Page 89 of Now and Forever

“Thank you, love.”

Surprised, he opens his eyes.

“What for?”

I give him a kiss on the tip of his nose that makes him smile.

“For teaching me how to play and enjoy sex.”

His laughter makes me laugh.

“You’re getting dangerous. Very dangerous.”

Half an hour later, showered, the three of us go up to Björn’s kitchen. There, sitting on stools, we eat and have fun while we chat. Two hours later, I’m naked on the kitchen counter while they take me again, and I gladly offer myself.

26

Life with my Iceman is going well in spite of our arguments. When we’re alone together, it’s crazy, sweet, and passionate, and when we visit Björn, it’s hot and sexy. Eric gives me over to his friend, and I gladly surrender. There’s no jealousy. There’s no reproach. There’s just sex, the game, the attraction. Nothing is dirty. Nothing is dark. The three of us make an exceptional trio. Flyn is another story. The kid doesn’t make things easy for me. Every day that goes by, I can tell he’s more reluctant to be nice to me and to let us be happy together. Eric and I only argue about him. He’s the cause of our fights, and the boy seems to revel in it.

These days I sometimes go with Norbert to drop him off at school. What Flyn doesn’t know is that when Norbert drives away, I watch him, unseen. I don’t understand what’s going on. I’m unable to comprehend why Flyn is the butt of his supposed friends’ jokes. They beat him up and push him around, and he doesn’t react. He always ends up on the ground. I have to do something about it. I need him to smile, to have confidence in himself, but I don’t know how I’m going to do it.

One afternoon, while I’m in my room humming the song “Tanto” by Pablo Alborán, I see it’s snowing again outside. It’s so pretty! Delighted by it, I go to the playroom where Flyn does his homework and open the door.

“You want to play in the snow?”

The kid looks at me with that typically serious expression. “No,” he says.

His lip is split. That makes me furious. I grab his chin.

“Who did this to you?”

The boy looks at me scornfully.

I decide to wait and see if he’ll tell me about it on his own. I go searching for Simona, who’s making soup in the kitchen, to see if I can recruit her to help me make him feel more at ease.

“Simona.”

“What can I do for you, miss?” she asks while drying her hands on her apron.

“Uff, Simona, for God’s sake, call me by my name! Judith!”

“I try to, miss, but it’s hard to get used to it.”

“Is there a sled in this house?” I ask.

She thinks for a moment.

“Yes, there’s one in the garage.”

“Great!” I say, applauding. “I need to ask you a favor.”

“Of course.”

“I need you to go outside with me and have a snowball fight.”

Incredulous, she blinks, not understanding a word. Enjoying myself, I take her by the hand. “I want Flyn to see what he’s missing,” I tell her. “He’s a kid, and he should want to play in the snow and ride on a sled. C’mon, let’s show him how much fun it can be to play with something other than electronic devices.”

At first, she’s reluctant. She doesn’t know what to do, but when she sees I’m waiting for her, she takes off her apron.

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