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I beam at her. What’s the point of denying it? Rhia figured that one out days ago. Now she just has visual confirmation.
“Yeah. He’s just amazing,” I sigh happily. “You know, Aiden is the first boyfriend I’ve had that I can fully be myself with, where I don’t have to pretend or hold back.”
At Rhia’s surprised expression, I elaborate. “I’ve been thinking about my previous relationships. Aiden and I, we’re compatible inside and outside the bedroom. I’ve never had this.
“With Don I could be myself… mostly. He accepted my quirks, and we got on well. But sexually? I was attracted to him—obviously, but I never just wanted to strip him naked and have my way with him.
“Then Marco came along. In hindsight, I can see I never let him see all of me, because if he did, I feared he wouldn’t want to be with me anymore, and I couldn’t stand the thought of being abandoned by another person. So I tried to live up to his expectations inside and outside the bedroom. I made his needs and wants more important than mine, but I was never really happy with him.”
“How could you be? He was a douche. An absolute jerk.” Rhia never hid her dislike for Marco. She tolerated him for my sake, but being protective of me, the two clashed more than once.
“Then Tiero enters my world, and the chemistry with him was off the charts. As you’re well aware, I’d never experienced anything like it. Sex with him was mind blowing and for the first time in my life, I could let completely go of my inhibitions. But outside the bedroom? Or office, or yacht, or wherever else he took me… I couldn’t really be myself. I felt like I needed to be more sophisticated, more worldly and at the same time compromise every value and principle I hold dear… I had to be Opposite Ella to be enough. He had expectations of me to be a certain way, that were just not me. But despite that, we had a soul connection, something deep and meaningful between us. I still love him, and probably always will.”
“And Aiden?” Rhia asks, looking over at my boyfriend.
Butterflies alight in my stomach at the sound of his name. “I can be me in and outside of the bedroom and anywhere else. I’m aware it’s only early days for us, and I’m yet to discover his flaws and he mine, but this feels different. There’s flow and ease, laughter and silliness. And then there is this primal attraction. I want him all the freaking time. I can’t get enough of the man.”
“El, I’m so happy.” She’s beaming at me, pulling me in for a hug. “He’s it for you, isn’t he?”
I smile at her but shake my head. “It’s too early days.”
“No,” she says vehemently. “When you know, you know… remember?”
We hug then, and I soak up Rhia’s friendship and love. Maybe, just maybe, we both found our happily ever after.
We pull apart and grin at each other. The men join us, more drinks in hand. “Are you two up to no good again?” Lex asks.
“We? Never,” Rhia says, batting her eyelashes at him.
“Cute, sexy legs, but ineffective,” he deadpans.
“Did I tell you how these two”—she points at Aiden and me—“watched homemade porn the first day they met?” she asks her boyfriend.
“You did?” Lex asks, looking at us. “Way to go.” He grins, while I squeak out, “No!” Aiden just chuckles, clearly amused.
Rhia fills Lex in on Sue and Joe’s pony club, and Aiden, helpfully, adds a few details I had deliberately left out. The two of them are having a great old time, while Lex and I sit back, chuckling. I knew it was a mistake to tell my bestie about this, but it was just too good not to share.
“You know I’ve been thinking about Joe and Sue since you told me that story,” Rhia begins.
“God help us all,” I mutter, snuggling into Ade’s side.
“If Sue broke her arm during their play, she would have been stuck in that costume. She would have been in a lot of pain while Joe presumably tried to get her out of her horse suit. I mean, they couldn’t go to hospital dressed like that, could they?”
“I suppose not,” I say carefully, not knowing where Rhia is taking this conversation. With her, anything is possible. The guys just look at each other with raised eyebrows.
“It would have been excruciating for Sue. But she couldn’t be seen in public like that, and it made me wonder,” she says, amusement written all over her face. “You’d think this sort of thing must happen all the time… people must get injured having kinky sex and find themselves in compromising situations.”
Lex chuckles. “It hasn’t happened to you yet,” he teases and Rhia hits him playfully. I so don’t want to know what kinky games those two get up to.
“So I had this idea for…” Rhia starts cracking up, making the rest of us laugh just watching her.
When she finally catches her breath, she enlightens us about her brilliant idea. “What would you do if you injured yourself having kinky sex and you had to call a paramedic? Like Sue, you can’t exactly turn up at the emergency department dressed as a horse with no bottom in your britches… there should be a special paramedic service just for sex accidents.”
“Oh, that’s genius,” I say, jumping on board her thought-train. I think the two and a half beers under my belt are helping. I’m such a lightweight. “There would be lots of rich and famous people who need total discretion. We could offer a discrete paramedic service, like roadside assistance… an accident breakdown service for sex accidents.” Now I’m laughing too.
“But they couldn’t turn up in a normal ambulance with sirens. They would have to come in like an electrician’s or a plumber’s truck,” Aiden throws in.
“Yes! Good point,” Rhia immediately agrees. “That way, the neighbors would think you had a leaking tap, or you needed your water heater fixed… even if it was the middle of the night.”
