For once in a long while, Trent found himself to be the first one awake.

He opened his eyes to sunshine streaming in through the window and for a few moments, considered going back to sleep. But he had been hit with that specific feeling, the one where he knew that he wasn't getting back to sleep, even if he laid there and closed his eyes. Not even if he fucked one of the women he shared the bed with.

And as he carefully extracted himself from between Tabby and Bea and got to his feet, he saw that all of them were still out cold. He checked his phone and saw that it was just past nine. Well, he'd had about seven hours of sleep or so, and that was enough.

He moved into the hallway and stopped, listening intently. All he heard downstairs was steady breathing, two sets, meaning Molly and Mae were both almost certainly still out. Fine by him. He wasn't looking forward to the conversation with Molly, but he knew Bea was right, he couldn't just avoid it.

Trent padded into the bathroom and took a long piss, then hopped in the shower and washed up quickly. He dried, brushed his teeth, threw on some deodorant, then slipped back into his bedroom and pulled on a fresh set of clothes. Feeling a bit better, he stopped by his office and grabbed one of the little energy shots he'd taken to using some mornings. Some people had coffee, some had energy drinks, he now had something just called Shot. It helped wake him up, which he needed at the moment. Throwing his head back, he downed the little drink and tossed the remains into the trash, then headed downstairs.

Yep, Molly and Mae were out still. He headed into the kitchen and grabbed two cups and filled them both with filtered water.

Given the kind of shit they'd dealt with involving the mines, they'd opted to double-filter their water nowadays. One on the actual faucet that then poured water into a pitcher that put the water through a second filtration process in the fridge.

He poured two glasses and then headed back into the living room, preparing to have one cup waiting for Molly. He froze as he saw that she was sitting up, slowly rubbing one eye. She stared intently at him, slowly lowering her hand.

"Uh…" she muttered. "I fucked up last night, didn't I?"

"There were complications," Trent replied.

She groaned softly, rubbing her head. "I've got a hangover, though not as bad as normal."

"Mae and Ann made you drink a lot of water before you passed out. Also, you vomited a few times."

"Please tell me I got it into a toilet or something," she groaned.

"You did, don't worry, no mess."

"Thank God." She got to her feet. He thought she'd be a little more awkward about being completely naked, but it didn't seem to bother her at all. "Is that for me?" she asked.

"Yeah," Trent replied, passing her the cup.

She accepted it and drank off half of it in one go. "Thanks," she muttered. "I gotta pee real bad."

"There's painkillers up there, too."

"Okay." She began making her way across the room, then paused and looked back at him. "You and I gotta talk, don't we?"

"Yeah."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

She sighed and headed upstairs. He waited, looking at Mae, who was still oblivious to the world, totally passed out. He laughed and took a long drink of water, then set it aside and began readjusting her. He was finishing up getting her re-situated and getting the blanket pulled up over her when Molly came back downstairs. She stopped at the foot of the stairs, looking at him.

"Jeez, you're like...so nice," she muttered.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm just...seeing you like that, with Mae, I don't know, I guess it just really drove home all of a sudden how fucking nice you are, how much you take care of everyone around you. Which makes me feel like such a huge bitch, because I know we fought last night." She sighed heavily. "Where are my clothes?"

"Here," he said, pointing.

She walked over and found her bag and the clothes she'd worn the previous night. After a moment, she got into the bag and found some new clothes. Trent turned around as she dressed in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Are you, like, giving me privacy?" she asked.

"I mean, yeah," he replied.

"Uh...thanks. You don't have to, though. I mean, you've already seen me naked."

"I didn't want to assume," he replied.

She didn't say anything to that. While she finished dressing, he refilled her water and returned it to her, as well as the pair of sunglasses he'd bought out in Briddle that Bea had insisted on. She took them and looked at them.

"What are these for?" she asked.

"I figured we could talk out back, since everyone else is sleeping right now, and I imagine you've got a headache," he replied.

"Oh. Thanks. Again. And yeah, sorta." She slipped on the sunglasses and took another sip of the water, then followed him out the back door.

They sat together on the back porch for a long moment without saying anything. It was peaceful out. Everyone in the immediate area had gone to work for the morning, and the air was just chilled enough from the previous night that it was pleasantly cool out.

"How much do you remember?" Trent asked.

"Um...jeez. I remember grabbing some wine, and drinking...too much. Um." She was silent for a moment. "I remember a lot of making out with Mae and Ann. Just a lot of it. And playing with their boobs. And then...uh...talking with you in the kitchen...we fought about something. And that's it. That's where the memories run out. Um, how bad did I embarrass myself?"

"Well, it certainly could have been worse. But let me just set your mind at ease right now: I'm not pissed off at you. I'm...mildly frustrated, but mostly I'm confused. I don't think anyone else is pissed either. You aren't kicked out, and you aren't not our friend anymore. You didn't hurt anyone, although you came close."

"Oh...jeez. Who?"

"Me."

"Oh fuck dude, I'm so sorry...what exactly did I do?"

"So...you followed me into the kitchen. You were really drunk. And you kissed me. Like, aggressively, on the mouth, lots of tongue. I stopped you."

She frowned. "You...did? Why?"

"Because you were too drunk, Molly. I didn't want you to do something you'd regret later, and I was also very confused, given the whole lesbian thing. I figured, if you seriously wanted to make out with me, it wasn't a decision casually made. It was serious enough that you needed to be sober for it. And you were, uh...really aggressive."

"Aw jeez...that's...I'm really not used to this," she muttered, not looking at him.

"Getting turned down? Yeah, I imagine not."

"Well...thanks for watching out for me. Um...then what?"

"You got mad. Really mad. You shoved me. Hard. I stumbled back into the counter, broke a wineglass, but it's not serious. Cleaned it up and I'm fine. But...do you have any idea what you were thinking, exactly?" he asked.

"Uh...yeah. I think so. I guess...I kept thinking about when we kissed in the apartment. And, like...I wanted to do it again? I don't know. I guess I was sort of thinking about it of like...you know how straight chicks make out with other chicks at parties sometimes?"

"I knew it," he said. "We were kind of thinking the same thing last night."

"Yeah. I guess...I've always been curious about what it'd be like. To make out with a guy. And we kinda made out at my place, and I...didn't hate it. I didn't even dislike it. The I kept thinking about it. And then I thought...maybe I should give it another shot? But I also was worried you'd want more, and I'm not...I mean, I'm a lesbian. And I'm at your guys' place, with no way back home, and-I mean, I don't want to make it sound like I feel unsafe. I don't. Honestly, it's because I felt so safe that this stupid shit happened. And I...just feel like an idiot." She hugged herself, hunching over in the chair and staring at the patio. "I want to just fucking disappear and die."

"Molly…" Trent said, measuring his words. "I know you've been through some shit. And this is kind of a weird situation. Mae became a little obsessed with you after a failure to hookup at a party last year, and hunted you, and you decided you were cool with that when she finally found you. And that's all cool. And honestly, if you promise to tone it down and just try to keep it chill for the rest of the week, then I don't see a reason we can't just continue on as we were."

She was silent for a long moment, then she sighed heavily. "This is just making feel worse," she muttered. "Yesterday was, like, your day, man. It was your book party. And I fucked it up."

"You didn't fuck it up," Trent said. "You caused an awkward situation, we handled it. I mean, I still got what I wanted and had a good time. You didn't derail everything."

She looked uncomfortable. "Normally in this kinda situation I offer, like...sexual favors to make up for it. But I've never been in this situation with a guy before. I mean, not like this. I could...I don't know if I could suck your dick, but I could try, maybe? A tit-job might not be out of the question-"

"Molly," he said, "no. Just so we're clear: no. Flat no."

"What? Why? You said you thought I was wicked hot," she replied, looking at him now.

"You are. But I'm not pulling a sexual favor out of you, not even if you're offering. I'm not-I'm just not doing that. It's not right, but I feel like it's especially not right given your sexual orientation."

"Oh. Um, well...thanks." She paused for a long moment. "So what do I like do?"

"Apologize," he replied.

"Oh. Uh. I'm sorry," she said.

"I forgive you."

Another long pause. "And that's just it? Like...that's it?"

"Yeah," he replied. "Probably want to apologize to the others, too. And I'd appreciate it if you'd not do something like this again."

"Ah. Yeah. That makes sense." She sat up and looked at him, then winced slightly. "I want to ask a favor, but...I'm scared of sending mixed signals."

"What is it?" he asked.

"I need a hug and I want to just lay against you on this lawn chair, but, like just as a friend?" she replied awkwardly.

He shifted to give her some room. "I'm fine with that. Come here."

"Thanks," she muttered awkwardly, getting up and laying down against him. She hugged him and hugged her. "How are you not pissed at me?"

"Because...well, let's just say that in general, I'm a chill guy, but also, I have been put through the fucking wringer over the past six months or so, and last night was, like, nothing compared to some of the shit I've put up with. And I know that you weren't trying to be mean."

"Yeah but I, like, shoved you and broke a glass and...I guess kinda, like...was that sexual assault?" she asked uncomfortably.

"I feel like no. I mean, I really wanted to make out with you, and we would have if you hadn't been totally shit-faced. And, even piss drunk, you stopped when I told you I didn't consent to it. That's important."

"Thanks," she murmured. Then she sighed heavily. "I...drink. Too much. Especially when I'm nervous. And I kept thinking about, you know, the kissing, and it just made me more nervous, so I drank more, and...yeah. I'm sorry. I fucked up. I won't do it again."

"All right," he murmured, hugging her. "Just...try not to worry. Like I said, I'm not angry. We're not kicking you out. If you really want to go home early, we can make that happen. But, and I want to be clear about this, Molly, me offering that is not me wanting you gone, but not wanting to say it to your face, and just offering it to you on the hope that you'll take it and leave. I'm really okay with you hanging out like we planned."

She pulled back and looked at him again. "You're really fucking smart, and weird," she muttered finally.

"What?"

"I don't think I've ever really heard someone explain...all that before. But I knew exactly what you were talking about, without even realizing all the subtext...fuck's sake." She sighed and shook her head and relaxed again. "Well, okay. I'll, uh, apologize to everyone as they wake up, and we can just go back to things being cool again."

"Good."

They both looked over as they heard a door open and close, almost slam really, and he saw Candy had stepped out of her back door. She was looking right at them over the fence and was walking towards them determinedly.

"Uh, shit," he muttered, letting go of her.

"Trent? May I please have a word with you, right now?" she asked firmly.

"Are we in trouble?" Molly murmured.

"No idea, stay here," Trent replied. "Yep!" he called, striding over to meet her.

They met at the gate that opened between their two yards and she pulled it open and looked at him with something like surprise, concern, and a little frustration.

"Trent," she said firmly.

"What's the problem?" he asked. Because obviously there was a problem.

She looked past him at Molly briefly. "Exactly how many women are you going to invite into your bed?"

"Oh. Um. We're not-I'm not, uh, sleeping with Molly," he replied. She crossed her arms and gave him a hard look. "I'm really not, Candy."

"I saw the two of you just now," she replied. "You looked awful close."

"She had a rough night. We had a fight. She felt bad and wanted reassurance that I wasn't mad at her. And she's...cuddly. She's physically affectionate, even with friends. You should know that just because I give someone a hug or put my arm around them doesn't mean I'm screwing them."

She pursed her lips, looking at him as firmly as ever, then relaxed, but only a little. "Fine," she said. "But I know what you and Claire get up to, and I saw the way Tabby was looking at you all night, and her and Mae whispering and giggling to each other. Y'all are not as subtle as you think you are. And far be it from me to pass judgment on how many women you're humping-"

"Candy!" he groaned, feeling heat rushing to his face.

"But!" she continued ruthlessly, "I want to know that you are being safe. God forbid one of you get an STD. I trust you, all right? But I know how stupid men get over sex. Hell, I know how stupid everyone gets over sex. Despite what you might think, I've got something of an idea of where Mae's at, bringing that many girls into her boyfriend's bed, which I'm sure makes you happy as a clam, but you need to be safe."

"Oh my fucking God, Candy," he moaned. "It's too early in the morning for this."

"Trent."

"Yes. Okay. I hear you. And we're being safe, okay? Bea and Ann are both sticklers for safety and very mature about all this. There's protection and tests, all right? We know what we're doing."

"Mmm...fine," she murmured. "I'm sorry to be so firm about it, but I care about Mae and, by extension, all of you...although...it wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if Mae got pregnant on accident…"

"Candy!"

"I'm just saying!"

He sighed. "Candy, I know you had a lot of difficulty conceiving Mae. Has it ever occurred to you that maybe that might be genetic? That maybe Mae might have difficulty getting pregnant, too? Or that she maybe shouldn't get pregnant?"

Candy frowned. "Hmm...it has occurred to me," she admitted reluctantly. "I know you kids are having fun right now and a pregnancy would really throw a wrench in that, but...don't pass it out of hand. Having children is a wonderful experience. Raising a family, all that goes with it...it's not as bad as you think it might be."

"I...am not having this conversation right now," Trent replied, then paused as something occurred to him. "Would it be acceptable if it was Bea or Ann who got pregnant?"

Candy seemed to think about that for a long moment, then shrugged. "I would prefer Mae be the one, but...if I'm being completely honest and selfish right now, then yes, so long as I get to be grandma to someone."

"So you recognize that you're being selfish," Trent said.

"Yes, I do," she replied. "I've been through a lot, I think I'm afforded a little selfishness."

He sighed heavily. "Candy...you are...the fucking weirdest mother-in-law in the world."

"That didn't sound like a complaint," she replied.

Trent laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "I can't say that it was. Honestly, I like you, and as flat out fucking insane and weird as the conversations we tend to have are, I like them too. Mostly. Please don't ever let anyone know about this conversation, though. And also, like...can we not talk about sex? It's so weird."

"Fine, but you're a bit selfish yourself, you know," she replied.

"What? How?"

"You all are not as quiet as you think you are."

"Oh. Uh. Um...wow."

"Yep."

He sighed. "Fine, noted. I have to go."

"Good morning, Trent," she replied as he began walking away.

"Morning, Candy," he said, heading back towards Molly.

Trent walked back to the lawn chairs and sat down beside Molly. He looked at the patio for a long time, frowning.

"So...what was that about? I didn't catch any of it, except when you reacted," she said.

"It was...a deeply uncomfortable conversation," he muttered, reaching into his pocket after a moment's hesitation and pulling out his pipe and lighter.

"Ah man, wake and bake me, bro," Molly said immediately. "I need it. This hangover's coming on stronger."

"All right," he said, lighting up, taking a puff, then passing it to her.

"You are a fucking lifesaver," she whispered, then puffed away. "So what was it about?"

He considered what to tell her, or even if he should tell her. Finally, he sighed. "Since meeting Mae, I have been...very blessed, in terms of women agreeing to have sex with me-" he began.

"Oh my God, dude, did you bang your girlfriend's mom!?" she asked.

"What!? No! That wasn't-ugh. No. She's actually, like, the one woman I can't fuck. Mae explicitly told me not to." He pause, considered it. "I imagine Ann would have similar reservations, but I'm not into her mom."

"What about Bea?"

"Her mom's dead. Cancer."

"Oh...fuck, man. Downer."

"Yeah. No, Molly, she thought you and I were fucking and-"

"Wait, like, right here?"

He laughed and took the pipe back. "No! Will you listen? She thought you had agreed to go to bed with me and finally had the talk with me about...safety. And don't ever tell this to anyone else, especially Mae, because she might genuinely projectile vomit onto you. Maybe even in your face."

"Ugh. Gross. Why?"

"She has a weak stomach and anxiety problems. She throws up kind of easy. She's thrown up after having like one too many donuts.. And not, like, 'oh I shouldn't have had that fourteenth donut', but after like four of them."

"Jeez. All right, I swear." She giggled. "Gimme that pipe back."

"I'm not done with it yet," he muttered, taking another puff.

"I'll flash you some titty," she said.

He looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "...all right."

She giggled again and pulled her shirt down and forward, quickly exposing her breasts to him. He looked at them for a long moment, then passed her the pipe.

"Fucking shit, you have got amazing tits," he muttered.

"Thank you," she said, happily puffing on the pipe.

"You're so fucking weird."

Molly rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm the weird one."

"You're a lesbian who keeps flirting with a man, and I can tell you aren't joking."

"I…" She frowned, took another puff, then passed him back the pipe. "I'm...I need to think about some things."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to push you into anything at all. Think away, and feel no pressure."

She looked at him for a long time. "So are you okay with not convincing me to at least try having sex with you because you're getting so much pussy already, or because you really actually don't want to pressure me."

He looked back at her.

"I'm sorry," she said, sighing heavily and then hiding her face in her hands. "That was, like, the bitchiest question."

"Could I talk you into it?"

She looked at him. "Like full on sex?" He nodded. She sucked in some air through her teeth. "I...dunno. Like...I genuinely don't know. I'm pretty sure the answer is no, but...the fact that I'm hesitating is making me hesitate, if that makes sense, you know?"

"I get it."

"It's just...I have always wondered. What it'd be like. Like with the kissing. And that...wasn't bad. It was kinda fun. In a really weird way. I-I don't know. I don't think I'm ready to talk about this," she said, looking away.

"Like I said: all the time you want. Or, we can never speak of it again."

She looked back at him. "You'd really be okay with that?"

"I'd really be okay with that, and to answer your question: I really genuinely am okay with it, and I believe in not pressuring people, but...I will admit that I'm acting from a position of privilege. I don't know if I'd be so pragmatic about it if I'd caught your experimental attention while single. Not saying I'd lay on the pressure or flip out or anything, but it'd be a lot harder to say no."

"Fair," she said. "I...know what it is to operate from a position of privilege." She sighed heavily. "And now I know what it feels like to get turned down flat. I remember our conversation now." She winced. "I was...not at my best."

Trent chucked. "No, but it happens."

"What, drunk lesbians try to make out with you? That happens?"

He laughed again. "No, that's never happened before. But-"

"Trent!?" Mae called from within the house, sounding panicked.

"Fuck," he muttered, passing her the pipe and leaping up. He heard Molly ask a question but didn't catch it as he hurried in through the backdoor, which was still partially open, and stumbled into the living room. He found Mae sitting up, wrapped in the blanket on the foldout couch. She looked close to crying.

"What's wrong, babe?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

"I...nightmare," she moaned, hugging him tightly as soon as he was close enough.

"Oh, Mae...it's all right. You're okay. You're safe. Your friends are here, everything's okay," he murmured.

"I was in the mine again…" she groaned miserably.

"I'm sorry, Mae." He kissed the top of her head, running his hand slowly over the back of it, his other hand rubbing against her back as she squeezed him and buried her face in his chest. "You're okay."

They sat together for a few moments longer, with her shuddering occasionally, and finally she let go of him. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"I smell weed," she murmured.

"Me and Molly were doing some wake and bake," he replied.

"Oh." Her eyes widened. "Oh God. Molly. Is she okay?"

"I'm fine," Molly replied awkwardly, stepping into the living room. "...hi."

"Hi. Uh...you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Trent...helped me. Talked to me. Forgave me. Explained what happened last night. And I'm, like, so sorry, Mae. I feel so fucking weird about all this. I'm sorry for making a scene and breaking a glass and getting way too handsy with your boyfriend…"

"It's all right, Molly," she replied, then giggled a little, then covered her mouth. "Sorry," she said. "It's not-this isn't funny. It's just...everyone gets handsy with him," she murmured.

Now Molly laughed. "Yeah, apparently. But...I'm still sorry. I was an idiot."

"I forgive you," Mae said. "Last night was fun, for the most part."

Molly looked relieved. "That's really good to hear." She paused. "What...is the mine?"

He and Mae shared a look.

"I just...have a recurring nightmare. About a mine. There's a bunch of them around here," she said, falling more easily into the lie as she told it. "There's sinkholes and I have nightmares about falling into one and down into a haunted mine and it's...very terrifying."

"Oh...wow, man. I'm sorry. That sucks hard."

"Yep, but I'm better now. And...I'll be even better with some bake," she said, holding out one hand.

"Okay, okay," Trent replied, reaching out his own hand. Molly passed the pipe she'd held onto and he gave it to Mae.

And for awhile, the three of them sat together and relaxed.