was all just a fun thing when it was a secret but now, I feel like we have to make a decision, actually start dating or end this."
"You can be sex friends! Who cares? You don't need to put a label to whatever you two are doing. All I can say is that I did not know you were that flexible! The footage was quite enlightening."
Janice played with her hair and rolled her eyes again.
"Ty, I don't think that I want to be his sex friend."
"Ok then."
"No... I... I think I actually like him."
I thought that the two of them having drunk sex in Vegas was pretty funny and a great excuse to tease Janice, however, what she was telling me at this point was way more than that. I had no idea.
"Let me have a second to process this. It's not just that you're having sex with Ralph. You like him?"
"You think that's a mistake? I know that's certainly is, but... He's really different when we are together." She said defensively.
"No, I don't think that's a mistake! I mean, I have no idea. Again, it's all new to me, but if you feel like this could work, go for it. I'm really just surprised, that's all."
"I know that his job is sort of crazy, the way he performed, just last night... Sometimes, I wonder, what the hell am I doing? But see, he does not do anything with other girls, he... He sort of made it clear that he wanted for us to be serious. He was pressing me so we could tell you, but I was the one being reluctant."
For a second there, the idea crossed my mind that Ralph might not have messed up with the recording...
Could it be possible that he had filmed his sextape with Janice on purpose? To this day, he swears that he did not.
"Look, Richard seemed too good to be true and he was the worst piece of shit. At least, with Ralph, you have it all on the table." I pointed out.
"That's for sure... He's putting it all on display, no mask or anything."
I smiled.
"I would be lying if I did not tell you that a part of me is worried that you might get something going between you two and then, break up. I love our little gang as it is and relationships between friends can end badly, but it could also work out! And, as it seems, you are already in too deep to go back to just being friends."
"Probably... Oh God, it does feel good to be finally able to talk this with you! I was going to explode with this secret."
"Why didn't you tell me anything?"
"I was not sure how you would react, or if this was going anywhere at all. I know you share a special bond with Ralph. You were in prison with this guy. He told me all about the things you talked about during your audition last year... Including the things you had to do with the warden."
Shit.
I did not expect my sexcapades with Ralph to come out at this point. Frankly, I had not even thought about that.
"Sometimes, sex really does not mean anything, and I can promise you, when Ralph did stuff with the warden, or when the warden made us do stuff with each other, it was definitely one of these meaningless moments."
Janice put her hands back on her face to hide her eyes.
"I was thinking the other day. Luis fucked you while we were dating, Richard has tried to fuck you while we were engaged, and you've pretty much had sex with Ralph in prison."
"Jesus Christ, Janice. Don't put things this way!"
"That's just the truth. We have a very weird friendship, Tyler, and you have very weird relationships with my boyfriends or ex-boyfriends."
"Okay, but those were three completely different situations. And it does not change the fact that you've just called Ralph your boyfriend!" I called her out.
"Damn. I had not even noticed!"
Maybe that was a happy mistake that morning, but Ralph did become Janice's boyfriend. And it was certainly not just a fling.
Not many people would have bet on Janice and Ralph to last on the long run.
But they did.
Once their secret was out, they decided to own it and their relationship felt instantly natural. I was maybe too busy with my own things going on, - the coma, the recovery, the proposal -, to notice but Ralph had changed in the past few months and Janice too. It just clicked.
And it has been clicking since then, to this very day when I am writing these lines, more than ten years later.
What I am about to say might sound cheesy, but let me have this, we are nearing the very-end of the story here. I am feeling very honoured and privileged to have gotten the opportunity to see them growing together, both as individuals and as a couple.
From their first "official" dates, to the moment they started to live together about six months after this Vegas trip, to their wedding one year later and the birth of each of their three children, I have only seen them being more fulfilled and happier year after year.
Ralph ended up getting the Vegas residency (who was surprised? He was nailing his performances) and later on, he set up his own stripping company. I worked with him on its development until I became too busy with my work as an author.
Sometimes loves is a mystery, and sometimes, you know just by seeing two people interact with each other that they were meant to be together.
If all the mistakes, mishaps, and wrong paths I had taken in my life had led to Janice and Ralph meeting each other and falling in love, I think that all of my messed-up adventures were worth it.
They often told me that they had practically zero chance to ever get together if it had not been for me ending-up in prison.
Maybe that is true, or maybe, their paths would have crossed anyway. Maybe they are soulmates, or maybe they just met at the right time and at the right place, when they were ready to commit into a truthful and genuine relationship.
Who freaking knows?
What about me, then? What about Austin?
As the rest of the group joined us at the breakfast table, it was time to share our own news. Austin and I had made a decision during the night!
"Guys, what do you think of staying one more night in this hotel?" I asked the others.
"Depends on who's paying." Ralph joked.
"We would." I spoke. "Noone makes their guests pay to assist to their wedding, right?"
"What?!" Janice practically jumped from her seat.
Austin laughed.
"Neither Ty nor I want to spend months and tons of money planning a wedding. My family had already come to a wedding of mine and we all know that marriage ended badly."
"The wedding ceremony does not matter to us, at all. We really just want to be married." I added.
"Damn, guys, you're really doing this?" Sergio said, excited.
"I think we are."
"I mean, we're already in Vegas! What better place for a shotgun wedding?!" Ralph cheered.
"They're right! Let's do this!" Allison raised her glass as well.
Were we really about to do this?
I guess you will still have to read one more chapter of this book to find out if this story ends with a happy ending...
*
[See you soon for the epic finale, guys! What do you think?! After more than three years sharing their stories, do you think Tyler and Austin will get their happy ending?]