A Whole New World

You and Neha walk home in heavy but comfortable silence. You kiss her deeply when you reach her doorstep, and give her parents a quick wave. When you reach home, you find your mom, Ellen, dressed in her scrubs and just about to leave.

"Hey sweety", she says, stopping her fumbling with her car's keycard to rush over to hug you. "Gotta rush to the hospital... post storm duty. I've made lunch already, it's in the fridge. Can you manage dinner?"

"Yeah mom, no worries." you reply, as you release the hug.

"That's my boy! And Neha? I hope you walked her home? I'd better have raised a gentleman, or else."

You groan at her antics, but wearily respond. "Yes, mother, I walked my girlfriend home, like a gentleman. Really..."

She laughs, and pulls you in for another brief hug and pecks your cheek. "Love you, kiddo. See you tonight... or tomorrow morning, if things get rough."

"Love you too, ma. Break a leg... or don't. Never understood that phrase."

With another laugh, she clambers into the cabin, and the car zooms off. You watch her round the corner, before entering your house like a zombie. You shamble to the fridge and take out the food your mom had prepared, and heat it in the microwave. You check your phone - there's the usual mess of school related stuff, something from the college admissions office that you ignore (you're already heading to one of the best universities in the world come the fall), and a message from Armand. You check it -

"Hey, my fraternal partner in crime. Drop by my place. Heading back in three days, and I've got some killer homebrew you need to try. No, seriously, it's delicious. One of my GOAT masterpieces."

Grinning to yourself, you send your response. You're a little curious, since Armand's hit rate for his homebrews is 50/50. But when they're good...

You realize how tired you are, and head upstairs to your room. Half awake, you strip down to your underwear, not realizing that you're sleeping in what are now your panties, and crash.

You wake up hours later, very much refreshed. When you go to the bathroom, you realize (with a groan) that you slept in the powder-blue panties, and actually found them very comfortable. With a grumble, you strip, and carelessly drop the panties in your laundry hamper, before taking a shower. When you dress, you're distressed to find that your boxers actually feel a little... odd, or off. Shaking your head, you decide to soldier on.

You flop onto your bed and check your phone. There's a brief text from Neha which you respond to, as well as one from your mother - apparently, the town got exceptionally lucky with the storm, and very few people were seriously hurt. So she and her coworkers were celebrating with drinks at a local bar. Good for them.

You make a quick and unsatisfying ham sandwich, and head out toward Armand's. When you reach, you find that his parents are out of town - you have the place to yourself. Armand welcomes you in with your usual, complicated high five routine.

"Ian, whats up. Prepare to have your mind - and your tastebuds - blown by the majesty of my mad homebrewing skills." He's clearly been partaking of his own stash.

"Thank you, kind sir, I shall gladly partake of your offerings. But prithee, first might I consume what is known in these strange lands as a Pizza?"

"Ellen's at the hospital, huh?" he asks.

"Drinks, actually. But it was made clear to me hours ago that I would need to fend for myself. Hence, me here with my begging bowl."

He laughs. "I got you, brother. Anyway, I figured we'd do this right. Not only do I have Pizza waiting, I have Astolfi's. Margherita and one with Parma ham and arugula. "

You laugh in delight. "You're a prince among men. Let's fucking go."

You and Armand demolish the pizzas (which were delicious) as well as large amounts of Armand's newest homebrew (which, impossibly, was even better - where the hell did he find the time to learn this stuff, especially since he was in a really competitive college - just not fair).

Eventually, the revelry winds down to the two of you sharing a joint and nursing some homebrew. Armand asks the question you were subconsciously dreading.

"So, what's up with Neha? How was it being stuck in a home office of the person who owns the only sex shop in town." he asks.

For a moment, the vision of his and Neha's simulacra fucking flashes through your head. But you rally and respond.

"Honestly? It was creepy and horrible. Take my advice, stay away from there."

"Shit, brother, you make it sound like it was a Saw dungeon or something." But he relents at the look on your face. "Alright, sheesh, I'll buy flavored lube in Othercity only, no giving my business to small town proprietors..."

"As for me and Neha..." you pause, taking a deep breath. "Keep this to yourself - I'm fucking serious, mouth totally shut - but we're... taking a break until the summer."

Armand whistles. "I think I see why you found staying in the sex shop creepy. I'm guessing it had to do with this - you guys were golden, totally disgusting, when we had our little picnic."

You nod. "Yeah. There's something seriously messed up there. Don't ask me to tell you more, but the break is legit, and it had everything to do with that mad place. We still love each other, and this whole thing will end in July, but this is something we basically Have To Do. You're one of our best friends, so you deserve to know this - but we can't tell you more. "

Another long whistle. "Well, that's heavy. Damn. But you should know this - I've got your backs. Don't be stupid, now. You guys are special, but you don't have to do this alone. I'm here for you guys."

"I know. That's why I can't say anything more right now." you say miserably.

With those sorry revelations, the night ends on a damp squib. You make your way home, the air cool and damp, but the night sky above is completely clear. When you reach home, you start to trudge up the stairs, you notice a red cocktail dress hanging on the bannister, which you recognize as your mothers'. On reaching the landing, you hear noises from her room. With a jolt, you realize what's going on, and rush to your room. You are only thankful that her door was closed, before you fall asleep.