We pulled the thin, sleeveless bags over our heads, then ventured outside. The rain pelted us as Cassie led us down the paved, puddled pathways. We headed towards another section of the resort I hadn’t seen before, closer to the lake. Near the shore were a few long, wooden docks that lead out to large, private cabins set over the water. The beautiful blonde walked right up to one and used her Magic Band to open the door. It clicked open, happily.
Inside, it looked more like an opulent vacation home than someone’s hotel room. We walked down a long hallway, leading to an open living room with a dining table, a couch, chairs, and a triangular coffee table. Next to it was a full open kitchen with modern appliances. Through the expansive windows, I could see a wraparound deck with its own sitting space and pool. Beyond that was the blue water of the lake, leading right up to the Magic Kingdom.
“We’re here!” Cassie cried out as we entered. “Time to put your clothes back on!”
I knew Cassie was kidding. But then my wife came out into the living room wearing nothing except a white, Mickey-themed bathrobe. My eyes must have popped straight out of my head because Emily immediately raced forward.
“We got caught in the rain,” she said, “All my clothes were soaked.” My wife looked remarkably sexy with her wet, dark hair hanging loose past her shoulders. The little bathrobe barely covered her thin, pink thighs. It had me feeling both excited and nervous all at the same time.
Jack came out a moment later. The handsome, silver-haired man was wearing a fancy Hawaiian shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. His bronze skin looked particularly dark in comparison to his bright clothes. His ice blue eyes sparkled, like he was laughing at a private joke. I couldn’t help but notice that he’d seemed to have come from the same room as my wife had.
He gave us all a warm welcome, went to the kitchen, and started making tea. The idea of a hot drink did seem perfect at that point.
“Honey, can Emily borrow something from you?” Jack asked Cassie as he filled the kettle.
“Of course!” Cassie said, “I’m not sure what’ll fit, I’m not as petite as you, but anything you find is fine by me.”
Allison must have sensed my discomfort with the whole scene because she immediately spoke up. “We can go back to our room and get our stuff,” she said.
“Don’t be silly,” Cassie said, “It’s awful out there. You can stay here for as long as you like.”
“That’s a nice thought, but I want to get into dry clothes, too,” Allison said. I could have kissed her (actually, I already had). “And we don’t want to interrupt your family time.”
“The kids went out clubbing for the evening,” Jack said, “I doubt a little rain will stop them. Tell you what, why don’t you go to your room and get changed. We got a bunch of groceries delivered a few days ago. Come on back and I’ll make you all dinner here.”
“Jack’s an amazing cook,” Cassie said.
As much as I wanted to argue it, I knew there was no way we could turn them down; Jack had trapped us with hospitality. Insidious in its own welcoming way. So, we all tromped out of the cabin, promising to be back within the hour.
I guess my wife could sense how I was feeling, because as soon as we got outside, Emily grabbed my arm, and pulled me close. Mike and Allison walked on ahead. The rain had slowed, but only from torrential to tolerable, and it didn’t show any signs of stopping anytime soon.
I tried to search Emily’s bright green eyes as we walked, but she wouldn’t meet my gaze. Yet despite her obvious nervousness, I could see tell she was practically thrumming with excitement about what had happened.
“I kissed Jack,” Emily confessed to her feet, “Or he kissed me. Or. I’m not sure. It was kinda crazy in the moment. We’d been at the pool, just talking and stuff. Then, when it started to rain, we ran back to his place. When we got there, he grabbed my shoulders. Put his hand on my cheek. And we. You know. Not a peck. Kiss kissed.”
“OK,” I said. Honestly, in some ways I was relieved. If that was the worst of it, there wasn’t much I could say. I thought back to Allison and I. We’d spent all afternoon making out on the rides. Could I truly argue that Emily had done anything different?
“How was it?” I asked.
“Fine,” Emily said, “Nothing special.” She took a deep breath. “OK, it was awesome. He’s a really good kisser. I kinda got swept up in it. I’m sorry. Are you OK? Are we OK?”
“You kissed him,” I said, “And liked it”.
“Yes,” Emily said, without a hint of shame.
“Tongue?”
“Maybe a little?” Emily said. The way she said it made me think she meant ‘definitely a lot.’ “But he was a total gentleman.”
A total gentleman who’d made out with my wife in his living room. Sure.
“It was only for a bit,” Emily continued, “He didn’t like, touch me or anything. Well, he had his hands on my shoulders. And my butt a little. It didn’t go farther than that. Then I told him I wanted to get changed. He showed me the bathrobes and left me alone to get dressed.”
“OK,” I said.
We got to our longhouse and headed inside. Our room was on the second floor, so Mike and Allison went to take the stairs up. Soon, we would all be together in that tiny room and our privacy would end. So, Emily and I decided to wait for the elevator rather than follow our friends, grabbing at whatever little moments we could to continue our conversation alone.
“What about you guys?” Emily asked, “Did you do anything, um, interesting?”
“Allison kissed me,” I said.
I thought my wife would be upset, but instead she smiled, widely. “That’s great!”
“A few times. We kissed.”
“Tongue?” Emily asked, playfully repeating my question.
“No.”
“Still, that’s awesome,” Emily said, “Truly. I’m completely super happy you two had fun, too. Really great.”
When we got to our room, Allison and Mike were already in the first bathroom, stripping off their wet clothes.
“Bathroom number 2 is the one closest to the door, perv,” Mike called to us. I heard Allison cackle behind him.
Emily and I grabbed dry clothes from our suitcase, then went into the free bathroom and got changed, ourselves. Dry clothes had never felt so wonderful. When we came back out, we found Mike lying on the bed, watching ESPN again. He was wearing a fresh t-shirt and shorts. I was dressed similarly, but I’d opted for long pants in the drippy weather.
Emily got onto our bed and broke out a book. She’d changed into a cute, green t-shirt and a pair of denim shorts. Her hair was back up in its usual tight, twisted bun. I lay down next to her. She fixed her glasses before kissing me on the cheek.
“Thank you,” she said, “For everything.”
I doubted she was grateful that I’d kissed her best friend, but I got the gist of it. I told myself that I was being a good husband. Trusting and open.
It still felt odd, though. Those same lips had been pressed to Jack’s not long ago. Some part of me felt like I could almost smell him on her.
Like the acrid smoke of a forest fire, far distant.