Angela

Scoping the room, I inspected our guests. A few of the boys looked scared as hell while the girls were excitedly chatting by the snack table. Typical sexual separation. Shaking my head, I nudged my boyfriend to get things started.

“Alright, y’all! This isn’t one of our usual Darius and Angie dance parties. Tonight, we’re gonna talk!” Darius announced.

As groans erupted from the crowd, I quickly added, “We’re gonna talk about SEX!”

My announcement reversed the reactions: the girls looked scared as hell while the boys were excitedly chatting!

“Now some of y’all probably haven’t popped your cherries yet so you’re gonna learn a thing or two before you do. And if you’re already getting your groove on, hopefully this will be useful information,” I stated before sitting in the middle of the sofa in my bedroom. My parents converted our full-length walkout basement into my private play place. They like to call it my bedroom. Well, half-bedroom, half-play place is more like it.

Darius sat next to me as our friends found various seats on pillows scattered on the floor in front of my floor model TV. My boyfriend and I looked like we were about to tell a story.

“Fellas, there are some sexy ass girls in here, right?” said Darius. “And ladies, there are some fine dudes in here, huh?”

Some of the boys were sitting next to girls that had no clue of the crushes on them. Little did they all know their responses could change the course of their love lives forever.

“What if I told you that you can date everyone you want all at the same time!” I smiled.

“Huh? What the fuck you talkin’ ‘bout, Angie?” asked Darius’ best friend Aaron Jones.

My stomach flipped at the sound of his voice! I had to get my words right because Aaron was one of the main ones I wanted to date!

Smirking at Aaron, I said, “It’s called polyamory. With honesty and transparency, Darius and I can date each other and anyone else we want, together or separately as long as everyone is treated with love and respect. In other words, I can date you and Darius. No secrets, no lies. You can date me and any other girl you want as long as she knows I’m also your girlfriend.”

“Yeah, right! What girl you know is gonna let me date her and you?!” Aaron laughed, to my dismay.

“I kinda like the idea,” said Devin Lawson, another of Darius’ friends. “I would love to have two or three girlfriends!”

My eyes met with my little sister Nina. She grinned as she mouthed the words, “Told ya so!”

Nina and I were raised in a polyamorous household. Our mother never hid her boyfriend or girlfriends from our father or us girls and she explained early in life that she loved differently than “normal” people and encouraged us all to do the same. As Nina and I grew older, our friends would ask questions and as our parents taught us to do, we were always completely honest.

“I don’t think my mama’s gonna let me have two boyfriends!” exclaimed my friend, Nikki Fitzgerald. Sitting between Darius’ boys, Kris Young and her boyfriend, Corey Harris, I was pretty sure which direction she wanted her poly configuration to go.

“Let’s not worry about what ‘they’ want and decide what WE want!” I encouraged. “I’ve invited y’all specifically because I know who likes who and I’m tired of y’all wishing y’all can be together. I’m not gonna point anyone out but tonight is the night to finally say ‘Hey, I wanna date you!’ I’ll go first!”

Rising from the sofa, I crossed the room to stand in front of Aaron. Offering my hand, I said, “Hey, I wanna date you!”

Expectedly, Aaron looked stunned as he glanced at Darius.

“Go ahead, man. I’m cool with it!” Darius said as he rose from the sofa to talk to Nikki.

“Well, I’m NOT cool with it!” exclaimed Corey. Snatching Nikki’s hand before rising from the floor, he snapped, “My girl ain’t no ho! The fuck I look like letting all of y’all fuck my gal!”

“Excuse me!” yelled Nikki as she pulled away from Corey. “First of all, I AM cool with this and if you think you can tell me who I can date, you better think again! In fact, I think I need a new boyfriend!”

“Nikki!” Corey yelled. “You telling me you want to fuck somebody else?!”

Attempting to get a grip on my get-together, I explained, “Corey, polyamory isn’t about sex. It’s about love and you shouldn’t have sex until you get to know someone, right? Nikki wants to see if she loves Darius. That doesn’t mean she doesn’t love you, too!”

Looking directly at Nikki, Corey asked, “So you don’t have a problem with me dating someone else?”

Smiling, Nikki replied, “Only if I can’t do the same.”

Nodding his head in approval, Corey shook Darius’ hand before walking over to my little sister.

While Darius and Nikki settled themselves on the sofa, I led Aaron to the love seat set parallel to them.

“So you wanna fuck me, huh?” Aaron smirked. “This is a slick little way of cheating. Doin’ it in their face!”

Shaking my head, I took Aaron’s hands into mine. “No, Baby. This isn’t cheating. And yes I’m attracted to you…”

Aaron Jones never struck me as the type of guy to fall in love as much as he talked about sex. Mama said that he may not be able to express himself in poetic words of love when it’s easier to be crass when he’s in front of his boys.

“But I want to see if I love you before I make love to you,” I finished.

The expression on Aaron’s face softened. “Oh, really?”

Smiling back, I said, “Yes.”

“Oh…” he chuckled. “My bad for assuming you and D are trynna get over. I figured you were just following in your parents’ footsteps. Your mom seems to be regular with this new guy but I haven’t seen your dad’s side chick lately.”

Rolling my eyes, I explained, “My mama isn’t doing anything deceptive and that was his girlfriend, not a side chick. They broke up last month when he caught her lying about her other boyfriend aka her ex-husband. When Daddy found out the truth, he didn’t know he was telling it to his girlfriend’s ex-husband! She was so messy! She was trynna get her ex back without telling him about my father! All she had to do was talk to her ex-husband about polyamory instead of lying to him and breaking my daddy’s heart!”

Tenderly, Aaron took me into his arms. “Damn, Angie! You’re taking this kinda hard!”

Letting my tears flow, I cried into Aaron’s chest. “Daddy loved Anita! We all loved her! All she had to do was tell the truth!”

“Well, the truth is that I’m flattered that you want to date me but you know I love Baby Girl,” Aaron explained as he pulled away from me. “I know she wouldn’t be down with sharing me.”

Shocked, I replied, “I didn’t even know y’all were serious. Plus you never know until you ask.”

Aaron chuckled. “Girl, everybody in the ‘hood know that Baby Girl is mine!”

“Are you saying you don’t want me, too?” I asked, trying to hold back my disappointment at the possibility of being rejected.

“Nah, Beautiful, I’m not saying that at all,” Aaron said, holding up my chin. “Lemme talk to Baby Girl then I’ll get back at you.”

“Whether she says yes or no, I want you, Aaron,” I said, laying all of my cards on the table. “I’ve been patiently waiting for you to come to me…”

“But you’re Darius’ girl!” Aaron interrupted.

“And clearly you needed to know that I’m available and no one has a problem with it!” I finished with a kiss to Aaron’s lips. “Ball’s in your court, Aaron. Go and talk to your girlfriend and let her know that I want you to be my boyfriend, too!”

Chuckling to himself, Aaron stood up. “Yo, D. Lemme holla at ya right quick.”

Watching as my boyfriend followed behind his best friend before they disappeared upstairs, I wasn’t aware of my sister’s presence until she said…

BOO!!

“Dammit Nina! You scared the hell out of me!!” I exclaimed in fright.

Laughing at me, Nina said, “Well, do you think Ron will be into poly?”

Smiling to myself, I replied confidently, “Yes.”

Before my sister could interrogate me any further, Nikki snatched my hand and nearly dragged me to my bathroom. Closing the door behind us, she turned around to face me.

“You OK?! Did Corey act a fool again?” I inquired in response to my girl’s frantic expression and erratic behavior.

“So I can have any boy I want?!” Her grin was so sinister that I felt like she may have had alternative motives.

“If he has a girlfriend, she has to be OK with you two dating. And if you’re hinting at Darius, you have my consent to date him,” I stated.

“What about girls?” she asked.

In confusion, I inquired, “What do you mean?”

“Can girls date girls?”

Smirking because I had a feeling Nikki swung both ways, I said, “Sure! Love doesn’t see gender.”

Looking down at her feet, Nikki said, “Cool because I’ve been trying to get up the courage to ask…”

Encouragingly, I nudged my friend. “It’s OK, Nikki. You know you can tell me anything.”

Nikki smiled up at me. “Angie, will you be my girlfriend?”

Taken aback, I stared at Nikki. “Huh?! Me? Your girlfriend?!”

Looking dejected, Nikki began to leave the bathroom. Catching her arm, I turned her around and kissed her passionately.

“Does that answer your question?” I smiled at Nikki.

Blushing enough to turn her caramel cheeks into a bright rose, she replied, “Yes… but…”

“But what?” I inquired.

“I don’t want anyone to know about us. I… I… I haven’t… come out yet,” Nikki explained.

Feeling a frown form on my lips, I said, “Well, when you’re OUT and ready to be seen with me in public, I’ll be your girlfriend but I won’t be anyone’s secret.”

Dropping her head, Nikki said, “Oh…”

Pulling her in for a hug, I said, “Nikki, I love you to death and I’ll always be your girl. And when you’re ready, I’ll be your girlfriend.”

Looking up at me with a smile, Nikki said, “You’re not mad at me?!”

Laughing, I asked, “Why would I be mad? If anything, you’re gonna piss yourself off when you see me with other girls!”

Stepping back, Nikki exclaimed, “Other girls?!”

Smirking, I replied, “You’re not the only woman I have my eyes on.”

“Damn Angie! It’s like that, huh?” Nikki giggled. “Ah’ight then. Well, you already know I’m bi so when I come out and ask you to be my girl, you betta say YES!”

Chuckling as I began to exit the bathroom, I said, “We’ll see about that!”

As Nikki and I returned to the party, I was pleased to see my friends were taking my suggestion to expand their love life’s horizons. Darius came over to me as Nikki joined her boyfriend Corey on the sofa.

“So what did Nikki want?” Darius asked as he hugged me close while we observed our guests.

“Me,” I replied with a grin. “She said after she comes out, she wants me to be her girlfriend.”

“Damn!! Fa real?! Wow Babe! This polyamory thing is really working out for you, huh?” Darius cheered.

“We’ll see,” I said as my thoughts drifted to Aaron.