Back home, all the way across town

Bernie kept a close eye on Gary as they drove across town to his parents' house, chatting with him whenever his eyelids looked droopy. Gary's car radio was broken and just emitted annoying static, so she had to handle the job herself.

Lil had dropped off to sleep in the back seat of the little car. It wasn't Stuart's sex-on-wheels Super Surf Van that Gary had been car-sitting back in the summer, but it got the job done, and if you were tired enough, you could sleep in back.

Gary's sister had outdone herself at her first sex party. Lil had had intercourse with three male partners, enthusiastically participating in an energetic fuck from each one, sweetened with a little caressing and offering of nipples from the women.

Good lovers, even if only for a night, were better than Lil's string of bad boyfriends. I'm so happy I came, she'd said.

After most of an hour in the car, Gary turned into the driveway of his parents' house, in a hillside neighborhood close to the ocean. He pulled off to the side to park.

"Lil, we're home," he said. "Lil?"

It took him a minute to wake his sister. With Bernie's help, they walked an unsteady Lil to the front door, got her inside, and walked her upstairs to her room.

They left their few things in the car. Bernie now had her own drawer in Gary's bedroom, with underwear, T-shirts, a couple of older pairs of knee-length bib overall shorts, as well as tampons, massage oil, lubricant, wet wipes, a vibrator, a supply of condoms for anal intercourse or keeping sex toys clean, a couple of dildoes, and a dildo harness that she had used to fuck Gary's ass, gently thrusting and handling his shaft until he came on her artificial dick. I loved seeing you do this for Pete. I want to see Pete do this for you, she'd told him. Yes, sometime, he'd promised.

Lil barely managed to undress and collapse into bed, falling asleep in moments.

Gary and Bernie undressed each other, brushed their teeth in the nude, watched each other pee, and snuggled together in bed.

"How was Mark?" Gary asked.

"He was delightful," Bernie said. "Beautiful and strong. I loved how he moved when I touched him." She laughed. "But you're a better lover. I'd be with Mark again, I had a great time. But I know you're for me, with me. You know me and all my stuff and my crazy mom and you still love me."

Gary yawned. "Your mom helped get us together," he said. "Helped us talk about things we were too shy to talk about."

"Being fat," Bernie said. "Missing Habiba. Failing at being a lesbian. Liking butt sex. Masturbating with my mom. Actually masturbating my mom and making her come."

"Screwing Peter," Gary said. "Hell, going full on gay for my best friend, and standing up girlfriends for him when he wanted me. Taking Stuart up my ass after he got me high. Screwing Sonia and not telling you. Hiding things from you. Not talking about how Sharon hurt me."

Bernie yawned. "Yeah, I guess Mom did help us really talk. Get real. But I loved you already. How sweet you were to me. Are. Um. How was Roxy?"

"I had a great time with her," Gary said. "I'd go to one of her parties anytime."

"Her ass really seemed to get your motor running," Bernie said. "If Roxy goes for girls, let's go halvsies on her next party."

"Next party?" Gary said.

"Yes. I like licking girls' asses as much as you do, and I'm not getting any. Let's thank Mark and Roxy and let her know," Bernie said.

Gary drifted off, half-listening to Bernie giving herself an after-midnight O with her vibrator.