"Remember when I told you guys that Rachel and I drifted apart?" Talia mumbled, her voice croaking from an attempt to recover from crying. "It... wasn't entirely accurate."
"I guessed," said Amy's expression, but she firmly held her tongue and instead nodded at Talia for her to continue.
"While we were finishing our final year in the United Kingdom, Rachel told me that she wanted to stay for longer and help the LGBT rights movement there while exploring the theatrical scene. The plan was to eventually get same-sex marriage legalized so we could be married there."
"Why go through all that?" Amy frowned. "Nothing against Rachel or what she believes in, but there are plenty of States where you could go through with it here."
"That's what I told her," sighed Talia. "I... I didn't immediately realize it then, but part of the plan was to get the two of us away from - well, you guys."
"What?!"
"Rachel espouses the view that bisexuality isn't a legitimate orientation. Some gays and lesbians believe that bisexuals claim to be attracted to both men and women to appear more generally acceptable by comparison," Talia remarked with a plaintive sniff. "But it wasn't until our first major argument that she told me. We were talking about having a child, working out the details. Rachel wanted to adopt, but I - "
I bit my lip, feeling a premonition of something earth-shattering.
"I told her that I wanted to give birth... and that I wanted Ian to be the father."
"And Rachel didn't take that news well, I suppose," muttered my wife.
"I'd seen Rachel upset before, but that night... she just exploded," Talia went on. "It didn't matter how I tried to reassure her that Ian wasn't coming between us. 'Traitor' and 'cock hungry' were some of the nicer terms she used. Things were never the same after that - each time the topic of children came up she'd ramble on and on." I watched as our friend's hands shook, grasping her cup fit to crush it under the strain.
"I didn't know how affected she was by our tryst together, all those years ago. ...On the night of our last argument, she accused me of wanting to relive the fantasy of the three of us, forcing her into a situation she didn't enjoy." Talia gazed at me, tears running down her face afresh. "I-I-I snapped back at her. I told her that she was always capable of saying no, she could have said no back then, but she went along with it anyway. ...She stormed out of our a-apartment, and..."
At once I leaned over, offering my shoulder to Talia as her body wracked with weeping. Even Amy wheeled herself over to give Talia the closest hug she could manage given her position.
"The last communication we had was email. Rachel told me to leave everything behind - the States, my friends - and go along with her, or never see her again. I... I never replied. I was too much of a wreck," Talia struggled to continue. "I didn't know what to do. I love Rachel, but to never see any of you again? I didn't think she'd go so far just to **** me to choose."
"Is that why you've been spending so much time with Adam?" Amy asked quietly.
"I'm sorry! I... I just looked at what you and Ian managed to accomplish, and... I wanted to feel like that too!" sobbed Talia. "I thought that I would get pregnant from the reunion - "
"Wait, what? You told us that you were on protection."
"The last time I had a man inside of me was in high school," admitted Talia, looking at me with a weak smile. My jaw dropped. "...I didn't want anyone else to father my children other than you, Ian. Could you two ever forgive me?"
"Talia," my wife began, reaching her arms over her friend's shoulders. "...There's absolutely nothing to forgive. I can't imagine how hard it's been for you all these years and I'm sorry none of us could be there for you when you needed us the most."
For a while there was nothing but the sounds of women crying as my wife and my friend comforted each other. I pressed my fingers to my forehead, not quite knowing what to think or feel. Frustration? Sympathy?
"So where do we go from here?" asked Amy when she'd finally calmed down. As if by silent agreement the two ladies turned their glances at me.
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