Page 66 of The Upgrade

“Better.” She blushes, which slays me. After everything we’ve done, the fact that she’s shy endears her to me even more. “I didn’t know sex could be that fun.”

“Same.”

Eve searches my eyes like she’s not sure I’m telling the truth. “You can tell me if I’m taking up too much of your schedule.”

“No such thing.” I brush the hair back from her face. “This is as awesome for me as it is for you. Trust me.”

“Okay,” she says softly. “I do.”

Sybil says her goodbyes, kissing Eve softly and whispering something in her ear.

Then she and I walk out together, strolling side by side beneath a velvet sky speckled with stars. Sybil pulls on a light sweater, dragging her sex-rumpled curls through the neck hole. Her steps are soft as laughter rings down from one of the rooms. Ocean breeze brushes our bare legs like feathers.

“That was fantastic.” Sybil yawns as we walk. “I love my job, but enchantments like that make mereallylove it.”

“How do you mean?” I don’t have much point of reference as a new consort.

She glances at me with a curious smile. “You feel it, right?”

“Feel what?”

“Whatever’s between you and Eve.” She studies my face like I might be a little bit slow. “It’s way more than chemistry. Trust me, I know the difference.”

“No.” That can’t possibly be true. I consider her words as I study the sea, watching the fishing boats bob. “She’s emotionally raw from her breakup. She’s told me herself there’s no way she wants anything serious.”

“Who said anything about serious?”

Dragging my gaze off the ocean, I give her my full attention. “Even if there were something between Eve and me…” My heart pinches tight at those words. “We want completely different things. I like the idea of getting married someday. Having a house, a dog, maybe even a kid or two.” A self-deprecating laugh slips out. “The ol’ white picket fence fantasy.”

“And Eve doesn’t want that?”

“Definitely not.” I choke on a laugh. “She’s sworn off commitment forever.”

“Makes sense, the way she’s been burned by her ex.” She pauses a moment, like she’s deciding whether to say something. “You know, relationships look different for everyone.”

I know this, of course. I’ve written fucking papers about human sexual connection.

But somehow I sense Sybil knows more than I do. “How do you mean?”

“I mean there’s not just one way to be happy. To find middle ground with someone who’s right for you.”

“You’re talking about you and Kora?”

“I’m talking about relationships in general. Deciding to build a life with someone. There’s not just one prescribed way to do that. People who know they belong together get to decide for themselves what that looks like.”

“It’s a nice idea.” A little too simple for my taste. Or maybe I’m being a pompous ass. “There are certain societal expectations of?—”

“Oh, please.” Sybil staggers, pretending to wretch in the bushes.

I laugh in spite of myself. “Dramatic much?”

She straightens and takes a small bow. “Do I strike you as someone who gives a shit about societal expectations?” Not waiting for an answer, she plucks a bright bloom off the bush she pretended to puke in. “Kora’s favorite,” she explains, and we keep walking. “I’m serious, Topher. What’s that expression I’m thinking of? ‘Begin as you mean to go on’—something like that.”

“Charles H. Spurgeon. A Baptist preacher in the eighteen hundreds.” I think about Eve and her stepdad and the Baptist deacons. “What about it?”

“It’s a great quote.” Sybil holds the blossom to her chest. “I think about it a lot. I’m not saying Kora and I have it all figured out. We drive each other nuts sometimes. But we started our relationship from a place of mutual pleasure and respect. From the very beginning, we agreed on the parameters of our relationship. What we both wanted and didn’t want. Having that framework—that structure for shared happiness—it’s what keeps us going when things get tricky.”

“That makes sense.” I’m not sure why she’s telling me this, though.

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