Yes

The girls didn't seem to hear it - or, if they did, it certainly didn't stop them - but it certainly ruined the mood for me. I took a heavy breath as I pulled my hand from my crotch and slowly backed away from the doorway before hurrying down the stairs.

I went into autopilot. I grabbed the steaks I had marinating and the salmon filets. I grabbed broccoli and a few potatoes and went to work. An hour flew by. I plated everything in three separate plates as well as a side Caesar salad in a bowl, and set the table. It wasn't until I sat down that I realized what I had done and that I was sitting at the table by myself with two other settings with two full meals on them as if I was eating with my two best imaginary friends.

Do I go up and tell them dinner is ready?

Luckily, I didn't have to answer that question. As I got up from the table, I heard their footsteps coming down the stairs.

I could hear Tina's compliments a few rooms away. "It smells amazing."

"Holy shit," Jess said as they entered the kitchen.

"You made all this by yourself?" Tina asked.

"Yea," I replied, trying to keep it cool. It's getting tiresome to say but I still had not gotten used to the two of them appearing in seemingly skimpier clothes every time I saw them.

While Tina still wore the outfit she had on earlier while we were drinking and doing the puzzle, Jess had shed her black outfit in favor of another skimpy ensemble. Jess was now wearing another form of long-sleeved, light grey top, cropped high to expose her midriff with the usual deep-diving neckline. Her matching shorts started high, near her naval, but barely made it past her hips. They visibly stretched with every step she took.

JESS - https://www.deviantart.com/mikeyxxxx

Jesus, how many outfits like this did they pack?

It wasn't just the outfits, and how stunning they looked in them, that I noticed. There was a glow about them that was unmistakable. The usual tension and stress in their faces had been replaced with a look of peace and satisfaction. They looked truly happy, and it was incredibly attractive.

"I told you he loves to cook," Jess said. "And he's very good at it."

Was that a compliment? I almost said that out loud but thought the better of it.

"Oh my God, is that Salmon? And steak?" Tina asked.

"Yea, I may have gotten a little carried away. I wasn't sure if this would be our last dinner together. If the snow holds off tonight, they'll probably have the roads plowed well enough by tomorrow afternoon for you guys to hit the road."

"Trying to kick us out, huh?," Tina joked, shooting me a grin.

"He's probably growing tired of seeing us in our skimpy, revealing outfits."

"You can stay as long as you like," I quickly said. "I'm not sure I'd ever get tired of that. But if you'd rather take them off, I wouldn't complain."

Jess rolled her eyes.

"Do you mind grabbing that bottle of wine?" I asked.

"Oh no! The last bottle!" Tina said as she grabbed it from the wine rack. Jess and I couldn't hold back our laughter. "What?" Tina asked.

"You think that's the last bottle of wine they have in this house?" Jess asked, still chuckling.

"You have more?"

"Much more," I answered.

"They have a whole wine cellar. They have bottles that are probably worth more than our condo."

Tina looked at the bottle she was holding.

"Don't worry," I said. "That's not one of them. I just drink the cheap stuff. I can't really tell the difference."

"Around here, even the cheap stuff is great," Jess added.

To say they ate fast would be an understatement.

"Sorry," Jess apologized as she shoved a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "I'm starving."

They barely spoke, save for many compliments about everything I made, but this time it wasn't because they were mad at each other. It was because they were both starving. After they ate, we all cleaned up together. Jessica and Tina laughed and joked and teased each other. Tina smacked Jess with a kitchen towel. Jess splashed some water on Tina. Everything was clearly different. Better.

"Who needs another drink?" I offered as I handed the last washed dish to Jessica to dry.

"I think I might head upstairs for a bit to relax," Jessica answered. She gave Tina a look that said, "you should come with me."

Tina seemed to get the picture but didn't go along.

"We can relax down here. We still have so many more Scream movies to watch." Jessica's look turned to "are you fucking kidding me?"

"We'll have plenty of time to watch them if you want to... relax for a bit," I said, letting them know that I knew exactly what they meant by "relax".

But Tina insisted so I tossed another log on the fire and we all sat down in the living room. Tina and Jessica weren't on opposite sides of the couch this time. Instead, they were snuggled up together, a blanket pulled up to their shoulders.

And they were all over each other. Not in an aggressive or sexual way. In an incredibly cute, romantic way. Tina's head rested on Jess' shoulder. Jess' head rested on Tina's. Jess' fingers danced up and down Tina's arms, sometimes making their way up and over her slender shoulders. I knew all of this was happening because I was barely paying attention to the movie. How could I? Every time something exciting would draw my eyes to the TV screen, I'd catch a flash of skin or a brief kiss or some potentially suggestive movement under the blanket that would regain my attention.

The movie barely finished before they performed some exaggerated stretches and yawns and retired upstairs, leaving me alone on the couch with the TV, an empty beer glass, and my phone. And that bottle of lotion.

I couldn't even consider it before I heard someone coming back down the stairs. It was Jess.

Uh, oh, I thought. They didn't get into another fight, did they?

"It is freezing in our room," she said.

Great, I thought. I followed her up the stairs to investigate. I held my hand over the radiator on the wall. Nothing. I popped the cover off and looked around - this wasn't the first time this had happened - but the usual fixes yielded nothing.

"I don't know," I finally said, defeated. "I can check it in the morning when I'm not as tired or drunk but, for tonight, you might want to sleep in another room. Just let me know which room you want to move to and I can make the bed real quick."

They had plenty to choose from. There were five bedrooms upstairs alone and two rooms downstairs that had futons or pullout couches.

"No, don't worry about that," Tina said. "We can make the bed if you give us the sheets."

"There should be sheets on each bed," I told them. "So pick whichever you want."

After wishing them a goodnight, I stood in the hallway, contemplating what I would do next.

Do I go back downstairs? I'm already upstairs, I don't feel like going all the way back down there. I could use a game of NCAA26 before I go to sleep. Then again, I could use another beer as well.