Twins - A New Year

My buddy had given me the walk-through, so I gave the same tour to the twins. Teri was left speechless when we went into the main cabin, and she saw the size of the bed. Katie jumped onto it right after her sister, and they both lay on their backs laughing.

On the main deck, the wood paneling was meant to resist the effects of the salt-water, but at the same time look regal. The galley had a lot of storage space, and the table and bench seat were good enough to seat the three of us. Below deck, the main berth was all the way forward, and the bed was enormous. I guessed it was about a queen size. The head was directly aft of the main cabin, and further back from that was the stairs, and three additional berths in a second cabin.

On the very upper deck was the flying bridge. Basically, it was an open-air pilot station, which I expected would be where I spent most of my time, instead of sitting behind the main cabin wheel. I was left speechless when I read the note from my buddy:

You owe me!

Have fun and make sure you

don't do anything I wouldn't.

That made me laugh, considering he was one of the biggest party animals I knew. There isn't much he wouldn't do, given the situation.

After the fanfare, I untied the ropes tethering us to the dock, and we were underway. It was still somewhat dark out, the crimson haze of the sunrise just now poking up over the Cascade Range to our east. The color moving above the peaks was amazing, and I retreated the throttles to an idle. We floated in the middle of the bay, all three of us coming together in our now very familiar three-way embrace.

We separated and Teri got out her camera. She snapped a picture of the view, turned and snapped one of Katie and I. The twins swapped, took a picture, and then they sat down for the ride.

I had plotted my course into the GPS the day before, including some waypoints along the way. I sat back in the Captain's chair and relaxed holding the wheel. I longed for a boat myself, but this one was larger than anything I could even dream to afford. I would be lucky if I could afford a little aluminum fishing boat.

Eventually, the sun fully rose. The water slipped beneath us as we skipped our way up the Puget Sound, passing Elliot Bay. We waved at the Space Needle before turning north and then west, continuing towards the open ocean. We weren't going all the way out, but it sure felt like it.

Two hours into the trip, I let Katie take the wheel for a bit, showing her how to read the navigation screen on the console. Teri and I made sandwiches for everyone, and after we ate, Teri took the wheel. At about the four-hour mark, I took the wheel again. We were approaching Lopez Island when the twins spotted some Orcas off our Starboard side. I had seen them before, but they were still amazing to watch as they crested the surface and dove back under. We slowed to watch them for a few minutes, before continuing.

We rounded the southern tip of Lopez Island, north between the two big islands, and eventually rounded the horn into Friday Harbor. Last time I came here, I wished these wonderful women had been with me. Now, I had them with me and planned to show them the best time possible. By this point, I hoped they knew the depth of my feelings for them, but if not, I would gladly spend the rest of my life showing them.

We docked, got off the boat and walked towards the green marina office. Standing next to the building, I gave them two choices.

"Okay ladies," I began. "We have two choices of what to do with our time here. One, we can stay here in town, enjoy the place and have a very nice dinner, retiring to a suite overlooking the harbor."

"Sounds amazing," commented Teri.

"Two, we could take the boat further north to a more secluded location, where we can go hiking and spend the evening in a private cabin."

"Ooohhh," purred Katie, shivering as she spoke. "I want that one."

I turned and looked to Teri. She smiled tenderly, "Sure, that sounds even better."

I think we made it back to the boat in record time. If the harbormaster had a stopwatch, it could have been one for the books.

We got untied and underway again, heading north to the Lonesome Cove Resort. I had been here before, and was glad they chose it. Time in town would have been a blast, but I wanted to spend as much time as I could with just the three of us. Life had been keeping us apart, and the time we had together was like gold. We got into a deep discussion about it as we made our way north.

"John, you have no idea how much I hate not being able to wake up with you, every single morning," said Teri.

"Yeah, I think I do," I replied. "Some nights, I can't get to sleep, with the emptiness in my room."

"I have a pillow that I named John," Katie admitted. "I cuddle with him every night, but it could never replace the real thing."

"I think we would live together great, having fun making breakfast in the morning..." Teri smiled.

"And having each other's backs, for anything," stated Katie. "You guys are my rock, you know that?" her voice cracking at the end.

My eyes began to water, as I saw tears streaking down Teri's cheeks. No words were needed at that point. I looked back to Katie as she too was struggling to contain her tears. We all just felt the connection, we just knew. I closed my eyes, wanting to capture this moment in time forever.

After blinking my eyes enough to clear my vision, I smiled. The girls smiled with me, and gang hugged me behind the wheel.

We docked at the Cove's private dock, nestled right up next to the Boathouse, that we were going to spend the next two nights in. The building itself was unassuming, but the privacy surrounding it made all the difference. At least it had a balcony out over the water, which I fully intended to take advantage of while we were here.

(longer version begins)

The twins were practically skipping down the dock as we carried our bags in. Once inside, we did the quick tour to figure out where everything was, then dropped our bags and went out onto the balcony. The view was spectacular, with the peaks of the Olympic range off in the distance, the sound of the water as it continued its infinite caress of the stones on the beach.

I looked to my left and right, and continued to marvel at the depth at which these two women had reached into my heart. I smiled, and the twins turned almost at the same time to return the emotion. Their smiles told me all I ever needed to know.

That night, we all stayed in. We used the pellet stove to warm the main room, sitting around with cups of hot cocoa. I can't remember the last time I actually had warm cocoa, but feel like it might have been before my parents were gone. The banter we shared felt so familiar, so comfortable, that I never wanted it to end. Teri and Kate each had their own memories to share, but were giggling as they heard some stories I shared, about my time in the Navy.

I had been in group conversations before, as I am sure the twins had also. This just felt brand new to me, every time we were together. How can you describe being amazed and reminiscent at the same time?

When we finally called it a night, the twins fell asleep on me, with their heads nestled into my shoulders, my arms wrapped around them. I don't ever remember feeling more loved, than I did at that moment.

In the morning, the sunlight streamed in through the old-fashioned curtains, casting a beam on the floor going up the base of the wall. Cuddled under the duvet, the three of us stayed close. I felt both move slightly, before turning to kiss each full on the lips.

"Mmmmm. Good morning to you, too," whispered Teri.

I smiled. Every morning should start that way.

Katie smiled as well, after we shared our kiss. "I could lay here all day," she admitted.

I would have too, but we had a few activities planned for the next two days. That morning was spent on a charter boat, going fishing off nearby Jones Island. Katie had a blast, pulling in several fish. I stood by her, laughing as she seemed to catch everything, while my line stayed still. Teri just sat back and watched, laughing as her sister kept reeling them in.

Eventually, she pulled in the Ling Cod that would end up being our dinner that night. She had to let go of a beautiful Halibut, as it wasn't on one of the approved days to take those out of the water. The boat captain wished us well, after we had returned to the dock and cleaned our own fish. Teri, being the future Lawyer, again gave us moral support from a few feet away.

After we cleaned ourselves up and returned to the Boathouse, Katie attacked me with a gusto. She was so impatient that she pushed my hands out of the way to get my pants unfastened and off. Teri joined her sister, pulling me down into bed with them. We came up for air in the late afternoon, feeling thoroughly rested.

We worked as a team, preparing the fish and a rice pilaf to go with it. Teri set the table and made a salad, while Kate was manning the stove. I helped with whatever they needed, and soon we were seated enjoying our wonderful meal. Dinner conversation was light, mainly the ladies talking about their last classes and which professor they hated the most.

That night we spent a magnificent time on that balcony. We enjoyed more wine than we probably should have, and just enough of each other on the blankets we spread out there. The air stayed warm long enough that we didn't get too cold, clinging to each other after we had all given in to our passion.

The next morning, we walked over to Roche Harbor, a quaint little town not even two miles away. We could have taken a taxi, but it just seemed like a waste of a perfect day. There was a slight breeze, warm sun overhead, and the birds making noise all around. There was a small airstrip, assumedly for the mega-rich that probably owned vacation homes here.

We arrived at a morning market and the twins split off to shop, agreeing to meet up in an hour. I picked up a gift for each of them, confident in my choices. I got Teri an authentic African vase (according to the artisan anyhow), with black painted shapes on a hazelnut color clay pot. For Katie, I got a framed 8x10 picture of Mt. Rainier, made with copper on a light blue background.

I met back up with them and we ate lunch outside, at a place called the Lime Kiln Café, enjoying some light banter about the market. After lunch, we took a taxi to the Pelindaba Lavender Farm, a large expanse of lavender growing on the other side of the island. I confessed to the twins that I loved lavender, it being my favorite scent to relax to.

Wrapping up our action-packed time, we were all exhausted as we returned to the cabin. We knew this would likely be the last time we would be together for at least a month, so made it count. The three of us fell asleep, after showing each other our love and devotion for at least an hour.

(longer version ends)

(original version begins)

We spent the next two nights, enjoying the Boathouse nestled right on the beach. The sunset kissing us goodnight before the stars shone brightly. We spent time on the balcony watching for shooting stars, spent time together in the huge tub, and the evenings continuing our exploration of each other's bodies.

I wanted to just keep them here, like this. No more schools, no more work, just leave behind everything

and everyone. They made it very clear to me on both nights, that they felt the same.

(condensed ends)

When we went back to our lives, two days later, we hugged basically the whole way back. I mean, we did take bathroom breaks and such, but yeah, mostly just hugged. I had no problem with it. The boat was easy to handle, while having one or two beauties hugging me. It was a hardship that I was willing to endure.

That night, they were going to spend at their parent's house, before flying back to their schools the following morning. We had a bone-crushing embrace, and before I lost the chance to say it in person, I spoke up.

"I love you... So much more than I ever thought I could," I admitted to the twins.

"John, my god you have no idea how tied together I feel to you, to both of you," Katie said.

"It's funny how often I think about what your opinion would be, before I do anything now," her sister replied.

"You two make my life what it is. I will wait to see you guys graduate, and after that, will follow you anywhere. I already turned in my two-week's notice, and have accepted a new job at a place near D.C." I hesitated a moment, turning to Katie. "I hope you don't mind, but I already called around and lined up an interview for you at a Lab out there..."

That was all I got out, before being gang-tackled by the twins. Thankfully I was able to remain standing, but it was difficult. Katie was smothering me with kisses, as Teri tucked her nose into my neck, nuzzling against me while making a cooing sound.

"I'd say you guys like my plan..."

We eventually had to release each other, but now we all had hope that this would be our last separation for a while. No further words were needed. We all tried to crush each other again, and then they both kissed me deeply, before going back to their parent's house.

The next morning, I heard them leaving as I sipped my morning coffee. My heart ached that they were leaving, but at the same time, it swelled with pride. I still couldn't believe my fortune, to have these two amazing women in my life...

*************

Whew, made it. This part grew to be a lot longer than I had intended, but the story found its own way through, even surprising me with some major changes to my original plan for them. I hope you enjoyed reading it at least half as much as I enjoyed writing it. I am growing quite fond of these characters. I plan a final chapter for this trio, culminating their relationship with the college graduations and possibly some relocations... Please vote and comment as you feel necessary, as I read them all.

Thank you!

RNebular