Dorsai - Jan

Otherwise, there wasn't any muss or fuss – no jealousy, no envy (well, I did envy their youth and energy, but nothing more), no regrets. We all loved each other, and were willing to give a little to get a little (pun intended!). I don't think that anybody kept 'score' (at least, I didn't) of who was doing what, or how often, or for how long. I suspect that they made love more often than I was aware of, but since I was satisfied and happy, I didn't worry about it.

Things did taper off somewhat toward the end – I think it was a combination of the newness of it wearing off, and simple satiety. With more time available to them, they were able to get things planned, and set up, for the sleepover; they were both careful to make sure that their plans fit in with the rules I'd laid down, and that I was agreeable to the whole thing.

The day that Paul got back, we had a lively wakeup session with all three of us; between the lovemaking and extended shower play, we barely made it to the airport in time: we were all still a little out of breath from rushing through the airport when Paul finally got clear of Customs.

He gave us a funny look, and all three of us laughed at the expression on his face – as well as our inside joke at what had prompted it, further convincing him that we were all crazy.

When I got home from work one afternoon, I found Kelly and Jan sharing the couch in the family room. When I went in, Jan got up to give me a kiss before asking me if I was thirsty. Telling her that a beer sounded good, I sat down next to Kelly while Jan headed into the kitchen. She came back with two beers and a glass – one bottle for me, and one for her and Kelly to share. Pouring half of it into a glass, Jan gave the bottle to Kelly, and at their invitation, we clinked glass as Kelly toasted "To the party!"

After we'd taken a swallow, Kelly told me "You'll never guess what happened at school today!" – and getting herself a look of anticipation from Jan.

"Okay, I give up." just as I'd done with Jan once before. It had a similar effect on Kelly.

"Huh?"

"I give up." I repeated.

Here, Jan jumped in, saying, "You said he'd never guess, so he gives up.

He did the same thing to me, too. You've just got to go ahead and tell him."

Kelly gave me the Goober look, before saying "Robyn has been different with me and Jan since, you know, she was here that time." – "Yeah, she really has", Jan offered – "And today, she told me that she was really, really sorry about all of it, and wanted to be friends again."

Here, Jan joined in, telling me "When Kelly told me about it, I was really surprised. I mean, she'd been nice to us and everything, and she's been real polite about not asking us, you know, stuff, but I never thought she would just come out an apologize like that."

Kelly went on, saying "I told her that*I* accepted her apology, but that I wasn't the only one she needed to talk to."

"And a little while later, she came up to me and apologized, too!" Jan exclaimed, before Kelly went on, saying "And she asked me if I thought you would be upset with her if she wanted to come over here and apologize to you, too."

"What did you tell her?" I asked.

"I told her that you weren't happy with her, but that if she apologized to you, you would accept it and probably not be upset with her any more." Kelly replied.

"And what did she say?"

"She said that she hoped you would give her a second chance, but that even if you didn't, she still wanted to say she was sorry, and try to make it right. Then she asked me if she could come over here, and I told her I thought it would be okay." she answered, a bit hesitantly during the last part.

"That's fine. If she wants to say she's sorry, then I'm willing to hear it. Whether or not I give her another chance is something else." I said.

Jan spoke up again, saying, "Well, we, uh, kinda told her that she could come by this evening. She wanted us to be here, too, so that she could apologize to all of us, together, again."

"So when is she going to be here, then?"

"She said she'd be here about six thirty – after dinner." Kelly answered.

I asked Jan "Did you want to stay here for dinner with us, or does your dad expect you?"

She answered by telling me "I already called Daddy, and he said it was okay for me to eat here, if it was okay with you."

That settled, we spent a few minutes discussing what we wanted for supper; Kelly was turning into a surprisingly good cook, even though we shared cooking and cleaning duties. Finally, we settled on chilidogs and chips – none of us was particularly enthusiastic about cooking, but didn't want to send out for anything, either.

So when Mabel announced that there was someone at the door a bit later, we'd eaten and were ready when a check of the video camera at the door showed that it was Robyn.

Kelly went to let her in, and when the two of them made their way into the den, I was sitting at one end of the couch, with Jan at the other.

After showing Robyn a chair across from me, Kelly sat down next to me, and pulled my arm around her.

Robyn looked nervous, but didn't even blink at Kelly's actions; instead, she was focused almost entirely on me.

My face calm, I looked at her, and said, "I understand you have something you want to say to me?"

She took a deep breath, and started.

"Yes, sir, I do. First, though, I want to thank you for letting me into your home, and giving me the chance to talk to you."

She continued, "What I did, to you and Jan and Kelly, was wrong. I know that, now. I owe them, and you, an apology for my actions. I involved myself in something that, as you said, was none of my business. Jan and Kelly were my friends for a long time, and I abused that friendship by prying into something that did not involve me. I behaved badly, I am deeply, and profoundly, sorry for the pain and hurt and inconvenience that all of you have experienced because of me."

She turned to Jan, and said "Jan, we've known each other since 6th grade. We've been told each other secrets, and shared dreams. What I did to you was to break the trust and friendship we had. I'm sorry. If I could go back and undo it, I would, in a second, even if it meant that*I* was the one to get hurt. If you give me the chance, I will show you how sorry I am; and if you can ever learn to trust me again, even a little bit, I will respect that trust by never, ever betraying it again."

Next was Kelly.

"Kelly, I'm sorry I hurt you. You were happy, and my prying into your life with my questions and demands made you unhappy. I can't undo that.

But I can promise you that it will never happen again, under*any* circumstances. I can look at you, and see how much you like Dan, and how happy he makes you; and I know that because of me, you almost lost him, and that happiness. What you do in your life is your business, and no one else's. I've learned that, the hard way."

By now, she had tears in her eyes, but Robyn didn't hesitate to face me.

"Dan, as much as Jan and Kelly, I owe you an apology. You're a kind, generous, honest, caring person. When you were there for our 'fashion show', you were a perfect gentleman; I know that all of us were teasing you a lot, but you never, ever did or say anything to make us think you were going to try anything with us. Even afterwards, you were nice enough to talk to us like we were grown up – more grown up than some of us actually were, or are. All of us knew that you cared a lot about Jan, and then Kelly; but for whatever reason, we just couldn't mind our own damn business, and we badly hurt you, and them. I'm sorry for that, and for the part that I had in it. I hope that you'll give me a second chance to show you that I have learned something, and grown up, since then. If you don't, then I understand, and won't feel sorry for myself -