I noticed all of us were eyeing each other, as if sharing in our appreciation. The group had grown together so thoroughly the last few days, yet we couldn’t keep ourselves from ogling, amazed, all over again.
Despite the urge to throw ourselves right back down the rabbit hole, we all agreed that we needed to spend our last day at Disney actually at Disney. Our costumes from the night before were all gross and sweaty, stained with who knows what, but they were the only clothes we had. So, we put them on as best we could.
Once again, Allison, Mike, Emily and I headed back to our hotel room. Stepping out from the bungalow was like entering a different universe. Families raced around us, getting ready for the day. Couples strutted past with their morning coffee. Kids were already throwing tantrums. I remembered a few days before, thinking we were on a shared walk of shame. If that was the case, then this had to be a full-on parade of disgrace. Our only reprieve was that it was still early enough that most people hadn’t woken up yet.
The four of us hurried back to our hotel room. Allison only paused to check her watch and tut her tongue. But when we got back to our room, we didn’t start changing right away. Instead, Allison immediately pulled me over to the couch while Mike led Emily to the bed. The other couple looked so deadly serious, it was scary.
“Mike and I had a talk this morning,” Allison said, looking me right in the eyes. “About, you know, everything.”
I felt my chest tighten. This sounded bad. Despite all the wildness we’d been working through, we’d only gone on this trip because Allison was Emily’s best friend. But this was starting to sound like a breakup speech.
“Yeah, somehow, Allie and I ended up in the same bedroom together last night,” Mike said. He gave us all an oversized wink. “Weird, right? You’d almost think we were husband and wife.”
Allison shook her head at him, but she smiled. “In any case, we want to make sure you both know how much fun this week has been. For both of us.”
“Amazing,” Mike said, his eyes twinkling.
“Paul, what we shared this week was incredible,” Allison said, “I can’t tell you how much I treasure what we’ve had together. I hope you know I truly value you as a friend.”.
“Emily,” Mike said, “This has been so amazing. You’re amazing. I mean, your incredible tits and that tight twisting pussy. Holy fuck, Em.”
“Michael!” Allison snapped at her husband. Mike bowed his head. Allison gave him a gesture that he needed to move on.
“Right, sorry,” Mike said, “I never thought of you this way before, Emily. But now I see there’s this amazing connection we can share — beyond the, you know, the dirty stuff — and I’m hoping it will continue for long after this week.”
“I feel the same way,” Emily said, her voice tentative. “We care about you both so much.”
I gave Allison a firm nod of agreement.
“I’m glad to hear that,” Allison said, “But we also want to make sure you understand. Mike and I made a decision. After everything that’s happened, what we’ve all been through. It’s important for us, for you, to know…”
“We’re done,” Mike said. He looked over at his wife with a loving expression. “No more sharing, swapping, schtupping. Whatever you want to call it.”
“Yes,” Allison said, “That.”
“Paul and I had the same conversation,” Emily said.
“Oh, thank God,” Allison said. She let out a huge sigh of relief. Her whole body went limp. I hadn’t realized how tight she’d been until she relaxed. A joyous grin spread across her face.
“Did you really think we would?”
“I didn’t know what to think,” Allison said, “Your friendship means so much to us. To me. I was so worried that this was going to end it.”
“Of course not,” I said, “We’ll stop immediately.”
“Well, we don’t need to go that far,” Mike said, “At least, not yet.”
He and Emily shared a naughty smirk.
“We agreed to one more day,” Allison said. She gave me a flirty smirk of her own.
“A last hurrah, if you will,” Mike said.
“We’d kinda reached the same conclusion,” Emily said.
“So, we’re cool?” Allison asked.
“Very much, yes,” I said.
The tall blonde leaned down and hugged me, tight. When she did, she whispered in my ear. “I missed you last night. Jack was fine, but it wasn’t the same.”
“I missed you, too,” I said. It was sort of the truth. Kind of a lie. But what else was I going to say? And, being fair, there were times when I had truly missed Allison. Fleeting but real.
“OK,” Allison clapped her hands loudly, “Now we really need to hurry up and go.”
All four of us scrambled to get our things together. It might have been more efficient to share showers, but in this group, we knew washing together would only cost us more time, so we cleaned up separately.
Still, things like privacy or propriety went right out the window. We stripped naked right in front of each other, a far cry from earlier in the trip when an accidental glance at a naked Allison had gotten me in so much trouble.
Each of us put on our usual outfits: shorts, t-shirts, and sandals. We looked like a group of oversized kids getting ready for summer camp. We slathered on sunscreen — yet another golden opportunity to get dirty with each other — but we managed to keep ourselves in check. Now, finally, we were ready to head out.
“Should we tell Jack and Cassie?” Emily asked as we hurried out of our hotel room. “About what we agreed to, I mean.”
“I don’t see why,” Allison said, “I mean, we’re not changing anything for today. And tomorrow we’re all flying off on our separate ways.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Emily said, wistful.
We raced back through the resort and over to the main building to get the monorail. Cassie and Jack were both already standing there, waiting. They waved our way excitedly, but I could tell they were both sleepy. We all were. Our lifestyle was starting to eat at us in all sorts of ways.
Cassie was wearing a gorgeous, white, diaphanous dress with a plunging cut down the center of her chest. She looked more like she was going out for a fine evening rather than heading to a theme park.
“I was feeling fancy,” Cassie said, shrugging, when Emily complimented her outfit. The beautiful blonde leaned in to kiss my cheek, then wrapped her arm around my back. Protective.
Jack, as usual, had on his jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. He gave Emily and Allison quick hugs. Mike and I got the usual guy nod.
“Last day at Disney,” Cassie said. She let out a long sigh. “I’m so excited for today. But sad, too. It’s strange.”
“Stay in the now,” I said. Both Allison and Cassie gave me a shocked look. “Some very smart people told me that.”
We went up the steps to the monorail station and waited for the train. Outside, the sky was the same striking blue I’d become used to. The air was clean, if a bit heavy with humidity. A light breeze played at our clothes, like a mischievous fairy.
I took in the world around us and couldn’t help but smile. This felt good. Safe. We were out with friends on a beautiful day, about to have an incredible adventure together. Nothing could be better.
It almost felt like we were celebrating. After all, we’d done it. We’d reached the end (well, almost) and had survived. The gauntlet of everything we’d gone through, it would have destroyed most people, most marriages. But there we were, triumphant, with hardly a scratch on us.