[Book of Eros] Chapter 50 - Truths. (Patreon)

They arrived at school just as the bell rang instead of their usual 20 minutes earlier. Leo took his seat at the back of the classroom with automatic movements. His mind was still in shock. It took him a few moments to even notice that Reiko wasn’t here yet. In fact, she arrived a few minutes after homeroom had started, apologizing to the teacher for her tardiness and being allowed in.

“You okay?” Leonardo asked her as she sat down, whispering.

“Yes,” she said with a smile and a low chuckle. “I overslept.”

To Leo, it seemed a little more than just that. Reiko was usually very attentive in class, writing her notes on her notebook with speed and gracefulness he just wasn’t able to match. But now, she was barely paying attention to the teacher and gave up writing anything ten minutes into the lecture. She raised her hand to call the teacher’s attention.

“Excuse me, teacher, I don’t feel well today. Can I go to the infirmary?”

“Really? Hmm. You’re not one to fake these things. Very well, can you go on your own?” the teacher asked.

“Yes,” she answered. She was allowed to retire for the moment, leaving Leo with yet another thing to worry about. Did something happen to her last night or was she just worried about what had happened between him and Angela? They’d have a lot to talk about during lunch.

***

They gathered at the rooftop like always, lunch boxes in hand. But before anything else, Leo had to ask, “Are you really feeling better now?”

“I told you already, yes,” Reiko giggled. “I… couldn’t sleep last night, so I was dead tired today. I took a nap in the infirmary and now I’m fine.”

“Couldn’t sleep?” Angela asked, carefully.

The younger girl nodded. “I admit, I was thinking about what you two would be up to,” she admitted wryly. “But I was also thinking about what you told me at the beach, so… I did some crazy things last night that only made it even harder for me to get any sleep.” She laughed sheepishly.

Leo wished he could laugh with her or cheer her up, but he had worries of his own. Worries he shared with Angela. The two shared complex glances that made Reiko nervous.

“What’s wrong?” Reiko asked, arching an eyebrow.

“We… have something bad to report,” Angela said.

“B-Bad?” she asked with a slight crack of her voice. “Is it… about what you did last night?”

“Yes and no,” Leo sighed.

“Last night we kissed and slept together in the same bed,” Angela answered bluntly.

“O-Oh…” Reiko exclaimed, blinking and slowly taking a hand to her chest. The heat was lightly coloring her cheeks pink, and she pursed her lips while she looked down at the floor to ponder.

“But something far more pressing happened this morning,” Angela said. “Something… strange.”

“Eh? S-Strange how?” Reiko asked. Angela turned to Leo to have him explain.

“This might be hard to believe but…” With a resigned sigh, Leo told her of the message he got that morning, using the book as a prop and explaining how the message wasn’t there anymore. He told her what it said, who he believed it came from, and the threat that if he didn’t solve things within a year, they’d lose everything. He showed her the book and told her how the polyamory gift had been taken away, the message that had come with it gone as well.

For a long moment, Reiko didn’t answer, and he was fine with that. It was a crazy enough story that anyone would need time to process it. Well, anyone but Angela, apparently. Then, with resolute eyes, she spoke.

“Can you kiss in front of me?”

“Eh?” Leo and Angela uttered in unison. That had nothing to do with what they’d just said.

“But… do you believe what I said?”

“Let’s leave that aside for a second. I need to confirm something first. I need to see if the picture in my head feels the same as the real thing.”

He and Angela shared a hesitant look, but they knew Reiko wasn’t screwing with them. This wasn’t a trap or a test or anything. She wanted to see, to understand her own feelings. Leo couldn’t imagine what she was going through, to realize you’re into something so… extreme while they also dropped a supernatural bomb on her. He had no issues putting on hold the talk of the message he got for a moment if it meant putting Reiko’s best interest first. Just because the message was urgent didn’t make her feelings less important. No, because it was such an urgent time, Reiko’s feelings were more important than ever. If he wanted to have her support, she needed to understand who she was, first. He turned to Angela and scooted closer to her. Pushing through the mix of complex emotions, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her into a kiss.

“Mmm!” she yelped in surprise. She didn’t return the kiss at first, eyes glancing at the shocked Reiko. But then she gave up, returning Leo’s embrace and parting her lips to allow his tongue inside her mouth. He noticed the faint taste of mustard in her from the lunch she was having, but he didn’t mind. How long did they kiss for? Perhaps a full minute or more.

“T-Touch her breasts,” Reiko spoke, and Leo’s hand moved. He slid his hand under Angela’s blazer and groped her through her shirt. Obviously, there was little reaction on her part, but he couldn’t deny the excitement he felt at cupping her heavy breasts.

“S-Stop!” Reiko said, and they pulled away immediately, turning with anxiety to look at her. Her face was beet red, her breathing was wild and heavy, her pupils dilated and she had a hand on her chest. “Oh my God! Oh my God! That was too much!”

“R-Reiko?” Angela asked.

“I… I didn’t think watching that would be so much more intense than whatever I had pictured,” Reiko said, trying to catch her breath as she grinned. “Holy crap. My heart’s pounding.” And yet, she was laughing. “I really am I complete and utter pervert…” She scooted close to Leonardo, put a hand on his and took it to her chest. “You see how quickly my heart is beating, right? That’s how excited that got me.” Yes, Leo could feel it in his hand. The smile in her face, however, was the most relieving thing.

“So… you’re really okay with this?” Leo asked.

His girlfriend nodded. “It’s not that I don’t believe what you said about the message you got,” she said. “You showed me the book before. I remember the thing about the polyamory gift. But I needed to understand if this was what I really wanted or not. Watching you two felt both exciting and frustrating at the same time, and it’s that mix that just… gets me in a way porn never has,” she admitted shyly. “And yet, knowing Angela can’t feel the things I feel is far more frustrating, and not in a good way!” She turned to her blonde friend. “You just NEED to know how good sex is! It’s a crime that you can’t experience it!” Her earnest words made Angela blush. “So yeah, count me 100% on board.”

“So… that means I can say Leo’s my boyfriend?” Angela asked.

“That… might cause some issues,” Leo said, thinking it through.

“That’s right,” Reiko realized. “If people know he has two girlfriends, he’ll get a bad reputation.”

“Aww, man! We have to keep it a secret?” Angela pouted.

“I didn’t think you’d care about it,” Reiko admitted.

“I just want to be able to hold hands whenever I want. Is that so bad?” Angela groaned, causing her friends to snicker before they all bust out laughing together. And man did Leo really need that laugh.