EVE

Brian dropped me off at my car and after a few words and a chaste kiss he was gone. I got home and checked my messages. I had a few calls from potential fucks, a call from Daddy one from Heather and four calls from Daphne marked as urgent. She was in tears and sounded hysterical. I called her home and cell telephone several times before giving up. Since there were no calls from the other family members I reasoned that Daphne was physically fine. 

I called Heather next. Her answering machine picked up. We’d been playing telephone tag for the last two weeks. I left her a message. I called and checked in with Daddy. It had become a routine. Each day before 10:00 a.m. I called and said good morning. This morning we made plans to meet for dinner tonight. As always he told me he loved me and to have a safe day and be careful. I loved it when my Daddy told me that. I’m such a big Daddy’s girl. 

I took a shower and dressed. Since I had a personal appearance I dressed in my black suede pants suit. The two-piece set consisted of low-rise pants that zipped on the side and a waist length collarless jacked. The pants emphasized my small waistline, molded to the curves of my hips and made my ass look awesome. I added a burnt sienna stretch pullover that showed only a peek-a-boo look at my cleavage plus the color played off well against my eyes and my dark coloring. I added a few pieces of jewelry. Nothing fancy just a few pieces of hand hammered brass earrings, necklace, several bracelets and chain link belt that I had made especially for me by one of the African shops in the Atlanta Downtown Flea Market. I loved the way the belt rode low on my hips. 

I rarely wore foundation but I did today to hide my excess and lack of sleep from last night. I gave myself a critical inspection in the full-length mirrors of my dressing room. Not bad if I said so myself. The outfit was casually sexy and seductive. Just the look I was going for. I’d learned that personal appearances were my avenue for picking up potential fucks and I always wanted to look hot and available just in case I spotted a hot guy. 

As I drove towards Daph’s I thought about calling Justin but I didn’t want to worry him. It was probably nothing. I hoped it was just Daphne having one of her moments. She and Justin both tended to major in Drama Princess 101. I stopped and picked up breakfast at the gourmet health food shop. I’d been to Daph’s apartment on several occasions. She rarely had anything edible other than yogurt in her fridge. 

I had been knocking on Daph’s door for a few minutes when it occurred to me I might have to pick the lock or do something overly dramatic and go to the leasing office and tell them I was a family member and I hadn’t heard from her in days. It wouldn’t be a complete lie. I considered Daph as part of my family and I hadn’t heard from her in days. Just as I was giving this some serious thought Daph opened the door. She looked like shit. Her hair was in total explosion mode, her eyes were red rimmed and blood shot, her skin looked blotchy and there was a faint smell of puke and cheap liquor wafting from her disheveled clothing. 

“You look like *shit* and smell even worse!” 

I leaned in, kissed her and pushed my way past her. Daphne sniffed her clothing and grimaced. 

“Thanks,” she mumbled sarcastically. “Good morning to you too.” 

She shut the door and walked in her living area. I loved Daph’s little one bedroom apartment. It had that funky 70’s feel to it. She had beads hanging in a doorway. Her furniture color was a mixture of mustards, brown and khaki greens. She had floor pillows tossed around and a large round glass table in front of the sofa that sometimes functioned as her eating table. Her lampshades all had a fringe of beads hanging from them except for the retro lava lamp on the side table. She had a lot of Justin’s artwork on her walls his apartment warming gift to her. Most of the art was his computer generated stuff that had the same abstract funky feel as her décor. She had one sketch of her and Justin. The artwork was spectacular. Justin was extremely talented. 

I headed straight to the kitchen. Daphne didn’t have a dining room. She had a breakfast bar and four stools in front of it that served as her eating area. 

“Why don’t you go shower and I’ll put out breakfast.” 

Daphne made a face at the mention of food. 

“Go on,” I urged her to the bathroom. “A nice hot shower and putting something in your stomach will make you feel better. Then we’ll talk about the four frantic messages you left on my answering machine last night.” 

“Sure,” she mumbled. 

She dragged her tired ass to the bathroom. I heard water running. Since I wasn’t busy I took the time to pick up. The ashtray was overflowing with cigarettes and there was a cheap bottle of half empty liquor on the table. I cleaned the mess up. When I heard the shower turn off I transferred the food I’d brought from the plastic containers to plates and set them on the living room table. I rearranged the pillows for seating, kicked off my boots, took off my jacket and waited on Daph. 

She came out wearing a pair of baggy blue sweats pants, a yellow tank top and pair of purple fuzzy slippers. She was quite colorful. At least she was looking a little less ashen but she had faint shadows under her eyes. Her long curly hair was pulled up in a bouncy ponytail. She flopped down miserably beside me. I wondered if Drama was just a part of this family. She didn’t speak she just lifted her cup and sipped the tea. She made a face. 

“This tastes awful,” she whined. 

I threw a few packets of honey at her. 

“Maybe you need to sweeten it.” 

“You don’t have any sugar?“ She griped.

“No.“ I said sarcastically. “You know I don’t eat a lot of white sugar.“

She grudgingly grabbed the packets and sweetened her tea. I could see this wasn’t going to be easy. For a few minutes we ate in silence. Daph toyed with her veggie omelet but she did nibble on the apple cinnamon muffin made with unbleached flour and honey and she popped a few mixed berries in her mouth. 

I gave Daphne an appraising look. “Care to tell me what the Drama Princess moment was last night?” 

“Where the Hell were you?” she shot back. “You said if I ever needed anything to call you. Well, I really needed to talk to you last night. So where the Hell were you?”

*Ooo-kay,* I thought. She’s not in a pleasant mood. At her question I flashed back to last night. Brian’s hands clamped to my hips, one of my legs wrapped around his waist, the other leg bent at the knee over his shoulder and feeling his dick thrust in and out of me. I shook off the thought. Now was not the time. 

“I wasn’t home,” I answered lamely. 

“Duh! That would be why you didn’t answer the telephone and have a passion mark on your neck.” 

She pointed her fork at my neck. I felt the left side of my neck. 

“Try the other side,“ Daphne instructed sarcastically.

My mind instantly flashed to a moment last night with my head thrown back, Brian’s long elegant fingers cupping the back of my head, his strawberry lips sucking on that sensitive spot that only he had ever found. His strong teeth pulling and abrading the skin as his hot wet tongue soothed the area. 

I let out a sigh, “Okay I was out fucking. Big deal.” 

Daphne gave me a smirk. “Well at least you got fucked.” 

My mind flashed to Brian’s long body draped over mind his long thick dick slipping past the tight little muscle in my ass. I mentally shook myself. Now was not the time to let last night sneak up on me in bits and pieces. Last night would never happen again. I needed to put it where it belonged…in the past. 

“Yeah, that I did. So, if you wanted to why didn’t you?” I asked bluntly. 

“Let’s just say I’ve been fucked over and then I tried to get fucked and couldn’t.” 

I took in the long cryptic answer. I wasn’t there to play guess, what, who or why. I came over to find out what was so urgent last night.

“Daph, let’s cut the Drama and get to the Angst. What was so urgent last night?” 

Daph dropped her head. When she looked back up her face was a map of misery, hurt and anger. Three very strong emotions. I decided to deal with one emotion at a time. 

“Christian dumped me yesterday morning. Just told me *I wasn’t what he was looking for, that it had been fun, no hard feelings, maybe we’d see each other around some time* and dumped me. By the afternoon he was bragging to all his friends and our classmates that he fucked me and got bored and moved on. How can I face anyone at school? I feel like a fool, Eve. Something you would never understand. You’re beautiful and successful. Men throw themselves at you.” 

I balled up a napkin and threw it at her. It hit her squarely in the chest. She looked at me confused.

“Why did you do that?“ She asked brushing the napkin off her lap.

“Because you’re acting like a DICK! I can’t t believe this! We are going through this Drama and Angst because your boyfriend dumped you and is telling everyone he fucked you!”

“Yeah,” she said as if it was the most important thing in the world.

I just sat and stared at her. I tried to calm down. I had to realize she was young. She had a lot to learn about men. About relationships with men. I noticed that not once had she said she was hurt or mentioned how much she loved him. Just that she felt like a fool. I could deal with that and teach her how to handle it too. I never cared for Christian. He gave me bad vibes. Not to mention he was an egotistical asshole. Daph had only been dating him for 2 or 3 months. She met him in her Political Science class. 

He went to the movies with us one night. Justin and I took an immediate dislike of him although we kept our feelings to ourselves. I think the only reason Daph was attracted to Christian was because of his resemblance to Justin. He was Daph’s straight Justin. He was a couple of inches taller than Justin, but with the similar honey blond hair and blue eyes. Add to that he liked fucking girls and Daph was drawn to him. So, he proved himself to be the asshole Justin and I thought he would be. I could help her deal with that. 

She looked so miserable as she sat staring back at me. I took a deep breath so I could help her concentrate on what was important.

“He told me he loved me. That I was special. I feel like the biggest fool on campus.”

I let out a sigh, “Look guys will say anything they think you want to hear to fuck you and get you to suck their dicks. That’s just the way it is. You need to understand that and remember it from now on. Why should you feel like a fool?” I asked. “Because that simple minded asshole sprouted some antiquated macho bullshit to his friends to make himself seem like a big man. So, the two of you fucked. When does a man and woman fucking become big news? It’s no biggie. 

Hell, you have no idea how many men I’ve fucked. The number would make your head swim. Getting my knees bent is like my manifesto. Put me in a room of hunky good looking straight, Gay or otherwise undecided men and I’ll try to fuck them all. So Christian got diarrhea of the mouth and told some of your most intimate secrets. Fuck Christian. And this time I mean figuratively and not literally.” 

That last comment got a weak smile from her. “Now to set the record straight I’m not beautiful. I never have been. I do have some striking features that I’ve learned to use to my advantage. I also learned that confidence is sexy to men. Very sexy. So, I use it as one of my many weapons. My mind, my confidence, my eyes, my strong features, the beauty mark, my body and most importantly the voice are my weapons. I keep them honed and wield them with precision. YOU are beautiful. You have it all girl. The face, the body, those big chocolate brown eyes, that long curly reddish brown hair, the smooth skin and outgoing personality. You can get any man you want. You just need to have the confidence to know that you can. Don’t ever doubt your appeal to men. Don’t ever doubt your beauty. 

As for my success...it’s a matter of opinion. My grandparents would disagree with the successful part. They feel that a successful woman would be married with children at my age. AND contrary to what you think when I was in college I let a *DICK* make a complete fool of me. I wasn’t in love I was much worst. I was in,” I scrunched my face up “*LUB!*"

Daphne laughed at my pronunciation and the face I made.

“I was totally faithful to him. I gave up fucking other guys just to be with him. Stopped going out with my friends at night so I’d be available when he had time to see me. It took me months to realize he had been feeding me a line of bullshit and on top of that he was fucking my best friend and roommate.” I reached over and laid my hands on top of Daphne’s, “I know how it feels to be played for a fool. The test is not to feel like a fool or to become a fool. *You are not a fool, Daph.* Don’t let him make you feel like one. Don‘t give him that power.” I let that sink in before I continued. “I want you to walk in the little campus coffee shop sit down and drink your coffee and read your book. I want you to act as if nothing matters. Don’t let him run you away from your hangouts, your associates or your classes. Don’t let him win.” 

“What if someone says something about…what if some repeats the things he’s said about us?” 

I shrugged, “Fuck it. Act bored. Don’t give them the satisfaction of knowing anything that he said matters. Don’t even entertain questions or comments about him. If some bitchy classmate or one of his friends comments on the bullshit he’s spreading just give them a nonchalant glare and say *whatever or ask them if they are jealous.* If they know it doesn’t bother you then it losses its power. I don’t care how much anyone tries to get a rise out of you keep your mouth shut.” 

I saw the first real smile on her face I’d seen today. Then she laughed. 

“That is so awesome. Why didn’t I think of that?” 

“Because you want to play the Drama Princess and you can’t do that and think logically. The two rarely mix. Now that we’ve gotten through the Drama and Angst what’s the Woe?” 

I knew there was a major problem when she could barely look me in the eyes. I lifted her chin on my finger. 

“It can’t be that bad.” 

“Oh, yes it can,” she said in misery. 

“Let me be the judge of that.” 

I waited patiently for her to tell me.

“Justin and I had an argument.”

I shrugged. Daph and Justin were always disagreeing. When we were together I spent as much time laughing and having a good time as I did refereeing their disagreements.

“So what’s new with that? You and Justin are always disagreeing. It‘s what the two of you do.”

“Not like this.”

I looked at my watch and then back at her.

“Daph, can we speed this up? I’d like to retire before I’m 65.“

Daph pursed her lips, “I called Justin over last night because I was just so upset. He came over and we were talking and drinking and I was feeling so miserable. He was hugging me and I kissed him.”

I shrugged. We were always kissing each other. Hell, I’d kissed them both on the lips hello and goodbye each time we were together.

“We always kiss each other, Daph.”

She let out a dramatic long suffering sigh, “Not like this. Not with tongues touching and my hands were all over him. I even….I grabbed his dick. I just wanted him to fuck me and make the pain go away for a few hours. He pulled back and told me that it wasn’t a good idea. That I would regret it in the morning. I got really angry and called him a *fucking fag* told him I never wanted to see him again and that he wasn’t my friend. I also may have mentioned that he was a cowardly hypocrite.“

“A cowardly hypocrite?” I asked.

“Well I told him if he was honest he’d take off that cheap ass ring Ethan gave him, admit he’d made the biggest mistake of his miserable pathetic life and beg Brian to take him back. I told him that he was stupid to leave Brian because some greasy haired, flabby, romantic shit-talking violinist fed him a bunch of sweet nothings and he fell for it. I told him any fool could see how much Brian loved him and cared for him and that he was the only one to blind and stupid not to see it.“

I was truly impressed on her insight. Of course she should have waited for a better moment to tell him and chosen better words but she hadn’t told him a lie.

“Remind me not to piss you off,“ I teased.

She gave a bitter little laugh. “There’s more. Then I went all Bitchy and yelled at him to just get the fuck out! That he wasn’t my friend and I never wanted to see him again. Oh, Eve he must really hate me! I don‘t want to loose him!”

I let out a hiss. She was right she was a true BITCH last night. But it was nothing that couldn’t be resolved. First I needed to help her come to terms with her romantic feelings toward Justin.

“You know Justin loves you….as a friend.”

She fiddled with her fork. “I know that Eve, but I really, really love him. I’ve loved him since 1st grade. He was my first lover and I’ve always thought that…..maybe…,”

I finished the sentence for her, “that maybe he’d change. Stop being Gay.”

She gave me a sad little smile, “Something like that.”

“That’s not going to happen and you know that. You always have. Justin loves you but he’s not *in love* with you or Ethan for that matter. He’s in love with Brian and if there was no Brian he’d be with another man. Justin is Gay. You have to *truly* accept that. You can’t have a romantic relationship with him. Even if the two of you had sex last night Justin would still be Gay today. He’d still want to suck dick, fuck an ass and get fucked by dick. That’s not going to change Daph. You can’t wish it away. You have to accept that and move on. Find something else that the two of you can share.“

“You mean like our friendship.”

“Yes don’t loose that. Don’t make him choose between you and who he is. If he had to make that choice neither of you will come out a winner.“

We were both quiet for a few minutes. I lit a cigar and Daph lit a cigarette. 

“You have no idea what it’s like to love a Gay man. To want him above all else and realize you’ll never get him. No matter what.“

I thought about it. It was time to let the *cat out of the bag* so to speak. To finally share my secret with someone else. I blew a ring of smoke in the air and took the plunge.

“Yes, Daph I know. I know what it’s like to be in love with a Gay man. To know that he’ll never be *in love* with me or desire me like I do him. It’s hard to deal with and yes Daph it hurts, but the only alternative is to not be a part of his life. I can’t do that. So, I’ll have to do what I can to make sure he’s happy and accept his friendship and know he’s giving me all he can give a woman.”

“You’re in love with a Gay man!“ Daph was bouncing on her pillow. “Who?!!!!“

I gave her a *who else smirk!* She figured it out on the first try. Daph was a very smart girl.

“Hell, No!!!! Fuck No!!! BRIAN!!!! Damn!! I can’t believe it! You’re in love with BRIAN!“

“Talk a little louder, Daph. The people in the next apartment didn’t hear you.“

She tried to lower her voice. “Sorry. Does he know?“

“I doubt it. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable by telling him. I don’t want anyone else to know either. It’s just a secret between us.“ I paused. "We share more than just being Black women. We both know what it’s like to be in love with Gay men. That‘s just our *deal.* We have to accept it and live with it. The only other choice is to walk away from them. There is nothing else we can do. Those are the choices we have.“ I wanted her to think about what I’d said before I continued. “Brian and Justin are not for us. They are for each other. As their friends and the women that are in love with them we should do all that we can to get them back together. To insure their happiness. Do I have your help on that?“

“Yeah, you do. Justin is really miserable without Brian. He tries to pretend he’s happy with Ethan but all you have to do is look in his eyes and you see the sadness. I’ll do my part to get them back together.“

“Good then we have our mission. We’ll name it *The End of Drama, Angst and Woe.*“

Daph laughed. She raised her glass of tea and I clinked my glass to hers.

“To our mission: The End of Drama, Angst and Woe,“ she toasted.

I decided to give Daph something else to think about.

“Daph have you ever thought about marriage or children?“

She shrugged as she snuffed out her cigarette. “I’m not really big on marriage. I don’t think I want to be tied down.“ A wistful smile came over her face. “I’d love to have children, though. After I’m stable in my career I’d want to have a child, perhaps two.“

“Well, if you don’t want to get married have you decided who the father of your children will be?“

“I don’t know. Sperm bank or perhaps the guy I might be dating at the time. I haven’t given it much thought.“

“Well maybe you should. Sperm banks and some random guy you’re dating aren’t your only or best choices. Perhaps your best friend. The person you’re in love with. It’s the one thing that the two of you can share…together. It’s the part of himself that Justin can give you willingly and lovingly.“

I could see my suggestion was having the desired effect on Daph. She was finally realizing that although Justin could never *be in love* with her he did love her and they could still share another lasting bond.

“I’d love to have Justin’s child. He’s so strong and courageous even though he doesn‘t think so. He’s caring, loving…considerate. He’d make a great father. I know he and Brian would really spoil his child.“ Suddenly a look of misery came over her face. “I don’t even know if Justin will speak to me. I was so mean to him.”

“I think you’ll be surprised. Justin is probably angry and upset with you but you are still his best friend. You have to let him know that you accept him. That you have come to terms with the fact that the two of you are friends. BEST FRIENDS! And that you know that is ALL the two of you can ever be to each other.” 

I reached over and grabbed Daph’s mouth making her lips pucker, “You need to learn how to pucker and hope Justin has washed his ass.”

“Why?” she mumbled through puckered lips.

“Because you have some ass kissing or licking to do.”

“Eww,” she groaned. “That’s disgusting.”

I dropped my hand from her mouth. She flexed her lips.

I thought about the first time Brian rimmed me and I rimmed him. “Until you’ve had a tongue stuck up your ass or vice versa don’t knock it.”

She looked at me shocked. “You’ve actually done that? I mean had a tongue up your ass?”

“Sweetheart a tongue is the least of what I’ve had up my ass. To be exact I can honestly say I‘ve had a tongue or a dick in or on just about every part of my body.”

Daph's mouth was hanging open. 

“Shut your mouth, Daph before something flies in it.”

I looked at my watch again. I had a personal appearance but I didn’t want to leave Daph alone. I didn’t want to give her a chance to wallow in self pity.

“Get dressed. You’re coming with me. And please can you not wear crayola colors?”

She threw a strawberry at me. I laughed as I caught the berry and ate it.

“Where are we going?”

“I have a personal appearance, I need to do some shopping and then we’re going to see the babies. After that I’m dropping you off at the diner so you can make up with Justin.”

“Okay. How do you know we can see Gus and Abe? Mel is really protective of Abe.”

“I’ve made it a habit to stop by their house in the evening. Usually Lindz is there alone with the babies. Mel is pulling a lot of overtime preparing for a major case she’s working on. She rarely gets home before 9:00 p.m. I help Lindz feed and bathe the babies and then we talk for a few minutes and I leave. I’ve become very attached to the babies.” 

Daph stood up and walked towards her bedroom. “I’ll be ready in a half an hour.”
----------------------------------

JUSTIN

I’d taken a double shift. Mostly because I didn’t want to go home and because I was still reeling from the argument I’d had with Daph. I don’t know why I didn’t have sex with her if that was what she wanted. I just kept remembering the first time we had sex. How it had almost ruined our friendship. I didn’t want that to happen again. Daph was just too important to me. But my refusal last night had really hurt her when she was already so vulnerable. 

I twirled the silver ring on my finger. As much as what she said hurt it was the truth. I didn’t love Ethan. I’d tried but it was no use. His pretty romantic words were beginning to sound hollow to me. They didn’t have the power they did months ago. I was wondering how in the Hell could I let *words* make me walk away from the man I loved. Yeah, Brian had a lot of faults. Being supported of me wasn’t one of them. I didn’t know if Brian really loved me but I know he cared about me. He had always done what he felt was best for me. He’d given me more than he’d ever given another man and like a fool I threw it away. He hadn’t said it or shown it outwardly but I knew my walking away from Brian had hurt. Not only his ego but it had hurt him. I more than anyone knew that Brian wasn’t the hard as nail asshole he showed in public. 

Then there was Ethan. He loved me too. Every night he said it. He tried so hard to be what I wanted. It wasn’t his fault that he’d never be Brian. As much as I wanted to walk away from this relationship with Ethan I couldn’t hurt him. I fucked up one relationship it didn’t make sense to fucked up this one too. Plus I couldn’t go back to a relationship with Brian the way things were before I left. It would make my leaving him be for nothing. I didn’t want to watch Brian fucking other men or let him watch me getting my dick sucked in front of him. I didn’t expect Brian to change I just didn’t want to be around when he fucked other guys. PLUS I didn’t know if Brian wanted me back. Yeah, he came in to the diner on Sundays and we talked but maybe all Brian wanted was to fuck me, take me away from Ethan and dump me. It would serve me right. It would be what I deserved for lying and cheating on him. Or maybe he wanted to do a threesome and fuck me and Ethan.

The bell jingled and I looked up to see who was walking in. It was Daph. I watched how the dykes and some of the guys watched her. Daph was really beautiful. She just needed to have more confidence in herself. She looked hot tonight. I was a fag but even I knew that. She had on a pair of tight jeans and sweater. Her long hair was loose and hanging around her shoulders. She spotted me behind the counter and walked over.

“Hi,” she said awkwardly.

“Hi.”

“Ah, can we talk privately?” she asked.

I signaled for Kenny to watch the cash register and showed her to the employees’ locker room. We both sorta stood shuffling our feet for a few minutes then she spoke.

“I think you know I’m sorry Jus. And I know you think sorry is bullshit but in this case I really mean it. I didn‘t mean to hurt you last night. You know how much you mean to me.” She reached out and touched my arm. Her hand lingering. “I shouldn’t have said the things I said….the way I said them.”

I noticed she didn’t say she shouldn’t have said them. I had to grin. Daph could be such a Bitch. That’s what I loved about her. I decided to tease her.

“So you aren't sorry for calling me a hypocritical coward?”

She had the decency to blush.

“W-Well,” she stammered. “I-I should have used different words.”

I burst out laughing. Daph grinned and punched me in the arm.

“Ouch,” I griped.

“That’s for laughing when I’m trying to apologize to you.”

“Daph no apology is needed. And I’m sorry too. For not…having sex with you if that’s what you wanted.”

“No don’t apologize for that. You were right to turn me down. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you to do something that you would have been uncomfortable doing. I can honestly promise you that will never happen again. From now on sex has no part in our friendship. At least not now,” she added cryptically. 

I wanted to pursue the last statement but I decided to let it go for now. I had some apologizing to do myself.

“Everything you said was true. It hurt hearing it, but you didn’t lie. It’s just that…”

“It’s just what? If you still love Brian why are you with Ethan?”

I shrugged. “I don’t want to hurt him. He loves me Daph. I’ve already ruined one relationship I don’t want to ruin this one too.”

“So, you’re just going to stay miserable to keep from hurting Ethan when you really love Brian.”

“Well, what do you suggest I do?”

“I suggest you make your way back to the man you love. Ethan be DAMNED!!”

“I can’t hurt Ethan, Daph. He doesn’t deserve it.”

“And you deserve to be miserable?”

I didn’t know how to explain to her that I couldn’t live with myself if I hurt Ethan. He was egotistical and self centered but he did love me.

“So, what do you think I should do?”

She seemed to consider my question before she answered.

“I think you should work on getting back with Brian. I don’t know how you are going to resolve your relationship with Ethan. I do know it can’t be healthy to be with him when you’re in love with Brian. You’ve got to do something Justin.“

As much as I hated to admit it she was right. I was miserable without Brian. I had to do something. I just didn’t know how to get Brian back, break up with Ethan without hurting him. BUT I had to figure something out.

“I’ll give it some thought,” I promised.

That seemed to please her. I could see something else was on Daph’s mind. She had that look she got when she had something to say and didn’t know how to broach the subject. It was my time to encourage her to speak.

“What Daph? You can tell me.”

“Justin I was wondering if you had ever thought about having children?”

Where the Hell had that come from? We were talking about relationships and she had jumped to children. Of course that wasn’t unusual. This was Daph. She was known for jumping from one subject to the next.

I shrugged. “Sure Daph. I’ve thought about having a child of my own. I just don’t see how it can happen. Two Gay men are not about to produce a child.”

Daph looked a little uncomfortable. If she was uncomfortable with the subject I wondered why she brought it up.

“I’ve thought about children too Justin. More than I’ve thought about marriage. You know how I feel about marriage.”

Yeah I knew. Daphne had made it clear she never wanted to get married. That she just couldn’t see a reason to tie herself down to a man like that.

“Yeah, I know how you feel about marriage. That doesn’t mean that you can’t have a child Daph. Look at Mel and Lindz.”

Daph smiled. “I know. Eve and I went by there tonight before I came here. Playing with Abe and Gus just enforced my feelings on children. I want to have a baby. Not like Mel and Lindz. I’d like the father and I to create it the normal way. With sex.”

“If that’s how you want to do it Daph then just find a guy that’s willing to have a child with you. That shouldn’t be too difficult. You are a very beautiful woman.”

I must have said something right. She rewarded me with one of her devastating smiles.

“I already have a candidate for my baby‘s father.”

From the look she was giving me. I had a great idea who that candidate was. Still I had to ask.

“Who?”

“You.”

She saw the shocked look on my face and she forged ahead before I could form any objections.

“Only if you want to. Not now. Years and years from now. I mean if I don’t find that special someone and if you and Brian agree. I’d love to have a child with you. You’d make a terrific father Justin.”

I was in total shock. I hadn’t given having children a lot of thought. Being Gay I just always assumed I wouldn’t have kids. At least not one of my own. As I thought it over it made perfect sense. Daph and I had been friends since first grade. If I was going to have a child I’d want Daph to be the mother. I loved Daph more than I’d love any other woman that wasn’t a relative or a mother figure. I also noticed she said if Brian and I agreed. She was certain that Brian and I would get back together. Another thing about Daph she always looked at the positive.

“So Justin what do you say?”

My answer was to pull her in my arms and give her a big hug. She hugged me back. I pulled away from her and look in her eyes.

“There isn’t another woman I’d want to have a child with.”

Daph squealed and jumped up and down her enthusiasm was contagious. A wide grin stretched across my face. I had my best friend back and a chance at being a father. All the Drama, Angst and Woe between us was over.